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1st Feb 2012 – Road run
February 3, 2012Return of the Chairman!!
1st Feb - A very cold night. The hard-core contingent of Lostock were out in force and hats! The loony fell runners went off up the hills and the rest of us set off for a steady run, as it was John’s first night back running after his injury. We split into to two groups with the faster runners going a bit further, Clive said with our group we’d probably do about 4 miles – Clive is the master of underestimation where distance is concerned.
We set off through the park and ran into Blackrod – I’m useless with road names – so have no clue where we went apart from the fact that a stretch of it along the A6 was in pitch darkness.
We got to four miles and we were still about two miles away from the leisure centre. Hmmmm! Did Clive underestimate? We got a nice pace going back down the hill towards the leisure centre and all made it back warmed up and pleased with ourselves. Welcome back Chairman!
Fiona
Training Night – road, Wed 25.01.12
January 31, 2012Clive was back in full swing this week and I for one could certainly tell ! After the warm-up session we headed up towards Stocks Park via Melbourne Grove. Once on Stocks Park Drive we were hoping to maybe head down, unfortunately this was wishful thinking and we were taken up again, cutting through various walkways that zig-zag through Stocks Park estate. We seemed to be continually running in circles, the faster ones doing more circles than the 3 slow ones at the back – Kath, Carol and myself.
After regrouping on Stocks Park Drive, Clive really tested the three snails at the back by taking us up Fleet Street, advising us to turn when the faster group reached the top. I forgot how long Fleet Street is and after what seemed a never ending road, we turned and ran back down to Chorley Old Rd. The lady with the dog (sorry I’ve forgotten your name!) was feeling a slight niggle in her calf so decided to return home, but David misunderstood what was said and thought the dog was injured, and was wishing the dog a speedy recovery !!
We finished the session off by jogging up and down, through the back streets above the Leisure Centre. I can only apologise to the poor man who was walking his dog, constantly trying to avoid a large group of runners who seemed to appear at every corner he came round !
Good session overall, despite aching muscles the next day.
Chris Smith
Wed 25 Jan 2011 Fell group
January 26, 2012It’s been relatively balmy this winter (not barmy) and this Wednesday night run was no exception. It was around 10 degrees when we set off after the warm up. And the nights are getting longer. After my drive over from Warrington I’d even had time to do a few hill reps before it went dark.
Seven of us set off up dog poo alley: Me, MarkS, Mike E, Hopey, John, Colin and last-minute Pete.
Some of the conversation revolved around whether Lostock’s narrowest runner knew what he was letting himself in for on the Winter Hill fell race. I was worried when I heard that he’d had a special aerodynamic haircut.
I’m not sure you get much use out of too many “steady” runs and so I tried to max out the heart rate, especially on the climbs. So it was up to two lads, up to the mast then on to the trig point. I was wearing some “special” shoes and wanted to test them on a steep descent so we plunged off into the dark down the steep side of Winter Hill, passing Fido’s last resting place on the way. It were like having velcro on me feet.
At the bottom there’s a vague path which contours around the foot of the fell. It’s a lovely bit of running and I went as fast as I could to test out the special shoes on an off-camber path. Delightful.
At the footbridge where the path from the trig meets the Belmont Road track, we noticed that the wire fence had been cut in two places, despite there being a plea fastened to the fence from the farmer begging people not to do this. I reckon it’s mountain bikers so that they don’t have to lift their bikes on to the footbridge. (Personal opinion not necessarily representative of Lostock AC). We then dropped down to the car park just so we could climb up again to the pigeon tower and then up to the Pike. Hopey didn’t complain as much about all the climbing this week as he did a couple of weeks ago – those lunchtime runs must be paying off. It was quite cold and blustery on the Pike and so we were relieved to drop off and make our way back into town, another 7 and a half miles in the bank.
Why does every Wednesday night run seem to be seven and a half miles?
Mark L
Wed 11th Jan – Fell Group
January 24, 2012Mark L took the lead up Factory Hill and thru Wilderswood and up to 2 Lads. He suggested doing a bit more climbing, so we descended to the dog house in the clag and waited for Checkers who we thought had took one of his famous shortcuts, when he finally arrived he said he was having trouble keeping up and was heading back leaving the rest of us to run along Georges Lane to the Pike turnoff then head down to the Bunks and the last bit of the Winter Hill fell race route to the car park at Sheephouse Lane then alomg the fields to CP7 of the WHFR route then up to Georges Lane. We followed GL down to the small bridge and ascended the back end of WH to the Trig, then along the Mast Rd and cut off to follow the wall to 2 Lads. Then it was a reverse run in following our outward route.
