Goodwood’s famous motor racing circuit is the venue for a Running Grand Prix held by RunThrough . Yes it’s only 5 weeks away, however, its flat and I’m really excited to be lapping this historic course, even if a little slower than the drivers.

The venue is fairly close to me and I decided that before I amerce myself in Autumn trail running I’d have a pop at a tarmac surface that’s also in the countryside. So, it’s a case of packing in the miles and fine tuning my engine … ha ha … I’m more of a family saloon than a racing car 🙂 ……………and with quite a few miles on the clock !!

 

I haven’t settled on my next trail race yet but I’m hoping it will be the Beachy Head marathon as its at the other end of the South Downs Way and I’m keen to explore that neck of the woods.

That’s it for this update, thanks for reading and enjoy your running 🙂

My Strava account may suggest I ran considerably more than five miles but unless there was a hidden treadmill on the plane I can only take credit for the shorter journey. I think we owe it to our families to take breaks from our sport but when my wife said “why don’t you go for a run” I seized the opportunity.

An average week in the UK consists of a 9.5 mile round trip cycle commute Monday to Friday, a long run at the weekend and fitting in a couple of cheeky short runs when I can.

In comparison with an all inclusive week of glorious food and alcohol, on tap (literally) it was a relief to be lacing up my trainers. Don’t get me wrong I’m as good at overindulgence as the next runners …. for example, when you can’t make up your mind between vodka and orange or vodka and lemon …. have them both 🙂

I left the complex at around 6.30 pm on a balmy evening with the every present Lanzarote breeze in my face and the seafront ahead of me. The breeze can fool you into thinking it’s cooler than it is but the fact that I could wring out my t shirt when I got back just proved how warm it still was.

The volcanic nature of the island made for contrasting views on my run, lush green palm trees on the one hand and dark colour sand in comparison.

Before taking on the seafront and its hurly burly I couldn’t resist planting my footsteps on the sand nearest to me. If the dark sand looked like it could have come from the moon then my solitary steps must have been like “Neil Armstrongs”.

I weaved my way between the locals and tourists and took note that the two meter wide cycle lane was also a popular alternative. Yes that’s right a cyclist shouted at me to get out of his lane … well I guess that was what he said judging by his hand gestures.

One feature that reoccurred a number of times along my route were these heart shaped padlocks. The various messages were interesting to read but I decided to press on 🙂

 I ran at a comfortable pace and made mental notes of interesting places I’d like to return to, on our walks into town. The coast may have been immediately to my left but a glance over to the right revealed the towering reminders of this volcanic island.

 Suffice to say I could have kept on running and exploring but I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for well over an hour … ha ha …. so I turned around near the giraffe, yes you read that correctly, the giraffe and headed for home.

Running literally broadens your horizons and even though I’d only been out for three quarters of an hour I’d thoroughly enjoyed my trot. OK a number of people had looked at me with questioning expressions, like … “running”, on holiday, really ?? but as you’ll know when it’s part of your life its a habit that’s hard to break.

All that was left to do was to concentrate on some hydration ….. holiday style 🙂

Cheers.

 

From my point of view I have a week to go until the South Downs marathon but this short blog is more about the wider sporting community that were out in force for the Centurion South Downs 100 mile race  …… “The Weekend Warriors” !!

I’d planned my last taper run from Queen Elizabeth Country Park to Harting Down and back. Through the power of social media I’d run these twelve miles with Mark Highland (pictured above and also running the marathon next week) and meet Graham Carter (pictured below) at one of the impressive aid stations along the #SDW100 route. I’ve only chatted on twitter / facebook with these chaps so it was great to finally meet them.

Within the hundred mile runners ( Winchester to Eastbourne) I was keen to cheer on as many as possible and especially Fareham Crusaders men’s captain Paul Pickford (pictured below).

After meeting Mark in the car park as well as Aaron, James and Paula from Fareham Crusaders who were also out run supporting we set off. The outward six miles will be the final six in next weeks marathon so this was a great familiarisation exercise.

The stunning countyside views coupled with the sunshine meant the undulating terrain was run with good spirits. This following photo amused me with a tree that had fallen across the trail but in typical National Trust fashion it had been made a feature of.

Graham would be marshalling his Centurion aid station for some hours so hats off to him and all the other volunteers for this commitment to the running community. We chatted about the day ahead and then carried on our running.

All went to plan with the runners heading towards us on our return route. We clapped and cheered the eventual winner and probably a hundred ultra runners that included Stephen from Film My Run and our very own running clubs Paul Pickford at the QECP aid station. At this point the runners had done about a marathon, distance wise !! Paul finished in 25 1/2 hours …. fantastic.

