Adventures of a Cumbrian runner

Great Stuff

2012-02-01T20:22:00.000Z

A quite superb run tonight with young Scamp. The weather was cold and bright all day long and I was anticipating a pleasant offroad few miles in the late afternoon sun. For a change I opted to run along the Caldew instead of the Eden, which, from work is merely a few hundred yards of road then 5 miles of fields, tracks and trails to the village of Dalston. No real effort was being put into forward motion so it took 45 minutes to get to bridgend in Dalston. The route had been very muddy, very twisty and very steep in places and I didnt really want to return the same way as it would be getting dark, especially in the wooded areas. Luckily there is a very flat route back along the opposite side of the water, it even has a tarmac footpath all the way back to Carlisle (though I avoided using that wherever possible in favour of the field or river edge path).

We got back to where we began after 85 minutes but still had the two miles from work to home to run. Including a brief stop at Scamps favourite drinking hole under Eden bridge we'd done a 103 minute run and it still wasnt dark - Great.

Track night wasnt so great! 4 by 1200metres again should have been no problem considering I should really be doing miles, but my legs felt quite tired and jaded from the start and by the last rep I felt I was straining so I quit after two laps. Definitely in need of an easier period of training.

Monday I felt mentally tired from the weekends exertions and opted to run/jog/walk for an hour at 4pm with Scamp instead of waiting until 6mp to run with the Milly group.

Some more grate stuff

The wabbit weturneth

2012-01-29T21:42:00.002Z

Indeed it has been another gweat weekend of wunning with 27 miles wan, and 7 of those were wacing.

The wace, sorry race, was the Northern Cross Country championship, held this year in Ponefract, around the racecourse. The course was more or less flat, the only hill to speak of was a long sloping aspect to the top half of the course which was neither hard to run up nor fast coming back down. The ground was firm grass all the way around the 4 kilometre lap. In places it was such good going it was like running on the road and only a very short section was muddy.

11 minutes after the official sunrise we see it in Carlisle - Pesky Pennines

Whilst I can see that a big championship event like this needs a suitable course, and the compact nature of the Hyndburn course two weeks ago would perhaps have been unsuitable, the extreme mud,twists, hills etc of that location was very much a 'proper' cross country course and Pontefract was anything but!

Milly and Kev - seldom parted

The weather was quite superb for the whole day - bright sun warming our faces as we sat around (in coats) outside of the club gazebo.

The race itself went not too bad. I made a cautious start for fear of struggling toward the end of what was a longer than normal XC. Once into my stride on lap two I realised that due to the lack of slower sections or tough mud and hills, I was able to press on quite hard (as if in a road race) and be rewarded with a decent speed and so catching and passing a lot of runners. The third and final lap I pretty much held station and was 204th finisher from about 650 in the field. Border Harriers were 9th team - one place better than 2011, I was the sixth and final counter.

My legs felt jaded for the race. The first time I have had such heavy legs since the Derwentwater event last November. I knew that tired legs during a Saturday afternoon race were very unlikely to have recovered much by the next morning...

As I set off on my 20 miler I actually felt quite OK. The target was 7 pace and at one mile the clock showed 7:04, good pacing. Todays weather was similar to yesterday in that it was calm and cold, but no sun at all today. After 8 miles I collected a gel and a drink of juice which I had given to friends who live on the course and who kindly placed in a wee hideyhole to save me having to drive out there prior to running.
Thanks Gareth/Ali.

After 10 miles I was almost back in the city and merely 4 miles from home, but of course was turning back on myself for the 10 mile return leg. Immediately after the turn I had a short hill to climb - this REALLY made itself known in my legs and I slowed my pace until I reached the top. The next wee hill was at 14 miles and I eased up again for it but then the last 6 miles to home I found it very easy to cruise along at 6:45 - 6:50 per mile resulting in 6:54 overall for the full distance.

Due to this tough weekend I am planning to reduce tomorrows easy 7 road miles with Milly and his cronies to an hour on grass with Scamp.

What do people do at 530?

2012-01-25T18:03:00.000Z

I changed into my running gear at work, put my clothes, wallet and phone etc into the van for someone else to take home for me, and set off for my midweek-long-run at 4:03. Even with 10 minutes added to last weeks run, and a couple of minutes on top of that due to not being quite all the way home after 70, I was in the house by 5:20 - training finished, Scamp walked.

On the one hand its great to be finished, but now I'm at a loss what to do for the next couple of hours. If it was light I could chop some firewood or tidy the garden. What do that vast majority of people-who-get-home-soon-after-5-oclock-but-dont-go-training do?

One day earlier it was track night again. I was a little disappointed to find the club coach had us doing 1200m efforts instead of the 1600m of the previous two weeks. Had I known I might have considered doing miles on my own an hour sooner, as its quite a wait for me and I cant really just walk Scamp for the whole time - after an hour walking and climbing fences, down river banks etc I feel ready for a brief rest before then training hard.

My time for the 4, three lap reps was (min/mile pace in brackets)
3:54 (5:12)
3:48 (5:04)
3:52 (5:11)
3:54 (5:12)
Apart from that second one, I wasnt quite as close to the Milly group as last week. I felt quite tired for these and was pleased to be running a mile less than last week. Next week will be 1200s again so I might stay away from the track and get out at 4pm and do 4x1mile then walk/jog with Scamp as a warm down

The day prior to that was an easy 45 mins with the lads and the day before that - Sunday- I had really enjoyable run round Gelt Woods with Plucky for 70 minutes.

Not recording how far I run (save from mentioning it here), I just added up the last couple of weeks in my head. 55-60 miles per week at present. Quite a lot for an old timer like me - I need to schedule an easy week soon, perhaps 5 days either side of the Buttermere race would be good, (though I know racing one of Britains toughest 20m+ events isn't exactly taking it easy).

Tough run

2012-01-21T12:54:00.001Z

Well it didn't go as well as two weeks ago. 1hr 30mins 30secs for 14 miles is 6:28 per mile - four seconds per mile slower than last time!

The weather was similar, windy, but also some cold showers today too. Running with Darren from the start we ran a very metronomic 6:21 pace for those first 5 miles. In hindsight we should have been nearer 6:15 pace to gain a cushion against the headwind later on. Darren didn't turn with me at the 7 mile mark, he was only 3 miles from his house at that point and had always planned to leave me.

The first two miles of the return went well - 6:21 pace again. In fact, of the 7 miles return leg only about 2miles seemed a struggle against the wind. Unfortunately one of those was very exposed and into a really gusty direct headwind which dropped my pace to about 6:45!

Another half mile of that same headwind when I was on the cycle track that runs just inside a big open field again had me slowing. But then it was over and I could relax and jog the mile home. I know one minute slower is bugger all over 14 miles and I 'm not really disappointed, but when running well I kind of expect to get faster week upon week though I know that is not a realistic hope.

Looking back to 2010 and also last years entries for the Jan-March period revealed that I am currently running the mile reps significantly faster, the long slow runs a little faster, and the marathon pace runs a little slower.

My long runs are feeling very easy though, well inside 7 pace without having to press on at the end to any great degree. Mile rep times reveal speed/fitness/ability has increased which is obviously good, but counts for much less in a marathon than a 10k. and the marathon pace runs of 2 years ago, which were indeed fast at 6:20 pace, sometimes quicker, were only 6 - 8 miles in January, building up week on week.

Whilst I still haven't written up a schedule for what is now 13 weeks until the marathon, one thing I do need to do is write in my races and plan a couple of easy weeks within this three month spell of training - otherwise I will end up burnt out and too tired to train.

Extra Extra read all about it

2012-01-20T19:03:00.001Z

What an arduous run on Wednesday - NOT.

How fast could Scamp run a marathon?

In time my midweek long run will be 90 minutes +, but I need to start somewhere and I figured 60 minutes would do. Offroad and in the dark means I am forced to take it much easier than if it were a road run but I am unconcerned about the pace and will be working on time only. Being able to do this run with Scamp I can get out by about 430pm and this means I am home and finished nice 'n early compared to most other training days. I might even start this run from work next week. It is still light at 4pm so I could do 75 minutes and be home by 515. Much as I love training I also love having finished training and lounging about snacking and napping.

Plucky is running three times per week and, with his biking a lot too, is keeping very fit. Despite being rather speedy myself these days, the run with him each Thursday is quite an effort. And the fact that he keeps upping the time (now at 70 minutes) makes it quite a decent spell of training.

Day off today. I need it with the 14mile tempo run coming up in the morning.

So much better than last weeks

2012-01-17T22:54:00.000Z

Today I have mostly been taking photos of Scamp

7 days after doing those mile reps we did them again tonight.

Tonights times (last weeks in brackets)
5:27 (5:29)
5:22 (5:22)
5:20 (5:24)
5:27 (5:29)

Just 8 seconds faster over 4 miles might not seem a lot but as Paul Daniels said - every second counts.

As always, I was unable to hold onto the coattails of the Milly/Jason Holmes/George Thompson group tonight. For the third rep I vowed to run three laps right on their shoulder and I managed to OK. Hopefully next time I will be able to run with these lads for at least one full mile.

a Worthwhile Weekend of Wunning

2012-01-15T14:22:00.001Z

as Bugs bunny might say.

Being my long easy run weekend (as opposed to long-ish but very hard run weekend), I saw no good reason not to do a race on the Saturday and then train long on Sunday.

Many of Scamps sticks have clouted me on the leg!!

The race was the Mid Lancs Cross Country League meeting at Hyndburn. I just scraped inside the top 50 of 280 odd finishers. Superb course for a XC - lots of mud, lots of switching back and forth between trees, several little banks to climb and descend. Many a complaint was heard afterwards about spikes being ruined on the footpath which had to be crossed several times per lap. Indeed , Millys were not only missing the actual spike but on both shoes the round plastic area holding the spike was completely ripped from the sole of the shoe! I was pleased to have used my fellshoes - they are all I have got anyway and its on only very wet and sloping grass when I feel they might let me down.

My long run was 18 miles. I couldn't get anybody to join me so after putting it off until 11AM I
left the house advising Janet that I should be back in 2 hours and 6 minutes. I returned to the house at 13:06. It wasnt quite a precise as that though because the first and last mile are not measured. My actual timed run was 16 miles which I completed at 6:50 per mile. At the end I stopped my watch but continued running the same effort to home. So overall it was a one mile warm up, a brief stop to retie my lace then 17miles non stop. I didnt need to put much effort in to get these splits, in fact, I ran faster for the last 5 miles than any previous. But then if I was trying hard this couldnt be classed an easy long run.

Today is 14 weeks to VLM (Virgin London Marathon). Apart from the change I already mentioned in the midweek, I will maintain a very similar training pattern to recent weeks.

In other news - that annoying cough that is troubling my sleep is on the wane. I now only cough in the night for about 10 minutes before falling back to sleep. I'm pretty sure its nothing to worry about as my chest feels absolutely fine and if I was ill then I think this weekends racing and two hour run within 24 hours would have seen me in trouble. Janet got one of those peak flow metre thingies from somewhere - its me new favourite toy. I can almost blow it off the top of the scale, but then some would say I was always full of hot air.

The last 5 miles

2012-01-11T19:22:00.000Z

Since mid November - following the Brampton 10 mile race - I have ran my 5 mile circuit many many times. Sometimes because I couldn't be bothered to do a 'proper' training run but more often because I didn't see any requirement to run further. I always ran it briskly but not flat out and I always hoped for a 30 minute time but never got inside 30:30.

With last nights mile reps in my legs I struggled a bit tonight with 31:30. That's it now though - no more of these for a few months. A longer slower run will replace this on a Wednesday night, and any other night when I might have done the brisk 5 I will be more likely to now do a recovery run instead to help get over the ever increasing marathon mileage.

Oooh, now that HURT

2012-01-10T20:53:00.000Z

Track session with Border Harriers.
Four by one mile.
5:28
5:22
5:24
5:29

This was the first time since mid November that I have done anything remotely like reps. I didn't really get a proper warm up and actually missed the first one starting, then having to run it 10 metres behind the others from the start and of course falling back every lap.

The average pace for the Four was good considering the time gap since I last did them and that I am currently spending about 2 hours a night lying awake coughing. Its VERY annoying to be feeling absolutely fine in myself but having such an annoying cough whenever I am hot.

At present I am enjoying training more than I can ever remember enjoying it. No sooner have I got one good session or run in the bag than I am eagerly awaiting it being time to go out and run the next one. Right now for example, less than 60 mins since completing the track run, my legs are feeling pretty ropey, but I can hardly wait for Wednesday night to come so I can run the 5 miles brisk that I have planned.

I think I am enjoying it so much because I am running so well these days. Theres nowt like running fast to make you want to try harder, get fitter, so you can maybe run even faster still. Several small niggles have more or less gone away for now - both Achilles, often inflamed and tender after running, are behaving themselves. The mildly annoying groin issue that often makes itself known as left side stiffness after long runs hasn't bothered me in a while, and even the long term plantar fasciitis soreness can scarcely be felt when I first step on the floor upon getting up from bed each morning.

As long as there are people older than me who can run faster than me I will never give up striving to become fitter, faster and stronger.

And yet despite all this positivity I am considering NOT bothering with a strict training plan for London Marathon. I know that looking at all those miles, sessions, goals and totals written down will be daunting. and that by mid March I will be wishing I had chosen an earlier marathon. I think I have learned enough over the years to train well and run a good 26 mile race purely from week by week training rather than long term planning. I also fancy adding in a few more races than normal in the run up to London. I would usually only do the Buttermere race and possibly a half marathon and maybe a fell race at Easter. But this year I intend to do the Trimpell 20 miler as well as Buttermere, and I'm also doing the Northern Cross Country Champs and hopefully the nationals too in London.

Most of all I know the importance of taking it easy inbetween hard training sessions. Yesterday was a very easy 45 minutes with Milly and his cronies. And yes tomorrow will be fast, but it's only half an hour, and Thursdays run with Plucky, whilst pacey, only really bites a bit in the final 15 minutes.

Easy day

2012-01-08T14:34:00.000Z

Popped into Gelt Woods this morning. A few lads were doing a long run there and I decided I may as well have an hour with them. As they tackled their first lap I walked Scamp and took a few photo, then I joined in for lap two. It was pleasantly warm once we got going - tee shirt and shorts were all that were required.

After almost one hour of running I had to choose whether to do another lap with Plucky or go home. I certainly felt like doing another 30 minute lap but opted for the sensible alternative. Little to be gained in terms of fitness from doing the extra but with it would be an increase in the likelihood of injury and fatigue.

On the fourteenth day of Christmas,

2012-01-07T14:59:00.000Z

I ran fourteen miles. Day 365 will be tough

Actually it was 16 miles today but only 14 were timed, with a mile jog to/from the start point. This was to be a bit of a test to see where I was in terms of ability at this point some 15 weeks out from the Marathon.
A tailwind start wasn't ideal as I knew I needed to be pressing on to gain time that would be lost later, but, with no wind in my face the sweat poured down from my temples and I overheated quickly. I was on about 6:17 pace which was OK I guess, but once I turned at 7 miles the headwind made its presence felt with several miles over 6:30 being recorded. The last 4 miles were horrible but I simply pushed ever harder to cross the line in 1:29:30 which is 6:24 per mile.

Windy times

Not having 'officially' started my proper marathon training schedule yet I am quite happy with that result. Next week I will return to the long slow stuff with at least 18 miles at (hopefully) sub 7.

Since last weekends race I only ran twice prior to today. Both times were for one hour with Plucky. Its not measured and we neither have a Garmin but Im sure it would be no slower than about 6:35 pace - it certainly felt quite brisk and coupled with being at night and through the town, dodging cars etc, both were very worthwhile runs.

A racing start to 2012

2012-01-02T13:02:00.002Z

So far in 2012....

Races - One
Days - Two
Pounds paid out to enter races - Five
Race position - Seven
Miles ran - Eight
Standards - Nine
Pounds won in race prizes - Fifty

I didn't expect much of the Nine Standards Fellrace really. It was simply a means of getting a tough run under my belt for training purposes. I ran 14 miles the day before it, cut back from 16 to avoid being too tired to race, but at a decent 6:45 pace nevertheless.

After the initial melee to get through the twisty streets and lanes and out of the town onto the quiet road that sees the climbing start in earnest I was in 10th place.

I easily moved up the field when we got to a short downhill section still on the tarmac, and was in 5th at one stage. Once the fell proper was underfoot I was re caught by a few runners, two of whom stayed ahead of me to the end. It took a bit of daredevil descending by me to stay on the shoulder of multi fell champion Pippa Madams, but I knew I would leave her behind once we regained the tarmac. A few glances over my shoulder in the last 2 miles allowed me to see I was being chased down by several lads. Nobody actually caught me but its a bit disappointing to not have stretched my lead and came close to catching those ahead, especially as I am supposed to be first and foremost a road runner and the last two miles were on tarmac.

I had a strange niggle in my right leg whilst walking Scamp before the race and considered not running at all. It hurt a bit whilst running uphill but running the 4 miles downhill I more or less forgot about it until I finished when it hurt LOADS more. I knew it was just some soft tissue tendinitis, not skeletal, so I figured a days rest and some ice would be all that was needed to sort it. Today I cant feel it at all, though my legs are quite tired generally.

It seems weird seeing the photos of me in my Keswick AC vest. I joined as a second claim member because Border Harriers have no real fell presence. The £6 pounds to join the club and £19 for the vest I paid out has been exactly reimbursed with a £25 prize for first team yesterday. I also got £25 for 2nd vet 40. Nobody enters races for the prizes, lets face it they are usually comprised wine and biscuits and sometimes sports shop vouchers, but if they were as good as this every time it would almost be worth turning pro.

Million thanks so Penriths Stu Stoddat for the race photos

Last post

2011-12-31T14:35:00.000Z

Nearly done for 2011 then.
A good year it has to be said. Some good races, enjoyable runs, and my fastest times in many a year.

January - Just getting back into things following the few weeks layoff in Autumn '10, I had a decent enough race on the 1st at Nine Standards and then a few weeks later ran the Four Villages half marathon in exactly my anticipated time of 1hr 20min.

February was all about marathon training and the hilly 21 mile race over the lakeland passes. For something like a fourth year in a row I ran faster than the year before - good signs.

March was my holiday to the sun of Lanzarote and a lot of good training despite the horrendous wind most days.

April was the London Marathon - the climax of the previous 4 months training. It didn't go well at all. In the end I jogged home just inside the cutoff for automatic qualification for the 2012 race.

Keen top prove I was fighting fit and that the London result was NOT indicative of my true ability I entered the Keswick Half on 1st May. I got 1hr 22min and 10th place on this very hilly course and felt vindicated.

I spent the next few weeks training long in the hills for the Lakes 50 at the end of July. Again though I had a poor performance. A navigational error in the first quarter of the route and trouble eating led to my head going. I kind of gave up on the race and I ran the last 25 miles in good company so at least it was enjoyable if not the speed/time I had hoped for.

I minor setback in August meant missing the Dumfries 10k for a second successive year. I had planned to take a rest in September and stuck to my plan.

By October I was keen to train hard again and began a series of racing that almost proved too much.
Cross Country, a midweek half marathon, more XC, track sessions, rock hard 10 mile training runs.

On the first weekend of November I ran the Derwentwater 10 mile event. I knew I could beat the hour but then just prior to the start I said I admitted I was actually looking to run a 58. Despite having the heaviest legs ever I ran a mid 58 and was delighted. Two weeks later and a little more tapered I ran a long 56 at the Brampton 10 miler. Not delighted (I thought I could do a 55) but pleased with my fastest time for 6 years.

I then continued racing, 10k, XC etc, most weekends through until nearly Christmas. Crucially though, I didn't train at all in between the weekends racing, so I felt relatively fresh and able to race hard. The break from formal training did me good and I have enjoyed getting out in the daylight since finishing work for Christmas and have ran most days in the last week and a half.

2012 starts as 2011 did - the Nine standards fell race - tomorrow.

Alive and kicking

2011-12-21T20:35:00.001Z

After the Brampton 10 I deliberately took my foot off the pedal. I did zero training mon- fri for four weeks. I did run a couple of nights, but very slowly, just a jog with scamp or an easy 5 or 7 miler.

Each weekend though I did a race on the Saturday and a long run of either 13 miles or 2 hours in the fells.
I was unconcerned about fitness ebbing away as I felt I needed the mental break to be ready to begin my next campaign.

This culminated in the Langdale Xmas pudding 10k which I ran in 35:30. Following that run I now feel assured that I can run a 34 minute 10k again.

Just as I was ready to begin regular nightly running again (if not quite structured training quite yet) I came down with a mild dose of winter bug. After a couple of days in front of the fire and some early nights I tried a tentative return to my 10 mile loop. Ouch! I had to turn for home after 3 miles and felt awful, but the next was much better again and managed 13 at 7 pace without issue.

I've been out the last two nights - just the 5 mile loop for now but I plan to increase the pace each day.

My biggest dilemma currently is when to start my training program for London Marathon. Its exactly 16 weeks from New Years Day to the the race. In the past I have stuck to a 16 week schedule and found myself ready to race by about week 13. Thing is if I train unspecifically for January it might be a bit tough to then up the mileage/pace for a 12 week program.

I also discovered today that Berlin Marathon 2012 (September) is full!!! If I want to continue my mini ambition to run all 5 World Marathon Majors I will need to go to Chicago - but conversely that race hasn't even opened yet!

Not much else happening - Snow came to Lakeland, Penrith Stu still ugly, people still buying race photos, Scamp still cute as a pup.
Oh yes - sorry Pauline, I didn't do the Tour de Helvellyn. It was always a bit unlikely to be honest and coincided with the day I couldn't run 10 miles, so just as well I think.

56:52

2011-11-20T16:18:00.002Z

Just a quick report on yesterdays final (for me) big race of 2011. The Brampton to Carlisle 10 miler.

I ensured I was up early and finished eating with 4 hours to the gun = no trouble from a stitch

I had took it very easy all week with 2x 1mile at 90% midweek and just a 4m jog every night with Scamp, so my legs were not tired or lacking in 'race ping' as they had been at Derwentwater 10.

Me. Plucky behind (obviously)

and my Keswick teamate Josh

We set off down the hill in Brampton and I found myself running near Milly, Jason and Chris. Plucky had made a slightly better start and was running alongside George and Harry (who had both beaten us by a good margin at Derwent). I knew I needed to be running with the likes of George if I was to have a strong day so I eased myself up into thier group which also contained Steve Hebblewthwaite and Josh from Keswick - two more lads who always beat me.

It seemed a bit fast but I was managing OK and by three miles we had only been running for 16 minutes!

At three miles there is a reasonable little climb which saw George and Harry ease away a few metres ahead, and Plucky lose a similar distance behind. Very soon after, Steve Hebb also eased away leaving just me and Josh running together.

I tried so very very hard from about 3.5 to 5 miles to try and regain contact with my three erstwhile companions. I almost made it too, but with still 15 metres to gain I began falling back and resigned myself. The effort had been enough to get rid of Josh though so I was now completely on my own. And very knackered.

At 6 miles my time was 33:12 (5:32 pace) but I really struggled from thereon in. I only just beat 24 minutes for those last 4 miles, such was the drop off in my pace. I was only passed by a couple of lads though. Unfortunately one of them was Jason who took the V40 1st place (didnt even realise I had been in 1st place). Immediately upon crossing the line I was off to take photos of those who finished after I did so didnt get to the presentation but it turns out we won the veterans team prize and I got 2nd V40.

I frontran from 3miles and it was 9.5miles when I was caught by another runner. If only I had been able to run in that wee group with George, Harry and Steve Hebb' I reckon I would have been carried along to at least a minute faster compared to doing those 6 miles on my own. Still, its my fastest time for 6 years and I know I can go a bit faster still - theres plenty of life in this old dog yet.

Time for a lovely rest now.

Apart from next Saturdays XC meeting in Carlisle ( could win the series vets championship if all goes well)

And the Cumbria XC champs the week after

Oh and maybe the 37 mile ultra Tour de Helvellyn the week before xmas

Not raining

2011-11-08T21:27:00.000Z

My plan to train like a demon to get into some kind of form for the Brampton to Carlisle 10 has been thwarted somewhat by being so bloody knackered from racing that I have still been training much less than usual.

The run with Plucky has to be through the town now its dark by 5pm and consequently we have to take a little extra care at junctions, with pedestrians and at road crossings etc. Doesn't matter though - the effort is still the same ( brisk to hard) and we have no measured route or way of knowing our pace anyway so its all about the effort for the given time. I cant remember if I ran the next day but if I did it would just have been a slow jog.

No such trouble remembering what happened last Thursday. I went down to the track to train with the Harriers who were doing 800metre reps. Now 800s are OK for me. Its the shortest distance I would usually run (apart from an occasional 400 as part of a pyramid session), but I would usually do 6 of them - the session set by the club coach was for 8!!

