Boxing Day Run

Complete with extra ballast in the form of Turkey, chocolates & red wine, I attempted to blast away about 4000 extra calories in one run today. An 11 1/2 mile run at a reasonable pace with the mountain of Cleeve Hill right in the middle. Really cool today so ideal running conditions and the first 3 miles were all just over 7m/m; so fairly steady. The run up the hill wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, possibly due to the extra turkey protein ;)

Cleeve Hill

I ventured, with trusty hound Rusty, up to the Common on Sunday for a fairly gentle 5.5 mile run. A mixture of muddy slop on the sunny slopes, frozen on the shaded areas but a nice run all-in-all. Obviously hilly, but the pace was quite manageable given I was trying to be kind to Rusty ;) Actually, he did well given that he hasn't had a run on the Common for a little while. Lovely conditions up there, nice and chilly although going at 3pm is probably not the best time given the thawing ground and fading light. Still beats the tarmac though!

Hoping to make it a regular Sunday morning venture, gradually increasing the mileage - dog permitting!

'ere tis:

Unusual Run

On Sunday, whilst staying with sister-in-law (and brother-in-law of course) I was invited out on a group run with some of the locals. Despite the considerable windchill, we ventured out on a fairly steady 7.5 mile run. As the pace was quite a bit slower than I'm used to, it was actually quite tricky and my legs stiffened toward the midway point. Two miles from the end, knowing the route back home, I was set free and blasted back with a couple of 6.30 min/miles. As I got back I found out that Helen had set off on a 3 mile out&back route, so I chased after her and we ran the 'back' part together. So 10 miles in all, but very varied pace!

The comeback?

Feeling quietly confident earlier this week, I tried a 20 min plod on a treadmill. I successfully completed the 20 minutes without dying of boredom and without any pain in the calf, not even a squeak (or should that be 'moo'??). So I left it a couple of days and then ventured outside for a real run, well about 4 miles anyway. Again, no problems so, true to form, I overdid things and ran again the next day and felt a fair degree of soreness :( Serves me right I suppose, so back to ice & stretch and see if it's just stiffness (ooh err Mrs) or something more sinister.

I was in Ottawa this week and there's some great running to be had along the canal or around some of the pathways running along beside the river (the River Ottawa strangely enough). Shame I couldn't really take advantage of that!

Progress!

I'm now having physio for the calf (and achilles and shin) and it's going really well. The initial estimate was between 6 & 8 weeks before I'd be back out on the streets (about Xmas time) but I think it will be before that. I did some hopping exercises last night and no pain! Another bout of agony, sorry physio, tomorrow and then a week in Canada resting, I mean working. We'll see how it is after that.

Sigh

The injury is not healing quickly enough. Despite massage, ice, rest, anti-flams etc, it's still niggling away. My own fault because the major problem is now the shin which I probably damaged by trying to run with a calf injury. I suppose that throbbing pain was actually mother nature telling me that something was wrong. So it'll be a while yet before I'm back out & about - and I need new running shoes too.

I might get myself some physio if things don't progress over the next week. Either that or a massage from the woman with no hands.

Had to happen!

Having run with a sore calf for about 6 weeks, it was bound to let go at some point. Tonight was the night. Following a jet-lagged, full-of-cold, sore calf run on Tuesday (I'm sure I could think of a couple of other excuses if necessary) with the Harriers, I iced and massaged the pain on Wednesday and then went for a short loop tonight. Agony. I almost, for the first time ever, failed to complete a run that I'd started. But being made from sterner (and stupider) stuff, I carried on to the end but at some cost I think.

Tomorrow should tell more but I've already ruled myself out of the Abingdon Marathon later this month. Not a chance of either completing that in my goal time (3 hrs ish) or completing it at all given my current state!

Anyhoo, here's the output from Tuesday's pretty quick (6.52 mile pace) run:

Harriers Tuesday Night

This was the route from last Tuesday. Another route that had it all; bit of road, mix of trail, slogging hill up, fast hill down and a rapid finish (sub 6 min for the last mile!). Probably the last off-road route of the summer though :( Back to dodging the traffic of Cheltenham!

Follower?

Oh, by the way, if you are a regular reader, please let me know by adding yourself to the 'follower's list over there on the right ---->

Many thanks!

R.

Bushcombe x 2

Two good runs over the weekend. A regular slog up Bushcombe Hill on Friday as part of a local 8 miler followed up with a cross country version totally just over 9 miles yesterday. Twice up Bushcombe Hill in two days - madness.

Now the slight soreness in my right calf of a couple of weeks ago is starting to give me cause for concern. It's not getting any worse, despite some hard running, but it's not getting better - because of some hard running. So, as most adult, sensible adults do - I'll just ignore it and carry on. I'm icing it every night and stretching etc, but it needs a rest (rest? humph).

I'll hopefully get a fair amount of rest next week when I (and my sore calf) go to the US for a few days. I won't have chance for much serious running, so an opportunity to take it easy.

Right, back to the hilly stuff and here's the route from yesterday...

Long, wet run

I rounded off my week with a 16.2 mile run home from work yesterday. The first two miles were in the dry, the following 14 in the rain! Will it ever stop? I managed a fairly consistent 7.30min/mile pace all the way and felt reasonably comfortable throughout. Knackered today though!

Will be having a rest over the weekend and probably run again on Monday & Tuesday.

Been a while!

Quite a break from my last entry, but no break from running.

Last night with the Harriers we covered just about everything. A couple of miles across some very muddy & wet fields; up a stonking hill; fast road finish. In fact, the final 4 miles were around 6.30m/mile pace although I was struggling towards the end. Amongst all that we were molested by cows and chased by a horse. Never a dull moment I can tell ya!!

