Well spring has sprung and the clocks have gone forward so the hill sessions are now back off road, yippee!
There was only a very small group tonight as apparently the 'fast lads' all had important races this weekend and so were resting up. There was only me, Debbie, Dan, Chris, John, (aarrghhh, forgotten name) and of course Steve.
We ran from Wilderswood Car Park to Pike Cottage and the session was taking place in my favourite field (the one down from Pike Cottage). The session was six sets of three so we would go down, up, down then rest for 90 seconds then up, down, up and rest for 60 seconds then repeat this three times.
I was really pleased with my session as I didn't have to resort to walking the ups at all. I did five sets, which ended at the bottom so I then did the first 'up' of the sixth set but the others had finished their six by then so I didn't want them hanging around for me to go back down and up again.
Steve then got us to run up to Two Lads as a warm down before heading back to the car park but, as I got part way up towards Two Lads, Duncan rang me as he was at the car park waiting to pick me up and we were in a huge rush to get to a first aid night hosted by Julie so I aborted going to the top and went back down to Pike Cottage, with Duncan meeting me on my way back to the car park.
The first aid evening at Julie's was really informative and we learned how to do chest compressions using a dummy. I found it really useful, especially the part about lifting the chin to unblock airways because I had never heard about that before.
Julie put on a great spread of food, including four home made cakes, all of which were delicious and she kindly allowed us all to take some home with us. Definitely not going to turn down offers like that. Thanks Julie!
Total distance - 4.8 miles
Thursday 31 March 2016
Tuesday 29 March 2016
Rain, Hail, Snow!!!
Before leaving the house this morning for an easy run with Ruby, I checked the weather forecast on my phone, which showed a nice white fluffy cloud all morning, occasionally with a sun popping out behind it.
It couldn't have been more wrong.
Within seconds of me leaving the house, it started to rain. Five minutes later, it started to hail.
Ten minutes after that, the snow started to fall. I thought it would just be a quick shower and be over within seconds but no. It started to snow as I was running along the fields/woods between the pigeon tower car park and dangerous corner. By the time I reached George's Lane, there was an inch of snow on the ground. Ruby was covered in it, as was I. It had stuck to my leggings and my legs were freezing! I stupidly hadn't brought any over trousers with me either or I probably would have put them on, my legs were that cold. My hands were freezing too so I took off my gloves and put on my spare pair but they soon became saturated too and my hands were once again really cold.
I'm not going to lie, I just wanted to go home. Running in snow is ace if you're properly prepared but I really wasn't and was just very cold. When I finally got home, I stripped off at the front door because I just wanted to get out of my sodden clothes. I jumped straight into the shower but, even though the water was clearly hot (there was lots of steam), it felt freezing on my hands. My legs were a very bright shade of crimson and it took a long time before they became their usual pasty self again.
Memo to self - always be prepared!
Total distance - 5.6 miles
It couldn't have been more wrong.
Within seconds of me leaving the house, it started to rain. Five minutes later, it started to hail.
Ten minutes after that, the snow started to fall. I thought it would just be a quick shower and be over within seconds but no. It started to snow as I was running along the fields/woods between the pigeon tower car park and dangerous corner. By the time I reached George's Lane, there was an inch of snow on the ground. Ruby was covered in it, as was I. It had stuck to my leggings and my legs were freezing! I stupidly hadn't brought any over trousers with me either or I probably would have put them on, my legs were that cold. My hands were freezing too so I took off my gloves and put on my spare pair but they soon became saturated too and my hands were once again really cold.
I'm not going to lie, I just wanted to go home. Running in snow is ace if you're properly prepared but I really wasn't and was just very cold. When I finally got home, I stripped off at the front door because I just wanted to get out of my sodden clothes. I jumped straight into the shower but, even though the water was clearly hot (there was lots of steam), it felt freezing on my hands. My legs were a very bright shade of crimson and it took a long time before they became their usual pasty self again.
Memo to self - always be prepared!
Total distance - 5.6 miles
Monday 28 March 2016
Good Few Strava PRs on this One.
Today was just supposed to be an easy run but, on looking at Strava, I seem to have done much better than I thought.
I have managed too get three personal records, including one on the descent from the Pike (Pike Race descent), putting me 9th out of 98 on the all-time ladies leaderboard. Pleased with that.
My other personal records were on the climb which I can never describe - it's described on Strava as 'ascent to the driveway'. It's the path which comes out almost opposite the muddy steep path up to the pigeon tower. The other one starts from the bottom of aforementioned path, goes up to 'the driveway' crosses over it and up the muddy steep path to the pigeon tower and then goes along George's Lane up to the Pike. The Strava segment is called 'Hall Brook to Pike'.
Total distance - 4.1 miles
I have managed too get three personal records, including one on the descent from the Pike (Pike Race descent), putting me 9th out of 98 on the all-time ladies leaderboard. Pleased with that.
My other personal records were on the climb which I can never describe - it's described on Strava as 'ascent to the driveway'. It's the path which comes out almost opposite the muddy steep path up to the pigeon tower. The other one starts from the bottom of aforementioned path, goes up to 'the driveway' crosses over it and up the muddy steep path to the pigeon tower and then goes along George's Lane up to the Pike. The Strava segment is called 'Hall Brook to Pike'.
Total distance - 4.1 miles
Sunday 27 March 2016
Jepsons Gate and Healey Nab
Duncan wanted to chill out drinking tea in the van this morning and so drove over to Jepsons Gate to admire the scenery. I went with him so that I could go for an easy run whilst he supped his tea and read his book. Unfortunately, despite having it in his hand seconds before leaving the house, he forgot his book! He ended up reading the various literature we store in the van, i.e. British wildlife books and walking/mountain biking guide books.
I ran down the road from Jepson's Gate, turning off on the left after the farm and heading down through the woods towards Anglezarke Reservoir. I then ran along through the farmland and trails, coming out further down the road at Waterman's Cottage. I followed the edge of the reservoir and climbed up the steps and through the field, to the Bridleway at Healey Nab which I crossed straight over and headed up to the cairn. I was running surprisingly well this morning which was pleasing.
I came back down from the cairn back onto the bridleway and ran all the way along and out onto Back Lane. Instead of staying on Back Lane to the Yew Tree, I came off on the left at the bend to go cross country. It was insanely boggy around the stile and a man with wellies on was wading through telling me it was too deep. I just said 'ah, what's the worst that can happen?' and ploughed on through, listening to him laughing (not in a nasty way) as I splashed my way along.
Very wet and muddy feet later, I came out onto the road opposite the Street and ran along to 'the slipway/the cascade' which I ran up really well but unfortunately didn't manage to get myself a PR on Strava. In fact, it later transpired that I was 12 seconds behind my PR.
