Baaaaaa

No dear reader, I haven't lost my senses any more than I have done already! I just forgot how quickly Winter turns to Spring and the lambs will be leapin' and a jumpin' over the coming weeks. I was just reading the instructions for the upcoming 30 mile Sevenoaks Circular RUN with the Kent LDWA and saw that we had to be very careful and be aware of the fields as it was lambing season. Call me an old softy but isn't it great when Spring comes, it just reminds me why I love trail running. This looks a great event taking up onto the greensand ridge I often call the escarpment in this blog. If the weather holds out it will be absolutely brilliant. Roll on 22nd March.

40 at 40

It is getting quire exciting now, at last the notification for the Compton 40 come through with maps, waypoint by waypoint directions, rules and the regulations. I just love the races that on the surface are really simple for the competitor but you just know that a massive amount of preparation has gone on to organise it. Who can boast all the checkpoints to be manned, the variation of routes for the 20 mile runners and the 40 milers, food being laid on for all the runners from 12.30pm onwards. The whole thing looks awesome.

I am desperate for this chest infection to go away enough to allow me to get out this weekend for a nice 20 mile trail run with friends from the club. I think they will be a bit worried if they read the last sentence, they are running for 2 hours, I will be running before and after to make up my miles if I get rid of this wheeze.

Man flu

What can I say but this is the first cold I have had in two years and I have a feeling it is going to come with a vengeance, getting chesty, nose is running....now where is the Lemsip, I have some training to do, but not tonight :-(

Today...

...I

1. ran with no route in mind
2. ran with a map
3. was licked by a Roe Deer
4. we linked 5 of our smaller runs and now have a miriad of new route feeders
5. we saw only 6 other people in a space of just over 4 and a bit hours
6. a horse snorted on me
7. I ran in only a vest and shorts with a backpack (and obviously trail shoes )
8. I amazed George when I pulled out a packet of plasters and repaired a rubbing toe
9. learnt not to take a compass bearing when you have a neodymium magnetic clip on your backpack, otherwise you always appear to be facing South
10. Stopped, looked and stared at the vista around me from the top of North Downs Way escarpment...beautiful

In conclusion, today was a day that further confirmed why I really do run.

Underround

This looks an absolutely brilliant challenge!!!!

Quote from the Underround site:

"underround^TM is a new anytime running challenge of circa 42kms, visiting 42 London Underground stations totally on foot. The added twist is to go to all of the 42 platforms as well using the stairs or escalators, on the clockwise journey around London’s Famous Streets. The circuit has over 30kms of route between stations and thousands of metres of climb/descent underground that will make this a real ‘Marathon Challenge’ you will want to add to your Running CV. "

Now all I have to do is find a team of people who want to team up with me

A break from the usual

Question posed
"What's the Plan?"

Unplanned answer
"The plan is we have no plan!"


So that is it, Sunday's run dictates that the plan is we go for a run along the North Downs Way with no plan, just pick up a trail and see where we go. I reckon 20 or so miles should do the job :-)

Raising money for Yorkshire Cancer Research

Pippa Green is running in the Great North Run 2009 and needs sponsorship to raise money for Yorkshire Cancer research, please give generously, I know she is putting a lot of effort into training for this worthwhile cause.

Have a look at the right hand panel and click to sponsor her

Good luck Pippa, you can do it

...and then there were 7

Don't worry reader this isn't another "black toenail what should I do?" story. :-0

Nope this is just to tell you all that I now have 7 toenails, well 8 but it hasn't grown back properly yet. I posted this in a forum the other day:

I can't understand after all the training runs, wearing the same shoes and socks, running similar distances but when we actually run the race you get a blackened toenail...bizarre. I have a cracker at the moment, it has hardened and lifting off within 10 days of happening. Doing the usual stuff, antiseptic, plasters etc but it never ceases to puzzle me why they only happen during races.

What the really cool thing that happened that I haven't told you is it fell off during my run tonight, felt a little pinch then a scratch so stopped and retrieved it from my sock. So why dear reader did I then think it totally OK to put it in my pocket :-)

Now I know why I run

Due to the knee problem I decided to go to the local swimming baths where they have a public gym. All I wanted to do was use the exercise bike for an hour of cardio-vascular work so I could get some exercise whilst taking the pressure off my knee.

I nearly fell off my Mizuno Waveriders when the lady behind the counter asked for £7.20 what a rip off. After putting my stuff in a lock up I went into the gym area and was overwhelmed by the temperature and the general feeling of people just posing and not doing very much!

