A bit colder (& whiter) than expected!

I set off a little later than usual hoping that the frost would have lifted somewhat. This worked till i got to a certain altitude!

The run from Uppermill to Dovestones was a little slow because i kept stopping and trying to get my 'chest pouch'  (part of my Inov8 backpack which has been kindly supplied by Matt at Inov8 - thank you!) to stop jumping around. The problem being that the bottom of it attaches to the waist strap of the backpack but i never have this very tight because it effects my breathing, so it just kept bouncing about. Anyway i solved the problem by fastening the drawcord from the waistband of my tights to it but there was a moment were i had it too tight and my voice went up a pitch or 2!

From Dovestones i ran/walked up to Chew Res and about half way up (just after passing the mountain rescue - always reassuring!) the track turned from grey to white. And from halfway, the white went from a dusting to about 2 inches.

About 3/4 the way up to Chew Res looking back at Pots and Pans in the distance

Just before reaching the top i caught up with Claire Maw, who was out walking and taking photo's. So working on the basis that if you don't ask you don't get, i enquired if she would be so kind as to take a couple of snaps for the blog. Claire kindly obliged and I'm sure you'll agree the results are very good (obviously this hinges on what you think of the subject in the middle of the snaps :o)

On chatting to Claire briefly she explained that she is also in training, for the Cartmel Sticky Toffee Trail 10k on 17th March. No easy task considering that she couldn't run for more than 2 minutes without stopping before Christmas. I'd just like to wish you all the very best with the run Claire and thanks again for the snaps. Below is a link to Claire's Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ayuplass70/

Nearly at the top!

Off into the distance (not for long)

My intention, once up at Chew Res, was to run over the moor to Laddow rocks and then over Black Hill which would have brought me out onto the Holmfirth road. from there i could have taken a short(er) or longer route depending on how i was feeling. However, this is a route I've never completed before and once i got to the far edge of the Res i had a re-think on health and safety grounds! It was proper cold up there and i came over all sensible. The path around the side of the Res must usually be very wet and muddy but this had frozen over in places. My feet had broken through the ice twice and would have been proper wet if it weren't for my Sealskin (waterproof) socks. Maybe I'll wait for my pal Tom to take me over the route when everything's not so white!

So i turned around and headed back down to Dovestones, ran around one side of it and up around Yeoman Hey Res then up onto the A635. From there i cut across to the bottom of Pots and Pans hill and then back to Uppermill over Gellfield lane.

The route was approximately 13.5 miles. I had downloaded a new running app for my phone called Cardio Trainer which uses GPS to log your route. It seemed to do quite well apart from the fact that it didn't start logging the run till i got to Dovestones. Possibly user error but the App seemed to do quite a good job and is a damn sight cheaper (free) than a GPS watch. I may put my hand in my pocket for the paid version (£6) if i can get it working properly.

Cheers
Mick 

Blog update

Just thought I'd take the time to explain that I'm only going to write up interesting runs, which will usually mean weekend runs. The reason i say this, is that it was originally my intention to write up every run. However it's going to get a bit dull if i write up every dark, cold & wet evening road run of less than 10 miles over the next 6 months! That said me and Frank did get out for approximately 8 miles on Thursday night :o) If anything worth writing about occurs then i will update you all but don't hold your breath.

Cheers
Mick

Sunday 22/01/2012

I managed to drag myself out in the rain and wind at 9.30 on Sunday morning. Thankfully the rain didn't last long and the wind dropped a little. My previous day's, 8 hour bathroom floor tiling job, unfortunately had done little to help my lower back and knees, not the best preparation (it did save me a few quid though!).

So off i went along the bridal path from Uppermill, through Greenfield and into bottom Mossley where the bridal path ends. Cross over the road and bear right in front of Raja Bro's and then turn left onto the canal. Follow the canal for a short distance and then you have the choice of going up and over, or through the short (very dark) tunnel. Follow it another mile or so and you come to what looks like an old, dodgy single track railway bridge (construction that's not too far removed from some of the older roller coasters on Blackpool Pleasure beach) See 'photo 1'. I've no idea what it was but assume it must have been part of an old mill/factory. Please note following my route this would be on the left, i turned around after passing it to take the photo, just to try and confuse you :o)

Photo 1

Just after this, turn off the canal and up the (very pot holed) road to Millbrook. Across the road and take the right hand track. Straight up the track until you hit the single, tarmac rd (Brushes Rd) turn left and follow it up to the first proper reservoir (not sure of it's name?). I then followed the road left along the Res wall and then turned right up the side of the Res sticking to the tarmac but looking at google earth it looks like there's a path on the right hand side of this Res (keeping off the road) and then you can rejoin the road higher up.

It was my first time ever up here so i stopped a couple of times to try and remember the image of the map that i looked at before leaving home - photographic memory i don't have! It maybe an idea for me to start taking a map with me - just a thought before i venture further out. Anyway having failed on the memory front i resorted to sneaking up on walkers and asking for directions, which seemed to work well, granted you are a little reliant on seeing someone at each questionable fork in the road with this technique though.

Anyway keep going straight up and up and up a bit further and you'll not go far wrong. Once you get to the top res, Higher Swineshaw (you'll know you're at the top res because you can't get much higher and your lungs will be bursting) where the road goes right (where i took 'photo 2' looking down onto Lower Swineshaw res) you need to turn left and follow the track. The mistake i made here was that i didn't follow the signpost telling me to turn right again (North) as i figured i was going further out into the wilds. However, if you trust the signpost, the track shortly turns left again (West) and completes a full loop of the area. I know this in hindsight by checking the map when i got home. What i did, as you can see, was to turn around and come back down the hill slightly and follow a different path (under the pylons) which pretty much takes you back down the way you came up, only a hundred metre's or so off the road.

