A step in the right direction

"Lakelander" Nick

Another week in and another week of steady improvement although im finding it all a lot harder then I did 7 weeks ago.
After last weekends run on the fells it took me 3 days to recover before I could run again, my thighs were like concrete and even walking was a struggle.
On Wednesday evening I parked at Roe head expecting  a slow run up to Arthur's Pike, little did I realise that Steve and Sam would be there too, so instead of a slow/steady 1500ft run I ended up running a very fast/tough 10 mile 2600ft battering instead. Steve and Sam have got stronger over the last few weeks and its going to be hard work to get anywhere near them for a while yet, if at all.

Saturday I again parked at Braithwaite and ran on the north western fells.
Grisedale again prooved to be tough but I was pleased to run it all up to the final scrambles. From Grisedale I ran continuesly for the next 2 hours taking in;
Hopegill Head    (twice)
Whiteside
Sand hill
Grasmoor
Eel Crag
Sail
Scar Crags
Causey Pike

looking back up Hopegill and Grisedale

Crummock Water

Sail and Eel Crag

From Causey Pike I ran down to the road at Stair, where fell runners were mingling and getting ready to run the Causey Pike fell race.

I didn't envy them at all, as they streamed past me for the climb of Rowling End.

Met up with Steve Angus (who was again taking some top quality photographs) and then went to the beck crossing to watch them come back down.

Rob Jebb and Pippa Maddams were the winners.

A run along the road back to Braithwaite completed a very enjoyable day.

Look closely for the ants on Causey Pike

follow the leader

Rob Jebb

Pippa Maddams

 a few more photos on my my flickr

Time to put the sock drawer away....at last.

Its been 6 weeks since injury stopped me from running, but I now feel im back on the road fell to recovery.

I stuck to my plan of not running at all for four weeks and over the last 2 weeks I have  been jogging very slowly on the local football pitches, not very far, between 3 and 4 miles at a time. Each time the leg was still sore but nothing like it was, I convinced myself it was just grumbling after being so inactive for a while and on Saturday I gave it its biggest test yet, the Coledale Horseshoe.

So Saturday at 6.30am at Braithwaite and with clear blue sky's I had the whole Horseshoe to myself. I did plan to walk it all and that was still my intention on the eye opening climb of Grisedale Pike. Once on the top though with views as far as the eye could see I couldn't help running..... and running, and running.

Hopegill, Eel Crag, Sail, Outerside and Barrow was all ticked off and if I was worried what the leg would feel like after it, or the next day there was no need to be as the the leg feels fine today (2 days later) apart from very, very stiff quads.
The rest of the week I will continue to run on the flat grass of the football pitches and venture out onto the fells again at the weekend.

It might be some time before I tackle the roads again though.