As Paul Coates, Howard Stinton and myself chatted in the car there was a definite air of excitement and expectation which could only mean one thing, we’d met up for a long countryside run. The plan was 18 miles and 2,100 feet to start from the Sustainability Centre. Our 8am departure was met with quite low lying fog and as we were on top of the Downs the wind meant early morning egloves.

Howard set off at quite a spritely pace (his Ironman training is obviously going well) on the 4 mile South Downs Way (SDW) trails that led to Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP). The tracks wide puddles were a good indication of the conditions to come. As we descended from the top of Butser Hill you couldn’t see QECP, half a mile away, but the wet springy grass underfoot did need our attention, so we concentrated on that rather than the view !!

Once at the QE park run it was great to see a number of Fareham Crusaders, some running and some marshalling. I had a chat with Phil Hobby from Peak Health who was also adding extra miles and in no time we were off. Simon Hanson and Robert Morgan (new trail shoes) were to join us on our second batch of extra miles after the 5K. The park run itself was considerably heavier going than last week and as such a good test for us, while still being achievable for everyone. The forested 5K was an enjoyable two lap course of muddy trails. Results wise 4th Simon, 15th Paul, 19th Rob, 26th Phil, 46th Howard, 56th me, 78th Paula Williams, 79th Gary Galliford. Marshals, Sarah Beattie & Tracey Morrison. Well done all.

So, Paul, Simon, Rob, Howard and I set off on the next 6 3/4 mile leg of our run. Our first task was the climb out of QECP along the SDW, so soon after the hilly park run. I’d mapped that the park run had 450 feet and this loop 850 feet of “great” elevation ascents. The trail is firm underfoot here so good progress was made. My first surprise for everyone was a left hand turn onto a steep trail with a number of tree roots that leaves the SDW, now when I said it was a 100 feet, that was the elevation and not the distance so I did get some abuse at the top !! The wide forested track that followed led to an open field with no crops and compacted soil as well as a gradual drop down to New Barn Lane. It was here I realise I had a bleeding nose that had come from nowhere, but we pressed on.

Now, with any “offroad” running a downhill is naturally followed by an uphill, this was in the shape of a tarmac country lane moving onto a narrow chalk/muddy lane. As we passed through Chalton everyone was in good spirits and “enjoying” the terrain I’d mapped out and that none of them knew. We joined the Staunton Way for a long gradual climb back towards QECP that went on for ever !! We all had to dig in along this section and the fact that the fog had hidden the style and woods we were aiming for made it more of an unknown. After gels, drinks and some more “thanks” for the route choice, we were off again and joined the lower trail from the earlier park run which was now considerably more churned up after the 100+ runners from the hour before !!

Today was Rob’s first experience of a longer muddy off road and the first time I’d run with Simon, we shook hands with them and they both said they’d be back for more. So we “just” had Butser Hill and the last 4 miles left. Butser is about a 400 feet climb so this was done in combinations of running and quick walking, I have to say it was hard work and after reaching the top all three of us were thankful to of made it to 15 miles. The remaining miles were steady and satisfying in the knowledge that we’d done all the hard work. The chat and banter came back and it was all smiles by the time we’d had a cuppa at the centre and I’d also had a ginger beer for some added sugar !!

My Saucony Peregrine shoes that I got for Xmas were really comfortable and dealt very well with the conditions. Paul kindly took lots of photos and videos today and I’ve compiled the best of them into a video diary with music. All in all thanks to Paul and Howard for a great mornings running that also involved lots of like minded “off road” runners. It’s great to be out in the countryside with friends 🙂

If you want a rural park run with some challenging hills and beautiful countryside you won’t do much better than the QE Park run. Situated in the scenic Queen Elizabeth County Park close to Petersfield the course consists of two laps that will test you with their ascents and descents. The nature of a park run is that’s it’s just that, a run so it can be treated as a great hill session which will improve your strength for both uphill and flat racing as well as quite simply being a great place to take your exercise.