As we began I found myself leading the second group (first group is ridiculously fast even for the first half a lap to ever consider running with). I knew there was no way I was a fast enough runner to be leading some of those lads and sure enough at the bell, when the coach called out 74 seconds, they are buzzed past me and I trailed in at 2:31. The recovery seemed ludicrously long at 800m jogging, but I saw little point in doing my 'own thing' and stuck with the program. AS i settled into the session I was knocking out 2:29s consistently and even managed a 2:25 for my sixth. I paid for that one though as my seventh and final efforts were both just inside 2:40. Still, 6 by 800 metres at inside 5 minute miling average pace is my best for perhaps 5 years. Later that evening I felt the most tired I have felt since marathon training earlier this year - a good kind of tired.

Friday I saw little point in running and instead I walked Scamp for extra time. Saturday, the day prior to a race I popped down to Glenridding and enjoyed a fellwalk (with a little jogging included) with Scamp, and my camera taking some shots of runners in a big trailrunning event being held in the valleys.

Sunday morning saw the city shrouded in a heavy mist but as I drove South I left the mist behind and witnessed the most magnificent views I've seen in a good long while (this would be an ideal opportunity to include a couple of photos had I stopped to take any). By the time I got to Keswick I was feeling on top of the world and looking forward to running in the spectacular surroundings. Having walked Scamp or 60 minutes earlier, I then took him for another short walk in Keswick before he had to sit in the van for a couple of hours while I raced. I think now that this was possibly just a tad too much time on my feet to then race well, but no matter, this was only to be the precursor race to Brampton, two weeks later.

The gun sounded and we were off. A big contingent from Border Harriers were present. Way ahead was James Douglas (winner in 2010 and eventual 3rd 2011) and just a head was George Thompson (vet 55 from January). Then I was in a group containing Harry Earl, Chris Neil, Jason Holmes and Plucky (plucky NOT in Border any more - hey maybe he wants to join Eden Runners?). At three miles we were on exactly 17 minutes, at four we had gained another 15 seconds over "evens" and I figured this would give a sub hour result as long as everything held together on the much hillier second half. At about 5 miles myself and Harry had caught George and left Chris, Jason and Plucky behind. George rallied though and took Harry with him. I was isolated and by six miles Jason caught and passed me. At 8 miles Chris also caught me but at 9 there was only 20 metres between the three of us. I had 6 minutes 15 seconds available to run 58:59 and saw little point in going flat out to beat the other two lads. So they both beat me, which is a bit galling, but my time of 58:30 means I ran a 5:45 final mile and importantly DIDN'T crucify myself to be, say 18th instead of 21st.

I had said for ages that I wanted to run sub 60 for the race but I knew I had a 58 in me and with the conditions near perfect I am really very pleased with my performance. At no point in the race did I feel like I was actually racing though - In a good racing race I will be pushing myself rock hard and enjoying it and knowing I am running well and forcing the pace and getting absolutely everything available from my body out via my heart and lungs, through my legs and onto the tarmac. Here it was more a case of running hard but not flat out - heart and lungs working hard but unable to push to the maximum due to leg muscles being so tired and unresponsive and brain frightened of something going wrong and having to drastically slow down. At Brampton I will go to pains to ensure my legs are in good shape. I will NOT be going on a long walk prior and I will be be adopting a do or die attitude. If Jason and Chris want to take me on they need to be prepared for a MUCH harder time than last Sunday. I may overdo it and crawl home from 7 miles but if I get it right I will run sub 56 minutes.

Bring it on - I cant bloody wait.

The day after the Derwent race I met up with Milly and Gareth and enjoyed a very easy 50 minute jog with loads of craic about the race and catching up in general. Poor Gareth has been out injured for weeks and wasnt as involved with the craic and more involved in trying to keep up with us.

Tonight I joined Plucky again for the 50 minute pacey run. After a two mile jog to meet up approx halfway between our homes we launch into a brisk tempo. Darren was also present. Strange lad Darren in that he could keep up with me and Plucky tonight (even though at one point Plucky was dropped by a few metres) yet in races he is always well behind us (61 mins at Derwent 10). As we neared the point when we part company I suggested it would be funny if we both then slowed down as the pressure to keep up the high pace was gone once we were alone. Plucky said he WOULD be slowing down - in other words he was finding it too hard to continue. I saw this as an opportunity to gain over him by ensuring I ran as hard as I could all the way home. So I did. Darren has a Garmin and it showed 6:12 pace when we went our separate ways - thats not bad considering its through town and the varoius obstructions to free running as I described earlier.

Track again coming up Thursday - dont know what Ill do tomorrow.

No training

2011-10-31T19:57:00.001Z

First there was a Cross Country meet at Penrith, then 4 days later an offroad, hilly, half marathon then 3 days after that another cross country, this time at Burnley. Inbetween that I haven't trained - didn't seem to be any need to.

The first XC was for the veteran Championship of Cumbria. I didn't win! The following day I enjoyed an outing in the valley behind Skiddaw, running about 15 miles or so in real gloomy conditions. Very easy pace though and little climbing.

Then Monday I met up with Milly who was doing some fartlek training. Id done a handful of miles easy and basically was going home but I joined in a five minute effort with him, then a two before jogging the short distance home while he got on with the rest of his session.

Whilst I never intended the midweek race to curtail my normal training I figured that to run 10m brisk with Plucky just 17 hours prior would be likely to get me injured so I rested up on Tuesday.

The half marathon was on forest tracks in an RAF base about 20 miles from Carlisle. Only about 120 entered it and most of them were RAF personnel. I knew the winning time in previous years was more than 1hr 20 and reckoned I would be able to run somewhere in that time region myself. It wasn't to be though as a young gun recorded 1:18 to my 1:21 (for third place). I was quite strong for most of the run. I almost caught the second placed lad with about 3m to go but then I faded in the final 1.5m and he pulled away again. Some lads were talking afterwards about how they both ran approx 2 mins slower at this event than the Cumbrian run just a few weeks earlier. So that would have given me a 1:19 or so if I had followed suit. 1:19 is not quite where I want to be though. I reckon I should be able to run sub 6min miling for all distances up to and including the half. However, I think the time to run a good half is when the marathon miles are in your system, perhaps early march.

The two days following the Half I did bugger all really, just a four mile jog one afternoon.

Then suddenly it was Saturday and the Burnley Cross Country was upon me. I know I shouldn't have ran it really, or certainly not at full effort, but I'd said weeks ago I would have a go at the Mid Lancs League meetings and I didn't want to back out.

Conditions were blustery but dry. Very muddy in places, but avoidable for the most part. There was even a section of about 200m of tarmac path which was Ideal for me as I was one of the few not using spikes so I could blast past folk taking care to keep to the grassy edges. With 350 runners I was always in company, and notably with fellow Border Harriers Jason Holmes and Chris Neil close by. I managed to drop them both after a lap or so but then about half a mile before the end of the race my half marathon came back to haunt me as my legs turned to mush. I was overtaken left and right and only the fast approaching finish line saved me from losing a lot more places.

Bearing in mind that I always said one race per week was too much for me, to run 3 within 8 days was a bit daft. Better than going training though. Next weekend is yet another race - the Derwentwater 10. At least there are 8 days between it and the XC so I should be OK. Theres also the Brampton to Carlisle 10 two weeks after the Derwent 10. I will be tapering a little for the B to C and therefore NOT racing the XC the weekend before it.

Yesterday (Sunday) I had a walk up a local fell - not far or steep. Today I jogged out for about 4 miles with Scamp. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel able to push on a bit with Plucky but I certainly couldn't have done anything tough today - legs are not trashed and sore just aching from deep within!

Title shmitle

2011-10-21T18:58:00.000+01:00

In a nod to Rick I'm not running anywhere today (Friday)

Mind you I have trained a bit hard since last weekend and with a race tomorrow I thought it would be daft to do 'owt more than a jog with Scamp. We walked home through town and the park though, so no jog even.

On sunday I was full of good intentions to run for an hour in the low fells near Cockermouth immediately prior to photographing the English Schools Fell Championship for which I had been commissioned. Various things taking my time and attention meant this was more like a 10 minute run up a hill followed by a 4 minute run back down it for fear of being late for the races. Not to worry though - I had ran the day before and even after I finished this short one I was then back on the fell with my heavy bag and covered at least 2 more miles albeit walking.

Weather wise Monday was poor. Plenty of showers and damn cold too. It seemed to have improved when I left he house with Scamp for a jog in the evening. I planned a route to see us out for at least an hour. But after 40 minutes the rain came back - with a vengeance! My choice of clothing offered little protection and I was soaked through within seconds. I considered sheltering somewhere but then decided picking up the pace and getting home ASAP was the best option. So only about 50 minutes mostly easy.

Scamp

Plucky said he was up for a bit of a bash on Tuesdays for a few weeks to come so I went to his house after work and we ran a hilly 9.3 miles. Not having seen him for several weeks we had a good craic as we toured the countryside. This was unusual as Plucky usually says little when trying hard. I wasn't trying very hard either but we did seem to be flying along rather well. The calculator afterwards said 6:15 pace which was simply remarkeable as it had never felt anything more than a brisk jog.

I think we must have been well rested for Tuesdays run because the next day I felt like the 6:08 pace I managed for my "flat" 5 mile circuit was about as fast as I was comfortable with!

(Dont read the next sentence Rick) Next day I went to the track and completed 4 by 1600metres with the club.I hadnt done 'mile reps' for a few weeks but figured I should be able to run 5:30 pace so planned on 82 seconds per lap. Lap one was 78 seconds - and that wasn't by keeping up with any of the lads who I knew better than to try to - just a bit of an enthusiastic start by me. Not surprisingly I slowed from that pace and recorded 5:26. For the next rep I stated I would be running 80secs/lap and I stuck to that exactly until 800m when I thereafter ran 81 and 82 to give me a 5:23 mile. For my third I lapped at 79s then struggled at the bell but still recorded my best for the night (and year) of 5:19. The final rep I wanted to run in 5:30 and ran very even laps to record 5:29. An excellent session, far and away my fastest average pace for several years. If I can repeat this over 5x 1 mile then the theory says I should be able to run 34 minute 10ks.

One week older - lots faster

2011-10-15T17:10:00.001+01:00

I admit to being a little disappointed at taking nearly 69 minutes for the ten mile run last Sunday. Despite not trying very hard I hoped to still run inside 68 if I'm honest. The next day I had an easy hours jogging around the park and golf course with Scamp.

Having recently joined Keswick AC as a second claim member it was rather apt that I should end up training with some Keswick members on Tuesday. Not on the fell though. Bizarrely it was on the Sheepmount track where I trained with Russell and Pippa Madams. My first track session in months was a real shock to the system. I only did about 4500metres consisting of mainly 800 and 1200 efforts which I ran at about 5:30 pace. Running there and back as well as a one mile warmup was a decent mileage for the day though.

Next day I was back to some recovery jogging on the grass with Scamp, then Thursday and Friday were the same run both evenings - 5 mile Houghton loop. 30:46 and 30:51 were decent enough times although I would prefer to be knocking out these inside 30:30.

Undecided what to do today (Saturday) I hung about the house all morning and watched the GP qualifying. After walking off my breakfast with Scamp I finally got up the motivation to go for a run. It was a lovely sunny day with temps in the teens centigrade. Vest weather.

I started my watch at the 13 mile route start point and decided if I felt rubbish to cut it short at the 10 turn.
I didn't put much effort into the early miles and expected to be running at about 6:45-6:55 pace. I only have vague checkpoints on this route but was pretty sure I was running much faster than anticipated. The second half was headwind today and also features the main hills, such as they are. I finished with 1:25:30 which is about 6:35 pace. Excellent result for a very routine run. Only the last three miles could be described as 'hard running' and if I was to do some marathon pace efforts on this route then I would be confident of my ability to run 15-20secs/mile faster than today.

4weaksoff

2011-10-09T19:33:00.000+01:00

After that annoying glitch in my late summer plan I resumed training with two good fellruns with Penrith Stu for company. The first was over Clough Head and the Dodds in'c a brief stop at Calfhow Pike where, remarkably Stu had never been. It rained for 120 minutes of the two hours we ran but was nevertheless very enjoyable. Next day was drier and we had another 90 minutes of decent training in the fells E of Kirkstone pass where Stu was due to run a relay event the following week.

Next day I opted to jog with Scamp in the park after work. It was only four mile loop on grass and I was taking it pretty easy but strangely my knee started to hurt. I stopped and poked and rubbed it a bit then carried on but within 100metres it was hurting again, too much to carry on running. Worried, I didnt run on the Tuesday and on the Wednesday I took a walk up the fells to assess how it was faring. It seemed not too bad so when Stu, Sam, Steve B and Carl turned up at 6 oclock I joined them for the remaining few miles of their run. Error! Error! Error!

It hurt a LOT on the Thursday so I took myself of to see Chris the physio. He assured me it was nothing to worry about and would soon be better - he even said I could probably run the Langdale half marathon two days later! Apparently it was a bit of inflammation behind my knee, probably caused when I slipped on the wet grass during one of those two weekend fellruns.

I didnt do the Half Marathon - it still felt a bit too sore at that point. But I did resume jogging gently a couple of days later and this gave no additional trouble, in fact, I could tell that every day it was getting better and better.

Saturday the 1st of October was the date for a cross country relay event at Sheffield which I had said I would run as part of a Border Harriers veteran team. I wasnt concerned about my knee hurting, but racing two miles is not exactly my distance, and after so long out of proper training I figured I would struggle.

As the 'baton' was handed to me we were sitting in 2nd place of the veteran teams with the lead team about 50 metres ahead of me. I gave everything to try to catch him up but it was to no avail. When I figured I might be halfway through the course and looked at my watch to see just 4:45 had passed since I started. I was in serious trouble and my legs gave out on me as I tackled the remaining course - two or three lads passed me but luckily they were seniors not vets so once I knew I was within sight of the finish I pushed hard again to ensure we didnt lose the second place.

Waiting at the presentation for our medals we were gutted to discover that only Yorkshire veteran teams were eligible to win anything. The seniors, juniors and ladies races were all open to all of North England but not the vets. What a stitch up! I expect our £12 will be refunded with interest and full letter of apology any day now.

Unsure if the XC course was really 2 miles or maybe a bit more it wasnt a great time I ran. 12:06. Possibly not even six minute miling! A few days later I ran my 5 mile loop in 30:50 so at least I knew I was still reasonably fit and the race was merely a glitch.

Wednesday evening I was up Blencathra a couple of times - leaning sideways to run at 1mph uphill in 40mph wind - great training - loved it.

Thursday evening was VERY cold and VERY windy and I went home and lit the fire for the first time since summer began.

Friday evening I like to take off from running but keen to get back into a routine of training I ran the 5 miler again. Despite a decent wind blowing I ran it in 30:31 - not bad going at all.

Yesterday was the first proper Cross Country race of the season at Cockermouth. The going was wet and soft and my legs were sapped of strength within two of the four lap race. The field was rather short of many of the talented lads who often turn out for these events and I think I was lucky to get 4th place and first vet40.

Today I ran my 10 mile loop steady - very windy again but really warm - too warm for the long sleeved top I'd opted to wear. Almost 69 minutes after starting I finished in a lather of sweat.

So there we have my round up of the last month or so - very annoying to have a two week glitch immediately after taking two weeks rest but all is not lost - I seem to have held onto some decent speed and fitness. With well over a month to go until my next target race, the Brampton To Carlisle 10 miler, I should be back where I was by then if not quite in time for the Derwentwater 10 two weeks prior.

FFS!

2011-09-16T21:58:00.000+01:00

Being off the blog scene for a while means desperate calls, texts and emails from around the globe (though mainly Carlisle) have been received asking 'whits garn on'?

The Sunday prior to the 10k event I awoke with a slightly scratchy throat which I ignored and enjoyed a fantastic day on Helvellyn, taking in the views, photographing tourists and triathletes and having a wee moment at the far end of Striding Edge with me half way down the 'big drop', heavy backpack scraping the rock behind me, Two grand camera dangling from my neck in front of me, and suddenly a frightened Scamp appears way above my head trying to get down to me. I try to send him away but he edges ever nearer. He slips and scares himself so bad he somehow scrambles back up. Cue Steve, balanced on small footholds in rock, removing backpack from back to stash camera away. Back on with backpack and wonder how I might best deal with Scamp now I have two free hands. Scamp then appears 10 feet below me and waits patiently like nearly falling to his death is a normal occurence. He was exactly the same the day he became caught in a strong current in the river and to stop him (pointlessly) trying to swim toward me, I had to run half a mile around via a bridge to then shout for him to come to the opposite side where I was now stood - a three second swim WITH the current.

Next day I had a slightly swollen throat and a runny nose. I was concerned about the race but hopeful plenty of sleep, OJ and fresh air would quash the 'illness' before it took a hold of me.

Unfortunately things only deteriorated and by race day I also had sore ears and could hardly swallow as my throat was so swollen. Didn't even feel up to going through to photograph the event. Of course, Thursday I felt about 75pc better than Wednesday and I continued to improve each day thereafter.

I'm now left with an annoying cough but feel absolutely fine in myself. I haven't ran for 14 days but fully intend to do so tomorrow. I didn't take 14 off because I felt poorly but because it was always my intention to have a two week break from training after the 10k anyway.

Shame I missed the chance to run a good 10k time - bigger shame, I'd only entered about 2 days beforehand - £14 I could have better spent on beer and cig's

Such fun

2011-09-03T21:04:00.000+01:00

The usual Monday run with Milly and his track cronies has now ceased. They get to have September off from training, so I was on my own. I opted to run my ten mile circuit doing four, eleven minute efforts with four minute jogging recoveries. It was difficult at first to capitalise on the mild tailwind that took me out to to the turn, and then the mild headwind home hindered my return a little and of course by the last effort I was tiring too. However, 62:58 isn't bad going.

After that tough Monday run I didnt do anything at all on Tuesday - I had to go back to work later in the evening and decided that a long walk with Scamp in the late afternoon would benefit me as much as a short, slow jog.

Back into the tough stuff on Wednesday with a four mile time trial. I did this over the same ground as I do the mile reps so not surprisingly the splits went a similar way with roughly 5:53 pace for the first 3 miles coming down to a final average of 5:49 by the time I had ran the slightly more downhill final mile. Although this was tough, I was only really hurting in that last mile and afterwards I wished I had ran my five mile loop instead. Still, as long as I can run 12 seconds per mile faster (=5:37) and for 55% longer (=6.2miles) at next weeks 10K I will be delighted.

Plucky reported his intention to do an hour at a decent clip on Thursday and I suspect it would have wise to let him get on with that and do my own easy run elsewhere. But not having ran with him for a month or more I joined him anyway and simply let him dictate the pace. It was a funny run, certainly not hard enough to call it a proper hard run, but certainly it was a decent effort - maybe just a tad below the effort of a tempo run. Plucky was full of craic all the way round the 9 mile route which is another sign we werent running as fast as normal as on those occasions he scarcely (is able to) speaks. Average pace was 6:21 per mile for 9.3 hilly miles.

Blencathra (crapper fells in distance)

I needed little persuasion to take a trip up Blencathra on Friday evening. I was already concerned that doing some 800m reps might be too much to end a reasonably tough week and a Blencathra ascent is not exaclty a walk in the park from any point, but then of course it was just Penrith Stu I was going up with, so even if he was trying hard it wouldnt be much of an effort for my good self. Indeed it turned out a most pleasurable evening - nice'n warm on the climb and then not too cold on the summit as we took some photos, despite only having the flimsiest of T shirts on.

Long run today (Saturday). I didnt want to do anything too arduous so decided to run with Scamp at first then on the road. We did 50 minutes of slow jogging around the park and golf course - possibly only about 8 pace. The I took Scamp home and ran the Crosby 10 in 73 minutes.

Thats it now for training for a while. Going up Helvellyn tomorrow to watch the Triathlon then one easy jog on Tuesday before the 10k on Wednesday. I'm feeling OK but looking forward to a wee break from the non stop cycle of training. Then I should be ready for another mini season of the November races.

Steve Angus -Tired and looking forward to a wee rest

Another week another race

2011-08-26T21:05:00.003+01:00

Mile reps on Monday. The first one, in 5:45, included the most uphill, though not exactly steep or long.Then 5:39 to the far point of the course then a 5:38 coming back. The final one was obviously therefore the most downhill and 5:28 didn't feel ridiculously hard to achieve. A good session. and 5.37.5 would almost give me that elusive 34min 10k if I could sustain the pace over the distance.

Went for a jog with a dog on Tuesday - easy 4

Wednesday I was racing again. Keswick again. 5.5 miles this time but the first mile and a bit is up a steep hill offroad. Officially this is a fellrace, but there is no kit requirement, there are no summits visited, and even on this damp day I had no problem using road shoes.

I didn't want to get into oxygen debt before we even began the climb proper so settled into about 12th place as we crossed the bridge over the A66 to begin climbing up the side of Lattrigg fell. At the first sign of a relaxing of the gradient several lads around me seemed to need the breather but not having been trying terribly hard up until then I pushed on and opened my stride as a very brief downhill was enjoyed. This was enough to get me clear of the pack. On the climb proper I was in the top 10 and running with Sam Ware or Eden Runners. We exchanged a brief word or two as we climbed and after 11 minutes of the start were still within shouting distance of the eventual winner Carl Bell, maybe 15 or 20 seconds at most ahead of us at that stage.

As we reached the Gale Rd carpark where a small crowd was gathered to watch, I was about 5 metres behind Sam. We had dropped a companion from Keswick AC and were running in 7th and 8th position. I easily caught Sam over the flattish part, then was aware I was pulling away from him as we descended through the fields.

So 7th place was mine and ahead was John French of Eden, someone who I regarded as much faster runner than me (though not historically) since he beat me by nearly 4 minutes at the Keswick half earlier this year. As we finished running downhill and began the 2.5 mile section of flat track to Keswick along the route of the old railway line I was approx 70 metres behind John. I was trying very hard indeed all the way to the finish and was catching John - but only by the smallest of margins. I saw him catch and pass two runners but try as I might I couldnt go fast enough to pass any of them myself. As we rounded the Leisure Centre I was right on the heels of 6th place but thought better of initiating a sprint to try to gain one place.

The results show me in 7th place but crucially, only 24 seconds behind 4th place John, who I suspect edged away from me again in that last couple of minutes racing as he must have battled for position with Paul Wathan who was 1 second behind him on the line. More remarkably I was just 41 seconds behind Steve Birkinshaw, who I don't know but certainly know of, and whom I regard as a 'proper fast' fella.

Walked in the fells with Scamp before the race - this was my view (but in colour)

Within a minute of finishing I saw the first lady, Emma Clayton of Bingley Harriers cross the line! Maybe just as well it wasnt a mile longer or I might have been caught by her. The average pace per mile had a massive hole knocked into it with the big uphill section but as far as racing was concerned I was very happy with this performance. I think the Ultra 50 is out of my legs now and after another week of fast training I should be as ready as I ever could be for the Dumfries 10k. I am a bit concerned about how much I have built up to it. Mentally I mean. Two years ago I was bitterly disappointed with my run at Dumfries after expecting much. One thing I am definitely going to do after Dumfries is have a rest from hard training after work. For two weeks I will only train at the weekend. Of a night I may go up the fells with Scamp and a camera whilst the daylight remains sufficiently long enough into the evening to do so without needing headtorch.

Grisedale Pike and Hopegillhead - Another view from our walk

Tonight is Friday and in keeping with my pattern of Mon Wed Fri 'tough' running I did 8x800 again. This time I went to the track and trained with Darren. Missing the one mile jog from home to the usual location I said I was going to do numbers 1 and 8 'easy' as a sort of additional warm up/down. so,
2:49 for the 'easy' one, then
2:38 then
2:37, I then asked Daz if he wanted to lead the fourth.
He did so and absolutely caned it around the half mile to record 2:29, I was about 3 metres behind him but still crossed the line before the watched clicked over to 2:30. Sub 5 minute miling! Get in!
Daz was too knackered to lead again and I tried my hardest to emulate his performance but could only manage 2:33, (though I did run a faster 2nd lap)
Daz again and ran 2:29 again but I was dropped 150m out and scored a 2:34
Both now pretty wasted we ran 2:37 for the 7th. At the bell on this one I honestly felt like quitting for the night - my legs were completely shot at.
Somehow we managed the 8th warmdown rep and 2:44 was inside what we had allowed ourselves to slow up by.

A race report - how novel!

2011-08-19T13:34:00.001+01:00

The race in question was the Newlands Valley Round promoted by Keswick AC. From Keswick it goes over the bridge to Portinscale, up the hills to the Swinside Inn, down to Stair, up t'other side of Stair to the Newlands Pass road where turn right to come back almost to Braithwaite but then head right again to follow back to Portinscale and Keswick - 6.8 miles.

Last Monday I was alone for the 8.75 miler and instead of running steady away, I tried as hard as usual and recorded 6:18 pace. Slowest for some time, but alone, without the youngsters to try to stay ahead of, that is good enough. Tuesday I felt very lethargic and cut short the intended 7+ jog-with-dog to just 4 miles.

So to tonight. I didnt feel much like racing as I had a rather tiring day at work. One site all day long is actually much harder work than my usual day of driving between 4 or more sites and then sitting in office doing paperwork/plans/emails/ quotes etc.

After walking Scamp for a while by the river below the old rail line near Threlkeld I felt a bit more energetic again and drove the couple of miles to Keswick to get signed on. I dont really have a proper warm up routine - I ran up the hill to the school twice, hard, and then did some stretches and two little sprints on the flat road by the finish.