What a commitment, one hundred miles !!! Wow 🙂 Congratulations to everyone that finished. Naturally you don’t need to run 100 miles to be a warrior, but it probably helps, especially if that meant 12,700 feet of elevation and for many running overnight #amazing

With my marathon a week away the prospect of virtually four in a row takes some processing. What a mental and physical challenge these guys took on.

Today’s weekend warriors included racing runners, training runners and aid station volunteers. Added to this mountain bikers, walkers and hikers all out on the Downs.

In summary ………… get outdoors, you’ll feel so much better for it 🙂

#weekend #warriors

The “big” Spring road Marathons season has come and gone …… Brighton, Manchester and London. These mass participation marathons are great to watch but I think I’d find them a bit claustrophobic. As a temporary distraction from trail running I saw a 6 week window that would lead to the Dorchester “road” marathon so three runs in I thought I’d blog my progress so far.

After studying my friend Mel’s Strava post from last years race there would appear to be 1,200 feet of elevation over the 26.2 miles with a pleasant downhill section from 24 miles onwards. I’ve tailored my training runs to try and mimic the general profile with a number of undulations and a downhill finish.

Week 1 was 13.1 miles in 2 hours as a general reminder to road running.

The vast majority of my recent running have been offroad i.e. beach, countryside and coastal paths. Running on tarmac is a different proposition to the more forgiving mud and sand. Off road there’s certainly less impact on your joints but then again it’s harder work negotiating a less firm surface.

I’ve dug out my Wave Inspire 12 Mizuno trainers that are a slightly wider fit, which I find helpful after a few hours of road running. I’m still using my Ultimate Direction vest because it’s great to carry 1.5 litres of fluid even if I do run past garages and public toilets were I could refill my soft flasks.

Week 2’s training had an added dimension …. “heat”, I wasn’t planning on a mini heat wave. Suntan lotion in April isn’t a phrase I’d usually use but as I left the house in 18 degrees I even took some with me. The 2 & 3/4 of an hour that I was out amounted to 17.1 miles which was a positive step both in time and miles. Here’s the Strava link.

I’ve always based my long runs around “time on my feet” as much as mileage so I decided to consolidate this week with about 18 miles.

The first 5.5 miles included a gradual incline up and down the Avenue, as well as up and down Titchfield Hill. Next, a gradual incline up Gudge Heath Lane across Northern Fareham and then down North Hill, and out towards Wickham. I’d reckoned on about 950 feet of climbs today so I intended to set off slower and spread out my efforts.

During my last two runs I was aware of checking my garmin quite often which isn’t something that I’d usually do. Yes I’m keen to run well but I decided to leave my gps at home and trust to running how I feel.

Local running also gives you the bonus of bumping into friends. Within a 15 minutes spell I’d seen John Ellard cycling and Gerry Perrier running.

By eleven miles I’d turned for home and everything was going to plan both in terms of time and hills. I take a gel every 3/4’s of an hour and work on drinking 500ml of electrolyte mix every hour. The nature of road running does mean the noise from the traffic has replaced the birds song but my route was fairly rural so it wasn’t that bad.

I took a couple of salt tablets after two hours because even though it was 10 degrees cooler than last week I was aware that over a period of time I was sweating.

The photo at the beginning of my blog shows the route and as I didn’t wear my garmin I only had the actual time as a guide. Three hours had passed so if anything I’d run slightly slower than I may have with gps for the 17.75 miles I’d planned.

I’ve made a point of training on my own because unlike London etc. I suspect there’ll be quite a few quiet miles, however, after watching the race video there’s a good amount of supporters out on the course. Long distance running is a calming, almost meditational experience with just your breathing and your thoughts to contemplate and that’s why I love it. Run for fun, run to improve and run for mindfulness.

This week coming will be 21 miles and the full 1,200 feet that the race includes. It will be interesting to see what time I get in Dorchester but I won’t be pressurising myself.

Just as an aside it’s almost 3 months since I joined Instagram and I’m pleased how well its going. I’m irunoffroad on there too 🙂 It has meant I’ve talked to different runners and it has widened my running circles.

Ok, so I didn’t run through fields of light blue bluebells or yellow rapeseed but I’m excited to be running a road marathon for a change.

Ok, I know what you’re thinking, a road marathon ????? Where does the irunoffroad angle come into this. Well, over the years I’ve driven through Dorchester numerous times and quite simply, I like its character.

