Here is someone who inspires me - My eldest daughter Laura, who like all my children, inspires me greatly.
This picture was taken last weekend when she took part in her first triathlon.
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Inspiration...
We all have people who inspire us.
Here is someone who inspires me - My eldest daughter Laura, who like all my children, inspires me greatly.
This picture was taken last weekend when she took part in her first triathlon.
Here is someone who inspires me - My eldest daughter Laura, who like all my children, inspires me greatly.
This picture was taken last weekend when she took part in her first triathlon.
Friday, 3 July 2009
Oooh, ER!
The second course recce, this time over the second half of the course, started with an early drive to Swanage, then bus to Wareham and finally a train to Weymouth.
Another nervous, on the bus picture:
The run started from the clock-tower in Weymouth:
After a short while things started to get hilly. However, my nutrition (Hammer Perpetuem) was working well and I felt strong.
The above picture (Bats Head) sums up the beautiful Dorset coastline.
More beautiful views at Durdle Door (pictured above) and then on to Lulworth Cove. Here I stopped to sort out a couple of spots on my heels that were beginning to get sore because my socks were too short. A combination of Compeed plasters and duct tape (which didn't stick terribly well) sorted the problem, and I was on my way.
However, my route from Lulworth Cove to Kimmeridge was majorly diverted inland due to the Army firing range being closed. I had to head to East Lulworth, then along a road that was open through the firing range, and finally back down to the coast path at Kimmeridge. The diversion added a bit of distance but was probably a more forgiving terrain.
I ran out of drink at about East Lulworth, but managed to find a pub where I filled my Camel Back (water not beer!).
The above is Chapman's Pool - A truly majestic scene.
The route after Kimmeridge had some major ups and downs. My legs still felt pretty strong, but it was very hot and I emptied my Camel Back of water quickly. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nowhere to get more water, so I just had to carry on regardless.
I was still reasonably well hydrated, but couldn't really eat anything else because I knew, without water, the food would stick in my stomach and make me feel nauseous. So I carried on more slowly, walking a lot more, and resigned myself that my day was pretty much up.
When I finally reached Swanage again, the thought of carrying on towards Studland Bay was not very palatable. So, I ate and dipped my feet into the sea before heading home tired but quite pleased with the day.
All in all I covered about 34 miles in 8hrs 20mins. I have had no ill effects, and feel surprisingly chipper today with no muscle soreness or fatigue.
There are 4 weeks to go until the ONER, so from now on I will taper slowly until the big day.
Not too long to go...
Another nervous, on the bus picture:
The run started from the clock-tower in Weymouth:
After a short while things started to get hilly. However, my nutrition (Hammer Perpetuem) was working well and I felt strong.
The above picture (Bats Head) sums up the beautiful Dorset coastline.
More beautiful views at Durdle Door (pictured above) and then on to Lulworth Cove. Here I stopped to sort out a couple of spots on my heels that were beginning to get sore because my socks were too short. A combination of Compeed plasters and duct tape (which didn't stick terribly well) sorted the problem, and I was on my way.
However, my route from Lulworth Cove to Kimmeridge was majorly diverted inland due to the Army firing range being closed. I had to head to East Lulworth, then along a road that was open through the firing range, and finally back down to the coast path at Kimmeridge. The diversion added a bit of distance but was probably a more forgiving terrain.
I ran out of drink at about East Lulworth, but managed to find a pub where I filled my Camel Back (water not beer!).
The above is Chapman's Pool - A truly majestic scene.
The route after Kimmeridge had some major ups and downs. My legs still felt pretty strong, but it was very hot and I emptied my Camel Back of water quickly. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nowhere to get more water, so I just had to carry on regardless.
I was still reasonably well hydrated, but couldn't really eat anything else because I knew, without water, the food would stick in my stomach and make me feel nauseous. So I carried on more slowly, walking a lot more, and resigned myself that my day was pretty much up.
When I finally reached Swanage again, the thought of carrying on towards Studland Bay was not very palatable. So, I ate and dipped my feet into the sea before heading home tired but quite pleased with the day.
All in all I covered about 34 miles in 8hrs 20mins. I have had no ill effects, and feel surprisingly chipper today with no muscle soreness or fatigue.
There are 4 weeks to go until the ONER, so from now on I will taper slowly until the big day.
Not too long to go...
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
The Harpy Throne
The Harpy Throne - a mostly off-road route around Bristol that I discovered via the Closer to the Countryside website, which in-turn I found when investigating the Town and Country Harriers off-road running club.Having already completed a hard 50mins hills session during the lunchtime of the same day, and some leg exercises the previous evening, I set out at about 8pm and ran 15 miles from home out to the Beehive pub and then around the route until exiting Nightingale Valley. At this point, as I lost the route and the wooded-sections were getting pretty dark, so I headed back to the centre of Bristol, went around the harbourside and then home.
