Glyder Fach direct

Peaks: Glyder Fach

Area: Glyderau, Eryri

Time pressed, which was a bit of a shame as a chilly easterly gave rise to superb clarity of light this morning. I had a yen to revisit the main cliff of Glyder Fach, never the best choice in the morning as it is sunless and slightly grim as you approach through Cwm Bochlwyd. But I set a decent pace and was at the Alphabet Slab in 40 minutes or so. Quite some time since I was last here, although it was once a regular haunt and I have done a lot of the classic climbs here. Nothing like that today, as I scrambled up the side of the slab then took the surprisingly narrow and delicate traverse along its top to sidle into East Gully above the hard section. It was pretty dry and gave pleasant scrambling through the narrow section until it opens out above a capstone. It has the virtue of directness and in fact this entire line is pleasingly direct from the car park - almost arrow straight to the true summit of Fach. Extraordinary clarity: the Isle of Man perfectly clear directly above Nant Francon and Anglesey. The Wicklow Hills, Plynlimon and every Eryri peak all visible - every line and crevice clearly visible. The classic view of the Snowdon group above Castell y Gwynt was most notable, and I traversed the latter before dropping down the Gribin back to the car 90 minutes after starting.

Round the Bays 30k

The reverse, anticlockwise, version of a marathon training run I last did a couple of years ago. This also had some hilly variations, leaving Pabo Lane to head to Glanwydden, and then up the brutally steep Derwen Lane which brings you out at the top of Penrhyn Bay and ultimately the Little Orme. From here, delightful plodding along the Llandudno prom then around the Orme with seals groaning below and fulmars on their nesting sites. I didn't feel particularly brilliant, and had hoped to run a bit further, but I got it done.

Cadair Bronwen

Peaks: Cadair Bronwen

Area: Berwyn

A very pleasant afternoon outing with Morgan, temporarily home from Manchester. The weather was far better in the east, so we took the familiar steep road up from Llandrillo past fields of lambs to the crossroads. It has been a dry March, so the plod up Bronwen was less boggy than usual. A cold wind blew on the summit, -10 windchill according to the forecast. It wasn't that bad but it was still too cold to relax so we descended to Ffordd Saeson and took the contouring path round to join the ascent. We took in Moel Ty Uchaf stone circle on the way down, in a stunning sunburst, perfectly timed, illuminating the hillside. Then a very pleasant, albeit chilly, pint overlooking the Dee at the Grouse in Carrog.

Green Man 'race'

Not really a race, but a pairs event hatched from the fertile mind of John Morris. I remember doing a hare and hounds type event that he organised years ago, following sawdust arrows, and this was similar. It was a pairs event, so Hayley and I teamed up for a very enjoyable trot. I think we got every route choice 'wrong', although they were entirely random, following the arrows on a pointless extra loop, then down a very steep mountain bike track. Excellent fun, and we were first team back to the 'Green Man' (hidden in an obscure part of the woods) in 41 minutes as dusk fell.

Snowdon Horseshoe

Peaks: Crib Goch, Garnedd Ugain, Yr Wyddfa, Lliwedd

Area: Snowdon, Eryri

The classic horseshoe, done the conventional way round this year rather than the more unusual clockwise direction taken last spring. In our late teens, back in the 1980s, we developed a tradition of doing the Snowdon Horseshoe every spring: it didn't last long but it doesn't have to be much to become a 'tradition' when you're young! I've revived it recently - indeed I recall a stunning outing in perfect full winter conditions on St David's Day a few years ago. I moved pretty quickly this morning, up to a breezy Crib Goch summit in 44 minutes (after cycling up to PyP from the Cromlech layby). A wonderful crossing, taking good lines with the ridge almost to myself after passing lots of early starters lower down. At Bwlch Glas I encountered the inevitable crowds so wasted no time, just passing the summit then down to the Watkin Path for a steep descent to Bwlch y Saethau. I had forgotten the quality of the scrambling up Lliwedd if you stick to the crest as it has been quite a few years since I did if from this direction. Then a long and tiring descent from Lliwedd to Llyn Llydaw, on comfortable steps lower down but awkward higher up. Then the final 3k run down the Miners to PyP: a respectable 2.40 for the round (2.21 moving time) which is substantially quicker than when we used to do it as young men!

Capenhurst 5m

Race: Capenhurst 5m (Borders League race 4)

Time/Position: 29.36 (80th from 401)

The standard Capenhurst two lapper, and almost certainly my slowest ever time on a course I have done many times. One of my worst ever finishing positions too, but I'm not too discouraged because this indicates I'm about where I want to be as I begin to ramp up the training en route to my next birthday and new category! I didn't have much of a plan aside from maintaining a good consistent sub-6 minute mile pace. As such, I felt reasonably comfortable and my HR started to drop towards the end, which I'm taking as another positive. Lovely spring weather: cold, crisp and sunny. Always a hyper-competitive field, with around 100 runners going sub-30.

Heswall-Penyffordd

Another one of those 'making marathon training interesting' routes I have thought about for a while. Just before lockdown, I ran from Kinnerton to West Kirby, continuing to Hilbre as a walk. This was considerably shorter at 17 miles, and in reverse, first using the Borderlines train service to my planned start in Heswall. It went pretty well, although I should have just gone direct to the Wirral Way, rather than what I did - which was run direct to Two Mills. Not great, although you can stay off the road. Then it was off down Woodbank Lane (amazingly quiet given its environs) across the border to the Deeside industrial estate. From here, through Queensferry and then it gets hilly, up to Hawarden and through Tinkersdale to Penyffordd and the car at the station.