Adam in Runderland

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...