A year in numbers

Wow what a year, a year which saw me run distances I could have only dreamed of only a few years ago. A year seeing me become 33rd in the IAU world rankings, run through the night, see hallucinations, run the last 40 miles of a 85 mile race with a badly bruised tendon and swollen foot, a year seeing me raise over £1200 for the Prostate Cancer Charity.

Here are my numbers at at glance which average just under 10km a day:

Highest Month	236 miles
Lowest Month	93.8 miles
Highest Week	93 miles	August (pre Ridgeway)
Lowest Week	15 miles	April (post Crawley)
Mileage Total	2156 miles

Mist and Mud

So the big thaw begins with the snow rapidly melting from the paths and trails, hoorah. Mrs J and I noted today that although the temperature was mild there were pockets of mist hanging over the stubborn patches in the low lying areas and woodland nearby.

My plan tonight was to run 14 miles and get my training plan back on track after the Christmas break. I set off for my run with hand and head torch with a view of going to the club via some woodland paths and soon found it was nigh on impossible due to the various temperature inversions mentioned above causing me to slow down and then to be met by pools of mud, glorious mud, I can deal with mud.

Getting to the club I went on a road run with some of the regulars but my legs were a bit dull tonight and was no way in the mood for a race finish but I finished strongly and happily. I then got it into my thick skull that I would run home via the woods along the course of the local stream and then found myself in the most precarious position as my head torch spotted I was in a completely unfrozen section of ice very near to where I stumbled yesterday!!!! With this my return was slowed as I then hit a thick patch of mist, then mud and then enormous puddles of ice melt.

Let us just say that my body is really tired now, drained would be a better way of describing it. Rest day Wednesday, a time to eat and recover ready for Thursday's tempo run.

A telephone conversation

Mrs J was on the telephone this afternoon talking to her brother over in Canada and went something like this:

"Jerry? Yes he is OK, looking a bit tired at the moment"
[inaudible question]
"Yes, he is off to the running club later"
[another inaudible question]
"Yes, I have a feeling he is training for some ridiculous long race next year"

I have a feeling she knows something is afoot but I think it is about time I let the cat out of the bag and mentioned GUCR to her...wish me luck!

OMG

I have been doing some research tonight on the Grand Union Canal Run we are doing in May 2011, the whole focus of our training and I saw a blog that read:

"...I could no longer think just about this moment, I had to think about getting there. 45 hours, 145 miles, 500,000 steps, 20,000 calories, one sun-rise, maybe 2 sun-sets. It was almost like someone has just rudely put these obstacles in between me and my finish...."

The more I read about this run, the more incredible it becomes, did I really enter this?

Homemade sports drinks part two

After discussing a method of getting rid of old carb gels left over from various races I have undertaken and not used I decided to make a sports drink but was inspired by Chris Carver's comments on the way he makes a cheap alternative (recipe here nearer the bottom of page)

So tonight, whilst cleaning up the kitchen I had a go at my own using Chris's as a basis.

Jerry's homemade sports drink

The amount of orange squash (cordial) can vary, I am not a lover of strong tasting squash. I use LoSalt due to a lower sodium content but includes a potassium alternative

Ingredients
100 ml Orange Squash
400 ml Warm water (boiled in kettle and left for 10 minutes)
1/4 teaspoon of LoSalt

Instructions
In a jug pour in the water and salt stirring until it is dissolved now add the squash. Pour into a clean 500 ml running bottle and shake.

So as you can see the only difference is the type of salt and works out at approximately £0.15 per litre, not bad considering some supermarket alternatives work out at £0.80 per litre.

Back on trails

After yesterday's forced lay off ( I was awoken by Mrs J being sick at 4.00 am) I got up at 6.00 am this morning and hurried around getting my kit on for today I refused to be late to our usual rendezvous point.

Hearing that the main access road to the woods was like glass I decided to go an alternative route along my road and up a sharp, steep hill. My body doesn't work for the first mile of any run let alone that hill...phew I was on my way. I was very pleased to note that I arrived 5 minutes early but got worried when I noted George was unusually behind time and was just about to text him to confirm when I saw him at pace running up the road. Another phew at least I didn't have to stand around much longer.

Good run today but hampered by the melting ice that was even making the trails hazardous seeing us skiiter and skate which is worrying as we are promised more snow tonightg which will only freeze the wet paths and roads again.

One thing I was amazed at today was a lady running at pace through the woods towards us who kindly warned us (a bit late for this run as we were 12 miles into it) that "The paths were very icy!!!" and then went on to show that she was running in spikes that attached to her running shoes. Thanking her for her kind warning we went on but we agreed that she was obviously dressed for a much shorter run (no fluids, windproof and a dog) so they would possibly be more comfortable under 5-6 miles, still impressive though.

A very non-running Christmas

I am quite happy to report that I had a very non-running Christmas with my presents being clothes, sweets and a book.

