Week 24 - Finally bought a tent

After returning from the Lakes I fancied testing my pace out in a race. I was a bit too busy on Saturday, so on Sunday found the Gin Pit 5 over at Tyldesley. Although the the twice-yearly race has been going a few years and is only a 25 minute drive away, this was the first time I'd entered this 5 mile park trail race. On an undulating course, I'd set my usual targets as mssrs Bland and Murray from the club and at 3 miles was getting quite close to catching Paul but the final two miles revealed the lack of speed in my legs. Nevertheless, very happy with a time of 36:10 which I would have got nowhere near 12 months ago.
A couple of runs over Winter Hill on Tuesday sandwiched a solo walk from Abbey Village through Tockholes Woods and up to to Darwen Tower on Wednesday. This was after I'd finally purchased a suitable tent and cooking equipment.
I'd just about decided that I'd go with the Vango Ultralite 100 after reading various reviews and comments (some favourable some not too happy), decided that at £70/£90, I would take the risk rather than spending £250-£300 on a Terra Nova which also has issues because of their lightness. I realised that Outdoor Action was the outdoor shop in Blackburn that I've used quite frequently over the years, so I contacted them, initially to find out if there were any significant differences between the 2008 and 2009 models. The guy at the shop who responded was extemely helpful and as it was midweek arranged to get one from the warehouse for me so it could be erected in the shop as there wasn't one currently on display. When I got there, not only had he got the Ultralite but also a couple of alternatives they'd acquired as exhibition models from the manufacturer. He was very happy with the Ultralite which he owned and used regularly and described how to ensure the airflow was effective (the main source of negative comments on the web) but he reckoned that the Force Ten Vitesse would be be even better for the trip provided I was happy with its design that uses two vertical poles in a ridge tent. The main reason was that the slight increase in weight offered considerable extra durability, especially on the groundshee. At 1·3Kg, I felt it is sufficiently light. I've had a few goes and setting it up on the lawn and packing it away and both can be done (even by me) in less than 5 minutes.
I also took the opportunity to sort out cooking equipment and chose a Gelert PZ micro - at 88g this nicely fits along with a 220g gas canister into the Optimus Terra Weekend Cookset. I had been considering the Jetboil or Pocket Rocket stoves but decided their limitations outweighed their strong points.

The week was completed by a four mile road run on Saturday followed by the Radcliffe 10k Trail Race on Sunday. Again I tired after about 3 miles but if the course is accurately measured, my time is better than I've done for many years, taking into account the pot-holes and generally rough tracks of the route.

Totals for the week was slightly short on mileage and slightly up on ascent but well ahead for the month so far.