Still running reasonably well, I made my way along the trail, out onto the road and along to Lead Mines Clough. This was where the hard part came in, the short climb back up to the path to Jepsons Gate. Thankfully, as mentioned, it is short so was over with quickly and here I did get a PR, beating my previous PR by 14 seconds.
Total distance - 5.7 miles
I ran down the road from Jepson's Gate, turning off on the left after the farm and heading down through the woods towards Anglezarke Reservoir. I then ran along through the farmland and trails, coming out further down the road at Waterman's Cottage. I followed the edge of the reservoir and climbed up the steps and through the field, to the Bridleway at Healey Nab which I crossed straight over and headed up to the cairn. I was running surprisingly well this morning which was pleasing.
I came back down from the cairn back onto the bridleway and ran all the way along and out onto Back Lane. Instead of staying on Back Lane to the Yew Tree, I came off on the left at the bend to go cross country. It was insanely boggy around the stile and a man with wellies on was wading through telling me it was too deep. I just said 'ah, what's the worst that can happen?' and ploughed on through, listening to him laughing (not in a nasty way) as I splashed my way along.
Very wet and muddy feet later, I came out onto the road opposite the Street and ran along to 'the slipway/the cascade' which I ran up really well but unfortunately didn't manage to get myself a PR on Strava. In fact, it later transpired that I was 12 seconds behind my PR.
Still running reasonably well, I made my way along the trail, out onto the road and along to Lead Mines Clough. This was where the hard part came in, the short climb back up to the path to Jepsons Gate. Thankfully, as mentioned, it is short so was over with quickly and here I did get a PR, beating my previous PR by 14 seconds.
Total distance - 5.7 miles
Friday 25 March 2016
Navigating my way Home from Jumbles
Duncan is out with some friends today in Hebden Bridge so, on his way there this morning, he dropped me off on the A676 at the top of the road down to Jumbles Country Park car park, with a view to me navigating my way home along some trails I have never been on before.
I ran down the road to the reservoir, then turned right past the toilet block and ran alongside the reservoir, the same way as I had done last week as part of the Two Crosses route. At the end of the reservoir, I climbed the steps and made my way along the trails to the B6391 and Turton Tower. Again, I followed the same route as last week, here, turning down the side off Turton Tower and getting onto Witton Weavers Way. A short way along, however, I then turned off to the left rather than continuing straight on as we had done last week.
I climbed up through some farm land towards Cheetham Close and then ran down a nice track, ending up at a wall with a couple of different routes. This is where I went slightly wrong with my navigation. I turned right too early and ended up going along a very boggy trod. I may have gone wrong, but I was able to look at my map and work out where I was so that I could correct myself. The way I see it, going wrong is really helpful in learning navigation skills because it means you have to work out where you are and get yourself back on the right track. There was a very steep drop at the side of me so I looked at the map to find a path with very tight contour lines next to it and was able to work out where I was.
After a slight diversion, I ended up back where I wanted to be and ran through some lovely farmland, eventually coming out at Horridge's Farm on the Rotary Way. After making my way through the farm and feeling like I was trespassing, I continued along the Rotary Way for a short while, coming out at a path junction with the Witton Weavers Way. At this point, I couldn't find the path I was supposed to be on. I could see from the map that I should keep the woodland on my right hand side and run down hill towards a road but there was no stile to go that way and no obvious path or trod along that side of the woodland. I didn't want to trespass and so I decided to alter my route slightly and take the path through the middle of the woods instead. I came out onto the road (A666) and headed a short way along it towards Dimple, before crossing over and getting back onto the Witton Weavers Way, heading into the woods. I came out onto Stones Bank Road, then turned off and ran down a short unused road (blocked off at each end), coming out onto Longworth Road. At this point, I knew where I was so could put my map away. I crossed straight over Longworth Road, dropping down a boggy hill, crossing a slippery bridge over Eagley Brook and making my way up to the farm track, which comes out onto the A675 near San Marino.
I then crossed the road and ran through the woods, where I bumped into my train friend, Lawrence, and his wife who were out for a walk. After a short natter, I continued on my way, heading up the ramp. Not long after starting up the ramp, I bumped into Ali, who was on his way down but said that he was turning around at the gate and coming back up again. I was really tired at this point and had decided that I'd probably walk most of the way up to the mast but, because I knew Ali would be coming up behind me, I didn't want the embarrassment of walking so I tried to keep running. It was so hard. I was only going slow but I was starting to feel sick with the effort. I kept hoping Ali would pass me so that I could walk as soon as he got out of view. At one point, I did quickly bend down to tighten a shoe lace and then saw Ali coming up further down so carried on running, still feeling like chundering! I made it all the way to the top without any walking (although there was the brief shoelace stop but I'm letting myself off on that one, as it was literally a couple of seconds) but that's only because of Ali. Obviously I wasn't as tired as I thought I was because I did manage to run it all but, had nobody been around, I would have wimped out and walked. Ali, if you're reading this, thanks very much,
(On looking at Ali's Strava trace when I got home, I could see that he had run down the ramp and back up, then run down the steeper descent (used on the old Belmont Winter Hill race route) and again run back up, then gone down the diagonal and all the way cown to the bridge at Dangerous Corner, then back up again! I really admire that kind of commitment and wish I could be that disciplined. That one definitely deserved a kudos!)
After chatting to a couple at the top of the ramp who were admiring the view and asking which reservoirs they could see, I enjoyed the couple of miles of descent home, making sure I avoided the Pike like the plague! Definitely not somewhere I want to be on Good Friday.
Total distance - 10.6 miles
I ran down the road to the reservoir, then turned right past the toilet block and ran alongside the reservoir, the same way as I had done last week as part of the Two Crosses route. At the end of the reservoir, I climbed the steps and made my way along the trails to the B6391 and Turton Tower. Again, I followed the same route as last week, here, turning down the side off Turton Tower and getting onto Witton Weavers Way. A short way along, however, I then turned off to the left rather than continuing straight on as we had done last week.
I climbed up through some farm land towards Cheetham Close and then ran down a nice track, ending up at a wall with a couple of different routes. This is where I went slightly wrong with my navigation. I turned right too early and ended up going along a very boggy trod. I may have gone wrong, but I was able to look at my map and work out where I was so that I could correct myself. The way I see it, going wrong is really helpful in learning navigation skills because it means you have to work out where you are and get yourself back on the right track. There was a very steep drop at the side of me so I looked at the map to find a path with very tight contour lines next to it and was able to work out where I was.
