Early Morning Run Around Horwich

I parked up at the train station this morning as usual but then went for a run so that I didn’t have to go tonight as I knew I’d be pushed for time.  I ran around towards the Police Station and then along to the sorting office before running up the dodgy path out towards the Texaco garage on Chorley New Road.  I then ran along to Aldi and turned right along Winter Hey Lane, turning left at the end and over to The Crown.

From there, I ran back along Chorley New Road towards St Joseph’s School.  At this point, I realised that if I went back to the train station, I wouldn’t get my intended 5.5 miles in so I double back on myself, running along the backstreets parallel with Chorley New Road.  I came back out onto the main road and then turned back down the path by Texaco and ran back to my van.  I got to the van dead on 5.5 miles. 

Nothing exciting to report.  I was supposed to do the run between an 8.01 pace and an 8.46 pace and I managed an 8.23 pace so very pleased with that. 

Total distance – 5.5 miles

Incredibly Slow Recovery Plod With a Very Hot Dog!

Just an easy recovery run today with Ruby up Two Lads.  There was lots of nattering during the run with people I met en route so it took over 52 minute to go three miles!

I had a good natter to Sean on the way up to Two Lads whilst Ruby caught up with her old buddies.

Once on top of Two Lads I had a chat with Colin Jones who arrived at the same time as me but from a different direction.

I then had a good run down off Two Lads but once I got onto George's Lane, Ruby was really flagging in the heat and we were barely managing a jog.

Ah well, my training plan says 'there's no such thing as too slow on a recovery run' so it was just nice to be out in the sunshine chatting to friends.

Total distance - 3 miles

White Bear Way

I teamed up with Maggie Slamin today to run the White Bear Way, which is a long distance walking event but quite a few people run instead of walk. There was a choice of a ten mile route or a twenty-one mile route and, of course, we chose the twenty-one miles. 

Also out today were John and Ed Swift (both running the 21 mile route), Kev Latham (running the ten mile route due to another event later in the day), Gordon Stone (who was walking the 21 mile route rather than running due to a recent injury), Ali Murray, Nick Leigh (both running 21 miles) and Derek Kay (running 10 miles). I also noticed Tammy Harrison-Round at the start but I'm unsure whether she was doing the 10 mile or the 21 mile and I didn't get a chance to say hello (sorry Tammy if you're reading this!). Michael Kay was one of the organisers of the event and I must say, it was very well organised and everyone really enjoyed themselves.

The start was at Adlington Scout Hut and after a nice sit down and a natter with John, Ed and Kev it soon got to our 9.30 start time. The walkers had already set off at 8.30 for the 21 mile route and 9.00 for the 10 mile route so the 9.30 start was for all runners on both routes. 

We headed down onto the main road and then soon were running along the canal. The weather was glorious and only a few minutes in we were already feeling the heat. Maggie and I turned off the canal, at which point John, coming up behind, called to us asking whether we were sure this was the right way as there were a couple of girls in front of him who carried on straight ahead. We said it was definitely right and John followed us. Later on, we heard from a marshal that a couple of girls had gone wrong and ended up in Standish and we can't help wondering whether it was the two girls John mentioned who went straight on along the canal. Probably! 

After leaving the canal we ran through some woodland and farm fields, eventually coming out at Suzannah's in Blackrod and then running a short way along the road and then down by the side of a farmhouse. I'm glad I wasn't on my own as I would have thought I was trespassing at this point because the route went right through the garden of the farmhouse. 

We came out on the road through Blackrod, crossed over and then ran down through some fields and a small wood before crossing the train line and the motorway, eventually coming out on the main road at Anderton. We then crossed over and ran up Dryfield Lane, turning off and making our way to the first checkpoint at the car park near Rivington and Blackrod School. We didn't have any food at this one, just a quick drink and carried on on our way. The next checkpoint was only a few hundred meters away at the Castle and this was the point where the ten mile and the twenty-one mile routes split. 

We then continued along some of the paths through Rivington, crossing over Rivington Road. At this point, I was already starting to flag a little. I had done a very hard speed session two days before and raced two days before that and my legs were feeling very sore from it. My quads and calves were really tight. I stopped for a moment to retrieve a gel from my bag for some much needed energy. We then ran down the track to the back of the school and from there we ran a very short way up the concrete road (Pike Race route) before turning off on the right and heading down into Tigers Clough. Down Devil's Steps and up the other side, we then ran along the back of the Ormston's Farm and towards Wilderswood before turning left and heading up to George's Lane for the third checkpoint. I put some more suncream on here and had a quick drink and then it was off to climb the Pike. Once on top there was a nice sense that the hardest part was now over with. I'm not going to lie, I was feeling incredibly sluggish today. 

We ran down the steps side of the Pike then along to the Pigeon Tower then followed the track around to the right. As we passed the bridge on our right which takes you up the diagonal to the trig point, my Garmin beeped at me telling me it had lost satellite. I'm not sure how given that I was in the wide open with no trees or anything around. It wouldn't come back on though and so when we got to the next checkpoint at Hordern Stoops (where we had some pork pies and a drink) I turned it off completely and back on again, at which point it found satellite straight away. Stupidly, I then forgot to press start again so it wasn't until we were at the top of the 'diagonal' heading towards Higher Hempshaws that I realised and started it going again so I probably missed about three quarters of a mile in total. 

