Heard on the trail - Motivation

Runner #1 " I am running London to Brighton"
Runner #2 "Oh yeah, who with?"
Runner #1 "With 2 idiots I know"

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81 days to go, this idiot can't wait, I bet the other two can't either :-)

Ouch, part deux!

I awoke at 5.00 am this morning with an excrutiating pain between my shoulder blades, a sharp, gnawing pain that can stop you in your tracks. I have a feeling it is a mixture of a tough trail run and moving a pile of bricks to the dump that has caused a muscle tear or a trapped nerve.

I am taking a mixture of ibuprofen every 4 hours and paracetamol after 2 hours every 4 hours, it seems to work but annoying as I want to go for a pack run on Tuesday and then taper to my 30 mile trail run on Sunday, let's see how it goes.

Tough running

Sunday saw us starting early so as to miss Biggin Hill Air Show crowd, one weekend sees cars from all over the south east of England descend on one small airport to watch some military planes go through their paces.

We were ready and kitted up by 7.00am standing outside St Katharine's Church, Knockholt with a vague plan to run west along the North Downs Way to Tatsfield and then cut down through Clacket Lane to join the Vanguard Way. We were going to run about 10 miles out and back again allowing us to take in part of Stage 3 of London to Brighton.

Great plan but boy what with the overbearing humidity, the incessant heat and undulation, we were soon to find we had commenced on a very tough and demanding run.

We had a welcome break when we did some navigation work past Limpsfield Chart on new territory and were able to locate a very important stile and path connection tolead us into Stage 3 but then we had to ascend back into Limpsfield Chart up Trevereux Hill, a vicious little number but with our built in tenacity we dug in and reached the top and rested in the shadow of St Andrew's Church.

Another great moment was the run along Chestnut Avenue, Tatsfield a shady, rough trail of about 2 miles which allowed us tostretch out our legs after a vicious ascent and saw us running at 7.5 minute/miles, not bad for the conditions.

In the end 19 miles of great running.....not evry run that you can drink 3 pints of fluid!!!

A bargain

A good old moral dilemma....

I went to a local large supermarket this evening to get some more Lucozade Carb Gels. At the store I climbed up the shelf and took the box at the back as they normally have the longer shelf life and decided that as they were the cheapest around (73p a sachet) I would buy 20 so I took 4 out of the box and took the remaining 20 with the carton (easier to store at home). I then picked up some sports drink and some other stuff.

Went to the check out and said to the bored assistant "There are 20 in the box", she dutifully tapped in the numbers and scanned one. I packed up and put my card in to pay not even listening to the amount and walked off. It is only until I got home did I find she had only charged me for 2 gels as opposed to the 20 and she had obviously miskeyed the zero.

So here I am, I have just bought 20 gels for the princely sum of £1.46.....Should I go back to the store and point out the error and pay the outstanding £13.14? I'll let you decide, then I will tell you what I did.

A very hot and sweaty two days

It is has been a hot and very humid few days here in deepest, darkest Kent and motivation to run has been difficult. I have a feeling George had similar thoughts to me on Thursday as we discussed a training run but thankfully peer pressure won and we went for a good 13 or so mile trail and road run... and felt great for doing it BTW.

Friday evening was even harder as the pressures of work, private life, the excesses of training , doing it by myself and the damned humidity massed to form the biggest feeling of lethargia I have had for a long time.

In the end I ignored the feelings grabbed the nearest piece of running kit, put a wet Buff around my neck, found a bottle of water and ran a gruelling 8 mile trail run in the hot, sticky heat. It took slightly longer than a usual run but I did it. On that run I didn't see another runner, not a single one...motivation is high, Learn from Everyone, Follow No One...

Learn from everyone

Learn from Everyone

Follow No One

Watch for Patterns

Work Like Hell

New runs confirmed

Great news, I have finally sent off the applications forms for the Tanners Marathon, a nice 30 mile (48 km) trail run and Caesars Camp, tough 50 mile (80 km) race.

To tell you the truth, I am a little nervous about doing then as they are quite close to my 2 target races of London to Brighton and Faversham but I will take them steady and use them as tougheners for the main events.

I am pleased I have these on the horizon as training has been tough in recent times and I just need something to focus on short term.

