Feeling Out of Sorts

Last night I went out with the happy Harriers for a curry but have to admit I just wasn't feeling myself.  I'd had a headache since midday which I couldn't shift so I wasn't in the most jovial of moods but it was still a nice evening.  Sorry for being a bit miserable everyone!

I woke up this morning not feeling much better really and it was nothing to do with alcohol because I felt so bad last night that I only had a couple of rum and cokes then went onto J2O.

Today is the last day of the month and as of this morning I was a pathetic 2k off my 200k monthly goal so had to force myself to go for a run but I did very little over the 2k, clocking up a mere 2.3 miles (sorry for mixing old money with new there but the challenge is for 200k and I work in miles!).
Duncan thought it would be nice to drive out somewhere in the van and he could sit and read his Kindle with a brew whilst I took Ruby for a run.  We headed out towards Anglezarke but were stopped at Knowsley Lane as the road was closed with Police there taping stuff off!  Not sure what's happened as I can't see anything on the news.

We had to take a very long diversion out to Limbrick and then came back round and ended up parking up at chav central, overlooking Anglezarke.  It was too early for chavs this morning though so we could park up with peace and quiet and no tunes pumping out or engines revving.

I just ran down the hill a bit with Ruby and then onto the Anglezarke Woodland Trail.  We just had a gentle run around the paths there and then back up to the van to join Duncan  for a brew.


Just had to post the below pictures which have nothing to do with my run simply because they made me laugh.  Ruby really shouldn't be allowed toys...

Total distance - 2.3 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/224823710

Shirking off from XC

Today I was supposed to be going over to Liverpool for the cross-country but I woke up this morning with a deep feeling of dread about going.  I really didn't want to but felt like I should however the more and more I thought about it, the more appealing the idea of not doing it was.  After about two hours of deliberation I finally decided that I wasn't going to go.  A huge weight seemed to lift off my shoulders when I had made this decision.

That's not how racing is supposed to make you feel though.  Everyone else who races seems to really enjoy it but not me, the only bit I enjoy is crossing the finish line.  I'm back to wondering again why I do it if I dislike and dread it this much and I still don't have an answer.  Maybe I should just knock racing on the head altogether and just enjoy running?  I really don't know.  What I'd actually like is to enjoy racing but surely if that was ever going to happen it would have done by now?

Duncan was supposed to be going to Liverpool with me but when I made my decision not to go, he decided to drive over to his friend's house in Darwen to work on the van.  He dropped me off in Tockholes on his way so that I could run back home from there via Great Hill.

I went through the gate opposite the car park by the Royal pub and headed down the path.  I had intended to go past Hollinshead Hall and out to Piccadilly but I went wrong and ended up on a road which took me out near to Abbey Village.  I then had to run along the road quite a way because I wasn't sure which other paths would take me towards Great Hill and I was just outside the coverage area of the map I had with me.  By the time I reached the path I know up to Great Hill, I had already done three miles!

I ran through all the mud up to Great Hill and then through lots more mud to White Coppice.  From there I ran towards Watermans Cottage and then followed the trail through the woods and out to Anglezarke Reservoir.

I then went past Yarrow Reservoir and then ran to the top barn at Rivington.

When I was about a mile and a half from home, Dave's voice popped into my head from when I bumped into him last night and he was telling me about wanting to do a long run but with some efforts build in.  I also thought about something somebody had said to me a while back about how I need to get out of my comfort zone a bit more.  I was really tired at this point and my legs were barely moving but I decided to spend the last part of my run doing a bit of a fartlek session and getting out of that comfort zone.  I just kept picking points up ahead and running faster to them.  Amazingly, I actually felt really good and didn't feel much more tired than I did when I was just plodding along so it's surprising what you're capable of when you think you're too tired.

Thanks Dave!  Hope your session went well today too.


Total distance - 11.75 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/224376829/overview

Black Friday

All I can say is WOW!  What on earth is wrong with people?  That's about as much as I have to say about Black Friday.

