Competitive Dad...

The trouble with having a fit 21yr old son who's also into running is that you sometimes get brought down to earth with a bump, as happened yesterday. Spurred on by my excellent time on the Witches Cave run on Monday, James and his mate decided to try to beat my newly established record - so off they went, both carrying weighted rucksacks. I settled down to wait for them to return, occasionally glancing at the clock in the vain hope that they'd come staggering up the drive in 50 minutes or so. But it was not to be; they somehow managed to get round in just over 39 minutes - a full 9 minutes quicker than my time. Huh, that's it, I'm gonna be upping the training from now on and including more speedwork and I'll be aiming for 38 minutes for the Witches Cave run in a few week's time. Watch this space....

Tempo run..

Just by way of a change I donned the rucksack and headed out for a fast run through the Bourne Woods and back via the Witches Cave near Compton Lane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Ludlam's_Cave.

Despite carrying 8kg I managed to keep up a good pace and finished the 8.5k in 48 minutes which was about 3 minutes faster than my last attempt at the same run.

A couple of hours later I was persuaded to go to the gym with James who wanted to do some weights. I opted to do a 10k row and amazingly set a new pb of 40'37" - not bad considering the earlier rucksack run.

So at the moment my fitness is looking pretty good and I'm looking forward to Thursday's Knacker Cracker which James and I have decided to do with 10kgs in our rucksacks. This should add a bit more of a challenge to what's already a challenging run. Probably not going to bother wearing the gorilla suits though as the masks restrict forward vision too much to be able to safely negotiate the steps and steep hills.

Still coughing a bit...

but have put in a few decent runs over the last few days. Had Christmas Day off of course but went out for a 15k x-country run on Boxing Day and followed that with a steady 8k this morning. Jackson managed to catch a squirrel on today's run; once he'd killed it he carried it round with him for the next 30 minutes, looking very proud of himself and showing it off to all the other dogs. Fortunately he got bored of carrying the squirrel and finally put it down next to one his favourite swimming puddles. I managed to distract him by throwing sticks for him to retrieve and eventually he forgot about the squirrel and we carried on with the run.
It was a bitterly cold day today and I probably should have had more gear on than shorts and t-shirt but maybe it'll help me aclimatize for the Cold Water Swimming Championships which I'll be doing in a few week's time. Brrrrr

Back on the rower...

Sunday 21st was the winter solstice so we can look forward to longer, lighter days in the weeks and months ahead which is good because it'll mean less money spent on headtorch batteries.
I went out with Jenny yesterday morning for an early morning run and felt pretty much back to normal after the virus. However, my session on the rower at the gym was a struggle - I managed to keep going for 30 minutes and registered 7267m which is probably the slowest I've been for a while but not unsurprising really. The good thing about rowing is that you get that screen in front of you which tells you your pace and predicted result so it's very difficult to slack off and take it easy. The competitive juices start to flow as soon as I start rowing and I don't think I've ever finished a session without feeling absolutely knackered!

Today's my last day at work and it looks like being a short day so should get home in time to take Jackson out for a run in the daylight which'll make a nice change.

Recovering...

I'm definitely over the worst of the flu/cold/virus thing. Taken it fairly easy for a couple of days, just keeping to a steady pace and doing no more than 7k runs but went out this morning and felt so much better. Will start to build up the training again starting with a session on the rower today - and that's guaranteed to sweat out any last remnants of those nasty bugs still hanging around.

Last week James and I received our Gorilla suits through the post. To be honest I was too ill to get excited about them but I think that this week we can have some fun with them. We're planning a Christmas Day x-country training run in the suits and then wearing them for the Knacker Cracker on New Years Day. It'll be hard work running with the Gorilla mask on though because breathing's quite an effort and also the eye holes are quite small making it difficult to see where your going. Sholuld be interesting trying to negotiate the steep ups and downs on Box Hill!

Back to running......just

This virus or whatever it is has had me laid low all week, unable to do anything more strenuous than a slow walk round the block. Even then I came back feeling tired and shivery and ready for yet more paracetamols and a steaming hot bath. I'm pretty sure that this has been the longest lay-off I've had from running for quite a few years. I managed to crawl in to work each day but that was through necessity as we're at our busiest at this time of year and it would have been a major deal if I'd taken time off.

Thursday night was probably the turning point in the illness when I developed a fever which meant I sweated buckets and left the bed totally drenched. I was not very popular with Jenny as the bed clothes were fresh on that day and had to be washed again!

