Things are getting exciting

It is a big week this week in the world of my running and extracurricular activities and although I have three days off I have a lot to pack in.

On Wednesday I have my interview as an Olympic Games volunteer in London which I am both nervous and very excited about. I have no idea what they are going to ask me but it will be a great experience.

Then Friday I travel up to Oxford and stay overnight ready to run from Oxford to Henley-upon-Thames. To think that 18 months ago this would have seemed impossible, today it is so doable but I still have doubts...is that a bad thing?

Saying that, not all is running but also a lot of work from College who have passed me 40 scripts to mark which I will do over the next week

Quote of the day

"Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blood and ooze

So there I was, happily plodding around the local streets with some friends this morning running a cheeky little 12 miler. As is always prevalent on these group runs there was general conversation covering many topics and a lot of joking to pass the miles away.

It was not a particularly hard run and so the pace was a little faster than my normal slower long runs about half way into the run I was on the road and scuffed my foot on the tarmac and it caused me to stumble and as I did so feared that I may hit the kerb so dodged which made me lose my balance and I went tumbling over onto my elbow and knee, the latter taking the full brunt.

So there I lay, by mobile phones in one direction, my bottle in the other and my satsuma rolling down by my legs.

First thoughts were "Oh, I hope I haven't squashed my satsuma!"

I felt my knee hurt a little but got up and carried on running but got told to walk so I did for about 100 yards and then we continued back to base. It was then I pulled up my leggings and found a lump the size of an egg with lots of blood and ooze....it just shows that leggings are not just there to keep you warm as I would dread to see the state of my leg without them.

All seems OK, no joints bruised just a sore area that I will allow to dry out today. It is just so irritating to do this just 5 days before my 50 mile Thames Trot.

I can but I won't

This drop in mileage is driving me crazy, I have this totally irrational feeling that I am being lazy. This week has been a Cycle Down week where the mileage naturally drops in my training plan and has been perfect as we enter next week's lull before the Thames Trot.

Today for example saw my wife and I going to a local shop to buy a mirror for the newly decorated living room which required me to buy some keyhole plates to fix it to the wall so instead of driving the 4 miles to the DIY shop, I ran it. For all intents and purposes it was supposed to be a gentle little run which actually saw me run the whole distance there and back in 64 minutes at 8 min/mile pace!

Off to do a 12 mile road run with a few people from my running club tomorrow which I hope will be a casual pace, the upside is it starts at 8.30 am so at least I get a little lie in tomorrow :-)

The world's gone mad!

...those were last words of an email from Dick, the organiser of the Grand Union Canal Race, to me this evening!

As I reported last week I had placed my GUCR cheque in the post to Dick and it was just a matter of waiting for the confirmation. Dick contacted me as there was a little confusion with my payment which we settled very quickly and he confirmed my place in the race.

I jokingly mentioned that I hoped Henk van der Beek (organiser of Caesar's Camp 30/50/100 miler) was going to play some good Country and Western at his check point and this was the point that Dick mentioned that glorious quote:

The world's gone mad!

So wonderfully ironic from a man who organises the craziest of events :-)

New Shoes

After some good feedback I was finally prompted to get some new shoes from my usual running emporium tonight much to some lecturing and berating from Mrs S about having to save money but she gave up as I sneaked out the back door!

Trouble is with going to these shops is they never seem to have the current model you have and always press the latest "improved" version which have a completely different cut and new lacing system. I have to say though, the assistant who served me was very patient as I ummed and arred about the shoes, pulled them on and off, adjusted the lacing put them back on, shuffled about grumbling and moaning and then finishing her ordeal by me jogging around the store ( I hate the treadmill)

So I have bought some Mizuno Waverider 14 shoes (pictured) and so far feel pretty pleased with them as they have a lot of room in the toe box and seem to fit nicely around my problem toe. However, I nipped straight out of the shop to the Chemist and bought 5 metres of zinc oxide tape just in case I have problems over the next 3 runs.

Shoe conundrum - I have a plan!