Tonight's run was just a short out and back to the barn with Ruby.  We bumped into Dave J and Charlie dog down by Rivington School and had a nice natter before continuing on our way.  Dave, if you're reading this, how did you even know it was me running towards you with my glaring head torch?

It was a very uneventful run really and Ruby didn't see anything to chase tonight whilst she was off the lead which is always a good thing.

Legs were a bit achy so I hope they're OK for tomorrow's cross country (which I still haven't made my mind up about doing yet - typical).

Total distance - 3.4 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/224099353

Dawn and Dusk

The first of today's runs took place at 6.30 ish this morning in the dark and the rain.  It was lovely!  So peaceful out round Rivington and a couple of little voles ran across my path.

Running in the rain with a head torch can be quite mesmerizing and if you're not careful you could get so hypnotised by the lazer-like droplets in front of your face that you end up tripping over (which I did!). When the torch light shines on them, it looks like little drips of electricity falling down in front of your eyes.  Quite difficult to explain really if you haven't experienced it.

I ran on my own this morning because I just wanted to get a quick one in and that isn't possible with Ruby.  I just did a quick four mile loop around lower Rivington.

About a mile from home it was starting to get light and it was lovely being out whilst the sun was coming up.


This afternoon's run with Ruby, in contrast to this morning's run, was at dusk.  It was raining very slightly this time and, instead of looking like little drips of electricity like this morning's rain, it looked more like a fuzzy broken TV.

We just ran up to George's Lane via Brinks Row and Old Rake, then along past the Pike and down the zigzag path, coming out at the school.


Total distance - 7.2 miles (4 + 3.2)

http://www.strava.com/activities/223318888
http://www.strava.com/activities/223441022

Am I Going to Reach My Goal?

As you know, I have an addiction to Strava.  Every month I join the Strava MTS Challenge which challenges you to get in as many miles as possible during that month.  If you get over 200k (124 miles) you get a 'trophy' in your cabinet and, as my aim is to run at the very least 30 miles a week, I do try to achieve this 200k monthly challenge and, since I started doing it, I have never failed.

This month, however, I have fallen behind due to my foot injury earlier in the month (which is ongoing by the way but doesn't affect my running) so I'm desperately trying to get those final miles in before the end of Sunday.

In the past four days I have done 31 miles, which is pretty much my whole's weeks mileage really but I still have 24 to go.  I don't want to tire myself out for Saturday's cross country though so am intending to only do an easy four miles on Friday and have a complete rest day on Thursday.  That leaves 20 miles to fit into three days.  Cross country is about five miles, leaving 15 for tomorrow and Sunday.  Should be easy as Sunday will be my long run day but I'm going out on Saturday night so not entirely sure how fit I'll be for a long run on Sunday morning.  

Can I make that challenge?

Tonight's run itself was just a five miler around the terraced gardens and George's Lane.


Total distance - 5 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/223133421

Through City and Country

On today's run along the canals and rivers of Manchester, Kathryn and I were joined by Anna who is a new work colleague of Kathryn's.

We had a nice paced run and, as usual, a good old natter.  We also got a warning from a fellow runner coming in the opposite direction about a 'weirdo up ahead' but luckily the weirdo left us alone.

Earlier in the morning I realised I had forgotten my towel so after my shower I had to dry myself with a scarf I found in my desk drawer, which actually worked really well.

When I got home I was full off beans so I took Ruby out for another run, only 3.5 hours after I had finished the first one.  We just did a short easy loop around lower Rivington in the dark.  I had to yell at Ruby at one point as she bolted right across my path, causing me to slip in some mud and almost do the splits.  Funny now I look back at it though.

Total distance - 9.5 miles (5.35 miles + 4.15 miles)

http://www.strava.com/activities/222789332
http://www.strava.com/activities/222789346

Whinlatter Forest

Yesterday afternoon we drove up to the Lakes in our little van.  We decided to camp at Santon Bridge and go and meet Ed in the pub there, which is near to his cottage.

