Sore feet

After feeling so strong after the Gatliff event at the weekend I took a well earned rest on Monday but by Tuesday I was feeling a little sore in the leg area which I felt was just a matter of ironing out with a short recovery run.

Taking the unusual decision to take the car to the running club I chucked on my running kit and my now fast wearing out road shoes to take the longer journey (by road) to the club house. I felt quite free as I had no GPS watch, no backpack or associated kit with me as I was happy to run around with one of the groups who run at a nice medium pace and for about 5 miles.

I soon realised that in fact I could have gone for a faster group as my legs were feeling fine but I looked to the weekend and reminded myself that I will be running 80 very hilly miles in the space of 7 days. However, when I reached the 4 mile mark I began to realise that my feet were feeling a tad sore, not skin sore but mild bruising sore so was happy that I had made the right decision. When I got home and pulled off my shoes they were indeed partially reddened so had a hot bath and gave them a nice massage to get them malleable again.

Today I am taking the weight of them but teaching tonight which means I will be on them for 3 hours so will have to take care and watch how it goes over the next two days

Gatliff Marathon - Race Report (2011)

This run was on George and my "Runs to do list" for the year and this year was our third outing to Edenbridge to take part in it. Ever since we were entered the Brecon Beacons 40 mile ultra next week I was unsure if I should do it but after a lot of discussion we both agreed to do it as a double ultra but take it carefully so as not to tire ourselves out too much.

Arriving at the Edenbridge sports social club at 7.00am I was amused to hear George say "Good lord, look at that, the same old faces" and as we entered we were greeted with waves and hellos....oh dear we are "the same old faces!"

So at 7.45 am we left the club house with Rob and our newly found ultra buddy Barry who was soon coined Bazza for the remainder of the race. We were soon directed off road and I was pleased to find that we had joined our old friend "The Vanguard Way" a route George and I have been on many a time but it was really pleasing to see that it was the route of the now infamous London to Brighton that we first ran along 3 years ago with our good friend Michael. The run was soon to stop after about 15 of us were seen wandering around aimlessly scratching our heads at the first of many a vague direction from the instructions. Back on track we continued on to the first checkpoint for orange cordial and biscuits. The others had chosen to wear waterproofs but I had gone for just a long and short sleeved shirts which was more than suitable as there was only light rain for about an hour which soon cleared to a bright and clear day.

The merry band of four continued on in good humour, Bazza probably taken aback by the amount of noise that Rob and I were making as we teased each other remorselessly about our drunken exploits, Rob and his [alleged] use of trekking poles recently.

It was obvious from recent years that this course was very different from the last two and was definitely a hillier route and what with the late autumnal leaf drop covering tree roots and the fresh rain fall made the course very tough going in places especially over ploughed fields that made our shoes weigh about 10 pounds.

The course gets tougher

Passing the 10 mile mark we were met by our next ambiguous direction which had us going backwards and forwards trying to find the right route wasting a good 15 minutes adding an extra mile. After a good bit of team work we started off again and what I found so brilliant was that nobody cared a jot as we took on the next part of the course and to stop off for drinks at the next check point. 

Now entering the middle section of the race we also entered the hilliest part and I was soon recognising the route and was astounded when we started to ascend the North Downs Way and then cover the very same route, Brian George and I ran last week this time in the opposite direction but providing us with new found confidence as we knew this section well, ascending the North Downs scarp at Titsey Hill was one tough thing to do 21 miles into a run but to do the descent was hair raising stuff as 8 of us pegged down it, tripping and stumbling over the roots and arriving at the next check point for more cold drinks and biscuits.

