25 May 2009
Speechless..
Whether or not it was the drenching and cold bath from last weekend, or just bad luck, but I developed a sore throat and cough during the following week and felt pretty rough when I awoke on Thursday morning. So I decided to have a rest from running for a couple of days. The following morning matters were even worse and I had completely lost my voice. The first time that's ever happened to me! It was pretty weird being at work and not being able to communicate with anyone apart from through little messages on post-it notes. Friday night I ventured down to the Spotted Cow in the hope that a couple of pints of beers would loosen up my larynx but it was not to be. Luckily, though, I woke up on Saturday morning with a partially restored voice which I took to mean I was on the mend. I'd planned a long weekend run of 20 miles or so but decided to allow myself time to recover properly and opted for back to back runs of 8.5 miles on Saturday and the same on Sunday. I also went out mountain biking with Jenny on Sunday evening. The weather over both days was brilliant, 25 c and hardly a cloud in the sky - a definite improvement on the previous weekend.
18 May 2009
Drenched...
I'm keeping up the regular weekday runs which are between 4 and 6 miles daily but trying to get out on a long-ish run every weekend. This Sunday I set off with Jenny for a circuit of Hankley Common and then ran home via Frensham Pond, Bourne Woods and the North Downs Way. And it absolutely poured with rain for the first hour and a half. I was completely soaked and was past caring about getting any wetter so enjoyed myself splashing through the middle of the deepest, muddiest puddles I could find!
I'd more or less resigned myself to running the whole way in the rain but the sun did come out eventually and I started to dry off and warm up a bit as I crossed Frensham Common.
After 10 miles or so I was running along the Tilford Reeds bridleway when I heard voices behind me about 200m back. I realised that the voices were undoubtedly those of the 'Farnham Runners' out on their regular Sunday club run. I didn't want to be overtaken by them so upped my pace a bit. After a few minutes I could tell that they were still behind me but not gaining on me any more. By now the competitive streak was coming out in me so I upped my pace a bit more and the voices soon drifted off into the distance. And that was the last I heard from the Farnham Runners! The rest of the run went okay and I managed to get home in under two and a half hours. Total distance was 14.3 miles.
Unfortunately our central heating boiler was broken so I was forced to have a post- run cold bath! Brrrrr! Good for getting rid of the lactic acid though (so I'm told) and sure enough I was free of aching muscles this morning so maybe it does work.
I'd more or less resigned myself to running the whole way in the rain but the sun did come out eventually and I started to dry off and warm up a bit as I crossed Frensham Common.
After 10 miles or so I was running along the Tilford Reeds bridleway when I heard voices behind me about 200m back. I realised that the voices were undoubtedly those of the 'Farnham Runners' out on their regular Sunday club run. I didn't want to be overtaken by them so upped my pace a bit. After a few minutes I could tell that they were still behind me but not gaining on me any more. By now the competitive streak was coming out in me so I upped my pace a bit more and the voices soon drifted off into the distance. And that was the last I heard from the Farnham Runners! The rest of the run went okay and I managed to get home in under two and a half hours. Total distance was 14.3 miles.
Unfortunately our central heating boiler was broken so I was forced to have a post- run cold bath! Brrrrr! Good for getting rid of the lactic acid though (so I'm told) and sure enough I was free of aching muscles this morning so maybe it does work.
11 May 2009
North Downs Way 23 Miler
With the Picnic Marathon looming on the horizon I decided it was time to test myself on a longer run of 20 miles plus, and what better test than to have another go at a stretch of the North Downs Way path which runs from Dorking to Farnham, a distance of 23.5 miles. So I packed my rucksack with energy bars and a couple of bottles of water, made up a new playlist for the i-pod and set off on bright, sunny Saturday morning. I got a lift to Guildford station from where I caught the 8:48am train to Dorking Deepdene. After a very relaxing 15 minute train ride I was strolling up the London Road out of Dorking and after about a mile I was at the point where I could pick up the North Downs Way. So I started the stopwatch, switched on my i-pod and to the sound of Lykke Li's 'I'm Good, I'm Gone' I set off up the path leading to the top of the North Downs.