We had a really enjoyable night in the pub with Ed and a few of his friends (although they left early) and Ed asked if I would like to join him and Dave for a run in Wasdale in the morning.  We had gone up to the Lakes so Duncan could go mountain biking so I wanted him to decide what he wanted to do.  Eventually, Duncan agreed that it would be nice to have a ride around Wasdale so we thought we would meet Ed and Dave the next morning at 9.30.

Unfortunately, we didn't even wake up until 9.00 after ignoring our 8.00 alarm so there was no chance of us getting to the meeting place in time.  Sorry Ed, hope you had a good run, it was a lovely morning for it!

We ended up driving to the trail centre at Whinlatter so Duncan could ride there.  We didn't even get there until almost midday so it was really busy but Duncan still seemed to enjoy himself.

Ruby and I ran a couple of the waymarked trails through the forest, which were really nice.  We saw a deer on route which I tried to take pictures of but they didn't come out terribly well.

We then ran up to the highest point in the forest and took more piccies...

Total distance - 5.4 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/222485133

Rugby Players Everywhere!

I went to the UP at the UT this morning and out running today were Kev, Ed, Mary and John C, although John was going to be staying with us after the Pike.

I had already run around 2.5 miles as I wanted to try to get in as much distance as possible in the least time so thought I'd get a head start and run from home, along the edge of Rivington Reservoir, to the prep school then back to the barn.

From the barn we ran up to the Pike where Wigan Warriers were having a training session.  They were doing reps on the steps and were also doing some kind of boxing exercise.  Their session ended just as we got to the top and they asked Kev to take a picture of the whole team.  I just stood there watching and then it occurred to me afterwards that I could have taken a picture of my own to put on my blog but the thought didn't even cross my mind at the time.

From the Pike we ran to Two Lads, via George's Lane and then ran up to the trig point on Winter Hill.  We descended down the diagonal onto Belmont Road, then ran along to the road and went along this a bit until the path which leads to Higher Hempshaws.  We didn't go over to Higher Hempshaws though and instead turned left and ran along to the farm and then out onto the road near the campsite.  We then went down the path to the side of the campsite and along Dean Brook, before running up the steps, through Rivington Green and back to the barn.

On our return to the barn, there was yet another rugby team just finishing their training.  I can't remember now but I'm pretty sure it was Swinton Lions (correct me if I'm wrong guys).  By this point I was too tired to take anything in and I still had to run back home yet.  I really wanted to ask one of the guys for a lift but I had to give myself a good talking to and resist because I hadn't done the mileage I wanted to yet.

I got home in just under 12 miles but that still wasn't quite as much as I wanted to.  Don't think I'll be getting my goal 120 miles in this month due to having almost a week off with my poorly foot earlier in the month.


Total distance - 11.85 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/222485130

Where's Ruby?

Ruby and I went for a little run last night in the dark.  We did a similar route to the previous night but didn't go straight up to the Pigeon Tower via the steep route and instead carried on up the Driveway through the terraced gardens.

I let Ruby off the lead because it was dark and I knew that I'd see any other critter before she did, either by their glowing eyes or by their owners torch.  When I was half way up the Driveway I realised that I couldn't hear Ruby running behind me anymore.  I stopped and turned to look for her and she was nowhere in sight.  She had her harness on with loads of reflectors which really light up under the torch light but I just couldn't see her.  I kept clicking for her and calling her name but there was just silence.  I started to worry a bit, thinking about the now found Murphy who went missing a few weeks ago.  I also started to feel a bit vulnerable just standing there in the dark silence on my own without my little guardian and I turned round to see if anybody else was around.  As I turned to look up the hill, there was Ruby, right by my leg, staring up at me as if to say 'why do you keep calling to me, I'm here'.  I think she was actually there all along but because she's so small I hadn't realised that she had just been running really close to me.

All I can say is I'm really glad there wasn't anyone else around as I would have looked a right chump shouting and clicking for a dog who was right by my side all along.

