Bloody Achilles

Warning...picture of my hurt achilles blood and all

After splitting the callous on Sunday's run I thought I would be fine with a sticky plaster (Band Aid) to protect my achilles which is fine if the thing stays stuck to the wound.

I went out for a pacey 10km tonight and was happily plodding around until I look at my foot afterwards...eeeeeewwwww.

It looks worse than it really is so will get it all washed off and properly taped in a minute

Dirty Mudblood

Really good run today, I looked out of the window to note that in fact it was raining and by the looks of the driveway it had been for a little while. I decided to wear my trusty OMM Kamleika smock, my shorts and some gloves.

I was soon plodding up the road to meet my barefoot running buddy Bhundu a.k.a Duncan for an ad hoc ~15 mile run and we headed off on a trail run. I was soon really pleased that I was wearing my smock as whilst the temperature was warm there was a strong breeze and the rain was cooling on my torso.

So to the trails, the mud was soft and it soon saw us twisting and slipping across the pathways, not deep but enough to hear a slopping and squealch.

So it went on, a vague route in mind but with a planned outcome but with the overcast weather and the cloud being so low it was time for me to pull out the headtorch and use it in my hand just to get a feel of the deeper holes in the path.

I am still amazed how Bhundu piles on the miles with just his VFF's but no terrain phases him and was doing better than me in the wet stuff as he seemed to have a grip with his toes...incredible.

Back at home, I found that my socks destined for the bin as I had worn a hole in them and then saw through my mud caked legs blood on my achilles, not from scratches but from the skin splitting across a callous ( I thought I had sorted that one out) so a little TLC is needed for that bit of my foot.

I am so glad I went out again this weekend 2 x 15 back-to-backs and my pace was good to consistent throughout , by gad, I think it is coming together.

Out of the blue

...and then out of the blue the chance of a run with company appears an option I will gladly take. Off out in about 40 minutes for a quick blat around the woods, no plans as of yet but will play it by ear when we join up, I have a feeling it will involve a few trails though ;-)

Tired

Jeez, I have a feeling I am not very popular (again) !

After yesterday's brilliant 15 mile run I returned home to do yet more marking and to finish a few light chores. I had planned to meet my buddies Michael and George this morning for a ~18 mile run and went to bed earlier than normal so that I would be refreshed ready for a 6.00am rise to run at 7.00am.

How wrong I was, the alarm indeed did go off at 6.00am, I switched it off and the next thing I know I heard my mobile phone go off at 7.10am...damn it I had missed the boat as it would have taken me 30 minutes to get dressed and drive over there. An apologetic text (I think it was) was sent and I traipsed back to bed thinking I could possibly go to the club and run with a few people at 8.30am but went back to bed to be then awoken by the cat at 10.00am calling for food.

So I am a little fed up having to move a load of wood boards, pallets, packing and carpet to the dump, to now sit and do marking.

Bandana and Shades

I went out for a nice solo run this afternoon, I had had a day of marking scripts and shuffling the family around to various places and so wanted some "me" time.

The plan was to turn East and run for one hour and then turn around...and that is what I did. I had my Garmin with me but it was low on charge and only needed the clock so I could get back for the next set of family movements.

The air was warm and the sun was out so all I needed was my old shorts, my new Thames Trot 50 long-sleeve top, a bandana and a pair of shades...the trails were ahead.

Once off the roads I saw three people, a telecom guy up a ladder in a field and a couple of the local gipsies trying out their motorbike on the locally created dirt track, they were suspicious of me stomping past but they always are, the best thing is to nod and carry on in the same direction and not look back.

Stonking good run probably a little to good as the pace was a little quick for a back-to-back but I was in the mood for a quality run.

Tomorrow will be a little shorter than planned as I am meeting up with Michael and George, the former training for the London Marathon and happy with an upper teens trail run.

I just love my bandana

One for the trail

No other song starts:

Bandu duda doo doo zazz zan zaaz

and gets away with it. I just love this song and I can't help but tap my foot to it and do an impersonation of the singer, I dare you not to ;-)

Back to Back-to-Backs

I never thought that string of words would make sense!