After a slight diversion, I ended up back where I wanted to be and ran through some lovely farmland, eventually coming out at Horridge's Farm on the Rotary Way. After making my way through the farm and feeling like I was trespassing, I continued along the Rotary Way for a short while, coming out at a path junction with the Witton Weavers Way. At this point, I couldn't find the path I was supposed to be on. I could see from the map that I should keep the woodland on my right hand side and run down hill towards a road but there was no stile to go that way and no obvious path or trod along that side of the woodland. I didn't want to trespass and so I decided to alter my route slightly and take the path through the middle of the woods instead. I came out onto the road (A666) and headed a short way along it towards Dimple, before crossing over and getting back onto the Witton Weavers Way, heading into the woods. I came out onto Stones Bank Road, then turned off and ran down a short unused road (blocked off at each end), coming out onto Longworth Road. At this point, I knew where I was so could put my map away. I crossed straight over Longworth Road, dropping down a boggy hill, crossing a slippery bridge over Eagley Brook and making my way up to the farm track, which comes out onto the A675 near San Marino.
I then crossed the road and ran through the woods, where I bumped into my train friend, Lawrence, and his wife who were out for a walk. After a short natter, I continued on my way, heading up the ramp. Not long after starting up the ramp, I bumped into Ali, who was on his way down but said that he was turning around at the gate and coming back up again. I was really tired at this point and had decided that I'd probably walk most of the way up to the mast but, because I knew Ali would be coming up behind me, I didn't want the embarrassment of walking so I tried to keep running. It was so hard. I was only going slow but I was starting to feel sick with the effort. I kept hoping Ali would pass me so that I could walk as soon as he got out of view. At one point, I did quickly bend down to tighten a shoe lace and then saw Ali coming up further down so carried on running, still feeling like chundering! I made it all the way to the top without any walking (although there was the brief shoelace stop but I'm letting myself off on that one, as it was literally a couple of seconds) but that's only because of Ali. Obviously I wasn't as tired as I thought I was because I did manage to run it all but, had nobody been around, I would have wimped out and walked. Ali, if you're reading this, thanks very much,
(On looking at Ali's Strava trace when I got home, I could see that he had run down the ramp and back up, then run down the steeper descent (used on the old Belmont Winter Hill race route) and again run back up, then gone down the diagonal and all the way cown to the bridge at Dangerous Corner, then back up again! I really admire that kind of commitment and wish I could be that disciplined. That one definitely deserved a kudos!)
After chatting to a couple at the top of the ramp who were admiring the view and asking which reservoirs they could see, I enjoyed the couple of miles of descent home, making sure I avoided the Pike like the plague! Definitely not somewhere I want to be on Good Friday.
Total distance - 10.6 miles
Wednesday 23 March 2016
Blubber?
Having not
run since the Two Crosses on Sunday (I thought I’d give myself a couple of days
off), I went for a short run this evening to see how my legs were feeling. They were actually feeling pretty good. I did stop to stretch out my slightly achy
calves and hamstrings before climbing up to the Pike from the back of the barn,
but that’s about it and I managed to climb really well. You might know though that, whilst stretching, Ali came flying down the hill towards me - why is it that in the entire run I didn't see anyone else but then the few seconds I stopped for a stretch, I was caught! He was probably zooming along too fast to notice though if truth be told.
I’m not doing any silly distances this
weekend but have entered the Blubberhouse Moors 25 a week on Saturday as I want
to keep up the long distances and find it much easier to get myself out when it’s
an organised event, rather than just trying to run 20+ miles off my own
back.
Total distance – 4 miles
Sunday 20 March 2016
Two Crosses Circuit
This was my second time of taking part in the LDWA Two Crosses Circuit. It's a fantastic event, starting and finishing at the Laurel Play Centre in Tottington.
There were a good few familiar faces at the registration hall before the event: Josie, Suzanne, Lindsey, Abigail, Michelle, Karen, Andy, Sophie (Andy's girlfriend who I met for the first time), Mark, Gordon, Kev and Kelly (who I didn't realise was into distance running, having only known her doing track running).
The day started badly as I had a bad stomach which was a cause for concern as the last thing you need on a long distance run is to find yourself looking for a suitable bush to drop your trollies in. I took an Imodium and hoped for the best.
The start was at 8am and as soon as I started running I realised that my legs hadn't fully recovered from last week's 32 miler. They were very tired although, thankfully, I wasn't having one of my 'nothing at all' day's which was good. There was at least something there which I hoped would ease off as the run went on (when I have my 'nothing at all' days, it doesn't get any better no mater how far I go).
I started to fall behind everyone I knew quite early on but had to remember that most of them were doing the shorter 17 mile route so I shouldn't try to keep up with them anyway as they weren't going as far as me. Three miles in, I actually felt more tired than I had done 25 miles into the Hobble. My calves were really tight and my legs just felt heavy. I could see Mark, Michele, Abigail and Gordon getting further and further away into the distance but only Gordon was doing the 25 mile route, the others opting for the 17.
When I arrived at the point where the routes split, it was so tempting to head off onto the 17 mile route and cut short but I gave myself a good talking to and stayed on the 25 mile route.
After the split, the 25 mile route goes up a steep muddy hill and then carries on over rough ground for quite a way before getting to Checkpoint 2. Thankfully the ground wasn't as boggy as it has been because the weather has been quite dry the last few days but it was still pretty hard work as it's really uneven and quite energy sapping.
Before Checkpoint 2, I caught up with Gordon and headed down to the checkpoint with him but I was off straight away (after picking up a piece of marble cake) whilst he got himself a brew. There's then some more hard going terrain before getting onto the Witton Weavers Way, which is then about two miles of hard trail. This should have been easily runnable but with my legs as tired as they were I was doing a bit of running and a bit of walking on the uphill sections (which were only mildly uphill!).
Then came the climb up onto Darwen Moors which isn't a huge climb but it really did feel like it today. The people who had been running a short way in front of me were getting further and further away at this point and I was struggling to keep near them.
The terrain again got quite hard going in places as it was across open moorland and my energy was getting sapped more and more by the minute.
Soon enough though, we were back onto more easily runnable terrain and headed towards Entwistle Reservoir. I had to stop a group of girls from going wrong at this point, as they had missed the right turn leading down to the steps to the reservoir. The run along the edge of the reservoir seems to go on for ages before you get to the end and go up the steps to the best checkpoint ever (Checkpoint 4)! As Josie said, it was like a wedding buffet - it even had a cheese board!
I still didn't hang around for long though as I find that the longer I stay at checkpoints, the more difficult it is to get going again. I just grabbed myself a jaffa cake and continued on my way.
At this point, I noticed that I could actually be on for a sub five hour run. I was pretty pleased at the thought of this because last year I had done it in about 5 hours 56 minutes. I knew there was still a long way to go yet though and I was getting increasingly more tired so didn't want to get my hopes up too much.
