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Fell running over Brim Fell (Route 11)

Running poles

On ascent the poles improve your posture and breathing, as well as aiding rhythm and efficiency. This will in turn aid your recovery, meaning you’re better rested to keep a good pace on the steeper sections. In descent, the poles will aid balance and take some stress off the leg muscles and joints – it’s thought you can reduce the impact on your knees by around 30% using poles.

You can practise using poles in descent by planting them together to leap over rocks or obstacles, or by planting singly, well ahead of you, to pivot or brace around a corner. Beware never to use wrist straps without a good fall release system, as in the event of a tumble a radial fracture of the wrist is likely.

Night running

All of the routes in this book can easily be completed within the hours of daylight, but some of the most magical times to run in the mountains are as dawn breaks or the sun sets, and so as well as carrying a head torch for safety, you may actually plan to run all or part of one of these routes in the dark. Be aware that although LED lights are good, they give a 2D effect, so depth perception is reduced. The net effect is that most runners move slower in darkness, so invest in the best light you can afford, and practise night running to improve your speed.