Any which way

Does it really matter which way I go?

I have spent a while tonight umming and arring about my route on Thursday planning it on May My Run and have come to the conclusion IT DOESN'T MATTER JERRY.

My wife is out at work in the morning, the girls just want to lie in and I have nothing to do so in the morning, after a lie in, I will run for the heck of it. I have a general idea of where I want to go but just for a change I am going to enjoy a training run without a distance or a route in mind.
Ooooooopppss , I overslept!

Back into my roadies

In the past 6 weeks I have only worn my road shoes six times as most of my running has recently been off road.

That works out at approximately 200 miles in trail shoes and about 50 in roadies. In fact tonight doing 13 miles in my road shoes was absolute bliss having forgotten how comfy my road shoes are even in heavy rain.

Country to Capital Route

I have just got the route mapped for the Country to Capital Ultramarathon on 16th January 2010. It always bugs me that organisers round up distances as this appears slightly less than advertised.

It looks a good course though and training is slowly getting there.

A few too many

Be warned, just because you are going for a run at 9.00 am instead of your usual 7.00 am it doesn't mean you can have an extra glass of port followed by a gin and tonic!!!

I awoke at 8.00 am in view of meeting an old club buddy for a 10 mile trail runand felt particularly groggy, no headache but that horrible malaise associated with over-indulgence.

So fortified with a cup of coffee and a glass of orange squash I thrust a bottle of water in my jacket pocket and plodded up the hill to Duncan's house who efficiently met me at the corner of his road and we continued off onto the locals trails around the nature reserve and woods. It took me at least 6 miles to vaguely feel human again but that was only after half of my water was drunk and all the "poison" burnt out of my body.

The Maverick returns to the local trails at last

Maverick

–noun

1. Southwestern U.S. an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, esp. an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.
2. a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
   

Synonyms:

1. nonconformist, independent, loner.

---

Origin:
1865–70, Americanism; after Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), Texas pioneer who left his calves unbranded

When I say I am running...

... I am probably really having a tea break

Here is Mike, myselft and George last Sunday having a quick cup of tea at St. Botolph's Church in Chevening which is next to Chevening House the official residence of the plonker Foreign Secretary David Miliband. It was quite pleasant as the Vicar came out and had a brief chat and was more than happy to have us hang around even though we were using the sarcophagus as a make shift table

Wish List

Spoilt for choice I find myself with £50 worth of gift vouchers from the local running emporium and keep thinking of things to buy.

There is the matter of a trail shoes which I seem to have found a soul mate in the Nike Pegasus 26 Trail WR but I am forever been drawn to the Mizuno Wave Harrier 2 (pictured) as I have been looked after reliably by the road version. It looks pretty good with a low profile with good cushioning in the heel and support in the mid-sole.

Next comes the idea of a good back pack, but I cannot really justify the outlay for the moment as I am not going for self-sufficiency in the next few months. The one I particularly like is the Inov-8 pro 18 as it can be used with a hydration bladder or as a standard day pack. The innovation I do like is the side pockets in the waist belt but I have a feeling they are to the side and not that easy to reach without removing the pack itself but has the ability of having accessories added.

As I say, a wish list , but I may just have to wait and get my kit as required.

2000 in 2009

At long last I have been able to hit that elusive 2000 miles in one year and today was the day.

An early morning start after the over-indulgence of Christmas Day saw us trudging very carefully along the trails and roads near to the North Downs Way and I watched with satisfaction as the Garmin finally read 7.2 miles into the run and I stopped and jumped one big leap to enter my 2,001^st mile of 2009, it felt quite a hollow win but it has been a great journey visiting some beautiful hard to reach places in North Kent.

Happy Christmas

A busy day started with my annual duty of Chief Chef and we went about creating a massive feast for 6 which included Turkey with all the trimmings, puddings and bottles of wine...delicious. I reckon it will take about 25 miles to burn off the excess calories and that doesn't include the extra glasses of port, cheese & biccies and the various selections of cake, nuts and chocolate.

