Nice little treat

There is something special about running clubs and clubs in general such that outside we may come from different walks of life or social backgrounds but the memberships is a grounding where we do have a meeting of minds and a joined experience. I have often discussed my amazement that I have run with a person for months knowing very little about them but the day I see him/her in a business suit on the train they are a different person who I may not necessarily want to talk to.

Take Tuesday for example, I was hanging around at the meeting point, talking the usual stuff of upcoming events, training, injuries and the like; A lady runner approached me and out of the blue said "I have been meaning to give these to you for months Jerry as they have been in my bag....enjoy" to which she handed eight satchets of High 5 Zeros in various flavours worth about £5.00....then disappeared into the pack.

Chuffed is not the word...bloody marvellous is, as I will be taking a few with me on Saturday, decadent I know, but tasty nonetheless :-)

An unusual training run

The weekend proves to be the chance for a great training run of 5,530 ft (1680 m) of ascent over 34 miles (55 km)

Starting here

Turning here

 

and finishing here 

Yes, indeed another early start but this time I have to take an early train to the start and then run with the option of turning around at the halfway mark or just going home. More news during the course of the week about plans but so far I am thinking about packed lunches.

Sleepy Head

"...and as I stepped up onto the first place podium and ducked down to have the gold medal placed around my neck I felt a hard CLUMP to the side of my head..."

Falling out of my deep sleep I heard the Delicate Mrs S say "OI, are you supposed to be running?" rubbing my head from her thump I jumped from my bed to look out of the window to see Micheal standing in the driveway looking forlornly up at my window. Running downstairs I went out in my pyjamas to apologise and then to get my kit on. I glugged a luke warm coffee to then jump into his car for a short drive to the start of our run.

That Dear Reader was why in a matter of 15 minutes I was dreaming of a gold medal and now toeing the line in the cold and wet. Michael has been suffering from some strange ear/nose/throat problem for about 6 months and today was his second run promised to be 2-3 miles which was finally 3.8 miles (he chose to take a detour, not me)

Time flew by such that we had to continue our conversation over tea and toast back at chez nous.

Well done Michael, we will soon have you back doing ultras..........I am now going off to see if I can claim that gold medal back in dreamland

Easter + Run = Fun

Another great outing with the HEROS (High Elms Run On Sundays) which always guarantee not to disappoint and this year it was like any other, great people making an enjoyable run.

This particular run is an important run in the event calendar for anyone about to undergo their Spring marathon taking the participants on a 21 mile run up to the roads running parallel to the North Downs Way at Knockholt and then back home via Biggin Hill. It is also unusual as the HEROS move their meeting point to The Buff pub, which happens to be the meeting point of the Orpington Road Runners. Being amorphous group it is not always easy to organise these events as a lot of the word is via mouth on the trail but Facebook did a great job this year extending the conversation, such that I decided to take 2 litres of water and some plastic cups to Badgers Mount hiding it in a bush to later find someone else had taken 5 litres with plastic cups. We therefore had 7 litres between about 15 of us at mile 5!

A run of two halfs

The group strung out quite quickly, it was not a race but everyone had set goals in the form of distance and time, I being one of them as I wanted to get back to my roast lamb and potato lunch with the family so just after 7 miles a few of us jumped into cars, whilst I ducked down a side path by St Katherine's Church, Knockholt to go cross country and trail with Peter, Roy and another gent at some blistering pace, ankles twisting and  feet tripping. I was glad to have Peter there as he knows the paths like the back of his hand and I finally learnt the "proper" route [read as most direct] to the Buff pub a very useful 12 miles in the bag. It appears the others got back happy and uninjured from the longer run although there are reports one took the bus from mile 16 onwards!

Is it just my mindset?

Whilst out and around in Biggin Hill I saw this piece of graffiti on a kissing gate. I am not sure what it refers to but it seems quite fitting that it is on one of my favourite paths that can get me to the North Downs.

Kit Wash

I went for a lovely trail run by myself today along some of my well trodden paths and was surprised that there was nobody around, just me. It was only about 10 miles in distance with a short break at the cat sanctuary where I had the opportunity to see Elmer from a distance but I soon realised that there was nobody at home so chose to retrace my steps.