A longer run than normal, and my legs felt it.
Training night – road, Wed, 18.01.12
January 18, 2012Quite a good attendance considering the last cross country of the season was on the following Saturday, although most of us requested an easy session ! It was good to see Clive back this week, as we’ve been neglecting the warm-up sessions recently, especially as John has also been injured for the last couple of weeks.
We started off at an easy pace, from Horwich Leisure Centre, down Victoria Rd and onto Chorley New Rd. The decision was then taken to carry on down to Middlebrook, the faster ones continuing to the police station and those saving themselves for the cross country, running through the new estate next to Middlebrook. After meeting back up at the traffic lights we carried on up towards the Beehive, along Chorley New Road towards Horwich and returning to the Leisure Centre via Winter Hey Lane, again the faster ones extending the run via various routes off Chorley New Road, continuing up to the Crown and eventually back to the Leisure Centre.
Chris Smith
Wedneday 4th Jan 2012 – Fell Group
January 10, 2012I had sat in my car wondering if anyone else was daft enough to turn up for training on such a wet and windy night when Mark L trotted past, then Mark C pulled up in his car followed by Mark Sam, right then looks like its a goer. We were joined by Speedy and Mike and dispensed with the warm up, put our hoods up and set off up Factory Hill and thru Wilderswood. Running up to the water tank was easy the wind was behind us blowing us up there in record time. From there we decided to head towards the quarry but the wind was side on and it took all my effort to stay on the trail and run in a straight line, from the quarry we descended to the woods and some shelter before snaking our way up to the miners path and then the mast rd. By now my toes were freezing with every other step being into ice cold fast flowing water, the run down the wall to 2 Lads was the windyest section of the run tonite with progress into the head wind painfully slow. From 2 Lads we went to the dog house and thru the fields to Wilderswood – now comfortably out of the worst of the wind – where we picked up the 2 Lads race finish route.
7.75 miles covered in the worst conditions i have run in in my brief fell running career – wet and very wild.
Mark S
Wed. 4th Jan. 2012 Road Session
January 6, 2012A fairly large group turned up inspite of the nasty weather, we gave the warm ups a miss this week and set off to the Crown via Lee Lane then on down Crown Lane to Vale Ave, here we split into long and short run groups, I would lead the latter group and our “novice” group leader Farmer Brian the other. The longer group continued to A6 and on to go left at roundabout and passing Reebok, Tesco etc to reach Beehive and back to base via CNR and Viccy Road.
we went back up Vale ave to meet CNR and right to reach Viccy road and left back to base.
Brian arrived back about 12mins after us having broken the unwritten rule and left the slower ones to fend for themselves, the others all arrived back safely. After giving Brian a bit of stick we showered and went for a beer.
It was great for me to get back running again after 4 weeks off.
John
Weds 21 December – Fell Group
December 22, 2011Last club training night before Christmas. While this time last year we would have been battling life threatening temperatures and waist deep snow, this year we have been enjoying balmy, if somewhat sloppy, conditions. It’s virtually shorts and tee shirt weather out there at the moment. There were six, seven or eight of us set out on this balmy evening – I suppose it might be a good idea to do a headcount, what with running around in the dark and all – but that would be a bit namby pamby.
We followed the usual route up to two lads but then eschewed the customary jaunt up to the mast and instead headed down the less frequently trod Holden’s and Smithill’s Dean areas. I am on a mission to keep my heart rate below 140bpm for the whole of December and so I dropped back a lot of the time and so I’m not sure whether Hopey actually stopped talking at any time during the whole run. I caught snippets of various gear reviews but I found the recounting of the latest online exploits of The Winter Hill Whippet the most entertaining.
Then it was back over past the quarries and a nice jog back in to Horwich. Another good night out and seven and a half more hilly miles in the bank.
Wednesday 14th December – Fell Group
December 15, 2011A cold night for a run up on the tops so a short warm-up and then off uphill to generate a bit of heat. Up Factory Hill and thru Wilderswood to 2 Lads, across the moor towards the mast then the Trig the highest point a little over 1000ft of climb from ther Bridge in about 3.5 miles and 53 minutes. Colin had peeled off prior to the Trig leaving Mark L, Mr Inov8, Speedy and Mark S to descend to the bridge to Georges Lane then follow the lane round to the dog hotel and thru the fields to Ormstons farm, Wilderswood and then the 2 Lads race finish.
7.5 miles in 1 hr 39 minutes.
Wednesday 7th December
December 15, 2011The club had no training this week due to the visit to Bolton Mountain Rescue HQ & the AGM, see the visit report here.