After Checkpoint 5, I found myself running along on my own. There was nobody in view either in front of me or behind me. It was at this point, when the map was telling me to run at specific bearings, that I realised I had forgotten my compass. Oops! Thankfully, it was quite obvious where to go so things weren't all bad. Luckily, when I was crossing the moors towards Bull Hill, it was all flagged and visibility was good so I didn't need to worry about compass bearings.
After a slog across the moorland, I finally arrived at Checkpoint 6 - the 'Naughty Corner'. At this checkpoint there is no water, only rum, whisky or sherry. I opted for a hit of rum, hoping it would give me some vigour to run up to Peel Tower. What's the worst that could happen?
On running along to Peel Tower, I was getting really tired and didn't have as great a run up to it as I had the previous year (of course it wasn't the rum's fault). I now realised that sub five hours was out of the question, however I did have a good chance of getting in under 5 hours 15.
After the tower, I had a slight navigational dilemma which wasn't helped by a young boy who was trying to be helpful by telling me the right way, however the 'right way' for him was the way he had just come up with his mum and not the way I actually needed to go. I did manage to go the actual right way and made my way down to the short but steep descent in Redisher Woods. When your legs are tired, this is really hard work.
Not far to go now and I soon made my way to the golf club and out onto the road, before turning onto the cycle path which leads back to the Laurel Play Centre. The run in seems to go on for ages though and it's really flat so you try to run it pretty quick, which is no easy feat on incredibly tired legs. Where is that bridge?!?!?!?!?
Just as I was running into the centre, Duncan and Ruby were stood on the side waiting for me, which was nice.
At the finish, I sat with Josie, Andy, Sophie, a girl I didn't know (sorry) and Duncan (and Ruby of course). There was a great choice of soups and I opted for parsnip with a big wedge of wholemeal bread. There were also loads of butties and an egg mayo butty has never tasted so good.
My official time was 5 hours and 11 minutes which is 45 minutes quicker than last year. Imagine how well I could have done had I not been tired! I'm pretty certain I would have smashed the five hour mark. Maybe next year, however I don't want to end up treating these events as races because that will take all the fun out of them for me so I don't want to get too hung up on times.
What an excellent day out, even though I was so tired. The weather was amazing and I think I actually got slightly sunburnt! The food was the best of any long distance event I've done and the company both en route and at the registration centre was awesome. What a lovely bunch of people. Massive well done to all the organisers and helpers.
Duncan had mentioned to me that there was a chocolate festival on down the road in Ramsbottom so we headed there after I had finished eating soup and butties. When we got there though, it was way too busy and I was fearful of Ruby being trampled to death so we didn't stay long and instead drove out to an ice cream parlour/café and sat out in the sun scoffing ice cream. A well deserved treat I feel.
Great day out!
Total distance - 25 miles
There were a good few familiar faces at the registration hall before the event: Josie, Suzanne, Lindsey, Abigail, Michelle, Karen, Andy, Sophie (Andy's girlfriend who I met for the first time), Mark, Gordon, Kev and Kelly (who I didn't realise was into distance running, having only known her doing track running).
The day started badly as I had a bad stomach which was a cause for concern as the last thing you need on a long distance run is to find yourself looking for a suitable bush to drop your trollies in. I took an Imodium and hoped for the best.
The start was at 8am and as soon as I started running I realised that my legs hadn't fully recovered from last week's 32 miler. They were very tired although, thankfully, I wasn't having one of my 'nothing at all' day's which was good. There was at least something there which I hoped would ease off as the run went on (when I have my 'nothing at all' days, it doesn't get any better no mater how far I go).
I started to fall behind everyone I knew quite early on but had to remember that most of them were doing the shorter 17 mile route so I shouldn't try to keep up with them anyway as they weren't going as far as me. Three miles in, I actually felt more tired than I had done 25 miles into the Hobble. My calves were really tight and my legs just felt heavy. I could see Mark, Michele, Abigail and Gordon getting further and further away into the distance but only Gordon was doing the 25 mile route, the others opting for the 17.
When I arrived at the point where the routes split, it was so tempting to head off onto the 17 mile route and cut short but I gave myself a good talking to and stayed on the 25 mile route.
After the split, the 25 mile route goes up a steep muddy hill and then carries on over rough ground for quite a way before getting to Checkpoint 2. Thankfully the ground wasn't as boggy as it has been because the weather has been quite dry the last few days but it was still pretty hard work as it's really uneven and quite energy sapping.
Before Checkpoint 2, I caught up with Gordon and headed down to the checkpoint with him but I was off straight away (after picking up a piece of marble cake) whilst he got himself a brew. There's then some more hard going terrain before getting onto the Witton Weavers Way, which is then about two miles of hard trail. This should have been easily runnable but with my legs as tired as they were I was doing a bit of running and a bit of walking on the uphill sections (which were only mildly uphill!).
Then came the climb up onto Darwen Moors which isn't a huge climb but it really did feel like it today. The people who had been running a short way in front of me were getting further and further away at this point and I was struggling to keep near them.
The terrain again got quite hard going in places as it was across open moorland and my energy was getting sapped more and more by the minute.
Soon enough though, we were back onto more easily runnable terrain and headed towards Entwistle Reservoir. I had to stop a group of girls from going wrong at this point, as they had missed the right turn leading down to the steps to the reservoir. The run along the edge of the reservoir seems to go on for ages before you get to the end and go up the steps to the best checkpoint ever (Checkpoint 4)! As Josie said, it was like a wedding buffet - it even had a cheese board!
I still didn't hang around for long though as I find that the longer I stay at checkpoints, the more difficult it is to get going again. I just grabbed myself a jaffa cake and continued on my way.
At this point, I noticed that I could actually be on for a sub five hour run. I was pretty pleased at the thought of this because last year I had done it in about 5 hours 56 minutes. I knew there was still a long way to go yet though and I was getting increasingly more tired so didn't want to get my hopes up too much.
After Checkpoint 5, I found myself running along on my own. There was nobody in view either in front of me or behind me. It was at this point, when the map was telling me to run at specific bearings, that I realised I had forgotten my compass. Oops! Thankfully, it was quite obvious where to go so things weren't all bad. Luckily, when I was crossing the moors towards Bull Hill, it was all flagged and visibility was good so I didn't need to worry about compass bearings.
After a slog across the moorland, I finally arrived at Checkpoint 6 - the 'Naughty Corner'. At this checkpoint there is no water, only rum, whisky or sherry. I opted for a hit of rum, hoping it would give me some vigour to run up to Peel Tower. What's the worst that could happen?