Well, I say that but my sister bucked the trend when I was handed her present and inside was a lovely brand new bright yellow running shirt. I have to say a very nice running shirt, very light weight, loose and VERY bright yellow. It will be christened tomorrow when we go out for a 2.5 hour run somewhere or the other to burn off this Port and Stilton.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers and followers

I will be tucking into the Port and Stilton very soon raising a glass to you all.

Time for a rest

Yesterday's night run was a tough little number with some very steep ascents which the two of us did not shy away from. I am still amazed how even though we are very fit how in recent weeks with our new training regime how much my base fitness has improved especially my cardiovascular work.

You can see in the picture added with this post a cross section of one particular ascent we ran taking us about 100 ft (~30 m) in 0.3 miles ( 560 m). We happily ran up this hill chatting about the map directions and before we knew it were at the door of George's mate not even out of breath.

I have come to realise that this also comes down technique and the way I run up these hills, shortening my stride, relaxing my shoulders, leaning into the hill and ignoring the pain of the lactic acid build up.

Enough of running dear readers, I am resting up for two days and will be out again on Boxing Day

Got your number

Training schedules, what are training schedules? Training schedules normally stipulate how far you have to run, how fast and what techniques are required to get to you peak fitness as efficiently as possible. Should we be slaves to these charts and lists? If so when?

It is a difficult one especially when you cannot guarantee the conditions you run in and so after my mammoth drive today being cooped up like a Christmas turkey I was desperate for a run and was really chuffed when, on my return, I found I had received an email from George asking about the road conditions....This means "Do you want to go for a run?" Of course it means "Yes, we have 12 miles to run" I replied.

Road conditions tonight were horrendous, the snow melting but refrozen on the pavements and the journey the rendez-vous taking an extra 10 minutes as I skated up my normal hill to the start. I still had no idea what route to take, especially with the conditions.

Meeting George he mentioned that "You know I won the Virgin London Marathon race number in the Lottery, well I have to collect it from Nigel's house tonight" So now we have a destination...all we had to do was find a route.

What do we do but decide to run to Nigel's house cross country, madness yes, George no torch me with my headtorch but the snow was on the ground, the cloud low which allowed at the ability to navigate through the woods and trails without the aid of a light...who is to stop us.

In my book Thursday is tempo night so I was very happy to dig in and run the course with our local knowledge of trail paths. I have since found out that the distance to Nigel's house was 3.8 miles as the crow flies but we ran 7 miles on woods and ice our course was a bumpy, lumpy one.

After getting George's number we ran back to his house on roads, the both of us on fire, as we bruised the pavements at a blistering pace.

Mission accomplished, George got his cherished VLM marathon number, we get a good run in and I get a night trail run in....mission accomplished, a win-win situation. Who needs training schedules?

Was it really that long?

I have had the pleasure of a 250 mile (~400 km) road trip to pick up an elderly relative who is staying for Christmas, I did not relish the idea of the journey but was lucky enough for my girls to join me and have a good few conversations about this and that.

As we joined the M4 motorway that takes you past Heathrow Airport to Bristol I noted that the distance to our turn off was 87 miles, the distance of the Ridgeway race I took part in back in August. I told the girls to look out and we could get a feel of exactly how far I ran/walked/limped and crawled during the run. It was astounding when you compress the journey into just over an hour and a bit.

Ever so often the girls would say "What were you doing now?" and I would say "Having a hotdog with extra mustard and ketchup on the side" or "Drinking a cup of tea with 4 sugars" or "Drinking vegetable soup with jam sandwiches"

I think they think that all I do on these races is I eat and drink...they are not wrong.

I am still astounded that viewing the distance like we did just showed the enormity of the tasks ultrarunners undertake, I know secretly my girls were amazed.

Sometimes Everytime

Some really great memories of some epic races in the 1980's, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Mary Decker just to name a few. A great written commentary, enjoy.

The cracks are showing

I have worked out that in the last 30 days I have run ~150 miles not the highest distance I have run in that period but every run has been resulted in my feet being very cold or being wet for a number of hours.

For a few months I have noticed that I am getting calouses on my heels which I have dealt with by way of a pumice stone however, the mileage is paying its toll on my poor little feet as I have found today. As you know the weather has been bad here in Kent and the snow and ice has remained on the ground for quite a while now but has melted in central London where I work. I have been walking to the station in wellington boots renowned for their lack of support and cushioning, my daily walk is about 5 kilometres in total. This morning, before I left for work, my feet were fine but by the time I arrived I found my heels were painful and then discovered that both heels were cracked, I reckon this happened as I sprinted across the road to avoid being hit by a bus.

So here I am potted and stumped, I have rubbed down the remaining calouses, rubbed baby lotion into the various fissures (stop sniggering at the back Jones), taped up the heels and put on some socks.

Lessons learnt
From now on after every long run I am going to ensure that after my shower or bath I am going to check my feet, oil them up and tape any sore areas. Nobody told me when I started this journey that this was what happens but this is my weakest point but worry not dear reader, I will be running tomorrow night, oiled and taped.