Photo 2

When you get back down to the bottom res you can see the track peels off to the right, follow this and it turns into the Pennine way (at some point). Follow it down the hill in to the back end of Carrbrook (quite slippy, combination of wet tarmac and off road spikes - never the best) and out the other side, back up the hill to a farm/small group of houses and back off the road onto the track. The track skirts right, around the bottom of Buckton Vale quarry. At some point the track turns from the Pennine way into the Oldham Way. Follow the track on further, keeping the hill to your right (Alphin i think?). Eventually you come out onto Freizland lane. At this point i turned left down the hill and headed for home through Greenfield (knees hurting) but if you turn right the road will then take you over towards Dove Stones Reservoir.

13.6 miles in about 2 hours, 25 mins. Not a bad route at all, one that will be repeated soon i think.

Cheers
Mick

The 2 w's hinder the weekends training

A bit of a non event weekend as far as training has gone. Ended up working on Saturday during my planned running time and then was a little dehydrated on Sunday after too much red wine (amongst other drinks) with friends on Saturday evening!

Still managed to get out at 6.30pm for a quick trot round Greenfield but I've got to admit that I wasn't really a picture of health.
I'm meeting up with Gaz, Frank and Tom on Thursday to try and come up with some sort of structured training plan going forward. Will keep you posted.

Cheers
Mick




Quick run in this morning

Went out for a quick run this morning from Uppermill around the Greenfield loop and back. Approximately 4.7 miles from my house, done in 36 minutes.
Not the most pleasant of mornings; dark and very wet. Was still a bit stiff from the run on Sunday but it did me good to peel myself out of bed at some ridiculous hour, felt very righteous for it afterwards!
Next run planed for Saturday. I feel a sense of pressure to go somewhere good and take a couple of photo's for the blog - i'll do my best.
Cheers
Mick

First proper training run of 2012

I managed to drag myself out for a 'proper' run on Sunday while the Mrs lay in bed (to be fair she was working nights) and my little auntie Julie looked after the kids.

Backpack refuelled with drink and gels and off i went. From my house in Uppermill straight up and over Pots & Pans to the Holmfirth road, coming out near Crowthers Farm. Then it was a good couple of miles on the side of the road dodging the traffic over to the Meltham turn off. The fluorescent jacket wouldn't really protect me against the high speed cars but at least when they drag me out from underneath there'd be no denying that they hadn't seen me - all be it at the last minute!

Off the road (& off with the 'high viz') and through the gate down towards Wessenden reservoir. Past the res and continued all the way down to Marsden. Left turn down the 200 slippery steps (not sure how many steps there are?) and then back up the 300 equally slippery steps (there were definitely more going up!) that bring you out at the side of Marsden Golf Club.

Up through the golf course (lost the track - oops) and back out onto the tops and into the low cloud, where i felt surprisingly vulnerable and wondered how long it would be before anyone found me if i had a fall. I was then shortly passed by at least 30 ramblers off in the other direction, all very chipper they were too ( i guess i wouldn't have waited long for a rescue!).

Off the tops at Stanedge cutting and down boat lane to the Diggle Hotel. Resisted the urge, and then over the back roads to the St. Chads church and back down the hill to Uppermill.

Just a little over 2.5 hours but not a pace i could have continued at for much longer. I clocked it at just shy of 15 miles and have to admit that the prospect of going back to the start, and then back to the finish again, and then adding on another 5 miles to make up the 50 is a slight concern!

Felt great the day after, no aches or pains, well maybe just a bit of back ache and the knees were a bit creaky. Hey but if it were easy everyone would be doing it!

Cheers
Mick

Home Instead Running for Dr. Kershaw's Hospice

Why have i picked Dr. Kershaw's to be my dedicated charity?

I run the Oldham & Saddleworth area franchise of Home Instead Senior Care which is a home help and companionship service supporting the elderly to live safe and independant lives in their own homes. In our line of work we sometimes help to support Client's (and their families) who are coming to the end of their life because of non-curable illness's. In doing our work we have been made aware of the wonderful and valuable work that is completed by all the team down at Dr. Kershaw's who provide care and support with the dignity and respect you can only hope for in your final days.

I know through chatting to Anita Armitage, the Matron at Dr. Kershaw's, that it costs a huge amount of money every year to keep the hospice open and provide their valuable service. The daily running cost stands at £4670 which adds up to a whopping £1.7 million per year. A small percentage of the money comes from the PCT with the remainder coming from fundraisers, sponsorship, donations and legacies.

So I'm just doing my little bit to make a difference. If you can spare a little cash please give at http://www.justgiving.com/micksheehan

Thank
Mick

New Year, New Challenge, New (& first ever) Blog

Hi, I've never done this blogging thing before but figure if I'm going to do a ridiculous amount of training in the build up to the completion of the Lakeland 50 race in July, i may as well document my progress for all to see.

I'm doing the race with two mates, Gaz & Frank, but we'll also be supported on our training runs by another mate Tom. No stranger to running, Tom recently completed a '100 runs in 100 days' which he did for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)http://100runsin100daysforjdrf.blogspot.com/ the final run was the Great North Run which he completed with Gaz & Frank (and a couple of thousand others). From left to right Gaz, Tom & Frank.

I'll try to update after every training run with the route completed and any other relevant info.

I hope you enjoy it!
Mick

A vision of things to come - eek!