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A new year beckons

After a week of rapid thaw (in terms of snow cover at least), the first day of 2011 dawned distinctly colder again and ended with me having completed my longest post-op run yet. More importantly I have reached my objective of completing what used to be my regular 14km training route. A massive and psychologically important milestone.

Snow still clinging onto the central fells

The days following Christmas saw a steady rise in temperatures, particularly at higher elevations and so despite a slow thaw at lower levels, the snow cover both in the valleys and on the mountains was quickly stripped. Luckily before the thaw kicked in there was time to celebrate Boxing Day with a quick ascent of Low Water Beck (III) including the less often in condition direct finish (IV). It was surprisingly quiet with only one other team of climbers and a lone solo climber late in the afternoon.

An optical illusion as water covers the main ice sheet beneath Levers Water

On Friday, with friend Ed visiting, we made the most of a gloomy day with an amble around and over Wetherlam. Despite the rise in temperature, it was damp and on the tops felt bitterly cold, the tarns remained mostly frozen albeit with a shallow layer of water overlaying the ice beneath.

Ed near Levers Water

Steph running on Potter Fell

 9 months after knee surgery and back to the old training ground en route to Potter Fell

And so 2010 came and went, a year that has tested my optimism to the full and the sanity of everyone else around me to the maximum in the house of a grumpy injured runner. Thankfully 2011 has started with such promise, my long awaited ambition to get back, at the very least, to running the round up to and over Potter Fell has been achieved, a run which not such a long time ago seemed so effortless and simply part of greater things but one that throughout 2010 and most of 2009 was a distant dream. 

In need of a training aid? Get yourself a Sheepdog - Seren having a moments rest

Six months ago I told myself that if I could be running properly on the lower fells by the winter I would be happy, at times it hasn't felt like a certainty and even now I have my fingers crossed every time my feet make contact with the heathery tussocks underfoot. I also said it would be great if Seren, our households true fell runner could actually come running and for the first time she joined me on a proper run and managed not to be of any mechanical assistance - only pulling when she saw her favourite fell dish - Herdwick sheep.

So we can start the new year looking forward. Keith sent me a text from his High Altitude training camp in Switzerland (aka nice two bedroomed flat somewhere in the mountains) to remind me that the mountain marathon season starts in little more than 3 months time and this year it could be a long one, long runs still seem an awful long way off but at least we're now on the move again.

A little bit further

Another day, another small milestone.

Despite being full of cold, having a unshakeable cough and my knee still being sore from the previous weekends climbing i managed my longest run to date - around 12km.

I'll be honest, at times it hurt like hell, but I told myself that with nothing physically wrong, any pain could only be post-op soreness or some other minor irritant. I thought of Joss Naylor and his lifelong battle with back-pain as I began the pull onto the tops of the Fell above Gurnal Dubs with my knee throbbing. Amazingly whilst it didnt go away, the run didnt seem to make it any worse, certainly in the aftermath so we'll just keep moving forwards.

I remain on target to run the complete circuit up and over Potter Fell by Christmas.

Snow & Ice

Last weekend was spent immersed in the snow and ice of the Lake District.

Newlands Hause (III), Newlands

"....If its 'in' be prepared to queue.."

Not last Saturday! Following heavy overnight snow the it was impossible to drive to the high Col, only 1o minutes from its base and so it was a 2.5 Km walk along the minor road to reach this frozen fall - but we had the place to ourselves. It was possible to climb on both the Left and Right hand lines, and an hours worth of pleasant soloing saw us climb every possible option going.



Seren was far more interested in snow than ice

Newlands Hause



Soloing on Newlands Hause

Shoulthwaite Gill (V,4), Thirlmere Valley

Situated just 30 minutes from the main A-road, this route rarely forms - requiring a sustained period of sub-zero conditions for it to come in, situated as it is, only a couple of hundred metres or so above sea-level. Normally its described as thin and a serious lead - and whilst there remained some thin sections overlying the slabby rock beneath it is currently taking plenty of seemingly reliable ice screws. An awesome pitch of ice.

Gearing up at the base of Shoulthwaite Gill

Dan making headway up the steep Gill

On the Sunday we headed around to Patterdale to take a look at some of the routes around Dove Crag - our main objective was hopefully to have been Inaccessible Gully. Unfortunately after an exhausting hour or so breaking trail, we discovered it was a little too inaccessible, the first pitch appearing very thin and brittle and not really in condition. And so we soloed up South Gully which was in great nick, albeit with vast quantities of powdery snow in its upper reaches. From there we skirted around to Hart Crag, a team spotted on Scubby Crag which appeared to be in great nick and a quick ascent of what we think was Short Chute - albeit feeling much more mixed and much harder than its III grading would suggest.

Whorneyside Falls (III) & Hell Ghyll (III/IV)

After an exhausting walk-in to scope out Shelter Crag on Crinkle Crags, we bailed, having got thoroughly shagged wading through knee deep snow and wandering around in near zero visibility - surely there were easier things to be doing we thought.

The latter wasnt really in condition and best avoided - the final pitch so very nearly in, but not quite, a shame. Whorneyside however was in great nick, easily done as one long pitch or two short singles, the final third pitch wasnt worth it and the plunge pool looked a little too watery for our liking!

the snows return

We're not quite into December but the first snows of the winter have arrived.