My legs felt pretty good the whole way round, so all is well with the training at the moment.
I had recently bought some Hammer Perpetuem nutrition and this run gave me a chance to try it out. Carrying a concentrated solution in a hand bottle and sipping frequently seemed to work really well. I'll test some more in my next few long runs as liquid nutrition may well form much of my calorific needs during the second-half of the ONER.
My next run is hopefully a 5am start on Saturday morning. At which point I'll probably try to complete the whole Harpy Throne route 20-24 miles.
Friday, 29 May 2009
The ON - 38 miles, 9.75 hours, 2 (sore) feet
I did it! There is some detail and pictures below, but in summary the positives and negatives are:
Positives:
The day began at 04:00am, after a broken night's sleep (thanks to Felix). I drove to Weymouth and got the 06:15am bus to Lyme Regis.
Here I'm looking nervous on the bus ride:
At Lyme Regis I bought a coffee, and then struggled to find the start of the coast path which, once I had found it, immediately turned into the first of two diversions on route due to landslides.
Having got onto the coast path proper, things started to get pretty hilly, the climax being Golden Cap (shrouded in cloud):
After Golden Cap it was still quite hilly for a while, with lovely views, but flattened-off at about Burton Bradstock.
Everything was still going well as I swanned-around (sic) Abbotsbury:
After Abbotsbury, there was a long flat section alongside Chesil Beach, leading towards Moonfleet Manor, and then on to Ferrybridge (between Weymouth and Portland). There were a few sections here where prior knowledge of the course should hopefully help me during the race.
Somewhere after Moonfleet Manor I ran out of anything to drink which was a bit worrying, however around East Fleet I came across a campsite where I could refill my Camelback.
At East Fleet I reached the marathon point at 6hrs 30mins.
From East Fleet to Ferrybridge, I first began to feel quite fatigued. So before making my way out to Portland, I found a cafe and bought a Strawberry Split ice cream and a bottle of Coke. After wolfing these down I felt a lot better and continued on to Portland.
The trip around Portland was fairly demoralising - a dusty island mostly populated with quarries and a prison - I will be pleased that this section will be dark during the race.
Navigating around Portland was also difficult, and I was really starting to feel tired. However, having got back to the causway, I ran reasonably well back to Ferrybridge.
The journey from Ferrybridge back to Weymouth bay was another matter - I think I'd run low on nutrition, and this being combined with the last leg being 2.5 miles rather than the 0.5 miles I was expecting, made the going very hard.
Finally I made it back to Weymouth and dipped my sore feet into the lovely cool sea:
My nutrition for the day was:
Even though I feel pretty good, I've decided to rest for the next 3 days to give my endocrine system a chance to recover. Back to training on Monday.
Positives:
- My previous longest run was 24 miles in 5 hours. Completing 38 miles in 9 3/4 hours is a big step in terms of miles and time on my feet (both important)
- I have no significant bad physical outcomes - a bit stiff if I sit for a long time, but no tendon or muscle injuries
- I handled the uphill parts of the course pretty well
- I learnt a lot about navigating the course, especially some of the route I will be covering in the dark, so hopefully no surprises
- I learnt more about nutrition on really long runs
- I have completed an ultra distance (50Km is the recognised starting distance for ultras, I completed 60Km)
- I hope (expect) that when I do the ER (2nd half of the course) I should handle the distance a bit easier
- I felt completely exhausted and my feet, legs and knees all hurt at the end. Although, this didn't last long, and by the time I got home, the residual hurt was fairly minor
- I'm not sure where the next 40 miles is going to come from (I felt pretty spent)
- The 1st half of the course was I think a lot easier than the hillier 2nd half will be
- I need to work on my quad strength as some of the steeper downhills were becoming quite difficult
- I'm a bit worried about navigating Portland in the dark, the route is quite complex and changes from coast path to footpath to road quite often
The day began at 04:00am, after a broken night's sleep (thanks to Felix). I drove to Weymouth and got the 06:15am bus to Lyme Regis.
Here I'm looking nervous on the bus ride:
At Lyme Regis I bought a coffee, and then struggled to find the start of the coast path which, once I had found it, immediately turned into the first of two diversions on route due to landslides.
Having got onto the coast path proper, things started to get pretty hilly, the climax being Golden Cap (shrouded in cloud):
After Golden Cap it was still quite hilly for a while, with lovely views, but flattened-off at about Burton Bradstock.
Everything was still going well as I swanned-around (sic) Abbotsbury:
After Abbotsbury, there was a long flat section alongside Chesil Beach, leading towards Moonfleet Manor, and then on to Ferrybridge (between Weymouth and Portland). There were a few sections here where prior knowledge of the course should hopefully help me during the race.
