Training Log Archive: Mark3

Been wanting to do this for a while but it needed a car at the start and the end, and there's surprisingly few people who fancy a 7 hour run.

16 peaks on this one although the three in the middle somewhere, two of which are unnamed on the OS map, are within a few hundred metres of each other. The BG this ain't.

Fairly obvious up to Carnedd Moel Siabod, wouldn't make any changes there. Coming off it looked like NW for a bit longer before W down to the stile would avoid some of the rocks.

Nice ridge all the way to Bwlch Clorad, only issue was there was remembering it was a summit. Then just fence line (lot of that on this leg) to Carnedd y Cribau.

At Clogwyn Pwll Budr there was a steep downclimb which Rob wanted to find a way to avoid so he went way off W; it actually looks like W just to the first re-entrant (about 30m) then down and back to the fence would be sufficient.

Cerrig Cochion was the only real mess we made - I'd tried to follow the Kim Collinson (record) time from his tracker, but I don't know if it lost signal here or something but it left the fence line and went up and down a load of thick heather and steep entirely unnecessary slopes - and hence, so did we. Sticking to the fence line here would've been better no matter what it was like.

More sensible choice to Moel Meirch although we could've stayed on the fence even longer and just cut out and back at the last minute.

Next summit Ysgafell Wen and then one that's not named on the map but seems to take the name of the tarn, so Mynyyd Llynau'r Cwn, straightforward and close together. #8 was the only English named summit on the round 'Three Tops', which it did sort of have. Could cut the corner to that one.

Edit: Allen's book says Three Tops has a huge cairn on it.

Then Moel Druman and Allt-Fawr were straightforward too, we went North of the Northern tarn on the KC line again but I couldn't see any real reason for not going in between them. Coming off it though, we were way too S - best to go right up to and across the tarn on the ridge, then it's grassy from there.

Nice descent all the way down to the quarries but a steep climb up to Foel Ddu. Moel-yr-hydd very close by. Then a rocky contour (on an actual path!) to the col before steep out and back to Moelwyn Bach. Steepest climb of the day up Craigysgafn but then Moelwyn Mawr actually felt like a proper summit with a big cairn, and Other People (so far largely lacking in the beautiful BH sunshine).

Down to Llyn Croesor it would've been better to stay on the fence line for longer until the T of Tips on the OS and then go N - less rocky slope, less steep and less bog at the bottom making the sightly longer distance worth it. Through the sheepfold seemed a good line to the track, then NW across to the path and down to the dam.

Climb to Cnicht was tough at the end of the day - first ridge asap (we contoured for too long then had to climb steeply) then up the fence to the corner, then diagonally up for as long as possible (we climbed a bit soon I think) and straight to the ridge as soon as there's a grassy bit through the scree, then ridgeline to summit.

Worst part was probably coming off Cnicht to the SW. Don't think there's many choices but the top bit is very slow. At the one path junc there is, one went right of the ridge and the other went left. We went right which was dire. I'd go left in future (SE).

Edit: Allen's book says go left.

Some grassy options to the right a bit lower down.

Then a lovely grassy descent turning into track turning into road. Overall a fun leg. Some boggy bits but not deserving of N's characterisation of it as 'the boggy leg'.

I'll add my split times in at some point. Any PB attempt feels like it's going to be close to 24h though, it's much harder than the BG.

It was hot today. Drank nearly 3L and it was good training carrying that much.

(CP to outdoor centre) 04:40
Carnedd Moel Siabod 49:00
Clogwyn Bwlch-y-maen 18:12
Carnedd y Cribau 9:54
Cerrig Cochion 47:22
Moel Meirch 14:11
Ysgafell Wen 26:55
Mynydd Llynnau'r Cwn 3:51
Three Tops 6:59
Moel Druman 9:17
Allt-fawr 13:16
Foel Ddu 36:36
Moel-yr-hydd 10:36
Moelwyn Bach 25:23
Craigysgafn 12:12
Moelwyn Mawr 14:09
Cnicht 1:07:42
CP 1:00:47

SinS just one day this year which retrospectively wasn't worth the drive (nearly 5 hours for 80 minute event) but still, id been looking forward to more o.

