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Great snow run

I have been allowed to work from home due to the large amount of snow that had fallen last night and during the day today, the depth is about 6 inches in places which for Kent is quite a drop.

My job today was to implement a small application for a project I was doing and to monitor any work that came into my queue and be reactive to such calls but from the looks of it not many people had manged to get to the office. So a quiet one for me....

...and then the call came to say that there was an impromptu run happening and to meet at 2.00pm, who am I to shy away from such a challenge :-)

I took great joy in going for an 8 mile run in the snow with 3 good friends from the club today, 2 going a little faster than I wanted as I still have Gatliff in my legs and the snow was really reminding my ankles that they were still a little sore as they twisted and mashed about in the ruts. My favourite moment was when I called to Liz to tell her that there was a field on virgin snow that NEEDED to be run on and then went onto make a Snow Angel in the snow....the 400 metre dash up and across the field was another matter, it was about 8 inches deep in places and had me panting like an overgrown dog by the top. The next issue was to get out of the field as there was no gate which required Liz and I to clamber over it with the help of Phil and Sabina much to our hoots of delight.

Anyway back home now, all cold and sweaty, who said running was stupid

Thames Ring 250

Applications for next year's non stop Thames Ring 250 mile Race are now open. The race date is 22 June starting at 9am from Streatley, Berkshire. Competitors will have 100 hours to complete the course.

Get you entry forms here

One NOT for the trail

This one you can play at volume 0!!!

Saying that, I could use it to get me up some tough hills at that tempo.

Feeling Good

I awoke this morning and just before I stepped out of bed I had that my usual post-event thought of "What is going to hurt today?" I gingerly placed my feet onto the floor and stood up to find that the only things that felt a little uncomfortable were the tendons around my ankles and my inner knees.

This on one hand may sound bad news but I take this as really GOOD news showing that the weeks and months of good, solid mileage is really beginning to pay dividends. Not only did we knock off 25-30 minutes from last years Gatliff time but I can still feel comfortable to run tomorrow, although, as I type snow is settling outside my window.

There is no swelling around my ankles so can put this down to the hard, rugged surface we were travelling across on Sunday....I am very positive now, GUCR here we come.

Games Maker

I got an email today from the Olympics 2012 Games Maker organisers asking me to complete a couple of questions I had missed out on my application (I had forgotten to give my passport and driving licence numbers).

So hopefully I will be able to have some voluntary work in both the Olympics or the Paralympics in 2012, let's wait and see in January if I get an interview.

Gatliff - Race Report

Background
On the 19th Jan 1934, 24 members of the YHA met above Cox's Café, Croydon to form Croydon YHA Group. Herbert Gatliff was one of the founder members. The first Gatliff Marathon was organised in 1984 as part of Croydon Group's 50th anniversary celebrations. Hence the distance.

Report
Don't be fooled by the race title, this is not a marathon as we know it, there is no 26.2 miles in these runs, they are 50km, 35 km or 20km and primarily designed for walkers.

It was at 5.20 am I arose from my bed to go downstairs to my awaiting kit and with great trepidation stepped into the freezing cold crisp morning to see George pull up in his car with perfect timing. Without saying a word he pointed to the digital thermometer in the dashboard..eeeeekkk it was -6 °C/21 °F. The journey went by with mumbled conversation, I am not a great talker at those hours of the day but we soon arrived at Edenbridge, Kent and walked the 1/2 mile to the sports centre where the run was to start and finish.

As always the race entry was simple, name, address, telephone number, hand over a £10 note to be swapped for £2 coins. Putting the final touches to our kit and awaiting Richard's arrival we were soon out of the door at 7.20 am to follow the route directions.

Edenbridge
The Route started off quite flat but between mile 2 and 4 it rose sharply by 200 feet, this wouldn't be so bad but the temperature was working against us freezing the ungulate trampled fields to the hardness of steel causing it to become treacherous and ankle turning stuff.

As the route rolled out in front of us we were to discover that the directions were not easy in some places as the frosted landscape was not making making it very hard, the views at this point are fantastic, the landscape was covered in haw frost with the trees and bushes looking as though they have been dusted with icing sugar with every pond and puddle frozen.