Eventful day

The started at 5.45 am when I was rudely awoken by the alarm, a quick breakfast and then I was in the car for the drive to Edenbridge to meet the guys from Extreme Running for some navigation training in preparation for the London to Brighton

Denis and Mark from Extreme Running had arranged a nice little route of about 8 miles that took us through some permissive paths, tracks and roads around the area. Good run with some great company, I certainly picked up a good few tips and different techniques from the others and they will definitely be useful in the future.

On my return home I took the wife and children out for a sponsored walk around the local nature reserve and was really pleased we had such a nice time which finished off at the pub for a cold drink. It was the local clubs race today and I could have helped but too much of my time revolves around running that my wife wanted a little time as a family.

Saying that I made up the rest of the day doing family stuff and finished it off with a nice 10 mile road run, wow, that is a new one on me and it felt quite strange going out again.....my daughter was heard to exclaim "I don't know how you keep motivated"....I have to ask myself that question on a regular basis.

Down turn week has ended, time for the build again.

Fell runners

One of my favourite photos at the moment...Thanks to Jules at UK Runners for sharing

Apparently these guys were just about to undertake a fell race and the start and finish was the bouncy castle :-)

The 3 Peak Challenge

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The Three Peaks Challenge involves climbing the three highest peaks, respectively, in England, Wales and Scotland, within 24 hours.
The Peaks are:

1. Ben Nevis (Scotland - 1344m)
2. Scafell Pike (England - 978m)
3. Snowdon (Wales - 1085m)

It is a popular misconception that the three peaks in question are in fact the three highest in Britain. Over one hundred peaks in Scotland are higher than Scafell Pike, and 56 higher than Snowdon.

I was the designated driver for this event and was not actually climbing the hills apart from Snowdon which was agreed I could run as my driving duties would have ended by then.

Saturday morning

I awoke at 5.00 am and dragged myself from my bed to get the 5.45 am train to London and then get me down to Gatwick Airport for my flight to Glasgow, Scotland. It was a stressful part as the queue for the Baggage Drop was horrendous and I missed my slot by 5 minutes which meant I had to carry my kit a s hand baggage. I was further delayed when the xray machine picked up my maglite torch, a rolled up survival bag, this meant my bag had to hand searched and my torch chemically tested for explosives. Given the all clear I was dismissed but was further delayed as my shoes were checked, luckily they rang ahead but had to run in bare feet to the departure gate, with no belt and my shirt hanging out. I must have looked a right picture when I got on board the plane.

Saturday Afternoon

Saturday afternoon was a relaxing affair as we went to the pub in Fort William, had a great big meal and watched the Rugby on television and slowly made our way to the start of the Challenge at the Visitor Centre at Glen Nevis.

At 5.00 pm the clock started for real and the walkers went on their adventure leaving me in the car park to chat with other drivers, read a book and rest as much as possible. Later the gas stove was set up and 24 sausages were cooked ready to put into rolls as 8 hungry walkers tucked into them along with fish and chips for some.

Saturday Night/Sunday morning

Now my job started for real as I got the gang on the van and I drove through the night to Scafell Pike arriving at 4.16 am, some 6.25 hours on the road, jeeze I was tired but the walkers had snatched a few hours sleep in the back as I drove. Bleary eyed they went on their merry way up Scarfell allowing me to get 3 hours sleep and get up to cook beans and the remains of the rolls


Sunday

It was now apparent that the lack of proper sleep, proper food, the very hard terrain was taking its toll on the walkers and I as the driver. Come the morning, a hot meal and the thought that there was only one mountain to complete left us with good humour as we sped off to Snowdon.......or so we thought. Halfway through the last leg traffic came to a halt and we found ourselves in a stationary traffic queue in the middle of nowhere.....this meant only one thing a serious accident. It was agreed that the race clock was stopped at this point and it would not strat again until we passed the scene of the accident. After 1 hour we were off again and for sure looking at the cars it was definitely a fatality.