The gun went and four lads immediately formed a lead group. James Douglas (Border), John Mason (Border) Steve Littler (Wesham) and another very young lad, unknown to me. I was in fifth and made no attempt to go with them. By the bridge into Portinscale I had been joined by 3 others so it was two groups of 4 heading the race.

I am sure I didnt set off too fast but within another half mile I was dropped by my group so was now alone in 8th on the road. Another half mile after that, approaching stair, I had caught back to one of my former group and I think I dropped him climbing out of Stair. The really young lad from group one also came back to me here so I was in 6th now. Trouble was Michael Cunningham (Borrowdale) had caught me very slowly and we two then raced all the way to the end vying for 6th and 7th. We exchanged a brief word or two at one stage and I suggested if we kept the pressure on we might get the lad in fifth who was not pulling away and was looking behind him a lot. Michael is a lad I have recognised from racing against for 10 years or more but I have never really had much of a craic with him.

On the slight downhill in Portinscale to the suspension bridge I took a 30 second breather then pushed hard again to maintain a gap which had opened up between us. I felt it was possibly 10 or 20 metres at that stage. My plan must have worked I think, as the gap at the finish line was more like 30 or 40 metres.

Stats then. I was 6th from just less than 100 finishers. 1st Vet 40. 3rd counter in winning team.
I was pleased to have been able to race hard for nearly 7 miles and not tie up or struggle at the end.
My time of 40.11 is 5:55 per mile which for approx 11k on a fairly lumpy course is OKish but nothing startling. Back in the day (sorry Stu) I would have looked to be just inside 5:40 pace over a hilly course like this, so 15 seconds/mile slower is quite significant. A 10 seconds/mile loss in the intervening years would be easier to accept.

Next week there is another race (Round Latrigg) and the week after that the Dumfries 10k. Only the Dumfries event will see me curtail my tough training regime beforehand so hopefully another week of speedwork, racing and tempo runs will see me perform well there.

Extra Extra. Friday night, I've just done a session of 800metres intervals. Every intention of doing 8 of them but I feared that after 6 I might be struggling and need to quit. Little wind meant only the slight elevation difference would make one direction faster than the other.

Set off a bit harder than usual for no1 (after last weeks poor 2:56) and got 2:45. Good
no2 (mild downhill) gave a 2:39
no3 exactly as no1 with 2:45
then a one second bettering downhill to record 2:38.

Halfway through the session now, and I reckoned I would soon begin to suffer in a big way or my legs would give up the ghost. As I got into the thick of the third uphill (5th effort) I promised myself that if I failed to do another 2:45 I would quit at 6 as it would be a sure sign of lethargy, and cutting short would be sensible.
I was astonished then to record 2:43!!
The next one (downhill) was the toughest of the night, by 300 metres into it my CV system felt like it was working on override. I thought this was because I was so completely knackered but my watch revealed it was because I was running so damn fast. It showed 2:34 as I finished
The final two reps were a bit more sedentary and matched my earlier efforts of 2:43 (up) and 2:39 (down)

What a session. a mile longer than I expected to manage and much much faster than last week (although to be fair last week was the first time doing this short distance in several months).
About 5:22 average pace.

Stats

2011-08-12T21:48:00.001+01:00

Sat/sun no run (photography) - actually got paid to take photos (as opposed to taking them and hoping to sell some)

Mon 9 miles 6:12 pace

Tues only had 30 mins to run so did a 30 min run with Scamp

Wed - 800metre reps x6. Avg 5:30 pace

Thurs - bout 6 miles in the pissing rain and glorious mud near the new bypass - first time crossing the new bridge

Friday - ran up to top of Blinky from Scales. Then down to Tarn. Then to top again via Foule Crag then all way back down. Mostly easy apart from the last part of the second ascent when I imagined how far behind Stu and Stevie B would have been (very)

Going backwards

2011-08-06T20:45:00.001+01:00

Do I mean I have been practising running backwards like that bloke Roy Castle could hardly keep up with in the opening titles to Record Breakers in the 70s?
No
Do I mean my fitness and times have slipped, despite all the tough training I have been doing?
No
Have I had a chance meeting with Dr Who and travelled in time?
No
Henry the mild mannered janitor?
Could be....
All it is I'm going to blog about today, Friday, then the day before and so on until I get back to last Saturday.

When I got back from my 10 miler this evening the clock said 68mins 44 secs. Nothing startling. This did also include the time spent running from home to the start of the 10 mile loop and back again afterwards. I estimate 3 minutes at most so my 10 mile run was probably 65 or 66 minutes. My watch broke last week hence my timing this run on my phone which I left by the back door.

Mile reps were Thursdays training. Again, no watch meant I simply ran hard for a mile then rested up until I felt ready to go again. I did four of these. Next time will be five. Little point in guessing what my pace was for these. Probably had my speed blunted by the 50 miler though.

First run since the 50 was on Wednesday when I jogged a while with Scamp. I felt absolutely great, with a spring in my step like never before. I reckon I could have raced the 10k being held that night in West Cumbria but it was too late to go through by the time I decided I was up for it.

Tuesday, Monday and Sunday I was enjoying a wee holiday in Cheshire. I didnt run at all during those three days.

Which brings us to Saturday and the UTLD 50. Even at the back of 8 oclock in Coniston it was red hot. Not ideal for an endurance event beginning at midday! The bus that took us to the start near Penrith was delayed when the bus ahead had a minor scrape with a car as we passed through the narrow lanes between Coniston and Ambleside. This, and the slow progress past the resulting tailback meant we only got to the start at about 12.15. The start hand't happened and then was then delayed a little longer to give a chance for last minute toilet visits etc and we finally got started at 12.25. This was not a huge issue but I knew there would be little chance of finishing in the light of day as my 10 hour schedule was the best I could possibly imagine doing the distance in and would only just have seen me finish before dark given a noon start.

The first four miles were a circuit through fields and farms - a bit crappy really with lots of styles, gates and long grass to negotiate. Soon enough though we were onto the proper route and running along the pleasant path parallel to the outflow from Ullswater. In Pooley Bridge we had encouraging shouts from locals and holidaymakers and were soon ascending the tarmac road to Roehead and then the track up toward High Street. This was the same section as I had blasted up as hard as I could in the DITL Triathlon so it was very pleasant indeed to run up just about as slow as I could on this occasion. Many people (and not just 100 mile participants) were already reduced to walking here though, and I passed several. The route doesnt get to the High St path, it veers right to skirt the top of the fields and campsites and is overall downhill to Howtown where the first checkpoint (cp)was located, 11.2 miles from the start.

Filling my bumbag with bananas and cake and my bottles with juice I wasn't stationary very long at all and was soon jogging out of the tiny hamlet onto the open fell of Fusedale. More people passed as I climbed to the high point of the whole route, High Kop 670m above sea level. I can safely say I was inside the top 20 at this point, maybe even top 15. Unfortunately things went awry a little somewhere between High Kop, Low Kop and the path we eventually got to that runs alongside Haweswater reservoir. I missed the proper path (though it is described as 'faint' in the manual) and probably added 5 or 6 minutes to our day. Certainly, as I passed the point where I should have descended and joined the path I noted someone who I knew was about to join the path from the proper (shorter ) route. I'd been comfortably ahead of this fella at Howtown and had almost certainly continued to pull away from him over the Fusedale climb. I was really downbeat about this error. This was a section I had intended checking out prior to the event but didnt get round to doing so!!!!!

Some Fifteen minutes after regaining the proper route I passed Steve "Wes" Weston. A mile later I was in the Mardale Head cp (20 miles from start). As I left the cp Wes came into it. Although I later discovered he was having a low, I was obviously still going reasonably well at this stage if a little pissed off with myself. Penrith Stu was at cp2. He was anxious I should get going ASAP. He said Id gone from top 15 to only about 50th and lost quarter of an hour. The result show I was in 39th place at this stage - so not a bad guess by Stu.

The climb out from Mardale over Gatesgarth Pass is steep and long. Even once over the top it it tough going underfoot and at times I wasnt going much faster downhill than I had been up. As I caught a couple of 100 milers I slowed a wee bit to chat to them. Soon after I was caught by a group of 3 lads in the 50 and we stayed together until we reached the Kentmere cp3 (27 miles from the start) - over half way.

Top scran was enjoyed in Kentmere. They even had fancy jugs on the tables that were continually replenished with cold fresh water. I had a fruit smoothie, some pasta and tea and biscuits which I took with me as I left. Wes had came into Kentmere after me but had a very brief stop and we left together, along with an Ian. The route is immediately uphill and we all walked at first to work off the food just devoured. There were occasional opportunities to run and I was dropped by the lads as I continued to walk and try to drink my tea. On the climb proper of Garburn Pass I noted they were not very far ahead at all and not pulling away so I ditched the remnants of my tea and easily caught up. We jogged, and walked when steep, together to Ambleside cp4 (34.3 miles from start)

The reception from the crowds in Ambleside was thoroughly uplifting. This is what it must have been like for those intrepid early voyagers who returned home to a heroes welcome after taming stormy seas to discover new lands and bring back wealth and prosperity to a rising nation. Sort of.

Leaving Amblside I felt good. I knew the route to the end in my head and wouldnt need a map or go wrong anywhere. I walked through the town drinking my tea. In the park I was caught by Wes and Ian and ditched the tea so I could jog and stay with them. Although we walked out over the initial climb that skirts below Loughrigg, it's not very long and we then ran all the way to Elterwater. A very brief walk again from the river Brathay up to the mine then running again all the way to cp 5 at Chapel Stile (39.4 miles from the start)

My stops were becoming briefer as the day progressed and at Chapel Stile I probably only had 2 minutes at most. Just enough time to swallow some soup and a slice of bread and have my bottles refilled. The going from Chapel Stile is good a first and we were running until we reached some stony paths in the upper Langdale valley. As the path crosses various fields, stream and walls I was forging ahead. Wes and Ian were becoming isolated from me but I didnt feel I needed to wait as there was still an hour or two to go and I could make time up if I pressed on. However, the climb up to the top of Side Pike Pass saw me really struggle and by the top the other two were so close again that I lingered a little to allow us to all cross the road together and begin the section round the back of Blea Tarn.

Darkness fell briefly as we passed through the wood behind Blea Tarn. Not so long after that we reached the short section of tarmac that is the Wrynose Pass road. Torches were looked out of our bags and we continued toward Tilberthwaite cp6 (46.5 miles from the start). The marshals at Tilberthwaite were exceptionally cheery and had plenty of food laid on. I had a mouthtful of malt loaf but to be honest I knew we would only take an hour or so to complete this final 3 and a bit miles and was keen to move on.

Climbing the final section fell this year felt much more pleasant than in 2009 when I hadn't a clue where I was and it was spitting with rain. Now, even in the dark there were no issues with the route and we were soon dropping down into Coniston. As we neared the village, Wes and Ian raced ahead of me to finish about 90 seconds up. We were 27th 28th and 29th from nearly 500 starters.

Theres more to the story of the Lakes 50 than that but I will type it another time.

2011-07-29T14:03:00.000+01:00

Yes it was of course "Werewolf in London" by Warren Zevron

Moving on, a good start to the week has been enjoyed by all.

Rydal Round runners - Ambleside and Windermere behind

After an easy 15 miler with Darren on Sunday morning, on Monday I turned up at the Sands centre for the now customary 9 mile pacey run with Milly and his track cronies. Thinking I should possibly not run as hard as I usually do I opted to simply run behind Milly all night whatever the pace. It felt damn hard early on and I wasnt surprised to hear Milly reporting sub 6 pace was showing on his Garmin. Headwind second half and we were now over 6 pace to give an overall average of about 6:06.

Track cycling at the sports

Thinking that I was racing on Wednesday I didn't do anything on Tuesday. I later discovered that the race has been moved to mid August. Annoying, but perhaps best NOT to be racing 6 miles flat out within a few days of the Lakes 50 looking ahead. Instead I had a walk up to Esk Pike with Scamp. Funny the things that go through your mind when a "big" race is coming up, - I usually drink from high streams and springs without a second thought, but on this walk I opted not to run the risk of getting bad guts. Remembering to take a drink from home would have prevented this of course I AM VERY DISORGANISED.

Sportsfield from Nab Scar

Thursday was a day off work for Ambleside Sports. What a great day out this is. If you are competing, spectating, or a mixture of both. Or even if you just fancy a chill out day soaking up the atmosphere of what is a century of tradition epitomised in an afternoon. It rained of course but that just makes it even more traditional. I was attending for leisure purposes and took a few photos of the day including the Rydal Round fellrace from about halfway up Nab Scar, the first climb.

Huh, I'd like to meet his tailor

2011-07-23T11:53:00.004+01:00

With such a great run under my belt for Monday I was keen to try again to run 10 miles fast. Poor weather saw me cry off the fellrun on Wednesday, instead joining Plucky for 10 hilly miles. We battled each other for 9 miles of the 10. A really hard but enjoyable run. (I imagine I enjoyed it mainly because I was never struggling and Plucky was never ahead forcing me to run a smidge harder than I would have liked - which is exactly what was happening to him all night. His marks for enjoyment I suspect will be a percentile or two less than my own). When I though we had just a couple of minutes still to run to complete the circuit I glanced to see 58:30 on the watch. Indeed it did take almost two more minutes but 1hr and 25 seconds is a good time for 10 hilly miles and worth sub 60 on a flatter course.

Next day, for the first time in about a month I ran reps of 5 by 3 minutes around the 3 mile loop. I took 90 seconds recovery between efforts (was previously taking 60 seconds) and was therefore a little disappointed NOT to beat 16 minutes (5:20 pace). But 16:04 is not too shabby and this time will surely reduce if I repeat the session throughout August (as is my plan)

Friday was the day Howard Seal ran the Hadrians Wall path. Something I had given a little thought to completing myself at one point. I met Howard just outside Carlisle and ran about 20 miles or so to the end point at Bowness on Solway. As we neared Carlisle we were actually running along my one mile measured section. Here's Howard in the middle of the slowest ever recorded completion of this flat mile.

In the final 10 miles or so Howard was really hurting with cramp and sickness but he remained in good spirits nevertheless. The final mile saw him pick up the pace, and his spirits to a new level as several extra family/friends joined in the finale. Afterwards he had a lie down and a pint.

Getting older, feeling younger

2011-07-18T21:13:00.004+01:00

Nowt on Friday. That was on purpose, as, for the first time in a few weeks I had ran for the first four days of the week.

Saturday I was keen to get up into the fells again and Penrith Stu joined me for the Coledale Horseshoe. Stu took us round the race route, which misses many of the tops I would visit when doing this Horseshoe. Nevertheless it was a decent enough run with plenty of steep ascent and also some pleasant slopes to stride out along.

Not wet enough from my Saturday run I ditched my plan of 10 road miles and took a trip up Blencathra on Sunday. Stu turned out again and we enjoyed a lap of the race route in 1hr 28 mins in the filthiest wind and rain imaginable - warm though (as long as you kept running hard) FANTASTIC! One of the most enjoyable runs of the year.

One of my reasons for missing the road run on Sunday was because I figured we would most likely be doing exactly the same route on Monday. And so it turned out. Aware that Milly etc do their track session on Tuesday and therefore do not want their Monday run to be flat out, I held back just a little until approx 5 miles then really pressed hard for home - end result was 6:07 per mile average pace for 9 miles with a 5:52mile thrown in at mile 7.

I dont bother to record my mileage (apart from what I write here), but last week I totted up that I had ran sixty miles in six runs over seven days, and three of those six runs were on the fell.

Feeling MUCH MUCH better this last week or so. Now I'm feeling tired after training and sleeping well for it. Previously I was feeling drained/lethargic all the time, even before training, sometimes missing training because of that and sleeping fitfully.

Altogether better

2011-07-15T22:01:00.000+01:00

After being so tired and jaded of late, this week I have felt reet grand.

On Saturday I ran at teatime so as to replicate my usual training time. This did't prove to be a good idea as I was quite tired by then and struggled so badly in attempting my 4/11 session that I quit it and just jogged around the 10 mile circuit in 65 mins instead. Next day I never planned to run as I was bust photographing two sporting events in the day.

Monday was hot again but not as high up the thermometer as the previous week when I ran the curtailed session with Milly and Kev. Milly said it was to be 10 miles at 6:10 pace. We set off jogging from the sands Centre and kicked into it after about 5 minutes. I was really enjoying this run. Trying hard but achieving a good speed and knowing I had more in the tank. We ran sub 6 pace on the return to Carlisle for an average of 6:10 for 9 miles - perfect.

Next day I jogged for 90 minutes with Scamp. We covered the 7 mile circuit but also stopped to chat for a lengthy couple of spells with people we I knew.

Midweek I was up the fells for the fourth Wednesday in a row. Cracking weather, cracking views.
I parked at Stair and ran (ok I mostly walked fast) up Causey Pike. Along the Scar Crags ridge to Sail Pass then down left into the valley and up the opposite side to reach Ard Craggs. From there I continued to Knott Rigg from where I dropped off to the carparking area atop Newlands Hause.

I was unsure then whether to go up Robinson or find a valley route back to Stair.

As it was still warm and sunny and I had plenty of energy and time I tackled No 42. I didnt see any point in going to Hindscarth so bagged Dalehead then dropped down to the small tarn for a welcome drink in the pub that has no seats and only sells beckwater.

Up high Spy and onto Maiden Moor, descending which I felt tired for the first time. No matter - I had never intended to go up Catbells anyway so it was a now the simple matter of dropping from the hause toward Littletown then picking up the AW track back to Stair. I'd spent about 15 mins on Causey taking photos and another 10 minutes on Robinson chatting to a lad from CFR. Add on some water in water out stops and it was probably 3 hours running or walking forcefully. Got to be good training for a schoolnight!

Next day I felt OK but was concerned about my run with Plucky. He'd said 10 or 12 miles and I knew that meant 12. The first half hour was good and we were up by 30 seconds on the previous week. I was keen to avoid getting into a testosterone fuelled finale though, and opted to cut off at 8 miles to finish the 10 mile circuit alone while he ran the last 4 miles of the 12 circuit. My time was 63 minutes exactly. 15 seconds slower than last week but crucially without any big effort or silly racing involved.

What a great week of training. I really enjoyed it all.

Last bit of Causey Pike

Handy path up to Sail - or blot on landscape? You decide

I'm no seamstress

Stitch these yourself

Dunno - can't remember - probably Butternmere or Crummock

Scamps waits on Robinsons flank

Causey 3.5 hours later

15 seconds? I could run 15 minutes faster!

2011-07-08T22:40:00.001+01:00

Monday was damn hot.

Cooling water in Glenridding Beck

I texted Milly and Gareth to see if they were jogging at six oclock. Milly said he was possibly going to do track reps but would need to check his schedule when he got home. I decided track reps would be fine as I would be able to get a drink of water and wet my head between the efforts. Later in the afternoon Milly said he was due to do 60 mins at 6:15 pace! Not as inviting!!

We met at six and knocked out the first 3 miles with a bit of chat (Gareth at work, Kev Bell also present). By 4 miles, my mouth was dry and I was sweating profusely but running well. At 5 I enquired as to our pace and was pleased to hear 6:17 in reply as we had 2 miles gently downhill to come. Almost back at the leisure Centre, we quit at about 8 miles with a 6:15 average. I would have ran the full hour but the two youngsters were happy enough to cut short in such testing conditions.

Glenridding and Ullswater. Cloud but no rain

The hot weather broke on Tuesday but it was still quite nice. I thought I should really go up in the fells while it was decent weather as the forecast for the next day was terrible. Indeed it was terrible weather on Wednesday, with monstrous showers in Carlisle beyond dinnertime.

A dog almost obscures the view of Grisedale Hause

As I drove South after work there was much brightness, little darkness and the roads were dry.
We managed an excellent fellrun without even getting wet feet.

The 'we' was myself, Penrith Stu and Penrith Steve B, now a usual Wednesday evening fellrunning get together. Helvellyn was my choice of destination, via Lantys Tarn from Glenridding and up the Grisedale valley to Grisedale Tarn, then Dollywagon, Hely and return via Lower Man and Whiteside then the zigzags toward the disused mines at the start/finish of Sticks Pass. Stu said it was 12 miles- it took about 2 hours but I only tried hard on the uphill bits.

No need to carry drinks on this 2hr run

Next day was Thursday - it nearly always is. Run with Plucky. He had said it would be either 10 or 12 miles. I was pleased when he decided on 10! We chatted effortlessly as we ran. Except for a fairly big hill in the aptly named Cotehill when Plucky prematurely ended his recounting of a race report with 'finish at the top'. I was puzzled for a while then realised he meant he would cease talking while we climbed uphill. Usually at this point I would either continue to chat but avoid inviting response, or, run a bit harder to force a gap. I did neither though as I knew my body was tired and that this run might turn and bite me at any stage. Only the final mile was tough, and the final uphill, one minute from the finish was as hard as any race finale, with my legs full of acid and my mind willing the end to come.

Next day Plucky texted me to say we had done too much chatting and at 62:45 had took 15 seconds longer for the route than on the previous occasion when we ran it with Darren. I hadn't realise we were supposed to be aiming to beat any particular time - I think next time I might target this run with him as a key session for the week and (without telling Plucky) run it at an ever increasing effort level. Only trouble is - Plucky is a VERY GOOD athlete and will not give in without a fight so it could be carnage.

More photos from the run up Helvellyn.

View back toward Patterdale from Ruthwaite lodge

St Sunday Crag from Ruthwaite Lodge

Grisedale Tarn, Grisedale Hause, Seat Sandal and a pair of Peerith wide boys

The Corridor route - my favourite

25 miles and 8000ft

2011-07-04T08:40:00.002+01:00

Plan A was to run the Patterdale Parish Boundary event, a 30 mile route covering some high peaks including Helvellyn. It was for teams of three and I only had three if I counted Scamp so I had to break open the envelope that contained plan B.

Kayaks on Derwentwater. Blencathra, Clough Head and Gt Dodd on the Skyline

The Derwentwater watershed is a route I had ran round once before with Iain Kelly. On that day it was my longest ever run (timewise). This time it was to be my longest since the 2009 Lakeland 50.

Looking back to Keswick and Skiddaw from the ascent up to Dalehead

We parked under the nose of Catbells which meant some fierce climbing from the outset. We simply followed the 'tourist path' South over Maiden Moor and High Spy to then drop down to Dalehead tarn for a refreshing drink of Cumbrian fellwater, followed by the stiff climb up to Dalehead.

Taken from between Green Gable and Great Gable. Buttermere valley overlooked by Grassmoor (but dont ask me to name any others in shot)

The miles ticked by, the summits ticked off. Scamp bagged some new ones with Green and Great Gable.

IWC taking better photos than SPA

My companion this day was Ian charters. I don't know what the W stands for. He never said. Perhaps he was being enigmatic? Also, I didn't ask him!

Styhead Tarn. Blencathra far far off in the North

We ran on. Past Styhead Tarn and Sprinkling Tarn where numerous children were sat, resting with huge packs, no doubt on a school trip. Up towards Esk Hause, familiar to me from just days earlier, though much warmer and sunnier this visit.

IWC. Great Gable behind.

At Angle Tarn we began to meet a lot of pairs competing in the Saunders event. I know little of this but I gathered it to be orienteering on a huge scale with overnight camping thrown in. IWC knew many of these Saundersers and learned that Nicky Spinks, who was on a 24hr womens record peaks attempt, was due in the area imminently. So we whizzed up the short climb to Rossett Pike to await her arrival. More can be read of this on IWC's blog. From Rossett Pike we dropped a little height to reach Stake Pass. From there we contoured below High Raise to reach Greenup Edge which we then followed more or less North over Ullscarf, past Blea Tarn to High Tove.

From somewhere along Greenup Edge we see Skiddaw, Blencathra, Clough Head and Gt Dodd (just)

At High Tove we had a board meeting. Scamp was supposed to be taking the minutes but has since mislaid them. Nonetheless, the outcome of that meeting was a decision to leave the mountains behind us and descend to Watendlath. I think this route choice added a mile or so to our day, but it also afforded us a refill of fresh water which was most welcome as we both had all but ran out. From Watendlath we used the riverside path which is very stony and rough in places. Perhaps the road which ran parallel to our choice would have been a better option but it seemed a shame to end such a great day in the fells with several miles of tarmac.

At Surprise View I noted an elderly couple sitting in foldup chairs. In my mind I formulated an hilarious sketch whereby they kept nodding off in the sun only to be surprised at what they saw before them each time they woke (Yeah, I've already go me coat)

Reaching the main road South to Borrowdale (or North to Keswick depending on where you live and whether you are going out for the day or going home from a day out), we plodded along the narrow path praying for Keswick to come soon. We were both quite tired by this time, but I was pleased to be able (and wanting) to jog rather than walk. We reached my van eight and a half hours after starting out. All that remained now was to drive back to Catbells where IWC's car was parked, so we could begin lap 2. Because the chip shops would all be closed by the time we completed the second lap we decided to go home instead.

Like a moped or a bicycle

2011-06-30T21:45:00.000+01:00

I want to train hard but my legs don't.