Disappointed with the result really - was 7th/12 when I downloaded - not seen full results yet. I'm hopeful but not optimistic that the top 6 are just superstars... I thought other than one control id has a reasonable run.

Relocated well where I lost where I was. Retrospectively route on long leg 4 might not have been as awesome as I thought, but still looks a reasonable choice. Got stuck in gorse though which will spoil split comparisons there! The gorse was mapped a bit sporadically.

10 was my downfall, AP was maybe too far from the control. Was standing above a massive depression looking at a depression on the map thinking surely that's too big to be mapped with a single ring contour, so that can't be that... Strava tells me that in fact it was. None of the vegetation really matched up. Probably lost 5 minutes here, just let down by my visualisation skillz I guess. Once I'd relocated it was fine.

So expected to be maybe 10 mins down but not 20. Obviously the best thing about o Vs running is working out why I'm rubbish, so looking forward to more analysis with splits + routegadget.

Walk up Corndon with David afterwards because why not? Good views from the top - shame no event there really.

No cake competition this year due to Covid :( still plentiful cake at the finish though.

Still have a suspicious red oval at the vaccine site and hurts when prodded, but no other effects.

1 min 49 faster than last time, which I'm really happy with, given I had Caitlin to chase before whereas this time was all groups of 6 90s apart. This meant I was overtaking people the whole time such slower it down a bit (and getting overtaken a few times too).

It's not a very interesting race scenery wise and there's no big climbs or descents - so no real reason not to be running. Led my group of 6 up the climb but was passed between the reservoirs and never caught him.

Terrain gets a bit more technical at Blakely Clough and I got close, but then it's an easy/dull downhill track for a mile. Ran all the way up the 200ish steps again because I remembered reading that I did last time, but took a while at the top to get going again. The woods near the golf course are probably the best bit, contouring a muddy slope, then another bit of grass before the rocky track home.

Looking at the segment results I'm a whole minute faster over the first 1.8km uphill and then 30s quicker up to Black Moss reservoir. Then another 40s quicker down to Wessenden.

Then the dull track is basically the same. 10s faster down the 210 steps but then similar uphill, and lost time through the woods (I blame overtaking on the narrow bits - plus I think the route may have been slightly different to avoid the golf course more as there was a competition on. Either way - plenty of excuses.
Similar times rest of course. So defo positive on the hills.

Good season opener. Would be good if more people from Macc had made it!

9th/163

Easy before the race tomorrow.

Vaccinated (Pfizer)

No side effects 8 hours later...

Good run, first sunny day for a while! Sweating. Good group out.

Black group run around Kinder. Really good fun to run on proper fell terrain of an evening. This was a tough route too.

Started as a red/black group combo and then I stole the fastest two to join the three of us to make a five. Everyone did fine, too, which was good.

Torrential rain intermittently with cloud so it was coat on/off weather. Not cold though, so pretty fun actually. Slippery rocks but the Peregrines performed again.

My new Garmin smart scales came today. I'm hoping they'll help me be more motivated to lose weight. All they really do is upload automatically to Garmin connect and give you a nice graph, but I like nice graphs so much I'm hoping that that will be enough.

Hungry now, but should probably get used to that feeling!

Standard loop, but the fastest I've done it.

Feeling good after an easy weekend.

Fairly easy paced run from Teggs although that is probably largely because I always feel good on Monday nights after an easy weekend.

3rd, but defo the moral victory.

#2 in wrong place, so a bit of time lost there (it was on the wrong side of the path to that mapped so spent a while looking in more feasibly incorrect places before checking the control I could see was obviously wrong)

#3 was a complicated leg though formal gardens for which I had no real plan, but I relocated really well without slowing down so pleased with that.

