Pennine/Calderdale loop

Not my favourite part of the world, but needs must under current regulations. This time of year, I would normally be in the north-west Highlands, and the weather has been perfect for months. But with that barred, England is the only option, and I do have fond memories of the Haworth Hobble and Heptonstall fell race in these parts. I set off from Blackstone Edge above Littleborough, taking the smooth and comfortable Pennine Way to skirt the series of reservoirs above Calderbrook. After Warland, the path cuts rightwards and makes its way up to the top of Stoodley Pike, such a notable landmark in these parts. All very different to the last time I was here, two-thirds of the way through the Haworth Hobble in the mist. I then cut down a surprisingly small path to Withens Clough, then a superb descent down to the pretty village of Cragg Vale, which nestles at the bottom of a steep valley. I climbed out of this to the east, which led to delightful tracks above Ripponden. Big views, typical Pennine scenery (Yorkshire now) as I followed the Calderdale Way. Eventually, I took the old Packhorse road back, which was rather arduous and tussocky but avoided the main Halifax road for a 25k round. One day before my 50th birthday.

Tour de Flintshire

Whatever else lockdown has been, it has been paradise for cycling. It took me a few weeks to get my bike back to full working order, but after a few decent 50-60k outings I decided to refine my Tour de Flintshire, which attempts to take in the highlights of the historic county (not the modern version), pausing for lunch in St Asaph. I last did this in 2015, training for the Wild Wales. I tweaked it a bit this time, heading through Buckley to Rhosesmor - a vicious climb - then over to Halkyn, Holywell, Lloc and along to Dyserth. From here, I took the little lanes south to Rhuallt then over Pont Dafydd to St Asaph and a delightful and delicious lunch. Fortified, the second half has an entirely different character. The route goes to Bodfari then Llandyrnog before the crux climb over the Clwydians to Nannerch. I should have incorporated Cilcain, but instead took in Mold then a long extension out to Hope and back via the lanes. Just over 100k, another perfect May day.

Disputed territory

Living half a mile from the border, it seems legitimate to exploit the English regulations from time to time. I have already revisited the Frodsham/Helsby hills so today started a little further afield (actually, around the same distance from HK) from Weston Rhyn near Chirk. This entire run was in England, despite the place names (and, arguably, the historical reality). From Weston, I ran on the lovely lane that climbs westwards to the secluded border village of Bronygarth. From here, I joined Offa's Dyke, which immediately becomes very steep as it climbs onto the crest of the border hills south of Chirk. Interestingly, on this section the official footpath follows the Dyke itself - and, indeed, the Dyke itself follows the exact line of the modern border. The weather was not as good as the forecast - dark grey skies and a very strong wind. But it was absolutely glorious, albeit rather slow running - views east over Shropshire to the flat Midlands, and west over the Welsh hills. This is classic borderland, really beautiful. Eventually the route drops down to Craig Nant before another climb up Selattyn Hill which I remembered from last time I was here many years ago (I had a number of walks along OD, getting all the way down to Clun, in the early 2000s when dad often dropped me off en route to Cardiff). From Selattyn, much quicker running to the Old Racecourse above Oswestry before dropping through Candy Wood and then the long route back. This was not quite so much fun - little lanes to Oswestry - through the eerily quiet, shut down centre - then out via the Gobowen road. From Gobowen, I crossed the main road to join more small lanes back to Weston.

Conwy coastal hills

An essential work trip for Kate to prepare the Culture Centre for opening, so I took the opportunity for a little run round some of my favourite landscapes. Initially, I headed up Sychnant then cut south to take the ancient tracks westwards to curve round the base of Tal y Fan and climb up Foel Lus. This is always a wonderful viewpoint, but particularly so today with conditions perfect. Beautiful warm weather, and crystal clear clarity, no wind: just as it has been since lockdown began. From Foel Lus I headed down to join the Pen race route down to Capelulo, then up Sychnant to Allt Wen. From here, the familar route over Mynydd y Dref and a final loop round Bodlondeb.