At Holtye we could see the check point car in the distance which was there to mark us off and also to provide us with cold water, little did we know that it was going to be very cold water as we were informed that they had none as it had completely frozen!!!

It was then we discovered that in that hour the sports drink in Richard's bottle was now the consistency of a Slush Puppie and mine a big lump of ice!!! ( make note for future that if I run in these temperatures to put the water IN my back pack as my body heat would keep it melted)

Holtye to Ashdown Forest
We were now entering Winnie the Pooh country and George made it known that Pooh Bridge was somewhere around us but we agreed that it would be nigh on impossible to play as the water would probably be frozen like our bottles.

Soon after the check point we were asked to rely on yellow arrows as waymarkers, fine for walkers, not necessarily good for runners and at mile 7 soon found ourselves making the first of a few mistakes which added a mile or so to our overall distance and some ground lost. Good hearted still we carried on afterall it wasn't a race but a training run to get some much needed distance and experience under our belts.

We were now deep into the Wealds of Kent and the forest and woodland was indeed established, we were directed down paths about 1 foot wide with 50 foot drops to the side which soon turned to concreted and gravel paths then woodland to take us to check point 2 where we had the first food of the day, 2 Digestive biscuits and a cup of orange squash (cordial), I emptied out the ice from my bottle and refilled it with water from the barrel and then left to the steepest ascent of the course and then to the highest point at 500 feet

The trek North
After a good run we agreed that the mileage was being eaten up in a very consistent way and we were soon to see the bearings start pointing northwards and then found ourselves running on a disused railway line where me met some really nice people, one who recognised me by my Union Jack shorts as he read my blog [you know who you are ;-)]

That 1500 metres was a fast, tough run as we searched for the turning for the check point where our lunch awaited. At the check point I had:

1. A ham salad sandwich
2. 2 cups of chicken soup
3. 2 slices of fresh orange

Hartfield to Ashurst Wood
After we left the checkpoint we came across a runner hold his head up by his arm looking very sorry for himself. He complained of his neck hurting and making a "crunching" sound!!! I looked at his neck and indeed there was a lump. I then handed him over to runners approaching the check point asking them to ask for the staff to assist. I really hope he is OK.

At the next check point we decided that a hot cup of tea was in order and to get some core heat back in out bodies and were soon on our way to complete the last 15 km. From this point forward we really dug in, focussing on the route directions, in this section there were many short, sharp ascents and descents each one eating away at our ankles.

Why rotten potatoes?
At 25.8 miles we were struggling over a field with the remains of a potato crop rotting on the surface when I heard one drop from height near me, I was informed that we had run 25.8 miles. This magical number marked the end of the 2000th mile I had run this year!

Our return to Edenbridge
Amazingly we were still extremely strong towards the end as we ran off the hills and the lower areas of Edenbridge again on rutted path which was slowing us down in sections but we could see the Rugby posts of the sports centre in the distance and the thought of hot food drinks tempted us.

Conclusion
One tough run not helped by the cold conditions and rutted paths of ice and hardened mud. We agreed that we had held back a bit but were happy with our run but knew we could have carried on a little longer considering how little we had eaten during the course of the run

A question of celebrating

Whilst you await my Gatliff run report I just wanted to ask you a question dear reader.

What has a field of rotting potatoes and celebrating got in common?

There is a "running" reason behind this and a bit egocentric

My secret weapon

So the kit is packed and sitting in the living room ready for tomorrow's 50 km at Edenbridge. I have this down to fine art now and reduced it down to just one stuff sack and my back pack. The temperature is going to be our biggest enemy tomorrow and when I got back earlier it was -2° C so it will be much colder first thing. I have therefore changed straight over to my winter kit:

1. Woolly hat
2. Thin Skin top
3. Short-sleeved top
4. OMM Kamleika smock
5. Windproof jacket
6. Tights
7. Runner's gloves
8. and my secret weapon a pair of gardening gloves!

The gardening gloves are brilliant, I found them last November whilst on a run and put them over my ordinary gloves and it is amazing how they insulated my hands. When climbing over stiles and through gates bits of snow and frost gather on your gloves and melt from the warmth of your hands and as you stay out the cold air starts to freeze the water so these gloves act as a semi-waterproof layer.

