Six months is too long between runs!

“I am Fat. I am Lazy. I am a Runner”

Those are the ten words I started this blog with over 18 months ago.  At that time all three were 100% true.  I can still attest to the first six words but the last four are no longer accurate.

I finished on the 31st of December last year having run the equivalent of the length England and it had left me very tired, very sore and somewhat saddened that it was all over.  The main thing on my mind was resting my weary body after putting it through so much in the last month of the challenge.  I was elated to have finished the challenge but almost immediately after inputting the last of the details into my spreadsheets I realised there was a bit of a void that had been left behind.  I had spent over a year planning, running and obsessing over those 525 miles and I now had to find something else to occupy my mind

My knees, hips and back took quite a few weeks to shed the remnants of the challenge and just when I had an opportunity to get the trainers back on I got distracted with two very different activities calling for my attention.

The first one was a fresh new challenge.  In June I had signed up to attempt the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge.  This was a one day challenge which involves climbing 3 mountains (largely) in Yorkshire over a 25 mile walk in under 12 hours.  A challenge that was going to take a lot of planning and training, not to mention buying a lot of kit I had never needed before.

The second challenge opportunity was my involvement in the soon to be launched parkrun at Bestwood Village Country Park.  The training and planning was completed through January with the launch on the last Saturday morning of the month.  Over the next 5 months I have become a member of the Run Directing team that puts the event on every week as well as volunteering most weeks to keep the event running smoothly.

Sadly these commitments came at a cost.  Until a few days ago I had only run once in 2017 and I have found myself, once again, putting the pounds back on in quite large numbers.

Luckily being around runners every weekend at parkrun meant running was never far from my mind and I knew it was only a matter of time before I was to get my Brooks’ out of the cupboard and charged up my Garmin to get out there and get running once again.

New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve.

365 Days ago I made the initial steps on The Proper Grand Challenge and it almost seems like a lifetime away.  After falling upon parkrun 7 months ago it has become a permanent fixture on my calendar so it seemed appropriate that I should be finishing my challenge at a parkrun less than 5 miles from my front door and in the park where I suffered my heart attack.

I really did not sleep that well.  I think the mixture of excitement for finishing the challenge and the fear that something was still going to stop it happening.  Luckily I made it out the house with all limbs intact and with my better half in tow to cheer me over the finish line.

The white coated paths had given way to the muddy trails but nothing was going to stop the one hundred and fifty strong field of runners.  I started the Garmin and slowly made my way through the starting funnel and immediately felt the pull of my calves and my shins.  I choose to focus on the music and They Might Be Giants helped to ease myself into a nice stride which I managed to maintain even as the runners in front opened up a sizeable gap giving me the feeling of running alone.

The hardest part of the course is the transition from the first to the second lap and leads through a short wooded path but the rain, the frost and the cold weather had made it muddy underfoot and I could feel it drawing on the front of my thighs.

As I was about to emerge from the trees I looked over to see Heather (my better half), there with camera in hand waiting to take a action snap, flanked on either side by my parents, who Heather had secretly invited to come along to cheer me on for the last few miles.  I felt a swell of pride and a smile spread across my face as I threw a wave their way before heading through the gate for the final lap of the year.

Jimmy Eat World, Huey Lewis and the News and Toad the Wet Sprocket saw me round the furthest corner of the route and I headed around the pond before passing Heart Attack wall indicating a quarter of a mile left.

As the finish line came into view Neil Diamond’s Solitary Man burst through my earphones and I quickened my pace to finish the year strongly.

And that was it.

366 days of hard work, sore legs and 525 miles of pathways passing under my trainers and I had completed the Proper Grand Challenge.  I have been lucky to have been able to find the time to run so much throughout the year.  I have suffered a couple of illnesses, an injury or too and bouts of a lack of motivation but I have somehow managed to make it all the way to Lizard Point, the southernmost point in mainland England.

