Adam in Runderland

After a long run on Saturday and a decent 8 miler on Tuesday it was time for the Thursday morning run. It was my turn to get to John's house for 7:15. I'd been awake since 5:30 so that wasn't a problem. We set off for the hills and climbed Caesar's Fort again. A tough incline to get the blood pumping. From the top we could see the sun just beginning to rise over the sea towards Belgium. We tracked west through thick mud which was more sticky than squelchy due to the cold - it was only a couple of degrees above zero and there was frost on the grass. Our path took us over the white horse marked on the side of the hill and the Channel Tunnel below that. We turned north and joined the road which wound its way towards the copse and radio mast the other side of Peene village. In the past we have crossed through the fields but we went further on the road for some reason, stopping to see the sun now fully up and glowing a deep orange. Eventually we spotted a footpath si...

A good week. I've managed 50 miles in 7 days and feel back to my best. No sign of pain in the foot and legs are strong. On Saturday Little John and I ran 10 miles pre parkrun. We headed out towards the Channel Tunnel and then back through the Elham valley, across the golf course into Hythe and returned to Folkestone along the canal before sprinting up Sandgate Hill. I followed that with my best parkrun time since August (20:20) and best placing since May (7th). Not sure where that came from except that it was very windy and most of the fast people were away on cross-country. On Sunday I headed out on another night run and kept to the lit streets down to the Harbour, up to the top of the Leas and back again, a 10 mile out and back. Tuesday morning I was with LJ again and we covered 10 miles. Then again on Thursday. This time we headed off piste along The Warren which is a trail in between the rail track and the sea. It was thick with slippy mud and a good excuse to ge...

Check out my latest reflection about night running. It's on my other blog: Contemplative Kenosis

This week has been a good one and I am right back on it. On Tuesday lunchtime I went out for a tempo run which felt great. By the end I had managed 10 miles in 70 minutes including a good climb. My legs felt full of energy. My route took me all the way around Folkestone, through the woods and back along the canal and sea front. I was tempted to complete another 3.1 but saw sense and called it a day. On Thursday I also spent my lunch hour running but the weather was ferocious. A storm was blowing in and the wind exceeded 30mph at times. That’s fine when it is behind you, but take a gust in the face and you soon find yourself running on the spot. The scene of giant grey waves crashing onto the shore made it all worthwhile as I struggled along the sea front and back for a total of 6.2 miles (10k) I’ve managed to fit in some stretching every other day and, although my alcohol intake has been higher that I would have liked, I am in good shape with no recurrence of the foot pain. In to...

Running is a great way to experience the changing seasons. Being out in the elements at different times of day or night you get to see and feel the variation in temperature, weather and light. The summer was glorious. I enjoyed running deep into the evening along the balmy streets watching the sun set languidly over the horizon on the far side of the English Channel. There is a golden, honey tone to those runs. Long shadows stretch across the baked paths. Trees hang heavy with leaf and flower. Flesh is bared and barbeques glow late into the evening. As we approach December the nights have drawn in. The sun rises late and sets early. Only a third of the day is lit by the greater light of the sun, the rest entrusted to the tender glow of the moon and stars. Temperatures are reduced to single figures and the biting easterly winds bring rain and snow. There is a beauty to this too. Street lights reflected in deep, leaf topped puddles. Icy raindrops pricking the skin. Sharp gusts o...

Sorry, Blogger wants the photos before the text.... And so, my cold has dragged on. 3 weeks now. This weekend I ran anyway but needed to breathe through a mound of gunk that gradually made its way out my nose or down my throat. I’ve become quite adept at the ‘footballer spit’, but I wouldn’t recommend visiting Folkestone Leas for a few weeks! I’m glad to report that today (Tuesday) was a snot free run. It was also coincided with a clear, sunny day which made for great running conditions. There was a stiff breeze, but I planned my route carefully to shield myself on the way out and be exposed to the elements when it was behind me. Part of the run took me through woodland. It was amazing being among the newly denuded trees; gold and red leaves scattered across the muddy trails and stark branches reaching into the sky, casting shadows along the path. My feet made soft, crisp sounds as they crushed the fallen leaf litter beneath their soles. Mud sprayed up my legs and squelch...