The weather was threatening rain so I put on my OMM smock at about mile 2 when I realised it really smelt even though it does get a good rinse in the rain, it was high time it got a rinse off when I got home. I forget that this top gets a good battering at times and has been through rivers, over muddy trails and travelled many a mile on my back....and it smells.

On my return I ran a sink full of warm water and dropped it in to soak leaving it for an hour, the resulting water was a horrible yellow/brown colour and I rinsed it off in the shower where it drip-dried. I can safely say that it smells a little better but I must remember to rinse it out more often....next battle is my backpack which STINKS, I think I will leave that for another day, I'm not that brave.

A feline tail

Some of you may know that our beloved family cat, Angus, died at the beginning of March the day before my Thames Path 100 race which has left a big hole to fill in the family. The Delightful Mrs S has (secretly) been scanning a local cat sanctuary web pages on an almost daily basis, as I have too, so it is time for a visit me feels.

So the plan for Saturday is to drive Mrs S to work which leaves me a 3 hour window to get out onto the trails, it just so happens that this particular trail passes about 100 metres from the cat sanctuary where this fella lives:

Elmer

Apparently he was found wandering around on the golf course at High Elms, very similar to what I tend to do of a weekend so it is quite befitting that if we like each other I will have to chat with Mrs S about a new home for him. Let's hope he is still there.

New Maps Please!

I was chatting to my lil' Sis' tonight about the location of  the Strangest Pub in Kent when I thought it best to get my trusty Ordnance Survey (OS) 147 map out to get the grid reference. Clambering into the understairs cupboard I grabbed a pile of maps to find that there was a beautifully folded unused OS 148 covering Maidstone and the Medway Towns.

I have had a glance over it and can see:

• North Downs Way
• Greensands Way
• Saxon Shore Way
• ...the list goes on

I have a feeling there are new places to be explored....let's start with the top one and see where I get

Runs of Old

I was going through the files from my old website tonight and I found a folder called snowdon and found that it contained pictures of my run up Mount Snowdon in June 2009. This was the expedition when my sister, brother-in-law and their friends took part in the 3 Peaks Challenge and needed a driver to take them on the epic 24 hour journey...I was that driver. My present (as it was my birthday that month) was to to get them to Snowdon and then be "allowed" to be cut loose to run to the top 1,085 m (3,560 ft)  above sea level...between you and me I did start ~1,000 feet asl but who's counting ;-)

Anyways, I ran, climbed and clambered up the mountain and got to the top feeling very proud of myself having only slept 4 of the past 28 hours 

Top of Snowdon

 I then stopped off for a cornish pasty and a cup of coffee to return back to the base camp in half the time it took to climb. Just off the peak I stopped at the junction of Pyg's and Miner's to take this picture.

Head in the clouds

Now ask me why I love my long distance running.

Dodging Rainbows

After yesterday's grumble about achy legs I was a bit reticent about going to the club tonight but decided to do so with the promise of going gently. After my first run in daylight through the woods I joined a slower group to allow me to potter around happily without any pressure.

So whilst out on that run, I felt rain drop from the sky and hit my face, then another .....and another until I was bathed in rain. The first rain for nearly 4 weeks lifting the smell of dried dust and tarmac from the pavement beneath my feet. The morale in the pack was quite high and I don't think I heard a single grumble from them, I don't think anyone had noticed.

Afterwards I was sent to the local supermarket by the Delightful S and whilst at the checkout the lady said "You haven't been running in that torrential rain have you Jerry? You're mad!" and without thinking I replied "I didn't get that wet, I dodged the rainbows"

I don't know what "Dodging Rainbows" means, I just think it has nice imagery

All in a day's rest

After a tumultuous run on Saturday night covering 16 miles in the dark I awoke the next morning with my calves feeling unusually sore around the ankle area and realised they had taken quite a battering. I vaguely remember twisting them a couple of times and having to run along a steep slope so no wonder they were grumbling.

Then I looked back at the whole month and took stock...and yes March was a BIG month:

1. My furthest run in my career (100 miles)
2. 225.6 miles covered (my fourth highest ever)
3. Ran a 32.3 mile hilly event
4. Ran a Night Run over the Downs

 Most ultrarunners or elite marathon runners in training would say this was not very far in total but I am pleased, in fact I finished the month off on a 64 mile, 7 days stretch.

Now I have had time to reflect and I can now see why my legs are tired and feel as though they have been pummelled with a baseball bat.

