w/e 28/2/10 - We Step Outside and Face the Poisoned Weather....

The tiredness hit this week. In a big way. And I guess it's to be expected. Over 100 miles and 12,000ft last week....what did I expect?

In truth, looking back as I did the other day, I think I'm "ahead of the game" at this stage this year. What I have to be careful of is not burning brightly now, only to fizzle out in April/May. That certainly happened a couple of years ago, when a BG attempt was a possibility. I piled up the miles and the long days, I put in a pretty hard effort at the Old County Tops and....the legs went, and didn't feel the same again all summer.

But this is two years on, and there's nothing truer than the fact that every year of putting in climbs does steel you for the road ahead. Your legs don't forget, they adapt. And I'm hoping that's where I am this year. I'm ahead of where I was last year because, a year on, the legs are ready for it without needing too much base to build on.

The weather's getting frustrating though. Another missed opportunity to pop up to the Lakes this week, based on the fact that I'd have needed ice-axe and crampons rather than fell shoes. Spring can't come soon enough now, and some midweek trips up for 2-dayers in the Lakes.

The only downside of the week is that I've ended it with a slight niggle....a pain somewhere inside the right knee when descending, and a little fluid on that knee in response to the problem. I don't think it's serious, but it needs a bit of nursing so my lovely idea of heading to Sedbergh for a race on a Tuesday afternoon is abandoned. Hopefully I'll be fit and ready for the weekend.

But, as for the week in question, it started with a couple of rest days, to get over the previous week. But by Wednesday, with a Mercia friend coming to stay, it seemed a good idea to head to club night, having told him all about the great group who go bat-running.

So we turned up at 7pm to find.....nobody bat-running! I'm not sure what's happened these days. A year ago, I seem to remember 20+ out most Wednesdays, now it's getting down to 4 or 5 regulars and, obviously, this week, just 2 of us. Very poor.

Still, we made the most of it, heading down into the valley, all the way back up to Stoodley Pike, in new snow, down the Pennine Way to London Road, back to Mankinholes, down into the valley again, and up to the golf club. A smashing run, just disappointing that nobody else wanted to share it.

Thursday turned out to be another rest day, running ditched in favour of a good tea and chat.

But Friday, we headed over to Pendle, for a half tour recce. Pendle's one of my favourite places around here, and it seemed a good place to take visitors. It was looking like a tough day though, with low cloud and persistent rain.....which changed pretty quickly to snow as we headed out of Barley.

By halfway up, it had become a blizzard and was settling up to around our ankles, with a driving wind from our left, making things cold and uncomfortable. We ploughed on (snowploughed on!) regardless, the snow getting deeper and deeper, to eventually arrive at the trig point. But, as we tried to peer into the howling gale in the direction we needed to go, we made our decision...down!! It was not a day for heroics, and Pendle felt every inch as big as a high Lakes fell today! We slithered down, back to snowy Barley and cake and coffee in the cafe, before heading home.

Saturday was a little better, and a big tour of the moors was planned. We headed off over Midgley Moor and across to High Brown Knoll, which was boggy, slushy and cold. From there, we dropped down to Lumb Falls, then across to Walshaw Farm, Widdop, Gorple and picked up the Pennine Way there, following it over to Blackshaw Head. Here we picked up the path down Jumble Hole Clough and down to the main road.

We followed the Hebden route up to Stoodley (where the path from London Road has been vandalised by a digger, presumably doing "repairs" :-/ ), then along Dicks Lane, across the moor and down into Mytholmroyd. It was here that I felt the first twinge in my knee, nothing dramatic, but noticeable.

Nevertheless, one more climb to do, and we headed up over Scout Rock before dropping down to the house - a tough run, in tough conditions.

Sunday saw me head out on my own, despite the knee, to go and put in a few reps on Stoodley. I managed 4, and saw one other nutter (you know who you are!) doing exactly the same.....the things us BG attempters have to do :-)

And that was the end of my "easy" week. Again, I hope I'm judging this right. In the past, my easy week has been next to nothing. This time, it's not far off a normal week. But that feels right to me, especially since I want to up the training from last year. Only time will tell. Hopefully the knee will settle quickly and I can push on hard.

The week ended, as ever, with a lovely couple of pints in the Fox, with an incredibly tired-looking Kirsten, having just returned from her 50-miler in Norfolk, before picking up a curry and stuffing ourselves full of lentils, veg and chappatis whilst we could still stay awake.

Total for the week - 39miles & 9,000ft