Saturday

Meeting & kit checks - Meet in the Icicle office at 09:00, and get a short briefing on equipment, weather and safety, before setting off on your first run. We understand that people are going to be a little nervous, and it's important to get running quickly to settle your nerves, to put your mind at rest and to get teaching. In this initial meeting, it's a great opportunity to outline what experience you already have, what type of events you have / plan to sign up for in the future, share any strengths and weaknesses to focus on what key skills you want to get out of the weekend.

Morning - Running skills - Set out on an initial run, where the focus is on teaching you a few key skills that will enable you to run more efficiently, which is essential for running ultras. You are also taught ascent, descent and traversing techniques on mountain terrain, and the use of running with poles. During the run, you'll be stopping and starting a fair bit, to get coaching on various techniques and skills to improve your technique on hills and efficiency of movement. Take some snacks to graze on through the day, as the principle of eating little and often is key.

Afternoon - Runners navigation - This is not the 'black art' that many people at first feel that it is. Our aim is to not confuse you with too many techniques, but the key skills particular for mountain running navigation. These include; setting the map, using a compass, pacing, interpreting contours, and route planning. Runners navigation skills are introduced throughout the day, so you don't suffer from a brain overload, and if most participants only plan on running marked races in the future, this element of the course can be reduced to safety basics.

Evening - Night navigation event - We alter the timing of this session to the season, so in the winter it can start in the late afternoon, whereas in the summer months it has to start later for some darkness. This session is typically between 1 - 1.5 hours. We start at a walking pace, and as your confidence grows, we will jog between points. Wearing a head torch and running in the dark is a new experience for many, but don't worry as your instructor will stick with you. The night navigation is done around Orrest Head fell, opposite our office in Windermere.

Sunday

Meeting & review - Meet at 09:00 at the Icicle office, to have a quick review and refresher of the key points learned the previous day, then it's time for a detailed plan on the longer route you'll be running. This is an opportunity to bring together all the skills and techniques that you have learned. The briefing and discussion will cover the route, conditions, equipment, weather and safety considerations. There's a short time for you to pack your bag and to get any last minute things together for running. If you are all set, then it's time to study the map to work out the best route.

Daytime - Running route - Your route plan will have a series of identifyable checkpoints. The instructor(s) will be running with or close to you, so don't worry (too much) abour getting lost. Set off with your maps marked up, so you can easily follow your route, and you'll soon find you can relax and enjoy the running. Once the pressures of navigation have gone, you can concentrate on the run, and regulating your pace to the terrain. Depending on the group, in larger groups we might offer a choice of a faster longer course, or a shorter slower route. An instructor would always be with you, and you'll typically be running in the high fells. We encourage all participants to take a share of the navigation element, to spread the workload. It's also a great opportunity to try out all the skills learned yesterday.

Mid-afternoon - Finish running, and then to travel back to the Windermere office. There are hot drinks provided for everyone at the finish to refuel, so there's an added incentive! Debrief of the course over tea and coffee. This is designed to provide you a last opportunity for training points, or any queries about the ultra you are planning to run in the future. We aim to finish by 15:30 on the Sunday, to give you extra time to travel home, but if you are heading for a specific train let the instructor(s) know, and the timings can be tweaked to accommodate this.

ITINERARY NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries. Mountain adventures are weather and conditions dependant, so occasionaly we are forced to alter the plans. Please use this outline itinerary as a guide to the types of route / activity that you will attempt.