Getting ready for my run tonight I pulled my kit on and walked to the door so that I could sit on the step outside and put on my running shoes my Mizuno Waverider 13. Tonight I went to the front door and found the black sole on the heel was loose and in danger of coming off if I was not "careful"

I first wore these back in August 2010 just before the Ridgeway Challenge and have done ~640 miles in them so far! I personally think that manufacturers design shoes so that they deteriorate at about 500 miles, especially around the sole and heel area. So far these shoes have held out, they have been relaced so that my toe tendon doesn't rub (injury from Ridgeway) and have been brilliant trail shoes even though they are primarily road shoes.

The conundrum is that I have the Thames Trot 50 mile challenge next week and still have 38 training miles of runs to do before this, as usual I have a plan!!!

The Plan (or a should I list)

1) Not use them until the Thames Trot and run my training miles in my secondary shoes?
2) #1 above but take a pair of my retired shoes with me to change into at a check point?
3) Buy a new pair and hope that the 38 training miles will be enough to wear them in?
4) #3 above but take my 640 mile shoes with me to change into at a check point?

This post is inspired by Andy Bowen and his 1,000 mile shoes

Food, food, food

...aaarrrgghh have I been hungry today.

I woke up hungry so I had some breakfast, get on train and I am hungry. I get to work and I am hungry, come back from lunch and I am immediately hungry....I think you are getting the picture dear reader.

There is only a certain amount you can eat and I keep feeling my mileage has dropped very slightly so I can only think it is my accumulative average and working late that is causing this calorie requirement.

What I have been good about though is not to snack on unhealthy stuff but had fruit handy on my desk at work which helped a little it is just so irritating to be thinking about food all the time.

Klaatu barada nikto

After such a dreadful running experience on Sunday I was determined to have a better one at the running club this evening and I think I pulled it off.

Every new year there is an influx of new runners to the club as the marathon season begins who are most welcome but their excitement masks their experience as they turn the group runs into a race. I have learnt from this and have made a point in the past few weeks to run with one of the slower groups to treat them as a recovery run from my weekends.

Tonight I plodded out to the club, taking my usual off road route and enjoyed a nice comfortable 10 km run with a 1 km long hill which nature built to try and get you to walk...I attacked that hill and happily got to the top, turning to see that the nearest runner was about 200 metres behind me.

We returned back to base and I ran off home happy with my efforts tonight...I think I can let my Sunday monster can be put to rest

Klaatu barada nikto=I die, repair me, do not retaliate

One for the trail

Air Guitar Heaven

Back after popular demand, some music specifically designed for hill and/or tempo runs, best played when you are by yourself far way from any other people so that you air guitar to your hearts content....as always play it loud.

How to make my Garmin's battery last

I have only once been able to keep my Garmin 305 battery to last 12 hours when I switched off all the alarms and got rid of smoothing allowing to measure my laps for the Crawley 12 hour race in April 2010. So how are going to manage with 2 Garmins on a 45 hour race....answer A SolarMonkey and SolarNut if all goes to plan.

I have been planning to get one of these gadgets for a little while and was really pleased to find that I had a little extra cash in my College pay cheque this month and when I popped into the local electronics emporium saw one with my name on it.

I had a little play with it yesterday and was very pleased to see how quickly it charged my Garmin from about 90% to 100% charge, now I have to see how long it will take to charge from 0% and how many times it can do it without requiring the SolarMonkey...all good fun.

When runners crash and burn

I awoke this morning feeling pretty good after last night's cross country run and got my kit together so that I could drive down to George's house so that we could drive nearer the countryside to enjoy the North Downs.

There was no plan for the run as it would be an out and back so we could go where we wanted and follow any path, which we did and soon found ourselves heading for Sevenoaks. At about the 3 mile mark I began to feel really unwell, I was sweating profusely all over, my stomach felt tight and my legs were beginning to wobble, I was hitting the wall.

I ate a chewbar I had in my back pack which seemed to make my condition worse so in my wisdom I had a carb gel but before it could take effect found myself leaning on a roadside bin feeling as though I was about to faint, after a few minutes things settled and we continued on our way but no way was I going to be able to complete 20 miles in my current condition.