We followed the path around Higher Hempshaws which eventually leads into Lead Mines Clough where we then ran up to the Bomber Memorial and then headed over to Jepson's Gate. This is where we bumped into Gordon who was walking the twenty-one mile route. There was another checkpoint at Jepson's Gate so we stopped for a quick drink (I also had a cheese roll by which I mean like a sausage roll but with cheese, as opposed to cheese on a bread roll) before descending the road and then passing through a field and dropping down towards Anglezarke. We then came out at Waterman's Cottage where we stopped so that Maggie could ring her other half to let him know an ETA for picking us up later on. Gordon again caught up with us and we stayed together up to the cairn at Healey Nab. 

At this point, I actually got my compass out of my bag and used it! The directions told us to take a path at a 330 degree bearing so I used my compass to find out which path it was as there are a few different ways you can go from the cairn. We ran down the path and then made our way through fields to the Black Horse at Limbrick for the final checkpoint where we had another drink and some jaffa cakes. 

Not far to go now! 

We turned off the road at Cockers Farm and eventually came back down onto the canal. The directions said we were to come off the canal at bridge 70 but it seemed to take forever to get there and by now I could barely manage a shuffle. My legs just didn't want to work any more. After what seemed like a lifetime, bridge 70 appeared and we came off the canal and then headed back to the Scout Hut the same way as we had left it. 

The hotpot which greeted us at the scout hut was extremely welcome and tasted so good that I had to have a second helping! 

John was already at the scout hut when we arrived and had got there about 12 minutes before us. He left us for dust at checkpoint 1 and we didn't see him again until the end. 

What an excellent day out! I really enjoyed it, despite my lack of energy and found some good new paths which I can run on that I didn't know about before. I'll definitely do it again next year! Highly recommended. 


Total distance - 21 miles recorded but probably another 3/4 of a mile on top of that due to lost satellite. 

Also on this day... Michele Sunter completed her Joss Naylor Challenge!  Well done Michele! 

1 x 1 mile at 110% + 6 x 1 minute at 110%

Today's speed session was on the recommendation of Gareth and my word was it a tough one.

I warmed up for just over a mile and then ran a mile as fast as I could.  I managed a time of 6 minutes 59 seconds (5k pace 7.45 min mile).

After that came a ten minute recovery which I spent stretching and jogging as my shins were quite sore.

The ten minutes were soon up and it was then time for 6 x 1 minute reps with 30 second recovery in between and I managed the following paces for each rep:

Rep 1 - 5.44 min/mile
Rep 2 - 6.34 min/mile
Rep 3 - 6.37 min/mile
Rep 4 - 6.41 min/mile
Rep 5 - 6.35 min/mile
Rep 6 - 6.43 min/mile

As you can see, reps 2 to 6 were pretty consistent but I was on fire on rep 1!  I must have totally burned myself out as I didn't get anywhere near it on the other reps.

I then cooled down for about 1.5 miles and then collapsed onto the driver's seat of my van and went home to sit with frozen peas on my shins for twenty minutes.

Despite only 1.5 miles or so of my 5.5 mile session being at speed, it was really tough.  I felt so sick and my body was crying for me to slow down but I gave it my all and kept going.

I hate being out of my comfort zone but I don't half feel good afterwards when it's all over.

The most impressive thing about today's run was that I wanted the one mile of speed to be reasonably flat so I chose my start and end point and, looking at my Strava trace, I managed to find a mile with one one foot of ascent.  Think I did pretty well there to find something with the start and end point at pretty much the same elevation.

Total distance - 5.5 miles

Vernons 5k - Race 3

The aim of entering this race series was to see whether my hard training would pay off between the first race and the last and so far it's really not going to plan.

On my first race I got a 5k PB of 23.20.

Last month, full of a cold and with a bad back, I was over a minute slower, clocking in at 24.26.

Tonight I was feeling good and had done quite a lot of decent training so was hoping for a much better time.  Unfortunately, I failed miserably, finishing in a time only 12 seconds quicker than last month - 24.14.

That's a whopping 54 seconds off the first race and I just can't understand it because that's a lot over a 5k.

I have absolutely no excuse.

I knew throughout the race that I was running too slowly but I just couldn't muster anything more.

I'm wondering if it's psychological, which won't come as any surprise to most of you who, by now know full well that I have head issues.  My aim at the start of the series was to beat my PB for a 5k.  I did that in the first race by over a minute so I'm wondering if now, subconsciously, I don't care enough anymore.  I don't feel like that's the case but who knows what goes on in the subconscious mind.

I really do want to get past that 23.20 in the final race but because my past two races have been so far off it, I'm struggling to believe I ever actually did it.

Edit: Looking at Strava it appears I did my usual trick of setting off too fast.  My first quarter of a mile was done in a 6.47-7.25 minute mile pace (my best 5k average pace has been 7.45 minute mile).

Erica joined me for tonight's race and she did a great time of 22.29 (fourth lady).  Gareth was also at the race, coming third in a time of 16.46.  Well done guys!