The last section

Now entering the last part of the run we were soon beginning to curse the route designer for not just their tardy route description but now making us run up and down Chartwell and Crockham Hills not once but twice! It was obvious at this point Rob was on fire and wanted to pace off which we happy for him to do so Bazza and he took the lead with George and I pulling off the pace to a steady ticking over to get us through the next few miles unscathed

Back at the club house

Back at the start we were met with a pile of food fit for Kings and Queens, hot sausages in buns, cake, soup and enough coffee & tea to sink a battle ship. So after getting some dry clothes on we were soon seen stuffing our faces and joining in the banter with the other runners

In all 34.8 miles with 3,825 feet of climb (Checked against OS data) in tough underfoot conditions....brilliant day with some fantastic people

Gatliff report coming soon

An apology to my Dear Readers about the lateness of my race report for the Gatliff 50km that I ran this morning but it will come very soon as I am a tad tired.

I can tell you that in fact we ran 34.8 miles and took approximately 8 hours, it sounds a long time for the distance but we did take it easy due to Brecon Beacons Ultra next Saturday and we had an accumulative rise of 3825 feet, numerous foot bridges, stiles & gates to climb and hills to ascend.

No injuries to report, feeling incredibly fresh but my feet do feel a little sore from the pounding.

More tomorrow

Gatliff 50km kit ready

Planning to run light tomorrow and depending on the weather I may not take my waterproof but will decide at the start

Carbloading?

No, I think I should call it overeating.

The Delicious Mrs S had her heart set upon going out for a meal this lunchtime with the three of us as she had some 2 for £10 vouchers, as there were four of us I was commissioned to hunt the interweb for another one. After great difficulty and the threat of defenestrating  the elderly printer we were off to a large restaurant and its overloaded carvery.

As I am running the Gatliff 50km tomorrow I saw the carvery and began to fill my plate with every vegetable option available:

• Roast potatoes
• Cauliflower in white sauce
• Sage and onion stuffing!
• Yorkshire puddings x2
• Peas
• Carrots
• Red cabbage
• Bread sauce
• Gravy

My plate was overloaded and I was a tad embarrassed when I went past other diners whose plates seemed to be a little less filled than my mound. Head down I got to our table tucking in and as I dabbed the last smear of gravy from my plate leaving it perfectly clean Mrs S shoved the pudding menu towards me and there was only one thing that had my name on it a Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Sensation.....an enormous calorie packed ordeal which left my stomach near bursting point and the guilty pleasure of me meeting one of the Deadly Sins....Gluttony.

The Smallwood family were last seen rolling out of the carvery restaurant having lost the ability to walk but I am happy as I am now fully loaded for tomorrow's run

Just doing it

I am really looking forward to Sunday's run at Edenbridge, in fact I am probably approaching it in a very matter of fact way. However I am a little concerned as recently my big toe has developed a corn where the newly grown toenail is pushing through the upper skin and it hurts....this has now split!

So tonight the magic foot cream has come out to try and soften it so I can tape it up comfortably ready for Sunday. The whole thing with the toe has irritated me a little as I have been really careful to look after my feet in recent months but have a feeling this is my feet just preparing themselves for the Winter season of wet and cold....stop bitching Jerry.....Just Do It

Double Trouble

I have kept this off line until now as it was not officially confirmed with the Delightful Mrs S who has been monitoring my running activities with a suspicious eye for some weeks. Any late night activity deemed to be clandestine and running related has been questioned...until now.

George and I have become creatures of habit and always enjoy the Gatliff Marathon 50 km run having taken part in it a number of times and promises to be eventful, this was a planned run in our diaries but the promise of the Breacon Beacons 40 miler came with much surprise and great excitement....the problem? Well the problem was logistics, can George and I run two ultradistance events in six days?

In true spirit of adventure, there is only one way to find out....do it!

Race details:

Gatliff Marathon 31 mile (50km)    : Sunday 27^th November 2011

Breacon Beacons 40 mile (65km)  : Saturday 3^rd December 2011

I don't think I want to talk about accumulated ascent quite yet.

Why I love low-key events

No Bells, no whistles, no brass bands and no nonsense.

