Hexham: Runnin around and up and down

Early evening and off road

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Another great but hard training evening out with the crowd from Hexham. It's amazing what running in a group does for motivation and determination. After such a bad couple of days over the weekend this was sooo much better.

Training : Flat Out

Along the flat

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Wracked with pain and not just in my ankle. This was supposed to be a longer distance training run in an attempt to get the stamina built up for iROC. In the end it was painful and demoralising and my bloody ankle hurts still.

Hexham : Runnin round and round and falling down

Training and Falling Down Potholes

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Another evening's running with the group from Hexham and the Wentworth Centre ended in a bit of a disaster, me falling down a pothole and twisting my ankle badly. Bloody hell it hurts but as my colleague Mark said ..you are probably being a wuss... The balloon at one end of my left leg would suggest otherwise. Other than that the training was good, longer sections, hill starts again and it's tough.

Town and Country

Mersyside Derby : Cheshire Plain

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Off Exploring's iROC Team

Off Exploring's Robert Campbell and Mark McGookin sign up for iROC

Off Exploring's Robert Campbell and Mark McGookin sign up for the iROC adventure race with attitude

The intrepid, some say insane duo, have persuaded each other and themselves that the fun thing to do on Easter weekend is run up hill for a very long way and look cool while doing it.

To look extra cool the boys have spec'd out some soft – wear, the skin tight Lycra tops they're modelling in the photo. No doubt they'll look OK until the race starts at which point no amount of man made fibre, elastic or not, is going to keep these two in-check or looking suave or cool in any sense of the word. The race is going to be a gruelling run up hill and presumably down as well, for a total of 13k and over 900 meters of ascent.

At the moment their training regime is a punishing mix of gym work and road and fell running. With only 4 weeks before the event, which is on the 18th of April, the pace of training is beginning to quicken as they realise that whatever they do it's probably not going to be enough.

Mark has the advantage, he plays Rugby for Ponteland RFC 1sts as is already up to the 'mark', pardon the ridiculous pun, while Robert is right back on the pace having only just started to do any kind of exercise at all and never run more than 200m at once in his life.

The race is being run by another North East company inov-8 who describe themselves as 'a British company that's passionate about specialist off-road and extreme sports products'. They make running shoes and other gear for mad people like these two.

The race is being run in an old cement factory and quarry, presumably so there's somewhere to bury the dead bodies that will litter the hillside before, during and after the event is over.

But hey it's bound to be a great day out, come along and support the two, there's even a family fun run, cycling and a beer tent. That sounds like a place just for me, see you there

Yours Gripp Type-Thinne.

Hexham Runnin Around

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Abbey Going to Hexham

Last week I met an Oldie at the leisure centre after going to the gym, Chris as it turns out who's training for a Marathon. I don't remember which one. When I asked about the group of runners he was with, he invited me to join them next week, i.e. today. Which is what I did and it was great. Running with others is a new experience and I had no idea whether I could keep up or not, I genuinely had no idea what was in store.

Five miles of street running and hilly ones at that later I felt I'd had a good workout and not been embarrassed as I thought I might be. Everyone was friendly and encouraging, thanks guys, I'll be back next week.

Note I'm not being cheeky when I say Oldie, it was Chris that brought up the tag suggesting that I was more their age, of his group, than the one's I'd seen running around the track.

Coledale Round: Blistering Pace

Testing Times & Drinking From your Own Bladder

In an attempt to have one big training day this month, prior to and far enough away from from the iROC event, I went to the Lakes and did what is the Coledale Round. I've walked this several times this year alone, it's one of my favourites, taking in the North Western fells of Grisdale Pike, Eel Crag (Crag Hill) Sail and Causey Pike from Braithwaite. The route itself takes all the tops you can see in the photo above, from right to left.

I noted the time I took on the last but one outing was around 4.5 hours for the 9.5 or so miles. The last trip was in a monstrous hurricane and trip times don't count. This time I was aiming to do it as fast as possible, maybe under 3 hours would be ambitious.

Hydration

The new rucksack, Haglof TIGHT PRO, was as the marketing blurb said 'hydration system compatible'. What that actually meant was if you spend another £18 you can fit a bladder and a drinking tube inside the sac and use that instead of your trusty SIGG bottle you have had for the last 30 years.

I have been a bit sceptical about these, thinking that they were just a gimmick and an expensive way of being somewhat anti social. After all it's not as easy to share a drinking tube and bite valve amongst friends than passing a bottle around. However I have to say, today it was just the thing. It meant no stopping, drinking and eating on the run.

It was, and my excuse was there was too much weather. The forecast had been for cloudless tops and fine windless day. The windless bit was correct but by the time I was there, 8:00 it was still cloudy and well I got a wee bit lost coming off Hobcarton Crag. Not really lost you understand just enough to stop and get the map and GPS out to make sure I didn't, get lost that is. Well there's at least 10 mins I reckon.

The pull up from the car park to the top of Grisdale Pike is steep, it progresses in three sections each getting steeper and I found it very difficult at the beginning. More time lost against the plan, mainly down to pacing myself badly from the start.