On running along to Peel Tower, I was getting really tired and didn't have as great a run up to it as I had the previous year (of course it wasn't the rum's fault). I now realised that sub five hours was out of the question, however I did have a good chance of getting in under 5 hours 15.
After the tower, I had a slight navigational dilemma which wasn't helped by a young boy who was trying to be helpful by telling me the right way, however the 'right way' for him was the way he had just come up with his mum and not the way I actually needed to go. I did manage to go the actual right way and made my way down to the short but steep descent in Redisher Woods. When your legs are tired, this is really hard work.
Not far to go now and I soon made my way to the golf club and out onto the road, before turning onto the cycle path which leads back to the Laurel Play Centre. The run in seems to go on for ages though and it's really flat so you try to run it pretty quick, which is no easy feat on incredibly tired legs. Where is that bridge?!?!?!?!?
Just as I was running into the centre, Duncan and Ruby were stood on the side waiting for me, which was nice.
At the finish, I sat with Josie, Andy, Sophie, a girl I didn't know (sorry) and Duncan (and Ruby of course). There was a great choice of soups and I opted for parsnip with a big wedge of wholemeal bread. There were also loads of butties and an egg mayo butty has never tasted so good.
My official time was 5 hours and 11 minutes which is 45 minutes quicker than last year. Imagine how well I could have done had I not been tired! I'm pretty certain I would have smashed the five hour mark. Maybe next year, however I don't want to end up treating these events as races because that will take all the fun out of them for me so I don't want to get too hung up on times.
What an excellent day out, even though I was so tired. The weather was amazing and I think I actually got slightly sunburnt! The food was the best of any long distance event I've done and the company both en route and at the registration centre was awesome. What a lovely bunch of people. Massive well done to all the organisers and helpers.
Duncan had mentioned to me that there was a chocolate festival on down the road in Ramsbottom so we headed there after I had finished eating soup and butties. When we got there though, it was way too busy and I was fearful of Ruby being trampled to death so we didn't stay long and instead drove out to an ice cream parlour/café and sat out in the sun scoffing ice cream. A well deserved treat I feel.
Great day out!
Total distance - 25 miles
Friday 18 March 2016
Ruby, this is just Ridiculous!
Today I tried another run but took Ruby with me to keep me slow. She didn't just keep me slow... I might as well have walked. She really is getting harder and harder work to run with as she just wants to sniff the entire time. Either that or she gets right under my feet causing me to trip over or have to stop dead all the time.
At least I didn't run too fast today though. In fact, it took us the best part of an hour to run four miles!!!
Even though I only did another short run, I'm going to rest now until the Two Crosses on Sunday. Doing a 25 miler the week after a 32 miler when I have never run that far before is a big ask but I'm sure I can handle it. I'm much fitter than I give myself credit for.
Total distance - 4.3 miles
At least I didn't run too fast today though. In fact, it took us the best part of an hour to run four miles!!!
Even though I only did another short run, I'm going to rest now until the Two Crosses on Sunday. Doing a 25 miler the week after a 32 miler when I have never run that far before is a big ask but I'm sure I can handle it. I'm much fitter than I give myself credit for.
Total distance - 4.3 miles
Thursday 17 March 2016
Slow Down!
I have only run 2.5 miles since the Hobble last Saturday so I decided it was time to get back out tonight.
Duncan dropped me off at Jepson's Gate so I could get a nice easy run home in, with more downhill than up. The problem with this was that I think I tried to run too fast. Because I hadn't been achy after the Hobble, I had assumed that I was OK but I think I'm actually more tired than I feel.
I managed a decent pace but my legs were starting to get tired towards the end so I had to tell myself that 32 miles was a great toll on my body so I couldn't expect to be flying fit afterwards and have to allow myself some recovery time so I slowed down a little.
Total distance - 4 miles
Duncan dropped me off at Jepson's Gate so I could get a nice easy run home in, with more downhill than up. The problem with this was that I think I tried to run too fast. Because I hadn't been achy after the Hobble, I had assumed that I was OK but I think I'm actually more tired than I feel.
I managed a decent pace but my legs were starting to get tired towards the end so I had to tell myself that 32 miles was a great toll on my body so I couldn't expect to be flying fit afterwards and have to allow myself some recovery time so I slowed down a little.
Total distance - 4 miles
Monday 14 March 2016
Is it Time Ruby Retired from Running?
Tonight, I was really pushed for time and only had about 40 minutes to fit a run in which should be more than enough time to get up to five miles in, except I had to take Ruby with me because I hadn’t walked her so 40 minutes doesn’t get us very far.
In fact, in just over 38 minutes, we only managed 2.5 miles!!!! My average pace was two minutes per mile SLOWER than the pace I ran 32 miles in on Saturday! Seriously, I might as well have just walked.
She’s fine to run with if it’s really early and I’m up on the tops with nobody around so I can let her off the lead. That way, when she stops to sniff and pee on everything I can just carry on and let her catch up but when it’s teatime on a sunny day when all and sundry are out with their dogs, I have no chance because I have to keep her strapped to me so when she stops, I stop.
Ruby, I think it’s time to hang up your running paws!
The good news about today’s run is that my legs felt OK after the Hobble. They were a little tired running uphill but not as bad as I had expected. Hopefully they’ll be back fighting fit by the Two Crosses on Sunday.
Total distance – 2.5 miles
Saturday 12 March 2016
Haworth Hobble (aka Wuthering Hike)
My first
‘ultra’ distance race. Until today, I had
never run more than 25 miles before. The
Haworth Hobble is 32 miles and has 4,700ft of ascent!
I set
off for Haworth on Friday afternoon on the train and bus so with a view to
having a relaxing evening in a B&B so that I wouldn’t have to get up too
early in the morning for the 8am start.
At about
3.30pm I decided to see if I could find my way along the first couple of miles
of the route using the directions card we had been given. I couldn’t even make my way out of the
village centre! The directions were as
much use as a chocolate fireguard. They said
‘start at the Fleece pub, then go along the cobbles and out onto Cemetery Road’. The problem is, when you go up along the
cobbles, the road splits in two, neither of which roads are called Cemetery
Road! I had to go onto maps on my phone
to find out where to go and it appeared that Cemetery Road was off a road, off
another road off the cobbled road. This
was not a good start. The next bit of
the directions said to head to the footpath/road junction and follow the sign to Bronte Bridge and
Far Intake. I walked all the way along
Cemetery Road and there were various footpath signs on either side of it but
none of them were signed to either of those destinations so I kept on
going. I reached the end of Cemetery
Road which was indeed a road/footpath junction so I assumed this to be the
correct place, however again none of the signs pointed to Bronte Bridge or Far
Intake. There was one sign which pointed
to Bronte Waterfalls so I assumed that to be the right way, although I didn’t
carry on any further along and just headed back into Haworth, feeling
incredibly despondent with the directions (or lack of them!). All the other long distance runs I have done
have had really clear in depth directions, making it difficult to get lost but
this was just useless and I was starting to think I had bitten off more than I could
chew.