After watching film my runs video I also spotted three of my running club friends. Mel, Paula and Sarah ran last years inaugural race. Personal recommendations go along way in my book so when our ladies heartily approved the run, then that was good enough for me, even if it’s only six weeks away 🙂

In summary, White Star Running’s 26.2 miles of country lanes, combined with a section of the high street, meant “resistance was futile” !!

I’m looking forward to a different kind of running experience. The combination of a race village, spectators, history and the Dorset countryside means I’ll be running the tarmac !!

Saturdays run started along the River Hamble and then continued around the coast along the Solent Way. I haven’t run along the river for a while so I thought I’d take in the hundreds of yachts and then treat myself to some coastal shingle with views of the Isle of White.

Warsash is a sleepy location at the head of the Hamble just before it opens out into the Solent. The fact that the long stay car park says maximum stay seven days, sums up this quiet location.

The wind was whistling along the fairly narrow track that you can see at the top of the page and I was glad I had my trusty egloves on.

Today was certainly fresh and dodging the puddles meant some added agility training into the bargain. Bursledon bridge was my initial target at 2.5 miles and making judgments on which puddles I could jump and which to skirt around added to my amusement.

On arriving at the bridge I could see small wispy snow flakes in the air and call me childish but considering I was only a quarter of the way through my run the prospect of snow was very exciting.

Since joining Instagram I’ve noticed how people take slightly abstract pictures so here’s my shot looking at the yachts through the open sections of the bridge. I can’t make up my mind if it looks arty or “farty” (as in it doesn’t work !!) I’ll leave that up to you, the reader.

Returning back along the riverbank the chilly wind was behind me and that made a huge difference. One thought I did have was the amount of water and the gusty wind could well result in an “early bath”, as it were, so I was reassured to see this lifebuoy !!

With different water channels and mud banks around the river this wooden bridge not only helped me on my way but it was also another Instagram contender.

Upto this point I was at about 3.5 miles and that annoying “low battery” sign appeared on my garmin. OK, schoolboy error, I should have checked before I came out but then I thought to myself, actually, I know the shingle will slow me down so what the hell, I’m not that bothered about my average pace.

Arriving back at Warsash the Rising Sun pub looked very tempting but it was noticeable that the faces looking out at me had those, “my god what’s he doing out there”, expressions. It’s funny but whenever someone says why would you want to do that, I know I’m in the right place and it spurs me on to run further.

I ran past the school of navigation, had a short tightrope walk along a concrete sea defence to avoid a particularly large puddle and then, there it was …. the open sea and the stretch of shingle I’d been anticipating.

Thousands of small shells, pebbles, stones and occasional seaweed lay ahead of me almost like a red carpet that had been specially rolled out. Apparently sand and shingle takes 30% more effort to run and when combined with an onshore coastal breeze this was epic endurance training and exactly what I’d come down for.

The crunching sound of my trainers and the smile on my face made the numbing of my mouth and lips quite bearable. This enjoyment continued for a full mile until the path headed inland briefly before a second shorter spell.

After skirting around the Solent Breezes caravan park I was conscious that time was getting on so I turned around and retraced my steps. The Solent looked busy with tankers, pleasure craft and ferries all passing by. The constant lapping of the water up against the shore also combined with the occasional seagulls cry’s, along with my crunch, crunch on the shingle. Ahh, the sounds of the seaside !!

 As I arrived back at the car the flakes of snow were still just occasional glimmers but the eleven miles or so had been a complete pleasure.

It was time to head off home for a warm bowl of soup !!

Suffice to say, “I’ll be back” ……………

 

Thanks very much to Winchester Bloggers for posting my week 3 update about running for MIND in January. Take a read Here

It’s good to talk about mental health and its good to share 🙂

Roger

 

 

 

I changed my twitter name to Reindeer Rog for December so I’d like to wish all my running and blogging friends a Merry Christmas whether you see the blog on facebook, twitter or by email !!. Enjoy the festivities 🙂

Endurance running is definitely more enjoyable when you have the company of fellow likeminded souls, however saying that, there’s something calming, satisfying and almost an out of body experience when you run for a long time on your own.

Running with a group of friends will give you banter, support and spells when they drag you along and visa versa. A solo run is all down to you, your watch and your thoughts.

I set out with the intention of 20 miles at ten minutes a mile i.e. 3 hours twenty minutes. The 50K I’ve been spasmodically training for is in two weeks time so today was as much a mental test as a physical one.

My usual training involves hills, fields, gates, streams and all the glory of the countryside so what the hell was a doing planning 20 miles of tarmac !! The answer my friends was the lack of available time and testing my legs over flat terrain just to make sure that no weaknesses were lurking. Running up and down hills gives your legs a varied workout, constantly running on the flat works certain muscles and repeats the action again and again.

