Wednesday night headtorcher

Not the best photo but a lovely run out with friends old and new

Last Wednesday nighter of the year

There was a small turn-out last night at the White Lion in Kildwick for our last KCAC headtorcher of the year. Brett's son Jack ran with us and seemed to enjoy himself. The running went well generally with only one tiny navigational error (we did 5 miles), and our friend James was on good form in the pub in spite of being too under the weather to manage a run. Bacon and cheese butties were taken along with excellent Saltaire Stout No 5. All in all a good last social run of the year

First Wednesday nighter of the year

It was windy and wet for last night's KCAC mid-week headtorcher from the White Lion, but thankfully not cold. I was very grateful for my Buffalo after getting changed and at least as happy with the free chips. It was good to see James around for the first time since Stef and I's wedding. He called round to show Stef how to make bread, with truly delicious results. Two runs in two nights and maybe a slight reprise for my long missing running mojo

ps I'm not sure but it might have been my first Wednesday night run of the winter, never mind 2015!

Twice in a day!

Our latest streak is now getting established. Most of the runs have been 20 minute savers but yesterday after doing a saver in the morning we nipped up to the trig point above Haw Pike farm in the evening. We'd arranged to run with Richard earlier in the week but then forgot, hence going out early. We only got lost three times in the dark, but we did find what I think was a small flock of snipe roosting in a meadow. Tonight we're off to the Lion for what should be nine runs in eight days 

Classic Wednesday nighter

There was a great turn-out for last night's social run from the Lion with (I'm guessing) around 20 runners and a couple of dogs. We ended up doing a greatest hits package of, for me, the best bits of our normal routes without getting too lost. Perfect conditions too for running ie cool and dry, plus sausages and chips afterwards.  Roll on next week!

Streaking again

We've been out for a twenty odd minute jog round the village this evening. On January 1st we're doing the Steeles' Hardmoors 30 and some training is necessary. Weight needs to be shed too. I've done two streaks before. The first was 52 days (it ended the night I found out my mum had cancer, January 22 last year), and the second ended after 60 days around this time last year. I've time for a streak pb before the 30 but I'm not setting a target (yet)

Back to the Lion

It was back to the winter home of KCAC's Wednesday night social runs last night: the White Lion at Kildwick. Sam and I did five and a bit miles with a good number of the usual suspects (Brett, Frase, Lorna, Milly etc) in increasingly wet conditions. As usual it was then into the pub for free food and a pint or two. It was good to be back in spite of the soaking

Hill reps

I went over to Ilkley Moor to do a couple of my old BG hill-reps last night while Sam was at the rugby club getting physio for a shoulder injury he picked up last Saturday. Two weeks ago I had a go at the reps, but struggled like hell if I'm honest! Last night I felt a bit better thankfully

It was a mild, breezy but slightly damp night and I tried out my new Alpkit Manta head-torch. The light level is good but it appeared heavy and awkward to stabilise on the head. I think it'd be fine for walking, camping, general outdoor activity but it just felt "clumsy" even at my (very) moderate pace

Oooops!

I went flying on my run last night. There's a section of the Dales Way that is a pot-holed lane with no streetlights. One minute I was running along nicely head full of pleasant thoughts and the next I tripped and hit the ground hard. My glasses flew off and I lost the batteries in my Petzyl. My Pertex jacket and best Smartwool top both have holes in them around my left shoulder and I have cuts and abrasions on my left side from fore-head to left knee. I felt a bit shook up last night but don't feel too bad this morning. Six hours in the car today might not be a lot of fun mind!

Sub-Eight

It was eight weeks to go until our wedding on Saturday. Most of the bigger things (church, dress, rings, hotels, my cuff-links) are sorted now and we're largely down to fine-tuning and sorting our wedding day race

We spent the weekend in Devon and should have been running the Grizzly yesterday. Around the middle of last week we decided we are in no kind of shape to do a mostly runnable 20 miler so we spent the day with Stef's lads instead

I'm running out of time to lose some weight and my training is still all over the place with decent weeks logged then weeks when I get out once at best. Last week was a 'one runner', albeit a very enjoyable Wednesday head-torcher

A run from Lothersdale

I managed to get out for a run last night with the KCAC Wednesday night crowd. For a change from the usual run from Kildwick we ran up Pin Haw from Lothersdale to pay our respects to the former 'Beacon man' Robert Wilson who's body was found near the hill top back in 1805

We went back to the White Lion for the usual beer and food after our run. I'm not sure if this was my first head-torcher of the winter but all being well it won't be my last!

Headtorcher!

I was late going out for this evening's run and although it was only short (a couple of miles or so) and all on the road I needed a headtorch for the first time this 'autumn'. The run was my tenth in ten days and I'm hoping we can carry on and beat the 53 day streak we did in the winter starting on December 1st. It was a lovely night for a run with bits of broken cloud but plenty of stars to be seen plus the waxing crescent moon. Tomorrow evening we have a club social run on Ilkley Moor followed by refreshments at Bar t'at. It's around three miles to the start of the run from home so I might walk over, or even run with a change of clothes in a MM rucksack. Bar t'at is always with several local beers including usually at least two from the fantastic Ilkley Brewery. It should be a good night!

