2012 - A year in numbers

It appears that the tradition is now that runners post their annual mileage either on their blogs or Facebook, who am I to disappoint :-)

Here are my numbers at at glance which average out at 4.7 miles a day

I have run in 7 events ranging from 26.2 to 102 miles every race I have run has been either a personal best in that distance and have even run the furthest I have ever done in one go. I am quite proud of my road marathon PB of 3:42 as this was run with only 20 hours notice with little or no preparation. My longest run at the Thames Path 100 was not without drama when getting hypothermia in the final few miles when unexpected snow fall hit the field of play and I am so proud of the achievement having run it with just "Race Support".

Highest Month	225 miles
Lowest Month	59 miles	Mainly due to recovery)
Highest Week	110 miles	March (Week of TP100)
Mileage Total	1,720 miles

This is a dramatic drop from 2011 but so much has happened this year in both my work and private life that sometimes running has had to come second to some of the more important things in my life. One thing that did hamper my running was a serious bout of depression that hit me like a tonne of bricks in April and May this year which coincided with the aftermaths of the TP100 and a very stressful time at work with large hours being worked causing me to be exhausted physically but not enough for me attempt the GUCR again, I walked away from that at 96 miles but I was so pleased with my effort.

The next BIG thing that knocked the miles was working at the Olympic Games, a once in a lifetime opportunity, working with the Anti-Doping teams...every moment there was worth every mile lost through running.

Forget the numbers, 2012 has been a brilliant year for me having run and met up with so many like-minded people that I  can't wait until 2013 when I will get to meet them all over again.

Good Boy Drops

Wow...that was a windy run this morning! As per usual no plans for a route and with no set distance Liz and I set off from Knockholt church at a very comfortable pace both sniffing and coughing from recent infections. 

After a mile or so we seemed to have settled into a good pace and we began to chatter about our various Christmases totally unaware as to where we were going, I am often amused by Liz as she reads my signals as I scan around for a route and as ever saw a path off the road and by the looks of it not used by anyone for years.

 Jumping over the stile we navigated around the edge of a field, crossed a babbling stream and then towards some farmhouses, as we approached we were met by a beautiful little border terrier who seemed to think we were his long lost friends. Running up to us we spent a few moments chatting with him until he was met by another dog who then thought we were two playmates. 

Leaving our two new friends to be recalled by their owner who had just surfaced from a barn we waved a cheery goodbye and left by an incredibly muddy path and out onto the road. Pleased to find that I knew where we were a route was finally devised and we trudged off.

The recent heavy rains has caused a lot of water to settle on already sodden ground which is not helped by the downland chalk causing incredible amounts of surface water and mud. Drainage channels are now streams and overflow pits are full to the brim. Running was nigh on impossible in places but great strength and stamina work my Monkey Feet doing their best to stay on.

Back off road we had the scarp to climb and I was feeling sufficiently nimble to try and take it on however sneaky Liz had other plans and calling me she offered me a lovely chocolate covered chocolate toffee stating it was so I couldn't run up the hill unless I choked...I had been given a "Good Boy Drop" as would an owner a dog for good behaviour :-)

So to the top and near the car Liz was obviously on full alert as I sneaked up an embankment to join the North Downs Way and I was met by a stern "Not trying to sneak in a cheeky few extra miles are you Jerry?"

"No" I lied...bad doggy

Just as the shoes dry out

So just as the Monkey Feet dry out I receive a text telling me there is a run on for Saturday morning...luckily not a very early one but it looks like the North Downs are calling us. I am still not feeling 100% at the moment with an ever underlying tiredness and slight cough but if I keep the heart rate down and the effort steady I should be OK.

A decision for the morning is whether to keep my Vibrams in the house and just go out in ordinary trail shoes for the run as I have done quite a few miles in them recently and my feet may want a rest, after all I have the Fan Dance in 3 weeks time and I won't be able to race in them there.

Off now to think of a vague route for tomorrow

Night Run - Unhappy sheep in an unhappy field

There are Night Runs and there are Night Runs, tonight this was one of those.

My good ultrarunning buddy Rob had placed an Event on Facebook advertising a run from Knockholt Pound, Kent but has decided to call it NRG....Night Running Group (see what he has done there?eNeRGy!). Sadly I have been off the running since 19th December with a horrible chest infection, cough and high temperature, it was touch and go if I could go but left the decision to the very last moment to say YES.

The Delightful Mrs S was none too pleased when she saw me getting my kit together and sneaking some cough medicine packing a pair of gloves, then went into a frenzy when she saw me donning my VFFs.