We got to Knowle Park and entered the grounds and was really pleased to see the deer herds were out in the open and made a good distraction. After a quick break of a satsuma and a drink in the shelter of the House we carried and I asked if we return as I was now really suffering.

So there is was, a shortened miserable run that taught me I must have a proper break in between back-to-backs and if not get proper nutrition in me before I set out.

Night Run II report

What a great turn out for the second night run last night! After picking up Duncan and Robert who live locally to me we turned into the busy pub car park and were lucky to find a parking space. When we got out and started donning our gear we soon noticed that it was somewhat cooler and windier in this part of the valley ridge.

As if by magic other runners started to appear from the far reaches of the car park and from behind trees and buildings, almost surreal but we soon collected our kit and on the strike of 8.00pm nine hardy fellows left the car park onto what promised to be a tough, hilly and very muddy run in the dark.

Although I devised this route and run on many of the trails I was still taken aback by the gradients we were running it all seems less in the daylight. My theory is that although we are used to running them we cannot get a sense of length or steepness and just run at it without aspect. The participants are now experienced enough to shout out obstacles or trip hazards and laughed to myself as I heard "Tree roots!", "Steps!" or "Low branches mind your heads!" but by far the funniest one was "Wheelbarrow!", some sod had left this rusting hulk on a pathside presumably because it was to steep to push it any further.

Great running conditions but it wasn't helped by a cloudy sky which completely obscured the waning moon but we had enough candel power between us to light up Wembley Stadium so we plodded on. I was very pleased with my navigation but the secret was that I had a mental list of key points on the route and knew which direction to turn but it came apparent that just making a slight deviation meant that you could go off path very easily which was then I relied on my pack mates to look out for waymarkers and shout if they saw them, it worked well.

The first loop was as near as damn it 5 miles as planned if people wanted a short run which was the pub carpark again where we had a cup of water from the back of my car and then we went off again for the last 5 miles. This proved to be a very tough section with a lot of field crossing swith little or no way marking relying on my local knowledge of land marks and my map. One of my favourite field crossings was a over a stile and then into some woods, there is no prescribed path here which was classified as permissive and the trick was to run in as straight a line as possible until you hit the fence and then you turned right and ran along the muddy footpath. All I could see was a bedraggled bunch of runners with headtorches shouting warnings to each other in total shambles tripping over gorse, roots and branches...Evil Jerry

The enjoyment continued with us all chatting and laughing, getting muddier and more tired as the evening went on and I soon realised that the course was a little tougher than first expected so made the executive decision to take a shorter route back so that we could get a pint in before the pub closed, the pack agreed and I then asked Chris to take the lead as he would know the quickest route back which he did, back to a lovely warm, welcoming pub. We sat back, pints in hand and swapped war stories of the night, laughed and joked, a perfect ending to a great night run with not an injury in sight.

Role of Honour
Andrew,
Chris,
Clive,
Dan,
David,
Duncan,
Jerry,
Michael,
Rob

GUCR - Cheque in the post

...and there we have it, my confirmation that I want to run in the Grand Union Canal Race in May 2011. This is one of the more unusual entry processes I have been through, from expressions of Interest then filling in an entry form, going through the ballot process and then, and only then sending off the cheque.

That is exactly what I have done tonight, written the cheque and letter ready to post it first class tomorrow morning.

It is getting rather exciting but scary at the same time but it is done all I have to do is the training now!!!.

Night Run II

So Saturday is soon upon us and the second Night Run has been planned with what looks like a good turn out of runners.

I have devised a devilish little number 5 and 10 mile run with some goods ascents and descents around the woodland and paths of Cudham with a promise of a good pint of Kentish ale at the end for all deserving runners who have completed the run.

I have planned it so that the course is a figure of 8 which allows us to leave some water at the halfway mark and continue on it so required leaving the 5 mile runners to get the pints in :-)

I love my night running and can't wait until Saturday, tired or not.