I awoke on Saturday to one of those magical mornings, pulling the blinds back to reveal a blanket of snow lying across the Cumbrian fells. Hard to believe its really only 9 months since we last saw snow in the valleys.

Looking across to Potter Tarn and the central fells on Sunday

And so, on Sunday it was out on my first 10km run in about 17 months, another milestone. Numerous layers on, a full complement of windproof armour to protect from the biting northerly wind and some waterproof socks to keep my feet warm. Running in the snow is great, if you've never done it I can wholeheartedly recommend it - simply magical.

No more muddy tracks - dry and firm snow underfoot

Headed up towards Potter Fell and then onto Gurnal Dubs Tarn, which was partially frozen and given the forecast, it wont be long before its completely frozen over. Plenty of folks out today and one other fell runner, who managed to catch me up at Gurnal Dubs just to reinforce how unfit I am at the moment :(

Great views across to the Central Fells, that have a good, if light, covering of snow. Could just about see around towards Helvellyn that seemed to be holding more snow than most of the other fells.

After a quick cirque of the tarn it was back down to the cold shadows of the valley and the warmth of home. Here's hoping for a long and cold winter!

01/12/2010 UPDATE: Was out on Potter Fell last night. Since the weekend there has been further snowfall at all levels. The Tarns are now frozen over, and snow is drifting. Underfoot conditions are becoming more difficult for running with around 10-15 cm of lying snow and more in areas where drifting is occurred. It was seriously cold out there last night - wrap up warm!

Hope Returns

It has now been 8 months since I had knee surgery, two weeks ago I took my first tenative steps back towards running on the fells again with a run back upto Potter Tarn and I am now running 2-3 times a week, with only slight post-run discomfort. Its too early to say with any confidence whether I am fully fixed or whether I will return to where I was before, but I am being insanely optimistic.

This is a major milestone, in a year that has been full of ups and down, comebacks and setbacks. Looking right back to January 2009, when I first became injured, it is only now that i realise quite what an impact this has had on me both physically and mentally. I hope that this time the comeback is final and we can look forward to a busy year of fell running and mountain marathons. But its not going to be easy - I sense alot of frustration over the coming months, dealing with a massive loss in hill-running fitness and strength, i must focus on getting back to where I was and then moving on again.

Phase One of my return is the purchase of my new Hope Vision 4 Head-torch. 960 lumens of seriously fell crunching illuminative power to brighten up the very dark winter months and add a little excitement to nights on the fells this winter. Its pathetic how excited a grown-man can get about a head-torch, especially one that costs the same as a just-about road-worthy car with a few months tax and MOT thrown in, but hey they're not really comparable are they? This is a prime example of British Engineering, beautiful CNC machined aluminium casing and a surge of power to wash-out the Aurora Borealis. Its a little like trying to compare a Rover 100 with a few rusty patches and 100,000 miles on the clock with an Aston Martin DB5.

And so armed with this the nocturnal training runs can resume....

OMM Training Camp Notes

A few weeks ago I was invited to work on the first official OMM Training Camp, held at the national mountain centre for England & Wales, Plas Y Brenin.

With partner Keith, on day 2 of OMM 2007, Lowther Hills.

I ran two of the workshops this year, a practical on-the-hill navigation session and another focussing on Mountain Marathon Kit and ideas on how to travel lighter and faster.

My notes are suited to someone competing towards the higher-end classes, dont take it at face value, the idea is to get you thinking about the weight of everything - only by being aware of the weight of absolutely everything in your pack and being focussed on why you are carrying it, can you hope to get the weight of your pack down to an absolute minimum.

Going light and fast: the sub-5 kilo race pack

Our aims

1. To be entirely self-sufficient, moving as quickly as possible and as easily as possible

A lighter pack means you can move more efficiently.

Greater efficiency = greater enjoyment and / or greater speed

2. To manage risk

Having adequate clothing & equipment appropriate to the time of year and potential conditions.
To be able to deal with likely emergency

3. To work within the OMM rules & guidelines

Rules & Guidelines are there for your safety

Rules are not there to be broken but are open to a little interpretation – what we individually deem as ‘adequate’ for example will differ.

Compulsory Personal Kit (Correct as of September 2010)

Taped waterproof jacket with hood.
Taped waterproof trousers.
Additional full leg cover
Base layer top
Additional warm layer top
Hat
Gloves
Socks
Footwear with suitable grip for off trail fell conditions
Head torch capable of giving useable light for a minimum or 12 hours
Whistle
Compass
Map (as supplied)
Sleeping bag
Adequate first aid equipment
Pen/pencil and paper capable of being used in wet conditions
Survival bag
Rucksack
Emergency rations
Compulsory Team Kit
Tent with sewn in groundsheet
Food for the duration of the event
Cooking equipment including stove with sufficient fuel for duration of the race, with some spare for emergency use.

Achieving the sub-5 kilo race pack:

Specialist lightweight kit is required
Be ruthless, most things are heavier than they need to be
A lot of weight can be saved WITHOUT spending a penny
Think sensibly – don’t shave grams in one area to add them in another
You can spend hundreds of pounds to achieve the same weight saving that leaving 300ml of water at home could do for free!

As part of this I hope to also include the weight charts showing a typical lightweight MM pack, just as soon as I can format it correctly!