Saturday 9th April

A Saturday not in the lakes!
As I was running a UWFRA rescue practice on the Sunday I decided to do something local on the Saturday. So I did the 3 Peaks.

I arrived early In Horton and groups of 3 peaks walkers were already setting off up the lane to wards Brackenbottom on their start of their 3 Peaks challenge.
Once sorted I set off down the road and up the start of Horton Scar lane for my ascent up Penyghent. Part way up the lane I spotted a lone runner and was surprised to catch him up before the gate by the old shooting Hut ( I am sure he stopped to take a layer off)
We then got chatting as we continued on the ascent and were soon at the summit of Penyghent passing several groups of walkers (was there a charity walk on?)
I stopped to take my leggings off as the other runner continued. I caught him up again and we ran together the rest of the way to Ribblehead in about 1:50 from my start time.
He was catching a train back so said he would start up Whernside, but would have to turn back at some stage to get his train. Once on the ascent of Whernside my legs gave up on me and I was struggling with the ascent! (was the fact that this guy was about 6' 3 and my little legs were out paced? or was I just knackered from doing long days out every weekend this year?)
This guy turned back on the final steep ascent of Whernside ( I think he was called Dave, and was member of Idle runners or AC and was doing the 3 Peaks race at the end of the month)
Once I gained the summit i forced some food down my neck turned to face the, now, hot sun for my run along the ridge and the descent of Whernside. My legs were really feeling it now and the descent was steady and tried to run off the horrible path than on it. Once on the bottom I made a steady pace along the track/ road up past the Hill Inn with the very near looking Ingleborough beckoning me on. To say the next bit to the style, the one that is just below Sunset hole area, is reasonably flat I did struggle with the running, maybe I should have back tracked to the Station Inn and called it a day!
Once on to the stone flags and ascent on to Ingleborough I managed to plod on past the hoards of walkers and two runners that were doing Ingleborough, I was soon back on to swine tail and the long descent back to Horton. I surprised my self here and managed to run (in a fashion!) back to Horton and still manage to complete it in 4 hours 50 minutes. This is certainly different running to the Bob G and obviously I was on allot faster pace ( probably Bob G completed in 16 hour Pace!!).I was still carrying my rucksack on this run, making sure I had enough liquid as there were no water stations for me today, and I am sure if I had drank the stream water in the dales I would be squatting behind walls for the rest of the day.
A lovely day in the warm sun, hard work but it all adds to 'Miles in your Legs'