I was meeting fellow Crusader Paul Coates with a view to adding some South Downs Way miles onto our park run 5K. On arrival it was -0.5 degrees and I was glad I’d brought my Xtreme eGloves with me that are suitable for 3 degrees and below (see my Reviews write up and the 20% discount that you can use). I was pleased to see both Ros Clarke who I’ve known for some time and Andy Paton (Liss Runners) both at the start line. I say start line, to be fair it’s a start hill !!

I introduced myself to Race Organiser Kiernan who I’ve talked to on Twitter before and it was time for the race briefing. Essentially we were to run through our forested surrounding and whenever we came to a junction, turn right. The cold air hit your lungs from the very first step and caution was needed what with the frost making the mud quite rutted but it’s always a joy to see so many people who may never race an actual race enjoying the park run experience. Results wise of the 78 people Andy P was 7th, Paul 8th, I was 35th and in 54th and with a course p.b. Ros. Great work guys. A great route, thanks to Kiernan and his team, I’d recommend it.

We then convinced Ros to join us on a section of The South Downs Way run. She wasn’t sure initially saying we were too quick but that isn’t always a factor in long distance training, time on your legs can be just as important. As we ran up the hill out of QECP the early morning sun was starting to appear and it must have been at least 1 degrees !! With the competitive element of the morning out of the way and a steadier pace it was time for some banter and a catch up. However, don’t be fooled, there are numerous short sharp hills along this trail and we were all still working hard.

Google maps is a wonderful tool, here is a link to the cottage Ros wants to own and once you’ve navigated 180 degrees you can follow the street view by clicking ahead along part of the route that we took. I don’t imagine the fields, hedgerows and landscape has changed much out here for hundreds of years, it’s quite simply beautiful to run through.

My new Saucony Peregrine’s were great to run in and my Xtreme eGloves kept my hands warm, while still being able to take photos wearing them. Paul headed on further and I ran back with Ros, 11.4 miles and 1,500 feet of elevation for us plus more for Paul. A cracking mornings run with friends, looking forward to next week already !!

After the best part of 6 weeks with a cough/cold this afternoon’s run restored my confidence, self belief and hunger for 2016. I’m buzzing with anticipation and considering it was a boring steady tarmac run then “role on” the countryside miles.

After 4 runs that totalled 19 miles last week I must admit I wasn’t “feeling it” so todays run was still a case of exploring what stage I’m at. When running is such a large part of your life, if it isn’t going well, it has a knock on effect. Yes, I have to admit I’ve been Mr Grumpy recently but after today I’m back to being Mr Positive.

The run it’s self was largely uneventful as it was along the main road and apart from Titchfield Hill it was pan flat. The enjoyable part for me was the fact that I was getting descent lung fulls of air and this meant a growing sense of anticipation for 2016.

As darkness fell and only the street lights marked my way forward there was even less to look at but it didn’t matter because I knew I could start to think about planning ahead.

I’ve had a number of improvements lined up but they were all waiting for my germs to go. I’ve changed my watch to the Forerunner 305 so I can start playing with the heart rate option to run more efficiently with aerobic fat burning. I’ve got new Saucony Peregrine trail shoes and the kind people from eGloves have given me two parts of gloves to try (separate Blog to follow after next weeks forecasted cold weather).

On the back of all this positivity I now have to decided what to enter next.  The answer is The Imber Ultra, March 6th 33 miles and 3,100 feet of elevation. So my second weeks mileage started with 10 and finished with 27 #gameon !!

After three weeks of a cough/cold I was definitely feeling withdrawal symptoms from not running, so there was only one cure for this restless condition, “go run”. I was in need of some fresh air and a track to follow but as I had no idea how long I’d be out for I didn’t wear my Xmas present new trainers. My favourite saying is “your legs achieve what your mind believes” however, today, I was happy just to run.