When I got
back to my B&B, I got my map out and highlighted the entire route, using
somebody else’s Strava trace from last year. I then wandered along the Chaplins Bistro for a tasty lasagne to fuel tomorrow's run.
I didn’t
sleep at all well because I was really nervous about the race. I wasn’t nervous about the distance as I knew
that if I got too tired I could always walk as I wasn’t treating it as a race
and just wanted to get around the course.
My fear was of getting horribly lost.
The owners
of the B&B I stayed in offered to get me my breakfast early but I declined
their kind offer as I have recently found that with these long distance events,
I’m much better off filling my face in the couple of days before the event and
then just eating something quite light, like a flapjack, on the morning which is
what I did today.
After getting
everything together, I made my way to the primary school for the registration
and realised that it was actually really warm out so I would have to rethink my
clothing. I took off my Inov8 waterproof
and put my much lighter Berghaus waterproof into my bag.
After nattering
to various other Horwich RMI’ers together with running friends from other local
clubs, it was soon time for the off.
The race
starts outside the Fleece pub which straightaway is quite a steep cobbled hill
so I had decided in advance to walk from the off, just until it levelled out,
but I did find myself jogging slightly as I was swept along. Once it levelled off, we stayed on the road
for about a mile before getting out onto the trails.
There’s
not much I can say about the first half of the route itself as it has all
become a bit of a blur now and seems such a distant memory. I do remember one bit where I had to queue
for ages for a kissing gate but it’s always nice to have a breather.
As I approached
the first food checkpoint around 15 miles in, I could see Gordon up ahead. I caught up to him at the checkpoint (where I
had a hotdog sausage without the bread roll) and wandered along with him for a
short while. Gordon was drinking tea and
eating a teacake though and this bit was really runnable so I didn’t want to
walk because I was saving any walking for uphill sections and didn’t want to
waste any flat or downhill sections so I carried on ahead.
I then got
chatting to a girl named Kim who runs for Todmorden Harriers. It was her first ultra too and I was glad to
be running with her as she was local and so knew where she was going. We stayed together for a good few miles up
until the climb up to Stoodley Pike where I got ahead slightly. I was then accompanied by a couple from Keighley
Harriers, again a relatively local club.
The climb up Stoodley Pike was gruelling this far into the run (over 20
miles in). It felt so steep and
endless. I was surprised to find though
that I was able to run again straight away when I got to the top without
needing any respite.
Not long
after Stoodley Pike, after running steeply downhill, there was a road section which
started with a flight of steps which were really hard work. They had a bannister along them and I was
using this to pull myself up because my legs were so tired at this point. Once at the top of the steps the road just seemed
to go on and on uphill. By this point, I
had left the Keighley Harriers behind and was now trying to keep up with a
group of four runners but I don’t know what, if any, club they were from as
they weren’t wearing club vests. They seemed
to know where they were going though so I tried to stay with them.
Everything
after Stoodley Pike seemed to be uphill.
There was of course some downhill but those bits seemed to be over
really quickly and it felt like there was far more uphill than down.
However,
by 25 miles I was still feeling pretty fresh.
I felt much better at this point than I had done at the end of the Anglezarke
Amble (which is around 25 miles long) and I had got to this point in a quicker
time than I had finished the Amble so it was going great.
Towards the
end though I was getting to a point where it was hard just running downhill
because trying to pick my feet up to avoid falling over rocks was getting increasingly
more difficult. I motored on though because I didn’t want to lose the people at
the front of me in case I didn’t know where to go. I know I could have hung on for people behind
me to catch up but, by now, I knew I had a good chance of coming in under seven
hours so I just wanted to keep going.
Once Haworth
was in sight, I got a huge second wind (or was it a third, fourth or fifth
wind?) and suddenly felt full of energy again.
Seeing the primary school was such a relief!
My official
time was 6 hours, 53 minutes and 58 seconds which I am really pleased with as
the time I had in mind was seven and a half hours. I was never really bothered about time and just wanted to get around but, the more distance I covered, the more the time seemed important.
When I got
back, I went to get myself some well earned grub and sat with Josie, Albert,
Mark, Mike and Tony who had all been back much longer than me.
I really
enjoyed the day and am pleased with the outcome but I don’t think I’ll be doing
the race again. One of the reasons I love
the LDWA events is because I enjoy following the route directions but that was impossible
on this race. There was also a bit too much
road in it for my liking as well. If somebody
wanted to pair up with me on it one year, however, then I’d probably go for it.
Total distance – 31.7 miles
Thursday 10 March 2016
Rising Stars
As mentioned last week, two of my work colleagues, Lois and Chanell, are currently doing the couch to 5k running programme and they’re finally up to the end of the eight week plan, meaning they should be able to run 5k non-stop. They are going to do the Heaton Parkrun this Saturday and asked me if I would take them out on a 5k route at lunch so that they could see whether they could run that far in one go.
I took them out on the route which goes down to Ancoats and over to and around the Etihad Stadium before coming back the same way (or, as I like to call it, ‘Rachel’s Route’).
They were fantastic! So much so, that when we reached 5k (or 3.1 miles by my watch – I’m old school), they decided to carry on a little bit down to the railway bridge. They even got a spurt on in something of a sprint finish stylee!
They were both, understandably, over the moon as they never thought eight weeks ago, when running for 60 seconds was tough, that they would be able to run for 38 minutes non-stop.
Just shows that the ‘C25K’ programme really works. I wish that I had done something structured like that when I first started out as I just went out and ran and went too fast and too far too soon, so it took me a long time to be able to run 5k all in one go. They have progressed much faster than I did.
I’m actually starting to worry a little! Better up my speed training!
Total distance – 3.25 miles
Tuesday 8 March 2016
Winding Down for the Hobble
I'm having an easy week this week so that I can go into the Hobble on Saturday all refreshed. That's the plan anyway. I must say, I'm a little nervous!
Today, I just ran with Ruby up to Two Lads and the Pike.
Coming down off Two Lads, Ruby nearly sent me flying on the steep bit behind the kennels, when she stopped dead in front of me. If I had tumbled over her, it wouldn't have been all bad, as Dr Hamer then appeared around the corner so he would have been able to fix me. Luckily, I didn't need any fixing but I did stand and have a natter for a while and it seems that it is Ian who is in the wars, having recently dislocated his shoulder and torn a calf muscle. That has put paid to his London Marathon and Ironman this year. Must be tough having to drop out, especially given the expense of the Ironman.