The race on Sunday went OK I suppose. It was very warm and sunny, my least favourite weather to run in (OK, yes, snow and icy wind is worse than hot sun but not by a huge margin). I took about 6 minutes longer than in 2010. The wind was into our faces for about the first hour, but when it was a tailwind we were dropping off the fellside and unable to run any faster due to the rough terrain. The course was also a minute or two longer than last year (when a diagonal line was taken to cut out a long corner). Nevertheless I think I should have ran a minute faster than I did. I felt rubbish from the very start and never felt like I was flying along eating up the road/track as I'd hoped to.

Since then I've done very little. Monday a short jog, Tuesday nothing at all, tonight another short jog

Wednesday we ran up Scafell Pike from Seathwaite. Plenty of steep walking sections on this route but interspersed with running breaks a little more often than the climb of Blencathra. I wasn't really up for this either. I allowed Stu and Steve Bennet to pull away from me as we climbed, then a quick jog to regain their heels every now and then so they knew I was still in contact. The summit was bleak and cold but we had some tremendously atmospheric views as we descended the Corridor route back down.

Thinking ahead to the rest of 2011 I think I MAY NOT BOTHER with an autumn marathon this year.
I had decided it would be Amsterdam marathon in mid October, but I'm not sure I can be bothered with the upturn in training July through September. I will almost certainly still do Langdale marathon however, but reckon I will be able to wing it without the specific training.

And a little nearer, this weekend in fact, I have to decide between a 30 mile event on Saturday over many many summits, or an 8 mile blast on Sunday, up just one - Skiddaw. The 30 mile event has to be entered by teams of three (for safety I presume) so if I can't get two others interested (Scamp doesn't count in the 3 - and he's got no choice anyway).

Too (tyred) tired

The mighty Blencathra is tamed

2011-06-22T23:05:00.002+01:00

Tuesday evening straight after work we headed up Blencathra (me, Penrith Stu and Steve Bennet)
I didn't want a hard run after the previous days 10 mile effort but was keen to run up the ascents however slow. From the carpark to the summit is a long long drag and I was pleased to finally drop back down to the tarn. From there we then made a direct beeline to the summit of Bannerdale - very very steep - zero possibility of running. This was enough to see off the two young pretenders with Stu seemingly coming up with a new leg ailment for every metre he fell behind!

Bannerdale summited we had a short tussocky downhill section before the second climb to Blencathra summit via Foule crag. This I ran ALL the way up, apart from brief stops to let Steve catch me up to instruct him NOT to take the racing line across the scree (whats the point in missing some climbing out when you are training?)

As we came away from the summit plateau a Seaking search and rescue helicopter made an impressive sight below our elevation as it flew along the A66 corridor from the direction of Keswick/Borrowdale.

90 minutes after setting off we were back down at the vehicles and heading for home. A tough run in the bag, Good craic with Penriths 2nd and 3rd best runners, and scarcely a drop of rain. A midsummers day to remember.

Wednesday evening straight after work we headed to Rickerby (me, Scotty and Darren) and ran the 3 mile circuit in 5 reps of 3 minutes. I definitely ran faster being with other good lads than if I had done this session alone. I was tired though, My legs had nowt in them. I was pleased to manage the 3 miles in 5:23 average pace (16:09), but I think I have made an error in shortening the recovery on this session to just one minute.
Here's why;

I'm a long distance runner but know the importance of needing to run a fast mile to help run a fast marathon. being just 3 minutes long though, these reps are all about leg speed. So the most important thing to gain from the session is to run fast, ideally as close to 5 pace as I can get. If this means having 90 seconds rest between reps to get faster then that is what I should be doing. Short recoveries would be ideal training for someone concentrating on 5 k events.

It's not always the case of course. For mile reps I believe it's possible to run at approx the same pace as I can in a 10k race, so a session of say 5 or 6 by a mile is about enduring that high but possibly just sustainable pace/effort level with minimum (and reducing over weeks or months) recoveries.

Todays news - Despite a decent 3 days training my left calf feels better then it did on Sunday so Im confident it will be fine now.
Todays other news - just found out Milly won the Abbeyttown 10 mile race a couple of weekends back. well done soft lad.

Bring it on

2011-06-21T11:07:00.000+01:00

Before I had a Garmin to measure my routes, my 10 mile circuit was shorter than it is now by about 1 minute. In other words, the Garmin said it was less than 10 miles so I extended it. I don't have a Garmin now but still stick to the new, longer route.

On the old route I once ran round in 58 minutes something, and a couple of times in a 59. There's no chance I'll repeat those times these days because I'm slower and it's further but I do like to compare my current self to my old self by knocking off that minute in my head to see just how much slower (or not) I am these days.

Yesterday (Monday) I couldn't really be bothered to train as it was quite a warm day and work had been very tiring in the afternoon. So I threw sticks in river instead of walking Scamp a long way then also waited a while longer to allow the temp to drop a bit more.

Wanting to have an easy end to this week to prepare for the tough 13 mile race coming up on Sunday, but also wanting to train hard up to midweek I decided to run the 10 mile circuit in reps of 11 minutes hard with 4 minutes jog recovery. My (Scottys) famous session.

The fourth interval was a real test of endurance as by then I was pretty wasted and no longer running inside six minute miling. But the previous three were good enough to give my best result for a long time 10 miles in 61:18.

When I think back to only ever beating the hour on three different occasions on the old course, yesterday time, adjusted to 60:18 is pretty damn close to what I used to accomplish. I am determined to do this exact route/session again soon, hopefully in light drizzly rain. I know I can run it faster than 61 minutes on my own. Perhaps if I had someone like Scotty to train with again I would run even faster (he used to run it in less than 55 minutes!!!)

Penrith Stu said I shouldn't have blogged about my foolish error up the fells on Sunday, but by writing about the bad stuff I feel vindication for droning on when things are going well.

Trust your instincts Luke - feel the force.

2011-06-19T13:28:00.000+01:00

I should've heeded old Ben Kinobis advice as I descended off Blencathra summit over Mungrisedale common, toward the Caldew and Great Calva today.

Although I had ran leg one of the Bob Graham Round at least ten times before today I had only ran it anticlockwise twice before. I knew the way like the back of my hand (or so I thought) so didn't elect to take a map with me. Uhh Urrrrr (makes that noise from Family Fortunes when they guess wrong answer)

As I headed off the Summit of Blencathra I knew I had to bear to my right a bit and drop onto the path that runs through the slatey scree. This I did without a hitch and very soon I reached 'the main path' which runs over Mungrisedale common between the Caldew crossing and Foul Crag. I turned left onto this path and began following it gently downhill.

I'd decided that today I would walk the whole leg to see how long it took with out any running, and with the weather being rather poor I was soon quite cold and wet.

If I'd been running I would have covered at least twice the ground in the same time but walking not only got me cold but allowed me time to think. Thinking too much I began to wonder if I was actually on the right path and wasn't in fact heading toward Bowscale instead of Calva. The gentle ground should have told me I wasn't going the wrong way as to get to Bowscale requires a decent drop to cross Blackhazel beck, and I hadn't been on any steep ground since Blencathra top.

If I'd had a map with me, or even a bearing in my head so I could've checked the compass I would have continued in the correct direction. But then when the path faded somewhat and I decided I MUST need to head left to gain the correct path which in my mind was a wide, dirty brown track for it's entirety.

As I rounded to my left I didn't find any other path but did soon reach a small ravine which I now know to be Sinen Gill. From the head of the Gill I could see the Cumbrian Way below me and decided to head to it.

At the Cumbrian Way I had to decide whether to follow it up to Skiddaw House then onto Calva and/or Skiddaw, or simple turn for Keswick and cut my day short. As I still hadn't ran a step I was still quite cold and decided that this wasn't the day for a long walk after all. But rather than head back the quickest way (under Blease Fells flank) I began running and climbed up onto Lonscales flank and followed the CW again to the Gale Rd carpark. I could've then dropped over the back of Latrigg to the (old) railway line but instead opted to drop down to Derwentfolds and up to the Blencathra Centre to then enjoy the long long drop down into Threlkeld where I had parked.

I'm very annoyed at myself for making this silly error, but at least I still had a good few hours up the fells.

I timed myself up Halls Fell Ridge today. 48 minutes from the carpark S of the A66 to the trig point. Not sure if that's fast or not but I do know that I once took 45 minutes TO GET DOWN the same route in the dark at 1am on a wet and windy day in 2009.

Due to a bit of a sore left leg I hadn't ran since Thursdays jog with dog. That's also partly why I wasn't gonna run at all today. But it seems no worse right now so I think its probably nowt bad.

City slicker shows bumpkins how to race up fells!

2011-06-16T18:53:00.002+01:00

Monday nowt - getting to be a bad habit!!

Tuesday - 10 miles in 63:18. This is approx 30 seconds quicker than last week in very similar conditions. Tried a bit harder than last week though, especially in the final 3 miles, so the resulting time wasn't so great really.

Wednesday - Fell race at Tebay. Wasn't feeling so grand for this event but knew it would be good training whatever the outcome so I got on with it. Plenty of good running sections where I easily caught and passed people ahead of me, but they were always interrupted by steep sections too. If it was steep uphill I managed to climb as well as the next fella but on the steep downs I struggled a bit to keep up. Luckily of course the downhills dont tend to last very long so any losses are limited.

The worst part of this route for me was the sections where it was flat or only mildly up or down but over terrible ground. Terrible as in long tussocky grass or full of holes and cut away peaty bog holes. I don't mind walking when running is impossible but I hate this type of ground where running should be possible but it takes so much concentration to check the ground ahead that keeping up a pace is frustratingly difficult.

The final climb was a massive sided monster. Above we could see the next ten people ahead, behind, probably several dozen, although I only noticed Stu and Steve Benno Bennet. Such a steep climb as this is impossible to run up, but walking so hard as to make my legs hurt did not cause my CV system to work unduly hard at all. Thinking back, I should have included some occasional jogs to raise my heartrate significantly higher, then walked again until it dropped. If I'd done that Stu would probably have caught me back up on the 2 mile run-in though. One aspect of the route where I did lose time was not knowing where we were going - all I could do was look to see where the people ahead were going and pick what looked like a good line to get there. Benno had some good lines already from his recce last week and that's how he ended up running with me and Stu after we had pulled steadily away from him in the early uphill section. At the finish we were all just seconds apart. Importantly though was order - Carlisle - Penrith - Penrith

If I were to race in the fells a lot more then I reckon I could improve significantly on my performance of last night - certainly in the events of up to 10 miles. It's just that I get downbeat when I can't stretch out and run fast. Or when there is such a long downhill section that I become tired of concentrating on the uneven ground/my footfalls. Or when its steep uphill cos that doesn't feel like a running race. I suppose to sum up fellracing I'd have so say then that I like the flat, smooth grounded parts best. A bit like road racing but with better views!

Today (Thursday) my legs felt pretty battered. I jogged 4 miles with Scamp but didn't even manage the distance without a few walking sections.

Final note - if taking spare dry socks ensure they are left in vehicle for after run and NOT in kit bag which goes up fell and gets wet with you - if you take them with you they become your OTHER wet socks!

Plenty doing

2011-06-12T16:34:00.001+01:00

Thursday I jogged with Scamp in Gelt. Very slow and with lots of stops to play in the river.
Friday again just jogging - hottest day of the year so far - about 5 miles very easy, untimed

Me and Scamp up some fell or other

Saturday I was keen to run 10 miles hard, possibly even intervals. But then a massage came through from Penrith Stu about 'garn up fells' at noon. It was a grand day up top - T shirt weather as long as you kept moving along. 2 hours we spent with scarcely a stop. Near the end I was very tired but once the final descent to the car was in sight I pushed hard to test Stu. He passed the test and even had me mildly concerned at one point. Turned out he was doing an interval though and soon had to slow up again.

Sunday I went back to more or less the same place and ran the circuit to be followed later in June when I compete in the Day In The Lakes Triathlon. In 2010 I was second fastest runner with 1hr 31. This year I am determined to beat 1:30.

By Monday I had developed a bit of a cough and was silly to do my intervals as planned. A poor performance was guaranteed and indeed achieved.

Tuesday I decided it better NOT to train so I could get over my irritating "illness", but then by Wednesday I was keen to do some worthwhile running and tootled around the 10 mile loop in 63:50 - not a bad time considering I never "tried hard" - just a nice steady effort throughout.

Thursday was a washout. I had never planned to run as I was intending to go to Newcastle to photograph the 4000 competitors running the Blaydon Race. I couldn't get anyone to help me with this and a long tiring day at work saw me spend the evening mooching round the house instead of any training or earning.

Nick with 20 hours still to go

Friday was a BIG NIGHT OUT. No not at a pub or nightclub - that would be ridiculous. An evening of fellrunning was on the cards accompanying Nick, an Ellenborough lad who was attempting the Bob Graham Round. I'm pleased to report that he completed the round in 21hrs. I was not one of his official helpers and was just tagging along really but hopefully I made myself useful by taking some photos that will become momentoes for Nick to remind him of his great achievement.

Setting sun over Scottish Hills and Solway coast - Taken from the ascent of Blencathra

Getting home late from the fells I was in bed by about 1230 then up again at 0730 as the skip wagon arrived to deliver a skip for my old kitchen which I am having replaced. Most of the day was spent ripping things off walls and dodging the rain showers as the skip grew ever fuller. Saturday night was another late one as I helped celebrate my old mans 65th birthday with one can of guinness and 3 cups of tea.

Just 7 hours in bed and I was up to prepare for another "fellrun". We were to visit once again the DITL run route from Pooley Bridge. I was of a mind to run this much harder this week than I had the previous Sunday. In the end it was a bit of a mixed up run with easy parts, hard parts, and even stationary parts waiting for lads to catch up. In the end it was faster than last week, but I think I may return one more time. Penrith Stu joined us for this run - I'm not sure he was too impressed about a fellrun with no fell summits visited - but possibly just as well as I think he was rather shocked by the fitness/ability/determination/ of his City cousins!

untitled piece

2011-06-01T23:07:00.001+01:00

Thursday I met Plucky for his usual 70 minute run. Within about two miles I suggested we were running quite hard and asked was this his intention? He said it was indeed quite pacey but that it was ME setting the pace! If you know Plucky you will know he never does anything he doesn't want to do an never deviates from the schedule without good cause, so I was surprised at his remark as I felt he was the pace setter. We carried on without altering the effort and at the checkpoint were about half a minute up on previous occasions. A month ago this run became easy after about 8 miles because Plucky wasn't used to the distance - not so now though and the last 20 minutes were pretty damn hard work. At 70 minutes we stopped running and walked back a couple of hundred metres to Pluckys house. There's no way of knowing exactly how far we ran (or therefore the pace) but I am confident it was the quickest we have managed yet this year and therefore around 6:10 pace.

Friday I took Scamp on a longer than usual walk and didn't run.

Saturday I drove to Ambleside and ran to Coniston. I followed the official route for the Lakeland 50 Ultra which is at the end of July. Returning from Coniston proved a bit tricky. After missing a bus by a few minutes I set off walking the 7 miles main road. There was occasionally a path I could use to jog on but otherwise I had to walk tight to the side of the narrow road as I had Scamp with me. When the bus was due I waited at the roadside in the hope it would let me board despite not being at a stop. The rain came, the bus didn't. I held out my thumb and was mighty relieved that the second van to pass by, didn't, until me and Scamp were stowed safely amidst a huge pile of climbing gear and spare clothing which took up more than half the front seat. 10 minutes later and we were back in Ambleside having saved probably an hours walking.

On Sunday I walked Scamp for 90 odd minutes in the morning. Immediately after that I got a lift into town then walked home with my purchases. Its only 1.5 miles but as I neared home I was aware of a bit of a sore left foot, so I decided not to go running straight away. Later on, to play it safe I decided NOT to run at all.

Monday there were no foot issues and my planned 10 miler on road turned into a quick dash up Blencathra with Scamp. Despite the extra driving time this was probably overall less time consuming than taking him for a walk then going for a 10 mile run. Parking at Mungrisedale we jogged to the summit in 45 mins without once stopping to walk - this was especially pleasing as I usually have walked up the steepest parts. In fact, when I reached the summit plateau I could scarcely believe I was already there as the final climb had seemed very easy indeed. I expect this has something to do with the fact that I have never been as fit as this AND climbing fells.

There was zero visibility on the summit trig point so we dropped down straight away. Within 60 seconds the views opened up and even though I have been here many times previously I found them breathtaking today. To go from nothing but cloud in every direction to suddenly seeing a lush green valley dropping a thousand feet below you, speckled with the occasional white dots of sheep on the steep sides and multicoloured waterproofs on the skyline slowly ascending the ridges is something difficult to describe the true beauty of. Dropping down quickly to Scales Tarn I paused briefly while Scamp drank from the waters edge. Then we continued apace - taking every advantage of height drop we had previously endured to gain the summit - hurtling along the tracks and paths - groups of walkers making their way laboriously up, parted aside like The red Sea as we splashed our way past them.

I often wish I lived a bit nearer the Lakes and fells but on Monday I was back home within 3 hours of setting off and I'd climbed a mountain many folk take all day to. I should think myself lucky as 3 hours is possibly how long some people sit in their car every weekend just to reach these places.

Tonight (Wednesday) was Carlisle Tri club 10 k event. Last year I ran the course in 35:18. Following my year on year improvement at the recent Moorclose race I expected to run a 34 here tonight.

A headwind to start with, I immediately settled in close behind Kev Bell and Milly who are both well over 6 ft tall if not so broad. I knew they were both much faster runners than me and that by toughing it out in the first mile I would place myself ahead of where I would naturally be if I ran with my 'proper' group or alone. By and large this plan worked - that first mile was absolute purgatory as I strained to hold on to them. By two miles we had turned away from the headwind and the pace seemed a little easier to cope with, but still very hard. At about this time Kev pulled away quickly to a gap of some 80 metres. Milly and me were joined by a Dumfries runner who seemed strong. I was determined not to lose any places so ran shoulder to shoulder with the new fella - Milly was distanced!!!!!!!

At three miles I pushed hard and sensed a small gap open up to the Dumfries

Ensuring I dropped the Dumfries fella I tried V V hard all the way to the end. As I crossed the line I felt elated - I knew I had raced well and felt sure the time would be under 35 mins.I hadn't worn a watch and to see 35:30 on the officials stopwatch was gutting.

To put it into perspective I need to look at a few runners who completed both recent 10ks (this one and Moorclose)

Steve Angus - 4 seconds slower tonight
Darren Rook - 35 seconds slower tonight
Chris Neil - 16 seconds slower tonight
Jason Holmes - 18 seconds slower tonight
Howerd Seal - 23 seconds slower tonight (marathon in his legs since race 1)

Looking at that list I did good. James Douglas won in 31.38 - a week or two ago he ran one minute faster than that in Manchester - I only need to tun 31 seconds faster to achieve my goal of a 34. I think I need to do some two mile reps inside 11 minutes as well as continuing my 5 milers in 30:--.

Life is good - then it went and got even better

2011-05-25T21:45:00.001+01:00

What a ball!
What a caper!!
What a time to be fit and well and out there in the big (not so) bad world.

I love this time of year!!!

Actually, I love all the times of the year. If it is cold and dark I dress for the weather and enjoy the lack of flies intent on committing suicide in my mouth and eyes. If its too hot to train comfortably I endure it best I can then enjoy a stretch in the garden with the sun on my back.

The light mornings are the best thing about May/June/July. I can't wait until I 'camp out' in the van halfway up a deserted dead end road somewhere in the Lake District. Come down off the fell after sunset then climb it again a few hours later for the sunrise. Then into the nearest town as the shops open up for coffee and toast - good times.

It would be easy to think about 'wasted time' spent training for London Marathon but where would that get me? - Nowhere! Better to enjoy the fitness gains that training issued me and enter a few races to see how fast I can run.

It's not just races though, training is something I enjoy immensely. When fit and running well, the harder the session the more I enjoy it. Sub 60 minutes over a 10 mile route is a good time for a race, but seeing 59minutes something on my watch when I have been out there alone, of an evening, after work, - it goes a long way to make me feel Im doing something right.

After my awful attempt at running a fast 13 the other week when I blew and struggled in the final 2 miles to record 1:23:30 - On saturday I set off on the exact same route with an intention to...... run 13 miles. No target time.

It was quite windy and I deliberately held back a little despite the early miles tailwind telling me I should capitalise to make gains for the headwind to come later. I was cruising along, really enjoying the training and I think that is key to running well - force the pace beyond what feels right and it will be a chore you will struggle to complete.

At the 10 mile stage I was feeling fantastic and probably ran faster than the early tailwind section. At 13 miles the clock showed 1:24:45. I had taken just 1min 15 sec more than the previous week but had felt it was no more than an brisk jog which I could have lengthened for another 2 or 3 miles if necessary.

Sunday I was in the fells for a couple of hours - not the high fells - just the tourist path from Ambleside to Skelwith Bridge. The Lakes 50 in July takes this route and I am keen to recce all the way to Coniston in advance of the race proper at the end of July.

Monday I ran my usual 5 mile route. It was ridiculously windy - storm force so I saw no point in timing it.
Tueasday I was enjoying walking Scamp along the river, surveying the damage from the previous 24 hours weather, and I didnt run!!

Wednesday I intended to run my 5 route VERY HARD. I did, but was a bit disappointed not to beat 30 mins. Nevertheless I ran my fastest time of the year with 30:17. Despite a 1 mile warm up I actually ran faster 2nd half which was mildly headwind.

From memory I think I used to be able to run 10-20 secs/mile faster in races than I could in a similar length HARD training run. So to beat 35 mins at 10k I need to run nearer 29:45 in training. This will come - I'm sure of it.

Running aside - Photography is going very well too - I'm still learning new aspects about shooting in differing locations, using wide lens for sports instead of the 'zoom in and pick em off' easy option. Even my erstwhile nemesis Penrith 'cowboy' Stu admitted my Foo Fighters photograph was a stunning capture.

Charles Dicken wrote...

IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Not really clued up on my Eng' Lit', and I'd love to know what the 'epoch of incredulity' means, as its a quite superb phrase, but this is certainly the best, the best, the very best, of times.

racing and repping

2011-05-20T21:28:00.001+01:00

There can be no better reason for missing a days running than to see The Foo Fighters perform for 90 minutes in a tent in a field 8 miles from my house. It was one of the top 10 days of my life. A report on how I managed to get some photos can be found here, and more photos can be found here.

No shortage of good looking fellas atop Latrigg

Sunday was a normal day. About 8 miles easy run.
Monday about 7 miles with Gareth - fairly easy.
Tuesday - a 10k race at Workington. In 2010 I ran 35.46 for this event. I feel fitter than one year ago and hoped to run under 35 minutes. It was a cool and fairly windy evening. The course was changed to now include a longer downhill to the turnaround point which meant more hill to climb overall. I didnt manage sub 35. Nowhere near in fact, but 35.26 is 20 seconds faster than last year so as suspected I must be fitter.

Phil Winskill
Won the 10k on Tuesday.
Third in the fellrace next evening
©athletesinaction.co.uk

Wednesday I ran about 4 miles quite easy in the pissing rain then spent an hour traipsing round a hillside taking photos of fellrunners.

Thursday I was completely knackered and couldnt face running a step, so tonight I ran the intervals planned for Thursday. Five, 3 minute intervals off a minute recovery. A strong wind saw good progress made at first then I was slowly pegged back to finish with 5:27 average for 3 miles.

We continue

2011-05-13T19:17:00.000+01:00

So. As I already mentioned, Monday 5 in 31, Tuesday reps.

Wednesday I ran the same 5 again but tried a bit harder and was rewarded with 30:20

Thursday was with Plucky for 70 minutes. We ran within a few seconds of last weeks time at a checkpoint approx 30 minutes into the run. We certainly didn't slow up as last week so I'm confident we will have ran 6:15 pace again, if not a tad faster.

Friday, usually a day for no running but I don't think I will get to run tomorrow as I am helping Dave Grohl remember some lyrics. So I ran the 5 yet again. Fifth day of decent training in a row made itself known through my legs and 30:45 felt quite hard to achieve.

I like to Prattle on.....

2011-05-10T22:35:00.002+01:00

....so here goes

Friday I did no running.

Saturday I set off to do my 13 mile loop quite hard. I hadn't really given much thought to the fact that it was less than 48 hrs since the 10 miles very brisk run I had completed with Plucky. I should have though. By the final two miles I was facing ruination - probably doing just 7 minute miling. 1hr 23 30 was a good time and proves I must be pretty fit these days but I need to be more careful about overdoing the hard mileage.

Sunday was a day of Photography. Not so long taking the pics themselves but by the time I sorted them all and got them on interweb site for sale it was a 16 hour day!!!

Monday I decided a brisk 5 was in order. 31 minutes exactly (6:12 pace) felt well within my capability and thus I decided that tonight (Tuesday) could be a hard but short interval session.

Track was paid for and after a 'every lap harder than the previous lap' mile as warm up I ran 3x 800 metres.
A poor start of 2:48 was then followed by 2:40 for the next two. A minute was the recovery between.

Then walking lap to recover and prepare for something I hadn't done in a long long time - 400 metre reps!