Rhydymwyn byways

Under the new Welsh regulations, slow duathlons are now possible. I've done a few recently, cycling to Ffrith or the Clwydians, then changing into running shoes for a hilly circuit, then back home on the bike. This was a slightly longer version, from home to Rhydymwyn, then setting off on foot using the little lane cutting the corner to Hendre. From here, I took the lovely bridleway which climbs steeply up ancient pathways to finally gain the pass below Moel Arthur (I have used this to run to the Dinorben on 2 or 3 occasions). Very few people around, with all the car parks blocked off. I enjoyed the long haul along the ridge south to the top of Moel Famau, and then the plunge to Cilcain before taking the obscure but delightful paths that weave around the sides of the Alyn valley back to Rhydymwyn. All at their absolute best this time of year - yet another glorious day, as with almost every day since the lockdown began!

River Dee loop

A new route for me, trying to get as inventive as possible under current unprecedented restrictions. I left Rough Hill and ran to Eccleston, picking up the little path along the banks of the Dee to Aldford. So far, so familiar, but the next stretch - unbelievably - was new to me. I followed the banks religiously, round all the big meanders, past Churton to some Appalachian-style log cabins. This stretch feels surprisingly remote, little trodden, perhaps a reflection of its distance from the road. Eventually the path reaches Farndon, after which I headed back to Rough Hill via Rossett and Pulford.

Welsh Athletics Virtual 5k

Virtual Race: Welsh Athletics Virtual 5k
Time/Position: 17.47 (48th from 269 [4th V45])
Almost exactly the same time as the 5k relays in early April, and Nos Galan on New Year's Eve for that matter. Slightly slower, indeed, and as such this was a little disappointing, possibly due to an excessively early start and a few unnecessary turns on the HK Green circuit that I chose to use (unlike the point-to-point course I used on the relays). Would have been second V50, so that bodes quite well, but the leg speed is definitely lacking.

Club champs 10m

Virtual Race: Club Champs 10m (Five Villages route)
Time/Position: 1.05.52
By far the worst of my recent virtual performances, this was a real struggle. In fact, I ran a quicker time around this same route on a normal tempo session a month ago! I can only think I was a bit tired after the recent long run over the hinterland hills. It was yet another beautiful day, fairly hot which didn't help. I didn't feel great for the first leg out towards Rossett, and this got worse for the long haul through Pulford to Rough Hill, on which I had a slight tailwind. I lost even more time on the westwards run in back to the Welsh border. A full 7 minutes down on my 10 mile PB.

HK-Moel Famau-Mold

Another inventive solution to the current dystopian predicament. All normal activities curtailed, so this was a repeat of a run from the front door to the top of Moel Famau that I last did around a decade ago. It is obviously a somewhat shorter variant of my Chester-Famau route that we recently repeated and refined slightly. From HK, I head through Buckley to avoid the main road to Mold. To add some variety, I then reversed the normal Collie route to reach the top in glorious sunshine in 1.51 from the front door (just under half marathon distance). Completely empty - a memorable experience. From the summit, I descended down to the leat via the Collie route, then through Pantymwyn and Gwernaffield to meet M at the Mold Lidl - 30k/803m in total.

Club champs 10k

Virtual Race: Club Champs 10k (Hope-Saltney)
Time: 35.37
With a 10k PB of 34.17 recorded nine years ago, I needed all the help I could get today (the scores are assessed against lifetime PBs). So I cheated slightly! I selected a course from the start of Sandy Lane on the edge of Hope - this has a certain amount of negative elevation down to HK and then across the border to Lower Kinnerton. I was going quite well in the new shoes, and managed to keep motivation and pace going through Bretton and down to Saltney, where my 10k route ended in Morrisons car park. Well down on my PB, but still my quickest 10k time for a few years.