Luckily all the way my Brother has been keeping me on track by constantly asking for a progress report after each run throughout the year and has done the challenge along with me (he managed to pass the 525 miles mark in the second week of December).  My parents have been asking how far down the country I have made it.  Most importantly Heather has been supporting me all year, even though it has cut into time we could have been doing things together, and has been a amazing at kicking me out of the door into the cold on mornings I had not wanted to slip out from under the duvet.

After a year and 525 miles I think it is time for a few drinks to bring in the New Year and a much needed rest.

A New Year’s Day parkrun?  Maybe my rest will have to start on January 2nd!

 

Penultimate Run

I am so close.  However it took a hell of a lot to get me out of the house Thursday morning.  Just a look through the window showed the pavements glinting with the possibility of slipping and injuring myself at this late stage of the challenge.

Dressed in my warmest running gear I headed out to Titchfield Park for the last but one run of the year.

Immediately my calves were aching and the unsteady patches where the tree shadows stripped the paths made my stepping more pensive which translated to an ache right up the front of my thighs.

The evidence of recent vandalism tarred my run as I passed the Victorian boathouse which recently saw idiots burn the roof down.  I made my way around the fencing barring access to the destroyed building and headed out into the graveyard, almost a repeat of the first run of the year all those days ago.

The four miles I managed to traverse was hard fought and left my aching but I am left with only 2.78 miles, a distance that fits nicely into the Brierley Forest parkrun saturday.

 

Twistmas run Part One

I had intended to get out early and start the day with a steady four miles but an aching back and a seriously snotty nose sent me to the sofa rather than to the streets.

After some rest, recreation and copious amounts of chocolate I finally got out as the sun was rapidly vanishing.  I took a few moments to get up to speed and headed along the bypass out of town, stopping short of neighbouring Bullwell and heading back up until I hit the town centre again.

I somehow managed to extend the run to 5 miles simply because I didn’t know quite how long the route was.

4 days left, 6.8 miles remaining and two more runs needed to get myself over the finish line and run into the virtual sea of Lizard Point.

Christmas Day in a Nottinghamshire town.

Not a sign of snow this Christmas morning, nor is there much sign of life around the streets of Hucknall and Linby.  I was not really in the mood but with the last 7 days of the year now upon us I needed to get out there and get at least 5 miles on the board.

The High Street

A very empty Argos and Home Bargains

No trams and trains today

Heading out of Hucknall

Heading into Papplewick Village

Quiet in the village pub.

Entering Linby, beware of the slippy paths.

Christmas in a phone box

Linby, not a single person around.

A little bit of country within the town

Finally, someone out walking their dog.

Maybe not another person at all

Heading back into Hucknall

The finish line

I tipped my Santa Hat to the resting place of Lord Byron before walking back home.

Time for a couple of days of eating badly and having a few beers, I have only 6 days to cover 11.86 miles, a very doable 4 days every other day.

The penultimate week.

It seems the end of the year is approaching faster than I can keep up with.  Work is winding down, the presents have been bought, wrapped and labelled and the wine has been well and truly mulled.  I am missing running in daylight so I made the effort on Sunday to get out to the park to do a few miles and get me closer to the goal.  I was struggling almost from the start but managed to dig deep and as the distance increased the aches and pains seemed to ease somewhat.

Tuesday evening was an absolute mess right from the start.  I had barely gotten up to a running pace before my calves started cramping and it wasn’t long before my thighs and hips joined suit.  It got to the point where I was looking forward to crossing roads just to take a moment, catch my breath and give a small stretch to the muscles that were crying out the loudest.  Somehow I managed to keep it going for over four miles but I was happy to submerge my limbs in a slightly too hot bath when I got back home.

Christmas eve meant tinsel and Santa hats had invaded the Brierley Forest parkrun which gave the morning a nice sense of levity and joviality.  It also was one of the best attended parkruns there I have been involved in.  The start of the run was absolute mayhem with such a large number runners cramming onto the narrow path, it was unfortunate to see a runner slip on the mud but it was fantastic to see so many runners come to her aid immediately.

After a minute or two I was finally able to step up to a jog and I found a nice pace as the crowd thinned out and the path opened up before me.  I made the decision to avoid looking at my watch for as long as possible, this allowed me to find a comfortable stride.  The lingering cold that has been making recent runs difficult was finally easing and I was able to fill my lungs easily around the course.

With my 3.1 miles done I was feeling pretty fresh still so set off again for one more lap to top up the distance to 6 miles.  The rain fell down in icy rods and soaked me through my jacket and tights and misted my glasses up impairing my vision for the final mile.  I wanted to carry on but I was starting to get cold.

With just 7 days left to go I have 17.36 miles left.  But the sea is almost in sight and I am really excited at the thought of running through that finish line.

 

A busy old few weeks.

December has been a busy old month so far.  I have managed to cram in a short break to the Peak District, a cold, days of shopping, a long day at hospital, another cold and just a few yards shy of 40 miles of running.

I guess I have been lucky with some mild mornings as well as most days being free of rain.  The worst I have had too contend with has been some freezing fog, slightly slippy pavements and some muddy paths in the park.  Certainly could have been a more difficult month weather-wise so far.

I has been three weeks since my last post and I have managed to fit in 9 runs from a couple of aborted short runs where my cold got the better of me to today’s triple effort (warm up, park run and cool down run adding up to a little over 6 miles).

It looks like the council has designated this an official running pavement

The runs in the dark are not as visually exciting but they do allow me to get lost in the music, which always helps motivate myself to add that extra street and bump the distance by half a mile.

The stars of the month so far have been the three parkruns.  The sun has been low in the sky but, because the trees have shed all their greenery, the park has appeared welcoming and has allowed me to put in 3 good runs (accounting for nearly 40% of the December miles so far).

With the cold weather I had to upgrade some of my kit.  Constantly fighting with getting things washed and dried it was a no-brainer to treat myself to  a pair of running sights as well as an exceptionally bright new running jacket (so bright that I am sure I can be seen from space on a clear day).

With just 14 days left of the year I have left myself a mountain to climb.  I still have 32 miles left to cover, which is going to need me to commit to at least another 8 runs before Big Ben calls time on the challenge.  I hope to be able to finish the challenge on the New Years Eve parkrun.  Surely that is doable? right?

 

100 Not Out.

The week started with an aborted run.  A full day of rain had left the roads and pavements under water but as I got home the rain had stopped so I got my gear on and headed out for an evenings run.  Their was a slight drizzle in the air but not enough to put me off.  I headed out with an intent of getting four miles on the board but as I passed the mile mark the rain started again.  Five minutes later and the rain had one again become torrential.

Unfortunately I was at the further point away from home which gave me no choice but to turn around and run straight back.  This certainly made an improvement in my pace as I sped up to get out of the bad weather.  A horrid run but at least I made the effort.

Thursday morning and I forgot to set my alarm which gave me less time to get my run but I figured 3 miles is better than another 45 minutes of sleep.  It was crisp and dark but I was in the right mood to hit the streets so I warmed up by the time the inky black sky had eased to navy blue.  I decided to change my usual route for a more gently undulated road and I was rewarded with a sub 11 minute pace which had allowed sweat to form on my brow despite the cold air around me.

The three miles certainly set me up for the day.

Another Saturday and another parkrun.  Brierley Forest was cold but at least the weeks rain had dried up meaning I wasn’t going to have to leap and weave around puddles, although muddy patches were very soft under foot.

I had no intention of pushing for a time so I settled into a pack of runners and discovered a pace that felt comfortable with.  As the run went on my muscles warmed and my pace gently increased as I started the second lap and I made sure to keep amongst the group as I counted down towards the finish.  I sped up for the last quarter of a mile and sprinted the final 100 yards leaving me breathless as I had my barcode scanned.

I added a gentle 25 minutes extra setting myself up for a day at a beer festival.

 

 

A frozen parkrun

Running late already and the last thing I needed was to be standing there in my three quarter length running tights and scraping the ice from the car.  The morning was biting at my knuckles and I was happy to get behind the wheel with the warm air blasting over my hands and shins to warm me up.