I reckoned 5 pace was possible and managed to slip inside that pace with 73 then 72 then 75 second laps. again, one minute recovery.

Another lap of walk recovery then 3 more 800s. I was really in a fighting mood now though and keen to get everything out of my lungs and onto that track.

The first was 2:40 again. As I began the next a lad also set off on a 200m effort - he took 26 seconds for the distance and although he was away from me in just a few strides I must have latched onto him mentally as I ran it in 36 seconds (4:48 pace) and was still on exactly 5:00 pace at "the bell". Something had to give here and the next lap was 80 seconds to give 2:35 for the full 800. The final one I was pretty knackered but determined not to be proved silly on number 2, I maintained a decent effort to record 2:38.

Overall a very good session. Not as far as normal with only 3.75 miles effort, but I don't believe short efforts should add up to the same distance as when doing say mile or two mile reps.

Stu says I'm obsessed with photography, but I think I have achieved a healthy balance between cameras, lenses, camera review websites, lens comparison websites, going into Jessops, developing (geddit?) ideas for new photography based websites, running, singing Foo Fighters songs to myself in the excitement of One Big Weekend and admiring the summer outfits being (mostly)worn by the young fashionistas around town.

...and I've constructed a new door for my greenhouse - no glass in it though - i'm saying this is for safety reasons - the tomatoes are saying its *%$*&£* cold!!

He He this diet coke has gone straight to my head tonight - C'mon Dave, lets have an encore... I got another confession to may-ake

A Time Machine

2011-05-06T21:53:00.000+01:00

After the half marathon I went for a jog on Monday. Tuesday I was far too tired to even consider running a step. Wednesday I met up with Scotty, George and Darren for a session of reps. We ran a mile out in 5:40 then another one in 5:24. Then we ran the two miles back in 10:49. These are my best times for a long long time and I'm pleased to be running this well. After training I went down to the Lake District and jogged up a pretty high fell to take photos of a race - then jogged back down again to make for a very tiring but satisfying evening of leisuretime pursuits.

Is it true that some people opt to spend their leisure time drinking beer in public houses?
Really though, do they?
Even when its sunny and warm?
Theres some weird folk knocking about!!

The next evening I went through to Scotby to run 10 miles hilly and steady with Darren and Plucky. A decent pace was initially set by Plucky. None of us had any means of knowing how fast we were running but I knew we were clipping along at a fair old lick - Darren dropped off the back with a mile to go and Plucky, on his longest run this year, started to tire in the second half. When we completed the route in just 62:30 I was surprised, though I reckon I could have ran 10 secs per mile quicker if it had been a hard run scheduled.

Having done nowt on Tuesday I would and should have ran tonight (Friday), but as this is the third of four weeks of indulgence post marathon I am still just doing whatever I feel like doing each day, whether that is lying on couch or running flat out.

10k race coming up soon - really looking forward to that one. Im determined to run a 34 this year.

Whilst running on Thursday I asked Plucky what he thought it would take for me to regain the fitness and speed I enjoyed in the 2002-2004 period when I set most of my best times and race wins. Thinking that the obvious (and my own) answer would be "give up work so you can train twice a day and sleep more", he said......

(loop to title)

2011-05-01T21:33:00.001+01:00

I cant realistically say (and hope to be believed),

"heres a good half marathon result so obviously I would have ran 2:45 in London".

But I think I have salvaged something from my Winter/Spring of marathon training with 10th place in Keswick Half Marathon today.

Over the Easter weekend I jogged in the fells a bit, jogged in the local park a bit and also ran my 10 mile loop in 66 minutes. Two days after the 10 I ran it again, more or less as hard as I could. This took 61:08. It was a test run - I decided if I could run 10m at a decent old lick without any trouble from legs or getting that stitch return then I would enter the Keswick event.

The rest of the week was just more jogging and on Saturday I cycled for the first time in 9 months. Not far, just up to the top of Newlands Pass to take photos of a cycle event, but with a backpack containing 3 drinks bottles, 3 DSLR cameras, 2 sandwiches and other assorted paraphernalia it was a somewhat slow, bottom gear, then walking up the steepest part, ride out in the blazing sunshine.

Today I got up early so I could be finished eating 4 hours before the race started. The last thing I wanted was to have the stitch return again. A good couple of miles warm up also helped in this respect and I felt fairly confident I would not suffer the same trouble as two weeks earlier.

The field thinned out within a mile and I was running at a fair old lick and in the top 15. Lots of climbing throughout the first 3 miles was followed by a lengthy downhill at about 4. I felt a faint hint of abdominal trouble on this downhill and held back a little. So I was then pleased to be running uphill again soon after.

At 7 miles we had several minutes continuous downhill to the bridge at the top end of Derwentwater. This was a real time loser as I didnt feel confident to let myself go with gravity because the additional load with every footfall was sure to bring back the old trouble.

Once onto the main Borrowdale road it was just a case of toughing out 4 miles of rolling undulations before the final half mile downhill into Keswick centre. I was pretty wasted during the final 10 minute push, and the result of 1hr 22mins was not as quick as I thought I might have managed, but overall I'm happy enough.

That'll do for long road races now - at least until after the summer. I will be entering the usual various 10k races over the next few months, but still running the 13 mile loop in training. And hopefully plenty of long days over tough fell terrain too. I reckon I might do the lakeland 50 again too - try to beat 10 hours thus finishing BEFORE dark

But for now....

Perhaps, after all I will be allowed just a little Salvation?

Please?

Good job it's not a team sport....

2011-04-22T16:53:00.004+01:00

....because my performance at London Marathon would have seen us relegated from the division.

Going into the weekend I felt pretty good and confident of my ability to run a good time in the region of 2:45. Today I remain confident in my abilities despite taking well over 3 HOURS to complete the course.

It all started when my hotel said they would serve breakfast earlier than their usual 7:30 am. I was waiting at the dining room doors at 6:50 hoping to get in before the 7am they said. With nobody in attendance at 7:05 I decided to walk in and help myself to the already laid out food.

A lad I spoke to during breakfast poured doubt on my plans to use the (free) underground service to Embankment station with some knowledge of line closure. So at 0730 I hailed a (not free) cab and sat in the rear munching the remnants of my toast and banana as we made our way to Charing Cross. I was aware that I was eating food with 2hrs 15minutes to start time but convinced myself this was OK as it was a marathon and my strict 3 hour minimum time gap would not be a concern.

At Charing Cross I met up with Milly, Trev, Popsy, Wes, Gareth and others and we all got a seat on the free train to Blackheath. Lots of banter on the way set us all up for an enjoyable day in the capital.

More chance meetings in the Red start "fast good for age" pen with Penrith runners and my old pal Gary who I hadn't seen for a year or so. Then it was time for the race to start.

The first steps I took after the gun went were the first running steps I had taken that day, mainly because a warm up isn't really practical and somehow doesn't seem strictly necessary either for a marathon. But in those first few hundred metres I was immediately aware of a feeling in my abdominal area that was known to me as the faint beginnings of a stitch. Had I felt this during a warm up jog I would have tried to jog it off and stretch out those muscles. There was nothing I could do about this except carry on and hope for the best.

Mile 1 was covered in 6:30 and within a mass of runners all around me. This was OK as I knew the next 2 or three miles included enough downhill to recover the pace to nearer 6:20s.

Just before the mile marker I caught up with Rick from Ricks Running we exchanged a few words and noted that despite being at 6:30 pace ourselves, the 2:45 pace man (6:17 pace) was just behind us. I was very confident this guy would achieve 2:45 and considered trying to run with him when he caught me up.

I saw Rick on and off a few more times and am not sure when he finally pulled away from me, but at 10 miles I was bang on target for a 2:45 with exactly 63 minutes on the clock. Trouble is this is also where my stitch began to cause me some real trouble. I knew I was slowing as people were passing me and I was passing nobody. By Tower Bridge I was really struggling to run with the discomfort I was feeling but was determined to continue as the crowds on the Bridge are massive and I didn't want to be one of the first people they saw walking or stopping. I also hoped to see Janet here as I missed her there in 2004 when she was last in London to see me race the marathon.

14 miles was a bit of a milestone as it was at that point I quit the only marathon I have failed to complete, in 2007. That year I vindicated my choice to abandon the race thus saving my legs from the effort by running to a 2:58 and fourth place in the hilly Windermere marathon just 3 weeks later. This time I was determined to complete the distance even if I had to walk it. At 14 miles I had lost a minute to that 2:45 schedule and knew I would continue to get ever slower.

So I stopped running.

The relief from walking was immediate and enormous. NOT landing was enough to stop the knot in my side causing me discomfort with every stride. Also immediate was shouts and encouragement from the crowd to "keep it going". Even more vocal was a lad behind me shouting very insistently that I get running again as I "only had a few miles to go". By the time he passed me I was overwhelmed by his support and began running again. I was slow compared to my earlier pace but still easily caught up to the lad and thanked him for his support. Turned out he was from up my way (well, Lancs somewhere and recognised my club vest).

I ran for a few miles but it was a hopeless task really. Experience tells me that when I get a stitch there is nothing that will make it go away whilst still running. I have no doubts that I could have ran a lot more than I did, but to record, say, 2:55 or 2:58 enduring severe discomfort and bashing my legs with 26 miles of tarmac landing seemed a bit pointless.

So I jogged and walked my way to the finish in 3:11:59.

I really REALLY enjoyed it though.

Once I had decided to quit trying to race I began to play up to the crowds. By cupping a hand to an ear in a "I cant hear you" style they never fail to produce a huge roar that makes you feel like a superstar. Then by jogging along the barriers you can keep the roar going in a vocal Mexican wave. Corners are even better as they can see you coming from further back. This is how Freddy must have felt that night in Rio with100,000 fans hanging on his every word and action. Well, sort of.

I walked for the final time along the Embankment then ran through Parliament Square, and up Birdcage Walk where I knew Milly would be waiting in St James Park on the right. I spotted him and went over for a brief chat. His sister took photos of us then I was off again, not directly toward the finish but diagonally to the other side of the road to play the crowds some more. To be honest by this time I was enjoying it so much I didn't want the finish to come . The final right bend onto the Mall is extremely wide. So wide that the crowds on the outside are a good 40 odd metres away from the runners as they take the tight inside line. I ran the extreme outside of this bend so I could have a last few precious moment enjoying the carnival atmosphere. I high-fived everyone as I nimbly negotiated the signage and policemen guarding the perimeter fencing.

Then all too soon the finish line was in sight. I almost stopped to walk again as I crouched down with both thumbs up to the official photographer (though at £49 for the download I will just remember it - maybe I should put MY prices up?)

So that was it - London Marathon 2011, done.

Not quite the same feeling as my achievement in 2004 but to be honest with about 15 marathons now under my belt I have only really been totally happy with that one, the one I won, and probably Boston 2009.

I will probably run again in 2012 as it is Olympic year in the city and that should bring an additional element to the occasion.

Before then I need to decide which marathon to run this Autumn. Contenders are;

Amsterdam
Cornwall
Langdale
Chester
Liverpool
Dublin

Before then is also the small matter of returning to regular training, and before that is to return to regular running. I ran about 4 miles today - very easy and with stops for Scamp to play with sticks. Tomorrow is a return to photography with a fairly big field to capture as they compete in the Anniversay Waltz fellrace. This will also see me and the dog wonder cover a few miles offroad at an easy jogging pace.

No photos in this blog post, but I have uploaded a couple of my London tourist ones here for anybody interested in such stuff.

Painting fences

2011-04-12T20:29:00.000+01:00

Every one of my 13 (it may be 14) marathons has been preceded the weekend before with a 10 mile run. I recall that in 2004 this was a 64 minute run. Last weekend it took me 67:20. Presuming the effort was similar (steady away - never hard but certainly not just jogging) then it might be reasonable to suggest I will run the marathon 8 to 10 minutes slower than my debut year, which would give me about 2:45.

Looking at it another way though - last years one week to go ten miler was 66:30 which might suggest I'll run 3 minutes slower this year over over the 26.2 -which would be about 2:50.

Back to the positive side and I feel I have prepared better for this marathon in terms of the pace runs I have completed (an 18, a 15, a 16 and several of 12-14 miles), than I did in 2010 when I remember doing a 14, missing the 16, then sticking to the schedule and doing another 14. So if this pays dividends then I might not suffer so much at the latter half of the marathon and come in ahead of target.

But what is the target?

Well, the pace runs were all completed at 6:25 pace so in theory I should stake my claim on a 2:48. Thing is I wouldn't be so very chuffed with 2:48 to be honest.

2:47:12 would be OK as it would mean a year older and a second faster, (or 0.038 seconds per mile faster), which if I could repeat annually until I am 102 will see me run 2:46:12 in the year 2071. I wouldn't really want to do that though as I reckon the course will have changed by then so the time comparison would be meaningless.

Inside 2:40 is too unlikely to even consider and over 2:49:59 would be more than a little disappointing
So lets just say I would like to run the marathon next weekend in 2 hours and forty SOMETHING minutes.

Until then I shall continue to jog round the parks and riverside trails after work and paint the fence in the newly discovered spare time before tea.

Almost there

2011-04-08T12:50:00.000+01:00

Saturday was my last marathon pace run. I ran with Darren and was pleased to be told we were sub 6:20 pace from the outset. Trouble is it was VERY WINDY and we should really have been nearer 6:10 pace.

On my own for the return 7.5 miles I had a 35 minute section of block headwind to finish the run. It was horrendous and I felt I had to run as hard as I could to avoid and truly awful result. At the finish I had ran 1 minute 15 seconds slower for the horrible return leg. Not a bad result given the conditions but what was supposed to be a comparatively short outing leaving me feeling like I could have continued for 10 miles more actually left me feeling so utterly wrecked that I went back to bed for a nap later in the afternoon.

The pace was 6:25 - same as I managed for 18 miles in more pleasant conditions two weeks earlier. 6:25 will give me a 2:47 marathon. In 2010 I ran a 2:47 marathon. The only consolation is that it was certainly an excellent workout if not quite of the intensity I had planned.

Sunday I jogged in the evening with Scamp for an hour.

This left just 3 training days to complete before London (as opposed to 'just going for a run' every day in the final taper week)

The 3 training days were to be similar to what have been doing but reduced in volume.

So on Monday I ran for approx 75 mins (instead of 2 hours) with Scamp off road.

Tuesday I my usual 11mins hard 4 minutes easy session, but instead of doing this around a 10 mile loop I ran one lap of the hilly Talkin circuit. More strong wind made it difficult to try hard enough on the downhill tailwind sections and any uphill headwind saw me slow to almost a crawl. Nevertheless 42:45 is my fastest time around that circuit in some while.

Wednesday I didnt run at all but I did walk most of the way up Grisedale Pike to take photos of the fellrace thereon.

Thursday was fast reps as usual but only 4x 800 metres (instead of 5 x 3 minutes). Short of time, I didnt do much of a warm up over and above the mile to get to the measured 800metre path. Started off steady therefore with a 2:46, then 2:50 back into a headwind. Nicely warmed up I then ran a bit faster, 2:39 and 2:44. Not startling times by any means but that is the kind of distance I would usually train over in the summer when looking to improve 10k performance.

So now we wait. No more training to do until Easter Monday at the earliest. I suppose the small matter of 26.2 miles next Sunday counts as training, but all of next weeks taper runs will be for enjoyment. Short and slow. With Scamp probably.

Good luck to all others also heading down to the capital -and also to fellow blogger running THIS weekend

Looming large

2011-03-31T11:52:00.003+01:00

Not so very long to go now - just over two weeks to go til London Marathon

At the weekend I had a plan for 24 miles at easy pace. Prior to setting off I decided 23 would actually be sufficient and it turned out that from my house to Darrens was 11.25 miles. So by the time I ran back home it was 22.5 miles - near enough I reckon, especially as I ran 26 miles two weeks prior. The circuit is kind of a horseshoe so any wind is cancelled out as tailwind in one direction becomes headwind the opposite way and vice versa - so I was delighted to run two and a half minutes quicker for the second half (on my own too). Not fast, it wasn't meant to be, but sub 7 pace nevertheless.

The next day I didn't find time for a run as I was busy photographing events. It would only have been an easy 5-8 anyway.

On the Monday I had a jog around the parks with scamp for about an hour. Since the weekend I'd felt the beginnings of a head cold and sore throat coming on. I had mostly ignored it as I never get ill and figured my body would fight it off before it gathered any momentum. but then on Tuesday my nose was streaming all day long. Subsequently my head hurt from the pressure of blowing my nose every few minutes and I certainly didn't think it wise to run at all.

A fine example of a large loom

Due a few days holiday anyway I took an extra one and finished work for the week on Tuesday afternoon.

Wednesday morning I was 95% better and by the evening felt I could (and should) run. I was mighty pleased, as a week off training at this late stage would have put all manner of doubts in my mind as I then eased down for the final two weeks. My session was the same as last week, and I ran it 30 seconds faster - 10 miles of 11 minutes on 4 minutes off. I ran 63:15 which, considering it was much worse weather than last week and I'd been a bit off colour was a satisfying result.

Today I ran for 1hr 58 minutes very easy offroad with Scamp. The training must be working because this honestly felt no more effort than a stroll in the park. Filthy day for it though - spitting rain and wind so strong it blew may hat off time and again.

Today I'm 42. Same age as the number of summits Bob Graham Stustod and Iain Kelly visited. No plans though - apart from a spot of lunch in town soon as I hit "publish post"

As regards target pace/time for the marathon Rick. If I could stretch it to the full distance, the 6:25 pace for the 18 mile run I completed 4 weeks out would give about a 2:47 which is pretty much what I ran last year. Ideally though I would like to run a bit faster than last year and if all went incredibly well then maybe just nick in under 2:45. My '10 mile of reps' results suggest I'm equally as fit as last year and I'm definitely more prepared with the 14-18 mile marathon pace runs, as I have done twice as many of those as I did pre the 2010 race

My 15 mile marathon pace run this coming Saturday will be the final chance to set my target pace. If I only manage 6:25's again then that will be my target pace for the 17th. Thing is, 15 miles won't feel so very far - even at such a brisk pace, so it's important not to run myself into the ground just to convince myself I could repeat and add 11 miles more on the day.

Return of the Mac(intosh)

2011-03-25T19:32:00.001Z

I took my old faithful iBook to Lanzrote and back.

Since I returned home (now over two weeks ago) I have completed plenty of good training. Tiredness has began to overtake me though and although I have been putting the effort in - the stopwatch has shown I have been suffering from the effects of all these weeks of intense training.

My first long run once back home was a solid 26 miler comprising 4 laps of the hilly Talkin loop. I was well outside my usual sub 3hrs for it though! next long run is tomorrow - 23 miles - aiming to run 7 pace as its a flat route.

Marathon Pace run went well - I ran a negative split (by 10 seconds) on an out and back course DESPITE a headwind for most of the return leg. Pace was 6:25 - I had hoped for sub 6:20, but on the plus side this didnt seem to take a lot out of me and I was able to race the following day.

For reps Ive been doing 5 by 3minutes over a 3 mile circuit (5:30 pace on both occasions) and I've also done my four, two mile reps, around the 10 mile loop. This took me 63:45 but considering 16mins 45 of that was jogging recovery between reps I am damn pleased with the pace there.

The midweek long-but-easy run is now so long (at 2 hrs) that I'm struggling to think of places to go to avoid doubling back or going on tarmac. Poor Scamp, who accompanies me for these, is gonnna suffer when marathon training is finished

Only one week of seriously hard training to go now. Then two weeks before marathon day to go I'll do 16 miles at marathon pace then ease right back for a week then taper for the final week.

Also got (another) new camera today - for a change I might even include some photos on my blog - once I've learnt how to use it

2011-03-06T11:51:00.001Z

Day Five
Bugger all running which, considering how windy it has become was a relief!

Day Six
Nice early start meant I'd completed a 30 minute jog and was tucking into breakfast soon after 9 o'clock.
Ridiculously windy all day. Good for dramatic shots of waves breaking against rocky volcanic coastline. Salty seaspray and windblown sand not so good for the camera itself though!
5x 6minute reps tonight. Ridiculous wind hadn't abated which meant the distance I covered in the first two uphill headwind reps was the same distance I then covered in the next downhill tailwind one! Testing times indeed.

Day seven
Easy but long run. Usually offroad by the river and usually accompanied by A small B&W k9 but with the Champion of Manhatten currently incarcerated and there being no rivers round these parts a bit of improvisation was required. I ran (and walked) for almost 2 hours including a some tarmac roads, some steep sided volcanoes and quite a lot of soft sandy tracks. All very easy pace

Day Eight
Set off for a short easy run just after 8 o'clock but only got as far as the nearest supermarket a mile away. Intended to continue jogging once I returned home with provisions but the lure of breakfast proved too great
In the evening I ran up the hill through our village. bottom to top took just over 2 mins 30'secs so I decided that was near enough to my 800m time that I would do my 800m session. I usually do 6x800 and I actually ended up doing 8 of these hill reps. They began to bite by the third and by the final few I was glad of the enforced additional rest period whilst I jogged back down the course in the same time it took me to sprint up.

Day 9
No run this morning. Saving myself for 10 miles this evening. Timed it so as to complete the run in the last of the daylight. Cooler then too. Started out nice n easy then pressed on the gas a little more after 10 mins. After about 25 mins i began to really enjoy the run. It felt like the effort that would give me about a 65 minute 10 miler. Easy enough to sustain the pace without straining, and short enough to not cause much fatigue but also hard and far enough to know it's worthwhile training.

Day 10
25mins easy in the AM
30 mins easy in the PM

Day 11
1hr 39 minutes marathon pace run.
Set off as soon as it got light. Ran for 49mins then retraced my route.
Although i ran this hard I know I didn't make 6:21 pace like i waz doing back home. The hills, the daft early start and the heat will surely have cost me
10-20 seconds per mile. But the effort was good throughout and im damn pleased to now be sitting on the terrace looking out over the Atlantic ocean eating my Spanish cornflakes.

2011-02-27T17:57:00.001Z

Day Three
Woke up late. Nine o'clock. Too late to go running. Instead I ran for 50 minutes in the evening, looking for suitable roads to utilise for my long run on

Day Four
Got up at Six AM. Ate toast and banana waiting for daylight.
Enjoyed a 9 mile loop over some really hilly roads through quiet mountain villages, calling back to our villa for refrescos after 70 minutes.
I then began the more arduous task of the remaining miles under an ever higher sun. In truth, only the final half hour was arduous. I'd decided from the outset to run much slower than my usual 7 minute miling due to the hills and heat. It was therefore very easy to clip an extra few minutes onto the end of my planned two hours thirty four (22miles of 7 min/miles=2:34) and I actually ran for 2:51 in total.

2011-02-25T19:15:00.003Z

Day one
Despite having to get up at 1am to then travel until 1pm I went out for a jog in the late evening.
Turned out to be more of a fellwalk than a run as I couldn't resist the chance to explore the locale and get myself to the summit of the nearest 'mountain'.
The TV transmitter at the top was possible to climb up too but I resisted the urge.

Day Two
Very easy 25 minute jog at 8 o'clock
3x 12 minute efforts in the evening. Not ideal roads round these parts- 8 minutes was uphill into strong wind followed by small descent. Next rep was tailwind and mainly downhill so I ended up way beyond where I originally started off.

Picking out a 22 mile route is not gonna be easy

in a hurry

2011-02-24T01:38:00.001Z

5:45
5:40
5:39
5:35
5:43
over and out

Faster faster, yelled the children - so I ran faster

2011-02-20T16:09:00.000Z

After Tuesday disastrous attempt to run, I made a stab at my 5 mile loop on Wednesday. It took 31:30 but the effort required felt like it should have been a minute quicker.

This is supposed to be an easy week so rather than 90 we (me and Scamp) ran for just over 60 minutes easy on Thursday. More on roads though - less grass, mud and puddles.

Friday I met up with Darren (pictured above) at the running track to do 4 x 1 mile.

The very easy start that used to take me over 6 minutes was this week a much faster 5:50. For the next one Darren asked if 5:45 was our target - I suggested sub 5:40 was what we should be looking at and we actually ran 5:32. The effort needed to record the 5:32 was not huge - I could easily have ran another lap at that speed, so for number 3 I decided to go for it and was rewarded with a 5:26. We closed with a 5:40 which felt ridiculously easy after the previous one. I was shocked to see just how much faster I can now run compared to say two months ago. This ability over mile reps should translate into a low 35 if not a 34 minute 10k race time by the warmth of the summer evenings.

Saturday was a lazy day. I was watching the Birmingham indoor meet on telly with a plan to go for an easy run as soon as Mo Farah won the 5000metres. But the phone rang during the race and I had to go to work. After that I couldn't be bothered to go out running in the dark so it was a second day off for the week (but remembering it was supposed to be my easy week this is not an issue)

This morning I awoke early and after breakfast walked Scamp (pictured below).

The day began a bit gloomy looking but by sunrise it was glorious. By 0930 when Darren (pictured below) arrived at my house it had clouded over again.

