Back to Basics

Ok,

it's time...

Time to get my lardy arse into action. 

Yup, I've been doing a lot of walking. Yup, I've done a fair distance.  Nope, I've not look after what's gone in as well as I have done in the recent past. Yup, I've used every excuse in the book.

Yup, I'm heavier than I should be and its affecting my climbing.

So, the solution is simple.

Go back to what work - a lighter diet, and switch back to running.

And not to beat myself up - this isn't scourging and purification, this is sensible eating and increasing the output.

Every little bit helps.

And I'm not beating myself up - this hasn't (yet) been a year of PBs - 2012 was remarkable for that.  But I have run a 5 mile PB, and my second fastest half marathon. 

And I have had fun in the Peak District, walking in full on winter conditions, walking in half on winter conditions, night hikes and boggy slogs.  When I go back, it'll be to toughen up for the Peak Ultra I'll be doing in 9 weeks. 

Before then, I've miles to go.  May is traditionally the month I head to the hills for a week - so this year its Scotland, the Great Glen Way and a couple of days in and around Fort William. 

So, a gentle 5km jogged today.  A very gentle 10 miles tomorrow, and slowly the runner will be back.

TTFN

Paul

These are not the hills you are looking for...

Well, that didn't go to plan...

We ballsed up.  We went off a mountain the wrong way, did casual checks and ended up 2 hours off the back of the pack and chose to stop there.

So we did Ingleborough, dropped down, finally confirmed location, turned around walked back up Ingleborough and walked to Hill Inn checkpoint.

We didn't do the basics we normally do so well - check, verify & confirm.

We were nanas...

Ok, we mucked up on a mountain where it was blowing horizontal snow in our faces.  We misjudged our route by about 300m and kept left instead of turn left.

We did do somethings right - as soon as we realised and could get a signal we called in to the events organisers and let them know we'd ballsed up.

We also couldn't let anyone sit on the hills just so we could carry on walking, so we called it at Hill Inn. And also agreed that we'd find someway of helping out to try and redeem our embarrassment.

Which is how we ended up in the kitchen of the Fellsman, on the night shift.  Helping the usual overnight expert we served more baked spuds than we could count, at a rough guess poured out over 150l of tea, and smiled at those who hopefully dropped out in less embarrassing ways or had completed the course. 

We prepped more bacon & sausage than I've ever seen before, invented a new method for cooking fried bread and basically did we could to help.

Then we went to Malham Cove to do a walk...

So we did get a lot tired - Saturday we were up at 5am for breakfast, bussed out to the start, walked Ingleborough (twice), and then grabbed a couple of hours kip before the kitchen shift from 22:30 until 9:30 on Sunday morning - a gentle walk around Malham followed by crashing at our hotel.

Yes we mucked up, but hopefully we redeemed ourselves enough that we'll be allowed back next year to try again... And if not more than one person asked that we got lost again - so we could help out:-)

A big thank you to the organisers, and we are ashamed enough of ourselves we bought each other mugs with maps of Ingleborough on so whenever we have tea we see the map we should've known.

TTFN

Paul  

Undiscovered Country...

The Fellsman... 60 miles...

That's a long way.  Two and a bit marathons... Would be bad enough!

Then there's the hills...

11,000ft of them - roughly 3 Ben Nevis'

The kit list has been checked, and emails set to confirm bits of the that my befuddled brain couldn't work out - how many long sleeve tops do I need to take, including the waterproofs? Is it 5 or 6... How much insulation will I need for the night?

I've been event specific training, walking uses different combinations of muscles than running, carrying a specified kit list is always going to weight more than my more minimal set of kit for splashing and dashing.

And I'm scared.

Between my mate (whose made enough to sign up for this, in fact I think it was his idea) and me with a lot of hill experience, we've walk well as a pair and have strength in depth for something bits and bobs - we can both plan for England and also read a map on the fly. 

But this is something more than the 26 milers with c5000ft that we've done in the past.  This is one that'll go on through the night. All night... and through into the next day.

I just am going so beyond what I know I can do that it's almost unimaginable.  This is double the distance of my longest one hit event...

Right, head shook and gave myself a gentle rap on the noggin! Stop the negative spiral of thinking!

This is something that all of my runs and walks for the last couple of years can be said to be leading to.  I can run a marathon, I've done fell-run half marathons and ultra-marathons.  I may not finish this event, but anyone can get injured on any event. On fell runs there are time cut-offs, if we don't make it then we know what to do next time - get fitter, get faster.

Next time won't be next year - I've an appointment to finish a run on The Mall - London 2014 I will be there.  But that's next year, my focus is now on next Sunday - time to go and see what I can do.

