Good Athletic Practice

It’s been a while but this weekend we are heading up the Lakes with the boys, the tent and the running shoes. L picks me up from work and I manage to get out at 4:30pm to aid with any M6 hold ups..

When we get to the Langdale Campsite it is deserted which isn’t normal. Even at the most obscure times of the year they’ll be a dozen nutters camping at least. There are a few campervans, which L is eyeing up naturally, but no tents.

This is probably because of the near gale force winds... which we certainly didn’t have back in Nottingham. No matter, we find a safe, sheltered spot and pitch the tent. Another tent does quickly join us which makes us feel a bit better. Then we head for an Old Peculiar at the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

The next morning the campsite attendant is shaking his head at us pitching at all and revealing that he had considered closing the site. I’m not sure what we’d have done had he done that.

The wind has now lessened a touch, so he has no problem with us stopping Saturday night. Which is a good job because the main reason we are here is for a race that we have run many times before, Saturday's Great Langdale Christmas Pudding 10K run which is under new management this year.

The Brathay Trust, who are based in Ambleside, have taken over the running of this race along with the Langdale Half and Full Marathon. The youth charity already organises the Windermere Marathon.

This year it is the 30th running of the event and the new organiser has invited the long time previous organiser, Rod, to start it.

Then a thousand of us, less those who have wimped out because of the high winds and cold wet weather, set out from outside the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel at 12.10 once the local bus has been let through.

This year there is a new course which I was a little worried about, and I wasn't only one. Rather than being the practically out and back run of old the route now takes us around the back of Elterwater village and back to Langdale via Baysbrown Farm which must surely have off-roads sections? Apparently not, it turns out that due to some excellent footpathing, it doesn't.

It isn’t easy though and it was at Elterwater that it started to get serious with a climb that went on far longer than I recall from when we've walked it. There was a reward for completely this part though and I could smell the drinks station probably half a km before I reached it. Yep, smells like mulled wine to me. It's not really good athletic practice to stop for such things but I wasn't going to pass up on this.

That sort of spurs you on to the finish which is in the muddy swamp that used to be the field in front of the New Dungeon Ghyll. I then rush to get some clothes on and to warm up, just as the rain starts again with poor L still out there.

The other change the organisers have made is to downsize the Christmas pudding. It is no longer one you can feed your whole family off on Christmas Day but a tiny individual one. Which for us is probably better, it might actually get eaten, and we already have one for Christmas Day from the Heanor run.

Some folk resorted to fancy dress to keep warm. 

Then we have a pleasant evening in the Sticklebarn. I'm still not overstruck with the food or the beer there but I think all four us deemed it too far to walk to the Wainwright's in Chapel Stile.

On Sunday morning we pack up camp but before heading home we go for a hearty breakfast back at the New Dungeon Ghyll before some early Christmas shopping at the legendary Co-Op in Chapel Stile.

(Sunday 9th December)

Officially Falling Apart

After a wet trip up on Friday it’s stayed pretty much dry since. Although we’ve already had enough rain to make parking on the usual fields impossible. So we have to make a £4 donation to the National Trust to use their car park. It should have been more but we’ll take the risk that no one spots we’re going to overrun the two hour limit.

As usual its a 12 noon start for the traditional Great Langdale Christmas Pudding 10k. The new owners of the Sticklebarn - the National Trust, who annoyed us last time by changing the pub so much, now appear to have annoyed the race organisers as well. Consequently the race HQ is now at the adjacent New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel. This also makes for a slightly changed course due to a new start and finish position.

Even then I start too far back, this is of course L’s fault as she told me to take it ‘steady’. So it’s a congested start and the first km takes me 6:35. Which is slightly misleading because the 1 km marker hasn't moved despite the new start beign further down the road. When I finally get my running legs together, I can start getting on with the task of overhauling Spiderman.

Once he’s been despatched I turn my attention to Wonder woman, who isn’t so easily dealt with and hangs like a carrot in front of me for the entire race. That is until near the end where she finds a finishing kick from somewhere. It comes from a place that I haven’t been informed about because I can’t find one and she edges further out of my range. Then just to complete my misery, who should sprint past me but bloody Spiderman. Woe is me.

The last km here is usually way shorter than a km and due to the repositioning of the finish, will be even shorter today. Only the marker doesn’t turn up at all, clearly it is now so close to the finish it’s not worth putting out at all.

My time is not good, 46 minutes something, my slowest Langdale ever, clearly my legs are now officially falling apart. I am handed my Derbyshire Mathew Walker Christmas pudding and a mince pie before heading back to the car to unleash the boys.

The rain holds off but for a shower in the middle of the race followed then by another shower at end after I’ve got changed and I’m wandering around looking for L who has sneaked across the line when I wasn’t looking. To be honest I was probably being pulled towards a wall for a long peeing session at the time.

There’s not the usual post-race crush in the Sticklebarn due to the race not being based there any more but it’s still busier than the New Dungeon Ghyll which simply does not have the room to be busy. The lack of space means they hold the presentation in the tent at the finish which detracts from the atmosphere a touch. We at least do frequent their bar for a swift one.

After which we start making tracks for home via an art gallery. This is not something I make a habit of. I certainly don't make a habit of buying things from art galleries and particularly not expensive things from art galleries. Naturally it has collies on it but clearly it’s not just my legs that are falling apart.

(Sunday 16th December)

Slaughter

We’re on the park this morning, counting the deer, seeing how many have escaped the winter slaughter that has been going on this week. Sad but true. Well perhaps not to Doggo and MD who have never had much time for them. Come to think of it, neither have I...

Then I get the bus over to Derby to check on another kind of slaughter, that of Derby County. This one doesn’t arrive and instead we get the most boring hour of football you’ll ever not want to see. There was one shot between the two sides in that time, in the 43rd minute from Bristol City, if you’re interested but then the game sort of burst into life. They scored, probably by accident, but this at least woke the crowd up and subsequently the Derby team who went on to score two good goals and win the game. Which is a nice novelty to start off my long weekend.

I have Monday off because straight from the match we head up to the Lakes. L needs to add another six miles to her running total if she’s going to make her 500 and the Langdale Christmas Pudding 10k is an old favourite of ours. I’m happy to tag along if there’s dark stuff to be drunk.

It could be a cold one tonight, so we might need that dark stuff to keep us warm. Actually whereas it’s a mere two degrees as we head out of Derby, it’s oddly a balmy six degrees in the Lakes but we’ll have a few anyway just in case we need the insulation.

We end up in Sticklebarn until closing time, which is a first. We’re normally in a beery sleep long before then. How people manage to cause mayhem after drinking is beyond me. I’m always just too inebriated to be bothered.

(Saturday 10th December)