After the Queen's speech we went about the serious business of present unwrapping and out of it came a new Ron Hill long-sleeved top (Hallelujah!) and some vouchers for the local running shop emporium .....and at last, a waterproof map of the North Downs, the other having deteriorated after a good few miles.

I am quite pleased as my gifts weren't all running related and involved a book and a DVD.

Looking forward to tomorrow when I go for a 16 miler as I can try out my new map and wear my new top.(shown above)

Tit for Tat

I was planning for a run tonight but the Christmas preparations have got in the way and there were a few jobs to do. Firstly get the girls into the shops to choose a party frock, get me to a local emporium to purchase a surprise pressie for the girls and then deliver some cards and pressies and then get back to collect the late night shoppers.

So no run but after some negotiations I have been allowed to run tomorrow in the early evening before we have some guests.

I plan to take it easy but fancy about 10 miles or so just to get an apetite :-)

First bath for 10 days!

YUK! I hear you exclaim dear Reader but no, do not be too perturbed I have had a shower or two.

I have been having my bathroom fitted with all new modcons including a roll top bath, spotlights and new radiator. We are having it finished after Christmas but have the plumbing done and can now at least have a bath.

So after tonight's slippery run I jumped into a hot, suddy bath and felt all the aches and pains leave my legs like magic...wonderful and reminds me of this old advert

Slippery, slip, slip

After the weekend's woderful run the South East of England was hit by a reasonable dump of snow which unfortunately landed on wet ground and froze over night.

The temperature has been dropping steadily all day and there was the nagging thought in my head that this could be the last chance until after Christmas that I could get a run in. So on my return from work tonight I got kitted up and have gone for a 6-7 mile run around some of the main roads!

Amazing that although there was compacted snow on the pavements my new trail shoes really had a grip on it and I very few slippery moments although walkers that I passed were having a harder time. I have a feeling it was because I was going at speed and the shoe was able to dig into the snow and ice better.

In all, a nice little recovery run that has me set up for the week although I may have a shorter one on Christmas Eve if I have time.

Sunday Run

What a morning's run, the recent snows lay thick on the ground in North Kent this week and with it there promised the possibility of a brilliant run on the trails of the North Downs.

As is the norm these days my Sunday morning was met with a 6.00 am alarm but this time I seemed to bounce out of bed to a hot cup of coffee, the kit list I wore last Thursday had the addition of a pair of garderning gloves to try and keep a dry layer over my normal ones.

I picked George up and we zoomed off to Keston Ponds where Michael was awaiting our arrival in his car. The temperature was around -1 C and after a brief gathering of kit we went on our way along the route 2nd Stage of the London to Brighton to Tatsfield where we would cut East and joined the Pilgrim's Way until we reached Chevening. It was still dark as we traipsed off but the trails were quite visible in the pre-dawn light as fought warm up.

Some of the lesser used trails were still covered in a few inches of snow and was crisp underfoot making the going quite tough in places but it was well worth the effort as the sun finally came up and cast it warm glow over the snowy fields of the Downs.

At about 12 miles we stopped at Chevening Church where we pulled out a few snacks and I brought out my themos flask full of hot, sweet tea....scrumptious but a bit weird with a carb gel!

The journey continued but we had the tough ascent to the top of the Downs before settling onto the North Downs Way. The Way was lightly trodden and was rutted under the snow so we had to take care as we stepped through the various woods along it. We soon had a section of road to run and made good time through the slush to Downe where we went off road back to Keston.

A great 21-22 mile run for the three of us and one with some lovely Winter views..great.

There's snow business...

...like snow business. Or what to do when you receive a severe weather warning.

I had promised myself a run tonight come Hell or high water and for my sins I was given snow. The walk from the station told me it was best to wrap up warm so if anything it was a good night to test my winter kit.

Tonight I wore:

• Thin Skin top
• Tech Vest
• OMM Kamleika Smock (waterproof layer)
• Karrimor jacket (windproof layer)
• Gloves
• Tights and shorts
• MOD Commando Watch Cap

I was warm for best part of the run as the multi-layer approach proved a good method on insulation.