Total distance - 3.1 miles + warm up/cool down

Getting Faster

My training plan was showing a ‘fast’ 5.5 miles today and the pace specified was between 8:04 and 8:48 minute mile.  I managed the 5.5 miles in an 8.28 minute mile pace which I’m pretty pleased with considering the route I took had a rocky off-road uphill section (the bit up from the bowling club to Yarrow Reservoir).  Every time I looked at my watch when I was on a flat even section it was showing between a 6.54 pace and a 7.45 pace so it must have been the uphill bits which slowed the average pace down so much. 

I’m finding it quite difficult to find flat loops to train on which are reasonably traffic free.  I don’t mind running along country roads if they’re not busy or have a pavement but I don’t want to run along busy main roads so I’m a bit stuck for routes given that most of the quiet roads around where I live are very hilly.  A park would be nice with compacted trail but I don’t know of any nearby.

Total distance – 5.5miles

Misty Miles

On my training plan today was just an easy three mile run.  I went a little bit above that, clocking a 9.6 mile easy run but to be honest, I think my training plan is meant for somebody who does less mileage than me so I’m pretty sure I’m safe to go over the three miles on easy sessions, I’ll just make sure that I stick to the distances given for the speed sessions, etc.

I met Ed at the bottom barn at 8.30 and we went for a run up to the Pike, Two Lads, the trig point, then down to Hordern Stoops and along to Lead Mines Clough.  We went through the field along the top of the clough and along to the waterfall and then ran along the other side to the Bomber Memorial.  We then ran through Lead Mines Clough, up the road, through the field and back into Rivington along Dean Brook. 

It was really misty this morning and when we were on top of the Pike there were a couple of mountain bikers there sat on a bench who jokingly said they were ‘admiring the view’.  The fog was so thick that from the bench you could only just see the top of the steps.  Glad I knew where I was! 

Total distance – 9.65 miles

2 x 1 mile @ 7.35 pace

On the training plan today was 5.5 miles to include 2 miles at a 7.35 minute mile pace with a half mile jog in between.

I parked up on the track up to the top barn and set off on a warm up through Rivington and along The Street.  As I got to the other end of The Street and turned left, my watch was just coming up to 1.5 miles so it would soon be time to start my first mile at speed.  As I turned the corner into Back Lane the watch turned to 1.5 miles so off I went.  The very first bit was mildly uphill but I soon started going slightly downhill and then flat for a spell.  I managed a 7.20 pace for this first mile so a bit quicker than the training plan had me down for.  The half mile jog took me down hill so I was very aware that when I turned around I’d be heading back uphill.  I turned around after ¼ of a mile so that I would be starting my next speed mile at the same point as I ended the first one.  Jogging back up the hill wasn’t very pleasant when I knew that I had to start running fast again soon.  The watch soon showed 3 miles so it was time to up the speed again. 

For some reason, I got my turnaround wrong and my second mile ended quite a bit further along than my first mile had begun.  I ended up finishing it a short way down The Street but when I had turned the corner into The Street, running hell for leather (well, that's what it felt like anyway), I nearly ran into a white Mercedes which was unexpectedly coming out of the end of The Street.  This stopped me in my tracks for a few seconds so I’m a bit gutted that I didn’t run non-stop for that second mile.  I did however do it in 7.38 and that was even with the brief stop so I’m pretty pleased with that. 

A nice jog now all the way back to the car and yet another good training session completed.

Total distance – 5.5 miles

Absolutely Nothing to Say

Nothing at all to say about this run, it was just an easy one with Ruby on my Two Lads loop.  Not a single thing of any interest happened on this run but as I have blogged about every single run since the start of 2014 I can’t miss one now. 

Total distance – 3 miles

Rainy Run with John Parker

After getting home from my hike yesterday I decided to have today as a rest day but when I woke up and weighed myself I was so horrified that I forced myself out to run!  I have piled on weight, going from 8st 12 to 9st 6!!!  You'd think all these days of hiking would have melted the fat away but I'm guessing the three full English breakfasts counteracted all the hard work. I really need to stop eating like a pig all the time!

At the Lostock meet up this morning there was only John Parker.  We hung around until about 8.12 to see if anybody was running late, but nobody else showed up so off we went.  I had already run from home and only wanted to do 11 miles today so I told John that I would be turning round at Watermans Cottage and heading back via the edge of Healey Nab.

When we got to Watermans Cottage, John decided to head back with me rather than carrying on into White Coppice and Brinscal on his own and I was glad of the good company.

When we got near farm house at the end of the path by Healey Nab, we bumped into Josie, Graeme and Mark who were also out for a run in the rain.  Josie told us that she had originally come out without a waterproof and wearing sunglasses because the weather had looked quite nice but that definitely wasn't the case now and we were all drenched.  I had a windproof on and I might as well have not bothered because it was saturated and just stuck to me.

We quickly got back on our way as we were soon getting cold and I took John along the off-road route which comes out opposite the end of The Street as he has never been that way before and I think it's quite a nice route, as long as the field isn't full of cows of course!

