I've not been up Porter Clough in months and that's a pity as it's lovely and a good training ascent. The descent to Hunter's Bar and ascent on the path to Forge Dam can be a bit dull but today I chanced upon a work colleague so I had company through the park.
Grade adjusted pace
I didn't focus enough on my pace and/or heart rate and worked too hard on the climb to Ringinglow. Although I wanted a training effect I didn't intend to tire myself out. That is what seemed to happen as the run felt very hard work by the time I was nearly back home and that's shown by the gradual loss of pace.
The descent off Blackamoor was hard under foot. On the ascent the stones aren't so irritating but with tired legs landing on them they felt hazardous. Also my right ankle became a bit sensitive during the run. Actually it had felt a but stiff when I set off from home but during the first half of the run it improved, only becoming a nuisance on the descent. On Blackamoor I spotted 2 deer which might have been the one pictured here.
The weather was lovely for running, cool and sunny
Looking back at my data, today's run was 300m more than last week's although a little less ascent. That really surprises me as I'd expected that including the climb from Hunter's Bar would add to the ascent considerably.
Part 1 of this review is available here and outlines my budget setup.
I've been trialling ViewRanger for a few weeks now and have gradually refined its use on Android. The ActiveGPS seems pivotal in keeping the GPS running during sleep. Aeroplane mode is worth activating to disable WiFi and 3G which both enhances battery life and removes interruptions from the outdoor experience.
As can be seen in the image recording of a track is as good as can be expected from a consumer 12 channel device. For most of the track the trace overlies the mapping whilst on other occasions it runs parallel within 50m or so. Note that the marked deviation from the Right of Way to the north of the 'Bird Sanctuary' accurately represents additional paths not shown on the map. The woods are mixed woodland and at this time of year the leaf cover is is slight so not an especially tough GPS environment. I have carried the phone in the front pocket of a rucsac so it is reasonable to assume the antenna is vertical, and thus probably sub-optimally orientated, but well exposed to the sky.
Track recording shown in red overlayed on OS 1:50000
I've found this degree of accuracy consistently now and will monitor different areas (valleys, leaf coverage) to see how well it is maintained.
Route following is an important feature of ViewRanger and a leap beyond the limitation of 20 points on my old GPS12XL as there appears to be no limit to the number of waypoints on a route. I'm sure that there is a technical limit but it's considerable, not indicated in the product documentation and certainly exceeds anything likely to be needed. Online route planning is very easy with access to any premium maps that have been purchased. Route making on the small screen Android interface is possible but a little bit fiddly. If the phone is online it's an easy task to synchronise routes between the website and the phone or vice versa in a matter of moments.
The manner in which ViewRanger follows a route is quite complicated and only clear once the documentation is studied. I don't think that I have the parameters optimised just yet for the arrival and arrived distances and certainly the cross track distance must be adjusted to suit likely GPS errors. If the cross track error is set too narrow the alarm sounds frequently and the software replays the route which might cause confusion. I discovered problems here before I installed ActiveGPS as the sleeping GPS generated off-track data when it was polled by ViewRanger.
The major problem so far is the limited brightness of the screen which makes it hard to read on sunny days. As I've only tested the setup during an English springtime to date it is possible that the device will be useless in Spanish sunshine.
It's not all that much, but this week I managed 3 runs, varying in length from 5km to 14km. After various illnesses and irritations that's a significant step forwards. This evening I set out to reach Oxstones for sunset but time was getting on and I was going to be late home. I decided to push on as I felt that I'd been cheated of the sunset twice before over the last month and the weather was so good that it was a great chance to be on the fells.
It was a crisp evening with excellent visibility and really I needed a thin pair of gloves in the chill breeze. I rushed down the road back home hoping that 30 minutes of downhill tarmac wouldn't hurt any part of me. I noticed that my right ankle was a bit tender as a washed the dust off...
This morning I had the chance to do a morning run before the predicted wet weather arrived. Perhaps the morning was warmer than I expected as within half an hour I felt over-dressed, but I do prefer being a little too warm than a lot too cold! The light and warmth during this week have given an impression of spring arriving and that possibility was supported by the first bluebells that I've seen this year.
The ascent up Limb Valley was muddy, near the top as is so often the case but really in such a lovely spot one can't complain. I had hoped to continue up to Oxstones but unfortunately I didn't have enough time and headed via the scenic route back home.
At 13.2km this is the longest run for a month. I'm definitely feeling ready to get back into running now.
Last weeks' run didn't seem to upset my ankle much, perhaps it even helped? On that basis I've decided to start to increase my 'long runs' again as there's no clear reason to hold back. I looped up to the Norfolk Arms at a very steady pace, aiming for a heart rate of less than 140bpm.
I only felt one or two twinges as my right foot fell in slightly. The low drop shoes were probably responsible for the slight calf tightness at the end. Despite aiming to go slowly on 3 segments I have been slower and it even looks as though my heart rate was sometimes higher at equivalent pacing. That might show I'm improving aerobically or could just be random variation.
Many deciduous trees were starting to have golden patches of leaves showing that autumn is on the way.
This isn't really my first microadventure as over a year ago we walked a circle around the house. I can also recall, when in the cadet force, spending a night under a basha in a German forest. Despite this inaccuracy I'm going to call last night number 1 as it's the first time I've walked from home to stop on a hill, without a tent.
The weather forecast was very favourable so I packed very lightly, too lightly as it turned out, and timed myself to arrive around sunset. Even though it was the weekend I was limiting myself to a basic overnight session so as not to bite off too much. The earlier I had arrived, the more time there would be to spend on the hill.
My timing was perhaps a little too tight as I topped the ridge after the sun had sunk, but I still saw lovely skies. I knew the spot I was heading for well and knew that there were rocks that offered a safe cooking area. I merely warmed some tinned curry followed by tea and chocolate. During this I heard voices and was surprised to see a couple walking a dog. I shouldn't have been so surprised as although I'd walked for over 90minutes I was under 1km from a road.
When I first went to bed I was plenty warm enough and had a spare layer, which was my plan. I woke up after a couple of times turning around and was a little cold. The sky was generally clear with many, many stars, where there was cloud it was only a thin translucent layer. Each time I looked up the view was very slightly different. The wind was ever so light, just a cooling waft on my face. On the negative side I was shocked to find it was only 22:45. So much time to go before morning.
I added my final layer of clothing and went back to sleep. I awoke again, a little cold and needing the toilet. The time was 01:15. I argued with myself about stopping out all night and getting very cold and perhaps vowing 'never again' or should I pack up and walk home, having learnt a lesson? I shouldn't have needed the lesson as I'm cold most of the time when camping and without a tent of course I'd be colder. I took the lesson option, knowing that it would get colder in the early hours of morning, and easily packed my bed away and walked home on a mostly tarmac route.
Somehow I was too scared to enter the woods for the walk home even though I was happy lying on a rock to sleep. I think that settling down at dusk made me aware of my surroundings, the rattle of the cattle grid, the distant lowing of cattle, the occasional car; so that during the night I wasn't nervous at all.
The walk home was fun anyway, listening for cars and wondering which way they'd appear. I managed to get another 4 hours of warm sleep before starting Sunday.
Incidentally one reason I didn't pack my sleeping bag (late 1990's Ajungilak Kompact) was its size in my rucsac. At just under 1.6kg it would have spoilt my sub-6kg packing and with a pack size of 21cm x 42cm it is quite large. I've looked online and those measurements are pretty typical for a synthetic 3 season bag so there's no excuse for shopping.
