Season 2016

[Bierzo Baggie]

Less tungsten talk and more running technicalities.... as I was saying.
 
Sunday’s long “run” was the polar opposite of the Wednesday session. There was no need for speed ... (as long as I made it back for dinner). The first 25 minutes along the access track to the miner’s camp were as slow and as cautious as they come. With age and experience I have learnt to run slow. A younger me would have set off too quickly and returned in a sorry state.
 
The next 25 minutes were a run-walk up an ever increasing gradient. The dividing line between run and walk is sometimes difficult to perceive. When it is very steep a walk can be more efficient and even faster. Other times a tottering run can represent a rest from a prolonged and vigorous walking action. Upside down running.
 
The next hour or so was on the mountain. The pathless ascent occassionally involved resting a hand here and there. There were stops to shoot photos and get my breath back at the same time. There were even short sections along the top where proper runnuing was possible
 
The descent over a layer of soft, crunchy snow was sinkingly uncomfortable at times but kind on the ageing chassis. Last year on the same section I had twisted an ankle coming down the scree and rocky rubble. Descending is another type of running too. I find it hard to maintain the concentration necessary and sometimes I just have to stop. Another excuse for a photo!
 
Back on the trails that criss-cross these mountains, back to the miner’s camp and 20 minutes to the car. Felt pretty good. As always it’s difficult to calculate the time spent actually running . About an hou? Maybe more..
 
Wednesday: 4 laps of the usual midweek circuit with a more comprehensible sort of running action and no more tales of tungsten.
21 and a half minutes.