We then ran along The Street and back into Rivington and I told John that I would be running alongside the reservoir back home so John joined me to add a bit of distance onto his run.  He came as far as the castle and then doubled back to his car whilst I carried on home where I passed Martyn and Dave finishing off their run along dog poo alley.


Total distance - 11 miles 

The Cumbria Way (Partial)

Warning - this is a VERY long post so might be best to read if you're struggling to sleep and need something to send you off...

I made a decision last month that I wanted to have a little mini-holiday on my own but with something good to keep me occupied throughout it.  I decided to do a long distance path walk and, after looking at a few different ones, opted for the Cumbria Way because it was convenient to get to and find accommodation for.

The Cumbria Way is 73 miles from Ulverston up to Carlisle.  Having recently come back from holiday and due to other commitments, I found it difficult to find enough consecutive days to do the whole walk because I didn't want to rush it and just wanted to amble along, so decided to just go as far as Keswick and then call it a day.  Another basis for this decision was that I have never done anything like this before so didn't know whether I would even enjoy it or whether carrying a load of kit with me would set my back pain off and make it too uncomfortable to do it all.

I had to buy myself a new rucksack as the ones I currently have are all too small for this type of thing because, even though I was staying in B&Bs rather than camping, I would still have to carry all my kit with me for the entire trip.

For my own sake so I can refer back to it for my next trip (yes, already thinking about that one), set out below is my kit list:

Berghaus Freeflow II 40l Rucksack
4 x different sized dry bags
Silva compass
'Footprint' The Cumbria Way waterproof map
Long sleeved running top
Short sleeved thermal base layer running top
3 x very lightweight running t-shirts
Zip off leg walking trousers
Lightweight shorts for wearing in evening
Underwear
Socks
Adidas Kanadia shoes (I hate walking boots and the Kanadia offer more cushioning for walking than X-Talons)
Buff (not used)
Gore gloves (not used)
RAB Microlight down jacket (not used)
Berghaus waterproof smock (not used)
Berghaus waterproof pants (not used)
Foil blanket (not used)
Bladder
First aid kit (not used)
Blister plasters (not used)
Trek bars x 2 (not eaten)
Phone charger
Garmin + charger
Portable charging stick
Small tin vaseline (not used)
Sun cream (definitely used!)
Avon skin so soft (for the midges)
Phone (with Kindle installed so no need to carry a book)
Small ziplock bag for cash card and cash
Attack spray (thankfully not used but you never know!)
Whistle
Tissue pack
Toothbrush
Tooth paste
Brush
Bobble
Mini deodorant
Glasses

I think that's it but I might have missed something.  I didn't take any toiletries or towels because I was staying in B&Bs so knew all this would be provided.

Anyway, onto the walk...


Day 1 - Ulverston to Coniston

I woke up this morning and thankfully felt fine (read Tuesday's blog if this sounds confusing).  I couldn't say the same for Duncan though, who looked like death and was staying off work again to recover.  This meant that he also couldn't drive me down to the train station because he was just too rough so I called a taxi instead.

I had to get three trains - one from Horwich to Preston, then Preston to Lancaster, then Lancaster to Ulverston.  It was lovely being on such quiet trains instead of crammed onto my usual train far too close for comfort with other people.

Even though it was early, it soon became apparent that the weather was going to be hot hot hot so I zipped the legs off my trousers before I even got off the train and lathered myself in sun cream.

I finally arrived in Ulverston and made my way to the official start of the Cumbria Way.

 Official start of The Cumbria Way

Oh and before we go any further, please could I just apologise for the selfies which are going to appear in this post.  I was on my own and it had to be done but I do still feel the shame.

 Me at the official start sculpture in Ulverston 

The guidebook I read said that the first five and a half miles or so of the walk are the most difficult to navigate.  They weren't wrong but I still found my way easily enough.  The biggest problem for me on the first part of the walk was the amount of fields full of cows I had to cross.  There was one field which was flat along the bottom, which was the bit I needed to walk along, but was then a really steep hill up to the top of the field.  There were cows all over the flat bit and as I walked towards them, they started standing up one by one and just staring at me.  There probably wouldn't have been an issue but, to be on the safe side, I decided to climb up the steep hill, walk along the top of the field and then come back down at the far end of the field to the stile as there weren't any cows that high up.

A short while later I was again confronted by a herd of cows, this time they were right on the other side of the wall I had to climb over so there was no way I could go over as I would have had to step onto them over the stile!  I wandered around a bit trying to find an alternative way out of the field but I couldn't find one.  Soon, an Australian couple I had been chatting too earlier who were also doing the Cumbria Way, caught up with me so I decided we now had power in numbers.  We started to slowly cross the stile and the cows got up and moved away from us.  They probably would have done the same thing if I had had the guts to go over on my own but I didn't want to take that chance.  you just never know with cows!  I left the Aussies slower than me and I carried on along and soon enough my worst fears were realised when I came across this sign on a gate I had to go through...

Luckily, the bull was nowhere to be seen but I did still move pretty quickly through that field and breathed a sigh of relief when I got to the other side of it.

I finally arrived at Gawthwaite where the paths started to get much more obvious and navigation became a doddle.  Shortly after leaving Gawthwaite I realised that it had been about seven hours since I ate my breakfast but I hadn't got hungry because I was too busy concentrating on where I was going and avoiding cows.  I found a stone bridge over a stream and thought that seemed as good a place as any to stop and eat the sandwiches I had brought with me.