I received this no nonsense email from Dick Kearn, the organiser of the Grand Union Canal Race this evening

"For the benefit of first time entrants I wish to point out that this is a very low-key affair.  Please do not expect lots of flags, media coverage and sponsorship.  The event is entirely staffed by unpaid enthusiasts and is staged on a not for profit basis.  Everything is done as cheaply as possible to keep the entry fee low and make the race available to all.  If you are expecting "Goody-Bags" you will be disappointed!"

I think Dick Kearn is brilliant

Two weeks to go

This was the Likeys 40 mile ultra yesterday in almost exactly the same route as we are doing on 3^rd December....to say I am a little excited is an understatement.

Into the fog

Today was an unusual run as we had a "guest" runner with us in the form of Brian, so at last the Brecon Beacons Ultra team was together for fun and frolics on the North Downs. So at 6.45 am the three of us trudged out onto the North Downs Way ready to take on about 20 miles

The sun was not yet up but we were able to run comfortably in the pre-dawn light and when we were just 3 miles in we stopped at a particularly beautiful scene of the fog settled in the valleys and downs below when Brian exclaimed "Here it is" and we looked up to see the sun rise above the fog, a glorious orange ball spreading its warmth to the cold , dank ground below.

We continued on and the mischevious side of me decided to dip off the North Downs Way through a downhill path to the Pilgrims Way and then spotted a new path that was screaming to investigated. When ever I see a public path with a gate across it, it is like a red rag to a bull (more of that later) but we had now descended into the fog layer and the visibility was down to about 60 yards making it difficult to see across fields....this is to say we were now lost takinga  loop of a field until we all seemed to notice the hidden stile at the same time to find us back on track to appear on a road. We were unsure of the direction so the only way was to take a compass bearing to find that we had found a great short cut to Westerham. We remained in the fog for approximately 5 miles and made the decision to ascend the scarp again to the warmth of the day as all three of us were looking a little damp.

Later up the hill I asked if we could investigate a couple of paths we had passed on numerous occassions and after a disappointing one we were soon running down the second into a field of cows and as we ran across Brian and George shouted "Behind you" and I looked to see a cow bearing down on us to which I shouted a series of explatives and luckily it seemed to be put off by us but still very interested. I still think it was Brian's red shirt :-) The Cow Attack knocked our nerve a little so we took the easiest (and longer) route out of the field but then lost sight of the egress point so wandered around the field until we spotted it and we were back out onto the North Downs Way and the warmth of the day.

After a short break of soggy ginger nut biscuits and a sausage roll we climbed back up the scarp and then ran the upper section of the Downs in and around Tatsfield and the southern part of Biggin Hill to return to the car having completed about 4 hours 35 minutes of running and speed walking. I was happy with the days activity, George and Brian as usual were brilliant company and I know we are now ready for the Brecon Beacons 40 miler

Spanner in the works

Having written a series of entries in my blog recently waxing lyrical about the Kent countryside, how I felt great and the excitement of running some long distance challenges it all went terribly wrong this week. 

After Sunday's run and then a cracking Tuesday run I have felt this overwhelming sense of physical tiredness culminating with me not running for the remainder of the week. My evenings either working at college or flopped on the sofa. This morning I was even planning to go on a Park Run and was looking for the smallest excuse not to go which was soon found when I lost the bar code thing they require you to run and instead of printing one off layed the basis of Saturday's glorious lie in which found me asleep for 10 hours waking naturally.

 The four day break has left my legs feeling comfortable, my niggly ankle feeling loose and free but I do still have some residual tiredness. Although the distances don't look too long the actual height gain and effort we have put into them is much more than normal and it has shown through.

Tomorrow will be another Downs run with Brian and George, distance and route unknown but I am sure it will be a good one as the weather promises to be dry, can't wait.

Welcome to the Machine

On Tuesday evening I arrived home and collapsed on the sofa ready for a 30 minute power nap knowing that I wanted to run a  good, solid 12 miles after. Beside my kit I had my trusty back pack weighing in at 7 pounds, it comprised my skinny kit, a litre of water and sundry bits all items I will be carrying on the Brecon Beacons Ultra. My legs felt tired after Sunday's glorious run and my bruised shin ached!