I’m lucky to be only a mile and a half away from an old railway line that can then be linked with a numbers of fields, so that was my plan. For this tester run I decided not to take my garmin watch.

So, 15 minutes into my run I arrived at the disused railways line. As you can see from the photo above the conditions were muddy rather than messy and if you can’t have any hill top views a tree lined corridor to run along is probably the next best thing. After my urban mile and a half to get there, within about 5 minutes I’d seen a squirrel darting from branch to branch and I could hear birds chirping in the unusually mild weather.

The going was muddy but fairly good underfoot and it was easy to avoid the tree roots that cross the track as the fallen leaves from Autumn, which had hidden them before, were largely all gone. Before this route gets fully into the countryside there’s a surprise in store with a short dark tunnel that runs below the motorway and then as you emerge into the light the narrow track continues with fields either side.

Leaving the Deviation line is done by following a short muddy incline where the water runs off the fields. In a “very” short space of time the backs of my legs had just changed colour from white to brown. The incline takes you to a bridge over the new railway line and from there I ran through Knowle which is a small out of town development.

Picking up another trail that heads out of Knowle I ran along the outskirts of a large “as far as the eye can see” field and then turned off through a wooded section. With the trees having lost their leaves you feel like you are surrounded by large “stickmen”, this was at about 4 miles. I retraced my path and joined another trail that leads from Knowle heading back towards home. I pondered on the fact that I hadn’t really seen that many people at all on my travels, but then again, that does allow you to soak up your surroundings.

After taking care along a narrow section with barbed wire on the fence I was again running along the edge of a large field which I’m sad to say has been earmarked for development. The track along side the field was quite firm to run on until the last quarter of a mile. On reaching a waterlogged section to run through I decided to embrace the moment and just plough through the middle. You can only laugh as your feet sink below the water and it squelches out through the eyes of your shoe laces.

I reached the main road and bumped into Andy Lee from Stubbington Green Runners who was going in the opposite direction, we exchanged festive greetings and laughed at my trainers/legs as that’s where they were going. All that was left then was a trot home on the boring pavements.

In summary, the 8 miles of therapy were complete and I couldn’t resist a “dirty legs” photo by our Xmas tree after running past so many others. Slow and steady but the comeback has started. Countryside running ……  #loveit 🙂

What makes running such a great sport, “The Runners” it’s as simple as that. Ultimately your fellow runners give this individual sport of ours, its “Team Spirit”. The last 24 hours have emphasised this to me through a new pair of shoes and a local event that I’m not running in.

Friday 3pm, I visited “Runners Need” which is part of the Snow & Rock shop in Port Solent as they had a sale on. I’d heard good reports from Paul Coates and was very impressed with the knowledge and service I received from Olly the running specialist who clearly spoke from experience. Out of the various brands we concluded that the Saucony Peregrine was the shoe for me, even with its bright orange laces !! Christmas present sorted ??

On arriving home I posted on twitter for peoples thoughts. Lee Rhodes who I know from our local Bayside Tri club commented that he’d run a 100K Ultra in them with no blisters, Absolute Running’s Nick commented “awesome” and Gosport Road runners Ben Jarvis had found them comfy on his trail marathon. Thank you to our local twitter community.

I posted a “Portsmouth Marathon/Ultra Good Luck” message on facebook in the evening to my Fareham Crusaders club mates with Louise Riches commenting back and a number of likes. I asked two separate club mates if they’d mind writing race reports for the club website. Michelle Edmundson replied, “of course it’d be a pleasure. George Divine’s reply, “would love to”, thanks guys, look forward to reading them.

This then brought us to Saturday morning and a trip to Absolute Running regarding the shoes. On my arrival I was immediately asked if I’d like a cup of tea and the two customers Nick was serving (who also had teas) seemed happy for me to be served while they were drinking. I chatted to Nick and Ros Clarke, who I also know, then tried on two different pairs and we concluded the Peregrine’s were the answer. Again excellent service and the fact that AR’s Nick was keen for me to have the right shoe rather than him make a sale spoke volumes.

