GUCR - Race Report

As you will know by now I did not complete the full distance of 145 miles but I want to tell you my journey to 91 miles.Some would say this is a failed attempt and they would be right, I don't, I see this as a successful attempt without the finish line!

The Start

With the stark warning of the dangers of pain killers we were sent on our way, I don't think we had moved 5 metres before we started walking as we negotiated low canal bridges and paths about 1 metre wide which was not easy as 93 runners negotiated the route.

Birmingham, now revitalised is a mixture of old and new buildings, the former still showing in the central and surburban areas. It took a little while to get out of town and I think I should get a prize for the first blood injury after I stuck my arm up to prevent me knocking into a bench and scraped my hand against the canal wall causing a deep graze that bled prefusely. The morale was high at this point which is always very dangerous and George and I made a conscious effort to knock off the speed to a comfortable 5 miles per hour shooing other runners away if we felt they were drawing us in. The general conversation with other competitors was about "strategy", usual stuff about 25/5 techniques, knocking out a fast first half ready for a slower second but I just brushed the subject with a "never more than 20 minutes ahead" comment.

George and were very happy to find that as we ran along we were to hit the first checkpoint (10.7 miles) at almost 8.00am on the dot showing we were pacing well and feeling very strong.

Checkpoint 1 (10.7 miles) and onwards

Looking good

At checkpoint 1 (Catherine de Barnes) I attended to my cut hand with antiseptic wipes and a plaster then went about scoffing a handful of biscuits and a few cups of cold drink, filled my bottles with water and nuun bugging out quite quickly.

We were now in rural parts and the path moved into rough path and hard mud. It came apparent that the flatness of the course and any incline felt like a mountain when the leg muscles moved to different sets and at about 20 miles I felt a little "wobble" as my blood sugars felt low and by luck there was a shop on the path where I bought a packet of crisps and a few bars of chocolate as reserves for a later stage. At Hatton Green we were to find checkpoint 2 and the start of 22 downward locks and at this point we happily entered for hot drinks and a pile of peanuts, biscuits and sweets.

Checkpoint 2 (22.4 miles) and onwards

This was an interesting section, both George and I were still in good spirits, both feeling happy that the last 2 checkpoints were under our belt and we were making good headway. Another thing that was mentioned was we were also pleased that the field had spread out by now which took away further pressure to run with people and at a pace you did not want to do.

At about 30 miles George shouted "That's the Allens ahead" and looking up I saw two people running towards us waving, indeed it was Brian and his son. Brian is from our running club and had said he would meet us at some stage. This was a fantastic morale boosting thing as we said hello to his family and had the chance to stop and chat for a little while but checkpoint 3 was a stones throw away and we were feeling hungry so we bid our farewells  for the moment as we trundled off laughing and pleased we had met up. The photograph on the right was taken from Brian's Facebook page and was entitled "We are treating it like we are on holiday"  That was an interesting comment I remember saying this to him as we were enjoying ourselves here and taking the pressure off. Looking at the clouds behind the weather was soon to change.

Check point 3 (36 miles) and onwards

To get to checkpoint 3 we had to climb up 10 locks, no mean feat a ~34 miles and by now we were getting hungry and the thought of hot food spurred us on and just as we were about to reach it we were met by the Allens again and we stumbled through feeling a  little guilty that we were not giving them our full attention with our minds focussed on a large bowl of soup comprising spaghetti, pulses and baked beans with a pile of bread rolls and biscuits.

The weather was turning bad no as a large rain cloud came over and dumped its contents but luckily we were safely ensconced under a gazebo. In the picture on the left I am to be seen stuffing food and probably eyeing up a hot drink. I promise you I only had two rolls and only a handful of biscuits but it was a meal fit for a King (or Queen).

A few sweets and savoury snacks later we pushed on finding the Allen family tucking into their picnic further up the path and bidding our farewells we marched off. We couldn't have planned it better as now the clouds had blown over and the sun was out. At 39 miles we came to a fork in the river and there was a little confusion on the map reading side  as we knew we had a turning soon but 4 miles ahead of ourselves looking at the next map in the series! I decided to cross over as a recce to read a sign and nearly jumped out of my skin squealing like a baby when a 2 foot Adder slid off ahead of me. We soon worked out our bearings and were off again

 

This was tough old section, the sun was out as we crossed into the midday sun reaching some beautiful scenery and bridge crossings. We chose this time to speak our wives and have a chat to say we were safe and all was going well as I know they were worried which in turn cheered us up. Around us we were aware of other runners as the checkpoints tended to bunch us together for a little while and ever so often you would see the glimpse of another runner as you rounded a bend. Passerbys would stop us to chat and we would explain what we were doing leaving them with opened mouths!