From the summit of Grisdale Pike, now in thick mist, the path drops down a bit before regaining some height on the pull up to Hobcarton / Hopegill Head. From there it's a long run down to Coldale Hause, the col between there and Eel Crag. Finding the right direction in the mist caused a momentary worry and a dive into the 'sac for the GPS and map just to make sure that I took the right direction, almost due south over Sand Hill.

The next phase of the climb is hard slog, it's a long pull up and round the back of Eel Crag to the top of Crag Hill and I mean a slog. It's no where near as steep as the final ridge to Grisdale but the un-remitting length is what drains the energy.

From the summit of Crag Hill, a well defined trig point if ever there was one, the route takes the Easterly ridge down a surprisingly steep and narrow rocky ridge, across the col to Sail and a number of switch back tops to the final top of the day, Causey Pike. This was taken at an almost constant run, stopping only to pat the dog on the summit of Causey Pike and turn around to go back down to the col and head off down the steepest of rabbit runs to crossing of Stonycroft Gill. On from there through Barrow Door, along the steep gradual path alongside Barrow Door Gill to Braithwaite, parting the various groups of family walkers (....and look Emily he's got special shoes too. )just beginning their day out, at some speed.

The worst bit of the day, the grind up the road from Braithwaite to the car park. It's less than half a mile but steep tarmac and the blisters had really begun to make their presence felt. Back at the car, 3 Hours 28 minutes and 9.87 Miles, according to the GPS. Verdict: over an hour shorter than previous, not bad, shows promise, could do better. iROC still might be possible.

Improvements to the time, iROC is almost2 miles shorter, but just as steep, no mist (we hope) and its taped so no diversions, I wasted 5 mins off track just after Sail, and well there's another month's worth of training to do. Is it going to be enough?

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Blisters

Over the years I have suffered from blisters. No matter what boots I have bought, how much I have spent or how long I have broken them or my feet in I have always got blisters.

Earlier this year I though I had it cracked, new boots some cheap HiTec bendy boots, light weight and for a time blister free. But it didn't last long before they too attacked the back of my feet. Then I was advised to use 1000 Mile Socks. What a bloodless revelation. From that point on I have not had any blisters of any significance.

That was until this weekend, I wore one of them inside out on Saturday. That makes all the difference, the technology doesn't work like that. So I ran all day Sunday with a hole in my foot! Arrrhgg I will not make that mistake again!

For those who wish to look at the gory details see this blisters photo. I do not advise it for those of a nervous or squeamish disposition.

Whittle Dean

Local Runnin for Local people

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In an attempt to get more running in before the iROC I extended the HHR again to include more of Whittle Dean and surrounding farmland. Extending the run north of the A69 towards the reservoirs, starting directly outside the flat takes in some more gently rolling countryside and views. The weather this afternoon was windy and bright, getting colder but the pace kept everything warm. It was a good outing to test the effectiveness of both the new rucksack and the camera pouch. Both, I'm happy to say performed well and any fears I had that the LowePro APEX 60 AW Camera bag would fall off were unfounded.

It's interesting t note that in the few days that this post has been live Google have updated the satellite imagery for this area and I'm glad to say my house/flat now exists! As does the ecommnet and Off Exploring offices just down the road.

Bags for Money

Haglofs Tight PRO Large

I've had my present rucksack, a Karrimor Good Earth, for well over 15years and while the 'Scot' or thrifty nature considers this a triumph, technology has moved on. The time has come the walrus said to get a better one.

What constitutes better? Well comfort, fit airflow between the bag and one's back, the fit of the straps at the top of the sack, the adjust-ability and chest straps, the stability of the sack, compression straps to ensure when lightly loaded stuff doesn't get thrashed about, and bulk is minimised, an internal drink bladder maybe, front loading pockets, zip access, multiple ice tool straps for winter would make this a good all rounder.

Size, quality and durability vs weight would be one area of compromise perhaps. I had recently looked at sacks purporting to be ideal for mountain running and minimise weight that seemed to me to little more than a stuff sack with two straps and over priced.

Lighter; Faster; Further

So after a BIG search over many weeks I ended up getting the Haglofs Tight PRO Large seen pictures here except in a 'snot green' and black rather than the baby blue. I think officially it's call Budgie Green, except that I know budgies come in all sorts of colours.

Technical and versatile backpack, with the signature of all Tight packs: the ability to sit moulded onto the back

• Teardrop shape front and side panels provide a low centre of gravity
• Contoured shoulder straps
• Hipbelt
• One outer pocket
• Internal organizer
• Two ice tool loops
• Crampon patch with elastic cord on the front panel
• Equipped for a hydration system
• Weight: approx 940 gram
• Size: approx 30 litres

Ryanair considers oxygen charge

Michael O'Leary considers passenger safety as a revenue opportunity

In an interview earlier Ryanair's Michael O'Loony said today that

Ryanair was always looking for ways to constantly lower the cost of air travel and has considered that passengers may have to in future pay for the use of the plane's oxygen masks in the event of an emergency

When asked what would happen if the passenger didn't have any cash with them O'Loony replied
listen, I don't think in the history of the world there had ever been anyone who wouldn't pay at least a pound if it meant staying alive at 30,000 ft. We're always finding new ways to lower the cost of flying by creating even more passenger discretionary spending opportunities