I was then introduced to the 2 tea drinkers and as it turned out they were Phil and Sarah Hobby from Stubbington Green runners. After Phil’s first comment being “we read your blog” we chatted for a while and then it was time to go and pick up my bright trail shoes from Port Solent. Bright, yes, but as Olly said, they’ll be brown within a mile of running just like everyone else’s.

So that was “10” runners I’d directly talked to, one way or another, in 24 hours with nothing but positivity on every occasion and no actual running. A real running #community.

Finally, this is my 50th Blog since I started in April and as we are talking about people I’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone that voted for me before the December 4th Running Awards Best Blog shortlist was announced. I made it there with your votes … Thank You.

Voting starts a fresh for the shortlist so if you voted before I’d really appreciate you doing so one more time please.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year  from Roger

Absolute Running (AR), on the face of it, is a running shop based in Gosport, Hampshire. However, saying it’s just a running shop would only be scratching the surface, the “tip of the iceberg” as it were. Their website sums up their approach, “We believe running should be fun and community focused”.

Since opening the shop in 2012, the father and son team of Nick and Harry Carter have developed their #community vision by hosting The Golden mile, a Summer 5K series and a weekly open invite to Wednesday’s 5.45 club that I attended last night. The 5.45 club “does what it says on the tin” with runners of all abilities and ages welcome to the midweek get together.

The shop had about 25 runners including Simon Hearnden from SGR’s and Sarah Beattie, a fellow Fareham Crusader. I don’t know Gosport that well so I used Portsmouth’s nearby Spinakker Tower (see below) as a visual guide to get my bearings. The tower is the tallest local building and is currently lit up with colourful lights.

As Nick gave his briefing of where we were running it was easy to see the appeal of the evening, low key, relaxed and with a really wide range of ages, oh and don’t forget the cake !! (see above). Two options were available with 3K, which struck me as a good distance if you were aiming for a 5K Park Run and a brisker 6K.

I chatted to Nick about why he’d started this group and his passion for spreading the “running word” which is clear to see for all. Simon’s group passed us and I decided to try and hold onto his pace what with the Victory 5 on Sunday. I talked briefly to quite a few friendly runners through the 6K, some were first timers like me, some where regular Gosport Road Runners. Our route was all lamp post lit pavements and no one disappeared into the distance.

On finishing, a group of us where outside the shop cooling down and offering words of encouragement to others as they arrived, we then joined the rest of the runners inside. As with the 5K series that I ran in the Summer everyone was asked if they’d like to stay for a while rather than just heading off straight away. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay for too long and I certainly missed out on the cake, wow !!

In summary, a refreshing alternative, a ….”one size fits all” fun run that is open to all. I would certainly recommend it to anyone. All credit to AR’s Nick Carter with his #community running.

Extra, Extra ….. Hold the front page …..Read all about it, December 8th Andy Vernon will be attending Fareham Crusaders Training as well as a Q&A session after. Really looking forward to hearing his thoughts. We all know Andy as a GB athlete but he was also a local Stubbington Green runner in his early days.

After 4 marathons in 6 months it’s December and time to start thinking about what’s next. I’m looking at doing something different for a few weeks so the Victory 5 mile race, December 6th, may be 5 tarmac miles but it gives me a chance to run with 40 or 50 of my Fareham Crusader club mates.

Next, in a change to my normal routine I’m going to run with the 5.45 club on Wednesday. This run is a free community based event for anyone, once a week, organised by Nick from Absolute Running, a sports shop in Gosport. After hearing great reports from runners who belong to other clubs I’m keen to join them for a week. The offer is open to runners of all abilities in the local #community. I look forward to Blogging about it too.

What about 2016, well here a sample of the type of runs I’m considering, along will links to the sites for more information.