Some Night Run Pics

As I mentioned in my earlier post about the night run we went through Downe village and past Downe House, the residence of the famous English naturalist Charles Darwin. I thought I would publish these pictures of myself and the decorations in the village. It was surreal to see the trees appear through the fog as we ran past the church.

(above) That is me on the right

(above) One of the village trees bedecked in lights


(above) The church in the centre of the village

Night cross country run

What a brilliant time we had tonight, absolutely brilliant. There are good runs and there are great runs, this was a great run.

This club does things completely different to my normal one, somebody shouts "Chris is taking one group, Fred the other and Peter the other one" then everyone gravitates to one of the run leaders and then run off, I wasn't sure who to go with so followed George and Michael.

Within 4 minutes we were on trails and we didn't leave them for the next hour or so as we cut across the local golf course, the snow over the top of our shoes. I know the area really well but this guy could navigate it at night and also in the fog and he knew it so well he was picking the pace up at about 8-8.30 min/mile pace.

At one part we came to a field cutting across it following the line of overhead power cables, the pylons poking through the fog like tripods from War of the Worlds the cables humming as they arced against the mist, surreal is not the word.

We soon cut back down the woods and into a small village where the occupants had done a fantastic effort of adding lights to the trees and adding lit reindeer models by the road, really pretty.

Off on pace we cut off road again and were asked the question "Around the edge or through the middle?" I shouted out the latter as we ran across the middle of a ploughed field (covered in snow) at 8.00 min/miles skitting and skating across the ruts, crazy but fun.

Great run tonight, legs feel great considering I ran 30 miles at the weekend which just shows the training is really paying off now.

Frustration

This weather is now getting ridiculous and my training plans are going to pot as it is just too hazardous to run on the roads with the continuing drop in temperature as we expect it to be -4° centigrade tonight.

I had planned a 12 mile run tomorrow evening with two groups, one 6 mile at 7.00pm and then 6 miles with a group who were coming later to the club. That was until I was informed club night was cancelled for health and safety considerations....GGGGRRRR

That is until I got word that my other club were going to do a night trail run....awesome and depending who turns up will depend on the distance run. So Mrs S has informed me she is not working tomorrow night and I can take the car....tee hee night run here we come.

Race Database

Here is an interesting little project that has come my way, to assist in the creation of a database that will be used by my club Race Director to assist him to administrate the clubs annual 10 km race.

The requirement is to import data from the Runners World download file of applicants and input postal applications. Looks pretty straight forward with a simple schema and a nice little bit of brain work for me as I am going to write it in OpenOffice which is a licence free and available for free with the benefits that it is a very commonly used piece of software.

Nice to put a little bit back into the sport.

Kid in a candy store

I have to make an embarrassing admission dear reader, I couldn't find any socks this morning before my run so grabbed the first pair I could find. These socks were a particularly old pair that I sometimes use for work.

So let's put 21 miles, snow, ice and wet feet and wonder why I have got blisters on my big toe and index toe with my feet feeling generally sore all over.

Now visualise a bored husband walking through the shops with his daughter and wife feeling tired and hungry because he hasn't eaten since his 21 mile, cold and wet run that morning. Now imagine his wife getting fed up with him grumbling and him being told to bugger off to the sports shop to look at stuff.

Yippee I went off and had a look around and have bought 3 pairs of socks and a nice new hat (my current one is an ex-Army woollen thing that shrinks in the wash). Now I can have warm ears and comfortable feet for a change.

I hate mornings

I was awoken today by our cat howling like a Banshee at 6.00am an infuriating 8 minutes before the alarm was due, this in turn awoke my wife who then visited the toilet and came back to bed, my 8 minutes of duvet time was now lost so I trudged downstairs.

The plan was to meet George at 7.00 am and then together we would run down to meet Michael at 7.30 am but first I had to navigate a local road which rises 100 feet in just under half a mile, not the steepest hill on a map but when it -5 centigrade and covered in snow it is very hard work as I slipped over the ice.

Once this was navigated it was a tough but straight forward run in and around the trails, paths and byeways with much laughter and good natured banter. The weather has frozen already wet and rutted mud under the snow to create an ankle twisting route.

I am really pleased as this was the end of the first of many back-to-backs we will be undertaking and we were both very pleased with our level of fitness to be able to do this.

Homemade sports drinks

Over recent weeks with the decision to cut down on calorie intake on long runs and a definite reduction in the use of over-rated carb gels. I have found I have about 20 in a lunch box in my kitchen cupboard and in my sports bag about to go past their sell by date.

The problem I have found with gels is that you are advised to use one every 20 minutes with a good few gulps of water this causes a big influx of glucose to the system. Sometimes you can actually feel it doing its magic more with your mental faculties as your brain takes up the glucose that it would have been craving. Each satchet is about 75 pence (cheapest) and I used to go through the box load .