End of a busy week.

Running to and from work today bumped my weekly mileage up to 35, so a good week from a quantity perspective! Definitely a rest day tomorrow and then a short speed session on Sunday.

Rest Day? Not!

Following a fairly tough 11 miler yesterday, I was hoping for a gentle plod with the Harriers on Tuesday. Nope. My heart sank when Dave announced we were going to do a loop of the Devils Chimney, which included a fairly significant assault of Leckhampton Hill. MB is below.

The outward part was ok although I was deep in thought knowing what lay ahead. The hill was tough but the final 2-3 miles back to the start were hopeless and the others left me far behind. Still, 23 miles in 24 hours - a bit of tiredness is ok ;)

Bank Holiday

After a 25+ mile week last week, I've started this week with a 11 mile cross country route that I constructed on 'map my run'. A good course across farmers fields, across the Winchcombe Steam railway, up a rather sodding hill, through many stinging nettles and my new pet hate, cob corn fields. Despite there being a footpath marked, some farmers will plant their seeds right up against the hedge so the choice is either think stinging nettles or 7 ft high corn. My shoulders are scratched and my lower legs are zinging!

It is amazing the things one sees when one ventures off road. I never thought that today I'd see, in the middle of a field, a yellow Labrador having poo removed from its behind. I didn't say everything I see was great, but quite amazing. I think the owner was rather surprised to see me, a bit embarrassed too ;)

Right, now that my legs are toasted, I can get ready for the Harriers run tomorrow evening.

Here's today's route:

New Technique

A fairly quiet week this week. With most of the Tuesday night folk away on hols, there was no run this week. Still I ran to work on Wed and will do again tomorrow, probably daring the cross-country route so watch out bulls & buzzards (and any other wildlife who wants to have a go at me), I'm coming your way in the morning.

On the way home on Wednesday I tried out some Pose Running. This is about trying to shorten the stride length, landing on the ball of the foot and underneath the hip, not in front. Overall it's supposed to lessen injuries and increase speed. I tried it for a mile or so and immediately felt like I was mincing. And my muscles hurt today.

So I'll report back on any brushes with death with any runner-eating rabbits I see or blood-thirsty horses etc. I'll also be on the lookout for flesh-tearing squirrels.

Cranham Chase

Tough start, tough finish - very wet! Atrocious weather on the lead-up to the start but thankfully the heavens held and the race itself was fairly dry. The route itself, described as one with a sting in the tail did indeed have a lung-busting finish. The start was uphill, the middle sections undulating but the last 1/2 mile was a hard slog up a steep hill to the finish.

Motion Based output is below, a couple of downhill assisted sub 6min miles ;)

Overall I finished 15th - more than happy with that.

Good week

Mileage wise, I'm up to 27 with a possible 6 more on Saturday if I race at Cranham. Undecided on that at the moment. Can't say I feel like I'm in the best form at the moment, can't quite put my finger on it but my 'edge' isn't there - it's not a very sharp edge at the best of times, more like curve, or a marble.

Anyhoo, I'm sure a short, sharp race would sort that out although Cranham is a hilly route which would preclude much speed. We'll see.

It's been quite hard going this week, mainly due to the humidity which has been really high but at least it hasn't been too hot. Humidity was 88% during Tuesday evening's run and a whopping 93% on the way to work this morning!

I was right

Yep, it was muddy! Ankle deep mud in places, nicely churned-up by horses etc and no alternative but to wade through. Needless to say, I had to hose Rusty down when we got home. Good run though, took just over an hour and beside a couple of interesting Bovine challenges, a nice ramble through the countryside. It's a shame most gates etc don't have a 'dog gate' as I ended up having to cart Rusty over about a dozen of them - reasonable upper body workout though :)

One field of cows threw down the challenge to us. But being a hardened veteran of charging, man-eating bulls I had no problem dealing with these (definite udder check before we entered the field though). They encircled us but it was more of a 'get out of our field' move rather than my previous encounters which was more like 'we are going to tear you to shreds and eat you'.

Note to farmers;
1. don't take down footpath markers
2. don't put rabid, very fast bulls in fields where the public are granted passage
3. please keep pathways accessible

Thanks!

Sunday Run

Below is the run I'm going on in the morning, probably with the hound in tow. It's a fairly flat route, possibly lots of mud though ;)

Tough week

Since Sunday (the hot run) I haven't been feeling very well so I missed out on my normal Tuesday night run so Dave & I ran on Thursday instead. Despite having jelly legs due to the illness, we ran fairly well over a route that had everything. Started off with a run across Pitville Park, then some road work followed by a couple of 'nice' hills including Aggs which must be 1:4 at least. That led us along some of the Cotswold Way which was really nice. A nice downhill drop through the woods on a rocky track and then back to the finish across the Racecourse. 8 miles in all, very up & down! Here's the route:

Some Like It Hot...

But I don't. I've never been a warm weather runner, much preferring cold conditions despite 3 years in the stiffling summers of Maryland! Still, today wasn't quite that bad but warm enough to make me suffer somewhat and put pay to my plan for the day. I was hoping to run a 9 mile loop with each lap quicker than the last, starting with a gentle 7min/mile first lap. Well the first two laps went according to plan and then that was the end of that. I hoped to run a average pace of somewhere around 6.50 min/mile and ended up with 7.22 m/m - which isn't too bad considering it must have been mid-high 70s.

So here's the MB output:

Lazy, hot, slow, sweaty

Lazy - I haven't been runnin for nearly a week despite taking my kit with me on holiday; just didn't find the time.

Hot - it was today, quite humid anyway

Slow - was my pace on today's run up to Cleeve Hill and then cross-country back home to complete a 7 mile circuit. Very slow pace but the conditions certainly didn't help and I've eaten far too much over the last few days so it all contributed!