That’s the physical side, now onto the mental task of three hours + with only yourself for company. I saw John Vose who I ran with when I was at Stubbington Green, he must be 70 now and as he drove past I wondered if he was off to spectate or even run at the Victory 5 today. Mike Dally from Hedge End runners tooted his horn as he passed and again I wondered if he was heading in the same direction.

So, excluding people I know, what else occupied me ??

I keep an eye on the hedgerows for any signs of early morning animal activity, birds, maybe a fox !! Then once I made it to the sea after 4 miles then there’s windsurfers, huge cargo vessels on their way into Southampton docks and even an occasional swimmer.

Your pace strategy is easily managed by your garmin and then there’s your nutrition. I generally take an SIS gel every 50 minutes, drink 500mls an hour, swallow occasional salt tablets to prevent cramp and eat occasional SIS bars just for something more solid. Remembering to do this is easily forgotten once you are in your flat, even paced metronome mind set.

Paying attention to keeping warm is another factor to ponder on too. Start with more than you need is my philosophy. Gloves can be removed, base layers can be untucked but by the time I turned around at 7.5 miles and headed back up Stokes Bay the direction of the cold wind had an immediate effect. Another trick is keeping an eye on the clouds so that you can see is bad weather is approaching and also because they’re just really interesting to watch !!

Saying hello and passing positive comments to fellow runners and cyclists always motivates me and it’s surprising how many of the general public say hello too.

Next, what goes through your mind when your pace starts to drop and you realise the run is starting to take its toll. I consider if I’ve got my nutrition right and most of all have I drunk enough. Never be afraid to stop at a garage or corner shop just to supplement what you started out with !!

Psychologically, have a word with yourself 🙂 I’m on this run for a reason. The challenge, the enjoyment, the preparation for two weeks time, to push past such moments of doubt because they may occur on the day, to draw on all the months of running already done this year and most of all, don’t let yourself down, you are in control so keep at it.

Finishing below target pace was satisfying and hugely motivational. One of my favourite sayings is that your legs achieve what your mind believes. So, believe in yourself.

Finally, I never think about work or any issues I have in my life. Running is my therapy and quite often I don’t think about anything at all, I just observe my surrounding.

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My plan for today was to gain some more insight into the Believe and Achieve Harbour 50K route that I’ve entered in December. Running from the maps green starting dot at Farlington Marshes, this also ties in with last weeks blog, where I travelled in the opposite direction. My return leg on this run will be the first 5.5 miles of both the marathon and the ultra as they begin to wind their way around Langstone Harbour.

Please ignore the maps red line heading back to Fareham, this was my error which appeared on my Strava download, ha, ha !!!

The Pyramids entertainment centre is located on Southsea’s seafront with views of the pier that dates back to 1879, the wide open esplanade and on Saturdays, Southsea parkrun.

The irony of the Southsea parkrun was that by the time I was heading down to the front some 300 runners were heading in the opposite direction. I had four “you’re running the wrong way” comments 🙂 I saw a surprised Matt Fleet and Mark Brooks from Fareham Crusaders and David Brawn from Pompey Joggers as they ran their 5K.

Once past the pier the seafront stretches out for some time until you reach Eastney swimming pool. Having mentioned the swimming pool I also saw about 80 wet suited swimmers preparing for an open water swim on my run down towards the seafront, as well as Paul Southon out running too. After crossing a couple of roads you then drop down onto literally the harbour mud, but, as long as you keep close to the tide mark its reasonable underfoot. However, stray too far down and you could loose a trainer !!!

After following the “beach” for another few hundred metres you cross the Milton Lock bridge and then join the compacted harbour trail. It was at this point that you realise just how far around the harbour you’ll be running. There can’t be many races that you can see ten miles ahead of you, from mile 3 to Hayling Island and 13 miles point.

Following the trail you will next pass the Peoples Memorial which has both a flagpole and gardens. The memorial is a tribute to the men and women currently serving in the British Forces on foreign battlefields around the world. I found this a very powerful experience.

A pub, caravan park and a number of water sport facilities then follow each other in rapid succession. The trail does vary between grass, sections of broken concrete and good tarmacked paths. Once passing by an aggregates business there’s then the peculiar experience of running through 200 metres of dense trees with pine needles and tree roots so care is needed here.

Out onto the environmentally reconstructed harbour bank I was within sight of my car park and the end of eleven miles. As my trusty watch says I managed to stay under 9 minute miles and hopefully this blog will give anyone involved a better idea of what to expect.

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