So here we go again, a busy weekend of back-to-back training, the plan says 25/13 miles which is doable but the legs are still a little tight from last week's Thames Trot and this weeks training (My records show I have run 67 miles in the last 7 days!)

I need to get a run in tomorrow morning so that I can be rested up for Sunday's early run so it is going to be a good meal tonight. My wife has just popped out to the supermarket and I have requested a nice Chicken Jalfrezi meal with rice and naan bread which is my perfect long distance food. The only problem is I get very thirsty so will have to get a cider in as well ;-)

Night Run Video

I thought I would shoot a short film (2:30 mins) of me running a country lane at night showing the problems that can occur.


I thought it would be fun to try out and if successful will add more to shoe ways of getting around obstacles and along rough areas.

What the fox was that?

I was out on a cheeky little ~10 mile hill run tonight when the excesses of the last few days caught up on me and I was seen clutching my guts nipping into the woods on the side of the road.

Sneaking through the undergrowth to find a hidden spot I went about my business which can best be described, when I have such polite readership, as "explosive". This sudden noise from me must have scared the bejesus out of a fox about 12 feet behind me as there was a shrill vulpine scream from it and it darted past me at full whack.

I don't who was more shocked it or me but you have never seen me hot foot it out of a wood so quickly quietly chuckling to myself.

Enjoy your running

Afterall it is your hobby....I smiled when I saw this and summed up my Thames Trot run last Saturday

Don't meddle with the medal

I am not that bothered with getting a medal [read as cheap metal badge on a cheap ribbon] at the end of an event but I have been scratching my head as to the whereabouts of my Thames Trot one since Saturday!

I vaguely remember wearing it on the train on the way back and becoming a tad irritated by it as it clanged and bumped around so I took it off....but where I put it was a complete mystery until this evening.

I am down to 7 toenails now after one dropped off yesterday whilst putting on my socks causing a little snag which has become a little sore today as I walked around so decided to put some tape on it tonight. I went to my running back pack and lifted out my mini-first aid pack and inside the Band Aid bag was my Thames Trot medal.

Somehow I had put it inside a bag which was inside a bag which was inside another bag! I know I was tired but what was going on there? :-)

Onwards and upwards

Never did I believe that 3 days after a 50 mile run was I to be standing at the club in running kit ready to do a ~7 mile run with the promise of a 8:30 min/mile pace!

To tell you the truth I had planned a slowish 20 km run tonight but on returning home there was a lovely chicken casserole with buckets of rice waiting for me and I was soon found snoozing on the sofa waking just in time to realise that I did not have time to run to the club so took the car instead.

This Dear Reader was the reason I chose the second fastest group tonight choosing quality over quantity and was mindful that I may have chosen wrongly considering my heavy weekend's distance. I was proved wrong as after the hill at the start the pace continued but I found that in fact I was not at the rear but was actually at the front and for about 3 miles as the pace setter!

What makes me really happy was I was pace setting without my Garmin, slowly, consistently pacing even on the hills ( that was until I was called to back off the pace).

Good run, the pack ably led by the loquacious Emma who kept the chat and moral up.

Monday Blues

36 hours after the completion of Thames Trot and I awake to the sound of the alarm clock announcing the dawn of another Monday morning. Mondays are busy for me these days what with a full days work and then an evening teaching at University not made any better by recovery from my weekend work out.

I twisted around, placed my feet on the carpet, rubbed my face with my hands and stood up awaiting my mashed legs to complain.............and they didn't!

Standing up my legs felt no different from any other Monday after a long run, tired, yes, they were feeling tired but there was no hint of the any swelling or localised pains.

Things were looking and feeling good so all I had to battle was the normal Monday Blues things were looking and were even better when I found myself doubling up the stairs at work two at a time, I have feeling a 20 km run is in the offing for Tuesday

Let this be a warning to you all

Was this providence or deep irony be it that we were about to embark on a 50 mile foot race?

