Lakeland 50 recce: A satisfying struggle in the heat

Given my recent whinjury situation, my training for the last few months has been sporadic at best, with few quality sessions and little time in the hills. It has therefore been with a strong sense of trepidation that I have looked forward to the Lakeland 50 at the end of this month. I have been hoping that a base of endurance built up from various shorter ultras over the winter and spring has left me sufficiently prepared to get round, albeit not as quickly as I would like to if hill fit.

This weekend I had planned to head up to the Lakes with my OMM partner Mike for a training run along some of the Lakeland 50 course, hoping that my whinjury would hold out and allow me to gain a bit of last minute fitness. I headed up to Wilmslow on Friday after work and spent a nice relaxed evening catching up with Mike and his soon-to-be-better-fraction Hayley, plus having a quick beer with some of Mike's friends in sunny Altrincham planning Mike’s stag do. It was then time for some kit faffing and an early night ahead of a fairly early start on Saturday to travel up to Troutbeck, dump the car and then get a bus to Pooley Bridge to start the days running.

From Pooley Bridge we 'ran' back to Troutbeck via about 24.5 miles of the Lakeland 50 course. I say ran, but there was a fair amount of walking up the hills, as neither of us are all that hill fit at the moment and the weather was scorchio. From where we joined the course at Pooley bridge, the Lakeland 50 course heads up to The Cockpit at the start of High Street then traverses the hillside above Ulswater to Howtown, before turning south up Fusedale and then up past Wether Hill. From there it sweeps east along Bampton Common before descending to the path along the west of Haweswater. By that stage I was really feeling the heat and also getting a little concerned by some discomfort from my hip and back, and was also feeling a bit worried at how hard I was finding it to keep up a semi-decent pace on the undulating but easy ground. Once running starts to feel hard then the inner demons begin to peer out from the dark corners of my mind, whispering doubts. Frankly I just needed to MTFU and get on with it which, after a little self pity, I did.

I spent much of the day trying to decide which I was looking forward to more: sitting in the Trout Beck at the end, or a cold pint of Coke. I kicked myself for not having brought my camera on the run, since the views were gorgeous and, I kept reminding myself, were the reward for the heavy toll the weather was playing on my flagging body.

From Mardale Head, there is the drag up to Gatescarth Pass and then a rocky descent down Longsleddale before what didn't feel like at the time but in reality is only a small climb over to Kentmere. Then there is the final slog up to Garburn Pass and a great long descent down Garburn Road to the cool inviting waters of the Trout Beck. The proximity of the end, and having been going a bit more slowly for the last few miles due to Mike flagging a little, meant I felt fairly energetic for the downhill section and the final few K flew by (with a few stops to wait at gates for Mike). The descent also brought back happy memories of a mountain bike ride with my dad about 19 years ago when we flew down Garburn Road significantly faster.

As it was, possibly helped by some preemptive 'Vitamin I', my enigmatic whinjury wasn't painful for much of the day, and I was very pleased to get some good hilly miles in the legs without many ill effects.

We had a quick dunk in Trout Beck, the best pint of Coke in the world ever in a pub in Troutbeck, then checked in the Youth Hostel in Ambleside.  After showering we settled down outside in the sun for some fish and chips, beers and lazy conversation overlooking the lake. It was a great way to relax after a cracking day out in the hills.

Today was more relaxed, with an early 8 mile run from the YHA to Skelwith Bridge and back, shower, breakfast and a leisurely bit of kit browsing in Ambleside. We drove back to Altrincham in time for a barbecue with Mike's folks and now I am on the train back to London to get back to the rat race. Maybe it's time for a nap...

Footnote: I am finally getting round to publishing this on Monday and strangely my hip feels better than it has for a couple of weeks.  Clearly the answer is that I need get out in the fells more often, east more fish and chips, and drink more beer, and my whinjury will be cured.

The blissful pleasure of cooling off in the eponymous Trout Beck.

Fish and chips in the sun.  This must be one of the best views from a chippy in the UK.

Beer... also in the sun. Ambleside YHA is in a superb location, and lazing in deckchairs on the lawn with few drinks was a great way to while away the evening... before a rather early night!