TTFN

Paul 

Rapture Postponed...

No, not a post apocalyptic religious loon post...

I've been looking forward to Rivington, it was going to be hard, cold work and definitely more of a speed hike than a run (my kit sorted that out).  It was cancelled for the best of reasons, safety... According to the excellent information the organisers couldn't get the car up to the start or the feed stations, so apart from no food, if any of us had come a cropper we'd have had problems getting out!

So the paths around home are in a more dangerous state than I care to run in - yes that sounds odd, but on flat pavements with ice in patches I'd be at more risk than on a hill... It's the patches that would get me... which leaves me grumpy, on a mild carbo-high and champing at the bit to do something!!!

I also have an essay due in on Thursday, so having to concentrate instead of just running is doing my head in... Oh well, there's plenty out there that does my head in (a mild rant - READ stuff, UNDERSTAND stuff, and then only if you are really sure you know what's going on comment!!!) and I can't control much of it.

So to assuage my ill humours a weekend of hard walking has been planned for a fortnights time, my last heavy training before the Fellsman.  Which is a bit of joke, there hasn't been that much heavy training at all this year...

Grump Grump Grump

The good news is the organisers of Rivington should let us know soon of a rescheduled date, my talk to The Down's Heart Group went well (the parents laughed in the places I hoped they would and some kindly gave positive feedback), I've a day off tomorrow to write my essay, visit a museum or two and climb my arms off...

I also have the Fellsman to plan - for those who don't know, the Fellsman is 60 miles & 11,000ft of continuous walking - in c36 hours... Yes I am scared.

On which note...

TTFN   
 
Paul

Between Fun & Rapture...

The fun in the fens was freezing, a howling wind driving sleet and snow into our faces...

However, it was a damn good course and I ran very well for someone with as little training in as I have at the moment.  My second fastest Half, in hostile conditions - I can live with that:-)

The rest of the week has been my usual mix of busyness with work and busyness with charity stuff... and a run...

The Midshires Way is a fairly big trail.. Though based on the conditions underfoot it isn't used much in winter, and I can see why.  In trail shoes I should be able to keep moving forwards, rather than 3 forward and 1 sideways.... I felt a bit better when I saw a sheep goes sideways down a hill... So not fast, but tough. 

A night at an excellent youth hostel and the rest of the Monsal Trail saw me into Bakewell in time for an early lunch, a mooch around the shops and then back to Liverpool for some cross-training - or Ceilidh dancing as its otherwise known.

All went well, my slightly dodgy ankle is slightly dodgy... The weather for next weekend is light flurries of snow, so Cambridge was good training for that...

My objective for next weekend is simple - make it through in under the 10h cut off... I know most of the course from previous walks and runs, and walking should bring me in under that time, so a bit of jogging will be to the good...

This week is about gentle carboloading, keeping myself functioning and loose...

Next weekend will hurt, but should be fun:-)

TTFN

Paul

High Speed Hopscotch...

This was my fun run, a gentle 10 miles over and around some of my favourite countryside.

Nothing special.

And I smiled and I loved it.

Yes, my pack was overloaded (trying to do an overnight with a 20l running sack was a push).  Yes, I was slower than I should be (must remember to focus).

However, up past North Lees Hall (home to the Eyres) and through some damn fine bouldering - I was amazed a climber was up and cranking as I went past (ok, they could drive up closer than me).  Up through the cleft up onto the Edge itself, and then the hopscotch began... From rock, to rock, via bog and clumps of snow.  It wasn't fast at all, just gentle plodding, faster than I'd walk; slower than I'd run.

Then across to Burbage Rocks, more hopscotch or the gentler path?  For once I took the gentler path, half a mind on next weekends, and meandered down, along the road for a bit before the detour to Millstone Edge, a cut down through an industrial archaeologist's wet dream, and then into Hathersage along the Derwent. 

10 and a quarter miles run, 1500ft up and down, in metric, 16.45km & 460m.  That'll do, it'll have to do... I don't think Cambridge will be so hilly...

TTFN

Paul


ps the difference in height gain - I map on OS mapping, the US military doesn't include every lump and bump...

Time to focus

Ok, The training's not been brilliant, in fact compared with most years it's pretty much non-existent...

But the next two biggies aren't the target for the year...

Focus...

The main target is 100 miles in 3 and a bit days in August.

Focus...

All of this is just training, just getting the kit right, just getting me right...

Focus...

Two good runs this week, a 10k and a 5 miler... Both after long days in the office, both on nights where the easiest thing would've been to stay in and do something else instead.