Magnificent Menagerie

What a wonderful run tonight, wonderful in so many ways, in one way because I was back on my old friend the North Downs Way, another I was with my good friend Rob and because we aimed to get to the Strangest Pub in Kent which allowed us to hear the funniest comment ever from one of the inhabitants there!

The run out

The run was basically an out and back 8 miles (13 km) out and the same (hopefully) back, the halfway point being the pub.....the start being at a pub as well, right I think you get the idea :-)

We started off at about 7.20pm from Knockholt Pound and took a strong pace from the start, the general consensus was to enjoy the light while we had it and then drop down to a comfortable pace that the light and terrain would allow us, this is not an easy run as it comprises 1760 feet (540 m) of climb, in the dark over very uneven trail, it was runs like this that I was pleased to have experience with me as Rob knew this trail well and confident in his skills.

Time soon required headtorches to be donned when we had descended and ascended the most difficult section to join very rooted paths and conversation soon directed us to the topic of "The Pub" but first we had to negotiate a field of ungulates. By coincidence both of us were wearing the same headtorch, the Petzl Tikka XP, whilst heavier than the newer version, a very versatile piece of kit both switched to fresnel to dilate the light. This option removes depth to the beam and we were soon startled by a thunderous movement when 6 horses stampeded away from us...I have to admit we thought it was a bull at first.

We turned around and then retraced our steps to get to "The Pub", I was laughing at Rob's incredulous remark that this dark, unlit place  could possibly not be a pub until we approached the door to open it and were met by a cacophony and pandemonium behind it as a dog started to bark and growl. Squeezing through I was met by a witch the landlady who now had a Jack Russell in her arms.

Two pints and a box full of kittens please

Beers purchased, we settled down to take in the smell of cat & dog wee, ancient cigarette smoke and to look at the land lady who had a witch-like look today, black hair with a wisp of white through the middle. As we chatted I felt a padding to my leg and looked down to see a cat who immediately jumped up and padded across my legs to cuddle up and purr, a squawk from a parrot in the cage by the cold fireplace. I decided that the cat was just a little too friendly and walked around to the landlady who was now on the sofa under a blanket who pointed to a box to let me see a mother cat with 4 kittens only 2 days old.....a night of the menagerie indeed.

The two of us now totally taken in by this wonderful, most beautiful of places wanted to stay but alas it was time to go, we were getting too comfortable. Time for Buffs and headtorches, to clear our glasses and to leave but as we said our goodbyes to the witch landlady, the parrot had the last word

"MIAOW"

Never in history had I heard a parrot say miaow....I reckon it was under a spell. I am not sure if it was the beer, the endorphins from the run or the overpowering smell of cat wee but we burst out laughing, that wonderful free laugh, straight from the gut that was just joyous...brilliant.

The way home

Rob, ever incredible, had already run 15 miles that day but was running strong but everso often we would shout "MIAOW" to the other and it would gee us along. We ducked down onto the NDW and heard a thump and in our torchlight saw a Roe deer jump over the surrounding bushes only feet away, an owl to our right calling.

And so, as soon as it started, it ended, a gloriously tough run that let us see or hear:

• 6 horses
• 1 dog
• 6 cats
• 1 Roe deer
• 1 owl
• 2 runners (us)
• 1 witch?

A menagerie indeed but a brilliant run

On the Bright Side

It appears that life (and injury) has got in the way of most of the runners that were going to attend the Recce Night Run along the North Downs Way on Saturday evening and so I was forced to cancel it. I had initially set it up on Facebook as it was an easy way of getting people to chat and make plans....all but one Rob "The Wardrobe" Jones.  

Anyone wondering why we call him The Wardrobe or WardRob is he has this uncanny ability to start off a race with a set of clothes on and by the end of it, have a completely different set on with a pair of different shoes, some would say he has a twin, others it was witchcraft, I believe the latter.

However, I digress....I had invited Rob by text and he was unaware of the cancellation until after when I texted him and he replied asking why we didn't just go for a run.....so it is back on and I have promised to take Rob to the Strangest Pub in Kent at about the halfway mark of 9 miles where the beer is warm and there really is witchcraft.

Rob is yet to confirm fully but it will be fun on a tough run

Overt tiredness

There are some times when you have to say enough is enough, today was one of those times.

