Todays early weather was chilly but with the promise of some Autumn sunshine later. My route was to include large sections of old railway track which would mean a scenic and straight path ahead, with very few distractions on my long steady run.

Within a mile and a half of running from home the Deviation Line was the first disused section of railway track which is just off Highlands Road in Fareham. The going underfoot was quite dry for this time of year and when gaps in the trees appeared you could see the sun breaking through and a shimmer coming off the dew on the fields. As I was heading for Wickham along Mayles Lane I couldn’t resist a quick chat with two of the locals 🙂

After a bit of horsing around I pressed on, only to be distracted a mile or so later for a photo of this field with the hay bails being covered up for later use, probably by the horses.

There are many benefits from long runs on your own, mental strength, self confidence, time to think and having the opportunity to stop when ever you want. Wickham’s old railway line stretches onwards to West Meon and there are many reminders of the past with both red brick and metal bridges. Wickham church came into view between the ironwork of one of these bridges.

The old railway line has been renamed the Meon Valley trail in recent years and a large investment has gone into improving the drainage.What hasn’t changed is the tunnel effect that the overhanging trees create and at this time of year the effect is magnified with the range of Autumn colours. Today was one of those days that I could have carried on running forever !! Peaceful and a visual treat 🙂

Running under one of the red brick bridges I was struck that the arch looked like a picture frame so I couldn’t resist another photo. Bridges are also great for shouting out random words to hear it echo, or is that just me being childish ?? Yes it is 🙂

With so many views to take in the miles passed without me hardly noticing and at just past 8  I had a quick chat with a cyclist and started on my way back. If one photo sums up the colours from today it was the next one.

A testament to this great trail is that I saw runners, bike riders, walkers, horse riders, squirrels and birds. The trail had however saved its best for last, the wind picked up at around mile 10 before I left the track and this meant I was treated to the leaves falling around me as if they were tica tape at some kind of celebration. Nature was a marvellous host and I loved my run today, 16.3 miles in 2.34 was just fine by me.

I like to run, I like running more when it’s in a beautiful location and I like running even more, when it’s with friends. Today was just one of those memorable days when the October sun shone and we had 15 miles of local countryside to enjoy. If I made this statement to most people they wouldn’t see it as fun but that’s why they should try to #getoutdoors. The benefits are both physical and physiological. The smiles on everyone’s faces (even on the hills) were plain to see. (Thanks to Ros for the photo)

Phil and Teresa from Second Wind Running were our hosts on a recce run for their half/ full marathon on November 6th and this even included sweets and drink hidden in hedgerows. We all met at the East Meon village hall and were off just after 10am. Todays group was made up of Phil & Teresa plus Crusaders Paul & Nikki, Ros from Gosport RR, Dean from pompey and 4 more runners for us to get to know from different clubs that included Mike from Stubbington Green and Mark all the way from the New Forest. The aim of the day was an all inclusive pace which lent its self to some photo and chatting opportunities. The photos suggest it was all hills but naturally you go down what you have just come up !!

We were soon on the South Downs Way heading for the hills above the Meon church. This section of the run is quite technical in that there are narrow tracks with barbed wire, electric fences either side of a six feet wide path that’s on a camber and then the steep run up to the top through two fields. These fields can have either sheep or cows, today they had both !!

Needless to say we walked past the cows especially seeing as a few of our group aren’t too keen on them (they are big !!). Once past the cows we were treated to the panoramic view across the valley.

Pressing on through a number of fields and tracks we had to navigate an over grown section where Phil used a branch to flatten the nettles and brambles (compression socks came in handy here). Phil pointed out where the feed stations would be on the day and there were running discussion as well as some cheeky banter that’s also part of any good group run. Everyone was running well considering their recent long races.

The next landmarks on our route were the narrow steep and rutted ascent up towards the back of Butser and then after a couple more miles of trails we approached Harvesting Lane which is a tarmac climb up to the top of the Downs.

Two tough hills but you just know that they are building up your strength and ultimately they were “so steep” you just had to laugh. We regrouped at the top simply to take in the views that todays bright and clear weather had rewarded us with. Great views were made to be shared. We carried on along the SDW tracks heading back towards the Sustainability Centre (SC). Paul, Ros, Nikki and Dean were pleased to see the SC sign !!

The final two miles were hard work for me but the encouragement of my mates got me through. I have included more photos than usual this week simply to try and get across how beautiful the route is. One final photo is that of the Isle of White in the distance, some 20 miles away on the horizon !!