After leaving Ian, I ran along George's Lane and, as I turned the corner before the bottom of the Pike, Nick Leigh was coming the other way with his dog, which Ruby ran off over to. Luckily she didn't bite him (her?). Usually when I go out at this time of a morning (6.30) I don't see a single other person but it was quite busy up there this morning.
We then climbed up the Pike and ran back down to the Pigeon Tower, then looped through the terraced gardens, back along George's Lane and home through Wilderswood.
Total distance - 5.5 miles
Today, I just ran with Ruby up to Two Lads and the Pike.
Coming down off Two Lads, Ruby nearly sent me flying on the steep bit behind the kennels, when she stopped dead in front of me. If I had tumbled over her, it wouldn't have been all bad, as Dr Hamer then appeared around the corner so he would have been able to fix me. Luckily, I didn't need any fixing but I did stand and have a natter for a while and it seems that it is Ian who is in the wars, having recently dislocated his shoulder and torn a calf muscle. That has put paid to his London Marathon and Ironman this year. Must be tough having to drop out, especially given the expense of the Ironman.
After leaving Ian, I ran along George's Lane and, as I turned the corner before the bottom of the Pike, Nick Leigh was coming the other way with his dog, which Ruby ran off over to. Luckily she didn't bite him (her?). Usually when I go out at this time of a morning (6.30) I don't see a single other person but it was quite busy up there this morning.
We then climbed up the Pike and ran back down to the Pigeon Tower, then looped through the terraced gardens, back along George's Lane and home through Wilderswood.
Total distance - 5.5 miles
Monday 7 March 2016
Stunning Morning
Duncan dropped me off early doors again this morning and I ran along Wallsuches and up onto George's Lane. It was again very slippery underfoot in places which is a shame as I was running really well but the ice slowed me down a lot.
I ran along to the Pike then went up the steep side and on top came across a couple who were just putting down their pop up shelter as they had been huddled up in it watching the sunrise. Awww, how romantic!
It really was beautiful this morning though, really sunny but very cold. The views were really far reaching and it was great to be out.
From the Pike, I ran along to the Pigeon Tower then carried on along the track until I reached the stile on the left hand side which I then crossed and ran down to the bridge at Dangerous Corner. As I was running along from here towards the car park, I kept seeing and hearing deer. There were loads out and about this morning. I attempted to get a picture of some which ran across my path but by the time I had got my phone out of my bag they were way up the hill. There are three in this picture. Can you spot them?
Whilst fumbling with my camera with gloves on to take the picture of the deer, I managed to take an accidental fellfie...
From the car park, I then zigzagged my way up through the terraced gardens, coming back out at the Pigeon Tower. I then ran along George's Lane, dodging all the icy puddles before heading home through Wilderswood.
What a lovely morning to be out! If I hadn't had to get home to start work (I'm working from home today), I could have stayed out for hours! I hope I feel this good next Saturday for the Hobble.
Total distance - 7 miles
I ran along to the Pike then went up the steep side and on top came across a couple who were just putting down their pop up shelter as they had been huddled up in it watching the sunrise. Awww, how romantic!
It really was beautiful this morning though, really sunny but very cold. The views were really far reaching and it was great to be out.
From the Pike, I ran along to the Pigeon Tower then carried on along the track until I reached the stile on the left hand side which I then crossed and ran down to the bridge at Dangerous Corner. As I was running along from here towards the car park, I kept seeing and hearing deer. There were loads out and about this morning. I attempted to get a picture of some which ran across my path but by the time I had got my phone out of my bag they were way up the hill. There are three in this picture. Can you spot them?
Whilst fumbling with my camera with gloves on to take the picture of the deer, I managed to take an accidental fellfie...
From the car park, I then zigzagged my way up through the terraced gardens, coming back out at the Pigeon Tower. I then ran along George's Lane, dodging all the icy puddles before heading home through Wilderswood.
What a lovely morning to be out! If I hadn't had to get home to start work (I'm working from home today), I could have stayed out for hours! I hope I feel this good next Saturday for the Hobble.
Total distance - 7 miles
Sunday 6 March 2016
Fell on Arse!
Just an easy one with Ruby this morning. I hadn't anticipated how icy it was and thought it was just snowy so didn't put my Orocs on. Rookie mistake! I was running along George's Lane and, as I passed Maria's house, one of the dogs started barking, which made Ruby get excited and start pulling. As we were going downhill, this resulted in me slipping on ice and falling onto my backside, putting my hands out to stop myself.
War wound,,,
I thought I had got away without being seen but then heard a voice say 'are you OK?' to which I replied, 'just a wounded pride'. Thankfully, it wasn't Maria or Sean but who knows whether they also saw the incident out of a window.
I was a bit more tentative running along the road after that as it was incredibly slippery underfoot. Even when I turned off and started running up towards the water tanks it was still hard going. Once at the water tanks, we turned right and headed off into Walker Fold then looped back round and came out further up the mast road then headed to Two Lads from the back.
Running down off Two Lads was a bit slower than usually as it was also quite slippery in places and I had to put Ruby on the lead before I got to the kennels as Paul Boardman was coning up the other way with his dog. There was no way I was running down that steep bit with Ruby on a lead though as she'd just drag me down so I waited until Paul had passed (after we had a good natter that is).
We then went down through my favourite field which was also incredibly slippery and I had to keep Ruby on the lead due to sheep so I was much slower than usually going down there.
Total distance - 5.15 miles
War wound,,,
I thought I had got away without being seen but then heard a voice say 'are you OK?' to which I replied, 'just a wounded pride'. Thankfully, it wasn't Maria or Sean but who knows whether they also saw the incident out of a window.
I was a bit more tentative running along the road after that as it was incredibly slippery underfoot. Even when I turned off and started running up towards the water tanks it was still hard going. Once at the water tanks, we turned right and headed off into Walker Fold then looped back round and came out further up the mast road then headed to Two Lads from the back.
Running down off Two Lads was a bit slower than usually as it was also quite slippery in places and I had to put Ruby on the lead before I got to the kennels as Paul Boardman was coning up the other way with his dog. There was no way I was running down that steep bit with Ruby on a lead though as she'd just drag me down so I waited until Paul had passed (after we had a good natter that is).
We then went down through my favourite field which was also incredibly slippery and I had to keep Ruby on the lead due to sheep so I was much slower than usually going down there.
Total distance - 5.15 miles
Saturday 5 March 2016
Icicles!
Yet again, I attempted a long run this morning after doing an exhausting spin at altitude class last night and drinking win afterwards. I will NEVER learn!! If anyone thinks I'm just making excuses, get yourself down to the spin at altitude and you'll see just how tough it is. It completely drains you and, when coupled with win, leaves you pretty exhausted the next day. I think I'm going to have to change my spin night to a Wednesday so that it doesn't interfere with my Saturday morning runs. Either that or stop drinking wine on a Friday night... nah!
