Marathon training - one week to go!

And so it begins, the final week before my first ever marathon. The event I have chosen as my first 26.2mile run is the Howgills 26 Trail Marathon, starting in Sedburgh, a small town in Cumbria. The Howgill fells lay between the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District - not easy terrain so I know I'm in for a challenge of not only distance but ground under foot. I'm hoping that running in the beautiful hills will distract me as the hours pass by.

The competitors race notes indicate the running is mostly on grassy tracks which is encouraging. Hopefully all my training runs on the boggy peat paths on Bleaklow and Kinder will pay off as my legs will be able to cope better with easier terrain.

The general question most people ask me is 'are you ready'. Well I am. I feel good going into this final week. I have practised carrying race kit in my bumbag, my fell shoes are new-ish so broken and still sporting good grips and my nutrition strategy also well practised. I have trained in some gorgeous weather, and some fowl harsh conditions so feel ready for whatever is thrown at me. I do hope the weather will be kind - overcast, gentle breeze and cool. But that's an uncontrollable thing so I am prepared for any eventuality.  My training has gone well despite a twisted ankle at the end of January, and I've been consistent with my strength training in the gym.

Another aspect of my training has been to study the route the marathon takes over, round, and along the hills. The majority of the ascent comes in the first 8-10km but I'm not fooled into thinking the remaining 30-odd km will be easy. What can appear 'flat' on a map simply because you contour around a hillside doesn't mean it is actually flat under foot. The good thing about training based in Glossop is that I've been able to mimic the race route during training runs.

Would I have done anything different with my training? That's a hard one to answer right now. I certainly wouldn't wish a twisted ankle on anyone 14 weeks out from a marathon. I had to employ some good positive mental training there, as well as good recovery strategies (thanks to Tim for all the massage and physio). I've based my training on hours in the hills rather than distance. So there's maybe a little concern that I haven't yet run the marathon distance. My longest run to date is the Edale Skyline about 11months ago. That run was 34.5km so just about 8km more to do next week. Recent training runs have had me out on my feet for 4hours, and I've had some decent days walking in the hills too - all good time on my feet.

So, wish me luck.....and if you fancy sponsoring me that'd be lovely. I'm raising funds for my local mountain rescue team, Glossop Mountain Rescue Team, who do amazing work - all voluntary - helping to rescue and save lives in the hills round where I live. Donations however small are all very much appreciated and can be made on my JustGiving page. Thank you!

Instructor the NNAS Bronze Navigation Award

Last weekend I had the pleasure to be teaching navigation in the Peak District - this time round I was leading a two day Bronze level National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) course with four participants. The meeting point for day one was Hathersage and our route took in the church, Camp Green (a Norman earth and timber ringwork fortress), Callow Bank, Higger Tor and Carl Wark fort.

Learning how to count paces so distances can be measured

Callow Bank ahead of us

Burbage valley and a lack of plantations....don't always trust what's on the map to be on the ground!

Orientating the map with features on the ground

Checking the path ahead is the one we want

On day two we met in the centre of Castleton, right at the other end of the Hope Valley. The task for the participants today was focused on relocating themselves accurately and they all did brilliant.

Hardest part of many walks is getting out of the village on the right path

Now where exactly are we along the edge of this wall?

A challenging relocation on a wiggly contour line high above Winnats Pass

YEY!!! We've found Mam Tor by orientating our map with the compass

Using the map to find features on the ground...this time interpreting
contour lines of the great Mam Tor-Lose Hill ridge

Refinding the village of Castleton, but first relocation along
side a river by counting paces and wall junctions

I've received some super feedback from the course participants

"very much enjoyed the weekend. Lynn is an excellent and inclusive instructor."

"thanks to Lynne who was a fantastic teacher...we can't imagine a better person to learn with. [We] felt that we'd walked away being able to things we couldn't do at the start of the weekend.  The course was a perfect mix of theory and practice.  We'd love to build on what we've learned once we've done some practice and consolidation - Snowdonia this weekend will give us an ideal chance to do that.  We'd recommend the course to anyone."

If these photos have inspired you to learn navigation but you don't know your handrail from your attack point then get in touch. This weekend was a NNAS Bronze Award course but I also run bespoke private one-to-one or group tuition - course content is tailored to suit your level of knowledge (from beginner to advanced) and your pace of walking/running. I am available for instruction in the Peak District, Snowdonia and the Lake District. I've been walking and running in the hills for many years, competed in fell races that require navigation, orienteering events which are totally based on navigation, and safely got myself around hills and mountains in the UK and Europe.