Arriving at the RV point I met, Andy from my club with Rob and his two club mates George and Phillip all bedecked in full night kit and obviously experienced enough to get on with the run. The first 1km was an uphill road which joined the North Downs Ways which we were soon to join to find ourselves squealing and howling through ankle deep mud which was wet, cold and clingy. So now officially anointed we  ran over the top of the scarp and with almost comic timing we all started to tumble and totter as the wet mud tried to take us to the floor, none of us fell victim but it was a close thing my Monkey Feet were not up to this level of abuse. Then entering a new field we were met by hundreds of yellow eyes, all twinkling in the beams of our torches that soon dispersed....unhappy sheep in an unhappy field.

Reaching the road and the first bit of flat, Rob, who was run leader took off just a little too quickly for my tired lungs but I kept up realising that if this pace was to continue I would have to turn back and go at my own pace (this was my passing promise to Mrs S before I left) and so after another mile of seeing the guys another 100 yards ahead of me I chose my battle wisely and requested that they continue on without me and I would return from whence I came.

On the promise that I would text to say when I was safely back at the car I bimbled off, an amazing sense of relief came over me as I felt the pressure to perform removed.

I was in my element now, the place where I feel most comfortable in this sport as I trudged off at a gentle pace sucking in the air and savouring the path...later I was to wax lyrical on Facebook:

"... 

Pitch black darkness, wet, windy, cold, mud half way up my shins, stranded by myself on the North Downs Way with just my Monkey Feet to keep me company and 4 miles left to the car.....my perfect evening out has just finished.

..."

So returning past the unhappy sheep in their unhappy field I ran to the car alone, slipping, clambering and smiling to myself to savour the end of my training drout.

Out of Action

For the past few weeks I just feel as though I have been dodging people with coughs, sneezes and splutters, the office even put out disinfectant wipes and hand gel to help prevent norovirus (thankfully that is nowhere near me) I was doing well until yesterday when I awoke...runny nose and chesty cough clung to me which is now developing into a full bout of man-flu. Having fallen asleep on the sofa for 2 hours for the past 2 evenings I have done no running and looks to remain that way, that is unless I can get out on Sunday for the traditional Mince Pie Run in High Elms...let's hope I can get out.

Piston Broke

Last night was my running club's pre-Christmas drink which was to be held after our respective runs. Full permission was given by the Delightful Mrs S and I was seen to jump from the door with my Monkey Feet and a head torch as I planned to run through the woods as I was slightly late.

Runs went well but my feet were feeling it towards the end but was happy to hear that a large contingency were to descend on the pub. Let's just say that 2 hours drinking on an empty stomach and after running 9 miles does not blend well with good decision making! I was in a very jovial mood and left the pub feeling a little inebriated but chose to run through the local park in the dark but then I thought it a "good idea" to take a different route through it to then find I was lost!!!!!!

My inebriated state left my decision making somewhat to be desired but the trick I have learned in night running is to run the contour and follow the fence line, the trick in my woods is to find the railway line (usually by their noise) but being late at night hardly any trains were passing so by luck I found myself back on track arriving home at about 11.40pm....the Delightful Mrs S not looking very happy as I was muddy and sweaty needing a shower to clean off.

Lesson learned

Don't run the woods when pissed :-)

The old joke

Harry is fiddling under the bonnet of his car. A tramp walks by, stops, and looks at him. 'Piston broke,' explains Harry. 'Ah yes,' says the tramp. 'So am I.'

How I keep my feet warm

...in Vibram Five Fingers

9 Days Later

Sounds like the aftermath of a zombie invasion but really it has been 9 days and I have run my first 47 miles in my Vibram Five Fingers and can quite safely they are money well spent.

I am sure that I will be advised by many people that I have gone out too quickly, too far at first but I can assure you that I have done them with great thought first. Every time the shoes got put on I would do a few 100 yards and get a feel of how my legs and feet felt.

Last Monday, the day after 15 miles, my calves were indeed sore and the soles of my feet tender but I was to rest for two days and they were fine. In fact my legs are the biggest problem where different muscles are being used but by far the weirdest thing is that I have found I am running on the full width of my foot now and instead of just my big toe and the one next to it, all my toes providing a stronger push off!

A little disappointed that I have missed yrt another "long run" opportunity today but in a way, I am glad I have so that I can rest up and enjoy this period of minimalist running. I am planning to run more in running shoes next week first to get some longer miles in on the hills but also to rest by feet a little.

2+2 = 5

Freedom is the freedom to say that 2+2=4.If that is granted, all else follows.

George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nothing to stop me

In recent times I have had to hot desk at work and have found myself gravitating towards a certain desk that faces West with a nondescript view from a dirty window. However in recent days the sunset has been glorious, deep blood orange with a creamy haze telling me there is ice in the air, I joke with my colleagues that we need to leave to find a hill and watch it for a few minutes and enjoy the moment but soon return to our mundane work and stare at  word-filled computer screens...I need to escape mundanity it is obvious.