Sweaty - I was indeed very.

Here's the route:

Tues Run

No Harriers tonight so I went for a 10 miler from home. This incorporated Bushcombe Lane and most of Cleeve Hill so quite a challenging first 5-6 miles. I took the scenic, cross country route wherever possible and it turned out to be a pretty nice run. Quite humid tonight and I found the hills tough tonight, but overall a hard but enjoyable run. Here it is..

Shoes

Am I the Amalda Marcos of running? Probably not, but I do have quite an array of shoes at the moment! I have:

Mizuno Alchemy 7's - general purpose running & training
Mizuno Elixir 3's - race shoes
Walsh's - for XC and when it's really muddy
Salomon Trail - multi-terrain shoes
New Balance - multi-terrain shoes

The Alchemy's are the ones I use for general running as they are a great set of stability / motion control shoes. I sometimes use the Elixir's for short, speed runs (less than 5 miles) as they have little stability/support. The Salomon's are excellent for off road, but they give me blisters after about 6 miles or so.

This afternoon I might give the Elixir's a blast around Cleeve - haven't done much speed running for a while now.

Double Trouble

As Laura is in prep for the Snowdon 10 miler, 'we' decided to do a double run up Mill Lane to the top of Cleeve Hill last night. Ouch. First attempt was awful and I was soon left trailing with my marathon-weary legs still not as fresh as they should be. We then circled back to the bottom of the hill and started again - much better second time around! Overall, a good but testing 10.6 mile run that included road, trail, a difficult technical downhill and even a brisk sprint finish!

Wouldn't want to do that run every week though!

Yesterday

And here's the output from yesterday's outing.

Back to it

Two runs today. First was Helen's at the Race for Life - she did really well and considering it was only 6 months ago today that she was undergoing a major operation and giving birth to Bethany, I'm really proud that she did the run and in under 40 mins. Well done H.

Inspired (and realising my total mileage last week was 6!!), I went for a 7 miler which contained Bushcombe Lane (aka Everest) and some nice cross-country back to the house. No real pace, but trying to coax my feet back into the game gently.

Hope to be back out with the Harriers on Tuesday, time to re-tune the legs and get some miles going again.

R.

4th Place

The Cheltenham Harriers Men's Team was 4th overall (out of 65) with the mixed team coming in 33rd. Pretty good results I reckon although I know the men's team has won the competition outright before.

Feet update: Much better today (sudacrem is not only good for babies bottoms, a great healer for blisters!) but I think I'll give the Forest of Dean Trail 10k a miss on Tuesday. I need a rest.

Tough one

That was a tough race.

Awful start, got blocked in at the back of the group and had to spend the first mile squeezing past other runners. Middle section (miles 2-9) ok, got a good rythm going and made good progress. The field spread right out and as I went up past the Air Balloon I was running with a chap from the Great Western Runners Club. We ran together for quite a while until he expired on a hill and I carried on. At about mile 10, my legs started going. Probably due to the marathon on Sunday so I supped some frog intestines (aka energy gel) and a swig of lucozade and hoped for the best. Then a strange thing happened. I had been running alone for a couple of miles, nobody in front, nobody behind and as I crested a hill in the woods, suddenly there were 3 runners right behind me. No idea how they had caught me that quickly but it took them another mile to pass me. Then I re-passed one of them on Coopers Hill. Strange.

Anyhoo, I dug deep up a couple of lung busters and arrived at the finish in foot agony yet again. My time of 1hr 37min was about what I hoped for and I finished 10th. Pretty good.

So my feet. Blisters again and they definitely need time to heal (heel, get it?) now because they look like I've crossed the Sahara in flipflops.

So the next race is the 'Race for Life' where I get to watch Helen and the two Rebecca Louise's run while I put my (absolutely awful) feet up!

So here's the Motion Based output, you can see from the elevation chart, that was no picnic.

Not sure how the team did overall, will check later for results.

Recovery

Just been out for a nice little meander from Cleeve toward Stoke Orchard with Rusty. Nice little run across the fields until I lost track of the path so we turned back. Not sure how far it was, probably 4-5 miles or so but a useful test to see which parts of me hurt. Not much actually, just one toe on my left foot that is giving me some grief and is quite concerning given the relay on Saturday. I'm sure some taping and suffering will see me through.

Talking of the relay, I'm running stage 4 which can be seen by looking at http://www.cotswoldwayrelay.co.uk/S4.htm

It's just over 20km long, a bit hilly and described as 'hard'. Nice, so how come I get the longest stage? The record for men stands at 1hr 18min, and I'll be shooting for somewhere around 1hr 35min which would have placed me in 13th place last year. So we'll see how it all pans out on Saturday.

The Day After

Not bad actually. Managed to cycle to & from work without too much distress (especially getting on/off bike). Just heard from the Challenge Organisers that I was 2nd overall so my course record didn't stand for very long! But, 2nd place is pretty pleasing!

Just been doing my normal post race blister emptying. One of my left foot was quite spectacular and spurted everywhere..nice.

So my attention now starts to drift toward the Cotswold Relay on Saturday. My leg (stage 4) is a shade under 13 miles from Seven Springs to Cranham Corner. Not quite sure what state I'll be in come Saturday, but will give it my best shot. Two races in the space of 6 days is not good planning, especially with a combined mileage of 40 miles!

Cheltenham Challenge Marathon

So I did it. The Cheltenham Challenge Marathon was certainly a challenge. Great weather for it today and I must say, the marshalling and volunteer work around the course was first class although I surprised a couple of marshalls who were a bit slow in showing me which way to go next! Hard slog but I finished in 4hr 06min which was a whole lot faster than I was expecting. Also, that broke the course record by 9 mins!! I'm not sure if anyone else finishing later than me went quicker, but I was definitely the first person to complete the marathon today, starting at 8am this morning.

