Another Lakes weekend.

 I often think that all over the world there are people in offices thinking how can they can  justify  their  existence and salary by mending something that's not really "broken" and so cause problems for the end user.  Certainly the case with regard to running shoe design and  reacting to certain fads....however minimal!
 Blogger staff seem guilty also in this respect. You go away for a nice break in the Lake District only to return and have to relearn the dashboard.   Nuisance!   Wouldn't be so bad if you could talk to the blogger team but it seems they make the changes and just let us play around until we figure out what changes they have made.  I say changes rather than improvements but we have to believe that changes have been made to improve matters rather than change for changes sake.

 Anyway, catching up then.........what have I learnt in the last week?
SUNDAY.   Running free....unscheduled tempo.

Whilst it's good to have a plan sometimes it's good to push on from what we have intended.  Provided we don't have a race within the next couple of days, of course!
  A  planned  steady  8 up and back down the picturesque  KENTMERE VALLEY  turned into what I would call a "natural" (i.e. unscheduled) tempo run.   The run up the valley went as might have I might have expected.  Laboured!
4 miles in 37.28.   But  (perhaps because I hadn't done a midweek track session )  or simply the thought that  I was simply "on the way back"   the pace improved and improved so much so that the negative split amounted 5.41.   The first mile, albeit uphill,  I had been thinking,  "this is hard work!" ;  the last mile   I was running at 2 minutes per mile faster and thinking,  "boy, it feels good to be running fast and free!"   31.37 for the return journey.   Very satisfying; and great to feel the sun on the forehead.
   A  tempo run but not planned;  as they say,  "if  it feels good do it!" 

MONDAY.  We were blessed with a fine, warm sunny day again and so decided to take the ferry across Lake Windermere from Bowness and run out and back on the lake side.  As we left the ferry a young  man,  wearing baggies, a sleeveless tee and Nike Shox,  left the ferry at the same time and as I waited "locating satellites" on the Garmin he said,
"You look like you are about to go for run"
"Yes," I replied," going to run along the side of the lake on the trail, out and back".
"How far is that," he asked.
"About 7," I said.  
"I've  never run further than 7  but   should be Ok" he said and so off we went.  
36 year old   Heath,  as he was called,  had come up from Warrington  enjoying the fabulous weather and the scenery  on his day off.   He  semed to have  no problems coping with the pace despite carrying a backpack which he said contained his "water", phone etc.
  The miles passed happily as we chatted about running, work etc whilst admring the magnificent scenery that is Lake Windermere . Heath didn't query the distance at all as he jogged along pretty easily  at 9 minute mileing on the lakeside trail .  We reached a gate and this made for a suitable turning point. 
 I said ,  "let's turn here, that will give us 7 MILES   back to where we started"
 "7 MILES?!...he said...."I thought you meant kilometres. I 've never run more than 7 kilometres!"
So he was in unknown territory both geographically and distance wise!   Then to make matters even more difficult it turned out that his "water" was in fact a nearly full 2 litre bottle which had been bouncing up and down on his back for over half an hour.
  But all in all despite his lack of experience over 3 or 4 miles he coped well with the extra miles and so we were able to share the occasion well together.  Hopefully he will be inspired to tackle some races.  Plenty to choose from in his  part of the world. 
  So good company,  good weather...... for a change........a good break.