Since moving to Kent, I have slowly been covering more of the coastline. However, there is one gap that still needed bridging - from Deal to Ramsgate. Once completed I would have run from Margate to Hythe, which covers most of the east side of the County. John and I planned to run it last weekend as a warm up for next Saturday’s Beachy Head Marathon. John came over to Dover and we set off at 7am. Half an hour later we were on top of the White Cliffs in time to see the sun emerge from below the horizon, a red ball lighting up the clear morning sky. It was a chillier start to the day than of late. The summer weather seems to have continued well into October. That said, we were still ok in t-shirts and shorts and once the sun had risen it soon warmed up. We ran along the cliffs to Margaret’s Bay chatting and enjoying the stunning views. Once there we had covered all the climbing for the day and began to descend towards Deal. The miles flew by and we both felt in great shape as we re...

Running on empty I'm still struggling to shake off this cold. Last week I didn't run at all, I didn't do much of anything in fact, except sleep, cough and blow my nose. I did manage a couple of short yoga sessions to stretch out and was able to do the first few days of a plank challenge I've signed up to for the month but no miles. On Saturday I attended parkrun but it was a struggle. I managed to run it all, but had to stop a few times for a good cough and nose blow. My time was around 28 minutes but it felt like an achievement just to finish. It was actually quite nice to take it easy and chat to others. Sunday morning I went out again to test the water and met John to rerun the parkrun route along the Leas. Once more I felt weak and blocked sinuses were an issue. I've heard that you should keep running through a head cold so I'm prepared to persist in the hope that my body gets the message. It's a delicate balancing act between making myself worse and ...

I mentioned in my last entry that I was feeling a bit rough....well I've been laid up all week with a terrible cold and fever, hence the delay in the report from Saturday's marathon. The good news is I was able to complete it. The bad news is I don't think I'll be running for another week at least. Still, here's my account on what has to go down as one of my favourite ever races. The day had finally arrived; the Beachy Head Marathon. I hadn't felt such a high level of anticipation for an event in years. I awoke at 5am and felt ok. My nose was blocked and my throat was still a little scratchy but I was well enough not to worry. I grabbed a bowl of porridge and a mug of steaming hot fresh coffee before dressing in my gear that I'd laid out the night before. It was dark outside but the prediction was for a cold and clear day. I had decided to go for my short sleeved compression baselayer but no meggins. I would also wear my jacket as I could wrap it aroun...

Another good week last week with the long run on Saturday being the highlight. I’m still managing to do the yoga and eat healthily although I did have an extra bottle of wine. This week has been a different matter. With the Beachy head Marathon coming up I am on a taper, so no running, or limited anyway. I’ve been helped in this by moving house which has kept me busy. I continue to do my yoga stretches and have done plenty of walking to keep active. I already have my kit laid out in preparation. I’ll be taking a jacket, hat and gloves as the temperature is due to drop for the weekend. My camelback will provide the water I need and will also store some mini cheddars, a protein bar and some energy sweets. My train leaves Folkestone at 6am which will enable me time to fuel up on the journey. The plan is to have a bowl of porridge and a strong coffee before leaving the house. On the train I will add a banana, some sandwiches and another coffee. I’m due in to Eastbourne station...

The sun was just coming up as I left my house and drove over to Folkestone on Saturday. I stopped the car at the top of the cliffs and took a photo. The clouds were edged with fuscia pink and a warm, saffron glow was emerging from the sea. It was going to be a beautiful morning following the heavy rain of the night before. It was Runday, Saturday, and I was due to meet John at 7am for a long run before parkrun. He had a route sorted and I was happy to go along with it. In the previous seven days I had pushed myself to cover over 30 miles of steep, hilly terrain at tempo speeds. My legs were tired but my appetite to run was stronger. We headed north to the downs and climbed the sharp ascent up Castle Hill. After skirting the edge of Crete Road we plunged down through grass covered fields and along muddy tracks towards Peene. Just before we reached the village we passed through a gate and turned sharp right up another precipitous slope. This one is both sheer and long, but we r...