Long and short of it is that I had good cardio-vascular workout of about an hour on the bike having cycled just over 20 miles, I can't wait to get back on the trails again when this knee gets better

Backpacks

I always see this subject as a veritable minefield of opinions similar to the gem of a question you often hear on forums "Should I wear trail shoes or road shoes?"
I have not gone down a very scientific route but decided to watch and see what other ultrarunners wore and by far the most popular is the Raidlight Endurance 10L, it looks almost perfect to my needs which include:

• No bladder
• Good size for day racing
• Belt with integral side pockets (for stuff)
• Ability to have "add-ons" like bottle pouches
• Plenty of straps

Jury is still out at the moment but this is looking a favourite at the moment. Opinions anyone, if so leave a comment

Boing Boing

Decided to drive to the club tonight for no other reason than I felt like it. Lots of new people starting up running again but it felt strange as there were not as many people as usual and just got me wondering if it was because New Year resolutions had been broken or because of the credit crunch was making people think of other things apart from running.

Fear not dear reader this long distance runner was more interested in his run tonight and the usual gang joined up together to go for a nice 7 mile (ish) run around the Orpington area, we even got introduced to a nice little hill of about 1 mile long that rose 150 feet in a staggered rise, what a great hill as it really began to do its work at the 3/4 mile mark. As usual I stomped off ahead of the pack to see how I would do and I must say I absolutely loved it. Even going down the next hill, I just stepped into the hill and just felt like I was going BOING BOING BOOOIIING.

My Knee is feeling good, the other runners were in good form and were quite a laugh tonight....BOING BOING :-)

##########STOP PRESS##########

Seen in a recent post on a well known Running Forum

Application now completed and posted. Fingers crossd this event goes well as it will be a serious pointer to LTB

Brilliant George, looks like the Compton Challenge is on

Mudtastic!!!

What a great morning Long Run, bloody knackering, but brilliant nonetheless. The day started off with the now usual 6.45am alarm call and with me staggering out of bed bleary eyed and dehydrated after a few glasses of red wine too many the night before when my parents came around for dinner. Cup of coffee and a juice drink and I was off to George's house for 7.30am sharp. We started off in Petts Wood and did a few trails and then hit Scadbury Nature Reserve to pick up the London Outer Orbital Path to take us through back to Memorial and Petts Wood. Sticking (literally) to the paths of Sparrow and Darrick Wood to get to the Wilberforce Oak in Keston. We did a total of 17 miles, 16 of which were all trail, the mud was particularly thick and sticky throughout the run and probably caused by the recent snow melt causing the water to stay on the surface, the unceasing, ubiquitous, glutenous and wonderful mud. Great run, great time especially the enormous ankle deep puddle full of ice cold water that was enough to make my toes curl.

Hooray - New Challenges Ahead

There is always something really exciting when new challenges are chosen, two in fact

The Sevenoaks Circular - hosted LDWA Kent 22^nd March 2009

The Compton Challenge - 40 Mile Race - 11^th April 2009

What makes it really weird is that I won't be running for my old club.....but my NEW one :-o

Back on the Road

It was only 5 days but it felt like an eternity!

My legs really took a beating last Saturday and I decided to just give them a little rest before I went back on the road and trails. For some reason my knees felt the worst but after work today I just needed to get out, even if it was just 6.2 miles. What a great run, I wasn't even trying and took minutes of my normal tempo time, maybe there is something about resting up once in a while.

I am quite excited as we are training for a new 30 mile run in March and a 40 miler in April 2009...more news later.

BTW. The image is of the Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District in September 2008 when I ran the Nine Edges

The Challenge ends

Well what can I say but what a GREAT race, one I really recommend. It is small low key races that really knock the spots off the other, sometimes over-rated, larger races. Mike and his team really showed how a race should be organised, treating every runner with politeness and a warm, friendly welcome. It was obvious that the marshalls on the course and at base camp were experienced in the world of running/training and I have a feeling there were few ex-Army Physical Instructors in there too :-)

The evening started with all the competitors meeting at the Gate Inn, Marshside, Kent, I arrived at about 5.00pm and went about my preparations and getting my head together ready for the run.

At about 5.40pm we were invited into the marquee for a briefing and then paraded onto the road ready for the start with a lone piper playing some agonising tune ;-) Then it hit me, God it was cold, it must have been about 0 C out there not including windchill and the there was a light wind from the South, this did not bode well as it was only going to get colder as the night went on as the sun had only been down about an hour.