HK hinterland hills

The circumstances are dictating an ever-more-creative approach to running from the front door. This was one such - a desperate attempt to get into the hills without driving. I've done a few circuits of Hope Mountain from home, but on this occasion I took paths from Caer Estyn down to the lovely stream valley which leads to Cefn y Bedd and Abermorddu. From here, I took the Brymbo road (normally too dangerous) up steep Minera hill to branch off to Ffrith. Then comes the delightful (long and gentle) climb through the woods to curve up to the steep finish up to the trig on Pen Llan y Gwr. From here, I took my favourite descent back to Llanfynydd, the wild garlic and bluebells at their best in the Cegidog stream valley. From Llanfynydd, I took the 'tunnel of pain' up to the top of Waun y Llyn and then the roads back to HK - 28k/700m.

Club champs 5m

Virtual Race: Club Championship 5m (Business Park Roundabout-Moor Lane)
Time/Position: 28.50 
An informal virtual club championship has been launched. The national relays provided a 5k time, with a 5 miler following. Times were assessed against PBs, which was challenging for me with almost all of them set around 8-9 years ago and my 50th birthday approaching. New shoes helped for this, though. Another beautiful day, so M dropped me off at Rough Hill. I jogged up to the A55/Business Park roundabout and battered the first mile to Balderton. This is one of the issues with virtual racing, there is a temptation to go off a little too fast without numerous groups to pace with. I overestimated the distance, so reached HK before I'd completed the distance! So I had to extend back down Moor Lane which was rather tiring. I finished around 20 seconds down on my official PB (although I did once break 28m on an informally measured course).

Virtual road relay championships

Virtual Race: National Road Relays (5k)
Time/Position: 17.42 (1180 from 5345)
It looks like virtual racing is the future of the sport for the time being. This was a first, as far as I'm aware - the national road relays championships held virtually with over 5000 runners competing. We entered a Buckley team and did reasonably well, although the competition is obviously extremely stiff. I selected Stringer's Lane from Burton to HK as my route, to avoid excessive negative elevation! The jog out to Burton provided a useful warm-up, and the effort went reasonably well - a similar time to Nos Galan on NYE. It is harder without other runners around you, of course, but there's still a form of motivation going on.

North Berwyn loop

Peaks: Moel Fferna
Area: Berwyn, Eryri
It seemed obvious that a full lockdown was imminent, so this was another run with a poignant, elegiac quality. I didn't want to drive far, so parked outside Corwen and ran along the road and riverside paths to Cynwyd (familiar from recent runs like the Dee Valley/North Berwyn 30 mile combination). From Cynwyd, the very long climb up into the Berwyn begins immediately. A tough haul on steep tarmac initially until it levels off for the firetracks that lead to a conifer forest. The weather was beautiful, indeed the lockdown later coincided with perfect spring weather: my absolute favourite time of year in the Welsh mountains, the irony did not go unnoticed. Above the forest, the running is superb - my 4th time along this track to Moel Fferna. Nobody visible: indeed, I have never seen anybody on Moel Fferna. The perfect choice for this strange day. From the summit, I took in the views to Aran and Eglwyseg in crystal clarity before pelting all the way down to Llidiart y Parc in 18 minutes. I was rather tired for the final leg along the quiet lanes that lead from the Grouse back to Corwen; these undulate continually.

Carneddau-Capel circuit

Peaks: Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewellyn, Pen yr Helgi Du, Pen Llithrig y Wrach
Area: Carneddau, Eryri
A grand old circuit, which I first did a shorter version of aged 18 in perfect conditions at the same time of year. That was March 1989, if I remember correctly, a day of crisp snow and spring sunshine. Today, by contrast, the outing had a elegiac quality with lockdown approaching. I got to the top of Pen (a mixture of jogging and walking) in less than 45 minutes but then slowed considerably across the main ridge in a stiff and very cold headwind. The clag was down but lifted very briefly when I crossed Dafydd to the top of the Black Ladders. Some snow on Llewellyn, and a ferocious windchill which made life pretty uncomfortable. Dropping down towards Llugwy got me out of it quite quickly, however, and I made good progress down towards Bwlch y Tri Marchog. Conditions were much better now, with clouds clearing and the sun starting to peek through: much warmer. I scampered up the scrambly ridge to Helgi Du then enjoyed the superb running across to Llithrig. From here, I took the now familiar Paddy descent, very long and very boggy, down to the A5 and Capel Curig - running back along the old Miner's road through Ogwen. By now, the weather was wonderful. This is normally my favourite time of year to be in the Welsh mountains, with crystal clarity and a hint of warmth in the sun promising better days to come. This year, not so much.