Leaving the house I soon realised that I was actually feeling good, I was feeling as though this was going to be a methodical, comfortable run. The weather was cool and I was wearing shorts, a long sleeved top and a windproof jacket but on my arrival at the club everyone seemed to be bedecked in leggings, hats, double skins and gloves. I however was not perturbed as I was warmed up nicely having negotiated the woods.

Run with the group went well, Richard had decided to take us on a nice run route that comprised a lot of long, shallow hills where I found myself running in the road along cycle lanes "In the Zone" This particular road is unusual as it has a 2.5 km stretch that has an almost linear elevation rise. I felt particularly comfortable and decided to pace out at a constant pace, tick, tock, tick, tock.

The run went on, usual chat and training talk, grumbles and groans when I was released from the pack to lead the runners who wanted to pick up the pace in the last mile so I stepped into a 30 second per mile faster pace again consistently...I was asked "What is your tempo pace?" to which I answered " When I can just about whistle a tune"

On my way back home, after running through the night time woods, I rejoined the road and negotiated the last hill of the day when I was aware of a car travelling beside me. I do not who the driver was but he shouted through the opened passenger window "You are like a machine man, you are like a machine!"

Whoever this man was, he was right, I did feel like a machine that evening...the training is beginning to yield dividends, I am happy.

A run in a thousand

I awoke at 5.52 am this morning with the real need to roll over and have another 4 hours in bed. With great effort I pulled myself from under the duvet with the promise that in an hour I would be rewarded by the North Downs in its full autumnal glory, I was soon to realise that this was the right choice.

This week we had planned to run about 20 miles and had no route in mind but after some umming and arring we had parked the car in Knockholt and got kitted up in the pre-dawn light. I was feeling a little nervous having to run in my new Adidas Kanadia TR4 shoes as they were offering support in places I was not used to but really pleased they were low cut around the ankle and heel, I was not to be disappointed with them.

We jogged off slowly with me wolfing down a banana and carrying a full backpack of kit comprising the required equipment I needed for the Brecon Beacons Ultra weighing in at about 7 lbs.

There was a general plan that we would climb the scarp twice but I was keen to investigate some untrodden paths if we came across them but first we had to navigate some old friends too and as we descended the 400 feet towards Chevening my jaw dropped to the floor to see the sun rising over Kent and showing its head above the fog which was hugging the valley floor below. We were even seen chasing the fog as it dropped from higher ground as the tops of the clouds warmed up.

This joy was to continue for the next 19 miles as every turn, every ascent or descent opened its doors to yet another amazing view, such that we "wanted" to run and ascend the sides of the scarp to show us what it had to show us. Even run within the fog in the valley started to present fantastic sights almost ghostly as the hazy sunshine cast long shadows and created silhouettes of the trees. Cows stared at the ghostly sight of two fluorescent clad runners appearing from the mist, horses bolted and dog walkers said the gleeful good mornings as they too were enjoying the glory of Kent on an autumnal day.

This was not to say we were not taking our training seriously and were still running the hills, hauling our sorry arses through ploughed fields, my yellow shoes now looking a little more like trail shoes as the mud clung to their agressive tread.

As the morning went on the fog slowly started to burn off leaving a fine mist which again gave an ethereal feel to the world around us as farm animals appeared through the mist and ate the dew drenched grass, accentuated by the cobwebs.

Our journey was interrupted when we met a fellow traveller, well actually it was a local getting his morning newspaper, who I asked directions to a road where my great aunt used to live and the last time I was there was 40 years ago. It was here that George recognised hsi accent being from "The Old Country" and they reminisced about various towns in Ireland, we asked directions and we were pointed to the wrong road which found us running in a complete loop, laughing we got back on track and I was able to find the house and was just amazed how little it had changed and being fed carrots cooked for 12 hours and eating packets of Smash potato.