At last I was able to put the latest problem to bed and I was seen leaping from my chair to get home to cook the evening meal to share with Jezzarette 2  and then get my Monkey Feet on and go for a cracking 8 mile run. Dressed in long-sleeved shirt, smock, my zip up jacket and Skins I jumped out of the door to run through the local streets with temperatures down to -2 C. Having sneaked my headtorch into my pocket it seemed inevitable that at some stage I was going to cut cross country but looking at the glistening pavements and frozen branches of trees decided woodland was a no no.....ankle twisting frozen mud awaited me there so chose to duck across common land where the temperature dropped dramatically such that I was soon pulling my Buff over my mouth and nose to stop the discomfort of the cold air on my lungs.

My feet slapping the cold tarmac as I concentrated on stopping the dreaded "heel strike" and I dodged frozen patches of water from broken street pipes. Tonight was a simple run but a contrast from the office and weak sunlight to a night-time run in the cold with my Monkey Feet was poles apart.

Listen to Everyone...

 follow Nobody, this has been my saying for many years and so I suppose this still stands true when it came to getting out in my new Five Finger Sport Treks. I was told take it easy at first and I did yesterday with a quick five miles (8km) on some light trail to come back grinning...I was going to enjoy these shoes.

Sunday's plan was to get up a little later than usual but this was soon forgotten when I rolled over to surface way beyond 10.00am, my run with HEROS now in the past. 

It was now later on in the day, we had shopped for presents and had returned home, the Delightful Mrs S ordered....yes, ordered me out of the door. Apparently I had all the tell tale signs of wanting to go for a run.

I grabbed my VFFs and informed the Delicious Mrs S that I had just bought them for my own present and instead of the obligatory:

1. What happens if you tread in dog poo? or
2. Don't stones hurt you? or
3. You look Stupid

I need a shave

I got "Won't your feet get cold?"....phew, I got away lightly so zoomed out of the house heading towards some mud. As soon as I was 100 yards down the road I heard a toot of a car horn and my neighbour Rob and wife Hazel stopped and teased me remorselessly about dog poo and stones, all good natured stuff.

The plan was to go for a run...and that was it, a vague route in my head but the ultimate result was to get to Duncan's house and show him my VFFs. After years of remorselessly teasing him, it was time to show I was a convert.

Listen to Everyone

KSO does not mean Keep Stuff Out

This was where I chose to ignore all the advice (I will suffer tomorrow I know) and whizzed off through mud, puddles and gravel paths. I was loving it, really, really loving it.

I soon found my way getting closer to Duncan's and saw he was in as the Christmas lights were flashing through the window and there were Disney cartoons on the TV.

Never in the history of runningkind have I ever seen somebody go from fully dressed and into running kit, windproof and holding a headtorch than Duncan when I mentioned a short run with him, I think it took 30 seconds I'm sure!

Follow Nobody

Me with 10 miles of running in my legs and Duncan like a rat up a drainpipe we were off with comments like "Point me to the mud".

Adding another 5 miles to my run, my pads feeling a tad sore we waved goodbye after a fantastic run together...two barefoot runners, Duncan the superior and more experienced, me secretly following him and getting tips on how to run.

Subversive Minimalist

OK Dear Reader... I know the regular readers will have got a hint, then  a retraction, but now you have a confirmation... I am now a fledgling Minimalist Runner.

This evening I was invited to a meeting at my College to see my new boss, the"Boss's Boss" and all the other lecturers I pass in the corridor to eat tuna rolls and drink table wine. I decided that I should mix work with pleasure, so on  my way I took a detour to the local Minimalist Runner's Emporium.

I found all the other skivers who must have done what I had done by sneaking out of work early thinking 5 O'clock on a Friday afternoon was "The best time to go"  VFF shoe shopping.....However I met a young lady assistant who was really helpful, she disappeared with my vague directions of "I am 8 in UK shoes, 26cm by paper measurement but happy to wear what is comfortable." to return with a box. By this time I had removed my shoes, made apologies to the lady next to me about my mismatching socks (green and orange), gnarled feet  and mention of my mate Duncan who I affectionately call "Monkey Feet".

Big Toe, Little Toe

The assistant was superb, "Big toe, little toe" she kept reminding me,as I shoved , pulled and wiggled into my new shoes and after a while I listened, Big Toe, Little Toe,  a squeeze of the toes by said assistant, a shuffle consisting of placing the big toe first and then in order to the little, a yank of a secondary toe by me  and I was in......left foot on. A  secondary attempt for the right and I was ready for the obligatory invitation on "Do you want a run outside Sir?"

I went off for a test run..........most runners do a 20 metre run......I enjoyed my run...and ran off  around the block instead of out and back. I heard myself say "Shoes may like the feet but the feet have to love the shoes"....my feet were in love. My helpful assistant was looking in the direction I had run off in and jumped out of her skin when I came from the opposite direction.