Ras yr Aran

Race: Ras yr Aran fell race (16.2km/3100ft)
Time/Position: 1.58.41 (158th from 312)
I have always argued that this is a unique race, so early in the year yet climbing to such a remote highpoint. I have done it 6 or 7 times, but I think this is only the second time I've touched the actual trig point on Fawddwy (although I've been up the hill a lot on normal runs and walks). It was a British Championship race this year, with all that implies in terms of quality of field, from every (hilly) corner of the country: and it also seemed likely to mark the end of racing for a while, with covid-19 approaching. So the atmosphere was a little unusual as we set off from Llanuwchllyn to start that massive, but familiar climb. I felt sluggish throughout, only really perking up as we gained the ridge at the tiny pools below Aran Benllyn. The weather on the ridge was about average - misty and cold, fairly strong winds. The final summit cone is a tricky scramble in running shoes, always damp and slippery, it adds a considerable amount of time. After this, I descended averagely back to the village. Eight minutes down on my best time for the course, although that was a decade ago.

Chester-Moel Famau-Loggerheads

A refinement of a route done in January last year, when I ran from my office door in the University to the top of Moel Famau, then down to the Collie. This time, Peter and I left the Crown Court in bright and breezy weather, the summit disconcertingly distant on the horizon. We took the Roodee path, which makes it a few minutes longer but is more pleasant. From here, we ran together to the Old Warren climb, then met up again in Buckley. Eventually, however, I went too far ahead and we lost each other before Mold, which was a shame. I took the same route as last January, which seems logical as the quickest way to the summit - which I reached in a respectable 2.38 from the Crown Court. It was misty and cool, and I jogged down to meet Peter for a pint at the Loggerheads pub. In retrospect, it would be neater to start with a hand on the Chester Cross and finish with a hand on the trig point (32.47km in total).

Long Mynd Valleys fell race

Race: Long Mynd Valleys (18.5km/1370m)
Time/Position: 2.08.08 (23rd from 101)
Back at LMV for the first time since 2009: an inexplicably long gap for what is a classic fell race. I have vivid memories of following a trail of blood through the snow on the brutal second half of the race 11 years ago. Today, no such drama, although it was a small field - as it had been cancelled on its original date due to Storm Ciara. It was fairly cold, with the odd light snow shower today, but nothing comparable to the frozen feet and hard-packed snow of 2009. The race begins with a climb up the rocky ridge rising from Carding Mill, then embarks on its fairly easy first half. With a lot of mud underfoot after recent downpours, the term is relative of course. But there is a lot of contouring running with grand panoramas, until it heads back south and takes its direct line back to Carding Mill - dipping up and down all those beautiful valleys like Ashes Hollow. Wonderful views and perfect weather at times - blue sky with the occasional shower. The descents are very steep in places and there is virtually no level running in the second half, it is all either violent descents or brutal climbs. The hardest of all is the last one, up the steepest and longest side of Yearlet. I have done this hill from all angles, and it is remarkably steep given its Shropshire location. I ended up a tad quicker than 11 years ago, three minutes or so, although conditions were a little kinder.

Castell Alun catchment run

Another reprise of a favourite long run, by way of marathon training. This is a tough 32km circuit with 2000ft of climbing as it heads over Hope Mountain in both directions. I felt reasonably good, however, and finished in 2.27. It was windy throughout, with rain at times, and that really slowed me on the climb from Leeswood to Treuddyn.

Parisian run

An early morning run through the streets of Paris: it doesn't get much better. I left the hotel at Place Cambronne and followed the line of the railway to cross the Seine and head to the Trocadero. From here, it was up to the Arc de Triomphe and then, as it got light, I pelted down the Champs Elysees all the way to Place de la Concorde. I last ran here in 2009, the opening mile of the Paris Marathon. Then it was back along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower and hotel, where my companions were still sleeping. This was the best of three short Parisian runs during our minibreak.