We continued and were soon back on the trail and running through yet more muddy fields and trails but soon had to turn around and try to get back to our starting point planning our route from where we were at that time.

In all this run was a run in a thousand, full of the beauties of Kent and as George mentioned on a number of occasions is what makes the weekend that little better as we can carry the memories of the run to our dull business desks in the week.

Sometimes running is not stupid

Say hello to YELLOW

After much deliberation by myself and patience from the salesman at the local running equipment emporium I have purchased my latest pair of trail shoes.

Say hello to the very YELLOW Adidas Kanadia TR4 trail shoe which are described as follows:

"...The adidas Men's Kanadia TR 4 are aggressive, agile trail running shoes with a fast and sleek look...."

The problem is that these shoes come up small and the salesperson was pretty good in coming out with various sizes and I think I got the right size, in fact I didn't even look at the sizes until I found a shoe that felt comfortable on me...let's hope so as I have a ~20 mile trail run to settle them in tomorrow

A challenge worthy of some respect

My next challenge is soon to be upon us, in fact only a month away and the organisers have now loaded the route, required kit lists and helpful tips. The Brecon Beacons 40 mile Ultra will prove to be a worthy opponent and I have taken some time to look over the map of the course and then map it out on a mapping website. Ordnance Survey maps do not show all the paths and so I am assuming we will be taken well worn ascents and descents along the courses of streams and contouring where necessary. The stats make some interesting reading:

Total Ascent:	5889	ft (1795 m)
Total Descent:	6126	ft (1867 m)
Start Elevation:	381	ft (116 m)
End Elevation:	380	ft (116 m)
Min Elevation:	369	ft (113 m)
Max Elevation:	1949	ft (594 m)

The total distance is approximately 40 miles (64 km) and proves to be a tough number and as you can see from the image above some vicious ascents and descents

One for the trail

A beautiful track by Dire Straits even more poignant on this day

As ever, play it loud

By Jove

Click to enlarge

It has been quite an eventful week this week what with being accepted on the GUCR event next June on Monday, reaching 2,000 miles for the year on Tuesday.

 This evening my plan was to knock out 10 miles sticking to the pavements where possible and to investigate whether I was able to cross a local bridge on foot that had been closed for repairs. It is a strange feeling running down the middle of a closed road that is normally busy with cars to find it so, so quiet. As I trudged down the road I looked up to a clear black sky and through the trees saw the full moon shining down on me keeping me company with its new companion just to its side, Jupiter (Jove). 

I had a strange feeling, almost comforting, to have Jove the Roman god of the sky and thunder on my shoulder as I went on my lonely and weary way. A strange thing really but it kept my mind distracted to get through the run comfortably.

On you marks, get set....

GUCR...GO

On 10th September I sent an email notifying the organisers of the Grand Union Canal Run of my interest in running the event in 2012 and was duly put in the ballot for selection. It appears this year the event was very overbooked and therefore the chances of being pulled out of the hat were slim. To tell you the truth my general feeling was just to enter it and if I was not selected then at least I tried which is a better feeling than not trying at all.

The draw for the event was held last night in the Swan, East Ilsley, Berkhire and we were informed that we would not know of the results until tonight but this morning the Facebook GUCR pages and emails were flashing around and I was really pleased to see that I am in....the training continues.

Tough little number

The general opinion of the day was that we had to raise our game with only 4 weeks to go before the Brecon Beacons 40 mile ultra. George wanted to take on a 20 mile trail run and I happily spent the latter part of Saturday evening having a look over my map to work out a route...I felt that we had to visit an old friend, part of the London to Brighton route reaching the M25 motorway and then join the Vanguard Way , then North Downs Way and up north to the car.

I found it really hard to wake up this morning and wasn't until about 20 minutes into the run that I felt human again and able to chat properly with George but found from the start I seemed to be ready to run, to take on the hills and not to let up. The first 8 miles of the planned route was an old friend with some nice little testers, hills we have respected too much and it was time for us to take them on and not be frightened of them, with a change of pace we were soon seen taking them in our stride. 