This morning I felt a little better and decided to go for a gentle 7k jog with Jenny and Jackson. We did the usual route around Hankley Common but I really found it hard work as though I had lost all my fitness which I guess was probably due to having not completely recovered. I managed to struggle round though and don't feel too bad at the moment so, hopefully, it'll be back to proper training over the next few days.

I keep wondering how I'd cope if I was struck down by something similar when out in Morocco for the MDS. I'd hate to have to pull out for what's essentially a bad cold but the way I felt last week I'd never have been able to run 3k let alone 30k day after day.

Anyway, enough of the negative thoughts and back out for some last minute hill training; it's the Knacker Cracker in two weeks and the quads will have to on top form to get up all those steps.

Feeling rough...

I've developed a nice cold in the last 24 hours which is a real pain. I guess I must have overdone it at the end of last week.

Firstly I had to get up at 2:55am on Saturday morning to drop Richard at school so that he could catch his bus for the school skiing trip. Then I went out for a run a few hours later in the torrential, cold rain and slipped over, gashing my knee in the process. Returned home feeling very wet and cold.

Sunday wasn't a relaxing day either as I had to work at TWI but still managed to get home from London in time for a quick 10k round Hankley before it got dark. Again returned home feeling decidedly cold and tired.

So it's probably my own fault that I'm now feeling so rough. Everyone seems to be down with this bug and I think my resistance must have been low, otherwise I'd have avoided it.

The question now is whether I should have a day off from exercise or try to sweat it out of my system.....

Full Moon

Somehow I managed to get in two runs on Wednesday. Firstly, an early morning run over the common measuring about 7k and then a lunchtime outing from work along the Thames which is about 9k. I guess I was just feeling a bit more energetic than usual.

The best run of the week though was on Thursday evening. I had planned a 10k around Farnham and Hale but opted instead to take Jackson with me on a night run across Hankley Common.
The night sky was partially cloudy and it was bitterly cold when I set off but after I'd been running for about ten minutes the sky cleared and the full moon emerged. There was now adequate light for me to be able to switch off the headtorch and continue the run by moonlight. It was a pretty amazing experience to be out alone, in the middle of nowhere, at night and to be able to navigate without a torch.

I'm keen to get out again tonight for something similar but it's pretty overcast at the moment so it looks like a road run around Farnham is on the cards.

I'll hopefully get in a couple of long-ish runs at the weekend - maybe do some extra hills in preparation for the Knacker Cracker race on the 1st of Jan. I'm determined to better last year's time on that one.

A Grim Sunday..

I had planned to have an easy day on Saturday with the idea that I'd be well rested for the Grim Challenge on Sunday. As it turned out though, Saturday morning was so sunny and pleasant that I went for an 8k with Jenny and Jackson. Nothing too strenuous - just a gentle jog round Hankley Common with a couple of stops to let Jackson mess around in his favorite puddles. And to be honest, I've started to treat races like the Grim Challenge as competitive training runs which are fun to take part in but with too many variables to take too seriously.

Sunday morning was cold and frosty but with clear blue skies and a weak winter sun. The roads were icy though and the race had to be delayed for 30 minutes to allow for the late arrival of a number of runners held up by an accident outside Guildford.

Once underway it was a very slow first couple of miles. With a field of 2000 or so runners there were plenty of bottlenecks until everyone found their pace and spread out a bit. The ground was pretty hard and rutted thanks to the frost and there was plenty of ice on the knee deep puddles that were in abundance throughout the course.

I was running with my ATC 2K mini video camera and managed to get some footage of the course as I ran round. I'll edit it together and stick a link on here when I get round to it. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BLFRn_88hjA

I finished the race in1hr 18 which was about one and a half minutes slower than last year but it's difficult to compare times, not least because the course had been changed slightly. But I was quite pleased with the result and came 775th out of 1900 - so not bad...

Dark, wet and windy...

Yes, at 6am it was a pretty nasty morning but as I'd offered to take Jackson for an early run I ventured out onto Hankley Common armed with a headtorch plus an extra torch which I carried. I was grateful for the extra illumination as the driving rain made it hard to see my way around the circuit. Even then I had a few close calls as my feet slid all over the place in the mud and nearly sent me flying.
And believe it or not, I didn't see anyone else foolish enough to be out in the wind and rain. Even the army were tucked up in the comfort of their sleeping quarters.
By the time I'd made it back to the car my hands were numb from the cold and I was soaked to the skin but, as always, I was glad that I'd made the effort to get out. I can honestly say that, whatever the weather, I've never finished an early morning run and wished I'd stayed in bed!