Then I mentioned my UKA Competition Licence and managed to negotiate a 10% discount, so shoes paid for, bagged and a cheery wave I was off to discuss "The Student Learning Experience", grading and "Why are there more vegetarian options when there are more meat eaters present?" the usual whinges of the academic staff. Then the wine flowed and an extra pint down the pub afterwards which soon saw me staggering slightly off the Charing Cross train station.

The temptation was too much

In my semi-drunk state I sat waiting for my train and my new VFFs were calling to me and so I ripped off my day shoes and went about the job of squeezing my feet in with the echo of "Big toe, little toe" ringing in my ears. I was in and happily walked around the station, the VFFs as comfortable as a pair of favourite slippers.

All I have to do now is run in them.

Fan Dance training starts

Click to enlarge

The plan this evening was:

1. Go for a run
2. Enjoy it

After that there was no plan although secretly I craved to have some "Me" time and just get lost in my own little world as frankly I had enough of people today and wanted to enjoy the solace of being by myself.

As soon as I stepped from the door I found the rain coming down and though that instead of trudging a set piece route why not do some hill reps...so I did. Running around the corner I went to a private road that has a steep 1:5 rise and  decided to do the following:

1. Run at 90% effort for 50m
2. Jog back
3. Run at 90% effort for 100m
4. Jog back
5. Repeat 25 times

Then carry on up to the top of the hill and take the long loop home, by repetition 20 my lungs were busting but I was feeling very strong leg-wise. Great  therapy tonight, loved the loneliness of the long distance runner.

I now have to do 2 sessions a week until the race so it looks like this is my Thursday training from now on with Sunday put aside for a full pack on the Downs.

Grooowl

Someone close the cage door before it is too late

I feel the Lion is at the cage door and am desperate to close it before it gets out, it must be that time of year as I am beginning to feel quite down. I caught myself with my face in my hands this morning deep in dark thoughts...need to snap out of it quick.

The problem with ultra-runners

The problem with ultra-runners is that they sometimes think they are indestructible or at least I do. Take Saturday's run, I felt great and wanted to go on and on, well for at least another 10 miles as the pace was there, the mindset was there....I was in the Zone.

Now Sunday, things were not great that day, I had family stuff to do and was happy to drop my run promising a good run on Monday and Tuesday.....so easy to say.

Monday

After doing some college marking I was mentally ready for a run and donned my kit, stepped from my door and immediately felt as though it was going to be a bad one but stuck it out thinking of the "Good to run on tired legs" but turned around after about 2km to trudge home, I just didn't feel right.

Tuesday

Surely Tuesday would be better and so I ran through the woods taken a longer detour as the river bank was muddy as hell and got to the club unscathed, chose my group and ran off with them and within 2km felt awful, legs ached, my guts were complaining and called it a day when the pack ran past the bottom of my road to see me sprint home and through the front door to the toilet where I was violently ill.

That explains it.....I am not indestructible, I am human and my body was telling me something I just couldn't hear it.

St Peter's Way Sweeper

I was minding my own business last night and happened to be on Twitter when I clicked a button I don't normally click called Direct Messages and saw I had received one back in 6th October from Lindley Chambers an incredible ultra-distance runner and now Race Director for Challenge Running asking if I wanted to be a Sweeper for the St Peters Way 45 mile race in February 2013, well you know me I wrote back and asked if the offer was still there.

I opened up Facebook today and read this:

Sweepers confirmed for the St Peters Way Ultra. Allan Rumbles and Jerry Smallwood, both awesome ultra runners. You will be well looked after by those two.

This promises to be a brilliant run with some great runners attending after some great write ups of Lindley's inaugural race the Stort 30 last month. I am really beginning to enjoy this idea of Sweeping and helping out the ultra-distance community

Eating on the run

This morning saw me do a very unusual thing of late....run on a Saturday morning but there was a plan for a 15 mile run afoot and I wanted to be part of it.

For some unknown reason I sprung from the bed at 6:06am 2 minutes before the alarm and was up and out of the house by 6:35am to meet four people from the running club, Liz, Karien, Eleanor and Emma. I had to be on my best behaviour today as I was the only man in the group but it proved to be a fun filled few hours with me taking a humungously stupid error on the route deciding to turn right for some unknown reason and then having to "make it up" for the next 3 miles looking for a convenient turn around to make it an out and back!!!!

However, at about 13 miles into the run the inevitable subject of food got brought up with the promise of bacon rolls and tea.....Liz and I knew there was a burger van about 0.5 miles ahead and our names were on the queue.

Let's just say the last mile was the slowest part of the run as we digested a beautiful bacon roll and brown/red sauce each....true food for long distance runners :-)