The route started to get a bit more remote after my lunch stop and I eventually arrived at Beacon Tarn.

Beacon Tarn 

 Selfie at Beacon Tarn

About two and a half miles later, I arrived on the south west side of Coniston Water.  By now, I had got used to the weight of my pack which earlier had seemed very heavy.  I had made quite a few adjustments to the strap as I walked along and had now got to a point where it was feeling really comfortable, save for the plastic adjusters of my sports bra digging into my chest where the bag straps were on top of them.  There was nothing much I could do about that at the minute but I decided that for the next few days I'd go without the sports bra as my base layer was so tight that it held everything in place rather nicely on it's own.  Sorry for too much information but I'm going to use this blog entry to refer back to when I plan my next walk so I want to remember little things like this.

For the past couple of hours, I had been craving an ice lolly so when I saw a Walls sign up ahead, I thought it was a mirage.  It wasn't!  It was a tiny campsite shop which sold lollies and ice creams so I treated myself to an orange Calippo.  It was heaven on such a hot day!

The walk along the lake seemed to go on for ages and by now my legs were getting a bit tired so it was a really welcome sight when the town of Coniston came into view up ahead.  I made my way straight to my B&B for the night, The Bluebird Lodge.

It was a lovely B&B and was only £45 a night.  The room was quite small and the bathroom very small but it was all I needed and was clean and nicely decorated.  The owner was also very pleasant and helpful.  He commented that I had got there really quickly as most people doing the Cumbria Way don't turn up until at least two hours later than me.

After having a shower and a half hour chill out, I wandered back into the town to find somewhere to eat.  After perusing all the menus, I decided on the Yewdale as it was the cheapest and ordered a pint of cider and a cumberland sausage ‘cassoulet’ which was tasty.

Two pints later I wandered back to the B&B and chilled out for the rest of the evening.


Day 2 - Coniston to Great Langdale

Sun still shining outside, I made my way down to breakfast this morning and was very pleasantly surprised at the amount on offer.  For £45 I thought I was just get a basic breakfast but there were all sorts of cereals and fruits to choose from, as well as warm croissants, to accompany a cooked breakfast.  Of course, being a pig, I went for the full English (as usual asking for no tomatoes or black pudding) and received a nice big helping - two fat sausages, two bacon rashers, fried egg, beans, mushrooms, hash brown and two slices of toast.  Yum!

Belly full, I left the B&B and made my way out of Coniston through some lovely green fields.

Leaving Coniston, heading through 'Back Guards Plantation'

After a couple of miles I reached 'The Tarns' at Tarn Hows.

 'The Tarns'

Shortly after, I arrived at High Park Coppice and took a short detour down to Colwith Force before rejoining the main path a very short way further along.

 Colwith Force

I stopped at the Britannia in Elterwater for a short rest and a drink and then made my way to Chapel Stile, where I got myself a Feast lolly which didn't seem to taste as good as I remember them tasting and I was regretting not buying a Magnum instead.

Soon enough, I was on my way down the hill side into Great Langdale.

 Coming down into Great Langdale 

The route was a bit at this point, as it took you across to the car park but then instead of going through the gate on the left and along the direct path to the Old Dungeon Ghyll, it took me along the car park towards the buildings then up the path by the ghyll before turning left and making my way along to the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

I arrived there really early as the walk today was only about 12 miles but I was able to check into my room.

The ODG was the most expensive of my three B&Bs at £58 per night but it was also the least fancy.  Don't get me wrong, there was nothing at all wrong with the room, it just wasn't a nice as the other rooms.  Also, there was no en suite but there was a private bathroom down the hall and they provided a dressing gown and slippers for you to wander there in.  The bathroom had a lovely huge shower in it which was nice.

I found myself a table in the beer garden and again bought myself a cool pint of cider whilst waiting for them to start serving food at 6pm.  I kept myself occupied by reading the Kindle book I had downloaded onto my phone, which was about the only thing my phone was any use for because I had had no signal on it since the bridge where I stopped to eat my lunch yesterday.  Even in Coniston I had no signal whatsoever.  I really think there is something seriously wrong with my phone!

ODG Selfie  

Day 3 - Great Langdale to Keswick

Breakfast at the ODG was nice but again, was probably my least favourite of the three I had on this trip.  Nothing to do with taste, it's just that there wasn't as much as there had been at the other places and I'm a greedy cow.  To be fair though, they probably would have given me more if I'd asked.  The packed lunch they prepared for me (for £6.50) was a whole different story though - it was HUGE!  I had asked for ham and it was proper thick ham on doorstop bread.  It also came with a homemade very sticky flapjack, a bag of Seabrooks crisps, a dairy milk, an apple and a bottle of water.  I had said that I didn't want the apple so, to my surprise, they gave me an extra chocolate bar instead - a four finger kitkat.  Can't complain at that!