Beacon headtorcher

It was full moon last night, which as usual, meant a cold and cloudy evening. This didn't however stop six intrepid KCAC stalwarts running up the Beacon with headtorches then visiting the Swan for vital refreshment. I felt strong on the climb; I'm convinced the streak around Christmas plus the fact I'm the lightest I've been consistently for many years is helping. York brewery Guzzler was taken at the Swan along with various assorted bar-snacks. A good evening and great to feel a sense of doing something normal after a difficult month or so 

Fun in the snow

After breaking our streak on Tuesday (I received some sad news in the afternoon and it just didn't feel right running) we went out with the club last night. Above is Farnhill Pinnacle, which is at the top of the first climb most weeks. Tonight I ran (well walked up and ran down) Beamsley Beacon with Dave. Both runs were excellent and I'm hoping there's still plenty of snow around at the weekend 

Day 43

Today will be day 43 of our 'streak'. A decent length run is planned with friends over the Beacon and Round Hill, on to Ilkley and back over Addingham Moorside. It'll be interesting to see how we feel because rather than a series of mostly three mile runs around the village this week we have done three longer runs (Bolton Abbey and White Lion headtorchers  Tuesday and Wednesday, and a new route along the 'back road' to Beamsley village and up the steep side of the Beacon on tarmac, on Thursday). We seem to be getting fitter and have lost a bit of weight but this week will be a definite step up

The dark nights

I hate this time of year. The 'dark nights' as my mum always calls them really get me down and getting going with work again after the Christmas holidays is always difficult. It particularly hard during a winter like this, which has been characterised by damp, gloomy albeit mild weather. I've been running regularly in shorts, even at night and have never been cold in them

We're still going with our 'streak' and this has helped a bit. Tonight's planned run (a headtorcher at Bolton Abbey with friends) will be day 38 and running every day certainly fended off any weight gain due to Christmas excesses.  We've got several challenges / long races coming up and in addition to the Hebden LDWA, which we entered last year, I have forms to fill in for the Wadsworth Trog (me and Stef) and the Fellsman  (just me). After a good run on New years day it'll be interesting to see how we get on 

Streakers!

Running every day in December has morphed into 'streaking' i.e. running every day. Yesterday we ran the Hardmoors 30 (more to follow on another post) but tonight (our 33rd run in 33 days) it was back to Farnhill Pinnacle and the White Lion with the Wednesday night KCAC crowd. Both Stef and I were tired and a bit 'tight' after yesterday's outing but we managed around 5 miles at 'social' pace, followed by the usual generous free food at the Lion. We had onion rings, breaded chicken gujons and also chicken 'lollies' on sticks (think kind of small flat fillets on wooden skewers). These were washed down with Copper Dragon North Star which was dark and tasty!

20 in 20

A headtorcher at Bolton Abbey on Tuesday night, the usual club run last night from the White Lion (albeit reduced to three miles) plus a road run tonight and we're still on course to run every day in December. My cold feels like it's finally clearing up and the prospect of more runs in the light during the Christmas holidays including a trip to the Lakes has lifted my flagging spirits no end! 

Stoop fell race

We're plodding on with the 'run every day in December' challenge and completed run 17 last night with yet another 'three and a bit miler' round the village with headtorchs. However, on Sunday I made it over to Penistone Hill above Haworth for Dave Woodhead's Stoop fell race. It is very hard to know how well I did because I've had a cold for at least a week and comparing previous times is pointless because the going was awful. The main thing is I enjoyed it immensely 

After the race I went over to Milly's to celebrate her 40th birthday with some of her work-mates and our club-mates. Fine pies were on offer along with Copper Dragon beers and a nice couple of hours were spent there before coming home to a cosey night in front of the logburner with Stef, who'd spent the day doing Christmasy thing rather than racing

Full moon

There's always a bit of a buzz I think among 'headtorchers' around the time of the full moon. Judging by comments on the FRA forums a lot of runners love to get out whether with friends, or solo under a big bright moon. Stef and I managed it twice this week!

On Tuesday we were going to meet friends at Bolton Abbey but Stef was late home so we did some hill -reps on the Beacon. The ground was awful (wet and heavily rutted by cattle) but we both ran well before calling at the Wharfe under the suspension bridge to wash our legs and shoes (in my case an old pair of resurrected Walsh PB's). On Wednesday night 15 of us ran a clock-wise loop from the White Lion. I enjoyed running with PetShopPete and Kev Hoppy because it's not often they run off-road with us. Afterwards we were treated to an amazing and vast 'left-overs' shepherds pie (and a couple of much-needed pints!). Two really memorable evenings out