Our pace was still looking good averaging about 4 miles per hour but we were soon to focus on the checkpoint 4 where there were cold drinks and snacks awaiting. Due to the heat of the day we were pleased we had hired a British Waterways key that allowed us access to the locked water cabinets and taps so we could fill up. Before we could get there we first had to navigate over the Braunston Tunnel with the path taking us up a steep hill. This was probably the first time I felt a shift in our moods as we became more introspective. Looking back on this it was probably because we realised we had 100 miles to go at that time!

Braunston Tunnel behind us we battled on to Checkpoint 4 where hot drinks and snacks awaited

Checkpoint 4 (53 miles) and onwards

The little game of numbers is a great motivator, like here, we had just completed 2 marathons and we were focussed getting food on board, getting torches in our bags as it would be dark before we got to the next checkpoint and we had a long hill climb ahead traversing a tunnel under Blisworth hill, a horrible climb in the dark on a country road. I was cheered up to get a couple of texts and a phone call around this time from well wishers but when we finally returned to the canal side our pace was reduced to a fast walk and we were feeling stressed about times as we were trying to hit the midpoint checkpoint 5 well within the cut off time of 1.00am, both of us doing mental arithmetics about pace and time. I don't know why we were worrying about but one of the organisers was playing a good mind game at Checkpoint 3 about us having to hurry up a little)

Checkpoint 5 (70.5 miles) and onwards

We had been warned that a lot of people drop out at this checkpoint due to various reasons like:

1. It was half way
2. The night part was a downer
3. People were cold or unwell

We chose to take this onboard, ignore what was going on around us and just eat, drink and get into our night gear. I grabbed a hot meal of baked beans, quiche and bread, ate sweets, chocolate and drank a hot coffee. My concerns here were my feet which were now blistered and sore, the roadside repairs were holding up but my left heel was bothersome.

As we sat there we heard that runners were dropping out, by that time 22, nearly a quarter of the whole field and saw 2 of those people do it at this checkpoint. We chose to move on and get onto the canal again. Then the race really started for us, we were 70 miles in, it was dark, windy with a fine rain and dark clouds on the horizon. Our moods were down, George not talking and grunting ever so often, I was having dark thoughts and whimpering when my foot was placed wrongly on a rut, my foot blister filling with fluid and my ankle grumbling a little. I was pushing the pace to about 4 miles per hour, a speed walk and I think at this point I was in a better place mentally than George but at around 2.00am I began to hallucinate badly as my mind wandered away and I saw a black crow attack me, it was so real that I even put my arms up and ducked, I saw a black cat walk across the water and a green cowled witch sitting on her canal boat!

As the weather front pulled in George and I stopped for a rest and had a can of caffeineated energy drink which perked us up no end and we continued on. By now by blistered foot was causing me real problems and I asked if I could stop up and check it, it was now enormous and I chose to burst it and was taken aback by the shear quantity of fluid that came out, I know now that this was a deep blister. I now found that my plasters were not in my bag but as luck would have it another runner passed by and he told me his sister was at the next bridge and so I walked on to find that she was a nurse and patched me up with some great foam padding! George for some reason had decided to go on ahead of me but with my injury covered I found myself running to catch him a new energy inside me as the sun came up at about 5.00am. Converstaion returned and George thanked me for pulling him along.

Checkpoint 6 (84.5 miles) and the end

This checkpoint never seemed to arrive, we were now tired and glucose depleted, heads a little fuzzy and I had it in my head we were going to have hot food but I was wrong. We were a bit grumbly and it was difficult to read the finer print of the map and judge distance. On arriving at the Checkpoint we were disappointed to be met with damp crisps, damp peanuts and just a few sweet offerings. After a good chance to rest we had 15 miles to get hot food. We traipsed on, my mood was now rock bottom and George asked if I could go on as he wanted to repair his feet and woul dcatch me up. I carried on walking and was then surprised to see him run up behind me all well and chatting  an amazing turn around!!! We carried on for another 3 miles and George said to me "I just want to have a little jog to get my legs going I won't leave you" I knew that was going to be the last time I saw George for the race and so I hopefully carried on, my speed reducing, I was unable to quench my thirst even though I was drinking lots and I knew that if I did make it to the next checkpoint there was no guarantee I would be able to keep the pace on for another 18 hours so after much heartache I chose to make the call at 91 miles, my GUCR over.

