Training Log Archive: Mark3In the 1 days ending Aug 3, 2019:
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Saturday Aug 3, 2019 #
11 AM
Running - Trail race (Borrowdale) 4:27:45 [5] 26.89 km (9:57 / km) +1995m 7:16 / km
ahr:137 max:153 shoes: Mudclaw G260
Lakeland Classics: tick
This one was my least favourite, pretty much exactly as expected. Rocky everywhere. Warm day, hazy sunshine and very humid. Made route finding easy since there was a massive field.
Perhaps the 400m ascent last night was not brilliant prep as could definitely feel that from the outset. Bessyboot climb was expected to be easy but felt really tough. Nice to be in such a seldom visited area though. Route to Esk Hause actually easy since there was a vague trod the whole way and vis was good - can see why people get lost in the mist here, though. Lots of this section was runnable if undulating which I probably would have made more of if I'd have realised what was coming.
Cut the calf cove corner as per Wasdale and cut round to N of Broad Crag which I always thought was faster but based on today it's pretty much the same as just staying on the path. Standard up to Scafell.
Then cut down the scree slope because it's by far the fastest way, but I did not enjoy it. Nicky Spinks overtook me here as did about 20 other people. It was dangerous; boulders going all over the place. Scree too inconsistently shaped for me to have any trust in it. Then the corridor route was very rocky with some scrambly sections and some bits where you could cut grassy corners - basically just followed whoever was closest here.
I am slow downhill.
Caught quite a few going up my nemesis hill Great Gable but then re-passed by many down to Windy Gap. Apparently there's a good line going off to the right here but I didn't know about it. My line was rocks.
Contoured around Green Gable too much and ended too low and in the rocks. Contoured around Brandreth too but you have to stay so high to be above the cliffs that I think you may as well just go over the top? Altimeter said only 20m difference.
I think the line down Grey Knotts is the BG line since there was a lovely trod which avoided the fenceline rocks. Again, steeply down so I was slow.
Expected the Dale Head climb to be easy but I've only ever been down it before. The water at the bottom and the tangfastics someone gave me half way up helped. Passed a few more people coming up here. Took very SE line off the top to avoid the rocks, which worked, but just ended me up in a steep grassy gully which I was equally bad at - think maybe the shortest line is better until I improve my downhill.
Tourist path through the quarries was very slow and rocky, and then path after that was still steep. Overtaken by a few but managed to stay ahead of more once we got to the flatter bit near the end.
Basically if you designed a race specifically to play to my weaknesses you couldn't have done much better. The whole thing was either steep up or steep down other than the Bessyboot to Esk bit at the start. I handled the up well but not the down. I prefer races with some ridge running!
This one was my least favourite, pretty much exactly as expected. Rocky everywhere. Warm day, hazy sunshine and very humid. Made route finding easy since there was a massive field.
Perhaps the 400m ascent last night was not brilliant prep as could definitely feel that from the outset. Bessyboot climb was expected to be easy but felt really tough. Nice to be in such a seldom visited area though. Route to Esk Hause actually easy since there was a vague trod the whole way and vis was good - can see why people get lost in the mist here, though. Lots of this section was runnable if undulating which I probably would have made more of if I'd have realised what was coming.
Cut the calf cove corner as per Wasdale and cut round to N of Broad Crag which I always thought was faster but based on today it's pretty much the same as just staying on the path. Standard up to Scafell.
Then cut down the scree slope because it's by far the fastest way, but I did not enjoy it. Nicky Spinks overtook me here as did about 20 other people. It was dangerous; boulders going all over the place. Scree too inconsistently shaped for me to have any trust in it. Then the corridor route was very rocky with some scrambly sections and some bits where you could cut grassy corners - basically just followed whoever was closest here.
I am slow downhill.
Caught quite a few going up my nemesis hill Great Gable but then re-passed by many down to Windy Gap. Apparently there's a good line going off to the right here but I didn't know about it. My line was rocks.
Contoured around Green Gable too much and ended too low and in the rocks. Contoured around Brandreth too but you have to stay so high to be above the cliffs that I think you may as well just go over the top? Altimeter said only 20m difference.
I think the line down Grey Knotts is the BG line since there was a lovely trod which avoided the fenceline rocks. Again, steeply down so I was slow.
Expected the Dale Head climb to be easy but I've only ever been down it before. The water at the bottom and the tangfastics someone gave me half way up helped. Passed a few more people coming up here. Took very SE line off the top to avoid the rocks, which worked, but just ended me up in a steep grassy gully which I was equally bad at - think maybe the shortest line is better until I improve my downhill.
Tourist path through the quarries was very slow and rocky, and then path after that was still steep. Overtaken by a few but managed to stay ahead of more once we got to the flatter bit near the end.
Basically if you designed a race specifically to play to my weaknesses you couldn't have done much better. The whole thing was either steep up or steep down other than the Bessyboot to Esk bit at the start. I handled the up well but not the down. I prefer races with some ridge running!