Burnt out

Here is my theory:

1. 151 miles in 3 weeks, which includes
   
2. 31 miles cross country hill run 9^th January
3. 37 miles in two runs, one being a trail marathon
4. Working at College on Monday making it a 12 hour day
5. Then running 12 miles on Tuesday
6. Finding 10 colleagues being made redundant and a big question mark above mine

So I have a feeling, physical, mental tiredness with a little bit of emotional strain has layed me low, not ill but an ever-present tiredness. I decided against a 10 mile run tonight, it would have served no purpose, saving my energy for my long run weekend.

So enjoying a nice glass of red wine at the moment ready for an early night

Run down but not out

UUUrrrgghhh, I was at work today when I began to feel under the weather, nothing I can put my finger on but I was too cold with just a shirt and too hot with a fleece on. I ate some food and began to feel better but a headache came and went.

The same happened tonight but after by tea I fell fast asleep on the sofa waking feeling tired and still cold. Two ibuprofen and a hot bath has made feel a little better but an early night calls.

Connected - Short Film

Set in the distant future, Connected is a story about survival and greed with a post apocalyptic wasteland as its backdrop. Survivors of an unknown disaster shuffle through a desolate landscape, as it quickly becomes clear that not everybody has the strength to survive.

Not a running link but still a great piece of imagery, you can can to the whole site at ov43.com

Wheeze...cough...COUGH

This is a very common sound if you run with me these days and it is beginning to worry me. I first became aware of this back in 2009 when I went running for more than an hour and put it down to being dehydrated as it seem to get better if I took fluids on board. As George is the guy who normally runs long runs with me I mentioned that he should listen out for my cough and remind me to drink as I am normally oblivious to it after a while; ever so often on runs I will hear "You're coughing" or "You drinking because you are coughing?" or just "You drinking?" and invariably it works.

Tonight I left the house ready to run about 12 miles, 3 miles to the club, 3 miles back and 6 miles with the group. The weather was cool and I had a nice run enjoying the conversation that takes place but now I am home I have been coughing again and I can't shift it, even with plenty of fluids.

What could cause this?

...the pace continues

The training continues at pace and the miles tick off, one after the other, after the other. I felt quite tired after Sunday's long run mainly due to the intensity of the distances done that weekend but more likely due to the my drinking and eating was found wanting.

I awoke this morning feeling much better than I normally do and found myself doubling up 6 flights of stairs at the office and then when I was at College tonight, without thinking ran up 12 flights of stairs to my laboratory ready to teach for 3 hours! So the fitness and recovery are really showing now and my niggles seem to be reducing.

The plan has been altered slightly this week as I have the night run Saturday and then a long run on Sunday morning, one hectic week

A list of annoyances

Let's do a count and cause list for the hell of it

Injury	Cause
Sweat rash of small of back	Area where rucksack rubs and sweat is not wicked away
Loss of toenail	I pulled a gate over my foot pinching the toenail
Tightness in left butt cheek	Increased mileage causing a small pull

The last two can be dealt with but the problem with sweat rash is a permanent problem and I am trying to work out a way around it. Should I use vaseline, rub a wedge around the area before hand or wear less clothing to stop excessive sweating in the first place? Thoughts any one?

As for the toe nail, that burst during the run (it is an inherent weakness) and is now taped up to prevent infection and allow it to harden up.

Pulling my Chain

The original email read:

"Attached please find the route directions for the Green Chain Marathon which I did a couple of years ago which we can use as one of our training runs... ...At least that will give us a bit of variety."

So there we have it a new training route taking on board a network of paths in the South-East of London. The route was put together by a member of the New Eltham Joggers who meet in a local park where one of the paths crosses.

Everything was planned as usual, George was driving and picked me up at 6.15 am for the short drive to what was designated Check Point 7 which would allow us to run to New Eltham where the race normally begins and then carry on front page and follow the route. The only thing we hadn't put into the plans was that local public parks do not open that early on a Sunday and saw us having to make a series of adjustments to the route (thankfully I took my local map) that put us back on track to follow the directions.