Had my certificate through from the Snowdonia Marathon yesterday. Apparently it's made from recycled sheep's pooh!!

Training...

No racing at the weekend so it was off for a couple of steady x-country training runs; a 7k on Saturday and about 14k on Sunday. The Sunday run was a circuit of Hankley with Jenny and Jackson after which I ran home, with Jackson, via Frensham, Tilford Reeds and the Bourne Woods.

I'm starting to find that running 14k or more on a regular basis is becoming pretty comfortable even taking into account the hills and mud that are pretty much unavoidable around here. So the training is obviously paying off and I think it'll be good to gradually increase the mileage a bit more over the next couple of months. That's the beauty of having so long to prepare for the MDS - I'm not under too much pressure to increase the mileage too quickly and I'll hopefully avoid the risk of picking up injuries.

Monday lunchtime I had a really pleasant run along the Thames in bright sunshine but it looks like the weather's about to become a lot colder and wintry over the coming week - just in time for next weekend's 'Grim Challenge' race.

Monday - Wednesday

I was planning to take it fairly easy this week after the weekend's mud-fest. I went out for an early run with Jackson on Monday morning but kept to a pretty relaxed pace. At lunchtime though, I noticed that I'd lost my place at the top of the on-line training rankings and had to do at least 20 minutes of workouts to get back to the top again. So I reluctantly stopped by the gym and did 10k on the rower in just over 40 minutes which proved enough to regain my ranking! It shows how these training websites can act as motivation to train harder and longer- but the danger is that it can get a bit obsessive and over competitive.

Tuesday I didn't go for a run but had kick-boxing after work. It was a pretty good session and I felt pretty tired at the end so giving the run a miss was probably a good thing.

Today I did a 7k run along the Thames path and ran it at a fast pace - partly due to the fact that I couldn't spare much time and decided that rather than cut the run short I'd just aim to get round in less time. And tonight I'm off to yoga for a good old stretch!

Turbo X trail race...

For the second week in a row the plan was to get extremely muddy, this time on the army training land at Bordon where the Saab-Salomon Turbo X race was held.
The race organizers sent out an email on Friday advising that the military had been out testing their vehicles on the course and had churned it up nicely! There was also the prospect of snow falling during the race.

As it happened, I nearly missed the race altogether. I was poodling around the house on Sunday morning, thinking I had plenty of time to spare when I noticed that the race started at 10am and not 10:30, as I'd somehow gotten into my head. So I grabbed my gear, jumped into the car and shot off - arriving with about 10 minutes to spare!

Luckily the snow had stayed off but the conditions were still pretty miserable with sleety rain and grey skies.

The first 4 or 5 miles of the race was a fairly quick x-country run with the odd hill and a few sandy puddles thrown in. After the half way point though it become much more hard-core with deep, freezing cold water to wade through and a lot more in the way of hills.

Towards the end of the race came what is known as the X Zone, which is a sort of race within a race; through deep, foul-smelling bogs which, at one point, I was so stuck in that I couldn't get my legs out and had to grab an overhanging branch to pull myself free. This sort of challenging stuff continued for about a mile and then it was a back to relatively dry land and short-ish sprint to the finish. I got round in 1hr 37 which put me about halfway through the field, and not bad for a 10-12 mile run in such conditions.

The next race I've entered is the Grim Challenge which takes place in two weeks time on the Army tank testing ground at Aldershot - so I'm anticipating more mud on that one!

End of the week...

Another early morning run on Thursday but didn't push it too much, just a steady jog round the usual Hankley circuit. Jackson chased a few rabbits and squirrels but didn't manage to catch anything. I dread him catching something because he refuses to come anywhere near me in case I take his prize away from him. This can mean that I have to hang around for ages waiting to grab him before being able to drive home. Not a good thing when it's cold and wet and I have to get back in time to drive to work!

No run today - Friday - but knocked off 7542 meters on the rower in 30 minutes during lunch.

I'm planning a short run tomorrow and then the Turbo X race on Sunday. There's a good chance of some snow - so should be interesting.

Wednesday - run and yoga....

I'd planned a day off from running and intended to go to the gym for a session on the rower and then a yoga class after work - but the sun was out and it seemed a shame to be indoors. So I did the Thames path 8k run again and, in the process, dosed up on some vitamin D!

The yoga class was pretty tough as I hadn't been along for a couple of weeks and I seemed to have lost some flexibility. I really do need to go regularly or pay the penalty of being unable to get my body into the right postures without cramping up. I definitely feel a lot better after yoga though - it seems to energize me for a few days.