Somewhere after Moonfleet Manor I ran out of anything to drink which was a bit worrying, however around East Fleet I came across a campsite where I could refill my Camelback.
At East Fleet I reached the marathon point at 6hrs 30mins.
From East Fleet to Ferrybridge, I first began to feel quite fatigued. So before making my way out to Portland, I found a cafe and bought a Strawberry Split ice cream and a bottle of Coke. After wolfing these down I felt a lot better and continued on to Portland.
The trip around Portland was fairly demoralising - a dusty island mostly populated with quarries and a prison - I will be pleased that this section will be dark during the race.
Navigating around Portland was also difficult, and I was really starting to feel tired. However, having got back to the causway, I ran reasonably well back to Ferrybridge.
The journey from Ferrybridge back to Weymouth bay was another matter - I think I'd run low on nutrition, and this being combined with the last leg being 2.5 miles rather than the 0.5 miles I was expecting, made the going very hard.
Finally I made it back to Weymouth and dipped my sore feet into the lovely cool sea:
My nutrition for the day was:
- Approx. 1.5ltrs water with 3 x Nuun tablets
- 4 x Crunchy Granola bars
- Lunch of 1 x Marmite sandwich, 1 x Peanut butter and jam
- 1 x Strawberry Split, 1 x Coke (330ml)
Even though I feel pretty good, I've decided to rest for the next 3 days to give my endocrine system a chance to recover. Back to training on Monday.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Beautiful little run
I was staying at my sister-in-law's at Chesham Bois over the bank holiday weekend. Managed a 13 mile run on Monday - starting from Chesham Bois, running to Chesham, and then along an ancient trade route from Chesham to Wendover (Chiltern Link Walk).
After the run, I was expecting to meet everyone else at a play area in Wendover Woods, but the risk of rain meant that there was a change of plan. Instead I had to hot-foot it over to Wendover station to catch the train back to Amersham to meet the others at a coffee shop before going for a family swim.
I thought that the meadow flowers and wild garlic in the woods deserved a couple of photos (even if my mobile phone isn't very good quality):
After the run, I was expecting to meet everyone else at a play area in Wendover Woods, but the risk of rain meant that there was a change of plan. Instead I had to hot-foot it over to Wendover station to catch the train back to Amersham to meet the others at a coffee shop before going for a family swim.
I thought that the meadow flowers and wild garlic in the woods deserved a couple of photos (even if my mobile phone isn't very good quality):
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Preparing for the ON...
Next Thursday (28th May), I shall be attempting to do the first half of the ONER course (hence the ON!). The plan is to drive to Weymouth, then get a bus to Lyme Regis, and run back - about 38 miles or so.
For the day I need to make a list of what to take:
Arrive Lyme Regis at 08:20am. Start run at 08:30am, hoping to finish before 09:30pm.
Leave Weymouth at 09:45pm, back home about Midnight!
For the day I need to make a list of what to take:
- Running kit (trainers, socks, compression tights, shorts, tee-shirt / tri top, warmer top, waterproof kagool)
- Head torch
- Map
- Backpack with Camelback pouch
- Money
- Nuun tablets
- Caffeine tablets
- Food - Peanut butter and jam sandwich, Marmite sandwich, energy bars, gels
- Loo roll
- Mobile phone and digital camera
- Flask of strong coffee for the journey home
Arrive Lyme Regis at 08:20am. Start run at 08:30am, hoping to finish before 09:30pm.
Leave Weymouth at 09:45pm, back home about Midnight!
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Swim, bike, run?
Today, I cycled North of Bristol to Tockington Manor School to take part in a dry-run of the inaugural BAD Tri Bristol Triathlon. A pool-based super-sprint triathlon (400m swim, 20Km bike and 5 Km off-road run).I would have gone out for a long run this morning, but the club were looking for volunteers to try out the course, and I thought that if I cycled to Tockington and back (circa 16 miles) and did the triathlon, that would be a reasonable workout.
The weather was appalling on the way to Tockington - Windy and rainy. However, on exiting the pool after my swim, I was pleased to see the day clearing to sunny intervals.
I was quite pleased with my swim time of 7 mins, which considering I haven't swum since last September, was OK against my best 400m swim time in a race of 6mins20secs.
I didn't particularly enjoy the bike. My legs just aren't trained for 20 Km of all-out time trial, so I found it rather frustrating.
I had totally misjudged the run, not realising it was off-road. All the rain in the morning had made the hilly tracks pretty slippery and my trainers just weren't up to the job. However, on the positive side, my base endurance meant that, whilst my run wasn't particularly fast, I felt comfortable throughout.
The rest of the day was fairly quiet, playing with the children, and then we all went out to Zizzi's for a family dinner, which was a good end to the day.
Update:
Got the results through from the triathlon dry-run. I ended up 4th out of 19. The three in front of me were very fit young things, so I'm pleased with my performance.
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