Focus...

This weekend is mainly fun, a 10 mile run up to and along the edges over Hathersage. Speed isn't the issue, getting the 10 miles in my legs is.

Focus...

I need to get my fuel and hydration back to how good it was - I'm not bad, but I can, and must, do better - mainly drink more when running and afterwards.

Focus...

So, on to Fun in the Fens - The Cambridge Half Marathon, followed 2 weeks later by Rapture at Rivington Montane Ultra Trail 26 - March is going to be fun:-)

Focus...

This is fun, this is good for me, and this is something that makes me smile... Last doesn't matter, slow never matters, trying and doing matters

TTFN

Paul  

Running out of time...

The cold has finally gone, I've managed two good runs and a couple of longish walks this week.  No ill effects, I even managed to drink and run at the same time without choking:-)

So where am I in terms of my training?

I can readily run 10km, I can run at full pelt on up to about 5 miles.  I've not gone further than 10km and I've not done much speed training. 

Oh, and I'm two weeks away from a half-marathon and 4 weeks away from an off-road marathon.

My every rule in the book I should be a little worried, but this is where all of the run last year come into play.  I know these runs are going to hurt, I know I can do them and stay hale and healthy and I know that thoughts of PB's and good times are will of the wisps.  These runs are now probably what they should have been from when I booked them, staging posts on to the rest of the year and the madness that is yet to come.

At various points last year I was knocking off half marathons for fun, 2 in one weekend, one an evening after work. It is that confidence I need to channel over the next couple of weeks, paced and focused running - two runs in the week and then an offroad jolly next weekend.  Then a gentle taper, one of the quirks of my running is that I've got my best times when I haven't tapered, my strength and confidence seem to be linked more than the normal carbohydrate and muscle tiredness regimes others use successfully.

So, miles to do (and an essay to finish)... This weeks run were fun, both while I was in London - the first makes a delightful walk...



The second one was a trip to a favourite place... and a trot around a fine old lady with a shiny bottom



So, gym in the morning...

TTFN

Paul

There's a me shaped indent in the beach...

The nightrunner series on the face of it is a little bit mad....

Take a trail or fell run... Take some runners... Make sure they have headtorches... wait until after dark... and let them go!

The most local one of these to me was yesterday on Formby beach, part of the Sefton dune system.  During the day I'd be (in warmer weather) looking out for Natterjack toads, a local speciality and a national rare species.

In February, any self-respecting toad is going to be hibernating and the local wildlife was best described as human (probably) and gobby (definitely) AKA scallies... Their dulcet tones greeted us during one stage of the run.

There were three distinct types of terrain I either ran on, jog/stumbled on or walked through slowly... That'll be trails, the beach and sand, deep sand!  On the trails I was keeping up with the group of friendly runners I'd started with at the back of the pack, on the beach I was doing fine until I went flying... Splat... I tripped over a washed up brick... Dusting (sanding?) myself off and plodding along was the order of the day, until the next brick... Ho Hum!

The soft sand was a nightmare, I sank in it... often up to my ankles, adding to the fun, honest;-)

My vague target was something around 65 min - I was allowing 10min for the terrain and for the night running thing... 67:50 was the final scores on the Garmin's doors, so I'll live with that:-)


The cold and lurgy finally seem to have shifted, my evidence is my appetite is not longer on hyper-drive and I'm irritated that because tomorrow is complicated I won't be getting to the gym first thing!  Hey ho, such is life...

TTFN

Paul

Progress... A tail of three Mad Dogs

I love the Mad Dog 10k...

It's early enough in the year that I don't put myself under too much pressure... And at just the right point to give me an indication for the half, full and Ultra's to come.

It's also a crackingly well organised run, all for charity as well!!!

The Garmin does provide some simple analyticals - and when I look across the years I smile, and frown...

The smile, I'm quicker than I was last year. 

The frown - if I'd run the last 2km of last year I'd have been knocking on the door of a PB... Bugger... However, by that point I'd had to stop to drink and eat... Running with a blocked nose may be possible, and up to 5km seemed good (hell a 30min 5km is good!)... Trying to drink, and run at the same time, is not such a good idea... I did wheeze, and I did try and breathe water, and I did go red!

Ho hum...

Positives - I was faster than last year... It was cold, I had a cold, I finished and I got a cracking t-shirt and stunning medal:

 

 

I also made youtube... linky to youtube - I'm at about 3:10...

 

Right enough navel gazing, I've a half marathon in Cambridge to get ready for, and an offroad marathon... Both in March... Hmmmm....

 

TTFN

 

Paul