Stretton Training - 14/11/2010

I had been intending to do the Roaches Race but circumstances conspired against and I popped over to Church Stretton for a long run instead.

I started with the first two acents of the Stretton Skyline - Pole Bank and Ragleth Hill. Felt pretty strong, ran well and was within myself all the way round. The descent of Callow was particularly pleasing. I'm really attacking the steeper bits now and reckon I could take at least a minute off the Ragleth Inn race pace from August just at training speed.

I got back into Church Stretton eager for a bit more, but didn't want (or have time) to go round the whole Skyline so I popped up through the Rectory Wood and climbed Townbrook Valley. This is pretty much relentless and the last half mile to the col west of Yearlet ramps up considerably, the whole climb being sustained and climbing about 720' in only a mile and a half. Again I ran all of this (some effort required towards the end) and managed to keep going on up to the summit of Ashlet fairly easily.

I wanted to try to recce a better way of Ashlet and into Ashes Hollow for the Gill Harris, so tried heading just east of south from the top and going down the fenceline to Ashes. Once the fence is joined, it's gnarly, steep and very slow going for nearly half a mile (although there are sketchy bits of path aroun 50 yards right of the fence). Now convince the best option is to double back towards the col with Yearlet and go down the valley between the two. Rather than going up the east spur of Grindle and then on to Nills I think from Ashes a better approach may be to take the footpath marked on the 1:25k OS map up onto Nills and then do Grindle. Anyway, forewarned is forearmed or whatever...

I also managed to find my way onto the path from the ford at the bottom of Ashes Hollow to the bottom of Cunnery Road - this avoids any road bashing between Little Stretton and Church Stretton, at the cost of a couple of short ascents (each around 120'). A nice jog back down the Rectory Field and through town to the railway bridge finished the morning off.

13.7 miles, 2,800' of ascent in 2:53:15 (would have been probably 5-10 minutes faster if I came off Ashlet via a less deperate route).

It's been a bit of a disappointing week in terms of time out etc., but then I reckon I could have done with a light week. Total this week is 17.2 miles and 3,190'; and the rolling four week drops by 16.2 miles and 1,780' to 105.8 miles and 19,630'.