GUCR - Pre-race Report

Wow, this is going to be a long report and don't know where I can start

The night before the big race - Friday 27th May 2011

After an uneventful journey we arrived at Birmingham New Street station and made our way to our hotel with the help of a very friendly local who walked us most of the way!

After settling into our rooms at the Travelodge Central George and I couldn't wait to get out to look at the start and so we went a for a walk down to Gas Street to the canal where we decided to walk the first mile an interesting recce showing Birmingham's old and new face

Registration

Registration was back at our hotel in the foyer but before we got there we popped into O'Neills pub next door to see if other runners had arrived and were pleased to see a few faces that I recognised from the Facebook page that was set up after a brief chat we went to registration where I got my number and my GUCR 2011 t-shirt and sweat shirt. Registration was brilliant, I was to be runner #51 and there was much excitement amongst the competitors as we laughed and joked nervously about our plans and as planned a few of us decided to meet in the pub afterwards.

With that George and I took our kit to our rooms and then went out for our belly buster meal, purchase some last minute items from the supermarket and then met up with other runners in the pub for a couple of pints before retiring to our rooms ready for the big challenge the next day.

The Race start -Saturday 28th May 2011

Up bright and early after a disturbed night's sleep (after all we were in the middle of Birmingham's party district) I ate a large bowl of cereal and a banana before dressing, meeting George and checking out and making our way to the start. All around us were the remains of stag night revellers, early workers and lycra clad runners wandering slowly towards Gas Street. 

The sky was thankfully overcast but the wind was up and we were soon to shivering slightly, I am still unsure if this was nerves or the early morning cold!

Then at 5.55 am we were called to go down to the canalside where we were briefed about the race and a stark warning made about Ibuprofen

"Painkiller It may take the pain away but it won't take the killer"

and with that stark warning we started on a fantastic journey

GUCR Race Report is coming

Dearest Reader,

My Grand Union Canal Run is coming and it promises to be an interesting one, as some of will know by now I did not finish (DNF) the event only covering 91 of the 145 miles.

Please check regularly as I will posting my report very soon

All packed and ready

Paramilitary Rabbit?

Wow, what a whirlwind of an evening, the weather has been absolutely mad and after having such a dry period we had torrential rain with a shower of hail stones and muggins here didn't have a coat!

Packing got underway after I dried off, all the piles of kit were sifted, sorted and then piled into relevant "to pack" piles, checklists ...uummm.. checked, stuff sacks...uummm... stuffed and eventually everything was placed in two holdalls, one for the back of the van, the other for easy reach to allow me to get to my kit. I am telling you, it is a work of art with all my odds and sods in plastic lunch boxes and a biscuit tin for easy access.

Then came the issue of my socks, many a person has mocked me for my use of cheap socks but they work for me :-) The only problem was that I grabbed old and new in the sifting/sorting stage and founs a pair that must have been used by a paramilitary rabbit (possibly the one I conjured up on the Ridgeway last year) so I think it maybe time to get rid of that pair.

A week of thousands

I am absolutely astounded by the generosity of so many wonderful people after my target for sponsorship for The Prostate Cancer Charity was hit into orbit passing the £1,000 mark, I am so pleased and gives me yet another reason to get through the Grand Union Canal Run but I have heard that there are some late pledges which need to be added, thanks everyone who has donated so far.

One for the trail

This is one for when alone on the trail and energy is low and morale is flagging......play it loud, I love it.

She knew how to sing it

Warm feeling

So it is Tuesday and physically I am feeling OK but last night did myself a mischief whilst playing on the Wii pulling my leg muscle a little, I am not too worried about it but it is an annoyance. 

I have been rushing about a bit getting the last few items of kit together today, you know the small stuff, wet wipes, packets of plasters and the like but just had one more thing to get. I had gone onto my running club forum and asked if anyone was willing to lend me their Garmin GPS watch and was really pleased when two offers were made. As this was my last chance to get it before Friday I drove down to my club house to arrive just before the first group of runners returned and was really pleased to see them all come trundling up the path with tired smiles on their faces.

