The Three Shires - 29 miles..... of hills......



Nice weather - NOT!  Roachford Rocks in background...



We'd been promised ok weather, but that promise wasn't kept!  The alarm went off at 4.15am (on a Saturday.... I know!) and the preceding week of insomnia was really beginning to catch up on me already.  Still, we got ourselves up and out and arrived at the venue in Staffordshire at 7.20 ready for an 8am start.  Nice hall, lots of nice toilets and a welcome cuppa and biscuit.  I'd drunk my banana, pineapple & date smoothie  (with a stick of celery for sodium) on the journey so managed to avoid the temptation of the biscuits.

The Three Shires (Cheshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire) is run by the LDWA Staffs branch and involves loops using a single venue for CP2 and CP3 before a return to the venue.  CP1 is just a table on the side of the road (with wet biscuits as it transpired).  The usual crowd were there at the start, and the event had reached its maximum of 160 participants.



Roachford Rocks.... great bouldering!



We set off up a long hill to an exposed trig point on Gun Hill.  I HATE uphill starts as my legs don't warm up till about 4 miles in, so I slogged up.  The weather looked like a storm was imminent, so we really didn't want to be that high up!  We trotted all the way down the other side on a long and rewarding downhill section, but I just couldn't settle into a rhythm, I couldn't get my 'eye in' and bound down like normal..... I was overly cautious.  I don't know why...perhaps concern about knee pain after last week, so maybe the fact I was so tired..... not sure, but it felt horrid!

The long down was followed by a very long up towards the imposing rocks we could see looming ahead of us.  We climbed through fields and farmyards until we eventually reached Roachford Rocks.  There were people bouldering up there, and you can see from the pics that it is a great place for them to be!  We got some welcome shelter in the wooded area, but soon ventured out onto the ridge.



Trig on the ridge.... awful weather - we just had to get down!



We hit the ridge at precisely the wrong time as the rain and dark clouds came slowly creeping over the rocks and sat directly above us.  Despite the warm air temperature, the wind was cold.  Fortunately it was behind us so we were protected by our packs.  After what seemed an eternity on the tops we began snaking our way downhill again along the slabbed path.  They looked like they were going to be treacherous, but we managed to trot our way down well.  I still had no confidence though, and I was beginning to get a bit fed up. 



Sandy track to the Packhorse Bridge



CP1 was a pile of wet biscuits and a drink on the side of a fell - not nice for the marshalls at all, and not much better for us.  We continued downwards along a rocky stream bed and my ankles seemed to be all over the place.  I was protected my knee and so allowing my ankles to take the motion - something I was going to pay for later!  We continued right down into the valley bottom, taking in a a lovely Youth Hostel building and following a stream to a lovely old packhorse bridge and some sandy tracks..... not easy on the legs!

After that it was up again to CP2.  We missed out Shuttlingsloe as it was a steep up and steep down for no real reason (you can see I was fed up by now!) and I didn't see the point in punishing my already aching ankles!  CP2 (and 3) was in a village hall and was well stocked with food.  True to form, Rich stuffed sausage rolls and pork pies down his face, and I had to abandon my banana for a biscuit.


Camber and fields on the 7 mile loop..... ankle breakers!


Leaving CP2 we then had to do a 7 mile loop to return to the same CP.  This was demoralising... you felt you were doing a loop for the sake of it, rather than actually travelling somewhere new.  Anyway, what didn't help was that the loop was almost all on a camber (the same camber too) and all it did was cause more problems for my ankles.  At around 20 miles I gave in and said I couldn't run anymore, and we then went into 'get home' mode.  We completed the loop, went to CP3 for food (I'd eaten my dates instead) and then set off on the final 7 miles home.



Lovely church at Wildboarclough - by CP2/3



It was a slog and a drag all the way home.  We looked back to the earlier 7 mile loop and could see the walkers making their way across the field.... we were glad it wasn't us!  We were overtaken by runners (and a few fast walkers) on this slog to the finish, and the fact we were now travelling so slowly didn't help matters.  It was still very hilly, and each hill just seemed worse - either longer or steeper....... yep - I was TOTALLY fed up!

Eventually we got to the finish.  The one good thing was that the food was AMAZING!  Rice and salad, bean salads, quiche, pork pies and lovely lovely puddings.  OK, so I stayed vegan but the raw went out the window..... I was fed up and hungry, so I won't apologise for that!  Certificates at the end but no badge (gutted).  My legs were killing (both ankles/Achilles and hip) and I just wanted to go home.  Could barely keep awake in the car on the way home.... I was knackered.



The sun came out on the final stretch - but I still wasn't happy!



I woke up Sunday morning in agony - ankles would not flex at all, and my hip did not allow for movement up or down hill.  I've never been bad like this after a run - not even after the 90 earlier in the year.  I need to just put this down to a bad day and NOT hold onto it, but I am now worrying about the Fellsman and the Hundred.  I need to put the negative thoughts out of my head!  Needless to say, we didn't go to Blubberhouses, and I need to see what my ankles are like before I decided if I'm going to Calderdale (36) next week.  Maybe my body is finally saying 'no thanks' or maybe I'm just tired and got too much going on at the moment...... time will tell.....