A couple of slow miles. The first was the never-ending hill up from the Resevoir near the A40 and the second due to me having to stop and sort blisters out and use the loo. So all in all, delighted with the time.

The last mile was a bugger - all uphill and through oil see rape plants that were waist high and were determined to wrap themselves around my ankles - not what you need after 25 miles of cross-country slogging.

Anyway, here's the Motion Based output.

Here we go!

My run to work last Friday (the 13th I hasten to add) turned into a face-off with the wildlife. Firstly there were bulls in one field that is usually free from rabid, human eating animals. Still, unphased I confidentally approached them until they all looked my way and started their advance. I tactically retreated and circumvented the field. Next was a focussed dive-bombing attack from a buzzard. I must have been near its nest 'cos it was determined to scalp me and tried at least a dozen times until it got fed up with handfulls of dirt being thrown at it. Lastly was my favourite field of bulls. Thankfully they were in the adjacent field on Friday but they still charged and put the hairs on my neck on full alert. On the way home I ran the road route; got a huge nosebleed and an attack of the munchies so it was not great.

So based on all that I've sent off my application for the Cheltenham Circular Challenge. Sunday will see my first full marathon attempt, not one to take an easy option (the all time record is 4hr 15min) - I think it's going to be a long, hard, painful slog. Great stuff.

Have a look:

http://www.cheltenhamcircularchallenge.org.uk/

Tuesday Night with the Harriers

Another week, another hill. This time Leckhampton Hill which is probably somewhere similar in size to Cleeve - they looked about even from the top of Leck Hill anyway. Bit of a struggle right from the start last night, no idea why. Legs felt stiff and tired and I struggled all the way up and all the way back. Still, average pace of 7.30min/mile isn't too shabby given the run profile (see below).

It is weird how much attention a group of runners gets from some members (read 'morons') of the public. What is it about a few people (4 last night) running that attracts so much attention and comment? Has the human being never run before??

Quiet week

A very quiet running week this week. Following my mileage blitz last weekend, I had a fairly leisurely run to work on Tuesday and then didn't run again until Saturday and that was only a short (4.3 mile) bit of speed. Still, my mileage for the week was 22ish, so not too bad.

Still haven't decided whether to run the Cheltenham Circular challenge yet. My toes are healing but the race is only 2 weeks away and I'm not sure they'll be up to another hammering. I'll probably wait until next weekend to decide. So, races on the horizon are:

22 June - Cheltenham Circular Challenge Marathon
28 June - Cotswold Way Relay (12.5 miles)
1 July - Forest of Dean 10K Trail run
October - Abingdon Marathon

Meanwhile, Helen has started running again and is signed up for the Race for Life at the Cheltenham Racecourse. She's running 2-3 times per week, gradually building up the distance. Bravo.

Cotswold Way...

..too painful for my feet. I had planned to recce Leg 4 of the Cotswold Way with Dave today so when I run during the Cotswold Way Relay, I'll know where I'm going. Of course, my feet were agony yesterday to the point where blood was spurting out of one of my toes, near the root of the nail. So I patched myself up with plasters, compeed and even iodine (!) and gingerly put my trail shoes on this morning. Ouch. No way. So I ran in my normal road shoes for 12.5 miles along a really nice trail, through woods, up some fairly gruelling hills and finished in reasonable shape. Toes are still complaining like billy-oh, but 34 odd miles in three days ain't bad.

So I'm off to get them sorted out again for the evening, not only do they look awful, the iodine adds a really deathly look!

Cheltenham's a large town..

...when you run around it! I ran 3 of the 4 legs of the Cheltenham Circular route yesterday. Long run (21 miles) and my toes are in agony today! Lots of mud, hills, gates, stys etc and all done navigating from a set of directions off the web. Well, those are my excuses for taking 3.5 hours to run 21 miles. Actually, that's not too bad considering the terrain and all the stop/starting.

Lovely scenery on the route, especially once I had climbed the escarpment leading up to Seven Springs, could see the whole of Cheltenham from up there.

Right, off to sort my toes out now. They look frostbitten!

Harriers

Cracking run on Tuesday encompassing Cleeve Hill. Nice and hilly and not a bad pace overall (see MB activity below). Perfect running conditions too last night and I think my Bushcombe Lane run on Sunday certainly put some hill training in my legs. I felt much more comfortable last night as compared to last week.

I'm seriously thinking about entering the Cheltenham Circular Challenge on 22 June (see http://www.cheltenhamcircularchallenge.org.uk/). I even thinking about taking on the full marathon distance, a bit crazy but I think I could plod around (the marathon record is 4hr 15min, which demonstrates how difficult it must be!).

We'll see....

Speed Session

My cross-country run to and from work was quite interesting yesterday. The run to work was ok - saw some wildlife (ducks, rabbits, cuckoo and fox) and avoided getting my legs stung to smitherines by wearing long footy socks - nice. However, when I got to the final field it contained a herd of cows; so I thought. As I climbed the gate they all turned and made their move toward me, very quickly. So I hot-footed it over a fence in to the adjoining field only for the herd to gallop toward me, two of the 'cows' actually hurdled the fence - never seen that before, very impressive. At this point I realised the lack of udders and so made lots of noise and waving of arms. The bulls returned to their field but it was as if they knew I had to get back over the fence into the same field to get back on to my route. So I did and they immediately charged resulting in a man versus bull race to the fence. I won, just and much to the amusement of a lady looking out of her bedroom window at the comedy that was unfolding. As I looked around it was as if the bulls were saying 'you won this time matey, see you at 4 o'clock for the return match'.