Setting off today was the only part of my walk where I went slightly wrong with the navigation but I blame bad wording on my map.  The map had said 'bear right at the junction behind the ODG hotel' but if I did that, it took me uphill and I was pretty sure, judging by the contours on the map, that I shouldn't be going uphill. I wandered along a little anyway just to be doubly sure and then I was convinced it was the wrong way so I went back down again and went straight ahead instead.

I was confident that I was now going the right way but kept checking the landmarks on my map to be sure.

Leaving Great Langdale 

Eventually I arrived at the foot of the Stake Pass and began the climb up, stopping half way to take a photo.

Looking back down the valley from half way up the Stake Pass 

Finally I reached the top.

Cairn at the top of Stake Pass 

The view looking down the other side of Stake Pass where I was about to walk

The walk down the other side of Stake Pass was actually tougher going than the walk up had been because it was a really steep zigzagged path of loose small stones which were quite slippery to walk on so I was struggling a little to stay upright.  My shoes possibly weren't great for this type of terrain and I'd have been better off with more studded shoes.

Once at the bottom of the valley, the walk along went on for a very long time but it was so beautiful that I didn't care.  It was stunning!

I eventually arrived at a little village called Rosthwaite and called at the cafe for a Refresher lolly and a can of Coke.  I ate the lolly and put the Coke into my bag to have with my lunch later on and continued on my way.

A while later, after walking for about an hour with a Scottish bloke, I stopped for lunch whilst sitting on a rock in a field above the village of Grange.  Only five of six more miles and it would all be over.  I felt really sad at this thought and spent the rest of my walk trying to work out a way of being able to complete the walk and get all the way to Carlisle.  No matter how much I thought about it, it wasn't to be.  Duncan was coming to pick me up tomorrow with my brother and they were going to go mountain biking at Whinlatter Forest.  They'd have Ruby with them so I suppose I could go to Caldbeck with Ruby but she's really hard work and, awful as this sounds, she would have taken the fun out of the walk.  That probably sounds bizarre given you all know how much I love my little dog but you have no idea how hard work she is to walk with, especially when there's livestock around and I didn't want to spend the entire time just yelling at her and getting stressed out.  It was supposed to be a relaxing trip.  Also, even if I could get to Caldbeck, I still wouldn't be able to complete the trip because I'd still have Carlisle to do the next day and Duncan was going to Cholmondeley Pageant of Power so couldn't stay over.  It's complicated but basically, my trip was soon to be over.

 

I soon arrived at Keswick and wandered through the centre to get to my B&B, Greystones.  I arrived at about 3.40 and there was a sign at the B&B saying they would be back at 4pm so I sat on the bench outside and waited for them to arrive.  4pm came and went and nobody had showed up so I rang the doorbell in case they were already home but were just resting for the afternoon but nobody answered.  At about 4.30 I called them to see what time I could check in and the lady I spoke to apologised saying that they weren't expecting me until 5.30 and I did then remember that that is what I had told them.  I said it wasn't a problem and there was no need for them to hurry back, I'd just stash my bag somewhere and wander round town.

Whilst wandering around town, I bumped into Brenda and Tony Hesketh on their holidays with Sam and Bilbo which was unexpected.  After a brief natter I carried on wandering round before going back and checking into my B&B.

This was the best of the three B&Bs I had stayed in on this trip (£50 per night for single occupancy of a double room).

I was feeling really sad that my journey had ended and I just wanted to carry on walking so I decided that, rather than getting Duncan and my brother to pick me up from Keswick in the morning, I'd walk to Whinlatter and meet them there so at about 8.40 pm I quickly threw my clothes back on and wandered back into town to see whether there was anywhere still open which sold maps.  I was quite shocked to find there was and I bought myself a Harvey map of the area.  I took it back to my room and spent the next half hour planning a route to Whinlatter Forest for the morning.  Yippee, the walk continues, albeit not the right walk!


Day 4 - Grizedale Pike Hike

I woke up with a feeling of emptiness this morning and was finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that my Cumbria Way walk was finished.  I enjoyed it so much that I just wanted it to go on and on!

At 7.30 I went down for breakfast which was amazing!  It's the first one of my breakfasts that has actually beaten me and I ended up asking for my Cumberland ring to be wrapped in foil to take with me.  There was such a huge spread of extras it made me wonder what they do with it all if it doesn't get eaten.  They had ready made up pots of layered yoghurt, muesli and fruit, bowls of different fruits, slices of melon and all sorts of other stuff.  I just had a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes and tried to eat it inconspicuously so that nobody noticed that I had no milk on it.  I hate milk but I love cereal so I eat it dry like crisps.  The bacon on my full English was proper thick stuff and the entire breakfast was delicious and filling.  I would highly recommend this B&B if you're staying in Keswick.

Straight after breakfast I set off on my walk to Whinlatter Forest.  The first part of this walk took me back along a path I had come over yesterday towards Portinscale.  From there, I had to head through farm fields which, you guessed it, were full of cows!  This time the cows appeared terrified of me though and were all running off as I walked along.  This was good for me!