So what to do with this surplus? I decide on an experiment for tomorrow's run andmade my own sports drink with them

Recipe

1. Warm some water in a kettle ( do not boil)
2. Pour 250 mls of it in a 500 ml jug
3. In this warm water squeeze one carb gel and stir until dissolved
4. Once dissolved add cold water to fill the jug.
5. Leave to cool

Just add this to your ordinary sports bottle, if you want to make it isotonic add one of your favourite tablets such as Nuun. Be careful of the flavours I am lucky as everything I use is orange flavoured but that bit is up to you.

Not the cheapest drink on the market but it saves wasting unwanted gels...enjoy

Not the coldest run

As the title suggests, after today's massive dump of snow on the South East of England I decided the safest way to get my Father's Christmas present was to run to the shop. The temperature was way below 0 centigrade but when some more snow started to fall it was bitter on any exposed skin, that is where my good old friend the Buff came to my rescue.

It is amazing that such a small piece of cloth keeps your face so warm as it collects the condensation from your breath. I took this snap about 2 miles from home where the snow was about 4 inches (10 cm) deep.

Great run though and even though it was only about 9 miles it felt more like 15 with the resistance from the snow.

Big Freeze II

No not another post about what a wonderful run I had in the snow but one about how dangerous it is out there for many reasons. The has been a Bad Weather Warning for a few days here in the south east of England and today a very sudden and sharp snowfall happened with a dramatic drop in temperature which froze the already damp roads and paths.

Earlier I dropped my wife and her friends to a party and when we were going we saw a runner who, from his gait, we assumed was a club runner. The temperature was -6° centigrade and it was slippy out there and I commented he was being a tad stupid thinking he was going to be OK.

I dropped Mrs S off at her party which was on the edges of the countryside and the temperature now show -8° centigrade, the coldest I have seen it for quite a while and made sure she got inside before I drove off.

Driving back home I went the same was as I had come and then I saw the runner from earlier limping badly and holding his arm I stopped and called out if he wanted a lift but he assured me his wife was coming soon.

I still plan to go out for a run some time tomorrow but possibly later on in the day when it has warmed up slightly and then I will walk to the woods and run on the trails .

When washing machines go bad

Like a good little long distance runner I have got into the habit of placing my kit into the washing machine as soon as practicable after a run and putting it on a 29 minute quick wash. I then hang it up to dry....saying that, that is what I normally do until Tuesday night when I left it in the machine!

I was really keen for a run tonight, my thigh feeling better but not perfect, and the snow was beginning to fall. I got up from the sofa and went to my kit bag and then realised that I had left the kit in the machine...ggrrrr. I decided to go for my other kit but my gloves and jacket were wet so I put them on the radiator to dry off.......nnaaaahhh it was wet outside and I would be sweating within 5 minutes so went for it.

I was really glad I did as I had a cracking 10 km tempo run on my set piece route with the snow falling around me, I am beginning to feel the run is back in me.

Heat treatment

Wednesday evenings are my own now due to my recent teaching course finishing, I am lucky as my training diary is clear on this day but teaching still tires me especially after work.

Tonight I went shopping with my girls and on my way through bought some Deep Heat patches for my leg which is part of the ongoing problem I have with my buttock muscle and now hamstring. After my chores this evening I have taken great joy in resting up, a patch stuck to my thigh held in place by a light pressure bandage and the chance to watch the TV as the warmth does its magic.

I am still amazed by applying localised heat can make a muscle relax so dramatically, I have had the patch on for about an hour and the hamstring has softened up causing other areas of the thigh to follow suit; I have a feeling this is a mixture of the pad and the bandage.

Let's see what tomorrow brings as I want to make a decision if I should run a tempo 10km tomorrow night in preparation for the weekend where we have 30 miles of running planned.

Compression

My current injury has been worrying me slightly after Sunday's long run and I have been working out ways to compensate and cure it. There are some very obvious issues at the moment such as my calves and thigh muscles are very tight and I have a definite pull somewhere it the buttock area.

I have taken a decision that the only way through this is to stretch my legs muscles in the hamstring, IT band and buttock area as much as possible and have also worked out that I need to support the area as best as possible.

So how do I support it? So I have looked at compression leggings.....very expensive compression leggings, leggings I cannot afford 2 weeks before Christmas! So why not utilise kit I already have?

Tonight I ran with my running tights as a base layer and my lycra running shorts over the top to support the main muscle groups....it worked. At first I had a few niggles but after a while and everything was warmed up I had very little problems so food for thought.

The things they say

I had just completed a 6 mile run with the slower group tonight, a nice evenly paced little number that I was using to settle my legs down after Sunday's monster run. We stopped at the club house and as per normal I went around and mingled with people saying hello to the new ones.

We have had a quite a few new people, a group I coin as "Zero to Heroes" who went from nothing to be able to run a 5 km race. Some are really keen, I mean really keen and I was chatting to one lady who asked "Are you training for a marathon?" I replied "Eeerrr no a little longer one" to which she exclaimed:

"OH MY GOD, you are Crazy Jerry, Emma told us all about you, you run all those miles"

I had to laugh at he outburst and then she said "You run at night with a torch in all those crazy places....you're mad"

I had to smile and did so as I ran all the way home after...I couldn't disagree with any of her points...the things they say :-)

Ghost Story

I picked this great anecdote from a web forum on RunningAhead.com from a UK runner called gary73 ...spooky.

