In the Bleak Midwinter II - Unfinished Business: Week Four

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Feeling a bit rough, got a full on man cold and am being typically rubbish. I blame Kinder Scout, Derbyshire's highest mountain, and its widest and boggiest.

I decided this week that after a good outing at Borrowdale, I would keep running hard and not take much rest. I have to get used to running tired all over again. It's tempting to run when you've fully recovered, but my head needs to know my body can perform when it's a bit sore and tight.

Monday was a trial, a 5 mile trail trial to be precise. I ran hard on an off-road hilly course, but it wasn't so fast. I ended up hanging on in there despite a slow speed. It wasn't satisfying like a good hard fast run - one to log under 'head training'.

I ran my 9.5 mile hilly trail run in 1:13 on Tuesday, a decent effort with still weary legs and some stiff hills, as well as some curious and scary cows edging me towards the edge of a field. Weds was another fast run, 7.4 miles and 54 mins on another very hilly and off road course. I felt good, with a spring in my step. It proved that you can recover from long runs whilst still running ones. Not sure how that works, but it does.

I had a break on Thursday before the Kinder experience. The kinder dozen is apparently a route for the mentally deranged according to the LDWA, a somewhat horrible description in every sense for what is actually a fantastic day out. Why do people use such phrases with such abandon?

It was wet. Very wet indeed. My map became sodden but it was fantastic nav practice! I plunged through waist deep bracken, flicked off the ticks, fought the heather and pounded the peat for six and a half entertaining hours. It worked out at about 20 miles and 9,300' ascent, not as much as advertised but given the ground and the weather, a meaty day out by anyone's standards. I loved it and it was a joy to train somewhere new. Exploring the northern aspects of Kinder was great and I hardly saw a soul. The photos say it all.