This was the first thing that greeted us on our arrival at Oxford Station on Friday evening!

Thames Trot 50 - Race Report

What a great challenge, running 50 or so miles along the banks of the River Thames.

Introduction
Due to the distance away from home and the logistics of actually getting to the race start it was decided that George and I would stay at a local hotel about 3 miles from the start. We arrived at Oxford at about 8.00pm at the same time as receiving a text from our ultra runner friend David H. who was on the train behind us so decided to wait around so that we could meet up and have a meal. A great evening of running talk and plans with a massive pizza now firmly packed into my stomach we said our good byes.

Arriving at the hotel George and I had to go through the maps so decided to meet in the bar for a quick pint where we met another runner who recognised the maps so spent some time with him and his wife chatting.

I love this sport, everyone is so friendly and sociable.

The Race

The Start
We arrived at the race start at 7.45 am and went about our admin of booking in, putting our bags in the van and catch up with old trail running buddies, the pub and car park soon filled with laughter, nervous chatting, talk of pace and FOOD, a subject that is always discussed with a passion at these events.

At 8.20 am we were summonsed by the Race Director who went through the finer details, the last being the directions:

"Run to the River Thames, turn left, see you in Henley"

At 8.30 am the crowd moved towards the entrance of the car park, a horn sounded, a cheer erupted and the sound of a hundred Garmins being switched on and the thunder of running shoes on tarmac. Within minutes we reached the wooden bridge that bounced alarmingly as we ran across it much to the hilarity of the competitors. We were soon on the Thames Path and were taken aback by the terrain, flat, muddy (not deep) and mostly grassland. There was talk of high winds during the day and it was not wrong as we were soon buffeted by strong winds which was not easy to predict due to the meandering of the river's course.

The course
Due to the flatness of the course it soon became apparent that the pace was very easy to predict and maintain. For the first 30 miles we were constantly hitting out 10 kph (6.2 mph) and with the addition of walking breaks when hit by a strong winds and check points this averaged out at 5 mph which was very pleasing and proved that our training was paying off in recent weeks.

I have found that river running is never boring and there is a lot of stimulation, what with the rowers, the boats and walkers who seemed to take great interest in our endeavors and during walking breaks would often ask what we were doing and either look at you in total disbelief, amazement or a mixture of both.

The Plan
The general plan between George and I was that the run was a training run, one in which we could iron out food & water intake, experiment with things like foot taping, personal kit such as clothing changes and pace. We wanted to approach the run to get consistency of pace and strength of run, we were not to be disappointed, I was very keen about ensuring my feet were in top condition and was very pleased with my taping (more on this at a later date)

The Race continued
Due to the plan of consistent running we were happy just to take it step by step, let people pass us and we them, knowing that we would pass many in the latter stages. Many around us seemed to have the same approach and we used each others pace as our mutual guide but due to this it became apparent that the field did not dissipate for at least 8 miles so there was a lot of grouping allowing time to talk and eat the initial miles up

Checkpoints came and went every 8 to 10 miles which were efficiently managed with plenty of bottled water, cake and sweets. It was at check point I decided to apply zinc oxide tape to the ball of my right foot, a decision I was glad to make as it protected in latter miles. The taping on my inner heels was holding out also, things were looking good down their.

The middle section
Running at a consistent pace can pay toll on the energy levels and my legs were soon aching a sure sign that "The Wall" was threatening me so taking on a carb-gel I continued onwards it got me out of a hole until the next check point which was quite near and there I stocked up on fruit cake, sweets and took on an extra pint of water, this seemed to help as the pizza from the night before was proving hard to budge.

The wind really was picking up now and there was a fine drizzle in the air but we still battled on, mile after mile, lock after lock.

