Hot Runs

Saturday: myself and Tim headed over to Hathersage to recce part of the Long Tour of Bradwell. The weather was hot and humid, and away from the shade of trees it was sticky hot. Our route took us backwards on the race route from Leadmill Bridge to Toads Mouth, exploring the link from the Burbage Valley across the road and down towards Lawrence Field. We returned the same way (or at least returning on the actual race route as we'd taken a slight detour on the way up). Back at the car we still felt good so continued on the race route towards Bradwell for a short distance....then back to Hathersage for a late lunch+ice cream and browse in the gear shop. Total run 14.6km and 350m ascent.

Tim running across Lawrence Field

Looking towards Bole Hill

Sunday: solo early morning run for me from home. My route was from Old Glossop, Cock Hill, Glossop Low, over to the Pennine Way, up to Bleaklow Head. I'd contemplated heading to Bleaklow Stones-The Ridge-Hern Clough but dismissed that in favour of less tussocky running. I stuck to the Pennine Way until some point after the turning to Hern Stones then bashed across the tussocks to the B29 plane wreck and Higher Shelf Stones trig point. I decided to run along the Shelf Moor race route across to Dog Rock and home down via Lightside, but feeling good as I crossed Dowstone Clough I made a decision to head back to Glossop Low....and luckily came across a quad track that made for easy running across the heather. I picked up the Torside-Glossop Low trod and boards, and was soon heading down passed Cock Hill. A quick detour back to the trig point, then off via the quarry spoils and down to Old Glossop. The temperature today was pretty perfect, warm but a good breeze blowing and enough cloud cover to not be worried about sunburn. I saw and heard loads of curlews flying really close by, a stoat popped it's head up and called out, grouse, a lizard thing rushed off down a peat tunnel, and there were plenty of mountain hares around and one pheasant. Apart from the wildlife I didn't see anyone until dropping off Cock Hill....a perfect solo adventure.
Total run 17.1km and 625m ascent.

Torside Clough and reservoir

On the Pennine Way

There's a stoat hiding in there, honest!

My route across to Higher Shelf Stones

Approaching the B29 plane wreck and trig point in distance

'Overexposed' B29 plane wreck

Dowstone Clough

View from Glossop Low

A little windswept at Cock Hill with Bleaklow behind

Glossop town

Tour de France 2014

The build up to The Tour had been great, lots of anticipation and excitement, lots of discussions about where people would be watching from on day 2 as the race passed over Holme Moss and up Woodhead (the closest point to Glossop). We opted for a 10 mile walk over Bleaklow, taking the most direct line, to bring us out at Woodhead tunnel, the eastern end of the Longdendale trail. We ended up being a party of 6 walkers....with 2 cyclists heading down the trail to meet up with us on the other side.

Approaching Bleaklow Head on the walk over to Woodhead from Glossop

View down to Woodhead as we descend Near Far Black Clough

Woodhead road from our vantage point on Ironbower Rocks

The reason for a big rucksack - real fresh ground coffee for our brew!

Waiting for the caravan

Helicopters - they were amazing, buzzing overhead and very low

Haribo caught.....and I got some Yorkshire The

Lead rider coming though

Chasing pack

Peleton

and there they go...

After the peleton had passed us, and the remaining cyclists mixed in with the support car convoy, we packed up our gear and headed back over the hill. I was really envious of those who'd cycled over but looking at the photos later of the bike-traffic-jams down the road and on the trail our walk back home may well have been quicker! Apart from a short shower of rain as we headed back home the weather was superb, there was even enough wind to keep the midges away!! What an amazing experience. Vive la Tour!

Hobble and Hare

Headed up to Bleaklow Head yesterday in search of a missing mountain bike (biker had been rescued by Mountain Rescue but abandoned his bike - as it turned out someone had beaten us to the find!). So 4km run to the cairn, doing OK, felt a mild twinge in my left knee. Oh no. Its the ITB issue come back again. Damn. I decided to give it a rest by walking, still heading out. After another kilometer or so the pain was not easing so I sat down and waited for my other half to go ahead and see if he could locate the mtb. No joy on his return and we head back to the car. I tied to run again but my knee was just too painful. I'm gutted. We chat about the possible reasons and put it down to southern softy legs just not being used to doing high mileage on rough ground. Not that I'm actually running a whole 10km when I go out that far, or that 10km is indeed that far at all. But, it's all relative. To me 10km is a fair old distance, and on the rough fell terrain it is just too far. Lesson learnt, and the RICE protocol applied once home - Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Oh yeah, and a few decent sports massages to flush out the leg and ease the tension in the muscles surrounding the knee, mainly psoas, gastrocnemius, soleus and glute max - and the ITB of course. Interestingly it was my left psoas which was weakened, as found out at my osteo appointment last week.

So, recovery is in progress, and adjustments to my mileage have taken place on my training schedule. Its frustrating as I love getting further out on a run, I shall be investigating routes that get me away from town but keep the miles low - all without driving (seems pointless driving to go running, defeats the object in my mind).

Bonus of walking on the route meant that we saw a hare....something like this I think: