The run where the sun is coming up
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 reached the top without stopping.
We ran back towards Caesar’s Camp but this time along the top of the hills above the white horse chalked onto the field below. We made out way higher still onto the highest point overlooking the A20 and Folkestone below from where you can see for miles in every direction. After a brief Rocky Balboa moment we continued to run east in the direction of Capel Le Ferne.
By now the sun was up and it was very warm for October. I was glad I had brought my camelback to stay hydrated. The wind had been gusty, but I hardly noticed it at this point. We continued to climb and descend the other hills including the steepest of all that connects Canterbury Road to Small Pox Hill.
Having covered so much uphill terrain it was now time to return to sea level, a distance of 300 feet in under a mile. We began by descending the steep dirt track from the Valiant Sailor pub to the Martello towers in East Folkestone. We came down fast and (almost) out of control. John landed heavily at one point and tweaked his back, but it seemed to be ok. Downhill running is one of the easiest ways to pick up an injury.
It was a more gradual downhill section from the first Martello tower to the pitch and put golf course and the second tower. The last section was steps leading onto the arches beside Sunny Sands beach. The tide was far out and you could fit two football pitches on the sand when it is that low. A few people were walking their dogs and a group of girls were playing in the sand.
From there we ran over the cobbles past the boats moored in the harbour and then up Remembrance Hill. At this point we began to notice the wind again. It swirled around us as we continued past the first few people arriving at the parkrun start line and up the Leas. John returned to the bandstand while I did a small loop down to the beach and back up the zig zag path.
Five minutes later we took our place with the other 210 runners, walkers and volunteers ready to run our weekly 5km. Despite having over 11 miles in my legs I felt strong and managed to finish 14th albeit in a slower time than would usually warrant somewhere in the 30’s.
After a quick coffee it was back to John’s house to pick up the car and a total of 17 miles. My legs were now quite heavy. 50 miles in a week is too much but it has given me a good start to the month which is needed if I am to taper for a whole week.
Next Saturday we plan another long one but I will be covering less mileage in the week.
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 reached the top without stopping.
We ran back towards Caesar’s Camp but this time along the top of the hills above the white horse chalked onto the field below. We made out way higher still onto the highest point overlooking the A20 and Folkestone below from where you can see for miles in every direction. After a brief Rocky Balboa moment we continued to run east in the direction of Capel Le Ferne.
By now the sun was up and it was very warm for October. I was glad I had brought my camelback to stay hydrated. The wind had been gusty, but I hardly noticed it at this point. We continued to climb and descend the other hills including the steepest of all that connects Canterbury Road to Small Pox Hill.
Having covered so much uphill terrain it was now time to return to sea level, a distance of 300 feet in under a mile. We began by descending the steep dirt track from the Valiant Sailor pub to the Martello towers in East Folkestone. We came down fast and (almost) out of control. John landed heavily at one point and tweaked his back, but it seemed to be ok. Downhill running is one of the easiest ways to pick up an injury.
It was a more gradual downhill section from the first Martello tower to the pitch and put golf course and the second tower. The last section was steps leading onto the arches beside Sunny Sands beach. The tide was far out and you could fit two football pitches on the sand when it is that low. A few people were walking their dogs and a group of girls were playing in the sand.
From there we ran over the cobbles past the boats moored in the harbour and then up Remembrance Hill. At this point we began to notice the wind again. It swirled around us as we continued past the first few people arriving at the parkrun start line and up the Leas. John returned to the bandstand while I did a small loop down to the beach and back up the zig zag path.
Five minutes later we took our place with the other 210 runners, walkers and volunteers ready to run our weekly 5km. Despite having over 11 miles in my legs I felt strong and managed to finish 14th albeit in a slower time than would usually warrant somewhere in the 30’s.
After a quick coffee it was back to John’s house to pick up the car and a total of 17 miles. My legs were now quite heavy. 50 miles in a week is too much but it has given me a good start to the month which is needed if I am to taper for a whole week.
Next Saturday we plan another long one but I will be covering less mileage in the week.