Such a relief when I saw her though.

Total distance - 4.85 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/221411302

That London

Yesterday I travelled down to 'that London' to attend a black tie awards presentation with work.  Hard to believe but I have never been to London before although, to be honest, it's not something that has ever appealed to me.  I'm not really overly interested in big cities and much prefer the countryside but thought it was about time I saw what all the fuss was about.

We went down on the train to Euston and then got the tube over to Aldgate East.  After dropping our bags off at our rooms, we realised we were right by Whitechapel and I got all excited because I'm quite interested in Jack the Ripper.  Disappointingly, it didn't turn out to be very exciting at all but it was nice to have a walk after sitting on trains for the past few hours.

As most of you will probably already know from Facebook, I was not at all impressed with my room.  £139 for this mess...

Nice bit of concrete floor under the desk.

 Gorgeous isn't it?

As Josie pointed out, towel rail over the loo?

Uniform cracks in bath panel, lovely!

This is the door to my room... in the stairwell!  It was so noisy I had to sleep with earplugs.

Why is it that just because it's London they think they can rip you off?  When I've been on nights out in Manchester I have got MUCH better rooms than this (you can't get much worse) for as little as £25!!!!  So glad I didn't have to pay for this room myself.


The awards dinner itself was a good do and there was lots of free alcohol which I took advantage of.  It wasn't a late night for me and Bernie, who I travelled with from Manchester, and we were back at the hotel for 11pm ish.  The others stayed out apparently until 4am!

As usual when I drink, I fell asleep really easily but I woke up really at about 5.30am.  I was also woken up a couple of hours before that with a painful cramp in my calf which still hurt when I got out of bed this morning.  Why does it hurt so much more when it happens in your sleep?

At about 7.30 I headed down for breakfast, where I was informed that my room rate only included the continental breakfast and not the full English.  I definitely got my monies worth though and really loaded my plate and also went back for seconds.  I had four crusty bread rolls with loads of different types of ham, salami and three different cheeses, two croissants, a cinnamon whirl and two pain au chocolats.

Bernie and I then went for a little wander before heading back to Euston for our train.  We wandered along to Tower Bridge and took some photos of the Tower of London, still with a lot of the poppies...

How ugly does this modern building look amongst all the old buildings: 

So that's about it really as we had to head off to get our train home.  Obviously I barely saw anything but I don't think I'll be rushing back.  I'm just not a city girl and would much prefer to spend any free time I have in the quiet countryside rather than surrounded by people.  I'm glad I went though and I did have a good time.


Once I got home I took Ruby out for a short run to try to burn off some of that breakfast.  We ran along to the top barn then up to the Pigeon Tower via the steeper route and then ran along George's Lane and down the Pike Race farm field onto the concrete road.  I very rarely run down that field because it's usually full of sheep but there were none in it today so I thought we'd have a change.  From the concrete road we ran through to Tiger's Clough and down the Devil's Steps then ran up to the stables and down past Wylderswoode Stud back home.

Total distance - 4.3 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/220944011/overview

Tired Girls

Another lunchtime run along the Canal with Kathryn today.  We agreed from the start to take it easy, as we were both still feeling the effects from our weekend exertions.  Kathryn had done the grueling Tour of Pendle on Saturday and I had done the not quite so grueling (but fast!) cross country.

We did the same route as two weeks ago and had a good natter about our respective races.  When we got to the turnaround point I was quite surprised at how fresh I was feeling but it soon became apparent why, as when we started heading back into town, the wind was blowing against us and so must have been pushing us along on our way out.

A couple of Kathryn's work colleagues passed us about a mile from the end of the run and were gloating (in a lighthearted typical mannish way of course) about it so we  pointed out that we had both raced at the weekend.  Once we got back to the 'piazza' outside work, they had stopped and were walking the last little bit so obviously we took the opportunity of sprinting past them and cheering that we had 'won'.

No running for me tomorrow as I'm off to that London... for the first time EVER!

Total distance - 5.4 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/220331085

Sunday Shuffle

I was looking forward to a nice long run this morning but, unfortunately, my legs had other ideas.  They were so tired I'm not sure if I can call the action they were doing running.

I managed just under nine miles in the end so not really the long run I'd intended but hey, at least I didn't turn back after a mile like my legs wanted me to.

I ran up to Two Lads, then cross-country to the mast and then down to the shooting hut.  From there I went up to the 'secret reservoir' and over to Whinberry Hill and Egg Hillock.  I turned round at the top of Egg Hillock and headed back to the reservoir as I didn't want to fight my way through all the bracken today.  I ran down onto Coal Pit Lane then along through the farm and out onto the mast road. I ran back toward the water tanks near Two Lads then down onto George's Lane before heading home.

Just after I passed Wylderswoode Stud an elderly chap and his dog where coming up the other way.  Straight away I recognised the dog as the previously missing Murphy, the Bernese Mountain Dog.  I stopped to chat to the man, Dennis, who was speaking to me about Horwich Harriers as he has been a member for a long time.  He had only been reunited with Murphy yesterday and was over the moon.  What a lovely man!

Total distance - 8.8 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/219799622/overview

Mid Lancs XC - Barrow

After having almost given up on this race due to transport issues, I was offered a seat in the lads car to Barrow.

We arrived at around 1.30, half an hour before my race was due to start and I was actually really pleased about this as usually I'm there over an hour in advance and end up warming up too early and then cooling down again before the race actually starts but today, once I had finished queuing for the toilet, I only had 15 minutes to warm up so I didn't get cold again on the start line and didn't have time to stand around getting nervous.

I felt quite good in my first mile, setting off at a decent pace but I soon found that I was getting overtaken... a lot.  I started to run out of steam quite early on but then had bouts of picking up again.  My first mile was done a whopping one minute faster than my third mile which just goes to show how much I tired.

It was great having all the Horwich lads shouting for me as I passed and it really spurred me on a gave me bursts.  At one point, when I was feeling particularly sluggish, Suzanne's voice came into my ear telling me to 'go hard or go home' which again gave me a push.

As I came round the bend before the finish I could hear another girl fast approaching from behind and I was determined not to let her pass.  A sprint finish ensued and I kept going faster and faster, determined not to let her pass.  We actually crossed the finish line, in my view, at exactly the same time, but she got her number put down before me which was mildly disappointing, especially because Ali told me he thought I'd been 'diddled'.  Ah well, it's not like I needed points for the team as I was the only Horwich lady there so it doesn't really matter.

I have to wonder how I can manage a sprint finish like that when I was finding it hard to even run at all just moments earlier.

After composing myself and trying, as usual, not to chunder, I went off for a cool down and cheered on the blokes during their race.  I think the team came second but I'm not 100% sure as the results aren't out at the time of typing but I do know that Chris won the race and all the other lads did really well too.  Woooooo, go RED ARMY!!!

Thanks again for the lift Ali, much appreciated!  Sorry for having you all worried that I'd left with your car keys but I was stood where the bags had all been left and assumed you'd come back there after your cool down.  Oops.


Total distance - 3.18 miles

I'm using my Garmin link instead of Strava today because Strava isn't showing the data correctly for some reason.  It's showing my last .18 miles at an 11.18 minute mile pace and I have no idea why as my watch and Garmin Connect showed it at a 7.04 minute mile pace which I'm pretty sure it was as 11.19 minute mile is the slowest sprint finish known to man!  It also added 45 seconds to my total time.  Weird!

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/633533605

Pre XC Plod with Ruby

Just a short but sweet one today to the barn and back to blow off the cobwebs before tomorrow's XC race at Barrow.

Ruby got utterly filthy so I've just had to throw her in the shower ahead of her vet's appointment in 20 minutes which I don't think she's going to like as I'm pretty sure she has 'rear end' trouble and may have to be probed.  