The Steyning Stinger : March 6th

A cross-country hilly marathon run through the South Downs between Worthing and Shoreham-by-Sea, with 4 stings (hills) Steyning Stinger website

New Forest Festival of Running 75K : March 20^th

Rural tracks with some undulations and possibly ponies. I did the 50K ultra in 2014 New Forest 75K website

Three Forts Challenge : May 1st

Devil’s Dyke – Chanctonbury Ring – Cissbury Ring : 27 miles of mixed terrain and climbs of 3,450 feet 3 Forts Challenge website

Giants Head Marathon : June 25^th

A challenging and beautiful course running through the Sydling and Cerne Dorest valleys Giants Head website

Updates on races entered and other possible runs will follow. 

• 1. Where you are running !! 

This map could fill you with dread or excitement depending on your state of mind !! The good news is that anyone looking at it has taken their first step in preparing for what lies ahead, i.e. they know what’s in store. After running the first half a few weeks ago in pleasant conditions and with fairly good terrain underfoot everything has changed with the onset of Autumn.

Running the second half of the route last week in the wind and rain with muddy trails and water logged sections has put a whole new spin on the route. This run also meant I could try out the combination of my long sleeve Helly under my 100% waterproof Ron Hill jacket if it’s required.

• 2. Website Race advice

With over 800 metres of elevation gain run on country lanes, trails and grass, this is a challenging marathon, but rewards you with fabulous views over the beautiful Meon Valley, and across Hampshire to the Isle of Wight. Run mainly on footpaths, bridleways and byways, there will be route-marking with signs and repeater tape and multiple water/feed stations along the way.  Simplified maps of the course will also be available on the day.

The route has technical challenges with slippery descents on chalky tracks, and is likely to be muddy in places too, but the entire route should be runnable. In the interests of reducing waste and avoiding litter, the drinks stations are primarily there to refill your container, not to hand out bottles or cups.  If you do use one of our cups, you will not be permitted to take it past the bin at the checkpoint.

Checkpoints will be positioned approximately every 4.5 miles, and will have water and soft drinks to refill your containers, plus some sweets and savouries that you are welcome to take with you. Your number will be recorded at each of these checkpoints.

• 3. Who is running

The entrants list is always something I look at to see if there’s anyone I know or twitter runners that have commented on the race. Fellow Crusaders Rod Nairn, Lucy Peazold, Brian Wright, Paul Stephens, Dave Fuller and Howard Stinton will be part of the 130 or so runners, so a great showing from our club in this “local” race.

• 4. What to expect

After the 10.30am start Old Winchester Hill will be a great introduction with its muddy lower track and the steep climb as you progress up. There’s no doubt you will go through some water that’s above your everyday sock level and the roller coaster of hills will just keep on coming. The changing terrain will give you spongy grass one minute and then country lanes the next. Harvesting Lane will be a particularly memorable elevation treat but the good news is that the last 3 miles are largely downhill. The sense of achievement at the finish line will be huge. The Meon Hall is a great venue and I’m sure it will be a hive of activity after the race.

• 5. The last Week

Naturally we all have our own pre race rituals, I keep my hydration up through the last week and I’ve found two or even three nights before the race carbo loading helps me. I do like to stretch as much as possible so that come the day you feel loose and ready. Easy runs on Sunday and Tuesday will be followed by some walking at the end of the week. Weather wise I will leave my kit choice until I’ve got more of an idea if it’s going to rain !! Otherwise it’s my two 500ml bottles that I can re fill at half way and SIS gels.

Finally, I have no time expectations for what could be the hardest of my ten marathons so far. Pushing yourself through the challenge is all that anyone can do, as well as enjoying the experience. Our club slogan is #Unstoppable and preparation can only help. Good Luck to everyone running the half and the full marathon, it’s going to be “epic” 🙂

“Your body achieves what your mind believes”