I was then amazed by the warm reception I got and calls of "Good Luck Jerry" and then others coming over to chat about the weekend ahead, my plans and my training. A lot of these people I had never spoken too before but it obvious that they had been talking about me! 

I left about 20 minutes later feeling really excited about the weekend ahead, the fact that I had so many people looking out for me and willing to help in so many ways from lending a Garmin to apologising that they hadn't come to the track last weekend. Wow, thanks guys...this is when clubs really make the difference.

1000 for 2011

It feels as though it took a long time coming but at a very much reduced pace this evening (almost speed walking) I hit the psychological barrier of 1,000 miles so far for 2011.

That is the equivalent of me running from my house and reaching Naples in Italy as the crow flies and assuming I can walk across the English Channel.

So from now on it will be nothing apart from walks to and from the station, being very careful to get the job done this weekend.

It is almost coincidental as my collection for the Prostate Cancer Charity has almost reached £1000 after some really generous donations of late...fantastic.

Take it easy

The initial plan today was to go for a nice gentle run on the running track but having gone out with the family for a  meal on Saturday night I awoke feeling sluggish and a little drained and the weather looked as unsettled as my stomac! The plan soon blew up in a puff of smoke and I returned to bed for an extra hour in bed...and I felt great for it.

When I did get up I mentioned to the delectable Mrs S if she wanted to go for a walk to which she readily agreed. She wanted to investigate a series of paths just outside Knockholt, Kent which I have run on numerous occasions with people and was happy to go along with her choice and so off we traipsed gently taking the hills , stopping to stroke a horse, feed it a handful of grass and enjoy the views across the valleys.

It then occurred to me that I have run those bridle ways, paths and roads but never actually noticed that they are really beautiful and as we thunder past we miss so many things. Sometimes it does pay to slow down.

400 miles by 4 people!

This is a video taken by a club mate Jason Cherriman, at the Orpington Marafun last week. It shows Richard Griffin (144) and David King (198) both running the Comrades at the end of the week then George and myself coming through just behind both doing the Grand Union Canal Run. To think that weekend the four of us will be running a total ditance of 400 miles between us!

Thanks to Jason Cherriman, a very accomplished runner who came 85th in the Virgin London marathon this year taking this....and for allowing me to borrow the video (whom I haven't asked yet ;-))

Up, up and away

I am just having a nice afternoon rest (read as snooze) on the sofa and have been researching some possible challenges for the coming months and am drawn to a particular run that I may undertake. I don't want to say too much quite yet as I want to get the Grand Union Canal Run out of my system but look at the elevation...up hill all the way :-)

It must have been fun...

I was smiling at the end!

I promise you George and I had crossed the finishing line together, this is the picture proof we were racing to get to the tea and cake stand a moment after and I was just that little quicker :-).

Nervous as a kitten

It is ridiculous to think that with all this training on all surfaces from trail to road and to track that when I went out for my run this evening all I could think about was tripping over or twisting an ankle.

The paths in the nearby wood are as hard as iron at the moment due to the lack of rain and with it they are eroding quite quickly to expose old Silver Birch roots and ancient copsed trees so it was a matter of going very carefully. My run tonight was all about ticking over, easy, with a low heart rate and no stress so it was not a problem to duck and dive the hazards.

It is almost strange that I have run on mountain peaks, on trails awash with mud, forged rivers bursting their banks and also run these woods in hail, thunder and lightning but today I was like a nervous kitten. I was further dreading the next set of public roads, the scene of my mate George's twisted ankle and me having a nasty trip and scuffing my hip, knee and elbows on the terribly paved surface last year. Today was about getting there....carefully.

I have one more run to go, possibly Saturday, when I want to run 10 very easy miles on the safest, softest surface I can find...this kitten is very nervous of getting injured before next week

GUCR Planning

Tonight was all about planning for the GUCR, yes, George and I have been discussing it at length on our long runs but never sat down and made decisions.

I still wanted to get a run in of about 6 miles tonight and it is almost coincidental that he and his family live exactly 5 km from my house if I cut through the woods. On arrival we got all our maps out, letters from Dick, the organiser, and sat down for about an hour just to get some ideas on board, plan some timings, food and drink requirements.