I followed my map and got to a path along a river.  The path was waymarked to Thornthwaite which is where I wanted to head but it turned out not to be a very well traveled route and was extremely overgrown with gorse bushes and other prickly vegetation and soon my legs were cut to ribbons.  Relieved to be coming out of the narrow path, I found myself yet again in a field.  I looked at my map and saw the direction I needed to head but there was no path at all now, just a rutted field.  I wandered around the field for ages and couldn't find a way out of it in the direction I needed to go.  I used my compass and knew that I was heading in the right direction but still I couldn't see a way out and the fencing through the field all looked reasonably new.  There were streams running through the field and these corresponded with the streams on my map so I knew I was in the right place but I just couldn't get through. Eventually admitting defeat I replotted my route and had to go back through the narrow path of gorse and head instead for Braithwaite.

Once in Braithwaite I decided to just wimp out and head along the road to the trail centre at Whinlatter rather than finding another off-road route because it was getting late and I needed to get there earlier or at the same time as Duncan so that I could take Ruby and he could get on with his ride.  I headed up the Whinlatter Pass and when I was about half a mile from the trail centre, Duncan came up behind me in the van so I hopped in for a lift.

I looked at my map again when we arrived and noticed that Grizedale Pike was very near by so I decided to take Ruby on a walk up there and back whilst the lads rode their bikes.

It was quite a climb up to the top from the trail centre and Ruby seemed to be struggling more than I was but it was another warm day and there was no water for her to drink.  I kept trying to squirt water from my bladder into her mouth but it kept just squirting her in the eyes.  I did manage to get a bit down her though.

We finally reached the top.

Cairn at Grizedale Pike

Looking down, I could see a nice path running along a ride so I looked at my map to see if we could go down that way, rather than going back the way we had come.  I found that the path would take me all the way down into Braithwaite so I sent Duncan a text telling him I'd see him in the pub there rather than meeting him back at the trail centre.

At first, the path was really steep and full of loose slippery rocks so it was hard work, especially with a rather simple dog strapped to my waist who would keep stopping in front of me as I tried to get down.  After a short while the path leveled off and I was able to walk much more easily.  The path down to Braithwaite went on for a long time but it was a really nice walk and I was enjoying myself, except at the points where Ruby kept pulling after sheep.  This walk did make me realise how glad I was that I hadn't had Ruby with me for my Cumbria Way walk.  She would have driven me insane.

We arrived at the pub and I bought a drink and chatted to a couple of blokes whilst waiting for Duncan to come and pick me up.  I did have a panic at one moment though thinking that Duncan might not have phone signal in the forest and might not have got my text which would have been a nightmare, but thankfully he did get it and came to pick me up after about an hour.

I keep thinking about doing the walk again and actually going all the way to Carlisle but walking a bit further on the first and second day and staying at Skelwith Bridge rather than Coninston and Great Langdale.  I'm just not sure when I'll have time to do it again.

Long as this post is, there's probably loads I have missed but I think I've probably said enough.  I'm sure most of you haven't got this far anyway and gave up reading a long time ago!

Total distance - 45.6 miles

Psychosomatic!

Duncan got back from his Fort William trip yesterday and was fine all night but then at about 2.30 this morning he got up and was chundering and 'the other thing' all through the night.

I was completely and utterly selfish throughout all of this and wanted to stay as far away from him as possible because I was terrified of catching whatever bug (if any, it could have been food poisoning) he had before my hike tomorrow.  The thought of being in the middle of nowhere and getting ill frightened me so much I actually had thoughts of cancelling my hike.

I left Duncan chundering at home whilst I went to work and at lunch I went running along the canal with Kathryn.  The thing is, all morning I had been feeling a little bit ropey but I don't know if it was all just in my head because my fear of getting ill was so deep.  All through my run I felt terrible and was slowing more and more as the run went on.  I was so relieved when we finally finished.

Once I got home from work I spent the entire night constantly washing my hands and staying as far away from Duncan as was possible.  I practically barricaded myself into the spare room and stayed there all night, sleeping on the futon.

Poor Duncan, he just wanted somebody to make him feel better and all I did was think about myself!

Total distance - 5.5 miles

Nowt to Say Today

Just an easy jog with Ruby was the order of the day today.  We just ran along to the school then up the zigzag onto George's Lane.  I ran really well up the zig zag to be honest and got my personal best on there, even with Ruby with me!  Once at the top, pressed for time, we just ran along George's Lane and back home via Wilderswood.

Not much else to say today to be honest. 


Total distance - 3 miles

Solo Run

I went along to the barn this morning at 8am to run with the Lostock lot but nobody was there (I later found out that they had gone racing somewhere). I wasn't intending to do the full route with them anyway so didn't mind that I was on my own and I set off in the beautiful, albeit it very cold, sunshine, heading towards White Coppice. 