I’m not ready for the full marathon yet but I’ll definitely be there for the Half. Thanks to Phil and Teresa for organising today. A great day with the sun, scenery, humour and hills #getoutdoors.

If you have enjoyed reading my blog please click on the link http://therunningawards.com/vote/109/110#vote and page down to irunoffroad to vote. Many thanks.

Solent Half marathon is part of the Hampshire Road Running League (HRRL) and it’s also located in the beautiful New Forest. A good proportion of the race weaves its way through Forestry Commission land as well as providing views across to the Isle of Wight. So, as stepping stones races to fitness go, it’s a very scenic one. I realised today that there’s still lots more work and miles to be done but at the same time being in a lovely location and sharing it with people you know is very enjoyable #getoutdoors !!

I decided not to take my camera on the run so it’s mainly words today. My fellow Crusaders and I met up in the sports hall along with about 500 runners from our local area. I haven’t seen some of the team for a while so it was good to catch up and say hello. I had a quick word with club mates Debbie, Katherine, Trevor, Mel, Paula, Karin, Phil, Ian, Andy & Amanda as well as Alun Hanford from Hedge End Runners who know.

We set off in bright sunlight and within the first few miles were running along classic New Forest narrow roads with views that extended far off to the left and right due to there being so few trees. At around 4 miles I saw Mike Daley also from Hedge End but on this occasion he’d ridden down to see the race. I was resigned to somewhere between 8.30 and 9 minute miles today so I just settled in and watched the miles tick over. I also watched four donkeys that were standing by the side of the road, they weren’t in the slightest bit bothered about us. The nature of the New Forest is that it’s free to roam for ponies, horses and donkeys.

By mile nine we had a great view of the Isle of White which was a lot closer than I’d imagined it would be. By mile ten we had a fairly steep hill and it was here that I ran past Hayley Sparshott from Gosport Road Runners. We have talked on twitter a number of times so it was great to say hello. We encouraged each other up until about eleven and a half and then Hayley disappeared into the distance.

I started getting cramp just before mile twelve so the moral of the story is … “more miles are needed” not that I didn’t know that already but sometimes you need a kick up the bum !! As a final reminder the race timer clicked past 2 hours with me about 100 metres from the end “harsh” !! However, all in all, the run has focused my thoughts for the coming weeks. Chatting with Hayley after, we both agreed it had been a testing day.

Great times from all our Crusaders, Alun from Hedge End ran a really good 1.27 and Graham Hoskins (Verity Runners) who I bumped into once I’d finished ran a really good 1.33 All in all a very scenic location with a tough last three miles that made for a good training run for me. Nice water bottle too, more practical than a medal !!

I have decided to set up a twitter account for fellow Hampshire Running bloggers so that we can share posts and there be a quick easy place for people to go to read them. In the 4 hours since it started 16 people have followed, so a good start 🙂

I hope this will grow as fellow runners post their blogs. If it doesn’t it’s not the end of the world. I think it’s worth a go. Watch this space !!!! Thanks

Ben Smith is an endurance athlete, a charity champion and a “pied piper” of runners but most of all he’s an inspiration. After arriving at Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP) in his 401 Challenge battle bus his pre run talk was full of “us, we and the goup” references, humour and honesty. After 390 marathons Ben suggested he’d be taking today easier and with the hilly route you could hardly blame him. About 80 or so fellow runners were ready to run.

Ben started his journey on September 1st 2015 raising money and awareness for Stonewall and Kidscape to combat bullying in school and society. He has raised over £124K, run over 10,000 miles and been joined by over 9,000 people. The support for Bens project was typified by the post on his twitter account this morning that thanked the owners of the Flying Bull at Rake for their complementary overnight stay and meals.

I’ve been following his progress on twitter for months now so it was exciting when the specific days arrangements came out on facebook. Victory AC were organising the route and David Lown had kindly displayed a map of the intended miles. I wouldn’t have time to run all the course but had worked out a half marathon strategy within David’s map.

The car park was full of various running clubs and as well as fellow Fareham Crusaders I saw Chris Hall and Mike Bell from Stubbington Green. I shook David’s hand and thanked him for organising before we set off. Our first task was to run up Butser Hill and without really planning it I was at the front next to our Pied Piper but this did give me the chance of a good photo !! Talking of photos Ben had tirelessly posed for selfies in the car park which he said would appear on the facebook page as well as encouraging people to ask questions, even if he’d heard them 600 times before 🙂

There was lots of good humoured chat and looping back so that everyone reached the trig point and summit together. We took a wider loop around the back of Butser, past the round house café and headed back down to the park. This loop provided a great opportunity for the runners who wouldn’t be venturing out further as they got to experience running the highest point on the South Downs with a very chatty Ben.