We reached the M25 motorway easily and we jumped onto the Vanguard Way to take us up a very steep and rutted route to the top of Titsey Hill through freshly planted fields and herds of cows bemused but beginning to show interest in two fluorescent clad runners pounding past their morning rituals and with that interest two fluorescent clad runners were soon seen ramping up the pace. The next ascent saw us speed walking and chatting about Brecon and the opportunity of having a short break at 10 miles for a bite to eat, today's breakfast menu a satsuma and a gingernut biscuit, we were soon on our way discussing the distant rain dropping in the distant valley then taking on yet another ascent to take us off the Downs and into the flatter, more welcoming paths.

The wind picking up, the temperature dropping on the top of the scarp I put my Buff on and we began to slug out the remaining 10 miles which comprised approximately 0.5 miles of road, the rest trail and field mostly filled with herds of cows getting in the last of the prime grass before winter sets in for sure.

The remaining miles flew by and we were soon on the final ascent to the car park, legs tired, both with twisted and stumped ankles from various trips and clumps. Heart rates up, lungs bursting from the numerous ascents and descents, both really happy with the run and a new found confidence.

Sunday's run , 20 miles with  2,900 feet ascent, numerous scratches from brambles and 1 blister.... aweseome

My old workhorses

I have been grumbling of late about a slight soreness in my calves the day after a run and this is indicative of my running shoes beginning to wear out ( The magical 500 mile inbuilt self-destruction?). I am actively looking for a new pair anyway as the Autumn has arrived and Winter weather is promised so I may get a pair of waffle soled shoes which will be great for off and on road training over the next few months.

Mindful of my sore calves (peroneus longus?) I have decided to pull out my old favourites, my Nike Pegasus, which I bought about two years ago and generally use during the winter months, however they too are getting old but will be perfect for the woods, a little tricky on wet chalk, but which shoe isn't.

This week's Long run promises to be a sticky wet one due to the recent rains so it may be best to keep to the main paths over and down the North Downs scarp this Sunday but I have been informed by George that we will have to do at least 20 miles this week with the promise of a longer one next week...who am I to argue

Moonlight Challenge 2012

As my regular readers will know The Moonlight Challenge is a "must" do event and I have to admit that I completely forgot I had entered a few weeks ago. I got this email this morning from Mike Inkster, the organiser:

Jerry,

Hope this finds you well? I’ve attached all the relevant details for the Moonlight Challenge which takes place on Saturday 4^th February 2012. Your number will be 11  which you collect when you register. If you have any queries or problems relating to the Challenge then feel free to contact me by email or you can always give me a ring..

See you in February.

Mike

This is great as it fits perfectly into my training plans and taper for the Thames Path 100 in March ;-)


I am also really pleased because I have a prime as my running number!

Wakey wakey

I have come to realise I have probably been overdoing it recently!

I worked out that between Saturday and Tuesday I had run 42.2 miles taking a rest of Wednesday as I was teaching at the college that evening. On my way home tonight I got on the train and the next thing I know I was at the end of the line having fallen asleep. The amazing thing is I must have dropped off before the doors closed as I remember nothing of the journey absolutely nothing, ziltch.

Frustrating thing was I then had to get a return train home but luckily it was to the station closest to my house and I was only a few minutes later than normal

Running Numbers

It is around about this time of year I announce landmark stats about my running, one which will be coming in the next week or so, injury permitting. Firstly during the month of October I was planning to step up the mileage a little but my ankle injury didn't help things when I took 8 days off whilst it recovered but I am still pleased that I covered ~166 miles ready to ramp up as we approach the Brecon Ultra in December.

However one that did go under the RADAR was the fact that since I started running again in 2007 I have run 8,300 miles which equates to running one third of the distance around the Earth (via the Equator); so if I was to start on the West Coast of Gabon in Africa I would currently approaching Papua New Guinea to the north of Australia