The last few miles
In the last 2 hours of the run I felt really strong, I was in the zone both mentally and physically, yes my legs hurt, my head fuzzy but this had defined itself as a driven need to eat up the miles and I was soon moving off but was totally unaware of George who was being much more sensible and keeping to pace. At Reading (pronounced RED-ING) George and I took a short walk break taking on a carb gel each and I misunderstood his comment to go on ahead, I initially thought I would run to the next check point which I mistakenly thought was about ½ mile away but transpired to be 2 ½ miles away, by the time I realised I had lost George but thought he would be with a lady we had met called Debbie of similar pace so would be OK....I was wrong on both cases (Sorry George)

Night run
I became a man on a mission, I saw runners ahead who were in my sights , one by one I picked them off and was soon aware that the night was coming fast. Again I was in my element, my many night runs and experience in this area soon paid off as I ran on paths, fields and road being carefully to look closely for the finger points for the path and in the night section overtook at least 4 runners losing ground to one.

The lights of Henley-on-Thames were ahead of me, the muddy path soon gave away to the famous board walk and the the tow path as I saw lights, people and the finish line which I gladly ran to finishing in 9:35 hours. A t-shirt and medal were placed in my hand but mostly all I wanted was a cup of tea, 3 sugars, 2 tea bags, the perfect end to a tough run.

George turned up a bit later looking strong if not miffed with my misdeeds of leaving him behind but it was obvious from our efforts that our training, specifically the back-to-backs at weekends were really paying off.

One can't believe impossible things

"I daresay you haven't much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

The White Queen's response to Alice's declaration
The Annotated Alice, Lewis Carroll

Chip Off the Old Block

I am absolutely astounded...whilst sitting in the living room this evening there was a ring on the doorbell and on opening it I saw two of my daughter's friends standing on the step bedecked in running kit. My 14 year old daughter pranced down the stairs and brushed past me similarly dressed, sweatshirt, leggings and training shoes saying

"We'll be back in 30 minutes we're off for a run!"

A wave backwards and they ran off down the drive leaving me with my mouth wide open staring as the three of them jogged off in to the distance. I feel quite proud really and hope that a little bit of me has rubbed off on her. What gets me though is that she has a brilliant running technique and would make a fantastic long distance runner but one step at a time, one step at a time ;-)

Olympics Games Maker Interview

It was with some excitement I left the house to attend the ExCel Centre in East London to have my interview to become a GamesMaker at the Olympics 2012. Strangely I was a little nervous about the whole thing as I honestly didn't know what they expected from me although I had tried to prepare for possible questions.

Arriving at the venue after an uneventful journey by train and Dockland Light Railway I approached the ExCel Centre and entered the venue to find myself unable to find the Games Maker area after a little investigation of my own I found that the entrance was outside on the river front but was way too early so popped in to a coffee shop to read my newspaper and to chill out.

On entry to the Games Maker venue I introduced myself and my passport checked to confirm my identity and then I was given a name badge and a pink wristband then sent to the Registration check-in where my Passport was again checked, photocopied and then my photograph taken (for my ID if I was to be subsequently accepted).

I spent the next 20 minutes or so chatting with the staff and telling who I was and what I had done in previous jobs. I seemed to spurt out how I used to be in the Police, how I was in the Security trade for a few years and how I lectured at University. The guy was really pleased with my background and then to push the boundaries mentioned that I was an ultrarunner and was 33rd in the IAU World Rankings for 2010 his eyes nealy popped out of his head as I parted towards the film area he said to me "I'll remember you, Ultra Jerry!!!"

We then sat down to a short film from the sponsors and a message from Lord Coe and then went for our interviews. As if by an Omen, I was interviewed in Pod 23, the very Pod Lord Coe is standing in, in the picture above :-)

I have been assured that I will be notified in October 2011 as to the outcome and after that, if accepted, will have a series of training days between then and the Games themselves.

Girl Power

Top British athletes training (and having fun!) at the UKA/London Marathon Altitude Training Camp in Iten, Kenya.

Kit is layed out

Here is a my Thames Trot 50 miler all layed out ready for inspection and packing (click image to get a bigger view). I have too much as usual but experience has told me that is best to have too much than too little.

I am taking my waterproof OMM kamleika smock and will make a decision on the day as it looks as though it may rain hard but I have also got my sunglasses too!!!