It was dark for about an hour and I was thankful of my torch, we must have looked really strange dragging ourselves around at that time of day as we navigated through streets, public areas and woodland making good headway as we went.

Early on in the run we saw some sights , the famous Lesnes Abbey which I know George enjoyed from a historical view point and I for its scientific interest as there are fossil beds in the adjoining woods, East Wickham first mentioned in the Dooms Day book. After that we started to enter the tougher areas of South-East London, Thamesmead and Erith which took us through the industrial areas near the canal network and river Thames. The sun was up and as we ran through a local park the two of us were met by the most unexpected sight of a horse running towards us! We were safe as we soon realised that it was chained up but caused a laugh, we were to find out that there were a number of these horses in the park belonging to the Gipsy camp over the hill!!!

Things then turned to more surreal when we finally got to the River Thames to run past the Crossness Pumping Station next to the new works which services 2,000,000 people. All I can say is it stunk to high heaven with the two of us breathing through our mouths and I with my Buff over my face....yuck

So much happened today, well it would when plodding around a 26 mile course at long run pace from smelly old men telling us about how he didn't need to use " little blue tablets" ( I won't write the word as it attracts spam) to George losing his glove (again) and whilst I was waiting for him to get it wondered why everything in the area smelt of poo to realise that some horrible person had left a pile of the dog variety on the wall next to where I was standing!!

So in all I am very tired after such a heavy week of training, the run was a good one despite the tales I portray but remind me that I would never enter this race as it was just not at all attractive enough but I will some that it was certainly a tough little course and one to be respected.

Lost my bottle

Last May I bought my trustee Inov-8 12l backpack and 2 #Inov-8 bottles. The backpack is great but the water bottles are crap.

The problem is they are not designed well, yes they look really nice but technically they are just not up to the job. The problem is they are molded so that there is a grip and it thins out to make holding easy but it is weakened where the join is. Both of my bottles are split at this edge, the first bottle was thrown in a bin after a race and the latest is about to be chucked in the bin after I filled it tonight and it leaked all over the place, this must have happened at my run last week in Leatherhead.

So tomorrow I resort to my trusty old bottles which have done the job a damn sight longer

Tough weekend ahead!

I got a very rough homecoming this evening from Mrs S when I mentioned that I was running on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Luckily the Saturday is the shorter one of about 10 miles can fit around the family movements of work, parties and shopping. There was even a discussion as to why I couldn't go out tonight but then work called and I have just spent the last 3.5 hours logged in fault finding, fixing and recoding my system which failed.

So Saturday is a blat up to the woods and then Sunday is an unusual one as George has managed to find the directions of 27 mile race that passes near our respective houses so it looks like we will be going out for a gentle plod which looks like it is on pavement, path and woodland trails so looks to be a change from our normal. It will also be a test of our map reading and pacing, one thing I will say and that it will be a bit faster than last weeks 30 miler as the hills are not so high, steep or as muddy around here :-)

I am an Ultra Runner!

This is hilarious!

A typical conversation between an ultra runner and his spouse the night before a long run. I know I have just had this very same argument with my wife.

Time for new shoes

I have just been going through my running log and have just realised my current running shoes have done in excess of 555 miles! These shoes have seen some action and have run in three trail ultramarathons, the Ridgeway, The Gatliff and The Winter Tanners.

At first I disliked them due to the high cut around the ankle but have found them to be quite comfortable once I relaced the left shoe. I am unsure how long they are going to last probably another 50+ miles but I have to be careful as that is less than a weeks running!

I have made a decision that I just cannot afford this model any more so will have to be looking for a cheaper alternative this weekend in between my running exploits...more of that later.

Crawley 12 hour Race 2011

...and so I complete one event and then within days a letter arrives addressed to me in my own handwriting telling me of another. I scratched my head wondering what I had entered but on opening was relieved to find it was confirmation of my 12 hour Crawley race in April 2011.