As we left QECP the sun was shinning and the more forested areas opened out onto the Staunton Way. My fellow Fareham Crusaders were aiming at ten miles today so I said my goodbyes and we pressed on across the fields.

 

As we dropped down towards Chalton on the springy grass I found myself at the back of the pack with Ben which meant I could ask a couple of questions. Q1 : Has one marathon stood out on the journey ? A : Impossible to pick one, everyday is a combination of different people, different locations and so a different experience, so it’s hard to match one against another. Q2 : Do you prefer road or trail marathons A : I just love running, I don’t mind where, I like running in the sun, I don’t like running in the rain. Q3 : Will you miss it ? A : Of course I will but I hope this is just the start for my foundations work.

We regrouped in Chalton village opposite the historic Red Lion pub, to many peoples interest, and then took a full 360 degree change in direction and outlook as we pass through the graveyard of the church opposite, so as to carry on along the Staunton Way.

 The group had trimmed down by now as we headed out onto Chalton Downs with more great views of the countryside (the first photo) and Saint Huberts Church which dates back to the 12th Century. I chatted with various runners from different clubs and was invited to join Victory AC one Sunday morning to run with them. This kind of running community spirit is what days like today are all about. As we headed towards Finchdean I had to make a decision when to turn back as the second half of the route towards Rowlands Castle and beyond would add to the two and a half hours window I had.

I called it a day at the bottom of a ploughed hill knowing that this would be some good training on the way back up. All that remained was to shake Ben by the hand and thank everyone for a great run. As I retraced my steps back to the car park I contemplated what I could donate. My final miles total for the day were 13.6 so I’m rounding that to £14.00 and donating to Stonewall once I’ve published my blog.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to run with everyone that came along today and to meet Mr 401 himself. Ben I take my hat off to you. Thanks to Victory AC for organising and apologies if I have forgotten some of the names of the runners I chatted to, I hope to see you on the trails soon.

Finally, of the photos I took today this is my favourite, Ben just taking a moment to watch everyone that came today, happily running up a steep hill, just to be part of his 401 journey. Well done everyone involved 🙂

Todays Woodland Challenge could have been tailor made for me at this stage of the year. The guys at On The Whistle (OTW) (Kiernan, Del & Claire) have a simple format. Their races revolve around a lap of about 3.5 miles and you pick up a coloured wristband each time you complete one. Your race finishes when you ring the bell to signal that it was your last lap.

The beauty of this system is that you frequently see other runners and this means lots of mutual motivation. Having your name written on your race number was a nice touch and this added to the friendly nature of the event. From my point of view it also meant my return to fitness wasn’t with a race of a specific distance. I had 4 laps and a half marathon in mind so the 14.3 miles were perfect. About 90 or so of us congregated for Kiernan’s pre race instructions and then we were off.

The lap started with about a half mile gradual uphill section of compacted but rough in places stone and gravel. A right hand turn then lead to a second gradual climb with mud underfoot. The courses then undulated with a certain amount of mud after Saturdays rain and once reaching 1.75 miles an up and downhill loop was used so that you rejoined the course and retraced your steps back to the start / feed station.

The relatively small amount of runners meant I largely ran on my own but as I said earlier you constantly had runners approaching you from the other direction. Today I had no pace expectations just simply to run. The tracks had small bright flags at regular intervals so this made the route easy to follow. The temperature rose steadily as the morning progressed but thankfully there was a lot of tree cover from the sun. The humidity also rose as there wasn’t much of a breeze between the trees and bushes.

I saw Richard from Fareham and a few familiar faces from other races but this mornings run was largely a pleasant stress free distance builder for future weeks. It was very peaceful running along the quiet sun lit trails and quite relaxing in only the way we runners can understand. A long steady run can be very therapeutic to clear your mind and simply enjoy the sights and sounds of the countryside.

By the third lap I’d started overtaking a few runners but then again they may have been pacing themselves for more miles than me. I finished my fourth lap, rang the bell and thanked Kiernan, Del & Claire who were at the feed station. OK ten and a half minute miles for 14.3 wasn’t quick but it was a great psychological lift to have clocked up some descent mileage. The day was made complete with one of the best medals I’ve had in some time. If you enjoyed reading my blog please vote for it here in the Running Awards, thank you 🙂

http://therunningawards.com/vote/109/110#vote

Thanks very much to the people who voted irunoffroad into the 2016 shortlist. Voting is easy, even if you do have to register !! I post blogs on a weekly basis and attend related talks/events whenever possible.