The weather didn't really matter much, we had a tough 14 mile run to complete. My time for the 13 mile circuit the other week was 1hr 22mins (5 mins plus the 1:17 it took me to reach the flood).
Today we ran the exact same circuit but added in an (untimed) approximate one mile loop. Darren was a gonner at about 9 miles but soldiered on to finish about 90 seconds after me. My time was 1:21:30 which is approx 2 seconds a mile faster than last week. If the circuit really is 13 miles then this is equal to 6:17 pace which is a very significant average as it would yield a marathon finish inside 2:45 - the cut off time for qualification into the London Marathon Club Championship.

I now have 3 days to train before going to Lanzarote, where, obviously, I will train even harder than usual as I wont be tired from being at work.

my own stoopid fault

2011-02-15T21:04:00.005Z

Aching and sore are the following

Calfs
Glutes
Quads
General shoulder area
Back
Nipples

This is all since running the Buttermere Round 21 mile race on Sunday. How I now rue the day two weeks ago when I ran twice the flat Crosby 10 mile loop instead of going to the hilly Talkin circuit. Squatting down for nearly two hours taking photos immediately after crossing the line was not a great idea either. Nor was missing an easy run on Monday which simply allowed everything to hurt even more today than yesterday.

Anyhowser, never mind, I know it will go away in another day or two.

After last weeks poor show of training I felt I should be putting in some work this week but tonights intended hard 5miler was abandoned after about 100metres of the warm up due to the leg pain - I know enough to know that straining to run hard with muscles as knotted will only risk injury. In the end I just jogged for about 25 mins, but notably, everything felt better as the run progressed.

The day before the race I ran a very easy 10 mile Crosby loop with Darren at 6:50 pace. Good craic.

The race itself...

...went very well. As always I deliberately set out very cautiously, taking 41.30 for the first rolling 10k. I was in 12th place when I saw this chap...

...taking photos for a well known sports photography website

All fun and games at 6 miles

Soon after came the climb of Honister Pass where I gradually eased up to the man in 11th. The descent off Honister into the Buttermere valley is brutally steep - not nice to run down at all. But there is no point in pussyfooting around when you have just lost huge chunks of average pace running up a two mile climb so with the grace of a caravan falling into a quarry I launched myself at the valley below - it paid off alright though, as five minutes later I was in 9th and closing rapidly on 8th.

Not so happy now eh? (I was actually, I was relishing it)

The climb of Newlands pass began in Buttermere village and here I passed another lad who was forced into walking. By the summit I was in 7th place and again launched myself at the descent, gaining 6th immediately. There must be 6 miles of downhill and 500metres of uphill to end this race and I knew that the bloke a minute ahead of me was dead meat. Sure enough I caught him and dropped him and enjoyed the final couple of miles knowing I had equalled my best ever position of 5th in this event.

As I crossed the line I noted that for the third time in a row I had beaten my time of the previous year.

This was not quite so difficult to achieve this year as the course was 600metres shorter than 2010 when it was lengthened due to a weak bridge being unusable. but at nearly 3 minutes faster than last time and in appalling weather I reckon my performance was equal to last year. Can I run even faster in 2012? Yes certainly if I get 364 days injury free and get myself out into the steep hills more during January.

Nearly forgot to add that I was first veteran too. I missed the presentation as I was still sitting on the finish line capturing the other runners moments of glory/relief.

Thanks to Penriths chuckle brothers Stu and Dave for the photos

But what did Mr Ashcroft sing

2011-02-11T21:55:00.000Z

Yes indeed, folloing the appalling weather, it was Tokyo STORM warning by the talented Elvis Costello.

This week I haven't trained very well at all. Easy jogging Monday and nowt at all on Tuesday - I was very cold and tired once I got home.

Wednesday I had to go back to work for a couple of hours in the evening so I ran 5 miles quite hard at about 4 oclock. (30:45)

Thursday I ran for 90 minutes but all very easy/slow jogging with Scamp, and tonight I was a bit late home and with a 10 miler planned for Saturday and the 21 mile race on Sunday I allowed myself a double day (off) week.

But it was Thursdays run that I want to drone about for a bit if you will indulge me.

After 25 minutes of running much too slowly I was sick of running and really wanted to stop. Not because I was tired or had sore legs but it just felt so slow that I seemed to have been out for ages and was getting nowhere. And with another 1hr 5 to go it really felt an arduous task.

But as I reached the hour I started to think some more positive thoughts -about how few other people might be doing what I was doing that night - running into the ever growing darkness through hideously muddy fields and ankle deep freezing water, blinded by occasional car headlights, and growing ever thirstier as the minutes ticked by.

Instead of thinking how foolish my actions were, I thought about all those other people who might laugh at my choice of ways to spend my leisure time, and I realised that in fact the majority of those people would in fact BE UNABLE to do what I was doing, even if they wanted to. I thought about some of the things I had done in the past that I was proud of.

When I crossed the line at the end of my first 100 mile bike time trial

The first time I sprinted for a race win - and finished in second place

How hard I ran to drop my one remaining opponent to record my first race win

My 40th birthday and the Ten hours I spent running through my own glorious backyard that is the Lake District with such great friends at my side

The hundreds of miles of magical memories running London, New York, Boston, Langdale, Windermere, Dublin, Edinburgh and Amsterdam marathons

Most people will never have the slightest desire to put themselves through such rigours as I choose to endure myself, most will instead choose a life of underwhelming normality. They will never strive to reveal what their bodies are capable of achieving, never push themselves to utter exhaustion for no reason other than to make doing exactly the same again marginally easier the next time, never choose a hard, cold van floor over a soft comfy bed just to help a total stranger run over some mountains they can't even see because its three AM and raining.

Its all about choices

Then there are the people who would love to do some of the things I take for granted but through no fault of their own can never do. Perhaps they were born with a disability, or in the 'wrong' country or in such poverty they are forced to spend their life working to feed themselves and their family.

And when I think about those people I find myself singing along with Mr Ashcroft.

Integrated lyrics quiz

2011-02-05T21:18:00.000Z

Ok, perhaps it hasn't been as bad as some people are having it but the weather has been quite appalling this last few days. On Thursday at the track it gusted so hard that I was forced across into lane 2 where, if were not for his being forced into lane 3 I would have knocked into Darren. Such awful conditions as these meant our times for reps would be much slower than normal so to avoid being discouraged I didn't even bother to time them. We ran a 2 miler, then a mile then a 2 miler. Then I stood in the shower for a very long time indeed.

The sky fell over cheap Korean monster movie scenery

Wednesday was my midweek long(ish) run which last year had been 9-13 miles at 7 pace. Without Milly I may as well save myself an hour or so by jogging this with Scamp around the fields, parks and riverside trail. The pace is certainly slower - possibly just 8 minute miling, and we stop from time to time so I am doing this 'session' on a time basis- 80 minutes this week.

...and spilled into the mezzanine of the crushed capsule hotel

On Tuesday I ran 6 miles fast. Not steady fast, very fast. I managed 6:06 pace which, considering I had ran 5:58 pace a couple of weeks ago with Milly (and THAT felt as hard as a race) I guess is quite a good result on my own. I cant remember what I did on Monday - (oh, I've just remembered but am going to leave my previous typing undeleted as fill, in case I run short of things to say later) - I ran for a while with Gareth and Pipesy (not to be confused with Popsy), maybe six miles or so - very easy. Friday was horrible weather too, so I did nowt. Saw no real point in doing owt with a tough 13 miler due on Saturday. And anyway, running 7 days a week isn't really necessary.

......between the Disney abattoir and the chemical refinery

Saturday morning dawned as I was sitting having a spot of breakfast. The wind had abated and the rain was light. Not bad conditions for a flat, fast marathon pace run. I set out at 0830 - a bit too soon really as I had eaten only one hour prior. After 5 minutes of running I was stopped by the police! I wasn't in trouble for speeding (although they did remark that I looked like I was running very fast). The park was flooded and they were preventing people entering until the council arrived with barriers to close the road off. If they hadn't been there I would have carried on regardless but not wishing to breach the peace I turned round and jogged back to where I had started.

...and I knew I was in trouble but I thought I was in hell

So I started again, this time running the opposite way around the same circuit. I didn't know what would happen when I reached the flooded area again 12 miles later, but that wasn't of concern to me at this point.

There was no way to know what pace I was achieving so I just concentrated on running at a decent effort. Once or twice there would be a landmark that I might use as a checkpoint when I run the 'normal' way round and by adding the time I often take to there to the time I had on my watch I was assured I would finish 'well inside' 1:30.

When I got to the flood I stopped my watch and waded through the water (which was about halfway up to my knees). Unsurprisingly for floodwater in Cumbria in February it was a tad chilly!!!! I was intent on running again for the last few minutes after the flood but my feet had gone numb with cold and my troublesome achilles had tightened up so I just jogged to the finish. Next time its dry I will run this section and time it to give me a time for the 13 miles, but I am already certain that it was about 6 minutes worth, which added to my time up to the flood would give 1hr 22 or 23 minutes.

Following training I quickly gathered my photography gear together and drove out to west Cumbria to cover Jarrets Jaunt fellrace. Only now as I sit here have I thought that I probably didn't really try hard enough today as my legs aren't complaining the way they usually do after 13miles hard. I think I ran much too soon after eating which possibly forced me to hold back the input effort a little. It's important that I don't let photography interfere with training in this way again (I only covered the fellrace 'cos I was running less distance than I usually do, and I rushed out to train so I had plenty of time to get to the race)

Q. What do they carry in the main streets of Montgomery?

Doctor doctor.....

2011-01-30T13:13:00.003Z

Sometimes I feel like a teepee then other times I feel like a wigwam....
Ah yes I can see what the problem is, the doctor said....
You're two tents

Following Sundays half marathon race, on Monday I felt I should do nothing or just go for a jog. So I just went for a jog of about 5 or 6 miles.
Tuesday I didn't feel like doing owt tough so I jogged with Scamp for about 75 minutes.
Wednesday I felt I should be doing something a bit harder, like reps, but I wanted to do them on Thursday really, so Wednesday I ran my 5 mile loop. I thought I was going to record a decent time but a timecheck at half a mile of 3:15 then one mile at 6:36 suggested something wasn't right. I guess it was just the remnants of the half marathon in my legs and by the second half of the run I was much nearer 6 pace than 6:30.

Thursday I met up with Darren at the track for 5 x 1mile.
1) Eased myself into the session - 6:02
2) steady effort without pushing -5:45
3) real good effort throughout - 5:34
4) as rep 3 and hoping to match it - 5:30
5) took it very steady - 5:44
Again faster than the previous week but then so it should be compared to the Millcroft mile with its corners and climb (and its 9 extra metres compared to 4 track laps)

On Friday I was enjoying my walk with Scamp so much that we stayed out for ages and I decided that the extra walking could be in place of the steady 5 miles I had planned.

Saturday was long run day. 3 full laps of the hilly Talkin circuit was the plan. The best laid plans should allow for last minute changes though and after sleeping late I opted to save the travelling time and just run 20 miles from home instead. I could probably have found a 20 mile circuit on my old Garmin log from previous years but that would have also have meant carrying my drink and gel for 20 miles too.
The easier option was to run my 10 mile circuit twice (Two tens).

One tent, one van, one marathon veteran

Without any hills to speak of I figured 7 minute miling would be the pace to aim for but I also wanted to run faster for the second circuit. Twice during circuit one I timed a two mile section at about 7:00 to 7:05 pace - spot on. My time for 10 miles was just over 70 minutes and I felt like I had scarcely done a thing.

I didn't run much harder for lap two - just a bit more concentration throughout. At 15 miles I still felt very fresh indeed and I had knocked a minute (12 secs/mile) off my time to that point compared to lap one.
At 18 miles I was feeling fairly tired and was sweating liberally with the effort required to run miles 17-19 in 13 minutes. The final result was 2hrs 18mins and a few seconds or about 6:55 pace.

I hadn't exerted myself to any huge degree doing the 20 miles so today (Sunday) I joined my pal Popsy for his 10 mile effort run. He was aiming to run 6:50 miling and actually managed about 6:40. I decided not to be silly and risk injury by overdoing things so at 4 miles I stopped, stretched out a bit then walked and jogged around slowly until Popsy had got to the turnaround point and then ran back to where I had stopped. Without this run I would probably just have jogged in the park with Scamp and that would have been a good recovery run, but 8 miles easy is even better I think.

A weekend of two halves

2011-01-24T22:11:00.000Z

The term 'brass monkey' meaning cold weather, is derived from the phrase - it's so cold it could freeze the balls off a brass monkey.

I opted to steer clear of the Half marathon event of the same name, preferring to run instead the Shell Four villages Half marathon in Helsby, Lancashire. Next year I may give the Yorkshire race a try.

I travelled to Helsby the day before and checked out the start/finish area for a good spot to take some photos from (as I was planning to race, change quickly then get some shots of the later finishers). Speaking to some of the helpers setting up the tents etc at the event HQ I was amazed at how helpful they were. When I explained that on Sunday I needed to park as close to the finish as possible to hasten my quick change and grab my photography gear, one of the chaps offered to let me park in his own driveway across the street from the finish. The next day, whilst racing, another of the local lads I had spoken to introduced himself again and we chatted briefly about our target times.

The race itself was a big one. 2000 pre-entrants and about 1600 finishers (shame 400 didn't turn up as it was oversubscribed I think). I had an idea that I should be able to run 1hr 20mins for this, even though it was a supposed hilly course. Based on the 2010 result this would see me about 50th place - plenty of time to photograph the last 1200 -1500 runners.

As we lined up for the start I made sure I was fairly near the front. It was a right old jostle as the organisers tried to fit the last 20 odd runners behind the start mat when there were already thousands behind unwilling to step back a metre. Next thing we were off and I took it very gingerly around the rough muddy track that eventually led us to the tarmac and then main road.

Settling into my stride I had no idea what pace I was running, my CV system was well within it's comfort zone as were my leg muscles but I'd eaten too much breakfast (even though it was 3 hrs earlier) which gave me a bit of trouble with a stitch feeling like it wanted to come on properly.

Mile 1 was quite flat and 6:01 on my watch seemed a perfect pace to realise my target time
Mile 2 featured a small rise and fall. 6:07 was again fine by me
Miles 3 and 4 were again more or less flat and I recorded 6:01 and 6:02. So far so good, 4 mile covered and only 10 seconds over 'evens' (6 minute miling)
But then I took 6:15 to run mile 5 even though it didnt seem to be very hilly. This continued and I took 6:10 to 6:20 for the next few miles. I was rather disappointed to be honest as I knew to expect the bigger hills at miles 9-10 so expected to lose A LOT more time then too.

Up to mile 6 or 7 I had allowed many runners to pass me - I was keen not to push myself too hard in this, my first proper road race in 6 months or more. To be honest I was very conscious of my full belly and was also unsure of my ability to 'race' for such a long distance.

By mile 8 (ish) I was feeling much better and stayed with a small group of lads who seemed to be going well. We were catching odd runners who must have set out a bit too fast. After a little uphill bit there was a sign that said 9 miles and another (road)sign that said beware, 10% downhill. Unfortunately the 10% downhill wasn't on the race route! Instead we ran UPHILL some more. At 10 miles my time was 61.48 and I although I hadn't felt great I certainly hadn't extended myself to any real degree either.

I decided that the last little bits of uphill and the ensuing downhill miles were worth 'going for it'. I was feeling pretty good now and able to push hard. I began to catch people up and drop them easily. Because the hills were nothing like what I expected, I hadn't lost as much time as I imagined doing, so at 12 miles I realised I could still make my 1:20 target as I had just over 7 minutes to run 1.1 miles. There was some more downhill still to do and I actually ran the 1.1 in about 6 mins 15 secs.

My final time was 1:20:08 and 60th position. I really can't complain about hitting my target almost bang on. If I ran the race again next weekend I reckon I could do it 90 seconds faster because a) I would eat a bit less and a bit earlier, and, b) I would have the confidence to run harder sooner.

Helsby Half Marathon race organiser - Steve Riley

After finishing I got my gear together and took nearly 1500 photos, 1300 of which I uploaded to my my website as soon as I arrived home.

I have decided that last years plan for long runs every OTHER weekend is a good one. Running 19 miles at about 7mm pace next weekend then 14 miles very quick the weekend after that will then fall nicely in with a 22 mile race the one after that. This avoids ever having to try to do marathon pace runs in the evening cold/dark after work dodging cars and pavement edges. I need to get some kind of structure into my midweek training now though.

TW3 (ask your dad)

2011-01-21T19:37:00.000Z

With Saturday being slow but long(ish) and Sunday being short(ish) and fast(ish) I was a bit tired on Monday and couldnt even be bothered to go running after id been to work all day and walked Scamp.
But by about half five I was feeling guilty about not going so I went along to the Sands leisure centre with the idea of tagging along with whoever turned up for the usual 6 oclock run.

Only 3 there. My pal Milly (a bloke). Ali (a girl) and Millys sister (also a girl). Unllike the popular 5 piece singing sensation, girls aren't allowed so it was just me and Milly. What I hadn't considered that this might not be an easy jog. Millys plan was 5 miles in 30 minutes. This would definitly not be an easy jog!

I wasnt sure if I would even be able to stay with him so we chose a route with a U turn, giving me an option to stop, rest and rejoin. I managed it though, and we were quite a few seconds inside the 30 mins. A good start to the week.

On Tuesday there was no way I was going to train hard so jogged about 7 or 8 miles with Scamp.

Wednesday I ran mile reps again. Four of them, same as last week but instead of treating number one as a warm up I ran all four at decent effort.

1) 6:02 - nowt flash - just getting into my stride
2) 5:52 - good relaxed effort throughout
3) 5:41 - well warmed up so really pushed hard throughout this rep
4) 5:45 - Really enjoyed this one - could have done another

So as I predicted, I ran faster than last week when doing these for the first time in months.
I was a bit concerned that I managed about 5:55 pace for 5 miles non stop and "only" about 5 seconds a mile faster for these four one mile efforts. I think I am a bit stuck in one speed mode, and its about 10mph!
Still, run that fast on 17th April and all will be well.

Thursday was a very gloomy, misty, cold day. Walking home with Scamp I was not relishing the 7 mile pace run I had promised myself I would complete. I had a bit on at home too so promised myself I would do it on Friday instead. So, Zero miles for Thursday.

Tonight I was late home from work and the weather wasnt much better. I cut the run short from 7 to 5miles but ran my fastest time of 31 mins. (I'm not counting the 29:45 with Milly 'cos that was a completely different session/effort from the beginning).

So,
That was the week that was
(never mind your Dad you maybe need to ask your Gran)

5D Mkll and a 400mm f2.8L when you're ready please barman

2011-01-16T21:40:00.001Z

...... so next thing I know it's Friday. Usually Friday is a non training day. Not currently being in 'marathon training mode', or certainly not training according to a pre planned schedule, I decided to run on Friday gone. Just the same five mile loop as I had covered twice already that week but with the improvement in weather/temperature I felt good and clocked my quickest time so far of 31:40.

Friday night I arranged with Penrith Stu to meet up early Saturday to run a couple of laps of my famously hilly Talkin circuit. Just afterwards I saw a local weather forecast - 70mm precipitation due to fall on Cumbria over the following 24hrs - up to 150mm on higher ground.

An out and out fellrun would have provided less favourable conditions than those we encountered on the Northernmost Pennine fringe, but only just. About half an hour into our 15miler I noticed a couple of runners coming toward us. 'Very unusual' I thought, as theres scarcely even a passing car most times I come here. As we each closed in on one anothers position I realised it was actually just one runner - my pal Mike Scott with the 'other runner' being his laal babby Will, snuggled up tight in his streamlined racing pushchair. Mike lives very close to the Talkin circuit and I had let him know I was coming out to run there. To see him out in such awful conditions 'con bambino' was utterly hilarious. I should have realised that such a well known successful race winner would never let a small thing like paternal commitment stand in the way of a workout, and I listened with incredulity at his stories of 'sub 7 pace' around his hilly four mile loop and how one week earlier he had completed the full 6.5 mile loop (which includes 600ft of climbing - some,VERY steeply downhill) despite a fresh thick layer of snow.

Amazing! Hilarious and amazing!

Theres no babby inside - when Mike gets to the top of a hill he gets in it himself

The 15 miler itself was largely interest free. Same as on 3rd January, Stu bombed off ahead with a couple of miles to go. I resisted this silly behaviour this time and slowed down to an easy jog in an effort to spare my muscles a downhill pounding. I was thinking of the following days training, even though I knew Stu would henceforth refer to the days run a his latest 'victory'

Sunday morning dawned very fresh, ie rainy and windy. I had planned to run very late morning to allow a bit of a lie in. I had also planned to complete my Crosby circuit which goes through Rickerby Park. However, upon reaching the park with Scamp after breakfast I was greeted by rather a lot of water. Last September the Cumbrian Run went right by the Cenotaph. Today scarcely one third of the 4ft railings surrounding it were above the water level.

Cue route change!

I was slightly apprehensive of completing 10 miles anyway so opted for 8 instead. The Houghton route is marked (in my head only, now that the paint has worn off 10 years after I marked every half mile). The route is also a tad more lumpy than the Crosby loop but nothing long or steep involved. I wanted a brisk run and 6:20 for mile 1 seemed perfect. Four miles later I was still on 6:22 average and at the end of 8 miles exactly the same. It had felt brisk but not excessively hard at any point so I decided to add one more mile.

Final result. 9 miles at 6:21 per mile.

That's quicker than I ran for the Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile race in November and on a generally tougher course (the 'hill' many people dread at 8 miles in the B' to C' is the same one I ascended x3 within this 8m)

But who is Base Don?

2011-01-13T21:47:00.000Z

Runner 467 was certainly surprised

Based on last years times for mile reps I now know exactly where I am in fitness terms.
A loooooonnnnnnngggggg way down the track - that's where.
(I'm not counting those daft hill reps I did twice with Border Harriers in December so) tonight was my first proper session of reps in many many months. 3 times one mile.

To warm up I ran the mile circuit at a slightly elevated pace to the pace I had ran there from home. This took me 6:20 and felt pretty easy. Based on my experience of many years I then shed a layer or two and a hat in preparation for some hard work.

Mile one - 5:56 - no huge effort involved. Relieved to see it was under 6
Mile two - 5:50 - put a real effort in for the final one third of a mile straight headwind finish
Mile three - 5:45 - Concentrated on putting in a continuous hard effort all the way round including the tricky downhill twisty bit

So, even if I counted the soft mile warm up I ran under 6 pace for 4 miles (and 5:51 for the 3 real reps).
Whilst this seems a gulf from the 5:30 average I was verging on last summer, it's probably quite acceptable for my first time. And in the crappy winter weather cold and dark, and on a (ok not very hilly but certainly not as flat as a track circuit), and on my own (training companions ALWAYS eek out more speed)

Next time I will run four times a mile and I see no reason at all that I will not average inside 5:50. Based on 10 years experience I reckon whatever pace I can run 5 by one mile at, I can run a 10K race at the same pace. And based on that I reckon I could run a 35 minute 10k right now. (it's easy to make bold claims when there are no races ahead to fail in)

There is a race looming large - the Four Villages Half Marathon. It is under two weeks away and I have been wondering what time I might realistically run. Now then, based on Martin Andrew (former teammate in another life) running 6:05 pace for a flat half marathon in early January, I reckon I can do the same in the more hilly event I have entered. This supposition is based on the fact that after initially pulling away from me in last weekends 8k cross country event - I then reeled him in as he struggled from lack of long training runs.

Before we get to that race though we need to go back just one day to Wednesday evening. Very little to report really - 5 miles steady effort. 32:27

Before that was a day off due to being a bit worried about my dodgy left leg. It had ached a bit after Mondays run (5 miles in 32:30)

Before that was a ridiculously easy half hour jog with Scamp on Sunday, and before that was the Cross Country race. I went through nice and early so I could take photos of the first three races. This went very well with good sales considering how few runners there were. I had put myself in for the last group. The supposed greyhounds. I didnt feel very greyhound-like as I started plum last of about 15 seniors. Within a couple of hundred metres I was into my stride mid pack and trying to get people to chat. Within 400 metres we went up the first small hill and my CV system was experiencing long forgotten depths and my legs were hurting very much please thankyou.

This moment of struggle allowed a couple of lads I was hoping to beat to pull away from me a little. The leaders were already forging a big gap to us 'midpackers' but I knew they were irrelevant to me at this stage of my comeback (and probably will remain irrelevant forever if I am honest).

As we passed the start/finish area for the first time I realised I didnt have a clue how far the race was. We had done about a lap and a half when I asked a lad just ahead of me how many laps the race was. I was hoping he'd say two and a bit. He said 'four' and I had a mild panic. Could I press on this hard for four laps?

Ahead was Penrith Stu and my old mucker Martin A. But they weren't far ahead and weren't really pulling away any more. I caught Penrith Stu with about half a lap to go. ~~I was amazed how easily I passed him on a tiny rise.~~ Some people say you should run uphills with at the same intensity as flat so you don't tire too quickly. I don't say that though - I say this -

Run hard along the flat then when you get to a hill increase the effort a little to avoid a drop in speed (and maybe pass some people) Presuming a downhill follows then even the best runners will struggle not to take a tiny bit of 'rest' as gravity takes over. Then once flat again you feel able to get back to the original speed due to the wee rest you just had. I can see the reasoning behind running same effort up and down but if the race is less than 10 miles then I say eyeballs out, go for it. Road racing on a bike features such ups and downs in effort. One minute cruising along comfortably in the slipstream of the pack, the next minute your lungs are searing as you more or less sprint to remain within the bunch as it reacts to an attack. Or a climb is encountered and the non-natural climbers have to go to 100% to avoid being dropped.