This week I have continued my attempt to form some good habits. While I have slipped up on the alcohol I have continued to eat well and run hard. I’ve been stretching every other day, which isn’t ideal, but has kept the stiff joints at bay with the help of cod liver oil. On Monday I received my London Marathon rejection and so took out my frustration by running a tough set of long hill reps up and down the Leas in Folkestone. Four reps with a total of 1,800 feet elevation at 8.5 miles an hour. I followed this by a 1.5 mile warm down. Then on Tuesday I decided to run to Summerhouse Hill a few miles from town. John had run there on Sunday and sent me a photo from the summit making me very jealous, so I decided to repay the compliment. I ran hard through town and out along the Channel Tunnel route, reaching the hill after 5 miles and crawling my way to the top. Photo taken, I took a rather circuitous route back through woodland to Seabrook and Sandgate making it a half marathon (see ...

That was the word that confronted me this morning when my London Marathon magazine landed. Every year a ballot is held to enable people to enter the event. In October magazines are sent out to all who put their names forward. Two editions are printed. One for those who didn’t get in, like me, and one for those more fortunate. They get You're in! I get Commiserations. Of course, it isn’t the only way to get in. Hundreds of charities have places available in return for raising money for their good cause. This is what makes the London Marathon what it is, and I applaud it. £64 million was raised in 2018 and almost £1 billion has been raised since the first race in 1981. The only problem is being able to raise £1500 - £2000 doing something everyone knows you love. It’s strange because if I was to do a parachute jump or swim with sharks or ask people to sponsor me to not run I would probably have an easier time of it. People like you to earn your money and don’t want to give f...

Having run to Wye I had the opportunity this weekend to add Ware to my list of question runs. I was there for a recruitment roadshow with Mission Aviation Fellowship and received special dispensation to attend parkrun before we started work. The run was at the Three Lakes Campsite at Westmills farm just outside Ware in Hertfordshire. I arrived early to scope out the course and despite the cloudy weather was met with a beautiful scene. Rolling green hills surrounded a series of fishing lakes. Tall trees with turning leaves of yellow and gold stood scattered over the landscape. You could see for miles from the high vantage point which was the start and finish line. I jogged for a couple of miles around the lakes, greeting the fishermen that had no doubt already been there for hours. By a quarter to nine others had begun to arrive and we were given a race briefing outlining the route for those of us who were there for the first time. There were a few people who were parkrun virg...

Despite this year being my most prolific in terms of miles covered, it hasn’t been my best in terms of running performance. One of the reasons for this is the lack of care and attention I have given to other aspects of my physical and mental wellbeing. Running well is not just about the running. It involves so many other facets from diet and sleep to hydration, stress and flexibility. At any one time I am focussing on one or two of these, but rarely do they all have my full attention. The result is often that I run well but not at my best. During October I am attempting to build in some strong habits to hold me in good stead over the winter months. This takes self-discipline, sacrifice, effort and not a little stubbornness. I lack the first, don’t like the second, try and avoid the third as often as possible, but have bucketloads of the fourth. The reason for writing about this is to feel that I’m being made accountable. By blogging about how I am doing through the month should kee...

Some days you’re just not on it. There is no rhyme or reason. You get up in the morning feeling good, injury free and looking forward to pounding the streets, but when you get out there it is nothing but a struggle. I’ve experienced this more than a few times over the years and still can’t predict when it will hit. I’m just thankful when it isn’t on a race day or coinciding with another important event. Such was the case on Saturday. I arrived at John’s house at 7am and the plan was for a long run before parkrun. He had a route in mind that would be close to half marathon distance. The recent wet and windy weather had calmed and there was an autumn chill in the air as we set off from the ‘burbs. Leaving Cheriton we made our way out towards the Channel Tunnel entrance but took a footpath into the nearby woodland. It always makes me feel so alive running through a natural tunnel of trees. Chestnuts cases were laid strewn on the muddy floor, their bright green spikey shells like small e...

It is always good to run somewhere different. Fresh sights, alternative places to explore/get lost in, and a new perspective. This week I was working in Nottingham and so I made sure there was a gap in my schedule I could fill with a run. I was staying in a hotel, let’s call it Lenny’s place, in the city centre. The dining room looked out over the canal and the tow path called my name. I laced up my Asics and off I went. I chose to head south into a strong wind which was part of Storm Ali counting on it being behind me on the way back. The canal soon met the River Trent and turned to the west heading through the aptly named West Bridgford. Branches littered the path and I kept as eye and an ear out for the sound of wood cracking as I passed underneath the beech trees. Canada Geese huddled together to shelter from the gusts while a family of swans floated by, necks plunged beneath the waves that crested on the water’s surface. After following the river path for a few miles I was d...