One summer evening in the mid 80s I was jogging along, a few days after running my first marathon.

A guy starts jogging along at my side & we start chatting. I tell him I’d just ran my first marathon but no, I didn’t belong to any running club. He recommended his own running club, he’d been a member for one or two years, club nights were Tuesdays and Thursdays at the old library building and to just go along and give ‘em a try. I thanked him for the info and we went our separate ways.

So the following Tuesday I went along & introduced myself. I looked around for the guy I’d met the previous week but he obviously couldn’t make it that night. No problem. Over the next few weeks I really enjoy the club runs & became a full member.

The months & years ahead I never saw the mysterious guy & absolutely no one at the club recognised my description of him. "No sorry."

I reckon that fateful summer evening I must've been running along and talking to a ghost.

I love stories like this, not for the ghost part but because it just shows our minds do wander and play tricks on us. I have been so engrossed in a thought process that I thought I was actually there and have even thought I was at a computer programming XSLT !! Wow the power of the mind

What a difference a day makes

Wow, today has been an awesome time in my little running fraternity with so much happening and people doing some amazing things.

1. Today I officially started my Grand Union Canal Run training
2. Mike, who ran London to Brighton with George and me has entered the Winter Tanners 50 km run in January
3. Dave a fellow L2B and Ridgeway veteran has just got a PB marathon of 3:18 beating his last time by a staggering 26 minutes.

I am sure others have done some great things today, all I need you to do is tell me and when I wrote the title of this blog entry I thought of this:

How far do you want to run today?

There was a certain amount of demob fever today as George and I met up at our usual place at 7.00am ready for our Sunday run. The general concensus was that we would run on a known route so that we didn't get ouselves into problems as there were reports of black ice still on the country lanes.

We went off on our run, the break really showing in our legs as we strided through the local nature reserve to bypass the town and surburbia so that we could get out into the countryside as soon as possible. We were seen to attack every hill, take on every path with a new vigour both happy to be running properly again.

That is until much further into the run when we had to make a major detour to go around a flooded section of road (we didn't fancy running in -1 C with wet feet, not today) and found ourselves on a under used road that was just sheet ice, totally lethal and it soon came apparent that the comments, grunts and groans from the two of us were becoming quite comical making us sound like Laurel and Hardy as we slipped and slided on the ice.

At about 13 miles we decided to have a little walk after having run up a particularly steep and long hill and then refusing to stop until we got to the bottom of the other side and I turned to George and said "How far do you want to run today?" without a flinch George replied "Anything between 10 and 40 miles will do me!"

I decided to run off at this point as I was hoping he wasn't being serious as it was proving to be a really tough run what with the low temperatures, the black ice, snow, mud and the fact that this was a return to running after a 2 week forced break. It was only until we got to mile 20 that we decided that another 4 would be enough as that was almost the midpoint of 10 an 40 miles.

Today was a gutsy run, my injury is still grumbling and worrying me as it was quite painful to run up hill today...not the best thing when running the North Downs. However we are still mentally strong, George having the ability to cite positive comments when the going gets tough and I was able at some stages to get myself totally focussed and only to be able to concentrate on pace and speed.

This was a great run today....the first official long run of the GUCR training, we are going to anaerobic monsters very soon.

Why I drink cider

A little secret I have kept over recent weeks is that I have been carrying an injury that has been causing me concern which I first reported in August this year. The main issue has been a pain deep down in my left buttock which settled down during and after the Ridgeway Challenge.

The injury has returned and I have stiffness around the hip flexor, IT Band and now more worryingly down the front of my thigh. I couldn't even start to tell you the names of the muscles in that area as there are loads but it has been affecting the way I walk which has not been made easy with the recent weather conditions.

The drop in mileage has in part been a good thing as it has allowed me to recover and recuperate but the stiffness in my thigh has steadily got worse even with consistent stretching and manipulation. So tonight I pulled a fresh bottle of my favourite cider from the fridge, poured it into a glass and took the bottle aside and used it to roll my thigh like a rolling pin. Absolute AGONY as I rolled it over some enormous lumps and knots in my thigh muscle, amazingly once these were rolled out I could stretch my leg and I found another area was allowed to be pulled out.

I have just stepped away from my PC and now found that the pain in my inner knee has evaporated, now I know this is not a miracle cure but surely I can justify to Mrs S why I need to buy cider....it is cheaper than a Sport Physio. ;-)

Pounds per mile

Have you ever worked out how much it costs to run a mile? As I seem to have plenty of time on my hands in the evenings of late I decided to work out how much a mile costs.

It works out I have not bought any new kit this year apart from running shoes and my favourite shorts. Let's forget about the shorts for the moment and look at the statistics for all my running shoes and since my start of running I have had 13 pairs of shoes and have worked out that the average cost is 13.8 pence per mile.