I pretty regularly run in a Saturday morning now so I should already know to avoid doing certain things the night before.  But this didn’t stop me having a curry and spending the evening cramped into a seat in the cold arena watching Ice Hockey until well past my bedtime.  This ensured my morning would start with a jippy tummy and aching back on top of dealing with the frost covered paths of Brierley Forest.

My fitness is really slipping recently.  My weight has risen due to my holiday last month and I have not been able to get back into a healthy lifestyle since then.  I am currently 10lbs heavier than I started the year and this is really making running more difficult now.  parkruns were about chasing times, now they are about making it all the way around without stopping to walk a section.

I started at the back and let the usual cramped beginning ease before I found a pace I was comfortable with, I was a few minutes in before I realised I had forgotten my heart rate monitor.  I was simply going to have to judge my pace by how I felt rather than the rapidly changing numbers on my wrist.

The sun was making the park look nice but the puddles and icy patches are indicators of the winter months ahead of us. I hit a good pace and felt my muscles warm up and eventually felt sweat forming on my brow.  My breathing was heavy but I never felt out of control with it.  My legs showing no signs of the aching that has been creeping in over the last few runs again.

I pushed myself over the last quarter of a mile to get a finish that was not good, but also not as bad as it could have been.  An enjoyable parkrun once again.

A strange two weeks.

It has been a couple of weeks since I last updated the blog and quite a bit has happened in that time.

Yet another cold got onto my chest keeping me in my slippers rather than running shoes for a few days, I managed to get out just as my cold was clearing only to be struck down with a  stomach upset for a further three days of enforced rest (obviously nothing to do with all the out of date meat I buy in the supermarket Rummage).

On top of that my veteran HP Laptop finally gave up the ghost after over four years of service leaving me without the ability to blog my runs.  However, I am now fully back up and running with a shiny new Acer laptop (as shiny as matt plastic can get), a clean(ish) bill of health and only a month and a half left in 2016.

Six runs in 14 days, not bad considering 6 days of the 14 I was feeling unwell.  The drive to actually make it through and finish the challenge is carrying me along now.  The dark mornings and even darker evenings are sapping some of the enjoyment out of running but Spotify and the weekly parkrun are certainly helping me get the most from my exercise.

Two of the six runs have been parkruns and both of them have been difficult for different reasons.  Brierley Forest was bitingly cold and I could feel the dregs of the weeks cold clinging to my chest and throat as I forced myself around the course for what was my slowest parkrun time to date.  The following week I headed over to Gedling Country Park for a change of scenery.  Sadly the scenery was hidden amongst a bank of mist and the rain on my glasses, it gave a sense of bleakness that didn’t help my motivation to traverse the saddle shaped course.  For the first time in my 18 tries I had to walk a small section (about 10 metres) as the inclines just became too much for me and my calves were screaming with every slow paced thud on the wet ground.

My Sunday night has had to change as I try and close the deficit on my predicted schedule.  The days of dancing like a lunatic at Zumba has been shelved for the time being so i can add a fourth regular run to my routine.  My better half waves her glow sticks in the warm dance studio while I put on my jacket and tackle the dark pavements, avoiding the excessive road works as much as possible while PowerPop drills into my ears.

Also with the darkness comes the morning runs, the quiet streets are more welcoming then the early evening but the 6am alarm always feels too early and it takes a good mile before my body and brain are fully awake and I can get into the pace of the run.

Looking at my spreadsheets, wall mounted map and the various graphics I do (like the one above) and seeing under 100 miles remaining is just a fantastic feeling.  By this time in the challenge I half expected to have lost interest in the numbers and returned myself to the lazy life of Xbox and watching TV, or I would be so far behind my goal that I had no hope of completing the challenge.

I still have a lot of running to fit in this year which is going to mean really knuckling down and getting out no matter what the weather and even if I am in the mood to get sweaty or not.

I am still a few (virtual) miles shy of crossing into my final county of Cornwall but when I look just how far I have come I feel really proud of how I am doing.