1 to 3 September - Back to the Lakes

The Lakeland Trails Series was an idea that started late last year. Andrew Terrill was looking for an opportunity to meet up and do a run with some forum contributors from the Outdoors Magic site and the Garburn race in June was selected. It seemed like a good idea to enter the series of four: Hawkshead in April, Garburn, Derwent Water and Coniston (October) so Lindsay and I both did that. In the end, Andrew couldn’t make it in June but we’ve still had a good time out running and met several new people along the way. I also thought it would be good training for Snowdonia.

So, this is the day of the “Derwent Water” event. As we pass by on the M6, the Coniston Fells are bathed in sunshine, likewise the Howgills, every detail of stream and gulley highlighted by the low-angled morning light. It’s a beautiful scene, and a rare one in this damp and cloudy summer. Turning off at Penrith, a glimpse of Great Mell Fell with its low summit obscured by cloud gives us a clue as to what the weather will be like in Keswick. Halls Fell on Blencathra is the last sunny slope we pass, and looking ahead, only the summit of Catbells is visible above the murk.

It’s not raining though, and Hospital Field next to Fitz Park is mercifully dry. Dragging a car out of the mud is not the best way to end a day out. The usual Lakeland Trail Series paraphenalia is set up on the field: a marquee, gazebo, Pete Bland stall, climbing wall, bouncy castle and bouncy start/finish arch. Hundreds of yards of tape surround the central arena and it looks like it will be another one of those “around the field” finishes I dislike so much!

I can’t fault the organisation of these races though, and the “Challenge” event kicks off right on time at 10 am. Heading back to the car with my number, I bump into Lindsay who is parked yards away from us. We deliver mum to the marquee and park her in her wheelchair, then I meet up with Ward Linney who we’ve got to know through the Outdoors Magic forum “Running and the Joy of Being Alive” thread. He scored a good victory over me at Hawkshead and probably would have done so even if I’d not had a nightmare race there, but got injured at Garburn and walked in to a late finish. We do a slow warm-up together and he tells me he’s been able to train for only three weeks before this race, so it doesn’t look as if today will be a fair challenge between us.

As usual, there aren’t enough toilets. Granted, the only right number is two per runner, but six is far too few, and there are several of us heading towards the bushes before the race starts. Lindsay, Ward and I meet up in an amazingly relaxed starting pen (no rush here!) – and we’re off two minutes early.

The first 3K or so is almost flat, along a disused railway track bed, and the early pace is frenetic. I go through 1K in just under four minutes, and need to slow down. Luckily everyone around me seems to do the same thing. It’s still a good hard run to the turn for the first hill though, and already it’s clear that the race will be longer than 14K – the kilometre markers are coming at intervals of about 1200 metres!

We turn off up a steep lane, then disappointingly lose more than the height we’d kust gained as we cross the river, then start to climb again up a series of lanes before we finally gain the broad open valley of the Glenderaterra Beck. It’s raining now, refreshingly welcome on a warm and muggy morning.

I’ve taken the same head-banging option as everyone else (pretty much unavoidable on a very narrow track with copious high reeds and bog on both sides) and set off uphill at a speed designed to produce an overdose of lactic well before the top. As we head through a very swampy section, I decide I need to repay my oxygen debt and walk a few yards, which costs me half a dozen places. It’s frustrating, but I’m soon running again and at least feeling on top of the climb as we cross the beck and hit a steep section up on to the flanks of Lonscale Fell. Occasional bits of walking save energy and don’t lose any places coming up here, the pace is so slow. In any case, it’s soon over and everyone is flying again on a level traverse across the steep slopes. The group of six who passed me on the way up isn’t far away, and on top of the crags I catch them again. I don’t know quite how I lost touch again not far afterwards, probably a lapse in concentration as I was looking back across the valley at the long line of runners still on their way up!

The pace is hotting up now and I’m running faster than anywhere else on the course as the path dips across the hillside. A long, pounding descent is relieved by a brief climb, then we’re at it again, descending gradually to a corner. This is where the route drops 700’ back towards Keswick down a hard track through gorse and woodland. It’s incredibly fast. There’s no way you can afford to hold back on these descents if you’re to preserve your place and your quads – it’s a real skill to stay in control without painful braking and it’s one I’m still learning, but I am gaining on the group in front – on the last steep section, I launch myself downwards and the momentum takes me past the orange vest of a Bowland runner. A skitter round on the road and a hop up onto an embankment takes us back into Fitz Park. Bowland is thinking about a comeback, so I put in a sprint to the finish, and stay ahead.

It’s been a good race in the end, and before long, first Ward, then Lindsay come in too. Soon after that, it really does rain, so we make an early exit, stopping for a really nice lunch at the Rheged centre on the way back.

Conan is spending some of his Sunday doing the Manchester 100 bike run. As it involves an early start, and a night on the floor, Lindsay decides to spend the night at our house (sensible girl!).

This seems like a good excuse to go out for a bit of gentle exercise on Sunday morning, and it’s great to have some company again for an hour’s easy running from home, doing a similar circuit to my Thursday night run. It’s a grey old morning again, but luckily it doesn’t deteriorate into rain until after we’ve finished! Although it’s very easy-paced, we do allow ourselves one moment of recklessness, zooming down the big hill down to the river. Half way down, my legs remember what they did yesterday, and I’m relieved to make a successful right turn onto the track without tipping straight into the water!

Monday is a much nicer, fresher day with some sunshine. Although I don’t have a run planned, it seems a shame to waste a good evening, so I head out for a quick four miles around the Common which improves as it goes along. The hills are feeling easier with each run now, and I’m enjoying putting some effort in each time I reach one – I wonder how much I’m going to enjoy meeting the big one at mile 22 next month?!