The signal was made and off we went into the night, I then realised that my headtorch was near enough useless as I saw other runners with these fantastic devices that seemed to light up 20 yards ahead of them, I even noticed that as there were about 40 of us that it was like daylight for about 1 mile before we began to spread out.

The route was potted muddy trail with large puddles, concrete path and a very heavily rutted sections. I saw a couple of runners fall in the middle section on loose, wet mud and I stumbled a few times and this got worse as the run went on as more and more runners trampled the course.

The first 2 laps were great and I managed a sub 2 hour half marathon and was ensuring I was taking a carb gel every 30 minutes, drinking regularly and using the main CP at the pub to settle myself down, have a brief conversation with anyone who would listen and then back onto the route. By the middle part of the third lap I began to feel a bit down and I broke away from the little group of runners I was with and found my speed decrease dramatically as the ever sticky mud took its toll on my legs.

My carb gels were getting harder to swallow in the cold which was dropping and the wind speeds increasing both in speed and the number of gusts which ripped through me. At the end of lap 3 I was feeling good to go and I was looking forward to the next lap when at about mile 22, I really felt my legs go, it was strange as it just suddenly happened, no warning signs just a real pain around my hips and down through my quads, my breathing became deeper and I noted that I was beginning to feel desperately cold.......was this the onset of hypothermia?

With gritted teeth I continued and battled through the last few miles and then took a nasty stumble which ended up with me in the middle of a large puddle, not nice on tired legs! As I went on my way a lady appeared from the darkness and called if I was alright and it was then I decided that enough was enough and told her I was finishing at the Pub, so that I could complete a full marathon.

I got to the Checkpoint in a good mood but asked them to keep my race position open so that I could get my head together, have a cup of tea and make a decision with a clear mind. I had my tea, thought the route through ahead of me and then realised that I was not right and if I had gone out again that I was a liability, not just to myself but to the organisers and decided then that I would pull out, after all, I had done a good run, the conditions extreme and my equipment was just not up to it....just remind me in the future, that if I am to do a night run again, GET A PROPER HEADTORCH, don't skimp on expense.

So in all, even though I only completed 26.2 miles of the course I shouldn't kick myself, it was tough and even if I do say so myself, a pretty good accomplisment, one I will aim to do again in the future or recommend to anyone who is prepared.

Memories of the night? There were loads

• The bagpiper
• Orion was visible in the sky and you could see Orion's Nebula
• The BIG tureen of soup
• My second cup of sweet tea
• Seeing a trail of head torches bobbing along in the dark
• The friendliness of the marshalls and host
• The big fat bloke in the pub taking the piss as I walked past the bar (Don't worry he got it back too)
• Matt's headtorch which seemed to light up half of Kent
  

Thanks to everyone.

The Challenge begins

Here I sit, bags packed and in the car, I am all dressed up in my running kit ready for the Moonlight Challenge and really excited about the whole thing. What with the recent snows, the dramatic drops in temperatures which capped off an interesting time at the beginning of the year with my suspected broken foot, I never thought I would get to where I am today.

I have a feeling I am a little over prepared with 1.6 litres of Nuun (orange flavour), 2 litres of Lucozade Sport, 8 carb gels, 2 bananas and some chew bars. Don't worry reader, I am not carrying it all, I am just dropping it off in a stuff sack and if I need it I will use it.

I'll give you a full race report tomorrow, wish me luck.

The Weather remains

Wow it is getting colder now, the snow is trampled to form thick, dirty ice and the roads are slush which is certainly turning to ice as the temperature drops further. All ideas of doing a run are now in tatters as I planned to have my last run before Saturday.

Saturday remains a mystery to me, the organiser jokingly mentioned that the only thing that will stop the race is 2 feet of snow or a hurricane, a joke that nearly came true. I am now firmly fixated on the temperatures for Saturday and see that if the wind picks up I could be running into -5 C temperatures after wind chill, rain is squarely of the cards and there could be a real threat of ice. Somehow I don't think I will be running this one very fast!

Running in the snow.

Have you ever run in the snow? I have. Today I was really lucky as it was clear when I started running with hardly a cloud in the sky except on the horizon where they looked a bit grey. By the time I hit the Nature Reserve it started and boy did it come down. For us Kent boys, it is really great to have a few inches of now lay down and running in it is really exhilirating. As you sweat the snow falls in your eyes and you brush it away but I have noticed I have a real habit of sticking my tongue out just to get a flake on my tongue :-).

Go on try it, it is great, snow I love it.