So that's a shower and a probing - not a good day for Ruby.

Total distance - 3.4 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/219167175

Poppy Pike

I finally got around to running up to the Pike tonight to see the poppy.  Can't believe it has taken me this long given that it's only a mile and a half away from my house.  I set off with Ruby at about 4.40pm so was trying to hurry up there to see the switch on at 5pm which, if I had been running on my own, wouldn't have been a problem but Ruby, as ever, decided to sniff and pee on everything en route.

I used my new Hope head torch tonight which was excellent.  I only had it on the trail setting (there are three brighter settings than this) and it was fine for this run.  If I had run down the steep way off the Pike I would have had to up it a setting but other than that the trail setting was perfectly fine and I didn't fall over anything.

We got there at about 5.05 but the van with the blokes in who set up all the gear was only just setting off up from George's Lane and it took them ages to get up there, then it took them ages to set up.  We were both getting really cold so we ran down the steps and then back up the steep slippery way to the left of the steps a couple of times to keep warm.  Eventually they got it started at about 5.25.

Sorry for the rather dodgy picture but it was the best of a bad bunch.  I was struggling to hold the camera steady due to the wind up there and the fact that my hands were trembling with cold after being stood around for ages.

Ruby went out today sporting her very own poppy and here's a picture I took when we got back home.  As you can see, she's a mucky mess and was thrown straight into the shower, much to her dismay.  I think she already sensed the shower coming, given the look on her face in this picture.

Total distance - 3.5 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/218540309/overview

Armistice Day - Bomber Memorial

I ran over to Bomber Memorial this morning, which has become an annual thing for me on Armistice Day.

When I got there, the wind had blown poppies all over the place so I spent a few minutes picking them all up and trying to secure them back on the monument.  It was really windy up there so I'm not sure if they'll stay put or not but I did the best I could.

After a quiet moment I made my way back down the steps, which were incredibly slippery!  I'm quite glad I did this run during the day rather than at night with my head torch as I think I would have slipped over.

On my way out this morning, I passed an elderly lady in dog poo alley who informed me that Murphy, the Bernese Mountain Dog which had been missing since 29 October, had been found.  What a brilliant piece of news, which kept me smiling for a good while.  I couldn't wait to get home to check this was true and share the news on Facebook and I'm pleased to say it is true!


Total Distance - 7.4 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/218043725

Monday in Manchester

Another run along the canal and river with Kathryn at lunch today.  We took a slightly different route to last week which involved going along a track at the side of the Metrolink for a while, although I don’t think I’d take this route if I was on my own.  Funny, I feel so much safer up on the fells in the dark with a head torch than I do in some of these areas in Manchester. 

I must admit to feeling pretty tired today, although we did set off much faster than last week, probably because we were being dragged along by a couple of blokes who work at the same place at Kathryn, but we soon let them get ahead of us and didn’t bother trying to stay with them. 

My tiredness might also be because I haven’t run since last Tuesday due to some foot pain which I have been ignoring for a while.  I can pinpoint it back to about five months ago, the first time I did the Coope’s Dozen.  A short way through the dozen I realised my shoes weren’t tight enough so I tightened up the laces, however it turned out I had them too tight as a few miles from the end the top of my right foot was getting sore.  Ever since then I have had problems with it.  Most of the time, there is no pain at all but sometimes there will be a dull ache and occasionally, a shooting pain down my big toe.  I did speak to my physio about it last time I was there and she thought it might be tendon related and told me to ice it and keep bending my toes as if using them to pick up an object.  Unfortunately, I didn’t heed the icing advice very well and only did it very rarely.  On Wednesday morning when I stepped out of bed, my foot was really sore, so much so that I winced out loud.  I decided then that I would be best off not running for a while to see if I could sort it out once and for all so I have spent the last five days icing it a lot, exercising the toes and trying to keep weight off the foot as much as possible so have been on my exercise bike instead whilst watching DVDs of Friends to keep me amused. 