The run started off best described as blustery but after about a mile the snow became apparent and after 3 miles, as I approached the outskirts of surburbia it was beginning to settle in the gulleys and begin to skid across the pavement in front of me.

The pavements began to thin, the gradient rise and the houses became more sporadic and so I decided to put on my head torch.

I "had" to run down a unlit country road that takes you down past the famous Keston Ponds. The ponds were just beginning to freeze over around the central weedy parts and to assist the freeze there was a covering of snow just settling on the thin layer.

My headtorch was on full and the freeze hardened snow flakes were scintillating in its beam as my frozen breath danced in the wind between flurries of fairy-like dust.

This was the uppermost part of the run and I scuttled off down the main drag towards home forgetting my headtorch was on my head and as I went past a pub I was greeted a lone smoker sheltering in the doorway he shouted "You be careful Brother" so I aeroplane winged my arms to a whoop of joy from him followed by a lung wrenching rattly cough [his]

So, in all, a great run, kit was great although I may review the gloves as they were perfect when dry but may cause me problems if they get wet in the current temperatures.

Blepharospasm

...or eye twitching!

Have you ever had an irritating eye twitch that never seemed to go away? Well I have and it has driven me mad for the last 3 days. The worst thing about the condition is you honestly think people can see your twitch.

If there is one thing I have learnt over the past week or so is the urge we have as a modern society to grab for the pain killers or the other form of medicine immediately without first going down the natural route. Don't get me wrong, I am no hippy-like puritan but I have noticed that the use of a heat pad can cure a muscle spasm, my cure for the eye twitch was a 10 mile run, maybe it only needed 3 miles or even 5 but the de-stress of a good run speaks loudly to me.

I am so pleased that damn twitch has gone though.

Back on track

I promised myself a good run tonight of about 10 or so miles and left work to be met with a cold blast of wind that made me zip up my jacket and hunch my shoulders as I shuffled to the station.

The club was doing a Christmas Holly Run that was quite a clever way of doing faartlek training with a festive theme but my legs were just getting over the recent double ultra and the last they needed was a short, sharp run.

So a quick phone call to George who was of similar opinion and I was around his house, suited and booted ready for our run. The first thing that came apparent as we stepped out was the temperature which had now dropped to -1 degrees centigrade and the first frost of the winter were settling onto car roof tops.

So a great 10 mile (ish) run at a good, consistent and easy pace lay ahead and completed. Plans discussed and ideas of new challenges seeded in my mind for 2010!

Country to Capital

So the next challenge has officially arrived in my inbox that of the Country to Capital a nice little 45 mile canal run taking us from Wendover to Little Venice in London.

As per all my great challenges we will be required to map read and will find us doing 20-22 miles on a hilly cross country section which leads us on to the Grand Union Canal to the heart of London.

I am feeling a tad nervous now as training I am just entering the last bit of training with my legs just returning to fitness (I hope) from our recent double ultra weekend. There is no doubt this is going to be a toughy and I hope the weather stays with us as my last experience of wet mud river running at Arundel has knocked my confidence a bit.

Back on the road....again

Imagine the scene...Saturday evening, me running around the house getting my kit ready in a big pile so I can get dressed downstairs on Sunday morning ready for a 12-13 mile trail run in my new Nike Pegasus.

Now imagine the scene...Sunday morning, I wake up and look at the alarm clock saying 7.00 am, I grunt and roll over...no morning run!

Andso that is how Sunday started, no incentive to get up and run but a ton of family stuff to do. Too many of my weekends taken up by running so it was indeed family time so today was about sorting the bathroom out for the builders but in the back of my mind I was still thinking of doing my run.

So this evening I donned my kit that was still in the pile from Saturday night and I went for a nice gentle 10 km run, no pressure just a plod around the local street, first stop the DVD shop and after that as far as I wanted without over stretching and also to check if all my injuries had settled down, they have and so I am back on track next week...can't wait.

New Trail Shoes

So after the frustration of my Adidas Kanadia trail shoes and the general bruising and trouble they caused me I have well and truelly thrown them as far as way as possible.

