27 Days- The clock is ticking.........

Since my last post I did the Annie Waltz last saturday and was very happy to get under 2 hours. That was a rough target I had set myself prior to starting. I ran round with my Garmin HR alarm set to 166. This helped to stop me from setting off too quick and blowing up at the end. I set off near the front and quite happily let people pass me on the lanes whilst I stuck to my max heart rate of 166. I passed most of them back on the later climbs & descents. I finished comfortably but felt I could have gone quicker had it not been for my knees hurting. (probably from all the climbing I have been doing). I was chuffed with being placed 30th but this was slightly devalued by the fact that the TWA was running & also the three peaks. Looking at last years results I would have come 52nd.

With the 28th May getting closer I had it in my head to go out and do some big mileage this week. To help my knees recover I went for a gentle bike ride on Sunday after waltzing & then did some gentle 5 milers on Mon, Tue & Wed. On Thursday, however I decided to up the ante a little and do the Ullswater watershed setting off from my home in Clifton.

I woke up at about 4.30am, my sleep disturbed by the local loudmouthed Thrush. The little bird (nearly typed something else) kept me awake so I decided to set off on my way at 5.15am. I really enjoyed the first few miles running through the Lowther parklands. I saw 3 deer, 1 Buzzard, a red squirrel & a great big Hare. All before I got to Askham. I had decided to go a BG pace as much as possible, i.e. walking the uphills and running the flats & downhills. I was moving well, but the weather changed approaching Loadpot. The clag came down and visibility was reduced to less than 50 yrds.

I got to Kirkstone Pass Inn, via Thornthwaite Crag & Stony Cove Pike, and sat down in one of the alcoves to shelter from the rain as I tucked into my bait. One of the things I wanted to try on this run was to experiment with different foods. I tucked into the Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Pork Pie & Eccles cake. All of which were consumed easily. Picking myself up, I set off in the general direction of Red Screes.

Faced with a white wall of mist I could work out where the path was so set off in the genreal direction hoping to stumble across it. I managed to not only stumble across the path but also one of the felltop footpath fixer fellas, fixing the footpath. After a brief chat I set off up the hill following the line of 1t Dumpy bags filled with the stone that would later form the new footpath.

Now normally I am quite festidious when it comes to safety on the fells, especially when I am on my own. I was a little complacent in that the map I was carrying stopped short of Kirkstone Pass Inn and therefore didnt show Red Screes or how I was to get to Dove Crag. I knew in general what direction I was supposed to be going so set off in the clag using my compass as a general guide. After what seemed like too many up's & downs through gullies etc I found myself on Hart Crag. I was back on the Map and was now familiar with the ground.... Or so I thought?

From Hart Crag I made my way over Fairfield, then up Dollywagon & onto Big H. I managed to make an error when coming off Hellvelyn by taking the path down towards Thirlmere instead of Whiteside. After some cursing and scrambling about on some crags I ascended the footpath back up to Lowerman then got back on my way but this time in the right direction. As I dropped down from Raise into Sticks Pass the clouds began to clear and the visibilty began to return.

From Sticks pass I returned back via Glencoyne, Dockray, Gowbarrow, Pooleybridge & finally back over Askham Fell and home. All in all 46 miles & 12000ft in just over 13 hours. I completed the round quite comfortably and feeling quite strong.

At the time of writing ( 2 days later) I am absolutely knackered. I think I undersestimated how much it would take out of me. This coming week my intention is to have a relatively easy week and have one last big day out on Sat 8th May. No plans as yet as to what to do but may do Legs 1, 2 & onto Great End before dropping into Seathwaite. Will suss it out this week.

Body wise- I feel generally fit and my body has changed shape. I have lost loads of weight. 10kg in all. My back no longer bothers me but I do need to stretch more and try and increase my suppleness over the next 4 weeks. My knees hurt when I descend and my right ankle hurts badly occasionaly when I jar it. I hope both of these recover over the 3 weeks I have allowed for tapering down. I also hope that by not having to carry  a bag, that my knees wont suffer as much.

The date is now getting close and I feel that I am ready. I know it will be difficult but I am ready to accept the pain. Bring it on!!