I circumvented that field on the way home on the advice of an 8 year old girl who saw me venturing back into the field - "don't go in there, they will attack you and they broke somebody's arm last week" - I heeded her advice!

Canix

Well that was interesting. My first man & dog race was on Sunday and we did ok. Our finish time for the 5k was 19:46 and we finished 6th in our class. Quite pleased with the time but was surprised by the level of competition; much stronger than I thought it would be with the winner posting a 16:47 - good with or without dog!

So Rusty seemed to enjoy it. Off like a lunatic at the start but needs to pace himself as he was dragging his weary paws toward the end. We were only overtaken once on the two lap course, it was like being passed by a dog/man express train! We passed quite a few competitors and it was funny to watch the dogs exchange glances on the way past 'ha, faster than you and you're a husky!'

Photo or me & Rusty to the right of the blog.

Here's the details:

Tewkesbury Half Marathon

So last Sunday saw witness to a rather painful and hot experience. The Tewkesbury Half took place in high 70 / low 80 degree temperature that saw me register a much slower than anticipated 1hr31. I was aiming for 1hr25 and was ahead of my goal pace after 3 miles and then it all went horribly wrong. I decided to miss the first water station at 2.5 miles and by mile 5, I had blown up. I completely fell apart and my pace dropped through the floor from around 6.30/mile to 7.00/mile. I struggled on through the next few miles, just looking at my feet and hoping the next water station would appear like an oasis. Miles 5-8 were are real struggle and I almost stopped running altogether as my goal had gone and it felt like I was running backwards. I rallied toward the end with two sub-7.00/miles but it was a painful finish to a hot and tiring race.

Hats of to Laura though who bounced to the finish in 1hr 24, finishing as first lady, first Harrier and 13th overall. Cracking run, amazing performance in such conditions.

Dave staggered over the line in much the same state as I. A race we'd both rather forget as soon as poss!

Good run last night with the Harriers; a 9 mile run offroad including Cleeve Hill and the racecourse. Nice pace, lovely conditions but has left me with very badly bruised toes to complement the blisters from Sunday.

Next stop: Sunday's race with trusty Rusty!

Tewkesbury Half Marathon

This should be the flyover of the route for Sunday.

http://www.sports-log.com/tewkesburyhalf

Racing Ahead

I've now got a few races booked over the next few months, all starting with the Tewkesbury Half Marathon on Sunday 11 May. Following that I have:

18 May - CANIX 5K (this is a 5k race around Cheltenham Racecourse with dogs so Rusty will have his racing paws on and off we go! Should be good for a laugh and if I do poorly, I can blame the dog)

28 June - Cotswold Way Relay
1 July - Forest of Dean Trail 10k
19 Oct - Abingdon Marathon

Surprised myself

All week I had planned a long run for today. However, I woke up today really weary, a bit sore from my XC exertions on Thursday and feeling like a long run, 15 miles or so, was out of the question. A morning in town did nothing to enhance my energy either. So I went out this afternoon thinking I'd just see how it went and see how far I could manage today. Surprisingly, I managed my whole planned route of 15.2 miles although my goal pace of 7.30min/mile wasn't quite achieved. I think the warm and humid conditions dropped my pace a bit down to 7.40 overall although my Garmin suggested in was closer to 7.33 - I always trust my Garmin ;)

Highlights of the run? Not that many actually. Lots of flies around, especially along the country lanes. Lots of traffic on the Winchcombe Road and when I called home to tell Helen I was going for the full distance, she reported that both of the little ones were in scream mode. I'm not sure whether I quickened my pace to get back home so I could help, or slowed a little!

If you look at the MB readout below and select 'laps' you'll see I did some negative splits (running the second half of the distance quicker than the first half). I think the terrain helped with that a little but I did feel pretty good all the way around, until the last mile.

Next stop, Tewkesbury Half Marathon on Sunday 11 May.

Glorious Mud

Using 'mapmyrun.com' I sorted out a new, more entertaining route to and from work. Instead of the normal 6 mile road route, I devised a cross-country variant of about 6.5 miles. So I tested it yesterday morning and ended up very muddy, covered in stings from nettles and totally 8 miles! Some slight 'navigational corrections' were needed due to a lack of footpath where I thought there would be one! Anyway, I corrected that on the way home and indeed, the route was 6.5 miles. The route to work was a bit like running through a wildlife park. I saw deer, ducks, horses, cows, sheep, pheasant, a heron and goats. I also tripped over a rock and dived into a freshly ploughed field. Nice.

Still, it beats the road!

A bit wet!

What's with all the rain? So much rain it's almost July-like weather ;)

Actually, I don't mind running in the rain, as long as it's not windy. Don't like the wind! Anyhoo, went out with the Harriers last night for the first time in ages and felt some of the cobwebs being blown out. Foot hurt though, real problems with the arch on my right foot and I have a new clicking/popping of the ligaments in there. Need to get that sorted - possibly a good excuse for a foot rub from Mrs N ;)

Here's the MB from last night.

One big hill

So I missed out yet again on Tuesday with the Harriers as I was in London. So I went for a gentle 4.5 mile XC as it was such a lovely evening. I followed up on Wednesday by running a similar route to Dave, Laura & Ray who ran through Prestbury, up over Cleeve Hill and down through Woodmancote, Cleeve. I ran the opposite direction and ended up with a stride short of 10.5 miles. Cracking evening for running although my enforced layoff (foot injury + extended chest cold) caused some personal consternation climbing Bushcombe Lane. Determined as I was, my lungs were rasping! Anyway, I plodded onwards and upwards over Cleeve Hill, through a herd of dangerous looking cows and down the other side. In that 10 mile run I saw: cows, sheep, horses, rabbits, lamas(!) and hurdled approximately 15 stys, ran through countless gates, over a railway line and three cattle grids.