Little bit of maths tells me that so far this year is 0.138 x 2029.6 miles = £280. 08

I could add up all the sports drinks, food, race entries, travel to and from and much more but my wife will probably read this and ban me from running!!!!!

One for the trail

This is awesome, ghostly music which starts slowly and builds to a phantasmagoric crescendo both in imagery and music. This will get you to the top of that hill...just play it loud

It is getting silly now

George sent me an email today which sums up his (and my) frustration:

It's unbelievable. I have just entered my 10th day of non running. My last few steps were finishing Gatliff. It's not funny anymore and the novelty has well and truly worn off.

He has a longer commute than me and has had some really horiffic journeys back to his family during the bad weather last week so hasn't had a good run where I have been a lot luckier and been out on only 3 runs all on trail as the roads are still extremely dangerous due to the ice. Let us hope that the weather warms up enough to get the remains of the ice off the tarmac so that training can recommence.

Cats and Shoes

What is it about running shoes and cats? After recovering my trail shoes from the garden on Sunday I had them drying out nicely by the radiator ready for tonight's run, no problem.

After I got back from my run I peeled off my shoes and was hit by this horrific smell of cat wee, little bugger obviously decided that it was easier to pee in my shoes than go out into the garden, oh well I suppose it is better than the usual smell of cow and horse poo after a Sunday long run:-)

PS This is not my cat in the picture

Paarlauf training in the snow

The temperature outside is still a chilly -2° centigrade the snow has melted and refrozen, conditions on the pavements are as slippery as hell. In a nutshell DANGEROUS.

A message was left on the club website:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Tuesday 7th December - The BBC weather report which forecasts a maximum of 0° centigrade before Tuesday night, it will not be possible to undertake the usual group runs. Instead, we shall stay within the confines of the recreation ground, and with some additional artificial lighting, have a training run including relay paarluufs x 200 metres and some sprint sessions. Hot ribena and coffee/biscuits will also be available from the pavilion.

Who could refuse such an offer? I turned up at about 7.45 pm tonight to find the recreation ground still covered in about 6 inches of hardened snow that crunched underfoot where it had been thawed and frozen again....yuck. Not to be perturbed I went for a couple of laps gentle warm up and decided that I would feel happier just jogging around the edge by myself and not do paarlaufs a choice I glad I took.

Along with the others we went on circuits of a 400 metre lap (around the cricket pitch) for 40 minutes. I have to say my pace waivered here and there as my lungs were full to bursting point as every step I took was hampered by the snow causing me to slip about and mash my ankles. After 20 minutes I changed direction to rest my hip which was smarting a bit and continued to do so until time was up.

Afterwards, a hot blackcurrant drink and a laugh with the others....what a fun night, but tough.

Thames Trot Route

This was hard work but well worth the effort.

Here is the Thames Trot route mapped out on Map My Run

Thames Trot

I have mentioned this a few times of late but at last I can confirm I have my running number and maps through for the Thames Trot 50 mile run

These guys really know how to put on a good show when we ran in the Country to Capital in January this year with David, Rob and George. This run has equally good reports and one I am really looking forward to.

What makes it fun is I have friends who live near Checkpoint 1 of the run so hopefully they can bring some snacks along for us :-)

My race number is 45 and from experience the maps will have to be covered in plastic as last time we used them they turned to mush after 20 miles. I will map the run and publish it so you can have a look and give a view

Moonlight Challenge 2011

I am having trouble trying to make a decision about entering an event next year.

As you know the whole focus of 2011 is the Grand Union Canal Run and everything else is just noise to assist my training towards this massive goal. One run I really love though is the run in Chislet, Kent called the Moonlight Challenge.

Last time I ran the Moonlight Challenge I was very new to ultradistance and did not go the full distance of 32.75 miles (6 laps) instead only doing 26.2 miles (5 laps) preferring the warmth of the tent at the checkpoint.

I have now toughened up and got some good experience under my belt and want to take on this challenge yet again BUT it is two weeks after the Thames Trot 50 miler.

Am I asking for trouble or should I just go for it, afterall I have some monster mileage to complete before GUCR but have fallen foul of two long runs with such short turn around?

Should I run the Thames Trot and then just run the Moonlight Challenge very slowly and just enjoy the experience or not at all?

Day 8...

...and I have found my trail shoes.

It appears Mrs S moved them, bag and all, to outside the back door on Monday evening last week!!

The snow started to fall on Tuesday and it was only today that I looked out into the fast thawing garden to see the bag popping out of the top.

They are now drying out nicely in the back room...phew

Day 7...

... and still no sign.

Now I know I took them out of the car, afterall, I wasn't allowed to put them in the back of his car if they were not wrapped in a plastic bag (that he supplied). I took them to my house...I put them into my house...I am sure I did.

So where the Hell are my trail shoes?

One week later and I still can't find them!