I was already walking before I even reached Wylderswoode Stud, that's how bad it was. I had intended to do around 15 miles but only had three hours to do it in because my parents were coming round. That should have been more than enough time but because I was so tried, it wasn't and I ended up cutting short to 12 miles.
I went up to Two Lads but walked about 50% of it. I then headed up to the mast and, as I was nearing it, I could see stuff falling from it. It looked as though somebody had thrown a load of sheets of paper out but I then realised that it was long shards of ice falling down from the cables. There were loads of them and I could see them hitting the snow and making it 'poof' up around them. All I was thinking is that if one of these hit me on the head, it's going to hurt! I carried on up towards the mast, looking up the entire time so that I could dodge anything coming towards me. Luckily I avoided it all but I'm not surprised there are warning signs up about it, they could do some serious damage. A biker commented that he had to go through it and it was quite scary to which I replied 'you're wearing a flippin' helmet, how do you think I feel?'.
After the mast I went along to the top of the diagonal and started descending. This was incredibly hard work as I couldn't see the path and my feet kept sinking making it difficult to stay upright. It seemed to take me ages to get to the bottom. Once at the bottom, I decided to climb the fence and take the Monday night run round which I have never done in daylight before. The path was actually quite difficult to see due to the snow. When I neared the end of it, instead of heading down to the bridge, I climbed up, coming out on the road at dangerous corner. I then turned right and ran along a short way before turning off on the left and following the path along to Higher Hempshaws. I then carried on along it all the way into Lead Mines Clough.
I climbed up to Bomber Memorial then out to Jepson's Gate and ran down the road to Waterman's Cottage then followed the path around Anglezarke. I was totally exhausted by now and was getting slower and slower even on the flats and downhills.
Eventually I came out into Rivington and followed the path alongside the road to the school then ran up past the llamas to dog poo alley. As soon as my watch hit 12 miles I stopped it and walked the rest of the way home (only about an eighth of a mile)
Total distance - 12 miles
I was already walking before I even reached Wylderswoode Stud, that's how bad it was. I had intended to do around 15 miles but only had three hours to do it in because my parents were coming round. That should have been more than enough time but because I was so tried, it wasn't and I ended up cutting short to 12 miles.
I went up to Two Lads but walked about 50% of it. I then headed up to the mast and, as I was nearing it, I could see stuff falling from it. It looked as though somebody had thrown a load of sheets of paper out but I then realised that it was long shards of ice falling down from the cables. There were loads of them and I could see them hitting the snow and making it 'poof' up around them. All I was thinking is that if one of these hit me on the head, it's going to hurt! I carried on up towards the mast, looking up the entire time so that I could dodge anything coming towards me. Luckily I avoided it all but I'm not surprised there are warning signs up about it, they could do some serious damage. A biker commented that he had to go through it and it was quite scary to which I replied 'you're wearing a flippin' helmet, how do you think I feel?'.
After the mast I went along to the top of the diagonal and started descending. This was incredibly hard work as I couldn't see the path and my feet kept sinking making it difficult to stay upright. It seemed to take me ages to get to the bottom. Once at the bottom, I decided to climb the fence and take the Monday night run round which I have never done in daylight before. The path was actually quite difficult to see due to the snow. When I neared the end of it, instead of heading down to the bridge, I climbed up, coming out on the road at dangerous corner. I then turned right and ran along a short way before turning off on the left and following the path along to Higher Hempshaws. I then carried on along it all the way into Lead Mines Clough.
I climbed up to Bomber Memorial then out to Jepson's Gate and ran down the road to Waterman's Cottage then followed the path around Anglezarke. I was totally exhausted by now and was getting slower and slower even on the flats and downhills.
Eventually I came out into Rivington and followed the path alongside the road to the school then ran up past the llamas to dog poo alley. As soon as my watch hit 12 miles I stopped it and walked the rest of the way home (only about an eighth of a mile)
Total distance - 12 miles
Thursday 3 March 2016
Potential Kathryn Replacements???
A couple of the girls at my work, Lois and Chanell, have just got into running and are doing the C25k (couch to 5k) programme, with a view to being able to a 10k later in the year.
They are doing really well and today were on a 25 minute non-stop run session.
I went for a run along the canal myself at lunch (on my own again boo hoo!) and passed them as they were heading back. They looked really cheery and seemed to be doing great.
Could I have some future new lunchtime running buddies??? Here's hoping!
I have quite a decent run today and felt really strong. I was running comfortably at an average of 8 and a half minute mile pace and because I was so comfortable I thought I was running slower than that so was quite pleased when I saw my stats afterwards.
Total distance - 5 miles
They are doing really well and today were on a 25 minute non-stop run session.
I went for a run along the canal myself at lunch (on my own again boo hoo!) and passed them as they were heading back. They looked really cheery and seemed to be doing great.
Could I have some future new lunchtime running buddies??? Here's hoping!
I have quite a decent run today and felt really strong. I was running comfortably at an average of 8 and a half minute mile pace and because I was so comfortable I thought I was running slower than that so was quite pleased when I saw my stats afterwards.
Total distance - 5 miles
Tuesday 1 March 2016
Taking Advantage of Duncan's Illness
Duncan was chundering from the minute he woke up this morning. He insisted on going into work but came home at lunch time and went back to bed.
This meant that, when I got home, I didn't have to worry about Ruby having been left on her own all day so I managed to get out on my own for a decent run.
I ran down to the school, crossed the road and went a short way down Dryfield Lane before turning off on the right and making may way along to Liverpool Castle. I then ran along the reservoir out to the prep school, to the bowling green and along the track towards Yarrow. Rather than running up to Yarrow though, I ran down the road to Dean Brook and followed it back to Rivington, then ran along the path at the side of the road back home.
I managed to get a pretty decent session in with not having Ruby with me faffing about. Thanks for being ill Duncan!
(He's better now by the way)
Total distance - 5 miles
This meant that, when I got home, I didn't have to worry about Ruby having been left on her own all day so I managed to get out on my own for a decent run.
I ran down to the school, crossed the road and went a short way down Dryfield Lane before turning off on the right and making may way along to Liverpool Castle. I then ran along the reservoir out to the prep school, to the bowling green and along the track towards Yarrow. Rather than running up to Yarrow though, I ran down the road to Dean Brook and followed it back to Rivington, then ran along the path at the side of the road back home.
I managed to get a pretty decent session in with not having Ruby with me faffing about. Thanks for being ill Duncan!
(He's better now by the way)
Total distance - 5 miles
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