Here it is:

Never rains but it pours.

So just when I think my foot is well enough to take some miles, I get a cold. I didn't run on Tuesday with the Harriers as planned, am not running tomorrow as planned so it's all gone to rats. Sensibly (which I am not known for), I have decided to withdraw from the CS 10k next week; I simply haven't prepared well enough. I was hoping to crash train this week in the hope of getting some quality miles in my legs but the cold has seen to that. So I'll give up on next week and now aim for the Tewkesbury Half Marathon next month.

Hopefully by the weekend I'll be ok to get out for a nice long, but relaxed plod and then start picking up the pace next week.

On reflection though, the cold-induced layoff may be beneficial giving my poorly right foot time to heal better. Silver lining possibly!

R.

London

So hats off to Paul from our Harriers Tuesday night group who not only clocked a cracking PB of 2.54 in today's London Marathon and thus entered the marathon 'elite' club and automatically booked himself for next year's race too, but he also pleasured us on national BBC with tales of his chaffed groin. I was sat watching the coverage and suddenly I realised a Cheltenham Harrier was being interviewed, then realised it was Paul. In his moment of fame, all he could mention was his chaffed groin and feet; splendid.

Well done though mate!

Rob

ps. Inspired I waddled out for a 7 miler :(

Back to Normal

Ok so the injury has pretty much cleared up. I'm still icing the foot at nights but generally speaking, it's much better. I managed 18 miles this week which included a nice (!) 8 miles over Cleeve Hill between Oakley & home. I should get out for a plod on Sunday and hopefully back with the Harriers on Tuesday. If not, I really need to get some speed sessions sorted next week in prep for the Civil Service 10k championships the week after. Here's the Motion Based from my run over the bump that is Cleeve Hill:

Tentative first steps

I've been very sensible and haven't run a step for 9 days. The foot has been feeling much better this weekend so I went out for a very gentle plod around the block. Not bad, but no 100% better. The inhibiting pain wasn't there although I felt a bit of discomfort now & again. I'll get some ice on the heel tonight and will take it easy for the next week or so. Fingers crossed, I should be ok for the Civil Service 10k Championships in London in a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure how my pace will be by then.

I'm currently reading 'Extreme Running' by Ranulph Fiennes (foreward by him anyway) which selects the best ultra running races from across the continents. From Badwater to Comrades, Marathon de Sable to the North Pole Marathon. Interesting book covering running events the likes of me can only dream about!

Ouch again!

So I'm cycling to work this morning on my Lemond and heading toward the level crossing on my normal route to work. Bit of moisture in the air, nice fresh start to the day though and wham!! I'm suddenly spreadeagled across the railway tracks. My front wheel had slipped on the wooden surface that covers the actual rails on the crossing. As my front wheel skidded it wedged deep between the wooden surface and the actual railway. My front wheel is an awful mess, a lovely Bontrager Race Lite gone in the blink of an eye (about 250 quid). I'm a bit battered and bruised but thankfully I managed to get the bike and drag it out of the crossing before the barriers came down!! I'm also very very glad I didn't take a bang to the head as the consequences of that are a bit too awful to contemplate!

So I'm not doing very well at the moment. I've just spent most of the day searching for a replacement wheel and then getting my Trek (winter bike) back in service ready for tomorrow.

I'll be paying increased attention when I get to the crossing tomorrow!!

R.

RICE

So I think a running lay-off is now in order. I think I've badly bruised the heel of my right foot to the extent that even walking up the road is painful. So lots of rest, ice, compression and elevation for the next week or so. With the Civil Service 10k championships & the Tewkesbury Half marathon looming on the horizon, I need to get myself healed sooner rather than later. I was thinking about running at Chedworth next Sunday, but that's now out of the question.

Oh well. I suppose I've been lucky with injuries for a while. Nothing since my hamstring and groin injuries of 2006 & 2007. Hopefully with rest this week, my foot will sort itself out quickly.

R.

Ok, doctors were right.

So working a sore ankle doesn't help. Unfortunately I turned it again on the way to work this morning so I'm back to the same painful state I was a week ago. Battling run this morning in the (head) wind and rain. Sore run coming home but glad I did it today in order to hit the 20 mile mark for the week.

So going back to my race shoes (Mizuno Elixir) - I'd definitely recommend them, especially if you need a bit of support. Here's the Runners World review:

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/review/reviewproduct.asp?RPN=1638&prod=Mizuno-Wave-Elixir&RCN=0&rgn=&v=5&sp=

So I'm thinking of actually going for a marathon later this year. Not sure where yet though; Paris, New York - somewhere a bit special.

R.

Rest? Nah!

So I decided to run the work's lunchtime race yesterday. I actually figured it was an easier option that the Harriers Tuesday night workout so with tentative ankle, I had a go. Glad I did as I produced a PB, by over a minute. So that's three runs with my new go-faster race shoes, three PBs! Of course, it's not about the shoe ;)

As per my normal wrecklessness, I went off far too quickly covering the first mile in 5.47; the remaining 5 miles were gradually slower in line with the undulations of the course. Reasonably quick finish although I was struggling over the line.

Ankle is a bit sore today, but I'll give it a gentle workout tomorrow in the hope that increased activity will cure it and prove the entire medical world wrong!

Here's the MB from the race:

Still Ouch!

