Memories and Painting - Day 34

I started off my day with a quick game of frisbee with Jason:

@lakessinglemum Frisbee with Jason ##frisbee ##single ##mumsoftiktok ##over40 ##fypage
♬ Let's Do It Again - J Boog

Then I had a couple of hours of maths tutoring which was very rewarding. My Asda grocery delivery also arrived early (thanks to the driver living in my street!) so I could take pet food up to my parents'

I was reminded once again about the amazing race I filmed on Cat Bells 2 years ago:

@lakessinglemum

A taste of my fell running videos https://www.youtube.com/user/bw1310 ##fellrunning ##fellrace ##keswickac ##mumsoftiktok##fyp ##cumbria

♬ Run Run Run - Dumpy's Rusty Nuts

This then inspired me to try and recreate a photo I took that day to update my lounge window:

Kendal Winter League - Helm Race

On Sunday it was one of the last races in this year's Kendal Winter League. As it was less than 2 miles to the race on the Helm we decided to walk up the hill to get there - we somehow always forget how steep it is! Once my son was registered we took time to walk the route as he is new in the category so didn't know it. It started off easy enough along a fairly level footpath:

Then there was a steady climb to the top of the ridge:

At the top the race routes split as the younger runners stayed on the ridge whilst my son and the other runners were sent to the back of the hill:

Kendal Winter League 2019: Race 1 Scout Scar

It was videoing the Kendal Winter League last year that really started the momentum going on my YouTube Channel. So with this year's competition starting last Sunday I am determined to:

1. Video all the races
2. Improve on my techniques and positioning for the films

I was combining videoing with being safety marshal on the gate at Scout Scar which meant that whilst I was close to the action (so close runners jostled me!), but it was quite tricky to film some of it! 

The first race was for the under 11s and under 13s which meant children from 8-12. This was a highly competitive and fast and furious race:

Once the 95 children had all finished it was time for the under 15s to take to the start line. This included my son as he had turned 12 before the New Year making him one of the youngest runners. They had a longer race of just over 2km and again there were some strong performances. My son was 13th out of 21 which was a great result for him:

The final junior race was the under 17s. Again some of these have only just moved up from the under 15 category but they all put in amazing runs:

My Top Nine Videos on YouTube

This was the year my YouTube channel finally got some momentum thanks to my filming of fell running! It is such a shame the rules of making money changed just as it was taking off as I would have a steady little income from it... I need to boost my subscribers to match the views and then I can earn some pennies *blatant beg*

Meanwhile here are my top nine videos by views from the last 12 months:

1) 3 Peaks Fell Race on Pen Y Ghent

My son and I hiked part way up to film the brave souls setting out on this year's 3 Peaks Fell Race the marathon with mountains:

2) Grasmere Sports Senior Guides Race

I was working as a steward at this year's Grasmere Sports so missed my son's fell race. I did get out in time to film the Seniors with commentary by the legendary Pete Bland:

3) Anniversary Waltz and Teenager with Altitude descent from Cat Bells

My son again helped me to film the final descent of these races from side of Cat Bells. A stunning day to cheer on the runners as they headed for home:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Sunshine, Garden and Wainwright Bagging #R2BC

I am feeling in a particularly cheerful mood as I host for the last time before handing back over to Michelle! The financial pinch of 2 weeks with no paid work is over and although I am not working full time I can breath again... So here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:
1) Tutorial in the sun
We didn't have as long a heatwave as everyone else in the UK but my student on Thursday made the most of it by having her lesson in the garden:

2) Gardening 

Since writing about my front garden last week I have made even more progress! I grabbed some 50p bargain flowers from the supermarket to add some instant colour. My wild seedlings are beginning to sprout and since this photo the grass has been cut:

Just hoping that my sad looking jasmine will survive!

3) Wainwright bagging

Whilst filming the fell races on Saturday I took the chance to finally get to the top of Cat Bells. You can see how pleased I was with myself:

Kendal Winter League Cunswick Fell Race

After all the snow and chaos it was a relief that the latest fell race went ahead at Cunswick just outside Kendal. My son and I arrived in plenty of time to walk the course:

The run has some interesting obstacles with a squeeze stile:

And a very icy stone stile:

The under 13 route was the only one that went up on the public footpaths across Kendal Golf Club:

Kendal Winter League at Sedbergh School #CountryKids

This Sunday I set off to what is traditionally a mudbath of a fell race My son had headed off to Blackpool with Gramps for an indoor athletics competition so this time it was just me. I had had to scrape ice off the car to leave and some of the route was a bit icy but oh boy was the view lovely. In fact I had to find a legal place to stop and capture it:

I arrived in plenty of time to use the car park at Sedbergh School and then walked down to the cross country course. My original plan had been to film at the Water Jump but when I walked the course it had been fenced off due to the frozen water:

So I carried on up to the highest point of the course which the runners would all pass some multiple times:

Kendal Winter League Longsleddale #CountryKids

After the almost vertical racing last week at Barbondale this week the league was a more traditional fell race in Longsleddale Valley from Docker Nook farm.

