Bob Graham Round

Did section1 on wed and loved it.  After five visits to the lakes Ive finally had a few days of sun and clear skies....I guess 1/5 is par for the Lakes though!

Hate the run down Great Gable and through the Caldew, then up Marstang.  This time I tried the direct route down through Heather which is just as slow as the steep drop to the beck.  The view from the tip of Halls Fell is something else though, awsome.  Anyone based in Keswick can run back from Threlkeld along the disused railway line which is a popular walk.

Well Done Daz!   (I think you mean Great Calva and Mungrisdale  )

Leg 1 was the first one I recce'd (coming up for 3 years ago now)
I did it by parking in Threlkeld and getting the bus to Keswick, saved having to do the flat jog back afterwards (I hate flat!)

worked out that I have a few days leave saved up, so will be able to do one or two big training days each month after October - they'll be weekdays chosen mainly at short notice of good weather...

I wish I had the ability to do this. People are keen on saying that you can do anything if you put your mind to it but I'm sure that this is well beyond my capabilities. I stick to shorter fell races because I don't want the marshalls to be out there in all weathers waiting for me to come plodding along an hour or more behind the leaders.

I came dead last in two fell races this year (Teenager With Altitude and Ennerdale Horseshoe) and I got timed out on Old County Tops
going that slow is actually good training for BG

If going slow is good, I should break the record!

I'm realising (just one a few sections) how tough the challenge really is.  Even to get a

"Even to get a..." what now?

The thought of the challenge must have made me back out.  I have no idea what I was going to say there.

nearly managed a hat-trick of last places last Saturday when I was 78th out of 79 finishers on the Peris Horseshoe fell race in Snowdonia - 17.5M/8500ft in 6 hours 14 minutes, making an average of 21:30 mins per mile, which is a good "BG Shuffle" pace
basically I did the equivalent of roughly a quarter of a BG - just need to train up for the other 3/4 over the winter...

last weekend did what I describe as a "Half Day Out"
about 5 1/2 hrs around Kinder including 5 ascents thereof, totalling about 5000ft

might have a day off work next week to do a "Full Day Out"
looking to do 8+ hrs in proper mountains (probably Snowdonia)...

yesterday took day off work and did 9 hours out in the Lakes
just finished contour-counting my route to 6500ft ascent
felt surprisingly good on it - think I'm definitely geting more "hill fit"

had a "calm before the storm" month in November, taking it relatively easy and logging only 113M

December-April will be 5 months of "proper" training
recently done 3 decent days in a 2 week period:
6 hours around Calder Valley (inc 3200ft ascent)
6 hours around Kinder (4500ft)
8 hours in Lakes (4800ft)

December totalled 155 Miles/26000ft ascent, so a good kick-start to my BG training

set a date now: Friday 17th May

Gulp!

Set a time? 19:00 seems to be popular... I like the idea of the quiet 01:00 sneak off in to the hills!

6:30pm start
should juuust get down off Blencathra in the twilight
and I've got a crack leg2 night-navigator
but I'm already dreading Clough Head!

I supported leg 2 on a 19:00 start. I enjoyed it, pretty poor visibility when we were up there but a good section. The guy I was supporting was pretty solid on his navigation which was ideal as I didn't know much of the route at all!

took day off work yesterday and did Leg 1 plus Clough Head - 7100ft ascent, all pretty much at target pace, so happy with that at this stage, given that come 17th May:
a) I'll be fitter
b) I'll've lost 10lbs in weight
c) I won't be carrying a heavy backpack
d) the ground won't be as squishy

'nother "LDO" (Long Day Out) on Friday

20 Miles around the Coniston massif
7000ft ascent
coped well with the repeated ascents/overall distance/time out, so boding well...

yes thanks Lirish

aaaand another one on Wednesday:
16M/5000ft in 6 1/2 hours in the Lakes (Dunmail-Dollywagon-Fairfield-SeatSandal-Dunmail-SteelFell-CalfCrag-SergeantMan-HighRaise-ThunacarKnott-Dunmail)
bit slow going due to snow on the tops/being careful with navigation in the clag

my quads are a tad sore today - probably the last descent off Steel Fell