So I hurt my foot on Friday, it's now Monday and I'm still suffering. Not quite as bad, but I did a gentle trot down the road this afternoon and it didn't feel great. I think I might have done the damage last Tuesday actually but it didn't reveal itself until I ran on Friday. So, the race I had scheduled for Wednesday looks very doubtful, as does any running this week.

I'm not sure if it's plantar or a slight sprain. Either way, it's not 100 % :(

Away from running, Joshua played a game of vomit bingo today. He nearly won, but failed to puke in the dining room or two of the bedrooms. He was successful in the lounge, kitchen, landing, bathroom and his bedroom. Well done Josh, great effort today - that's my boy ;)

Ouch!

Well I took my weekly total to just over 20 miles with a 12 miler today. It started off fine, light drizzle, nice and cool. However, after about 6 miles a slight pain started in my right ankle. This steadily increased until I reached the foot (pardon the pun) of Bushcombe Lane (my Everest) and by the top, a mile later, it was agony. I managed to limp back down Cleeve Hill and finish the run which was another 4 miles, but in some discomfort. Hopefully it's just a simple strain and nothing too long term!

My Motion Based activity from today's run is interesting, well the 'laps' are anyway (can you spot Bushcombe Lane?).

Harriers

Not much to report this week other than a brisk 8.5 mile run on Tuesday with the Harriers. I think the ave pace was in the region of 6.45 min/mile which, when you take in to account a run over Battledown Hill, ain't too shabby. That was the first run for a while where we've upped the wick in terms of speed, felt good although I was glad to finish.

Hoping to get a long run in tomorrow, thinking of the following 12 miler but as it's Good Friday, will have to see what the family want to do first!

Agony Run

I was thinking about my worst run ever last night. It was last June while we were on holiday in Canada, on Lake Huron near Toronto. I was just recovering from a groin strain so my running had taken a back-seat for a few weeks. I had a local map so I decided to hit some trails and take in some scenery so I ventured out for a easy 6 mile run. First of all, the area had experienced some recent heavy rain so some of the trails were severely flooded. Secondly, it was hotter than expected, nearing 90 degs. In summary, it was awful. It was hot, I got lost, floods everywhere, I even ended up sloshing through a tree-covered swamp that was full of mozzies and unidentified objects jumping in & out of the water. It was really unpleasant. On top of all that, my groin gave out so I ended up hobbling back to where we were staying. My navigation went to pieces and I had to take a short cut across a rather posh golf course. I must have looked like the swamp monster; sweating, hobbling, covered in crap. Anyway, here's the Motion Based output from that run including one of my slowest miles ever!

R.

A bit more like it

After my pathetic 6 miles for the entire week last week, I improved to 31 miles this. This included a run with Dave & Laura on Tuesday in very blustery conditions, I think we all struggled a bit and were happy to get back to the finish with a sub 7 min/mile pace. Following that I did a couple of runs to/from work and a lunchtime 6 miler on Friday.

Almost time to put the winter gear away as the temperature improves and once the clocks go forward the Harriers Tuesday night runs will get a bit more interesting and include some off-road adventures.

Here's the run from Tuesday, nice hilly first mile!!

6 miles?

The sum of my running last week; 6 miles.

A reasonable excuse though. Firstly, I was away in the US & Canada with work and aside from the first morning, I felt quite groggy throughout. Secondly, on arrival in Canada there was snow on the ground and then another 28cm was dumped on top during the night. So, 6 miles was the total. It was a fairly slow 6 miles too as it was the morning after the flight across the Atlantic. Nice and cold though, frozen ground and still conditions.

I'm hoping to get out this afternoon for a short plod and then pick-up the miles again on Tuesday with the Harriers.

Next race is the Tewkesbury Half which is in May - plenty of time to get the mileage going again.

R.

Bourton 10k

Well, an interesting race indeed. Excellent conditions yesterday and my debut race as a 'Harrier'. My race plan went out of the window within the first mile (as usual) as I clocked a 5.45 min mile. The second mile was also under 6 mins, my plan was to start easy and gradually increase the pace. Anyway, my overall time was 38:46 with a 5.58 min / mile pace which I am extremely pleased with!!

Helen, Josh & Bethany were there to cheer me on, although I don't think Bethany really got in to the spirit of things ;)

I was running behind Laura Kent for most of the race but couldn't reduce the gap which stood at about 50m for about 4 miles. When the race reached the town centre I managed a surge which closed the gap but left me struggling during the final kilometre. From somewhere I found a sprint finish and managed to overtake Laura, although not my proudest moment!

Good times all around for the Tuesday night runners. Ray was 35:50 (ish), Laura must have been about 36:50 and Dave a 38:30 (ish) and given his recent ITB troubles, a very good time indeed.

Just waiting to find out the overall results though, website hasn't been updated yet (http://www.bourtonroadrunners.co.uk/10k_results.htm#)

Here's the Motion Based info:

Race Ready?

I toned down the mileage this week in preperation for Bourton on Sunday. Still managed just over 20 miles that included a reasonably fast (6.40 pace) run with the Harriers on Tuesday. Quite looking forward to using my new race shoes and pulling on the Harriers running vest; I'll look the part at least if nothing else!

Weather looks fair for Sunday. Time prediction? Hmmm, around 38.30 which would be well within my PB.

We'll see.

R.

Frosty, but no snowman

Cleeve Common was nice this afternoon. A bit like Picadilly Circus and quite muddy in places, but great weather and a good workout on the hills. Rusty seemed quite slow today but that's probably due to the fact he hasn't been on the Hill for a few weeks. Nice as it was, it would have been fantastic up there at 7am this morning. Nobody would have been around and it would have been very cold and crisp. At 7am this morning I was fending Joshua off as he tried to climb in to our bed. Far too early for a Sunday :(

Off for a short trip to the States in early March so will take my trail shoes for a venture in Patapsco State Park (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/patapscovalley.html).