#5 my visualisation totally failed as the earthbanks were way smaller than I was expecting and id been relying too much on them.
Poor attack points for 9,11,14 -so basically a bit scrappy but I was still well ahead at this point.

Then 18 totally in the wrong place, like I was standing at the correct distinct tree adjacent to another tree next to a stream - there was no way I was wrong. Wandered around for a bit and eventually found it about 50m away from where it should have been. The next control was totally wrong too but I wasn't confident enough to be sure.

Told them about 18 at the finish and they went and moved it, and I was the first finisher, so it was only wrong for about 3 people. They removed 19 from the results since it was wrong for everyone, but they've kept 18 in... Therefore I only come third.

Now this is a really tiny event but yknow, you could at least knock a couple of minutes off my time or something...

Justified moral victory.

1st

Really good run, a few controls where my exit direction wasnt very good but nothing to write home about.
Also I fell in an uncrossable pond which looked like a puddle. It wasn't.

https://www.pfo.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#150&rou...

Torrential rain the entire day; didn't really mind working until 9pm. Got so much done that I won't have to work at the weekend which is good. This will be the first weekend for ages with barely any volume which is going to hurt me psychologically - will have to try and jog round the course afterwards or something, or go out later in the day.

Rain throughout. Pretty speedy run though, felt quite good until afterwards where I felt like death for no reason at all - weird. Headache all night but pretty much fine in the morning. Especially post-lemsip.

Starting in a group of 13 (!!) made this feel like an actual race.

Just behind Allen at the start, followed by Chris, Dan and a surprise Richard H. Chris and Richard both overtook me before getting out of the woods, but I had them back about Hanging Stone and then didn't see them again. Could see Allen on the horizon for ages but he was only getting further and further away.

Probably not going quite 100pc after the climb since I knew noone was near me, but still gave it 95pc. Managed not to go wrong where I went wrong last year, path splits and right (correct) is more indistinct than left.

I had totally blanked out the section through the fields between the two sets of woods. Coming back takes a really long time.

Very glad to be 90s up on last year, although it was very very hot last year so that explains a lot of it. 2nd behind Allen (new CR).

https://www.mdoc.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#328&ro...


Think back through the start was optimal to 1 although not as much in as I was berating myself about at the time. Happy up to 5. Cut across on 6 and looked at every rock going, would've been faster to stay on the path. Navigated to control rather than attack point basically, dammit. Then messed up exit, missed the gate, climbed a few fences, came at control from too low. Poor leg basically. Then exited control as it I was at 6 which was 180 degrees wrong. Very out of practice clearly. Noticed fast, though.
Failed to spot massive marsh until too late on 10, failed to use indistinct path on 11. Then 15 saw correct thicket but not control and assumed it was wrong and so faffed, actually control was just tucked away.
Last few controls fine.

Looking forward to seeing if I beat Jake on any splits. I was running ok but couldn't match him.

Good fun and nice evening. Defo looking forward to some more o.

Edit: 1 min each on 7 and 8, other 3mins over the course on running speed.

Including filming for my LiRF - completed successfully.

Piggford Moor route surprisingly dry - nice evening.

Weather forecast had been horrendous and started in the rain and full waterproofs as expected, not really expecting to make it the whole way around the planned route.

Steep rocky ascent up to Harrison's Stickle and then across to Pike. Looked like the best way up Pike was to stay on the path to the big rock and then go up the grassyish climb to the due E of the summit (and same way down).

To Rosset, staying on the lower path rather than the ridge and going up at the last possible minute, staying on the trod for as long as possible, seemed the best line.

The line I took us on to Bowfell was a disaster; first too high then too low. We actually came out in a great place, but it was very sketchy at times and involved rather too much actual climbing climbing for my liking. The past 4 times I've done this perfectly so not sure what happened - tried to contour too much I think. GPS looks like we were one shelf too low.

Off Bowfell need to remember to stay on the tourist path from the top and not cut left too soon.