Say hello to my new shoes, a pair of Nike Pegasus 26 Trail WR. I had only 3 criteria:

• underfoot plate to protect my arch
• Cushioning in the heel
• Sufficient width in the forefoot

Small thing but really important is the shoelaces that are ribbon laces that are reasonably long and therefore easy to tie when wet and my fingers are cold.

So the test comes this Sunday when I take out for a test run, I'll report back soon.

Resting...

...for a little longer!

It is so hard to think about resting up after being in such a practiced routine for so long and I have found it hard to break away from it although all the various challenges I have undertaken recently have forced to do so.

So to injuries, well the shoulder cleared up really well, almost dramatically so but now a horrible little niggle has appeared in my heel near to the achilles tendon. One moment it is fine, the next it feels like someone sticking a needle in the soft part next to it. The Jerry cure all is in action as I type and have strapped a heat pad to it to try and loosen up any strains and will leave it over night.

Tomorrow is "Dress down Friday" so will use it as an excuse to wear some old trainers that will allow some support.

Painful Shoulder

Getting back from Arundel on Sunday night I made a mental note of the various aches and pains I had and thought how lucky I had been. Monday I noted that I had a general tightness across my shoulders however during Monday night and into Tuesday morning I was awoken on numerous occasions to the pain in my left shoulder!

I have taken painkillers all day but stopped at 4.00pm so that I could go to the club for a run hoping a little exercise may loosen my shoulder up.....alas not totally but sufficient to allow me to move it easily.

So back to running, I was tired having to walk on one or two hills and then took a gentle jog back to the club. That will do for now, this body needs to rest for a bit.

Video proof of the Doyen Mudfest

Doyen of the Downs - Race Report

The end of an epic year of running was met with a couplet of outstanding races, the Gatliffe which I have already reported on and my most recent, the Doyen of the Down 30 mile run.

The day started at the ridiculous hour of 4.15 am and I wrenched myself from my bed leaving my wife and cat softly sleeping, by the time they would be rousing next I would be 10-11 miles into my run.

Getting dressed and making my final checks on my kit I had a quick cup of coffee and then went out into the early morning which was gusty with curtains of rain blustering in to make me soaked before even reaching the safety of the car.

I went off to collect George, Brian and Michael from their houses and drove off to Arundel, West Sussex, the weather did not clear up for the majority of the 85 mile drive. As usual the journey was filled with banter, light teasing and at one point one of my passengers was abandoned at a petrol station for taking too long using the toilet....who has ever heard of an ultrarunner using a toilet, that is why we have trees!!!

Arriving at Arundel Football Club the serious matter of catching up with our long distance running friends and then getting the rest of our kit on, greasing up and making final decisions on what to carry. We were quickly informed that the course had been changed for safety reasons as the recent heavy rains had caused the marshes to rise by 3 feet and it had been re-routed along some roads and then onto the marsh and River Arun paths (more of those later)

Stepping out at 7.55 am it was the last chance to say good luck as we awaited the start, at 8.00 am we all strided out towards what was to prove to be a hard, muddy, wet and thoroughly tough run.

I felt great for the first 5 miles keeping a great pace as we trundled along the River Arun and then onto Monarch's Way a seemingly harmless section of off road path which soon took us into the Upper Wepham Wood, it is here that we were to experience what the recent heavy rains had done to the local trails. We we met with rain sodden muddy paths with 20 foot long potholes filled to the top with rain water, the recently fallen autumnal leaves making going tough as my feet stuck to the mud with every step.

At Checkpoint 1 we were given a glass of water and sent on our way, rain still falling in sheets but still a feeling of camaraderie between us as we went off road again to continue on along Monarch's Way and our first real ascent through the mud and puddles. I have been trying to think of a good description of the mud in places and have gone with "mud with the consistency of Grandma's cake mix", gloopy, stinky and energy sapping. This was not helped by my ripped trail shoes which had now decided to untie their laces every so often.