First duty today was collect some coffees for my work colleague and myself, he was going for a "Triple Tall Americano, white" and I a run of the mill medium filter coffee; that perked us up and we jumped into our work to then feel an hour later the need for another coffee and so some filter stuff was made.

The day, whilst good humoured was a frustrating one but hard working and we were beginning to look and feel tired towards the end. On the train home I reckon I was asleep before it left the station to have a mad scramble to exit when I arrived at my destination.

The plan tonight was to have my meal, get my running kit on that was waiting by the door and do about 10 miles on road and track. I got to the meal bit, looked at the clock to see that I had to dress and leave in 15 minutes, the next time I looked at it, it was 9.00pm.....I had fallen asleep for 2 hours!

My body has spoken....no running tonight

A Thorny Issue

I have been trying to work out if I should discuss my recent "Sport's Injury" in such an open arena as it can be as embarrassing as it can be hilarious had it not shocked me so much. If you are embarrassed easily then do not read on......!

I am often amazed how little bumps, scratches and bruises I get concidering the amount of trail and cross country running I do but when I do they are quite superficial and treated as part of the sport. However, after my 32 mile round trip on Sunday near Sevenoaks, Kent I decided to go to the toilet at the rugby club and went about my business to glance down to find a horrific amount of blood inside my shorts, I am not talking a small spot but a dried patch about 12 centimetres in diameter.....I was horrified as it was all over "Little Jerry".

I wanted to go home as soon as possible just so that I could investigate further and on my return I got in the bath to find that "Little Jerry" had been scratched by a thorn or similar and had bled prefusely during the run. The only time I remember going past a thorny bush was in the early stages and it must have happened then, what is worse I didn't even know it had happened.

So this is a cautionary tale as well as one you can giggle about if you want but it is such an unusual little injury that I don't think you can even guard against it. I am still a little sore down their but it will heal very quickly and won't stop me from running tomorrow :-)

Stiff legs

It seems my 32 mile run in North Kent on Sunday has taken its toll on my legs showing what a tough course it was. I went for a walk on Monday evening, just 2 miles on pavement to the shops, 1 mile up a hill and then down again. The up hill was fine but boy, coming down hill was something else with my legs feeling quite wobbly.

I wanted to run this evening but my legs still felt a little stiff so decided to only do 6 miles with a slower group and just enjoy the chatter so drove to the club. So joining the group I was amazed to find that I was full of beans and soon bouncing up and down, backwards and forwards along the pack with my legs feeling fine with the run doing its magic. I was also seen "sprinting" the last 800 metres but pulled off as it served no purpose for the roads around Petts Wood are reknowned for trip hazards.

Now looking forward to a run at the track on Thursday...apparently 8 Yasso 800's for the marathon wannabes, I think I will stay with hogging lane 1 instead.

Evening and Night Run - Recce for NDW100

A few of my running friends have decided to run the North Downs Way 100 this year on 11^th August 201. The half way point at Knockholt Pound is a few miles from where I live and they will be passing that point in the dark so we are going to meet up up for a evening and night run as a reconnaissance for the event.

It is proposed that the mission will be for 3 hours running to allow us to get a quick refreshment at the pub. So anybody wishing to meet me and the other boys and girls the details are below:

The Three Horseshoes Public House,

Knockholt,

Sevenoaks,

Kent,

TN14 7LD

Meet at 6.50pm ready to run at 7.00pm  on 31^st March 2012

The pace will be steady but consistent, you will need a headtorch (preferably) or a hand torch, a mobile phone and emergency contact details in your pocket. This section of the NDW is very rough underfoot and there have been a couple of falls in recent night runs so you do so at your own risk

Sevenoaks Circular - Report

I was playing around with my stats last night after running the Sevenoaks Circular and realised that I had only run 9 times in the previous 30 days but each run averaged 23.5 miles, show off figures but what made it more disturbing was they included a 100 and a 32 mile run!

So it was because of this that I awoke on Sunday morning at 5.45 am after losing an hours sleep due to the change to BST with slightly achy legs from my 10 mile run North Downs run last Friday to decide whether doing the event was such a good idea. No going back now, George will be on his way to collect me at 6.30 am

Like a well oiled clock, George arrived at my house at 6.30 on the dot and we rushed off to the event arriving at a scary 7.00am on the dot. A short walk to the rugby club, paid our entry fees and got about the business of catching up with old friends whilst donning our kit....I left my shoes to last as they still smelled horrific and were tightly wrapped in polythene.