I must have extra sensory perception as I was on the train home tonight and thought I better get some track training in so that I can get prepared then the letter appears...weird.

Some of you may remember the picture in this post of me last year when I had to get my leg massaged at about the tenth hour when my IT Band went into spasm...yes that is real pain etched on my face. Still, I am really looking forward to this little number as it will be a great training run for the Grand Union event in May!

"You're not running Jerry, you're waddling"

Those were the comments levelled at me tonight from a sports physiotherapist as I ran in front of him, comments that were so true I am embarrassed to say.

After Sunday's tough run I have heard from various runners who were involved that their legs were very sore, mine included. All day I have been wondering if I should go for a run this evening as I was finding it hard to walk down stairs. I asked a colleague at work who stated that "There is no point in asking me Jerry you are going to run anyway"....shocking comment, but so true :-)

So I drove to the club tonight and pottered over to the meeting point and decided to do a nice gentle recovery run with the slower group and when we started that was when "You're not running Jerry, you're waddling" was levelled at me and to tell you the truth I was regretting the idea of running but decided to see what happened and give in if necessary. Luckily the pain reduced and I then found that my legs were warming up nicely and the muscles seemed to loosen up.

Now I am at home, I have stretched out and had a lovely hot bath I feel my quads have loosened up. Time will tell but I have adapted my schedule to allow me to run on Thursday now so that I can settle these legs of mine.

Secretly I am really glad I did run.

Olympic Games Maker Interview

I have been asked for interview as a volunteer for helping out at London 2012 I have booked my interview for Wednesday 2nd February 2011 at the ExCel Centre in London and taken a day off so I can be fresh and ready for my questions.

I am really excited about this opportunity so will be doing loads of research and get myself prepared for my interview....I'll keep you updated with any news from the Games Makers as it develops.

The power of lycra!

Imagine the moment... roughly the 14th mile of the Tanners run yesterday and we are stumbling through some fields bisected by a number of fences and make shift fences (read as electric fences), it is muddy and I am more interested in chatting with Michael and George to concentrate on a particular fence which I stumbled into. The top wire was about 2 inches from my groin and there was a sudden pulse of pain across my legs, 2 sharp pulses and I step back to read a sign "Electric Fence"....phew, no injuries but I like to think my lycra shorts and the fact my Union flag shorts probably acted as a resistive layer.....cool

Winter Tanners - Run Report

This ain't a race report, this is a run report! What's the difference?

The difference is this was an organised event but we weren't racing it, we were there to enjoy the day out and go with the flow.

I was the designated driver today and rose early to pick up Micheal and George from their houses between 6.30 and 6.40 am then hammer down to Leatherhead train station car park the beginning of the race. Normally on a Sunday this car park would be empty but today it was full to the brim with cars, with runners and walkers milling about in the early morning frost. The three of us were in good humour and went about our business of getting our shoes and back packs on, have a cup of coffee from our thermos flasks then sign out and on our way once the sun began to peep above the horizon.

The first part of the run was on roads which soon gave way to trails and woodland paths which were covered in frost but was soon melting off to show the promise of a very muddy day...we were not to be disappointed.

Considering that George and myself have not tapered for this run and Micheal's training regime is not focussed on ultradistance per se we were extremely strong today and were see to power over the initial hills of Box Hill and Leith Hill. The day was busy with tourists, walkers and mountain bikers so we blended in well around these iconic hills but we could not spend time at the tops but the views were out of this world as we viewed the Surrey countryside in all its splendour covered in frost and mist.

From about now onwards the going got a little tougher as we descended on the downland sections and we were forced onto frozen fields which made our ankles twist and mash as we navigated the course, woodland paths slippery as wet met chalk and mud sucked and bruised our feet as we staggered up hills and stepped climbs.

There were 3 checkpoints throughout the course offering minimal aide in the form of water/cordial, biscuits (cookies) and limited fruit so we were mainly self sufficient but I worked out I ate 6 biscuits and a carb gel (sorry Chris but I was feeling crap early on so needed a quick fix) which is about 400 calories the rest from my home made sports drink.