I caught Martin with a minute left to run and we chatted briefly about how knackered he was and I wasn't. Then he outsprinted me. ~~The bastard~~ - he was always better at cycling than me but I'm not happy while he remains apparently a better runner.

Oh I nearly forgot to say who Base Don is. Well, based on my extensive knowledge of organised crime I can reveal that the top boss of a crime ring is known as the Top Don. Some well known examples of Top Dons are Don Quixote, Don Attello and Don Perrignon. The top Dons give out orders (for example to give somebody a horse or part of one for a surprise). The Middle Dons carry out the orders but they don't like to get their hands dirty so they have a group of lads they can call upon to help out with the messy bits. And these lads are known as the Base Dons.

Yes I know it's DoM Perrignon but I couldn't think of any more well known Dons - Oh I just though of one - Don Keykong

Surprise Surprise (Cillar 'ere)

2011-01-03T16:01:00.001Z

Ha ha, only joking of course - Cilla will surely have been enjoying a New Years Day feast with Dale, Doddy and Tarby. No, the surprise was at the Nine Standards fellrace in Kirkby Stephen.

I had thought about going to the race as photographer but then decided against that idea as there would surely be only 60-70 runners so little chance of many sales. I decided to run the race, my first since the Rydal Round two days before I got married in July. (yes, those paying attention will recall I also ran the Brampton to Carlisle in November but that was just to keep up my attendance record and I only jogged round)

Penrith Stu was competing and insisted on perpetuating the ridiculous idea that, despite missing 8 weeks of training, I would be way ahead of him somehow. Dismissing his crazy talk I lined up nowhere near my usual spot at the front and as the gun went I made no attempt to jump clear of the crowd as people jostled to get through the narrow gates, alleyways, tight turns, bridges and steps as the race wound it's way out of the town and onto the quiet country lanes. I genuinely thought I would do no better than finish halfway down the field and would probably struggle with racing the 8 mile distance, so a mid pack start seemed acceptable.

Once we were on the wider road though I found the pace much too slow and set about steadily moving up the field. It was quite a steep hill and after a mile the leaders were still clearly in sight. Penrith Stu was about 10th and I was about 20th. I gradually picked off those ahead of me and left behind those I had been running with as the route climbed ever higher. After about 2 miles the tarmac ended and the fell road began with large patches of snow and ice to be negotiated.

Penrith Stu - he beat me fair and square

After about 25 minutes I caught Stu and settled in by his side, annoying him with banter as he struggled breathlessly to gain the summit. I saw little point in pressing on ahead of Stu as the summit was close and it would have turned a hard but comfortable effort into a seriously tough beasting session as I know he would never have willingly allowed me to leave him behind.

Once we began descending it was Stu who left me behind, his superior skill at 'dropping' off a fell far outshining my own. At the tarmac again, about 2 miles to go, I was perhaps 250metres behind Stu. I'd passed two runners on the fell descent and got one more on the road descent and was in 9th position. A lad dropped out for some reason so I was in 8th. Finishing about 15 seconds and 2 places behind Stu - I needed another mile of tarmac to have caught him.

To finish inside the top 10 in a field of about 90 was a huge surprise to me. I still can scarcely believe it in fact. I think Stu was equally surprised, as despite his pre race spouting I think he was hoping to give me a several minute drubbing.

The next day was Sunday and a 15 miler was due to be completed. Work in the morning dragged on a bit and by 11oclock I still had Scamp to walk. I decided to bin off the 15 miler and go for a jog through the park which would allow Scamp to join me thus killing two birds with a single stone (an unlikely scenario with the odds clearly stacked against it ever happening but then who would have placed a wager on six double yolkers in one pack of eggs?) By mile 5 of my jog, which had included stopping to throw sticks and chat to folk I know, my legs were complaining in a big way. Missing the 15 was a good plan!

Today I ran the 15 miler. Penrith Stu joined me. We set off a bit too fast for an 'easy long run'. A time check two miles in revealed we were doing 6:45 per mile - 30 seconds per mile faster than I ran last week -definitely too fast! Stu was constantly edging ahead of me. I was constantly telling him to ease up. With just a couple of miles to go Stu insisted we push on to try to beat 1hr 30 mins. With a mile to go Stu initiated a racing effort to ensure we were WELL UNDER 1hr 30mins.

Final result 1:28 and some seconds, or 6:48 per mile. Much too fast. This kind of pace is as fast a me and Milly ever ran for our long ones (admittedly we ran 20 + miles) Next time I will be on my own and the pace will be more sensible. The good news is that again I felt better than last week and the week before despite adding a mile to the distance.

Tomorrow is the first full day at work so I mightn't be arsed to run in the evening. I think a day off is due anyway, will be the first in three weeks or more.

Forgot to say in original writing of post
Many thanks to the chap who approached me before the race in Kirkby Stephen to say how much he enjoyed reading this blog. I should have asked your name, sorry. Hope you are enjoying the latest drivel to trip off my tongue (fingers)
Steve

The last post

2010-12-31T22:12:00.001Z

On boxing day I ran 14 miles. 7:15 per mile average in the snow and ice was good enough for me. Last year we (me and Milly) were not inside 7s when we started the marathon schedule. I felt much better running 14 miles than I had felt running 13 the week prior. I shall continue adding a mile per week and hopefully the pace will increase too.

Monday I was up the fells for a good 3 hours. Although there was a good deal of walking on the steepest ascents we (me and Appleby Stu) were running whenever possible so overall it was a good conditioning workout.

Tuesday was a funny day - despite being off work I didnt get round to running while it was light and ended up joining the Harriers again for their hill reps. I tried much harder this time than last and afterwards my lungs were hurting from the effort and strangely so were my ARMS!?

Wednesday was another late run - a steady 7 miles jog with the Champ.

Sharp Edge

On Thursday we (me and Penrith Stu and my brother Jason) were up the fells again. Not such a good run this time though, as I was keen to get some photos of Blencathras Sharp Edge. Photos were a washout mostly as it was a gloomy, misty day. But a good day was had by all nevertheless.

Today we (me and Milly and Kev and Tom) jogged about 10miles at 7 pace.

a LOT of jogging

2010-12-25T19:57:00.001Z

The latest snow came to nowt, scarcely an inch, but since it snowed it has never gone above freezing - day or night. This means that the pavements are covered in a very thin film of compacted snow and ice - not ideal for running on. Wearing full fell shoes has prevented any slips but I've only been jogging - nothing fast. I've been every day though (though a couple of days were very short runs due to ridiculously low temps)

Last Weekend I ran my 13 mile circuit in 1hr 35mins 26 secs - not exactly a stellar performance but in the conditions was probably OK for my first 'long run'. Tomorrow I'll do exactly the same circuit but with an additional 7minute out and back loop (to make it approx 14miles).

I managed a couple of decent length runs in the midweek - 8 miles on Wed and Thurs night, and on Friday I ran 5 miles hard. I say hard I mean harder then my jogging efforts of late.

I got some Kahtoolas to attach to my shoes so I can run without fear of slipping on the ice. The snow on the pavements is too thin to use them as they would surely become blunt and damaged. And on the park which is totally flat, my fellshoes get plenty of grip anyway, but I'm looking forward to using them on the fells on Monday.

I should manage to get some faster running done this coming week. Not at work until Wednesday and even then only sort of part time as and when necessary.

I wish it could be Christmas every day

2010-12-17T21:08:00.000Z

Time marches on! It seems not long ago I was relishing a two month spell easing myself back into 'proper' training - but now I still feel sluggish and unprepared for a marathon campaign having just 2 weeks of that 2 months left.

Usually I look forward to the Christmas break with an anticipation of getting lots of additional training done, longer runs, and daytime running instead of at night after work. I am still very much looking forward to all of that but in the back of my mind is the fact that I'm still very unfit and still on the 'comeback trail' following my time out. My longest run since the summer is 10 miles (although I have a few 3hr+ fellrun/walks), and I always like to start my marathon campaign with a 16 miler before the end of the year. It is my intention to run 13 miles this Saturday and as long as that goes OK I should manage 15 the following week.

I've been very disciplined of late - having ran every day since I 'missed' Thursday 9th December.

Monday I hoped to meet up with Milly. He confirmed at dinnertime that he would be out as usual at 6 oclock but I was alarmed to hear that 20miutes at 5.30 pace was his intention!!!!!!!!

Luckily he didnt make it due to work commitments - I say luckily because I couldnt possibly have kept up with that pace. Perhaps for a mile but then I would have had to ease back. Instead I ran a similar session but at my own pace. I ran 3 miles in 18.18. Not flat out by any means - just a good steady effort.

Tuesday I was warming up to do 4 miles at similar pace when I stumbled upon the Border Harriers group doing hill reps. As I have no firm schedule to stick to I decided I may as well do something different and in company, so I joined in with the session. To be honest though, these reps were, I feel, unsuitable for my current intentions to claw back fitness. They were very short, possibly less than a minute, and the hill was of no real consequence whatsoever, so they were a bit like doing 300m-400m reps on a track, which is NOT a session I ever do.

Legs were a bit tired on Wednesday even so. Perhaps not surprising as the hill reps were the first reps I'd done since the last week in July. So I just jogged round my 7 mile circuit with the Champion of Manhatten. Probably took us an hour including wee wee stoppage time.

Thursday I was keen to lengthen my pace run by a mile, to 4. I figured that I would go just a tad slower than the 6.06 pace i had achieved on Monday for 3 miles, so set myself a target time of 25 minutes (6.15 pace). Most of my half-mile time checks showed I was only just inside 6.30s though - not so great. A final time of 25.46 left me perplexed and disappointed as to why I ran 20 odd seconds per mile slower than I had on Monday for what felt like a very similar input effort.

So, keen to prove Thursday was a blip I ran exactly the same route tonight too. It would have been very easy to run at a higher intensity to achieve a faster time but I avoided doing this and kept the same steady effort as the night before. I ran almost exactly the same time as the night before (25.38), so Im no less perplexed than I was. Perhaps Im asking too much of myself yet. But then again how did I run 6.06 pace over 3 miles on Monday without flogging myself if I'm only fit enough to run 6.25 pace over 4 miles?

Next week this run will be 5 miles each time I do it. Based on what I've done so far I'd should be no slower than 32 and a half minutes. I made an earlier reference to a plan to do track intervals this week, but after the daft hills session on Tuesday I decided there was little point. Maybe I will get there (track) next week. If I do there will be no daft sub one minute reps - it'll be 4x1mile for my first session - with a target time of sub 5.50 pace off 3 minute recoveries.

So finally, to quell the urge among those in the South to leave comments about boring number based posts lacking interesting photographs I leave you with this masterpiece.

It is of course the very photogenic Ricky Lightfoot who is attempting a winter Bob Graham round this very evening. Best of luck and hopefully that smile will be evident once back at the Moot Hall tomorrow.

Now, let's get this party started

2010-12-12T19:46:00.001Z

The first day in Edinburgh I didn't run, which was a bit disappointing as I had, up to then, ran every day for over a week. Got back to it on Friday though, and Saturday too with treadmill runs in the hotel Gym. Not far, just three or four miles, but including a mile each time at decent pace of 5:40.

The hotel we stayed in was called The Scotsman. I hadn't heard of it prior to this trip but one thing for sure is I will never again need to look for an Edinburgh Hotel - this was the best hotel I have ever stayed in - quite superb.

Back home it was remarkable to see that the snow and ice that had caused nearly two weeks of disruption to my evening training had completely melted!

Keen to make the most of the weekend, today I went up the fells for a 'decent' run. None of the deep snow or steep hills encountered last Sunday meant I was able to run more than walk - in fact when I was walking it was only due to the incline so the heartrate was up there anyway. The ground was good for running - free from snow but a hard enough frost meant there was very little water around - ice in the shady corners was easily avoided and if it wasn't for breaking through some ice into mud up to my shins after approx 3 minutes of beginning the run I reckon I would have had dry feet throughout.

I stopped just once to take some photos. here is one I really like. And here is another, of Skiddaw and her neighbours.

So with the snow gone I'm keen and excited to get some decent training under my belt in this run up to Christmas. Hopefully Milly will be out tomorrow evening - if not I'll do my 3 miles pace run, moving it on to 4 miles for the rest of the week. I might even go to the track if it's reopened after the weather.

Pesky weather

2010-12-09T09:04:00.000Z

After getting the physio's confirmation that all was well and I should be running I moire or less stopped again. Due to the weather really. It was so slippery I thought running would be foolish to try, so I sat in the house Monday -Thursday night. By Friday though I was desperate to run and went out with fell shoes on. There was no problem whatsoever - I didn't slip once during a pleasant 4 miler.

Saturday I ran 10 miles (though not without stopping to let Scamp have a drink from the river)

Sunday I went up the fells. Helvellyn from Thirlmere side. It was glorious, the best weather I ever recall for being up there. On the summit of Helvellyn was not a breath of wind and the views went on for mile after mile.

Scamp atop Helvellyn, behind him, Coniston is covered in a blanket of fog

I was derided by those in the South for choosing a route with so little running (due to being too steep to run up). I see it differently though. I think if my heartrate is high due to walking hard up steep ground then that is just as good as jogging along at a steady pace on the flat. There was some running to be done as I crossed Helvellyn summit and on to Nethermost Pike - and then the return of same. But once the proper descent was before me it was a case of hold on to my hat and go for it. By choosing lines through untrodden snow there was little chance of slipping - often quite the reverse as I sank up to knee depth. But when it was only six inches or so it was utterly exhilarating and very very fast as I part ran, part slid my way down the hillside. I bit like a scree run but without the bleeding ankles afterwards.

Monday Tuesday and Wednesday I ran 5 miles in the snowy streets. No point in timing the runs but each took inside 40 minutes (for the 5 mile Houghton loop PLUS about 4 mins getting to and from the start -house).

Despite making the best of the weather I am now rather sick of it. I dont mind how cold it get 'cos Ive never been cold whilst running, but the icy pavements deteriorate in condition with every nights frost.
Off on a mini break to Edinburgh today so may get a couple of treadmill runs done.

All good

2010-11-28T16:27:00.001Z

So after my three hour fellrun everything was OK. The next evening I met up with Milly and ran about 5 or 6 miles I think. What a pleasant change to be just me and Milly - we had a right good craic and caught up on the latest goings on.

Tuesday was my appointment with the physio. To be honest I knew that my bone couldn't possibly still have the fracture open as four days in a row running would have made it hurt A LOT. He agreed that it was nicely healed and suggested that the recent problems I had felt were probably a muscle in the same region of my leg which had taken unkindly to the work asked of them after having had 8 weeks of doing very little.

I didn't run on Tuesday but on Wednesday I set off to do my now standard 3 miles at decent pace. I felt blummin great knowing I was over the injury and the ground felt like it was whizzing by under my feet like never before. It was quite astonishing therefore to see my watch recording the splits at nearly 7 minutes per mile!! The run took me longer than the first time I tried it a couple of weeks earlier in that appalling weather. I didn't up the effort level though as I don't want to get into competitions with myself to run it at race effort.

The next night the same route took 19.30 - six and half minute miling - better but still strange to be so slow.

Friday was a day off and Saturday would have been training but when I woke up the world had turned white around me. Keen not miss the first snow since getting seriously into photography I spent the next two hours wandering round the citys parks and streets until it was time to go to the Cross Country meeting where I was event photographer.

Penrith Stu braved the snow in the hope of a win but was 2nd

So what I am saying here is that I didn't train until today, Sunday. Trouble is the place is so snowy the only place to run is either main roads IN the road, or offroad. I ran about 6 miles with Scamp and not very hard effort.

Sunrise captured against the Castle wall

Got to the park before the paths were spoiled by footprints

Check out my photography blog for more photos of snow and an in depth report of my early morning shift

10 days later

2010-11-21T15:09:00.000Z

Its been 10 days since I posted owt and complaints have been coming my way so here's the craic.

All was going very well with my return to running. I had been on the road a bit and upped the distance gradually over the first two weeks back. But last Saturday after an hours run in Gelt woods I felt a familiar sharp pain in my leg. Reaching down to press the area I felt physically sick as I realised that the fracture must have opened up again. This was the worst possible news as surely it would mean ANOTHER 8 weeks out of action?

The following day I was event photographer at a duathlon race in Whinlatter Forest. After taking all my photos I had a couple of miles downhill to get back to the van. Wearing wellies and carrying all my gear I jogged along the soft forest track. Strangely there was no hint of a sore leg.

Next day I met up with Milly who was running 36minutes at 6 pace. I knew I couldn't possibly keep up with him so ran just 2 miles at this pace then jogged around while he carried on to the turnpoint. Then I ran another 2 miles with him to the finish. This felt hard (obviously because I have lost fitness). Again no trouble from my leg though.

Then on the Wednesday and again on the Friday I ran my 3 mile test. 19:30 and 19:09 were my times (6:30 and 6:23 pace). I knew I would soon knock chunks off the time I first tried this the previous week (19:46)

My leg was still aching a lot and if I poked about at it I could pinpoint the sore bit. I made an appointment with the physio for next Tuesday for his expert opinion. In the meantime though I had to decide whether or not to run the Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile road race. Clearly, 10 miles on road should be avoided if only just coming back from injury and whilst unsure if its properly healed - so I ran it anyway (wouldn't we all?)

It was nice to see so many familiar faces at the start in Brampton, and not from behind my camera lens for a change. Soon we were lined up at the top of the hill and the gun went off. I had thought about running a mile with Milly and Penrith Stu but in reality it seemed too fast to do this even from the start.
I settled into a very unfamiliar position in the middle of the pack and ran with a steady effort.

At halfway the clock said 31.30 but I knew the tough uphill at 8 miles and fatigue would prevent a 63 minute result. I finished inside 65 minutes though which I suppose isn't bad for my first 'proper' road run in more than 10 weeks.

Plucky used my camera and insists the results are fantastic. I would go so far as to say they are not rubbish photos and some are usable.

Also running were Milly, and Penrith Stu

Who both ran Pbs. If you want to hear about Penrith Stu's race click here.

Afterwards I had no problems from leg, so as if I wanted to force it to crack open as wide as chocolate egg at Easter I went for a three hour fellrun today. My legs hurt right now - but it's that good hurt that you get from training.

I will continue with my three mile steady effort runs this week, possibly moving up to four miles and hopefully much nearer to six minute miling. Then, all I have to do is keep upping the distance without dropping the pace and I will run London Marathon in 2:37. Maybe not though eh?

Its harder in real life

2010-11-11T20:48:00.001Z

When you are forced to sit at home for 8 weeks without running a step you cant help thinking about what it will be like when you resume running. Knowing you are losing fitness every day that passes....

You vow to yourself that you will train so intensely hard when you can run again.
You see yourself pounding the streets at night after work.
You long for that hurt in your legs and lungs and pledge that you will endure the pain like never before.
You picture yourself running fast and long and hard.
You relish the idea of running 20 miles and more
You plan the races you will enter and times you will achieve

Well,

I've been back running for about a week and half now.
I've gone through the run-walk-run-walk stage.
I've ran over a lot of grass and stepped in a lot of cow poo
I've tentatively ran on tarmac
I've managed to run for 45 minutes without stopping
I though it time to begin living out my 8 week daydream and do something a bit more difficult

So tonight (Matthew) I put myself through a little fitness test to see where I'm at pace-wise.
I have a 5 mile circuit I like to complete most nights at this time of year. I like to try to run it as close to 30 minutes as I can without flogging myself in the process. I decided 5 miles was a bit far for the first time so after a mile warmup jog I ran 3 miles and timed it at 19:45 (yes fact fans its the return of posts full of statistics).

Now I know what you are thinking - you're thinking 19:45 isnt very good for 3 miles (or if your name is Penrith Stu you are thinking 'blimey thats fast - did he mean 2 miles?'. But I must stress that this wasnt me running 3 miles flat out to see how fast I could do it. This was me running 3 miles at a decent pace, a steady effort, but well within myself. The weather was terrible tonight, storm force wind and driving rain which I reckon might have knocked a few seconds per mile from my pace. I also think that my first effort run in over 9 weeks was bound suffer from a lack of recent similar workouts and surely the next time I do the same I will be faster?

The distance felt fine and I have no qualms about increasing this to 4 miles probably next Tuesday. I may also do some mile reps on the track on Thursday. But I wont be risking any road based long ones for a while yet. Stick to the fells for Nov and Dec.

Ill be honest with you here and say I wasn't gonna include a photo. But Reeds Runners would only complain so here's Cumbrias answer to Chubby Brown on a recent field trip

Everything's running smoothly

2010-11-05T19:21:00.002Z

Last weekends fell outing resulted in this highly acclaimed photo

After Mondays brief tour of the local grassy areas my leg was a bit achey for a few days. Nothing to worry about - it wasn't the injury that had failed to heal - just a bit of grumbling I think.
Tuesday I didn't run (on purpose) .Wednesday I covered four miles, again with walking breaks, but some of the running I did was very fast - as fartlek session I suppose if you want to be Swedish about these things.

On Thursday it was raining so ridiculously hard all day and night that I allowed myself a day off when I should have ran (as if 8 weeks of days off wasn't enough recently). So tonight I ran the same four miles as Wednesday - no fast stuff but no walking either.

Not sure what I'll do over the weekend. Up the fells tomorrow - maybe a bit or running involved - depends on weather and who comes with me. Sunday I'm event photographer at a local 10 miler - may have chance for a half hour run.

Next week I will try road running for the first time, and also up the mileage to about 6 and also try three days in a row.

Oh yes, nearly forgot to say, I won a lottery today too. Which was nice.

I'm so pleased with it I thought I'd include it again

It's been a long time coming for a short time running

2010-11-01T19:01:00.001Z

"I went for a run today"

I haven't said that for 8 weeks

I was in such a good mood all day. Relishing the prospect of going for a run after work.....

Scamp was a bit miffed at getting a very curtailed walk. But little did he know that once we were home, put out the recycling for collection next morning, lit the fire, sent a couple of emails etc etc we were heading back out the door wearing not-yet-seen-this-autumn long sleeved top and shorts and back over to the park and riverside trail.

I felt I could have ran constantly without incident but I took it sensible and interrupted the two miles we covered with several walking breaks. It was spitting with rain, windy and damn cold when I was just walking but that didn't matter one jot. It was just good to be back into the normal routine.

Cow poo on my running shoes and sweat on my fave running cap - great

Here's that tunnel I was telling you about.......

2010-10-28T17:59:00.000+01:00

..........and theres every chance that I will indeed run through it next Monday

Lots of complaints recently-

First off, apparently I haven't been updating my blipfoto account often enough for some photography enthusiasts. Many apologies. I suppose its a bit like when you look forward to a great band releasing their next single with such eagerness and anticipation only for them to take an absolute age to do so. Don't be expecting owt interesting today though - it'll almost certainly be the same image as you see above.

Next issue - Somebody said they thought the photo I took of them at a cross country event would be better if it had more interesting things in the background. Well I had been reliably schooled in the idea that race photos should be as clear and sharp as possible of the athletesinaction (see what I did there?) and NOT include background elements to distract from the subject. I even spent several hundred quid buying a lens that would make my backgrounds MORE blurred. However, the following week I took lots more photos of said complainer and ensured that they included all manner of background additions from farm buildings to, stone walls, gates, cattle troughs - you name it . Hopefully some purchases will follow.

And now onto the running. Well theres still no running so lets move straight on to the cycling.
Last Sunday I once again trained with my pal Popsy and his CTC cronies. I was expecting it to be a similar ride to the previous week, ie under 2 hrs and quite hilly. But it turned out to be nearer 3 hours and VERY hilly. I was struggling a bit by the last half hour but remained in my position on the front of the group where I had been most of the day.

Finally, don't forget to have a read of my interesting photography blog

Found this - not really a tunnel - just an arch - close enough!

2010-10-22T22:19:00.001+01:00

Light, tunnels, and the end

2010-10-22T21:54:00.000+01:00

Yes its nearly time to go for a run. The advice was to quit for 7 to 8 weeks and it was me that decided to wait until 6th November even though thats almost 9 weeks. So I have decided that I will take my first running steps a few days earlier. Monday November 1st will be exactly 8 weeks from my previous run and that is the day I will resume.

Not that I'll be doing 10 miles hard or owt daft like that on the first day. I will begin by running for no more than 15 minutes on grass. That 15mins will be within a one hour walk with Scamp so it wont be a sudden bolt out the door and back home again. The next day I will not run. Then I will run for 20 mins and possibly two days in a row. I intend to go on like this throughout all of November, gradually building up the time on my feet and consecutive days until eventually I'm back on the road and on a 5 day week.

December will see me move back to 6 days training per week and then at Christmas it will be all out for London 2011.

All of this is of course presuming that when I resume running there is no problem with my leg. I don't think there will be, but its always a worry, and until about 12 months after recovery I always get scared whenever I feel ANY slight niggle even remotely close to where the problem was.