Dave & I used to hit the trails almost every Sunday morning whether it was snowy and well below freezing or mid 90s and high humidity.

Anyway, here's the run from today. Notice the elevation chart; Rusty had to stop for a breather after that!

R

A stitch in time hurts like hell

A good mileage week this week, just over 30. The Harriers run on Tuesday combined both terrible bouts of stitch and me taking a wrong turn and getting split up from the rest of the group. I ended up doing a 10.7 mile run as opposed to a 10 miler that the rest did. The distance wasn't a particular problem but the stitch was probably the worst I have ever had (I blame the work sandwiches that I had earlier!). I also cut my toe which has got steadily worst with each run this week but enough of my moaning!

Haven't done much XC lately; Cleeve Hill looks very inviting today basked in milky winter sunshine. No chance though, family stuff to attend to but there's always tomorrow.

R.

Bit of speed?

I took a mid-afternoon snooze by the kids to pop out for a 4.5 mile blast. Good overall pace (6.26 / mile) which included a 6.00 mile, very pleased with that one! Just one second quicker would have made that mile look very special indeed. So mild today that I was wearing the same gear that I used during lunchtime runs in 90 def F and nearly 95% humidity during the summer in the US! Not quite that warm today, but still very nice.

R.

Funny ole week

Wednesday morning saw my weekly running total at an amazing 0 miles! Didn't run with the Harriers on Tuesday as my services (mainly the nappy changing and bathing) were required. So by the time I left for work on Wednesday, not a single mile had been run this week. However, Thursday evening now and I've done 25 so I've caught up quite nicely. Actually, I've run the equivalent of a marathon since yesterday morning, almost. Not a great time though, 36 hours :)

Having just read 'Ultra Marathon Man', and especially the closing chapters were Dean ran a 200 mile race down through California (mile 200 was a sub 6 minuter too), it makes my 6 mile trek to work seem very hopeless. Although, I bet he'd find Bushcombe Lane a challenge just like me!

Next race for me is the Boughton on the Water 10k, which is in a couple of weeks. Hoping to reduce my 10k PB but not so sure after this week. My run home from work yesterday was horrific. I set off too quickly and by mile 3 was bonking really badly. By the time I got home I was gasping for a sugary cup of tea and food. I also had a nosebleed on the way so I must have looked particularly handsome when I came through the door. A bit of blood always brings out the wolf instinct in Rusty!

R.

Tuesday Pink Route

This was the route from Tuesday - well almost. We cut a corner off and only did 9 miles....

New Shoes

Nice run with the Harriers on Tuesday; not too fast which suited me fine as I am a bit out of sorts when it comes to speed! It's quite frightening how quickly speed tails off if you don't keep at it. Still, I managed a 25+ mile week last week and just over 20 this.

Bought some new Mizunos today - the 2008 Elixir 3. Nice lightweight shoe which I'll reserve for races and speed work. Although they have a bit of stability and cushoning, they probably won't be too good for long runs. They are under 300gms so ideal for faster runs/races. My other Mizunos, Alchemy 7s, have just expired but thankfully I bought a couple of pairs before leaving the US ;)

Naturally I'm keen to give my Elixirs a blast around the block!

Today's Run

Bit of a noddy map from my Garmin of today's run

Mud, Glorious Mud!

Given my current state of health and mind (see 'Bethany' entry below), I decided to opt out of the Harriers Tuesday night run tonight! Had I run with them tonight one of two things would have happened:

1. On completion of the run, Dave, Laura, Ray & Paul would have spent 20 mins in the rain waiting for me to finish or,

2. I would have finished with them and then promptly died.

So instead I went playing in the mud on Cleeve Common. Dave emailed me his Sunday route adding that the trails were extremely muddy so I knew I was in for a mucky time today. To my surprise the Common has held-up really well to the persistent rain and was fairly clear of mud. However, the 'off Common' tracks were waterlogged and thick with mud. Thankfully Rusty decided to go swimming in the sheep dip pond toward the end of the run so that washed most of the mud off him, he was still a soggy, muddy mutt by the time we got home though. Nothing a wash-down with the garden hose won't fix ;)

I've just finished 'Running on Empty' - great book. Amusing and educational! I'm currently reading 'Dellaglio!' and then I have Dean Karnazes 'Ultra Marathon Man' to read which I think will be a book that on completion, the word 'nutter' will be my considered opinion!

As I type the rain is once again raising the river levels and adding to the mud mixture. Marvellous.

Welcome Bethany!

Well sometimes things really upset ones training schedule but in this case, I certainly don't mind. Our beautiful daughter, Bethany Louise arrived on 6 Jan 2008 weighing in at 8lb 11oz.



Still, I managed a 7 miler today although the temptation to crash on the bed and work on my already increasing sleep defecit was extremely strong. Glad I ran though, fresh (& windy) air blew some of the cobwebs away. It's been a rollercaster few days as Bethany arrived by emergency C-Section and had to stay in hospital for a few days observation. However, both my little princess and her amazing mother are both doing very well. Happy Birthday to Helen too for today!

Later.

Happy New Year!

So I started 2008 with a 12 mile plod (see below) which started off with a 2 mile uphill stretch including a 1 in 4 gradient for about a mile. Following that was a nice downhill section but I was pretty knackered so didn't benefit from it much! The remaining 8 miles was fairly flat and the weather & views were great although there were races on at the Racecourse so traffic was a bit busy.

Today (3rd Jan) was a bad run day. I ran the usual 6 mile lunchtime route and although I decided beforehand to take it gently, I didn't expect to run 7 mins off my PB ! Heavy legs, zero energy.