Miles came and went but at 25 miles we were directed through a small town and then up the side of Box Hill, we soon began to realise the last check point was at the top of the hill! This hill was outrageously hard and in a matter of 1/4 mile we had to climb 436 feet, the steepest section was an incredible 20%...no way could we run this section but frog marched up and when I reached the stile at the top, turned around, leaned on the fence and just about stopped myself from vomiting!

A brilliant training run of just over 30 miles made tougher by the conditions and as I sit here I can feel my IT band and quads complaining heartily, not in an injured way, but in a heavily trained way

Chillax

So tomorrow's dawn promises to be a damp and muddy one all good stuff as an intrepid few drag their arses up and the Greensand Ridge in Surrey, south-east England.

Never before have I felt that the three of us who are running together, George, Michael and myself, sounded so relaxed before a 50km run. We are almost "chillaxed" as is the parlance of my two teenage girls. There are rumours of George watching Arsenal playing in the F.A Cup (didn't even know it was on), myself having been to the rubbish dump twice already today with a pile of wet leaves and just finished making a litre of homemade sports drink ready for tomorrow and placed in the fridge.

The only thing to unsettle the pre-race tranquility was an email from Michael stating "This is very exciting" but then realised that it was because it was the first time we have run as a threesome since Doyen of the Downs in 2009...phew I could relax.

So for the rest of the day I shall potter about collecting my kit together remembering to take my thermos flasks, one coffee and one tea for before and after.

Things are good and although this sounds like we are relaxed I know that between us we have a very focussed eye on getting a good time tomorrow, injuries or no injuries.

Cracking up

Foot care has come of a bit of an obsession with me at the moment especially after the recent wet and cold weather has caused the thickened skin on my heels to crack and bleed. This has meant have rubbed down the callouses and applied some really great foot treatment cream that I got as a Christmas present.

Things appeared to improve greatly with this care or so it seemed! On returning from my brisk 7 mile run last night I pulled off my running shoes and socks to find blood (not a lot) on the achilles area of my left foot and on inspecting found that the hardened skin in that area had cracked too.

I never, ever thought that when I started this journey that I would ever get injuries like this, so it looks like intensive foot cream treatment again and plasters for Sunday's run.....which reminds me, I must learn how to tape feet properly.

Cuppa tea anyone

These days I am invariably thinking about my "End of run" reward, nothing outrageous, normally being something as innocuous as a nice cup of tea. Last Saturday I was even working out exactly how I wanted my tea, should it have 2 or 3 sugars, 1 or 2 teabags or skimmed or semi-skimmed milk?

This may sound really bizarre but in fact it is just another method of distraction techniques I have learnt, trying to concentrate on the positive and it really does work. One great conversation I remember having with George once was whether there would be tuna sandwiches and chicken soup at the next checkpoint when going through a rather difficult section!

Tonight, I had a different problem, finding myself 3 miles from home with awful stomach cramps which required me to go cross country to "find a bush" which I did but the gripy tummy continued until I got home. In the cupboard I found a box of peppermint teabags that Mrs Jerry bought but didn't like. Knowing that mint has a calming effect on the stomach I made a cup of it and was amazed to find it worked (It maybe psychological but it worked) with my stomach settling very quickly

I may learn to regret this

A safe 6.55 mile (full distance 32.75 miles) lap which allows competitors the option of dropping out whenever they wish. The route will be fully signed and marshalled with first aid and water stations provided. The route will also be marked with fluorescent glow sticks which can be easily seen.

...The demons have to be buried and this will be a perfect time to do it. Matt, if you are reading shall we travel together? 19th February 2011 here we come

Fidget

fidget (say fij-it) verb to move restlessly or impatiently: 'the children began to fidget during the long church service'. Word Family: fidget, noun, a person who fidgets;fidgety, adjective

...and this is exactly how I felt this evening, right foot sore from the bruise and left quad feeling a bit stiff but still I wanted to go out for a little punt around the block to burn off some excess energy but nevertheless I remained on the sofa fidgeting

Where now?

