Rat Race Run Britannia - Week 3, day 2 - Lancaster to Kendal


Halfway there!

Distance: 41.1km (total so far 752.04km)
Total climb: 406m (total so far 13,595m)
Steps: 48,897(total so far 903,435)

This was the first of a set of shorter days - described with some amusement as "recovery days" by the organiser. After the long mileages in week 2 and yesterday, we weren't complaining.

The route was Lancaster to Kendal, initially along the edge of Morecambe Bay before heading more inland. One big difference was the lack of climb - by the standards of week 1 and 2, this was practically flat.

It also brought a lot of canal towpaths, and that was how we started out.


Canal towpaths are usually nice and easy too run on, and as long as you don't switch off and miss your exit they are also easy to navigate. The first canal didn't take too long, and we were onto the coast.


The tide was well out when we went past, and at Morecambe Bay that can mean at least a mile away (which is why it comes in so quickly when it does). It did mean that we hardly saw the sea. We did see a vast number of sheep, which made a change from the recent cow days - you tend to feel more reassured when there are only sheep to worry about. They certainly had a good view.


Once past Carnforth, we left Morecambe Bay and headed inland through Warton, and a nice little up and down through some preserved woodland.


This finally took us back to our second canalside excursion of the day, which we followed for a long time. Some nasty person had built the M6 without too much regard for the canal, so occasionally we were taken off, bridged over or under the motorway, and rejoined to the canal.


The concept of having completed two-thirds of the day by lunchtime was a new one to us, but there is a big difference, physically and mentally, between a 40km day and a 60km day. It meant that when we finally left the canal, which had looked after our feet (lovely flat path!) as well is giving us an interesting and direct way of covering the distance, we weren't far from Kendal.


We met one of last year's Run Britannia runners who lived around here, and who had been great with local knowledge for several of this year's team. She had also prepared our run-in to Kendal with a couple of signs.


On approach to Kendal, we were being routed to stay high rather than going down into Kendal itself, and the reason for this became obvious - someone decided we needed to see the views from Kendal Castle, and, to be fair, we probably did.


But that was the last kick of the day, and a very minor one - straight down now into Kendal and straight to the Hostel where we'd spent last night. Very nice easy end to the day. Getting in and showered by 4pm is an unusual day, and we almost didn't know what to do with ourselves - happily, the local pub solved that problem.

At, at the point of reaching the hostel, we'd done half the distance of the whole route. Pretty happy with that!

Song of the day: "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Woah-oh, we're half way there...





 


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