Checkpoint 2 loomed in the middle of a woodland trail (mile 10) and it soon came apparent that when a checkpoint was located it meant that immediately after it there would be a massive hill. Grabbing a banana and a handful of chocolate biscuits (cookies) I climbed the hill, my legs now beginning to feel the ravages of the previous week's run so I dug in things were not good when I was overtaken by George, Brian and Michael who looked pretty fresh.

Through the next 5 miles my mood went very dark and I was aware that my friend Ian was waiting at Checkpoint 3 to cheer us along and I went through tht horrible conversation of whether I should give up, one voice saying "No, think of the guilt and regret you will feel, how will you face your friends" the other saying "Yes, there is a hot cup of tea at the end". By now the field had thinned out and I was by myeslf, the voices getting louder and my mood darkening. There in the distance at Storrington was Checkpoint 3.

Checkpoint 3 loomed and as I entered the park gate I was approached by a marshall who had informed me that Ian had left with our friend Tom who was injured....there was my lift gone, I was at the point of no return and it was then a lovely lady runner smiled at me and said "it's tough isn't it? I can't wait to get home, come on" She must have realised I was feeling down so we ran for about 1/2 a mile before I strided ahead, that was all I needed, a little help to get me out of the duldrums. The voices gone, I battled on through muddy path after muddy path, through rain sodden fields until the first of the diversions were reached and we were put on a 1.5 mile road section where my pace upped and I was able to catch up and start going through the field of runners. It is here where we met the most ridiculous section of running I have seen which was a muddy quagmire of a field that reached over my shoes, causing me to slip sideways, backwards and finally on my arse.

By now I could feel my legs weakening and I hadn't even reached the ascent at 20 miles that took us from 70 feet above sea level to 500 feet within 1.5 miles, not the greatest ascent but at this point in the run and in the conditions it felt like Mount Everest all around me I could see fellow competitors walking and stumbling. Finally I saw the trig point of Highden Hill and the turn off that would take off the mud paths to a chalk one that would lead us on a 2.5 mile long descent. To the final Checkpoint 4.

At Checkpoint 4 I was able to grab a banana, and another handful of biscuits and I carried on with the thought of "only" 5 miles to go, by now I was in terrible pain in my foot where the integrity of the shoe was lost caused by the tear but I rearranged the socks, tightened the laces for the last time and battled on along the edge of the River Arun when at last I arrived at the Black Rabbit Pub, last year this meant a short run along the road for 1/2 mile to home but then I saw a new diversion that was 2 miles along the River Arun footpath, more mud, more water, more pain, the castle beckoning me but never seemed to get closer.

At last I saw the football club but was aghast when I realised I had to clamber over a wire fence to get to the finish line, one last hurdle and home.

So that was my run, a hard run which was made worse by the mud and rain but still a brilliant experience followed by a hot shower and a visit to the pub for a few pints, a hot meal and to share our war stories.

My favourite quote of the day was when I heard a couple talking:

Woman " They must have to be terribly fit to do it"

Man "More like F&%king mad if you ask me"

Stiff as a board

Feeling pretty good at the moment considering, there is a lot of nervous chitter chatter on the running web forums about the Doyen of the Downs on Sunday and it almost seems funny that nearly exactly 1 year ago I would have been mentally preparing for this run and similarly been nervous.

I am more concerned about recovery from last Sunday and feel my legs are a little stiff and my feet still feel a little sore but all will be OK, I know I will....now I have to face the problem of the shoes but will most likely wear my ripped trail shoes as I don't want to damage shoes unnecessarily.

...and I wonder why my foot hurts!

You can see by my recent race report that I hurt my ankle/foot during the run, nothing too serious but enough to be uncomfortable in work shoes.

I was sitting doing some work this evening and had put on a Heat Pad to just help get some blood flow throught the area and loosen it up when I was met by a scream from the utility to "move my stinky old trail shoes". I went in and grabbed them and found a great rip down one side of the left shoe (my bad foot) in the toe box which has obviously ruined the structural integrity of the shoe GGGRRRRrrrrrr

It is no surprise my foot is bruised, but we are now 3 weeks before Christmas and I can ill afford a new set of trail shoes before then.