**Warning the following paragraph contains too much information which some readers might find inappropriate**

One of the other reasons I was so tired today was due to a bit of stomach ache.  Most people who know me well know that I have a certain 'issue' with going for number twos in public toilets.  It's really odd because I'm in no way prudish and can talk about poo without embarrassment but for some reason, my body rebels against me doing it unless I'm on my own throne.  This means that I can't go at work, which can sometimes be a problem, as it was today. 

**Sorry about that, those who skipped the last paragraph can carry on from this point** 

Really enjoyed the run again, even though I felt like throwing up towards the end.  Running with Kathryn is doing me a world of good because, as mentioned last week, I’m running much faster than I do on my own with Ruby.  Also, even if I had been running on my own along the canal, I would have slowed down because I was so tired and belly achy but running with somebody else makes you keep going at a faster pace because you don’t want to slow then down. 

My foot felt absolutely fine during the run, however later on when I walked Ruby, I got the shooting pain down the toe.  It's really weird because I can sit and move my toes any which way to try to replicate the pain but it doesn't happen.  Also, if I prod my feet and toes to find a sore spot there isn't one so I'm really confused as to what the problem is and why it only hurts every now and then without rhyme nor reason.  Whilst typing, I'm sat with my trusty bag of frozen peas on my foot.  Hope it sorts itself out as I don't want to take more time off running with it, last week was so boring on my exercise bike. 

Good luck at weekend Kathryn!!!  

Total distance – 5.41 miles

 http://www.strava.com/activities/217790832

Running by Candlelight!

Tonight I went for an easy run with Ruby.  We went along to the top barn, round the back and along to the Pigeon Tower car park.  We went up the driveway then turned off on the left for the steep climb up to the Pigeon Tower.

We then ran along George's Lane towards the Pike and I stopped to take a photo of the horizon after the sun had dipped below it.

Going dark

Within minutes it was pretty dark and I got my head torch (my old one, still haven't picked the new one up yet) out of my bag.  I switched it on and thought it must be on a low setting as it was really dim but, you guessed it, it wasn't, the battery was dying!  I was still about 1.5 miles away from home at this point and it was getting darker and darker.  I decided to carry on along George's Lane, rather than turning off through Wilderswood and headed towards Factory Hill instead as this seemed a better option with very little light coming from my torch.

Before Factory Hill, when I got to the car park at Wilderswood, a small white van pulled up to an abrupt stop and the doors opened before the engine was even switched off.  One of the men shouted something and I had no idea whether he was shouting to me or to his van companion.  He shouted again and still I didn't know what he said.  I just carried on running.  Apologies if this was anyone I know but you scared the hell out of me so I just ran off.

Even though I had gone down the road after George's Lane, I still had to cut off along Binks Row and down past Wylderswoode Stud which is quite uneven underfoot.  I did manage to get home without falling over although it was at quite a totter because Ruby was tired and barely moving, even though I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.

Not sure how I managed not to have charged the torch has I always put it straight on charge when I get in.  I blamed Duncan for using it to walk Ruby in the morning and not charging it but he swears blind he hasn't used it.  Question is, do I believe him?

Total distance - 4.8 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/215571153

Lunchtime Run Along the Canal with Kathryn

As arranged a couple of weeks ago, I met up with Kathryn, a friend who runs for Lostock and works in my building, today for a lunchtime run.

We ran along Canal Street then down onto the Rochdale Canal and all the way along to Old Trafford before looping back round by the side of the River Irwell.

Not often I get into my road shoes but I actually really enjoyed it.  It was a lovely sunny but cool day (although not too cool, I did get quite a sweat on!) and Kathryn was great company.  We had a good natter all the way around and I was surprised by how fresh I was feeling.  I had thought beforehand that I would be really tired running faster than my usual plods with Ruby and that I wouldn't be able to talk through the gasps of breath but I felt great.