The weather was very deceptive this morning as it looked so nice and warm but the wind made it pretty chilly. I had got all the way over to Watermans Cottage before I removed my long sleeved top and even after that, there were points when I felt a bit of a chill. The route I had intended to take was along past Yarrow and Anglezarke into White Coppice and then back via Healey Nab but as I ran back out of White Coppice I was on autopilot and found myself running back through Anglezarke woods. By the time I had realised that I didn't want to go this way, I couldn't be bothered turning back around and so continued on my merry way. When I got through the woods and was on the path by the side of the reservoir a little terrier came running up yapping at me. Piece of advice for runners who aren't dog people - if you stop running the dog will stop chasing you. Once you're stopped, you're boring to them and they lose interest (obviously there are some rare exclusions to this rule). The owners did say to me that he always chases runners and cyclists which did make me wonder why they had him off a lead in a country park on a sunny day when there were quite a few runners and cyclists around, even at 9am. Though I haven't really got room to comment on that seeing as I had Ruby off her lead the other morning at 5.45am and she attacked my friend Clare's dog which I didn't notice until it was too late. By the time I got over to her she already had a chunk of fur hanging out of her mouth. I had been playing ball with her in the field and when Ruby has her ball she's not at all interested in other dogs however it was when we were walking the 100 metres back to the house that she saw Clare's dog, Rivy, and because I was no longer throwing the ball for her, attacking a dog seemed like more fun for her. I really do need to stop trusting her and just accept the fact that she's a menace! 

Anyway, after the terrier had got bored of me, I carried on with my run. I was pretty pleased so far as I had been pushing myself a bit more than I usually do when I'm on my own and if it wasn't for all the kissing gates and the stopping for the dog I would have got a decent pace on the go. When I neared the barn, I realised that I wouldn't manage my goal distance for the day of 8.5 miles so I had to take a little detour into the woods to add a bit extra on. 

Even though it had been hard work getting out of bed early enough to be at the barn for 8am, it was lovely getting home for 9.30 and having the rest of day to relax in my beautifully tidy house before Duncan comes home from his trip tomorrow and wrecks the place! 

Total distance - 8.5 miles 

Back on th' 'ill

Translation for any non-Lancashire folk - 'Back on the Hill' 

Yes, after a couple of weeks on flat ground due to a bad back, I ventured back up the hill today, just for my favourite short loop from home which takes me up through Wilderswood, straight up to Two Lads, cross-country to the mast, cross-country to the Pike, back onto George's Lane and back through Wilderswood home. 

It's still really boggy between the mast and the pike and I did sink a couple of times but only shin deep and it didn't dampen my enjoyment of that stretch in the slightest. I do love running across that bit, however only in that direction - the other way is hard work! 

Funny isn't it how, even though if you do a loop the elevation is obviously the same no matter which way round you go but somehow, in your head (or at least mine anyway) one way seems much harder than the other. The thought of doing this loop in reverse is not appealing at all, yet I really enjoy it the way I go. 


Total distance - 5.5 miles

Hard Work but Managed it!

On the calendar for today was a 5.5 mile run at a pace between 8.25 and 8.56 minutes per mile.

I drove along to Rivington and parked up on the road up to the top barn to start my run.  I ran through Rivington Village and then along Horrobin Lane and onto The Street.  If I must road run, I'd rather do it on empty country roads.

I ran along The Street then turned left towards the Yew Tree and then right towards Healey Nab.  I carried on along this road and it was at this point I was overtaken by what can only be described as a gazelle.  He made it look so easy as he glided past me all upright and light, whilst I was in my usual scrunched down position huffing and puffing.

Finally I reached 2.75 miles, aka the turnaround point, and was so relieved to be on my way back to the van.  The only problem was that the turnaround point just so happened to be at the bottom of a hill (albeit not a very big hill) which meant having to run back up it again and, at this point, even a not very big hill was just too much!

I really started to tire on the way back towards the Yew Tree but then picked up again once I was back on The Street as it's all down hill to start with so I managed to get a second wind.

The last half mile was by far the killer though.  It was uphill but, again, only very slightly - but that was enough!  By now I was exhausted and my brain was working overtime trying to stop me from quitting and just calling it a day there.  I slapped myself (in my imagination of course) and uttered the words (in my head of course) 'how can you give up so close to the end you complete idiot' and this seemed to do the trick and I pushed on, albeit I had slowed down considerably.

Again, the pace was nothing major and was only around the pace I run along the canal at each week with Kathryn, where I'm usually able to chatter away without being short of breath but today it was just really hard work.  It's probably partially to do with STILL having a bit of a cold but also because I was only my own and there was nobody to take my mind off things.  It doesn't half make a difference having someone to pass the time with.

My pace, save for on the last half mile, was quite consistent so I'm pleased with that, although that last half mile needs a LOT of work.

Splits:

   Mile 1 - 8.40
   Mile 2 - 8.44
   Mile 3 - 8.58
   Mile 4 - 8.44
   Mile 5 - 8.38
   Last 1/2 mile - 9.33

Overall pace - 8.49 min mile


Total distance - 5.5 miles

Easy Run - Too Fast!

On my training plan for today was just an easy three mile run.  The pace set by my plan was 10.44 min mile but I simply couldn't run this slow.  As much as I tried, every time I looked at my watch it was showing between 9 and 9.5 minute mile pace and, quite often, under a nine minute mile pace (at one point I looked at it was well under an eight minute mile pace so I really had to rein it in there).

In the end, my overall pace was 9.32 so I did manage to slow it down a bit but I was still doing over a minute per mile quicker than I was supposed to.

I'll have to try harder to keep it slow next time.  Perhaps if I run up some hills that will help, then my pace will be way slower than 10.44 minute mile but that's OK - apparently an easy run can never be too slow!

Total distance - 3 miles