bag
Running with small packs of safety kit
Adapting to the fells
No matter how experienced you are as a runner, if you have never run in the Lake District before it will be an amazing experience. However, there are a few things that runners used to smaller hills may find useful when preparing for and running in the Lake District mountains. You don’t have to be superhumanly fit to enjoy trail and fell running; you need to be in good condition for running, but also determined and highly adaptable. Adapt your output to the terrain, altitude and length of your run. Some of the best mountain runners aren’t the fittest or the fastest, but those with the most tricks up their sleeves, who save energy wherever possible. Remember that laziness and efficiency are the same thing re-marketed!
Getting the best from your body
Build up your core strength for mountain running, as it is key to keeping you stable and improving your reaction speeds to trip hazards on the mountains. Learn to adapt your running style to use different muscle groups in turn so as to rest others. For example, using your gluteus muscles for ascents will rest your quadriceps for a descent.
When running uphill, try to adjust the amount you raise your feet with each step to avoid wasted energy. Your shoes should skim just above the surface of the rocks in order to reduce impact and over-lifting. Where there’s a lot of height gain and your calf muscles are hurting, try running more flat-footed for a while; this moves the stress from the lower leg to the quadriceps and gluteus muscle groups. Once the lactic or cramp has left your lower leg, you can run on your forefoot again.
Look carefully at the profile of the route you plan to run. Try and project where you can recuperate, and where you might need to adjust your technique. Knowing what’s coming next enables you to manage your energy output better when running uphill.
Be aware that on longer mountain runs it may be more efficient and safer to walk on some steeper sections than it is to run. While you might never dream of doing this on a half-marathon or a fell race, it’s sensible and often necessary on steeper sections of the Lake District fells. Even the winners of some races walk some sections.
Food and water
On longer runs it’s important to listen to your body and to supply it with the food types it’s craving. It is hard to survive a long mountain run on gels alone, as they may make you nauseous. On longer mountain races the food stations supply a wide range of food, including bananas, cakes, cheese, dried meats, energy bars, chocolate and fruits. On longer runs your body needs complex and simple carbohydrates, as well as fats. A mixture of all of these elements is required.
Running with 1L of water per 1000m of height gain is a reasonable equation. Access to water on your route will depend on its geology and aspect; you can’t always rely on plentiful sources for topping up. Be especially careful in selecting water sources in areas where animals are grazing. In the Lake District there are sheep grazing all over the fells, but there tend to be fewer in the sparse grass near the fell tops or on rocky ground, so getting water from a high source, with tumbling aerated water, from streams with a gravel or stony bed, is the best place for filling your water bottles safely without treatment.
Tackling the terrain
When ascending steeper rocky sections or steep grass on the fells, try not to climb on your tiptoes facing directly into the hillside. There are three key reasons for this: firstly, you’re putting a lot of strain on your calf muscles which will tire them for running; secondly, you get more traction by turning your foot across a foothold; and thirdly, by turning sideways you’re more stable and able to look around for the next moves to make. When scrambling on steeper ground, always try to keep three points of contact at all times so that a slip doesn’t become a fall.
On descent, it’s easy to lose your pace by braking too much. Try to let the gradient do the work for you, keeping an eye on the descent rate of your altimeter if you have one. Dropping -25m/min is a fast but sustainable rate. Keep your focus for trip hazards while revelling in the pace of the descent. If you see a trip hazard, push upwards and over it, rather than braking to avoid it. Use your momentum to keep yourself safe. If you feel you’re falling, try not to brace for impact but let yourself roll; most fall injuries result from runners sticking their limbs out in an attempt to stop their fall.
Fell running over Brim Fell (Route 11)
Running poles
On ascent the poles improve your posture and breathing, as well as aiding rhythm and efficiency. This will in turn aid your recovery, meaning you’re better rested to keep a good pace on the steeper sections. In descent, the poles will aid balance and take some stress off the leg muscles and joints – it’s thought you can reduce the impact on your knees by around 30% using poles.
You can practise using poles in descent by planting them together to leap over rocks or obstacles, or by planting singly, well ahead of you, to pivot or brace around a corner. Beware never to use wrist straps without a good fall release system, as in the event of a tumble a radial fracture of the wrist is likely.
Night running
All of the routes in this book can easily be completed within the hours of daylight, but some of the most magical times to run in the mountains are as dawn breaks or the sun sets, and so as well as carrying a head torch for safety, you may actually plan to run all or part of one of these routes in the dark. Be aware that although LED lights are good, they give a 2D effect, so depth perception is reduced. The net effect is that most runners move slower in darkness, so invest in the best light you can afford, and practise night running to improve your speed.
Mountain skills
To be a safe mountain runner you’ll need exactly the same skills set as an autonomous hiker in terms of ability on broken mountain terrain, navigation in poor visibility, selecting the best route for the forecast, and remaining adaptable to your performance and the actual mountain conditions. It’s far outside the scope of this book to cover all these elements, but don’t assume that trail and fell running are simply types of running that happen to be in the mountains. Good mountain skills and judgement are required at all times.
Don’t ever be afraid to adapt your plans. The enjoyment of mountain running doesn’t necessarily come from a particular objective such as a pass or summit, but from the running itself. If you aren’t feeling up to the objective, or the conditions rapidly change, don’t feel pressured to continue; adapt your plans accordingly.
Navigation
This guidebook contains clear maps to help with your route planning, with numbered waypoints corresponding to the route descriptions, but it’s important to carry a full map of the area at all times for extra detail, and to run with just that in your hand or tucked into an easily accessible pocket on the front of your running bag. Relevant sheet maps are listed in the information box at the start of each route, and the ‘Maps‘ section (above) provides details of where the maps can be bought. If you use an altimeter to help navigate, you should recalibrate it frequently (many path junctions, cols and summits have spot heights on the map), as a navigational error could have serious consequences. In the unlikely event that you do get lost, return to the last known point and work out where you went wrong, as once you’re lost, errors tend to compound themselves.
Running guiding and clubs
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