The run starts

We were requested to make a move to the start line some 200 metres down the road in the entrance way of Knowle Park and the park keeper opened the gates at 8.00am. Standing chatting still we noticed that the there was a movement forwards to then realise it had started....I love these events, they are not a race, they are a personal challenge so there is no pressure

It was quite cool in the valleys of the park which was bathed in fog and it was a wonderous moment to see a herd of 12 Roe deer thunder off and away from us up high on the hill. As you will be aware from previous reports, LDWA events are self-guiding so we were armed with 3 sheets of paper telling us directions in a unique shorthand so times are much slowere than normal due to the stopping and starting, getting lost or just stopping to view the scenery.

The route

We had scanned the directions and we were pleased to see that the route was completely different this year but gobsmacked to see that we were going to run about 15 miles of the route with no need to read the instructions as it took in Chevening and 6 miles of the North Downs Way and then join the Vanguard Way to Limpsfield. All training runs and part of the Lndon to Brighton route. We even ran past the place where I got my shoes covered in sileage on Friday, however this time George and I ran along the road to the side of it ducking in a small gate....local knowledge paid off ;-)

The time

We were not worried about time, we know we plod along at an average pace of about 5 mph, nothing brutal as these events are Tough (note the capital T) the hills steep, the terrain rough and with many stiles and gates to navigate and like metronomes we plodded through 20 miles in 4 hours thinking that we would be home soon but then the event really showed its true colours we were being slowly pushed towards Toys Hill and Ide Hill which are reknowned for their steepness and very erratic foothills, this slowed us down tremendously , my legs were still a little achy and then we made a costly mistake taking a wrong turning that took us deep into a valley which we had to climb back up when we found the instructions didn't match. Most of the time we would grumble but I don't think we really cared, it was just fun being out there. I say that for we then had a 240 foot (80 metres) ascent in 0.4 miles  (640 metres)...that was tough and every sinew in my legs screamed but there was a checkpoint at the top and I was getting hungry.

The end

After a refuel of biscuits and orange cordial we only had 5 miles (8km) to go but there was yet another deep descent and even higher ascent to go and then a some rugged terrain with a sharp drop to the finish. Considering the amount of training George and I do we really pleased with how we did this last few miles at a very strong and steady pace, the fact that there had been no taper for the event.

So reporting in I dived head first to the food queue, grabbed a fresh plate of beans on toast with a cup of coffee to sit down to have a catch up and laugh with the other runners, well deserve after 32.3 miles of cross country running

Sevenoaks Kit Inspection

All ready for Sunday's Sevenoaks Circular ~50km run on the North Downs, the rule tomorrow is to keep it simple hence why I have a very little amount of kit.

• Shirt
• Shorts
• Shoes
• Compass
• Plastic wallet (for directions)
• 2 bottles

 Simple.

BTW Rob, if you read this we will be there at 7.30am

And this is why I stink

I am not going to budge

I have a long weekend and today I awoke to see that it was a glorious sunny day and without a second thought I went straight to my running kit and got dressed. By luck the Delightful Mrs S was going to a seminar at a local hospital which just a few miles from Knockholt and the North Downs Way, there was only one thing to do.

On arrival in Knockholt I got on my trail shoes, two bottles of water on a belt and a pair of sunglasses to start what can only be described as a wonderfully glorious run along my favourite path however I soon needed to take a detour after my way was blocked by an enormous cart horse who refused to budge from the gateway...choose your battles wisely Jezza.

This section of the NDW is alive with horseflies and it was very unpleasant as they seem to hone in on me and left me swatting at the air. I soon ducked off to take some footpaths that I don't normally take and had a tough section of steep ascents and descents which left me gasping in the warm weather.

I soon jumped into a field and followed the well worn path to find that for some reason a section was wet, clawing and rank to note that it was 50 metres away from an enormous mound of sileage....this was the wash off from a pile of horse and cow $h1t.....I was in the middle off it and there was only one way out...through it!

This Dear Reader is why my car, myself and my shoes now smell! I had a great time though, oh the trails and tribulations of a long distance runner.