A very useful exercise that has left me as nervous as a kitten but happy that we had the opportunity to go through the smaller details. Only 9 days to go!

Moonlight Challenge video

I just came across this on You Tube this evening, the start of the Moonlight Challenge 2011 with accompanying music from a lone bagpiper...enough to get anyone running away!

If you play the video and pause at 29 seconds you will see the flash of a runner in Union Flag shorts just behind the guy in the yellow jacket.

I saw you!

I drove to my running club tonight in view of just doing 10km in the slower group so as not to put too much pressure on my tapering legs.

As I stood about chatting and milling around before the groups were called I was approached by two people who said that they saw me running the marathon on Saturday and how was I feeling. I mentioned my surprise that they had seen me and I was feeling great.

I then went into my chosen group and I was approached again about being spotted and then again after the run I was told I was spotted and what was I doing running today! In all, I was spotted by five people from the club and was wondering how they knew me from a distance....and then it occurred to me why......It was my Union Flag shorts, trademark which I had completely forgotten I was wearing :-)

A Black Hole...

...or what happens when you lend your torch to your daughters when they go away on Duke of Edinburgh weekends!

My assigned chore tonight was to walk up to the local supermarket to get some provisions that had been left off the weekend list so decided the easiest way to and from the shop was via a woodland footpath...easy on the way there as it was light but on the way back it was a different matter so I took my torch with me.

So what happened when I switched it on? Very little actually as I was presented with a dull and murky light and so that is the next thing to be added to the ever growing GUCR check list......New batteries.

Sponsorship passes £600

I am really pleased to announce that sponsorship for the Prostate Cancer Charity has now passed the £600 mark and still rising with some off line pledges.

You still have time to donate by clicking the blue Just Giving Logo at the top right of my Blog.

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far

The last mile - Preparation begins

Yesterday's run is but a departed memory and I awoke this morning feeling brilliant almost to the point that I would like to go out for a run this evening just to settle the legs. I think in part this was because George and I took the run at a very sensible pace and to think I ran it with just a satsuma, half a chew bar and a carb gel (not really necessary but I took it on board in the mile 22)

The run now forgotten my mind is fixating on preparation and taking on board the discussions George and I have had in the last two weeks the spare room is being taken over for GUCR kit collection and prepping. With no long run this morning I did some chores and also popped out to the supermarket for a newspaper and whilst I was there bought a toothbrush for the princely 10 pence which I will have in my kit bag so I can freshen up in the evenings and morning then dispose of it when I do not need it; I have even purchased some antibacterial hand gel to clean up.

So this phase of the journey is all about kit preparation, map work and timing with George and I meeting up next week to discuss our goals and race needs

One for the trail

I just like this one, simple as that.....play it loud

Tick Tock

Not a race report as such as this event was never classed as a race in our heads, this was about pacing comfortably and getting to the end in one piece.

The Orpington Mara-Fun has never been billed as a race but more a charity event and people respect that there will be no timers and results are done on a "trust" basis where the finisher fills in their own time on a chart at the end. My day didn't start at all well as I had a terrible problem with "The drainage in the lower field" and took imodium near the start in case I had problems later.

As I mentioned in the previous blog entry we were running with a number of people from our club who wanted to run at about 4:30-5:00 pace and so we all went out at 10 min/mile pace and tried to remain at that average pace throughout. The weather was warm but there was threat of rain later on in the day which did not appear but in fact got warmer! This run is quite a toughy as it goes up some very long and gradual hills which are leg sapping. The run is a two looper and there is a bitch of a hill at the 12.5 and 25.7 mile mark which just eats away at your legs.

We got through the run very happily (although my tummy upset didn't help as I was hurting a little at 24 miles) and we were really happy to see the time on our Garmins:

4:21:25

Which is an almost perfect 10 minute per mile pace with 35 seconds to spare!!!!!

Well done to Tom, Clive and David who did very impressive times also, we apologise for leaving in the depths of the second half but the legs were settled in and pacing out.

Last Long Run

It is my last Long training run before the Grand Union Canal Run tomorrow and it is nice to know it is a local marathon whose start is a few miles away from where I live and by the end of the run I will be tantilisingly close to the 1000 mile mark for 2011.