And with new found energy I jumped out of bed this morning at 5:45 am and took Jackson for a x-country run - arriving back home at just after 7am.
An excellent way to start the day!

Thames Path

Luckily, I work close to the River Thames in Chiswick so a lunchtime run along the Thames Path is always an option. A nice flat run certainly seemed a good idea after all the hills of the Hellrunner so Monday lunchtime I set off on an 8k jaunt down to Hammersmith Bridge and back up to Chiswick Bridge. I was feeling surprisingly energetic after the weekend's efforts and managed a decent pace throughout the run. There are always a few rowers out on the Thames and the occasional motorboat which I try to catch up and overtake - just to keep up the competitive spirit!



Took Jackson out for an early run around Hankley Common this morning. It was overcast and dark at 6am so I had to use a headtorch for most of the run.

Here are some views of Hankley Common - this is where I'm doing most of my training for the MDS. You can see there's plenty of sand to practise on!

Hellrunner

The Hellrunner is an eleven mile cross country race which has some added extras to make it more interesting; those being loads of steep hills, plenty of muddy puddles, the so called 'Bogs of Doom' and the 'Hills of Hell'.

The weather today was dry and mild which was a bonus for this time of year but the recent wet spell meant the puddles and ditches were brimming over with foul smelling muddy water.

The first three or four miles I found pretty tough until I'd warmed up and managed to get into a steady pace; then it was just a case of trying to keep running - up the hills, down the hills, back up them again, through the mud, through the water, up the sand dunes, through another waist deep muddy bog, up another really steep, sandy hill and so on.....

I finished the race covered from head to toe in a coating of gritty, ochre coloured, smelly mud/sand, crossing the line in an hour and forty three - five minutes faster than last year. So a good result.

And at the end of the day I still had enough in me to spend an hour on the squash court with James and Rich. And won a few games too!

Next Sunday I'll be having more fun in the mud with the Saab Salomon Turbo X race. Looking forward to that.

A steady 6k..

Sometimes, when you've had a long day at work, driven home in the traffic, it's raining and dark and you're feeling a bit knackered, the idea of heading out for a night x-country run doesn't have much appeal. But I tell myself it's got to be done and I can't let up on the training. And besides, Jackson's keen to get out for a run after being stuck indoors all day. So off to Hankley Common we go, armed with headtorch and mobile phone. Once up and running it's not too bad - in fact it's a pleasure to be out in the fresh air, sploshing through the puddles and working the body for a bit after a day sat in an edit suite staring at a screen.
I might take the day off training tomorrow or maybe drop in to a Yoga class after work. We'll have to see.

Back on the road...

Just by way of a change (and despite planning to stay off the roads as much as possible) I went for an 11.5 km run through Farnham, out towards Aldershot and back via Folly Hill. I got round in just over 59 minutes which was a pretty reasonable pace bearing in mind the long climb up to the half-way point.

It's probably a good idea to use a run like this to measure my progress in terms of speed so I'll try to repeat it every couple of weeks and hopefully shave a few seconds off each time.

I'll try to get back to off-road runs for the rest of the week and take things fairly easy before doing the 'Hellrunner' on Sunday. I'm looking forward to all the waist-deep mud and lung bursting hills that that entails.

I need to start thinking about raising some money for charity. If I'm going to be putting in all this effort I guess somebody should benefit from it apart from myself. I haven't decided on a charity yet but I'm leaning towards a local holiday camp for disabled children called 'Woodlarks'.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vRlmwlrcloA
The other option (or maybe I can support both) would be SOS Children's Villages; a charity that helps street kids in third world countries. http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/children-charity.htm

Moonlight run...

There was a full moon tonight and a cloud free sky so I went for a 10k x-country run with Jackson in tow. I wore a headtorch but to be honest I could have managed without for most of the run. The open ridges and valleys of Hankley Common were illuminated by the moon and it was only when passing through wooded areas that artificial light was needed.
So, with this morning's run, that's a total of 16k for the day; all cross country and mostly in the dark. I'm aiming to stay off road running as much as possible throughout the winter months in an effort to remain free of injuries and also to spend as much time as I can running on sand and rocks in preparation for the MDS.

Shoes..

The recent spell of wet weather has been a good test for the new trail shoes. They're New Balance MDS 1100s; a shoe which, though obviously designed for running in the desert, perform brilliantly on the muddy trails around Farnham and Tilford. They seem to be slightly wider than the Salomons that I've always used in the past. The extra width means more stability on rough terrain and more room for my wide feet. The grip is pretty good too and I've never felt in danger of slipping and sliding; a problem I had at times with the Salomons.