I love it these days when I get a letter through the post adressed to me in my own handwriting and today was no different when one arrived with "WINTER TANNERS" written in the top corner.

I was being very efficient just before Christmas when I sent out my payment and application form for the event. The instructions can best be described as esoteric when read and although you scratch your head at first it takes a few miles to read it naturally, examples are as follows:

Ahd over X-TK, thru metal KG & along L edge of field

Which means, Go ahead and cross the track and through the metal kissing gate and run along the left edge of the field.

It is looking to be a toughy as we have to run over Leith Hill, the highest point on the Greensand Ridge and second highest point in the South-East of England at 294 metres (965 feet) Hopefully the tea shop in the folly (pictured above) will be open as it sells the tastiest ginger cake on the top of any hill I know.

Prostate Cancer Charity

Welcome to the Prostate Cancer Charity who have just joined as a follower to my blog. I am really excited that these guys have taken the effort to look in and see how George and my training is shaping up for the Grand Union Canal Run on 28th May 2011.

Jus remember prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. The charity can help you understand more about the disease, symptoms and treatment options, if you are unsure have a look the useful links information area of their website.

Ouch

Today's plan was to meet up with some people from my usual club and have a belated 5 mile run around the woods. These runs are quite good fun as you get to have a chance to meet people you don't normally run with. I had a nice recovery run as the speed was not fast and got home ready for the days chores of removing the Christmas tree from the front room and taking it along with some garden rubbish to the dump for recycling.

I proceeded to put the decorations on the sofa along with the lights from the tree but then stupidly pulled the cable and the transformer fell corner first onto my bare foot OOOOOWWWW. Normally I would just swear but the pain was excrutiating!

What infuriates me is I have run hundreds of miles in woodland, snow, ice and rain with minor problems with injury and something as innocuous as tidying up Christmas decs has caused this hurt which is still painful after 5 hours with limited swelling so I will have to ice it and just play it by ear for the moment.

Brake late

So this is the week of the first of the longer runs we have devised to get us ready for the rigours of the next 20 weeks of training.

On Sunday I have the Winter Tanners 30 mile run which is billed as a toughy as there are only two checkpoints providing water and biscuits (cookies) the rest has to be carried by ourselves. So it will be fruit and a chew bar for me as we undertake this tough little number in and around the North Downs Way and Surrey Hills.

I still plan to run Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, nothing big or fast just enough to tick my legs over as we step into the challenge on Sunday. It will be fun as I know that at least 4 of us from our usual motley crew will be attending, Peter, Michael, George and I but rumour has it a few other regulars will be around and is always good to catch up

The dreaded question was asked

I have holding back telling Mrs J about GUCR since I got in purely to keep the peace in the house but I had a feeling she knew anyhow. It is not as thought the clues have not been staring her in the face:

1. My Blog!
2. The GUCR maps left out on the table
3. The significant change in training
4. Hints about getting some new running shoes

After her telephone conversation on Tuesday last week I was finally confronted with the question "What exactly are you doing next year?" I told he what the plans were and instead of being shouted at and her stamping her feet she tutted and went back to reading her newspaper, I have a feeling a family member may have dropped a clue at Christmas :-/

First run of 2011

What a great afternoon of running with my friends from Orpington RR, the general plan was to turn up at a member's house and do one of three things, a 5 mile walk, an 8 mile run or a 15 mile run, I chose the latter.

We were then taken out on a "mystery" route where the pack leader was not allowed to divulge the way even though we knew some of the trails really well he also found a few I had never been down before and have now been able to join up about 5 set routes with some great connectors.

Pace was very gentle with a few stops here and a few stops there but nobody was looking for speed work today but a social event full of jokes and top tips (my favourite was how to save battery life on my Garmin)

After this tough little number over the North Downs we returned to back to base to be met with piles and piles of cakes and biscuits with gallons of sweet tea and meet up with the others for a catch up to discuss the years sporting challenges.

A wonderful start to 2011 with some wonderful people.