It seems summer is finally here – admittedly most of us are now complaining it’s a little too hot but I think it is great! The good weather has meant I have spent the past two weeks galavanting around the Peaks fitting in as much as I can.
As you can imagine with Peaks Ultra and Lakes Sky Ultra fast approaching running is very much on the agenda. I am very happy to say the longer distances are getting slightly more comfortable. The main area for improvement is nutrition – I find it so hard to remember to take on enough food and water, it’s not something I am used to doing when I am running. I could also blame it on having too good a company when out running – I find myself chatting away oblivious to how long I have been going! However, this is not a bad problem to have.
A prime example of this was a few weeks ago when I headed out with Tom, Kris and Ish. I am not sure what the target distance was, in fact, I don’t think we planned one. I believe the consensus was ‘not too long’, so we trotted off from the bottom of Stanage at a fair pace. Soon we realised we had come some way from the car and actually the 7-10 mile run had turned into a 16 miler! Luckily we were all game for this. I like to think the only thing that stopped us hitting the 20-mile mark was a lack of food – one malt loaf shared between four! It was at this stage we all decided a pie and pint at The Broadfield was a post race essential.
So far this June I have not managed to get out climbing quite as much as I would like (you can’t do everything), so I was delighted when the next day everyone was keen to head out to Birchen Edge. This is a lovely little crag always gets the sun and is perfect for a bit of casual climbing and picnicking. The routes are not that high, but it is a load of fun. I managed to lead a fair few, then also have a go at some harder HVSs with varying success. The day ended with some really interesting crack climbing – including Admiral’s Flushed Head. This is a little tunnel up the wall that is so narrow you can’t even keep your harness on to get through. It was certainly a squeeze!
Aside from the running mid week the lovely weather and lighter evenings have given me the chance to get out on the mountain bike with Sarah. This is the perfect way to spend an evening after you have spent the day at the computer and really refreshes me.
Here are a few pictures of our adventures:
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