Another Slow One

Joe came over on Wednesday and we did our usual run, in a clockwise direction again. We were both still struggling and I was feeling a little lethargic. It was one of those evenings when if I hadn't had Joe coming round I might well have put my feet up and left it, though I'd have been disappointed with myself, so again I felt better for getting out and earning the beers.

Joe usually goes a little quiet when we hit the hills, but this time he was chatting comfortably all the way, which is a good indication of how slow we were! We were actually slower than I'd been on Tuesday - 8:15 pace over 4.3 miles.

Our chat included going over our respective performances on Sunday, how well organised and supported the event was and whether or not it should be moved to a (probably) cooler month, and of course the tragic demise of Matt Good. I also realised that, apart from parkruns, my next planned race is 4½ weeks away - the Jane Tomlinson York 10km. This is a race I never miss, as it's an excuse to run through the streets of my old home town.

That gap in my race calendar will be partly filled by an expedition in the Lake District. Some readers may be aware of the 'Bob Graham Round' - a 72 mile circuit bagging 42 of the highest peaks in the area, including some 27,000 feet of ascent, the aim being to complete it in 24 hours. Fear not - I'm not quite that crazy - I plan to take it at a little more leisurely pace, allowing myself seven or eight days! I will however be eschewing the 'luxury' of official campsites as that would mean having to drop down from the ridges every evening and climbing back up each morning. That would of course increase both the distance covered and the feet of ascent. I'm 'wild camping', carrying everything I need on my back, finding water where I can, camping on the high ground and barely seeing 'civilisation'. The only real exceptions will be where I cross the A66 at Threlkeld, where, depending what time I arrive I may make use of a proper campsite since I'll be passing it anyway, and similarly as Wasdale, which I visit between Scafell and the Mosedale Circuit. I have yet to decide whether to extend my route slightly to revisit Wasdale the following night, as the extra few miles would be compensated by being able to leave half my gear at the campsite for the day.

While this trip isn't strictly 'On The Run' material I will post about the experience afterwards, as I'll have had no runs for over a week, and I hope it may be of interest, especially if any of my readers plan to run the Bob Graham in the future.