It is promised to be a fun run as there is no pressure to get a personal best for either George or myself but we will be joined by Clive (The Chi Runner) , David, Tom and of course,George. We will all be running in our Orpington Road Runner shirts as a group and will be joined by Valerie as our guest who wants to beat 4:30 hours for a marathon, we hope to not disappoint her.

Whatever happens it promises to be a great day of running as it is not every day we all get a chance to meet up and have a good chat together.

Baby face or shock

I had to laugh to myself last night when I decided to pop out for a very slow and methodical run, the main reason was I wanted to get a couple of bottles of cider and some snacks so took my backpack.

About 100 metres uo the road I recognised a guy from my running club walking along with his wife and so I stopped and had a chat. Of course the conversation went straight onto running and he mentioned to his wife some of my long distance adventures to which she exclaimed "Oh this is the man!" (I had obviously been discussed before!). Then the Grand Union Canal Run was mentioned and there were more incredulous looks and I mentioned that as I was going to be 46 years old next month was then met with "WOW, nnoooo?" and an open jawed look of amazement.

This was the bit where I laugh to myself as I am unsure what they were amazed about:

1. It is amazing that a 45 year old can do this.
2. When I mentioned my age they were surprised and amazed as they thought I was younger.
3. When I mentioned my age they were surprised and amazed as they thought I was older.
   

Magic Forest Blog Returns

I am pleased to inform my dear readers that it is business as usual here in the Magic Forest Blog.

It appears Blogger has been down for a couple of days and some of my most recent posts have been deleted but I am assured they will return...somehow.

Come back soon as I have lots of updates

More work

I have always stood by the belief that when an opportunity presents itself then grab and run with it or you will rue the day that you didn't.

Such an opportunity has presented itself today and after a brief chat with the delightful Mrs S I will be filling in an application form for some really exciting contract work. I don't want to say too much at the moment but I am very excited with the prospect of this endeavour and relish the challenge!

A little pedal TLC

I was lecturing tonight and was having yet another long day on my feet, not that I am complaining. However I noted that my feet were grumbling with a few aches and pains in the heel region and so when I got home tonight I chose to investigated.

On investigation I have realised that as usual I have neglected my feet a little and so have had a totally satisfying ten minutes sanding down the hard skin, craggy old nails and rubbed some cream into my damaged nail beds with the posh cream my Mother bought me for Christmas.

This cream is called Crabtree & Evelyn Extreme Foot Therapy somehow the word "Extreme" makes me feel a little better but the description of smelling like sea air is frankly wrong. Saying that, it is amazing how my feet feel a little better and less likely to crack in the promised wet weather we are expecting.

Restless

After a great 28 mile run with Michael and George on Sunday I rested until Tuesday when I initially planned to run about 12 miles but there was a change in plans when I realised that the club runs were starting earlier this week due to the club AGM.

Due to these changes I decided to drive to the club and then just go for a 6-7 mile Easy run. However on finishing the run, attending the AGM and returning home my legs have done nothing but twitch especially in the outer calves and the quads which is driving me nuts.

I know I am tapering now and I have a marathon on Saturday coming but this is going to drive me crazy, my legs just feel like they are running...weird feeling!

No car...

...Oh well, I'll run to the start!

It appears that Saturday is a very busy time for the family as I have my daughter's birthday party in the evening and the ever lovely Mrs S is working during the day...and I have a marathon which is my local event fun run; the problem is I will have no means of getting there!

There is only one thing I can do then and that is to run to the start, so if I take the cross country route it appears the start is 3 miles from my house.

Me thinks I will walk home afterwards :-/

Penultimate Run

What a great run today and being that it was one of the final long runs before the Grand Union we wanted to take in a reasonable long run but not to the point where we tired ourselves out. George gave the run requirements that "It must be longer than a marathon" and I was happy to oblige and as is usual these days there was no set route but the only plan was to run from our normal meeting point at 6.00 am and run to Michael's house to be there for 645 am.

After meeting Michael we were off into the countryside with the promise that at 10.00 am we would visit the cake shop in Downe, Kent for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. The run was full of conversation and banter as per usual with us running over familiar ground and at one point I realised we were running the almost exact route of the night run we did in January and was amazed how different it was after 2 months of no rain.