It's also really nice to know that by 1.30pm I was done for the day and could have a relaxing evening once I got home.  I did toy with going out with Josie and the gang as well at 6pm as I felt really good all afternoon but a) I haven't got my good head torch yet and b) I was waiting in for a call from my mum about my dad's hip replacement surgery he has had today (I have just this minute spoken to my mum and all has gone well).

Maybe next week I'll double up!  Or is that a bit optimistic?


Total Distance - 5.4 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/215119037/overview (I think the pace is off on the first mile as my Garmin hadn't located a satellite when we set off)

San Marino Time Trial

At the UTUP today was myself, the Swift brothers, Kev and Jim Leyland, who I have never met before and hasn't been a the UTUP for a long time but is now living back in Horwich so joined us for this morning's outing.

We set off from the barn and headed straight up to the Pike.  From the Pike we ran down to George's Lane then up to Two Lads at the side of the kennels.

From Two Lads we ran up the mast road to the gate before the descent to San Marino.

Ed had planned a time trial here which is something he and the others used to do years back and he wanted to revive it.  We had to run down to the gate (the first gate you come to before the woods), check your time, then run back up again and the goal is to try to do the descent in less than half the time of the climb but there's no holding back on the climb!

We were supposed to do it on a handicap basis and I was told I was supposed to go last (not sure why as I'm a rubbish ascender) but when I arrived at the top gate, Ed and John were still chatting away further down the mast road so I got too cold and decided to set off regardless.

To be honest, I could feel myself holding back a bit on the descent but I'm not really sure why.  I was feeling a bit tentative.  I got down in 8 minutes 21 seconds, which is a bit poor for me.  I then turned round and started the ascent but was feeling pretty tired from the off.  Around half way up, I decided that I was running that slowly that a fast walk would most likely be quicker.  From there to the top, I alternated slow running with fast walking, eventually getting to the top in 15 minutes 50 seconds.

Jim did 10.01 on the down, but an impressive 14.59 on the up.  At the time of writing, I'm not sure about the other's times but I'll post them up if and when I find them out. Ed seemed to motor up though!

Edit, times taken from Ed's post in WFDBWGUA:


         down     up        total     down up percentage
Me -    8:21      15:50    24:11    52.7%

Kev -   8:46      16:05    24:51    54.5%

Jim     10:01     14:59    25:00    66.9%

Ed -    10:57     16:07    27:04    67.9%

John - 15:29      16:03    31:32    94.7%

Once we all got back to the top, Jim and I decided to head home so we said our farewells and made our way back down the mast road and down to the kennels then home via the Two Lads race route.

The reason I wanted to break off the run early was because I was taking the camper van out for it's first outing with Duncan and Ruby today.

We drove up to the Lakes and on the way up the motorway we were driving behind another T4 in a green colour.  Duncan mentioned that his friend, Nick from somewhere in the Midlands, had a T4 in that camper so he made me look him up on Facebook to see whether there were any pictures of his van to see if this was the same one.  Coincidence of coincidence, it was!  Duncan stalked him for a while as he had no idea that it was us behind him and he pulled off into Westmoreland Services so we followed.  He was really surprised to see us as it has probably been around nine years since we last saw him!

After a catch up, we carried on up the Motorway, coming off at the Shap turn off.  We drove around for a while and then decided on Haweswater as our camp for the night.  We decided to wild camp rather than pay for a site and we parked up in a deep layby next to the lake.  It was lovely!

First cuppa in the van (not at the place we actually camped up though, this photo was taken at the car park at Haweswater) - not entirely sure why Duncan looks so miserable! 

Wild camping (it rained A LOT last night)


On Sunday morning, we went for a walk up the Gatesgarth Path and climbed to the top of a mountain, although I have no idea which one.  Perhaps one of my fell running friends with an in depth knowledge of the Lakes will be able to tell me from the photos.

Saturday's run total distance - 9.5 miles

http://www.strava.com/activities/214130837


Sunday's walk distance approx 3.5 miles (although only 2 miles captured on Strava) http://www.strava.com/activities/214763711