Off Broad Crag can just aim straight at Scafell.

Fine up LR and WWT - LR seemed easier in the wet as the tiny bits of the scree seemed to stick together. WWT was a bit more dicey as there are some big steps near the stop - fine with it though.

Then onto the Great Lakes recce - should probably have looked at some people's routes before attempting this really but hey ho. From looking at Josh Jardine's line afterwards, looks like staying on the ridge from Scafell to Slight Side is a good bet; we dropped down too early and ended up in a load of rocks. Then from SS down he came down the W'most scree slope whereas we were much further W trying to go around the rocks, but they extended for ages. I think trying this in the race would be a bif iffy without having done it before though!

He stayed S of the river to the big bend and goes up just the S of Swinsty to Adam-a-cove before joining the path sooner. We went up Stonesty which is shorter and less climb but it's really rocky to get there; I can see why it's not the optimum race route.

E and then N off Pike o'Blisco before turning NE and then joining the line we ended up on, rather than taking the Three Shires line like I did and then turning left lower down.

Looking at some other people near the top of that 2019 english champs race though, it looks like the variety of route choices is massive so there obviously isn't much consensus. Needs more geeking/recces before the day.

An actual mass start race!! Expected rain, got sunshine. Very glad I had brought vest and shorts just in case.

Masks at the start and then removed from the word go - just like a proper race from back in the olden days.

42nd/166 - which doesn't sounds great, but it was a high-class field. That's what I'm telling myself anyway.
https://www.sportident.co.uk/results/Kong/2021/Spr...

Beaten by 7 women, many of whom looked like teenagers but looking at the results they've all over 23. This makes me feel very old.

Happy with route choice upto Clough Head but getting to the Coach road sooner rather than later looked optimal. Lost a race position with my unconventional route choice down off Great Dodd; splits looks like this is about a 40s loss which is quite a lot (basically my way down was too rough and so was slow). Maybe 3-4 places higher if I had followed everyone else (I did manage to take someone with me though; that will teach him for following!).

Nice Strava flybys of different routes taken;
https://www.strava.com/activities/5302932963/overv...

Coach Road a bit dull but nice final descent into the quarry at the end.

C • Scout Adkin 4

Up Hall's Fell after the race. Almost eerily quiet despite it being a nice day.

Stayed right of the ridge (ie, left coming down) and you can do quite a lot of the horrible rocky bit on steep grass rather than rocks - would defintiely do that in future.

Down the Parachute in 21:30 (vs 17:00 on Doddick and N/J's 20:30 on Hall's). Didn't get a great line at all and actually amazed that it was as fast as it was. Coming down the spur of Middle Fell is fine but then once you get into the steep heather it's really slow. I think that maybe staying on the E side of middle fell most of the way down and only crossing to the W near the stream junction might avoid the worst of the heather, but tbc...
Once down to the stream junction it's relatively fast.

Feeling good about the Doddick choice and more confident for LiaD about the E side of the top of Hall's.

Race tomorrow!

Plus busy at work.

Muddy, which these shoes can't cope with. Half road though, where they're good. Can't win from the leisure centre really.

Finding it tough at the start, probably since not eaten since lunch at 10:30. Got into it, though.

Fairly sedate this eve as the groups were merged - also running in a group of 7(!!) is naturally slower.

Felt lethargic and slow at first but perked up a bit later on.

Easy loop, few hills. Not really liking these shoes, preferred the 295s.

Feeling ok on the flat and down, feeling the climbs a bit after halfway.

Great Gable, The Band, Great End, Ill Crag, Broad Crag.

Happy with the GG line towards the GG col - straight towards GG, then there's a square rock balanced atop another rock; go L of that and which is directly towards the Seathwaite tarns, then join the trod and turn L. Simples.

Then The Band for the Joss Naylor line: head directly towards Lingmell for the first bit of the descent, there's a bit of a rocky descent but then stay just to the left (the bottom) of some big crags and they turn into a mostly grassy shelf, can then contour round this and comes out at the top of Skew Gill - perfect. Very pleased to find that line.