The better part of valour is discretion

Shakespeare, in Henry IV, Part One, 1596:

Falstaff: 'The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life.'

...and so with that wisdom from George, my training partner, it was decided that Sunday's long run should be put into abeyance. George is the sensible one of our training partnership where as I tend to be a tad impulsive and invariable go with the moment...within reason. Rob's news with his horrific leg injury, the melting ice (with a promise of a new freeze) has really put the wobbles on our usual confidence.

The great GUCR training plan states that we should be doing a 22 mile run somewhere but with I have learnt this week that a 10 mile run can in fact feel like 15 miles with all the resistance the snow and ice produces. However, after a late telephone call this evening we have called off the long run for Sunday , it is just not worth it....we are in the long game here and one run is not going to hurt us.

Sad message from Rob

I got a sad message by text tonight from out good ultrarunning friend Rob who left this message and picture:Ouch! Pinned and screwed metalwork in a twice snapped tib and once snapped fib. Might be on crutches for up to 6 months with this crazy set of fractures. Was doing a recovery run after a lovely snowy run the day b4.

Rob, by the grace of god go I. I am really saddened to hear this news, really saddened it is just not fair

Running on Empty

Day 3 of the great winter freeze and another day working from home, both my girls' schools are closed and my wife cannot get to her clinics. Food is getting scarce in the house and so the deal was that if I was to go for a run today I had to get provisions from the supermarket.

So at 2.00 pm I met up with some good friends from the running club and we went for a very steady snow run around the local woods and nature reserve. It is quite sad to find quite a few trees have crumpled under the weight of the snow taking power and telephone lines down with them. None of this will stop the intrepid runners that we are from not running as we scrambled over them onwards and forwards.

After exiting the nature reserve I chose to run to the supermarket for basic provisions and realised that I and the rest of Kent had descended on the place as we all scrambled around the shelves grabbing what we could. All I could get was:

1. Dozen eggs
2. 2 x Indian take away meals
3. Bottle of Lucozade
4. 2 x litres cartons of orange

So after eating the curry tonight it looks like we are going to have sports drink omelettes for the foreseeable future :-)

Dactyl despair

I find it infuriating that with all the miles I train why do I lose a toenail during a mainly innocuous run.

When I got back from my snowy run yesterday I pulled my shoes off to find that my toenail was a bit sore and tender. I did what you are advised not to do and popped it with a sterilised needle and taped so it could dry up in situ and grow out naturally.

I am assuming that I must have stubbed it whilst my feet were cold and I had not felt it, otherwise it must have been because I had run 40 miles in a matter of 3 days and it just had enough. Who knows what my feet will be like as the GUCR training mileage racks up!!

Welcome Back

I love this.....life is for sharing

Great snow run

I have been allowed to work from home due to the large amount of snow that had fallen last night and during the day today, the depth is about 6 inches in places which for Kent is quite a drop.

My job today was to implement a small application for a project I was doing and to monitor any work that came into my queue and be reactive to such calls but from the looks of it not many people had manged to get to the office. So a quiet one for me....

...and then the call came to say that there was an impromptu run happening and to meet at 2.00pm, who am I to shy away from such a challenge :-)

I took great joy in going for an 8 mile run in the snow with 3 good friends from the club today, 2 going a little faster than I wanted as I still have Gatliff in my legs and the snow was really reminding my ankles that they were still a little sore as they twisted and mashed about in the ruts. My favourite moment was when I called to Liz to tell her that there was a field on virgin snow that NEEDED to be run on and then went onto make a Snow Angel in the snow....the 400 metre dash up and across the field was another matter, it was about 8 inches deep in places and had me panting like an overgrown dog by the top. The next issue was to get out of the field as there was no gate which required Liz and I to clamber over it with the help of Phil and Sabina much to our hoots of delight.

Anyway back home now, all cold and sweaty, who said running was stupid

Thames Ring 250

Applications for next year's non stop Thames Ring 250 mile Race are now open. The race date is 22 June starting at 9am from Streatley, Berkshire. Competitors will have 100 hours to complete the course.

Get you entry forms here

One NOT for the trail

This one you can play at volume 0!!!

Saying that, I could use it to get me up some tough hills at that tempo.

Feeling Good

I awoke this morning and just before I stepped out of bed I had that my usual post-event thought of "What is going to hurt today?" I gingerly placed my feet onto the floor and stood up to find that the only things that felt a little uncomfortable were the tendons around my ankles and my inner knees.

This on one hand may sound bad news but I take this as really GOOD news showing that the weeks and months of good, solid mileage is really beginning to pay dividends. Not only did we knock off 25-30 minutes from last years Gatliff time but I can still feel comfortable to run tomorrow, although, as I type snow is settling outside my window.

There is no swelling around my ankles so can put this down to the hard, rugged surface we were travelling across on Sunday....I am very positive now, GUCR here we come.

Games Maker

I got an email today from the Olympics 2012 Games Maker organisers asking me to complete a couple of questions I had missed out on my application (I had forgotten to give my passport and driving licence numbers).