Early start tomorrow and not really looking forward to a 5.00 am start!!!

On the subject of carb-loading

In recent times I have come to the belief that during the carb-loading period it is not all about stuffing your face with pasta, sweets and the like using it an excuse to eat as much as you want, when you want.

It is however about resting as much as you can, eating normally, maybe reducing your protien intake but just enjoy the chance to have some tasty food. Whilst doing my decorating today Mrs S came back with a lovely freshly baked loaf of Tiger bread, absolutely gorgeous with fresh salad and a boiled egg.

I can feel the rest and food working as the aches are starting to appear in my legs and stiffening up a little. Tomorrow I prepare my kit pile :-)

No rest for the wicked

The plan was to take a well earned day off from work today to allow me to catch up on the decorating at home as I had been working 12 out of 14 days including two evenings.

I took the opportunity to have a lie in and then went about my decorating. I think I must have been up and down that ladder 1,000 times today, completed two walls of paper that included hole filling, sanding with the paper going around the new fireplace, a light switch and 5 double sockets.

Now completed I have to paint it tomorrow.

Then I have realised that I have the Gatliff 50 km on Sunday and in between times I have to carb-load and rest up a bit.....fat chance

In the News

I was a bit embarrassed tonight when I opened my emails to find a newsletter from my [secondary] club and find that I was mentioned twice. Once for the Night Run and then because of my GUCR entry.

Then I read on and was really pleased and proud of some of my fellow runners; there was Clive who had just completed the New York marathon and then I saw Steve who was planning to run the length of every Underground line in London, have a look at his site to see what he has to do and for such a fantastic charity...

You do the maths

One thing that has occurred to me this week as I drop my mileage a bit is that what ever happens I will hit my 2,000 miles for the year missing my projection by about 4 weeks due to a drop in the training plan in recent weeks. The other nice thing is that I will pass this magic number whilst running the Gatliff marathon which is not what I was planning but it still is a nice touch.

Plans are afoot to crush last years time which was hampered by horrific weather, recovery from various events and injury. This year it appears it will just be weather and injury that will cause us discomfort but I have a feeling this year will be a good run as I have a target to reach. ;-)

Checklist

Got all my kit checked tonight ready for Sunday's Gatliff 50km in Edenbridge, Kent just to make sure it is still comfortable, not worn out and up to the job.

It looks like it is going to be a COLD weekend with temperatures at about 2° C with the chances of frost so I have had to make a decision on kit. I am going to go for my Nike Pegasus shoes for lateral support as the ground will be hard and rutted if frosty and a triple layer of long sleeved top, short top and windproof jacket. I will see how it goes but I may go for leggings but only if wet as they can make me sore at times and we have a lot of stiles and gates to navigate.

Funnily enough it is only now that I am beginning to feel a little excited about Gatliff, it promises to be yet another epic run.

The Night Run - Report

It was with great excitement that I left the house at about 7.15 pm with my good friend Duncan to drop off a bottle of water and plastic cups in a bush at the turn around point of the course my training buddy , George, and I had devised. After we dropped it off we drove off the start of the run and I was absolutely amazed to see a group of 8 runners with head torches, hand torches all fully decked out in running gear.

The Role Call

Andrew

Brian

Chris

Clive

Dan

Duncan

Jerry

Michael

Peter

Richard

Some of these people are "legends" in my little world, amongst them were guys who had run over 100 marathons, others were experienced ultramarathons, another a sub 35 10 km runner, one a competent barefoot runner.