After a few miles I was to encounter the first of many groups of teenagers out on a days hike, carrying large rucksacks and bedrolls. It must have been a Duke of Edinburgh Awards day or something. As for my rucksack, it was getting a bit annoying. I had a water bottle jammed into the bottle holder at the side of the pack and I'd stuffed another one into the main compartment for later. Unfortunately it was soon bouncing around the inside of the bag and banging into the small of my back with every step I took. So I retrieved it from inside my rucksack and opted to carry it the rest of the way. The leg from Dorking to Newland's corner is about 8 or nine miles and seemed to go on forever but the occasional view across to Leith Hill made it less monotonous. Once I'd passed the cafe at Newland's corner and countless more groups of young D of E hikers, I dropped down into the valley and immediately up a sandy path to St Martha on the Hill, a church which stands on the top of a wooded hill with fantastic views across Surrey. From there it was mainly downhill to Guildford and after crossing the River Wey I was soon heading out towards the village of Puttenham. This was to be the fourth time that I'd attempted this run and on the past three times I'd always taken over 5 hours to get back to Farnham. So I was keen to get below 5 hours for the first time. As I jogged through Puttenham I realised that I was making good time and providing I kept running and didn't slow too much, I'd get in under my target time. So I munched on an energy bar (the first of the run) and battled on. By now I was starting to feel a bit achey. I wasn't so much tired but my back was getting a bit stiff and my hips were aching a bit too. As I approached Farnham Golf Course I stopped briefly for a stretch to loosen my back up a bit. That seemed to help somewhat and I was soon back on my way and with just two miles to run I knew that I was definitely going to get back within the 5 hour limit I'd set myself. As it was , I completed the run in 4 hours 49 minutes. The next time I'm aiming for a sub 4 hours 30 which I think is do-able.
After a few miles I was to encounter the first of many groups of teenagers out on a days hike, carrying large rucksacks and bedrolls. It must have been a Duke of Edinburgh Awards day or something. As for my rucksack, it was getting a bit annoying. I had a water bottle jammed into the bottle holder at the side of the pack and I'd stuffed another one into the main compartment for later. Unfortunately it was soon bouncing around the inside of the bag and banging into the small of my back with every step I took. So I retrieved it from inside my rucksack and opted to carry it the rest of the way. The leg from Dorking to Newland's corner is about 8 or nine miles and seemed to go on forever but the occasional view across to Leith Hill made it less monotonous. Once I'd passed the cafe at Newland's corner and countless more groups of young D of E hikers, I dropped down into the valley and immediately up a sandy path to St Martha on the Hill, a church which stands on the top of a wooded hill with fantastic views across Surrey. From there it was mainly downhill to Guildford and after crossing the River Wey I was soon heading out towards the village of Puttenham. This was to be the fourth time that I'd attempted this run and on the past three times I'd always taken over 5 hours to get back to Farnham. So I was keen to get below 5 hours for the first time. As I jogged through Puttenham I realised that I was making good time and providing I kept running and didn't slow too much, I'd get in under my target time. So I munched on an energy bar (the first of the run) and battled on. By now I was starting to feel a bit achey. I wasn't so much tired but my back was getting a bit stiff and my hips were aching a bit too. As I approached Farnham Golf Course I stopped briefly for a stretch to loosen my back up a bit. That seemed to help somewhat and I was soon back on my way and with just two miles to run I knew that I was definitely going to get back within the 5 hour limit I'd set myself. As it was , I completed the run in 4 hours 49 minutes. The next time I'm aiming for a sub 4 hours 30 which I think is do-able.
4 May 2009
Cross training
Well, I ended up having a light weekend as far as running went with a 5 miler on Friday and a couple of 4 mile runs on Saturday and Sunday but I did get out for some good mountain biking sessions. It was good to do something different and about time I the Marin out for a blast. The weather was perfect for cycling - not too hot but plenty of sun - and the trails were dry after the recent spell without rain.
The only drawback with the warmer weather is that the Adders are starting to come out of hibernation and are ready to pounce on any unsuspecting runners who happen to disturb them! I heard one slithering off into the heather as I ran past on Saturday and some dog walkers warned us that they'd seen one on a nearby trail that we were about to run on. I guess I should be more concerned about Jackson getting bitten as Adder bites can often be fatal to dogs. How do you train dogs not to go near snakes?
The only drawback with the warmer weather is that the Adders are starting to come out of hibernation and are ready to pounce on any unsuspecting runners who happen to disturb them! I heard one slithering off into the heather as I ran past on Saturday and some dog walkers warned us that they'd seen one on a nearby trail that we were about to run on. I guess I should be more concerned about Jackson getting bitten as Adder bites can often be fatal to dogs. How do you train dogs not to go near snakes?
2 May 2009
Longer runs
I'm still increasing my long weekend runs and am now up to about 14+ miles. I'm planning to do a slightly shorter one this weekend and then attempt the Dorking to Farnham 20 miler next Saturday. If I can manage that okay then I'll feel in with a realistic chance of completing the Picnic Marathon in June.
Everything's organised for the Athens Marathon in November. I'll be flying out with Julian (a colleague from work) on the Saturday morning, doing the race on Sunday and then flying home on Monday evening. That'll give us a chance to get in a few beers on Sunday night and do some sight seeing on the Monday!
Everything's organised for the Athens Marathon in November. I'll be flying out with Julian (a colleague from work) on the Saturday morning, doing the race on Sunday and then flying home on Monday evening. That'll give us a chance to get in a few beers on Sunday night and do some sight seeing on the Monday!
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