On arrival the guys debussed, some agreed that they were in no physical shape to get the 24 hours but were going to do their best to get as near as possible to the time and others were to "go for it"

In conclusion, this is an extremely difficult challenge, the combination of 24 hours of lack of sleep, poor food intake and the tiring effects of driving such a long way really makes this both a physical and mental challenge. Looking at the other vans full of "3 Peakers" the age group was about 20 - 30 years old, they were showing signs of fatigue and my hat goes off to my team who were in their late 40's and a 13 year old.........outstanding achievement even if you did do it just over the 24 hours but I think you can blame that on a van that was restricted to 60 miles an hour.

I will publish my run up Snowdon later and get some photos for you to look at so watch this space.

Picture just in of Snowdon Run

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More to follow......enjoy

It has arrived

After many months of umming and arring I have finally bought a Garmin Forerunner 305. It has been a big decision as they are expensive but having done just one run with it I have realised how useful this piece of kit is.

I never knew my proper pace and I was absolutely amazed as to what I was at tempo pace and how much pace varied on a cross-country/ trail run and how it all more or less averaged out evenly throughout the run. In all, I am a very happy little runner now

Running etiquette

This is a question of etiquette whilst running (if there is such a thing)

Question 1

When out running, trail or road, if another runner stops at a muddy puddle to negotiate it, is it good etiquette for another runner to shove or push the other runner into the said puddle?

Question 2

Having pushed said runner into the muddy puddle, is it good etiquette for the pusher to then point at the now muddy pushee and scream with manic laughter "You knew I would do that"

Just wondering

Check list

Getting excited about the weekend's adventure and the long drive between the mountains, I have to be truthful but I am really looking for to the opportunity to run up Snowdon. I have started getting my kit together and have just put together my kit list:

• Map & compass
• Kamleika smock
• Waterproof trousers
• Gloves & hat
• Whistle
• Survival bag
• Mobile phone
• Backpack (with bladder)

A run around the park!

Wow, what an absolutely awful morning for running! I awoke at 6.15 am this morning to hear the pattering of rain on the window and the roll of thunder over the house and looked out of the window to see a real tempest.

Every bone and sinew in my body screamed for me to get back into bed but I knew George would be coming around in 45 minutes. Time for a quick breakfast, cup of coffee and for me to find my trusty waterproof smock that hadn't had an airing for at least 3 months.

George turned up and I leapt up the drive and was wet before I got in! A quick discussion ensued and we decided to go to Polhill and run to Knole Park, Sevenoaks and what a run it was. It comprised an 8.2 mile to the park via trail routes and back alleys of Dunton Green and then a run around the park and then back. The hill profile was a tough one and it soon had us panting, I had to laugh as we always say "Cor, this is a toughy today!" but when have our runs NOT been toughies, I don't think we will ever be happy if it was an easy one :-)

Great run as usual and brilliant that the sun came out later on, I think we can call that a good 19.5 mile trail run with a hill run profile.

One week to go

It is getting exciting now, I have been to my sister's house today and looked at all the maps, seen their kit, dropped off my driving licence, bought a folding chair and a special boil in the bag meal for my supper on Saturday.

Only one week to go :-)

I am looking forward to running/scrambling on Snowdon and have started to organise my kit, I have just remembered that I broke my last survival bag so will have to grab one on the way....

Et tu Brute

It is done, I have entered the race......I am happy

Hail Caesar...

I can't believe I am looking past September 2009 already but I have been looking at the Caesar's Camp Endurance Run for absolutely weeks and really tempted to have a go. It looks like one mean 50 mile run which comprises 5 x 10 mile loops ran in part day, part night.....decision will be made this week about entry, I am just so tempted, I just need someone to do it with me ;-)

The hill profile is awesome and has a incremental rise of 7,520 feet for the 50 mile run

I love the organiser's taunt:

"The fee includes food & drinks every 5 miles, race t-shirt and my bemused laughter when you have a hard time. "

Up to Scratch

Is it me or are the stinging nettles and bramble bushes particularly harsh this year? I reckon it must be something to do with the rain earlier in the year but I have just returned from a trail run around the local woods and nature reserve and my ankles and upper legs are scratched to bugger. I am not talking about the usual light marks but great scratches that have drawn blood. A hot bath should get rid of the stings but I have to admit when sweat gets into them it doesn't half sting :-)

I am really looking forward to when the start forming their fruit, it is great going for a run and grabbing a few berries along the way.