Training over the last few days has been pretty steady although I think I was fighting off a cold on Sunday and had a headache and the shivers. So I kept the Sunday morning run down to about 8k and called off the mountain biking I was planning for the afternoon. Monday I felt okay again and got in a run before work and a good session on the rower on the way home; knocking 20" off my 5k time! Had a good 40' x-country run this morning and maybe get out again later for a road run around Farnham.

A steady 16k

There's not been much in the way of fine weather recently and so it was that I set off on another dreary, wet and squally day for a 15k x-country run. I suppose it's to be expected at this time of year but those permanently grey, overcast skies are pretty depressing when they occur day after day.
The run itself was pretty routine and I arrived home muddy but not too tired and quite pleased with the way the training's going. There were some pretty steep hills to negotiate especially in the last 2k or so but it's all good practise for the next two weekends when I'll be running in the 'Hellrunner' and 'Saab Salomon Turbo X' races.
Maybe a run and a swim tomorrow. We'll have to see.

It's Friday so no training.....

..but I did manage to sneak in a 1000m swim on the way home from work!

Night run...

The original plan for today was to run a 10k from work at lunchtime. However, due to a busy schedule I had to work through lunch and couldn't get out. So... it was time for plan B which meant a late night run on Hankley Common with a headtorch. The run started okay but I soon discovered that I should have replaced the battery in my light as the beam became dimmer and dimmer until I was straining to see where I was going. Luckily, I'd stuffed a spare headtorch into my rucksack so I stopped and retrieved it, pulled it over my head and continued on for a bit before realising that the batteries were low on that one too. So I ended up wearing both torches; a combination that gave me just about enough light to find my way around.
Note for MDS: Make sure I carry enough spare batteries for my headtorch (and spare bulbs).

Other activities...

Went to kickboxing class at the company gym last night for a 90 minute session. I find that the lengthy warm up and stretching routine at the start of the class is doing me a lot of good as stretching is something I tend to neglect. The actual boxing training is pretty intense and provides a really good workout too.
Went for the usual early morning run today.
At 6:15am it's just about light enough to get around without running into something or turning an ankle on a tree root or rock. Pretty soon though I'll have to start using the headtorch to see where I'm going.

About to head over to the gym for a session on the rower and then a yoga class. So mixing it up a bit today.

Another muddy run...

Kept to the plan and knocked off another 14k on Sunday, starting with a lap of Hankley Common with Jenny, and Jackson. When we returned to the car Jenny drove home and I ran back x-country with Jackson. The rain had pretty much stopped but the downpour from Saturday had left some serious mud to negotiate. The new MDS 1100 shoes coped well in the mire and we covered the total distance in about an hour and twenty five.

Monday morning saw an early run around Hankley at 6am. Felt pretty good at the time but nearly fell asleep at work later in the day. In fact I did actually doze off for a few seconds and awoke with a start midway through editing some football footage! Probably need to get to bed earlier.

Wet 'n windy...

and pretty cold with it!

We've got a 5 year old Springer Spaniel, 'Jackson', who's my regular companion when I head out for a run.



The two of us set out today for a 14k x-country session on a very unpleasant wintry afternoon but after a few minutes of feeling cold and miserable (at least I did, Jackson doesn't seem to care how cold and wet it is) we picked up the pace, warmed up and settled into the run.

I've made a point of keeping up the mileage over the last week since the Snowdonia Marathon and felt pretty relaxed today as I negotiated the sandy hills, muddy tracks and generally tough landscape - tough by Surrey standards that is!

Looking to do a similar sort of distance tomorrow. That reminds me - I need to stuff some newspaper into my trainers or I'll be stepping into a wet pair in the morning. Not very pleasant!

A fresh start...

I originally started this blog in March 08 but neglected it for so long that I've blown away all the old posts and started again.

Training's going okay so far with about 17 months to get into shape for the MDS. Tried to get out as much as possible during the summer months and make use of the sandy terrain of the nearby military training area. There are plenty of hills too so good training for the desert.

Last weekend I went with James (21 yr old son) and we ran the Snowdonia Marathon. The weather was atrocious with driving rain and winds gusting to 90mph which made it difficult to stay on our feet in places let alone run. We finished in a respectable time of 5hrs 08 so quite pleased really. And managed to get up and do a 10k at 8:30am the following morning so the legs recovered pretty well.

I'm currently running about 30-40 miles/week and supplementing it with kick-boxing and yoga at the work gym. Hoping to knock off a 13 miler up to the Devil's Punchbowl tomorrow so looking forward to that.