There’s nothing like a bit of retail therapy to cheer you up during the dark and gloomy winter months. This week both Graeme and I have splashed out on a few pairs of Nike trainers in preparation for ramping up the miles. We were lucky to get some very good advice from a man in the Nike Outlet Centre who is also a runner. I love my Adidas Boost racing shoes but I am just a bit worried about running the marathon in them because they do not have the cushioning I need for longer runs, so I have been running in Nike Pegasus which seem to be kinder on my joints.
My Marathoner Camelbak has also arrived so looking forward to trying out this impressive bit of kit when the wind & rain calms down a bit. Any advice on what people drink from their camelbaks (no alcohol please!) and how they keep them clean will be gratefully received.
We have been honoured with yet another week of blustery wind & rain storms – Oh how I wish we lived in sunny climates of Spain sometimes. The fields are water logged, canals & rivers are high and tracks and trails flooded in places. I think we will all be glad when the warm spring and summer days appear.
I have been lucky to work at home with no trips away so therefore I have had a very productive and focused time for both work and evening running training. I have participated in two quality sessions at Stroud AC consisting of 7 miles (featuring 13 fartleks chosen by each runner) on Tuesday. I have never done this before and boy it was tough but we all felt that it had been a very enjoyable and excellent training session.
Thursday’s session was a tempo run covering 6.30 miles including half way into the run, the notorious Selsley hill climb from Middleyard. This one certainly get’s your heart racing and it’s all about pacing yourself on the run out to it to ensure you get to the top without stopping. In the Cotswolds, you have to come to terms with hill climbing very quickly when you start running, it is true we are a tough lot here.
On Saturday, we were disappointed to wake up to another bad weather day. High 40 mph winds and persistent rain is not a welcoming sight when you have an eleven mile run planned and a curry & quiz evening to attend so therefore Sunday running is not a preferable option. Juggling social events with long weekend runs is starting to get interesting now.
Graeme was feeling under the weather and decided to postpone his run by 24 hours. Feeling determined, wrapped up in my rain gear with off-roaders on and only the company of my i-pod I set off in the direction of Ruscombe & Randwick. I could feel the wind and rain in my face pushing me backwards and sideways, making running very hard going indeed. The fields to the top of Standish lane were so slippy and slidey but I gritted my teeth and pushed on. There were times when I thought “Why am I doing this?” and I had to remind myself of the end 26.2 mile goal.
Now the fun and games started when I decided to take the off-road route across the fields and tracks from Stonehouse to Nupend – BIG MISTAKE! Saturated, boggy & very muddy fields resulted in a fall on my bum, lucky no lasting damage. Then to add to this I got lost and ended up running by J13 of the M5 motorway. Eventually, I managed to get back on my intended route and with relief met the canal path back towards Stroud at Eastington. The hills, wind and wet off-road running certainly took their toll and the last 5 miles of running seemed to drag on forever but YAY, feeling tired and battered by the wind and rain and covered in mud, I was very satisfied with 11 miles in the bag.
Graeme despite having curry felt a bit better but not 100% on Sunday. He decided to take the slim window of opportunity to dash out for his 11 miles at 10am. He took my advice and steered clear of the fields. Lesson learnt avoid Gloucestershire fields in the winter. Onwards and upwards we go!!