Conditions were muddy and slippery but at least it stayed dry this week. The start enabled a mad dash at the start as captured by another spectator:

I had wandered up the track trying to find good positions to film:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Half Term, YouTube, Tots 100 and more #R2BC

I have lost track of the days as its the school holidays so only just realised its Thursday and time for Reasons to be Cheerful! Hopefully folks will still join in and share the love. Despite having a cold for a few days I have had plenty of reasons to be cheerful during a week off school:
1) Marshalling and Filming at Fell Foot parkrun
I had my monthly volunteering slot at my local parkrun by marshalling at one of the turns. I managed to combine it with videoing the runners too. Amazing how many smiles I managed to raise in the rain:

2) Barbondale Fell Race
This has to be one of the most entertaining fell races to watch. It is so steep most runners come down at least some of the route on their bottoms or in one case fronts! There were a few spectacular face plants as well. My son helped me film this time and our videos have had nearly 1000 views in less than week!! Here is the summary video:

3) Fixed Internet

Just as my YouTube videos were becoming popular my Internet connection had lost lots of it upload speed so it was taking a day to upload one video! BT finally sent out an engineer and the upload speed has gone back up to taking only a couple of hours for one of the videos:

KWL 2018 Barbondale Fell Race #CountryKIds

Another freezing cold Sunday meant another few hours on a fell side videoing fell running! It was the toughest event in Kendal Winter League as its mostly vertical from the bottom of this slope:

My son wasn't running it as he doesn't like the vertical races so he was happy to help the sponsors set up before the event:

Then he clambered up the hillside with me so that we could find the best spots for filming. I stayed below the infamous scree patch and he initially went to the under 13 turning point which was just above the scree. This was my view whilst I was waiting for the runners:

KWL 2018 Birkrigg Juniors

Another Sunday meant another fell side filming fell running! This time it was Birkrigg Common with views in one direction to the fells and The Hoad Monument at Ulverston:

and the other across Morecambe Bay and the Kent Estuary:

In my son's race there were 74 children aged 8-12 who tackled the steep ascent and descent, can you spot my son amongst the runners?:

#CountryKids KWL Whitestones Juniors

On Sunday I got some more practice in for filming fell running when my son took part at the latest Kendal Winter League event at Whitestones. It was very windy and the course was muddy and steep. I found myself a vantage point to try to capture the races. It was hard to keep the camera stable even with a tripod (my new monopod was delivered whilst I was out!) but it was a stunning view:

At noon the under 13s set off and I was able to capture how tough it was to get up the hill:

My son managed to run the course over a minute faster than last year so I am very proud of him!

#CountryKids KWL 2018 Giggleswick Fell Race

On Sunday I drove through falling snow to get to the second Kendal Winter League of the year. I was going to be filming for YouTube after the success of Scout Scar. My son was injured so stayed back in Kendal in the warm:

As I had been to the race a few times (including once when I ran it!) I knew the best spot to film was at the water crossing:

The snow continued to fall so I had to protect my camera to keep it dry whilst waiting for the first race:

Fell Running Challenge #4 Kendal Winter League 2017 Scout Scar

It was a beautiful if freezing day for the first event in this year's Kendal Winter League at Scout Scar:

I walked the course with my son and then positioned myself on a good spot for capturing the juniors as they tackled the ascent:

I managed to film all three junior races and also captured the start of the senior's race.

A good start to the league and now we just have to wait to see what position my son finished in! The next event is Giggleswick on the 21st which includes a stream to cross...

#CountryKids at Cunswick Scar Fell Race

It is a good job that fell runners are hardy souls as the weather conditions for races in winter are pretty miserable at lot of the time! Last Sunday we had strong winds and rain as my son and I arrived to check out the course for his latest race:

Cunswick Scar runs along between Kendal and the A591 and is partially covered by the golf club. However the route the under 12s took was mostly on the farmland lower down:

Even walking the route was hard going due to the wind and mud but the route itself wasn't too tough. They did all have to cross a stile twice at the top of the run which apparently caused queues. I was quite glad I had decided not to do the senior race:

#CountryKids Fell Running

Now the proper winter is here the Kendal Winter League series of races has started again. Our first one was on the nearby Scout Scar:

It was a cold and increasingly wet day as my son checked out the route and worked out his tactics:

My son then joined 80 other under 12s on the start line for a 1200 metre race up the hill and back:

They were off like hares across the field! My son was 1 minute faster than last year and had a pretty fast race but wasn't in the top of the finishers (still waiting for final official results!).

Today he ran for his primary school in his first cross country competition. On a very muddy course he had to finish the race clutching a shoe in one hand:

Hopefully this mishap won't happen too often!

#CountryKids Kendal Winter League Sedbergh Fell Race

Another Sunday another cold, wet muddy field for a fell race!

After registering we had a quick look at the course:

My son sensibly decided he didn't need to walk all of it as he would have plenty of people to follow to get around the race. It is an under 12 event and he is only 8. Back at the start there was a very helpful weather report:

#CountryKids Kendal Winter League, Firbank Fell Under 12 Fell Race

After his fell running debut last week my son was very keen to do even better this week. Despite my navigational error we made it to Firbank Fell just in time for the club warm up. 

We didn't have time to inspect the course just a distant look:

There didn't appear to be as many under 12s as the previous week (maybe the wet weather kept some away!):