This trail-running weekend was organised by High terrain events, and I've got to say that I am very impressed with the way it was all prepared and delivered.
A week or so before the camp took place, we had been emailed by Paul with the outline schedule plus options for the first evening meal at Derwentwater independent hostel by the side of Derwentwater lake. It all looked fantastic and I coudn´t believe I was going to spend a whole weekend running in the lakes, and it was just a matter of time before I arrived at the fantastic hostel and was received by the High terrain team.
Derwentwater Independent Hostel
After having checked in at Derwentwater hostel and met the team, I was taken to our communal room, WOOW I said as soon as I got in. Those high ceilings and big windows with perfect views over the Derwentwater lake put me in the right mood straight away.
More people arrived and the room began to get full of running trainers, running pants, GPS watches, and head torches.
Before I knew it, we were off to do our first evening run around Derwentwater lake. The run was a steady and flat one around the derwentwater sores, which had been flooded a day or so before due to heavy rain. It was raining a little bit but it felt so nice to be running on new ground with new people and of course after the 3hr journey from Leeds.
When we got back to the hostel, after a 50minute run, we all had a well deserved hot shower and got ready for the evening meal and the post-meal chat, with the presentation and overview of the weekend followed by a presentation and discussion on equipment and kit selection for ultra running by Paul Watham.
I was impressed with the hostel and its amazing hot showers, I had met some nice people already, the food was delicious and the High terrain team had been very friendly and approachable.
Ready to rock
Saturday:
As we were told the night before, the weather was spot on. The first thing I did was look out of the big window near my bed. My smile was about to get bigger and bigger when I moved the curtain across and saw the blue sky and the mountains half covered with snow. The weather coudn´t have been better after the recent heavy rains.
Breakfast was amazing, I really had to control myself to not get carried away with the food. I knew that if I ate too much I was going to have stomach problems during the long morning run.
Magic lakes
After having had breakfast, we were taught how to get our muscles ready for the run by doing some warm up exercises and a few stretches by the 9 bar athlete Victoria Mousley. While we were getting ready for the long run, the trail runner Ricky Ligthfoot arrived. He was going to spend the rest of the weekend with us sharing his kwnolege and passion about running . He didn´t disappoint us at all.
Perfect weather for running
The weather was perfect and the landscape was gorgeous. We were delighted with the views and very happy to be running on these stunning trail paths. We also stopped a few times to be shown some off road running techniques taking in different terrain and gradients.
The team
We got back to the hostel at 2:30pm, and had enough time to get showered, do some stretches, get changed and make a tea or coffee before lunch. After lunch, Ricky talked to us and explained how to train and plan the training efficiently while balancing training and commitments. After having listened to Ricky and having had time to fire some question at him ,we were off again for a evening run using our head torches, but this time up the fells.
My welsh friend Emlyn enjoying himself in the water
My legs were very tired after having done 22,2km a few hours ago. However, sometimes, you just need to forget about the stiffness and the pain of your muscles and just start running again. Yes, the first few minutes were tough, but quickly I started feeling great and soon was speeding up while running up the hill.
Sam Atkinson, definitely a very talented runner
Running at night is such a great thing to do. When running with the appropriate head torch, you shouldn´t have any problems in term of visibility of the ground. The only problem was that we didn´t know the route, and on the way down we left the main group behind us and kept running down hill like mad people. We ended up doing a couple of kilometres extra as we missed the right turn (or not).
Magic lakes
Sunday:
Another early start, although this time my legs were at a ridiculous level of stiffness not known before. As the day before, breakfast was ready between 7:30 and 8:30 and by 9ish we were getting ready for another morning run. This time, the route was suitable for everybody as the pace was meant to be "steady". We managed to do a 10.6km run around Bleaberry fell, which also included sessions of hill climb repetitions and descending techniques. The visibility wasn´t as great as the day before, but the feeling was the same. Being out there, feeling the cold air in your face, running up and down the mountain, surrounded by snow, was such a wonderful experience and something that I won´t forget. When I run up the mountain, I don´t need anything else. I am just happy, no matter how steep the hill gets, no matter how hot I get, the fell keeps absorbing me and I cannot stop loving that feeling because it really makes me feel alive.
Thank you to those who made this weekend such an enjoyable trail running camp.
I hope I see you again on the fells, or if not in the pub after a long and steep run.
David
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