So at 9.45 am we arrived in Downe and although we were a bit early the lovely owner let us in and we were allowed to order our cake, George and I, Lemon Drizzle and Michael a massive chunk of Coffee cake. They chose tea and I coffee, sitting down outside we had a civilised few moments as we stuffed the gorgeous food into our mouths.

Refuelled we completed our run saying our farewells to Michael as we passed the bottom of his raod as George and I made our weary way home both very happy that we are nearing the end of this phase of training and feeling strong but confident.

Last Mile

I keep having to remind myself we only have three weeks to go and the mileage can drop off, training has been so intense in recent times that I have this horrible nagging that I am not doing enough which is totally irrational. You will have read between the lines and noted that I am feeling tired now and motivation is really hard so we are having to push ourselves out of the front door to run.

The last two Long runs are coming up and I am really looking forward to them, George and I will be meeting up with our buddy Michael, whom we ran with in the London to Brighton race in 2009 (57 miles) and then next week we have entered a local marathon (~26 miles) when we will be running with our good friends Clive, David and a lady called Valerie. Valerie wants to run a 4:30 race and I agreed to pace her and I hope that I don't disappoint her. The marathon will promise to be a great time as it is not every day that we run a long event with such a big group...that will be fun

Buzz Buzz

Since the arrival of the GUCR maps and instructions there is a real buzz in the air, the Facebook page put aside to the Grand Union Canal Race has lit up and everyone is chatting and joking. I still find the group of ultra and endurance runners such a wonderfully friendly lot of people who are all mutually respectful of each other.

With friendly comments and helpful advice there are emails between competitors and Twitter feeds seems to be awash with comments about people last Long runs and plans for the next few weeks....and then the second favourite subject about food is now surfacing with sweets, lamb soup and pasta being favourites.

Buzz Buzzzzzzz

Grand Union Canal Run

...it is getting real! I have just got back from work and found my GUCR race pack has come through and I am race number 74.

I am going for a run tonight and meeting up with George to discuss some various details about the race and couldn't have come at a better time. There are laminated maps of the route, return slips for all our emergency contact details and instructions to support teams as to where to go and meet.

The run is amazingly well organised and I am now secretly getting very excited about the whole thing with spreadsheets of lists of items I have to take and not forget...I love this part :-)

Cravings

It has been another busy week of running and it has had its up and downs physically. I have been eating and drinking well but there are times when I seem to have these bizarre cravings by far the weirdest one tonightwas when I looked in the fridge for a snack and saw Coleslaw and peanut butter, it is from that point forward I was fixated on the two ingredients.

So at 11.00pm tonight I wandered into the kitchen and prepared the most unlikely sandwich on brown bread, a coleslaw and peanut butter sandwich which tasted a little strange but I now feel satiated.

Is it only me that gets these urges to eat weird foods but it is obvious my body needed something from those two food items.

Are sandals the answer?

Today was a scheduled rest day from training and I was put on various household chores and garden duties.

After lunch I was asked to drive the family to the Bluewater shopping centre and was happy to oblige as I am not a great lover of gardening unless it involves power tools so I happily jumped into the car with them all. I have to admit I did have an ulterior motive to buy a couple of small pieces of kit for the Grand Union Canal Run ;-)

Whilst standing outside a clothes shop for my daughter to finish purchasing a skirt Mrs S came out and pointed to my feet and told me that my feet were "disgusting!" Looking down I realised that I was still wearing my open toed sandals from the garden and was displaying my battered and blackened toenails. My big toenail finally came off (with a little help) on Friday night and still looks a little manky. Whilst she was pointing at them a lady passed, looked in the direction of my feet and made a grimace of disgust!!!

So it looks like from now on I will have to wear shoes in fear that I will scare young children with my unsightly toes.

North Downs Way...

...on Labour Day.

It was with great trepidation today that we ventured out for our Sunday morning run with our worries about injury but we were pleasantly surprised.

It felt like coming back to an old friend when we plumped for the North Downs Way and ran from Knockholt Pound to Titsey Hill and back a beautiful 20 mile run in the warmth of a lovely Spring day. Yes, dear reader, 20 miles a few more than we had planned but the injuries seemed to melt away and we were able to plod out a consistent pace.

We are feeling really pleased now, very confident and ready for action on 28th May 2011 in Birmingham

One for the trail

"There is no dark side of the Moon, really. As a matter of fact, it's all dark"

Play it LOUD...and enjoy