The Start
So off we went on a nice little 10 mile teaser that had been devised to include, rutted wooded path, field paths, wet chalk and a couple of vicious [if not tantalising] hills. What I love about these group runs is the banter, conversation and hilarity that ensues as the run goes on. We had Andrew with his mega-torch, apparently called a "Joy Stick" which left my mind reeling with all possible puns and the capability to light up a 100 metre trail!!! We had Brian with an enormous, um....light-fitting which he used whilst camping to light up half of Kent which was soon called "Brian's flying saucer thing"

As this was the first night run we had to figure out the rules whilst doing it and it soon came very apparent when we "lost" two runners from the rear that if it had been during the day could have found them. I decided that we should "Number off" a technique that every runner is assigned a number and when required to by the run leader shout out their number in order.....let's just say it failed miserably but having a Tail End Charlie who ensures that everyone stays in front of them did.
The Turn Around
We arrived at the 5 mile mark and although everyone went for a cup of water I had left in the bushes each agreed to pop into the pub "for a quick half". I was quite surprised that we caused a stir with the locals who were really interested to find out what we were up to one young lad even commented on the fact that he saw us at the start "Who could miss you wearing those shorts mate" was levelled at me....yes I was wearing my Union Jacks ;-)
The Return Journey
It was decided "by committee" that we should return via a different route so after a brief discussion it was accepted to go via the original route George and I had devised and go up a very steep hill on road and then by trail to the end. All I can say is it is amazing how a half of Kentish Ale can mask the pain and allow me to run to the top of a hill that I had not been able to do 2 weeks ago!!!

Time went by, the humour and banter still prevalent and when we all finally surfaced onto the roads we noticed that last orders at the pub was in 10 minutes so a few of the younger members were dispatched to get the orders in.

We finished off the evening with a lovely pint of Bitter in the pub with friends to agree to do a night run again very soon.

Night Run

I am really looking forward to Saturday evening as it is going to be the inaugural Night Run and preparations have been finalised.

I am pleased to find out that about 12 people are attending and ready for a great run on mostly trail and field. I have contacted the landlady at the pub halfway along the route to say we maybe popping in for a half of Kentish ale and is happy for to come in, mud and all.

Just in case people don't want to go to the pub I have bought some cups and a bottle of water and I will drop it behind a bush for us to have. I have also found some old red bicycle lights that the last runner can carry to signal to cars that maybe travelling from behind and lastly I have a basic First Aid.

So hopefully it will be a fun evening with beers at the end for thirsty runners

Moonlight Sonata

Not to everyone's taste but if you want something relaxing to listen to whilst away from the traffic and on the trail then choose a little Beethoven...enjoy

Coming and Going

It is just getting a little hectic at the moment and I have realised that something has to give!

I have worked out I have had one day off in the last 11 days and worked 2 evenings, this along with a reasonable amount of training. I have been at in class for the past 2 days (with another day tomorrow) learning some new computer stuff and am now feeling extremely tired.

I walked for about 5 miles yesterday in between the station and the training centre and found that my legs were stiff and heavy, similarly today so I decided it best to rest this evening as the run would not have benefitted me apart from making me even more tired...I think they call it trash miles.

I don't feel to bad about missing my run as I am running Gatliff next week and have to rest my legs a little.

Off the Radar

It keeps on getting mentioned in conversation and tonight by email and I seem to forget that we are running the Gatliff Marathon on Sunday 28th November 2010! It is not a marathon but a ~50km cross country run requiring some map reading skills which will take us over some of the choicer hills of the North Downs in Surrey and Kent.

I have to admit my mileage will be dropping off slightly over the next 10 days but not by a great amount as we get closer to the day.

Take No Prisoners...

OK just one or two but I don't care :-)

My calf felt a bit tight today mainly caused by last week's sharp increase in mileage and was just warning me to take things a little carefully so I didn't want to push it too much!!!

At the club the various group leaders shouted out route/speed/distance information and I selected mine on the premis that the "one below" was too short and the "one above" was too fast but then found out that my group selection wanted to do a two mile interval run in between a warm up and a race to the finish. I chose the lesser of three evils.

Remembering my calf I decided to run at a consistent pace whilst those around me sprinted and jogged plumping for the average pace bunny sub 8 minute/mile through the drizzle and cold. After two miles we had a 100 metre recovery jog and the call was for a free for all run back to HQ which was described as "Cardiac Cliff" and "Run at your own pace"

AAHHHHH, it happened again, I raced and I ran hard up "Cardiac Cliff" refusing to be beaten and was soon gasping for breath but unrelenting I was King of the Castle as I bounded over the top and took on the flat section of the final run....I was beaten towards the end by two of them but was really pleased I was able to run a consistently paced 7:40 min/mile run and still have a race at the end.