So hopefully I will be able to have some voluntary work in both the Olympics or the Paralympics in 2012, let's wait and see in January if I get an interview.

Gatliff - Race Report

Background
On the 19th Jan 1934, 24 members of the YHA met above Cox's Café, Croydon to form Croydon YHA Group. Herbert Gatliff was one of the founder members. The first Gatliff Marathon was organised in 1984 as part of Croydon Group's 50th anniversary celebrations. Hence the distance.

Report
Don't be fooled by the race title, this is not a marathon as we know it, there is no 26.2 miles in these runs, they are 50km, 35 km or 20km and primarily designed for walkers.

It was at 5.20 am I arose from my bed to go downstairs to my awaiting kit and with great trepidation stepped into the freezing cold crisp morning to see George pull up in his car with perfect timing. Without saying a word he pointed to the digital thermometer in the dashboard..eeeeekkk it was -6 °C/21 °F. The journey went by with mumbled conversation, I am not a great talker at those hours of the day but we soon arrived at Edenbridge, Kent and walked the 1/2 mile to the sports centre where the run was to start and finish.

As always the race entry was simple, name, address, telephone number, hand over a £10 note to be swapped for £2 coins. Putting the final touches to our kit and awaiting Richard's arrival we were soon out of the door at 7.20 am to follow the route directions.

Edenbridge
The Route started off quite flat but between mile 2 and 4 it rose sharply by 200 feet, this wouldn't be so bad but the temperature was working against us freezing the ungulate trampled fields to the hardness of steel causing it to become treacherous and ankle turning stuff.

As the route rolled out in front of us we were to discover that the directions were not easy in some places as the frosted landscape was not making making it very hard, the views at this point are fantastic, the landscape was covered in haw frost with the trees and bushes looking as though they have been dusted with icing sugar with every pond and puddle frozen.

At Holtye we could see the check point car in the distance which was there to mark us off and also to provide us with cold water, little did we know that it was going to be very cold water as we were informed that they had none as it had completely frozen!!!

It was then we discovered that in that hour the sports drink in Richard's bottle was now the consistency of a Slush Puppie and mine a big lump of ice!!! ( make note for future that if I run in these temperatures to put the water IN my back pack as my body heat would keep it melted)

Holtye to Ashdown Forest
We were now entering Winnie the Pooh country and George made it known that Pooh Bridge was somewhere around us but we agreed that it would be nigh on impossible to play as the water would probably be frozen like our bottles.

Soon after the check point we were asked to rely on yellow arrows as waymarkers, fine for walkers, not necessarily good for runners and at mile 7 soon found ourselves making the first of a few mistakes which added a mile or so to our overall distance and some ground lost. Good hearted still we carried on afterall it wasn't a race but a training run to get some much needed distance and experience under our belts.

We were now deep into the Wealds of Kent and the forest and woodland was indeed established, we were directed down paths about 1 foot wide with 50 foot drops to the side which soon turned to concreted and gravel paths then woodland to take us to check point 2 where we had the first food of the day, 2 Digestive biscuits and a cup of orange squash (cordial), I emptied out the ice from my bottle and refilled it with water from the barrel and then left to the steepest ascent of the course and then to the highest point at 500 feet

The trek North
After a good run we agreed that the mileage was being eaten up in a very consistent way and we were soon to see the bearings start pointing northwards and then found ourselves running on a disused railway line where me met some really nice people, one who recognised me by my Union Jack shorts as he read my blog [you know who you are ;-)]

That 1500 metres was a fast, tough run as we searched for the turning for the check point where our lunch awaited. At the check point I had:

1. A ham salad sandwich
2. 2 cups of chicken soup
3. 2 slices of fresh orange

Hartfield to Ashurst Wood
After we left the checkpoint we came across a runner hold his head up by his arm looking very sorry for himself. He complained of his neck hurting and making a "crunching" sound!!! I looked at his neck and indeed there was a lump. I then handed him over to runners approaching the check point asking them to ask for the staff to assist. I really hope he is OK.

At the next check point we decided that a hot cup of tea was in order and to get some core heat back in out bodies and were soon on our way to complete the last 15 km. From this point forward we really dug in, focussing on the route directions, in this section there were many short, sharp ascents and descents each one eating away at our ankles.

Why rotten potatoes?
At 25.8 miles we were struggling over a field with the remains of a potato crop rotting on the surface when I heard one drop from height near me, I was informed that we had run 25.8 miles. This magical number marked the end of the 2000th mile I had run this year!

Our return to Edenbridge
Amazingly we were still extremely strong towards the end as we ran off the hills and the lower areas of Edenbridge again on rutted path which was slowing us down in sections but we could see the Rugby posts of the sports centre in the distance and the thought of hot food drinks tempted us.

Conclusion
One tough run not helped by the cold conditions and rutted paths of ice and hardened mud. We agreed that we had held back a bit but were happy with our run but knew we could have carried on a little longer considering how little we had eaten during the course of the run