Sorry photo fans but despite taking many thousands during the last few weeks I don't have anything suitable to accompany this post.

Braithwaite - nowhere will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy

2010-10-19T14:16:00.003+01:00

After a tough but short fellwalk with Scamp on Saturday I watched and photographed the Cumbria League Cross Country race at Cockermouth in the afternoon. Penrith Stu ran well and the photos turned out as good as any I have taken, but more about that aspect on my other blog.

Sunday saw me make the effort to get back on my bike again.

I met up with my pal Popsy mid morning for what I expected to be two to three hours steady riding. Three other lads came along too (actually it was probably me who came along too - they probably always turn out). As we started out I rode on the front and chatted to Popsy who I hadn't seen for a proper crack for a long time. The pace was more than steady but I felt OK so persevered on the front. The route was hilly, very hilly. No significant climbs as such but plenty of short steep hills. Most notably it was on these hills that I was found to be lacking a little in strength to push up in as big a gear as the others seemed to be managing. Perhaps it's to do with having done so little biking for the last few years? My CV system wasnt struggling though, so I could keep up no problem by putting in an occasional spurt of acceleration, spinning like crazy in my lowest gear.

After one hour of riding I suggested to Popsy that we let somebody else go to the front and take the wind. Not ten minutes later though the pairing at the front failed to remain together and at tandem pace so I went to the front again myself where I remained (apart from on the hills) until we finished the ride.

A total of 1hr 40 mins was a bit shorter than I expected to be out for but the pace was higher. No idea how far we travelled or therefore what speed we averaged, but after one hour we had covered 18miles. The last 40 minutes was far less hilly and mainly tailwind so I expect 19-20 mph. An ideal workout.

In the future (ie when I am back running) I may try to do a ride similar to this followed up by a short easy run of 5-7 miles on the 'other' day of the weekend (ie the day I don't do my long marathon training run)

Saturday we walked up Barrow and Causey Pike. This is the view of Braithwaite from Barrows lower slopes

itchy feet getting

2010-10-13T21:02:00.000+01:00

Three and a half weeks to go.

last week I was at the stage where I thought

"I know its better but if I ran now it would soon deteriorate and I'd be back square one"

this week I'm almost thinking

"it's so much better. I havent felt anything for weeks - surely I could run now and everything would be ok?"

But I'm not as green as I'm cabbage looking so I will stick with the plan and keep counting down the days
'til 6th November.

I did actually run today - about 20 metres. Scamp was off the lead and spotted another dog across the main road. Not usually a problem but there was a "never opened" open gate in the railings that form the park perimeter and he made for it. He seems to be a quicker runner than me. My heart was in my mouth as he luckily found a quiet spell in the traffic and crossed without incident.

Scarcely half an hour later a cyclist was killed in the same place following a collision with a lorry!

Precious few adventures this week

2010-10-08T20:10:00.000+01:00

Ive settled into a routine......

finish work - longer than usual dogwalk - get home - spend several hours in front of iMac - eventually slump in front of telly by about 930 and pig out on sweets or pudding.

.......and its not doing me any good.

This week I began to feel generally unwell and I NEVER get ill. I'm run down from lack of exercise and excess of junk food.

The good news is that we've had the 6th of October. The 6th of October is (approx) halfway between the 6th of September and the 6th of November. The 6th of November is the day I will run again - not very far and not very fast, but run I will, and now I'm on countdown.

T'other day I happened across Dave who is the new owner of my beloved Daisy (now called Jess). I only had my cameraphone to hand but here is the bad tempered, bad attituded, evil to Scamp, won't keep of the sofa little bitch in all her cute butter wouldn't meltness.

She will be three years old on Sunday

Slippyhands comes up trumps

2010-10-02T18:51:00.000+01:00

Today I went out on my bike again. I'm getting quite well disciplined at getting out for a decent length ride now - it's still several weeks until I can run again so any fitness I can hang onto is important.

We set off from Iains house near Penrith and travelled to Shap (village), over Shap (summit) then descended almost to Kendal, cutting the corner off to reach Staveley via some minor country lanes. A little bit of main road toward Windermere, then cut through to join the road which climbs up to Kirkstone Pass. From Kirkstone it was a pleasant tailwind down to Patterdale, Glenridding, Pooley Bridge and finally back to Askham where we had began 3hrs 15 minutes earlier.

Those are the facts of the day. The stories of the day include me taking a severe whipping at the supreme fitness of Mr Kelly. As the day wore on I was reminded of the big run we did together a year or two ago over the Derwent watershed summits - that day I grew ever weaker but somehow clung on to the pace until we finally bagged the final summit and I could drop down the waiting car. Today I still felt strong until about 4 miles to go but those final few miles included a killer climb which despite being probably just a tenth of the scale of Kirkstone, sapped the last morsels of physical strength from my legs to accompany the mental beating I was enduring watching Iain disappear into the distance.

We had a good day out overall though, really caught up the craic, then enjoyed a superb cup of tea and delicious cakes at Ians gaff before going home (in the van).

And here is the star of todays show - Iain 'slippyhands' Kelly at Kirkstone Pass summit.

I'm the fat bloke in the middle

2010-10-01T21:15:00.001+01:00

Tidying through some junk and papers recently I came across this photo.

It was taken just after I won my first running race in 2003.

Despite having another 5 weeks or so to endure not running I am VERY positive about my injury as I can no longer feel anything wrong in the affected leg. I know it's too soon to run on it as the fracture will just open up again, but compared to those few weeks when I was nursing it on soft ground and it got no better or worse I now feel confident I will make a full recovery and one day will be running again as far and as fast as ever.

Earlier this evening I was scanning the FRA forum and noticed a thread mentioning that the entries had opened today for the Four Villages Half marathon next January. So for some obscure reason I entered it. Its not a fast course, it's miles away to travel to and at £18 it's in the bracket I usually say '"im not paying that much for a race that isn't an international marathon". I'm just feeling so buoyed of late that anything and everything seems possible, so racing is an exciting prospect. The joie de vivre is with me.

My number came through for the London Marathon this week. In the magazine is a list of record finishing times dressed in various fancy dress costumes. Unless I regain 2:40 kind of fitness I may consider donning a lightweight silly getup and attempt to be the first sub 3hr carrot/panda/leprechaun.

Cycling planned for tomorrow - 50 miles including Kirkstone Pass and the 8 mile climb out of Kendal to Shap summit. Hope it doesn't rain.

Cycling to Loch Ness

2010-09-28T18:55:00.000+01:00

Managed two Sundays in a row on my bike now. Most recently I went to Penrith again via the hilly A6 and home via a flatter route. Managed approx 20mph average - not bad going.

My leg doesnt hurt at all now (well sometimes it's a bit achey) but I'm not tempted to go running as I know the bone will not be fully healed for a few weeks yet.

This coming Sunday is the Loch Ness Marathon - I wonder what my time would have been?

Q. How do you know when summer is officially over?

2010-09-23T18:39:00.000+01:00

A. When you light the fire for the first time since about April

(and you've got until about 6th November to put up with tripe like this)

Jampacked

2010-09-15T19:07:00.000+01:00

Running, (as I haven't been doing so for a week now) requires very little kit, and that's one of the great things about running compared to say, cycling. Running every day means theres always some kit in the washing machine, some in the laundry basket and some hanging up to dry.

Not running means that everything ends up clean and put away in its place, and this......

is my shorts/socks drawer. It is usually plenty big enough but with everything clean it is jampacked full.

Don't worry though, my vest/T shirt drawer is OK, as is my long-sleeved-top drawer, because they often remain filled anyway if the weather dictates one or the other are superfluous to requirements.

(with the photography blog tending to be updates only after a photo shoot and usually at considerable length, this is the type of thing likely to pop up on here whilst I am out of action running wise - sorry)

It's been quiet and it's gonna be quieter

2010-09-13T12:00:00.000+01:00

Following last weeks 'test running' to see if road mileage made my injury worse I can report that indeed it did. It took a while to fully develop again but last Tuesdays 10miler was the final straw. On Wednesday it was hurting sufficiently for me to decide it is definitely a stress fracture as first diagnosed. So that's a couple of months off running - shame because I had attained a peak of fitness and results not bettered since 2004.

I am not too downbeat about it though. Its better to know now and take the 8 week hit rather than mess about for weeks on end running easy on grass, getting less and less fit and possibly still not allowing it to heal whilst doing so.

I need to get out on my bike, especially during the relative light nights of September, but can't get myself motivated to faff on with all the prep'. The extra clothes, the bike to check over, the drink and food to take in back pocket, the additional time spent actually doing it compared to running. All in all I am reminded of why I packed in cycling in favour of running 10 years ago.

I have also found myself doing lots more photography, especially at the weekends when I have sought out racing events to photograph. Inevitably this means I have blogged more on.....

blogaboutphotography.blogspot.com

.....than here, and am likely to continue in the same manner.

A different hill

2010-09-06T15:31:00.000+01:00

After resting on Friday I was at Gelt on Saturday morning. A very easy first lap was followed as usual by a quick lap 2. Plucky was mostly a stride behind me even though I thought it was no more than steady effort. At one point he did begin to tax me a little but then it became much easier again near the end of the lap. 32 and a bit minutes is not a mega time, it seems just right for the effort put in. Plucky says he fully expects to run a 34 in the forthcoming 10k this Wednesday. I have my doubts. He seems no fitter than me at present and I must have lost fitness since my two 35's earlier in the summer. We'll see. I will be taking photos of the race as I see little point in racing until I have safely resumed full training.

Yesterday I was taking photos as well as getting a half decent run in. Helvellyn Triathlon is great to watch, especially if the weather is as good as it was yesterday.

A lot more on how I got on with the photography aspect on my other blog but heres the link to the images

http://www.flickr.com/photos/racingevents/sets/72157624885639274/

An iPhone picture of Blencathra but no ascent today

2010-09-02T19:49:00.000+01:00

Blencathra in all her Glory. Isn't she a beaut'? To be honest although this is the classic view of the mountain (its the one you see whilst driving along the A66 between Penrith and Keswick), I actually prefer a view from further East. I might try taking some pics from Souther Fell next time - the early light should illuminate the ridges nicely.


The permanent cairn on Clough Head provides a windbreak, the lee of which is a good spot to set up ones tripod.

From several thousand feet ascent recently to zero feet ascent today. Tonight was track night. A return to interval training. Very wary of my not asking too much of my leg I did just 5x800metres. A couple of them were 5:20 pace the others about 5:35. No problems with leg. I can still feel something but wouldn't class it as pain of any description. It just feels different to my good leg. I don't think it can have been a stress fracture, or even the beginnings of one - probably more likely that I bashed against a rock in the Rydal Round back in July (as that's the first day I felt a bit of a sensation in that leg) and did some damage that took a while to come out and then even longer to repair.

I think my 'test week' has gone well. Five days of running has not caused any exacerbation of the problem. I will rest on Friday as always and do summat a bit longer at the weekend. One great thing about not doing Loch Ness is that there is no pressure now until January 1st. Four months of training for pleasure - no target mileage or pace - bliss

...or Blen again I could go somewhere different

2010-09-01T23:54:00.002+01:00

The weather was so nice today I decided to go up them there fells. I though Blencathra would be a good choice.......

Oh my god I am Bill Murray.Whats next? Andi Mcdowel doing a hair advert from my back garden? And to make matters worse its nearly Thursday - will the day pan out differently from Tuesday and Wednesday?

As long as my leg hurts just as much as it has then all will be good (ie it's not really hurting anymore, just a bit achey at times - so probably not broken or owt serious after all).

Bed

Scamps a good boy now

2010-08-31T22:05:00.000+01:00

This afternoon the weather was so good I thought a trip up them there fells was in order. Not surprisingly if you know me, Blencathra was the mountain of choice. I opted to run up Doddick Fell instead of the usual Halls Fell route as I had never been on that ridge before.

This is by far the best way up this hill if all you want to do is reach the top quickly. I got up in 58 minutes (from the south side of theA66) and this included going a bit wrong through the lower fields and also stopping for a couple of photos enroute.

Best news of the day was that my dog Scamp ran 95% of the time off the lead and didn't chase any sheep.
What an absolute joy to have your dog follow closely behind as you run through such magnificent scenery. Often he would go across to the edge of the ridge and look into the distance toward the Eden Valley - I wondered if he was equally in awe of the view as I was myself? (probably just checking out the sheep in case I took my eye off him)

Once at the top I chatted at length to a bloke who was interested in photography, running and sheepdogs. He and his mate were enjoying a beer as they admired the 360 degree view. I pointed out my white van in the carpark nearly 3000ft below and mentioned I would be back at it within 30 minutes once I set off down - I'm not sure they believed me but I made it in 31 including taking more photos and having a wash in the Ghyll at the bottom of the ridge.

An OS trig point marks Blencathras summit

Prior to setting off down I popped along to the top of Sharp Edge in the hope of getting a photo of someone struggling up this famous ridge. there was just one man going down though, and he was way in the distance. On such a peaceful, calm evening as tonight with 50 mile visibility it is quite remarkable to think there have been so many lives claimed on this single route alone. I didn't go down this way 'cos it would have took too long and going down such terrain is mostly annoying to me - going up it is tremendous fun as it is challenging as well as a good all round workout.

Lone adventurer safely making his way down Sharp edge

Anyway, to get to the point of the whole blog entry - my dodgy leg feels better today than at any time in the last month. This is despite running 10 miles on tarmac yesterday and thousands of feet of descent, hopping down off rocks etc today.

There's nowt there's nowt to blog about

2010-08-31T13:36:00.001+01:00

International followers should know that 'nowt' means 'nothing'

I don't know how long I've spent running on grass. A couple of weeks I think. The 'thing' in my leg is no better or worse. It doesn't hurt to run on it, but its still there and as long as its there I'm concerned it may become much worse. Not training properly is driving me up the wall though! I SHOULD be getting out on my bike, especially as the weather has been half decent, but I just can't be bothered most days. I've only been on two rides - not even 100 miles in total.

I have been up the fells a lot more than usual in an attempt to simulate the heartrate of a run whilst walking up the steep bits. But I also take my camera gear in a backpack to increase the effort required - this then results in me spending so long on the first summit experimenting taking pics that I run short of time and have to just go back down again and home rather than bag a few more summits for the day.

Time I might have spent training or writing my blog about training has been spent poring over Ebay in the hope of snapping up a bargain lens or equipment. (Me and a thousand others).

On Bank Holiday Monday I decided to begin a test week. I ran 10 miles on the road. A decent effort was put in and although my lack of miles began to tell near the end I was pleased to go sub 66mins.I thought I would be so unfit that a 70 minute result would be tough to achieve. I plan to run very easy offroad tonight (Tue), then effort again on Wednesday for 8 miles. All being well I will then do a short session on the track Thursday. If all of this causes no exacerbation of the problem I will consider reintroducing a longer run at the weekend. If, on the other hand this causes the problem to flare up then I will go back to the physio and take the whole of September and October off from running. Two months off will be enough for a stress fracture (if that's what it is) to heal. It would then give me two months to slowly get back to 5 days a week so that on 1st January I could begin a structured schedule for London Marathon. I would also be able to run (probably very slowly) the Brampton to Carlisle 10miler in November, a race I have not missed since I first ran it in about 1998.

Watch this space

Tentative Steps

2010-08-19T18:35:00.000+01:00

I hadn't ran at all for 12 days, and hadnt 'trained' properly for over three weeks. At first my layoff was due to being on honeymoon, but the couple of short runs I did whilst away were worrying, as my leg hurt quite a bit.

Back home I convinced myself it was another stress fracture (as it was in exactly the same place as 5 years ago but on the other leg). The big difference this time was that I was aware of what might potentially be wrong and so sought advice at an early stage (in 2005 I ran in increasing pain on the fracturefrom february until mid May, even doing a 74minute half before finally getting diagnosed and told to stop running for 7 weeks).

My physio said he thought it was my bone that was hurting, not soft tissue, so most likely it was a stress fracture as I suspected. However....

There is a chance that I caught it in the very early stages, possibly as the bone was grumbling away to itself prior to actually having the fracture fully develop. The advice was to quit running for two weeks then resume gradually on soft ground. So tonight I took my pick from overflowing drawers full of clean kit and ran about a mile and a half on the grass. There is certainly something going on still in my left leg that isnt in my right. But it doesn't hurt more after running on it so I'm hopeful I can get away WITHOUT the 7 week layoff this time.

I have already decided to bin off the Loch Ness Marathon, its only 5 weeks away and I have missed 3 full weeks of my 12 week schedule with more 'easy' weeks to come as I nurse myself back into things. This does at least allow me to save a few pennies in what has been a big year for outgoings. Unfortunately though it also means I will not be on the championship start at next years London Marathon as I was relying on running the qualifying time (sub 2:45) at Loch Ness. As a back up plan I have entered the Good For Age but only posted it yesterday and it has to arrive in London by 21st - fingers crossed they get it in time otherwise it could be Brighton Marathon for me next spring.

Brighton beach looking toward the East Pier

Rant

2010-08-13T14:44:00.001+01:00

This is nowt to do with running (which I can't do at present by the way) but I am hearing the news about people being stuck abroad when the travel company fails again today and really can't understand why this is the case.

Here's my thinking,

We all know from experience that before you get your tickets or set off on holiday you have to pay the full balance of your trip to the holiday company.

So the holiday company have the money in cleared funds in their account which they (presumably) then pay out from to the resort hotel, transfer bus company, airline etc.

So if the airline has been paid for the return flights why do they not fly the people home as booked and paid for?

If the holiday company HASN'T paid the airline (ie the holiday company pay the airline in arrears) then surely the airline is duty bound to fly the people home and pursue the directors of the holiday company in the usual manner for the money owed.

As the planes are flying back to the UK anyway with all the other passengers from other holiday companies, and it would seem highly unlikely that the airlines would somehow find different people wanting to fly to the UK from these resorts who hadn't already arranged their flights home, the plane seats will surely mostly remain empty? So what would the airline lose by flying them back? they might even make some cash selling duty free/gifts/perfume etc.

Perhaps I am missing out on something obvious here. Perhaps I am over simplifying the situation. I'm not a doctor but it seems perfectly simple to me that if the holiday company used the money they received from the holiday makers to pay the airlines for both flights prior to the holidaymakers leaving the UK then nobody should ever get stuck abroad.

Rant over

Home again home again yippety yip

2010-08-07T17:36:00.002+01:00

Blimey!

What a week and a half I have had since my previous post. I dont know where to begin. Theres probably too much for one post so here's a list of recent goings on

Thursday - Rydal Round Fell race (part of Ambleside Sports) - Finished 15th in the biggest field the race has known - 5 mins or more inside my course PB. I think they only let me lead 'cos I knew the way from the field through Rydal Hall to the fell. Penrith Stu also racing in this one. He finished nearer to me after 90 minutes of racing than he did after 36 the other week on roads. Born to race the fells that lad was.

Friday - Offroad run in the rain with my pal Gary who was up from Yorkshire. Somehow we managed to get lost only one mile from the city - by the time we retraced through mud and shoulder high weeds we were soaked through and cut to ribbons from the brambles. Great Fun

Saturday - Married the love of my life, Janet. Fantastic day with so many friends

The view of reception was stunning

Sunday - still feeling like I was in a bubble - drove to Cardiff for the first leg of our honeymoon.

The hotel was out of this world - seriously. Look at the view from our private balcony

Monday - Went on a shopping spending spree then to theatre in Cardiff Bay

Tuesday - Decent one hour run then drove to Brighton

Wednesday - Staying in The Grand where we paid £25 per night. TO PARK THE CAR!!!!!
Spent perhaps the best hours of the holiday loading tuppences into slot machines in the arcade on the East Pier. Cheap honest fun that took us back to childhood.

Thursday - Ocean front run then drove up to Derbyshire

Friday - With little to do we watched daytime TV until one in the afternoon then sauntered round Derby before going to one of those Japanese restaurants where they entertain you by cooking (and juggling) your food right in front of you

Saturday - (Today) Back home - Steady 7 mile run over familiar ground to test my dodgy leg (more on dodgy leg later)

A Packed Weekend

2010-07-29T21:30:00.000+01:00

Last Friday I left the city on a familiar journey that ended at Keswick. Well just outside of Keswick actually at a campsite in Thornthwaite. The site was located quite high up the fellside just short of the lower tree line of Whinlatter Forest. The views on Friday were magnificent. It was a warm, sunny, clear day which provided a panorama starting at the extreme left with the open mountain-less gap to the Solway, then the bulk of Skiddaw and Carlside, and just a hint of the edge of Lonscale. Further round right was the gap of the A66 then Clough Head, The Dodds and down to Helvellyn. The site itself was merely a field in a farm allocated for caravans and tents with a wc and sink. The place was all but deserted as there was a more conventional site with showers and a shop only 100yds further down the hillside. An ideal location for a weekend of activities with a group of my best mates.

Friday evening we sat drinking tea and catching up until the sun stopped warming our old bodies, then we decamped to the famous Swinside Inn where a hearty feast and couple of pints of the black stuff was enjoyed.

Saturdays breakfast was a right faff as I had omitted to bring any pans to cook the bacon, eggs and sausages in. Everything had to be done under the grill which took ages. Beans were cooked in their can directly on the gas burner. It was all very tasty and enjoyable though, especially for Scotty who had been out for a very early run and returned to find the food all ready for him to tuck in. Plucky arrived at 0830 and Scotty went home at 0845 as he didn't have enough wife-permission-vouchers to stay any longer.

We cycled slowly up Whinlatter Pass to meet everyone else at the Go Ape high wire site. Go Ape was great fun. I was terrible at balancing on the obstacles. After a cafe stop in the Visitor centre we left Whinlatter behind as we cycled over into the Buttermere Valley. A bit of rain around but we were soon out of it again as we crossed Newlands Valley top and dropped towards Keswick. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the ride and it hadn't taken very long so I suggested an additional loop under Catbells to Grange then back along the main Borrowdale road into Keswick. After more tea and delicious homemade cakes at the camp we ventured into Keswick for a pub meal. Getting up at 6am and being busy all day was enough to have me zonked out by 9oclcock. By just after 10 we were back at the site and in bed!!!

Sunday had been arranged to do a fell run over leg one of the BGR route. After a pleasant breakfast in Keswick we met the others, Penrith and Appleby Stu's and Penrith Stu's pal Steve (and me and Plucky). We walked our breakfast off with a stroll along the railway line path to Threlkeld.

Upon reaching Threlkeld the two Stu's and Steve went up Blencathra like their pants were on fire and they needed to reach the big puddle on top ASAP. Me and Plucky took it much steadier. As we ascended ever higher it became clear that Plucky was not enjoying the day. (see his miserable face on photo). To be fair he was less than a week from completing his Ironman event which in itself was the culmination of many months of tough training. At the summit he realised he had dropped his favourite gilet and decided to look around for it before descending back the way we had already come.

The rest of us continued over Mungrisedale Common, through the Caldew and up Gt Calva. Down to the Cumbrian way and over Hare Crag to Skiddaw. As we descended Skiddaw I made some quick calculations and realised that we had taken little more than 3 hours for the leg. Considering the several stops we took and the short retrace I did with Plucky this was a damn quick time. No wonder Plucky wasn't enjoying it as the rest of us were just as fit as he is, more used to fells and also much more rested.

Back in Keswick we chatted a while at the cars and tried to help Appleby Stu push start his motor. To be honest I'm not sure he's ever done a push start before.

After a quick pint I nipped across for chips. Next door to the chippy was the New Balance shop where they were having a half price sale. So I returned to the van with chips and TWO pairs of my favourite 1064s for the price of one (and the usual price is about half the RRP anyway 'cos they are seconds (but you can never tell why they have been rejected as firsts)). I checked my email before driving off and was also delighted to find I had won an item on Ebay for only half the price I had bid.

A great weekend from start to finish. Cheers Lads

winning ways

2010-07-22T21:16:00.000+01:00

On Monday I realised that there was a good race coming up on Wednesday so instead of the planned easy jog I had to do my interval session. This allowed Tuesday to be an easy 8 miles, race Wed then easy 10 tonight.

Mondays reps were my 5 by 3 minute over a 3 mile course. A good enough result of 15:51 is only 1 second slower than my best this year.

Wednesdays race was a hilly 10 and a bit KM. My scheduled session was to run 6 miles inside 36 minutes. To manage that in training is a seriously tough session, but being a race helps enormously. Despite the hilly course my time at the six mile marker was 35:20. I got 6th place in the event and first Vet, the prize for which is a very handy voucher for a shop in Keswick (where I am going tomorrow). I don't suppose I will ever win another race outright but it's quite heartening to pick up these vet prizes. I think I've had about six or seven firsts since turning 40 last year. Penrith Stu also running. I would say also racing but as he took about 3 minutes longer than me to finish the route he can't have been trying very hard.

Tonights 10 miler was fairly easy pace but on tired legs it felt a very long way. At 9.5 miles I saw some people in the park I knew so I had no hesitation to stop to chat a while. Tomorrow I'm hoping to find the time to run another 10miles at a decent pace. Busy weekend ahead - Go Ape high wire adventure in Whinlatter Forest Saturday morning, cycling over some Lakeland passes Saturday afternoon, fellrun on Sunday.