Ill Crag defo better to come off the SW end.

Broad Crag better to go up as soon as possible and then along. Down - seemed equally bad to go straight down as continuing along the ridge a bit, so may as well continue as it's that direction anyway.

So a really useful day with N and Jake. Rained a lot and was 50mph winds plus, but not too cold.

Mudclaws were amazing after too long spent in trail shoes.

Up the Parachute descent. Not sure we really found the best line, there was a bit of trod at the bottom but it petered out into heather _ I didn't really mind this but N didn't like it. Nic, if you're reading this - is there a bit of heather bashing before the trod starts? It wouldn't be much going downhill I don't think but it was a lot uphill.

In general though I liked the route. I'd like to have a fast go to compare with Doddick.
I came down Doddick and N and Jake came down Halls, and I destroyed them 17mins Vs 20:30. I'm not sure id be faster than 17 mins down the Parachute, in fact I really really doubt it. Bit only one way to find out! Defo prefer either of them to Halls.

Another useful outing, bit of drizzle, nothing special. Feeling ok considering the 2km ascent this morning.

C • Parachute 2

After the rain had largely stopped. Weirdly warm; not like it had just rained for ages at all. Felt sort of thunderstormy.

Trails from the LC. Fast group, which I led from the front for the first half and then the back when I got tired.

Heavy rain for the first 5 mins and then nice.

Found some nice new paths and some grim wet cobbles. Win some, lose some etc.

Very impressed with the shoes again.

Set off a bit more sedately than last time - Chris B to chase rather than Allen. He stayed ahead until the first part of the ascent and then I got away in a boggy bit. Thought I was running pretty well and kept going all the way up Stakeside. Then flew down the zigzags and stayed on the mud to the left of the steps to the stream; shoes gripped but I had too much momentum and ended up having to emergency-jump the stream rather than using the bridge - great adrenaline!

First on the night, 60-90s ahead of Chris. No other real competition since N marshalling so only jogged round to get a time.

12s ish slower than last July which I'm really pleased with since I think I was in good shape then, so to be similar now after the first three disastrous months of the year is great.

Heavy hail. Peregrines performed admirably; didn't know how much to trust them, but the grip is really good.

Feeling fine, but rained all day

With Alex. Going really well at the start, better than I did on my best time alone, so must have got a lot faster in the last 2 years :)
Then from HS on, Alex struggling.

New route down from HS needs more analysis but has potential.
EDIT - 25 mins this time vs 15 last time. But hard to compare since quite a lot of waiting for Alex - 10 mins? Maybe, actually. Need to try on my own. Also there was a gully possibility which if it didn't result in death, might be faster; comes out halfway long the path. It may well be a bit cliffy higher up, but it was impossible to see from the bottom.

Last time Vs this time:

Barrow 49 44 -5
Rowling 1:12 1:05 -7
Causey 1:30 1:21 -9
Sail 1:42 1:34 -8
Crag 2:05 1:52 -13
Grisedale 2:32 2:17 -15

Then there used to be Hopegill Head, but it's no longer required, so the times jump a bit...

High Stile 4:39 4:09 -30
Robinson 6:00 5:49 -11
Catbells 6:53 6:54 +1
Finish 7:27 7:39 +12

Defo potential for sub 7 on my own.

I'd forgotten this was released today and so wasn't planning on it until I saw a Facebook post this morning.

30 controls from 32, fast as you can. I like the map being available beforehand because I can then draw straight red lines on it between controls, and then treat it like a normal event rather than this score nonsense.

Treated myself to wearing the Pegasus 37s since the 38s were released last week. Definitely more cushioning than the 36s, although maybe that's just because my 36s are 500plus miles old.

Orienteering pretty well, just one wobble where I was map folding at the wrong time. Running ok too - slight R hs niggle which I picked up Thursday so will do some stretching later. Probably.