Fell running with Claire

photos here: https://picasaweb.google.com/102361192587557786751/MungrisedaleFellRun#

It was lovely day in the Lakes - spring is certainly here with some VERY small baa lambs in the fields as we drove via Greystoke to Mungrisedale. We walked/jogged up the path that winds round the side of The Tongue before stopping for a lovely sandwich - it was nice and warm in the sun. Fully refreshed we climbed onto the plateau before heading up to Bowscale Fell. From there the running started...onto the next top and then all the way down the ridge - leading to a brutally steep descent into Mungrisedale; your thighs get a serious workout here - far betting than back squats!!

Energy levels still feel low - however being out in the sunshine definetly helps - looks like it will a long road back to anything approaching full fitness though....on the plus side its now 7.30pm and its still totally light in North Cumbria; the clocks have changed and after work potential for running/cycling has increased.

Not quite sure what 'oooomph' actually is....

but I have certainly lost mine for sure at the moment - might ask Claire if there is a medical term for it...

I feel tired; in soul as well as body; it was a real effort to decide to get out and do something today (Claire and I are going for a walk tomorrow) in the lovely springlike weather that we now have in Cumbria. The flowers are out and the seasons seemed to changed overnight...and running actually felt good when I started; but it took a lot of effort to even get out. I think I was faster on my circuit today than I have been - certainly pushed hard on the first part of the run which is good.

I just seem to have so much to do but so little time to do...or inclination to do it; knowing where to start is difficult....

This is Arjuna the road bike; with a hire car I used for the Etape du Dales when mine was off the road. Today I rode him for the first time in about 6 months.....a lovely spring like day it has been in Penrith as well.

Claire and I drove back from Newcastle (much slower than I had driven TO the East yesterday!!!) with a lovely drive over the Hartside Pass....

Arjuna and I did not go very far today - only about 16 miles in just under an hour. This is simply because his owner feels unfit and lardy - however it was lovely to be cycling on the back lanes again and feel the bike glide along on some of the sections.

Bolts Law

The above is Bolts Law; usually home to a biting wind despite a relative lack of height. The photo is taken from the top of the Rookhope Incline - the last big climb of the C2C cycle route (the one I did in a day with Liz a while back).

We actually come in from the other side - a road that leaves the infamous Crawleyside Bank, which climbs out of Stanhope and is the scene of many British Hill Climb championships for cyclists. Claire and I had left early from Penrith and driven over Hartside and (far too quickly in Claire's opinion) down Weardale and then up Crawleyside before meeting Mum and Peter at the cafe which is at the end of the Waskerley Way (and is a place all cyclists should know about). A rather nice breakfast later (I would say shame about the mushrooms - Claire wouldn't!!) we set off on the 7 mile circuit.

The first section is usually a very pleasant gentle climb to the top of the Rookhope Incline on a bridelway that is part of the C2C. What on earth they have done to it I don't know; it seems that some kind of heavy trucks have been on it - it was NOT a pleasant experience at all. From the top of the incline the usual way is to strike across the heather onto the summit ridge; however Peter had discovered a contouring route that takes us round the hillside until a path is met which leads to a gate in the fence. This rather neat variation took us to the trig point where hot cross buns and tea were consumed.

The descent to the road is via a couple of reservoirs and old mine chimneys - again the path was boggier than usual (or boggier at least than I call recall); before a final hike UP (very much so) the road to the car - at least for those with the sense to stay on the road that is!!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/simon.bigair/BoltsLaw#

will be the pictures

Weather, weather on the wall....

I'm up in Edinburgh with Hutch the 20 yr old cat (my father and step-mother are away)...I was intending to go to Braemar and do some ski-mountaineering; however the fact that I could walk to the shops in Edinburgh in just a coat and t-shirt and FEEL WARM shows what conditions are like at the moment....just mad....

Am going off for a run later - my next break is the very long Easter break; however Easter is late this year and I am wondering if there will be any snow left on the Cairngorms even when it arrives....

NE ridge of Stob Ban (II/III)

so half-term finally arrived...it had been a long term and with Claire working the 4.00 - midnight shift the last week I was totally shattered and not really looking forward to driving all the way to Scotland....

the weather forecasts and conditions reports had also been all over the place - in the end Ben and I decided to try the NE ridge of Stob Ban in the Mamores; which seemed a sensible choice although it was a bit of a gambel (although to be honest any choice of route would have been a gamble and it was doubtful I could have handled the Ben Nevis walk in at the moment). Having a really easy journey up north helped no end and a nice pint made me feel nicely tired and able to sleep well in the car.

The 5am alarm was not met with any kind of enthusiasm at all - a VERY groggy Simon crawled out of his pit to find weather that was actually somewhat warmer than ideal..........however by 6.40 am we were heading uphill in the dark. There are actually several advantages to walking in whilst half-asleep - the first being that by the time you have woken up you are halfway there....and this walk-in was not that bad at all. The ridge appeared after a while and then we slogged up towards the route - often in deep snow; occasionally following footprints - the ridge has clearly become quite a popular route. We geared up and then soloed up an easy gully onto the ridge proper. We put the rope on at this point and Ben led off towards the first tricky section. Ben has been doing lots of winter climbing this season and therefore decided to take a harder variation to the left of where the route actually goes....me, having not done much winter climbing at all, elected not to when seconding!!! Another easy section brought us to the crux of the route; a steep wall with a possible escape to the left again (where the party in front had gone). Ben elected to have a go at the steep wall and, after a prolonged struggle and lots of Elvis (shaking legs) got over it......following this pitch I was SERIOUSLY impressed; I would say its probably the hardest winter climbing I have ever done and I would guess it was round about grade IV - although I don't claim to be an expert on this.......being leashless would definetly help, although even with leashless axes there is no way that I could have lead that pitch at the moment. Cresting the main arete - where the climbing gets a lot easier, we encountered the wind...I was actually reduced to crawling a few feet on a narrow section...nothing like stylish climbing!!!! From there to the top was simple; unfortunately the descent was a bit of a grind, the top 100m of the North Ridge being a little tricky and the last 1000' being on steep heather - some of which I avoided with a neat bum slide!!

Another benefit of the early start was an early finish - good for me as I got back to Cumbria in plenty of time and good for Ben as he is spending the week in the north......a great route and a trip I feel MUCH better for making...

pix at: https://picasaweb.google.com/simon.bigair/NERidgeOfStobBanIIIII#

Running the in the rain...

well could have been; might have been singing in the rain instead!!

After a miserable week of gales and rain Claire and I decided to go for a run/walk on the lower fells today...after all you get wet fell running anyway!!

The Latrigg circuit was agreed on and Claire amazed herself by jogging the 2 miles (gently uphill) to where one leaves the riverside path and heads onto Latrigg.....hopefully the value of pacing has also been learnt!! Once fortified by a country slice we slogged uphill into the wind and rain to gain the summit of Latrigg....running the last bit of that as well!

As we were wearing trail shoes as opposed to pure fell running shoes we stayed on the main path all the way down which was run in entirety; 16mins to the road in Keswick...before a stretch out walk through Fitz Park and back to the car........a very good way to spend a rainy day; our first run (for either of us) in quite some time and a good way to build a base fitness level.