This year the Blog vote is within the Community category. If you’ve liked reading my Blog I would very much appreciate your vote. To all my fellow Bloggers ….. Good Luck.

Vote here …….

http://therunningawards.com/vote/109/110#vote

Thanks very much, Rog.

 

The Butser Hill challenge (BHC) is a 5 mile race up and down the highest point on the South Downs Way. My friend Andrew has been contemplating entering so, seeing as it’s in two weeks time, I ran the course with him on Saturday. The format is simple, run up and down the hill from three different directions. The run is classed as a grade B fell race as the hill is 889 feet above sea level. The BHC was my first race when I moved to Hampshire and the area is quite simply my favourite place to run. I’m not entering this year but it was great to run the course.

The early morning dew meant the grass was quite wet but the temperature was already rising with the morning sunshine. We chatted on the initial slope to hill No. 1 but the gradient soon stopped us talking !! We ran passed a number of curious sheep on the way to a gate two thirds up the hill, and reached it without walking. The next 200m or so were quite overgrown and to be honest this helped as we were running at a slower  pace. As this first ascent levelled out it was clear today would be a testing one. The run downhill was taken with care due to the wet grass and the curious sheep’s poo 🙂

Hill No. 2, the main drag up to the trig point was taken with lots of respect for the hill and a certain amount of walking. This slope was where I chatted to twitter Jeff and the Film my Run lads when they were on their SDW 100 mile race. The going underfoot was quite firm due to it being the most popular with walkers. We headed for the satellite dish tower and passed the trig point at a reasonable pace. So that was two hills down and one to go. The burning sensations in my legs and thighs were all forgotten with the amazing views.

Hill No. 3, this was where the “wheels came off” to a certain extent. We didn’t get lost we just attempted to run a track that was overgrown !! The elevation was just as steep but springy moss, heather and other plants meant we had to watch our footing and some walking was needed until we re joined the tall grass section (see below) and then the proper track. My compression socks managed to collect a number of seeds on route too.

 Once on top of the hill we stopped for an OS  trig point selfie and then it was a pleasant run downhill back to the car park, even if the wind had picked up and the cloud cover increased.

Although we’d tackled three steep sides of the hill ultimately we’d only run about 5.5 miles so I ran out of QECP and added an extra two miles. I bumped into Nikki Yoe and Martin Dewied who’d not long since finished the parkrun and as I ran out of the park the sun came out again. The lush green countryside was quite a contrast to the wide open views of Butser. I’ll be running this area next week in the Woodland Challenge.

All in all 4 hills and 7.5 miles. Thanks to Andrew for the run and I’m now looking forward to my “On The Whistle” event next Sunday. If you’ve never been to Butser/QECP take a trip out there, you’ll be hooked, just like me !!

After the last two weeks of Olympic action and the fantastic success of Team GB this had an immediate impact on parkruns up and down the country. Our road from Rio lead to Lee on the Solent along with 364 others. Club runners, unattached runners, parkrun tourists and most importantly “first timers” all assembled on the promenade by the waters of the Solent. The Olympic enthusiasm was clear to see what with union jacks and various groups of people chatting away excitedly. The humidity may well have reduced peoples chances of pb’s but today was all about simply attending and soaking up the atmosphere.

As ever the marshals did a fantastic job so it’s hats off to Rebecca and her team. Parkrun marshals are always top of the medal table. I have chatted to Rebecca on twitter but we hadn’t met in person. Her passion for the event and humour were clear to see from the briefing that she gave before we all set off. Pacers were introduced and as the 3-2-1 “Go” was announced you really felt part of the Olympic legacy. GB balloons, boards and the red, white and blue colours were much in evidence. Balloon lady Louise from Fareham Crusaders was one of the many volunteers. Thanks guys.

 

I recognised a number of runners, Andy, Dave & Phil from Stubbington Green, Nick from Absolute Running, Linda and Richard from work and then Auz along with numerous Gosport RR’s & Jez along with lots of Fareham Crusaders. The route is out and back along the waters edge either side of the amusements. There was hardly any breeze coming off sea and this combined with the 22 degrees and rising temperature meant we all worked hard for our times. Some people, like Jez, had already run to the start as well !!

The nature of the course is great for “name checking” people so I shouted out encouragement to a variety of people as well as thanking the marshals. The first 3 runners were well clear and all pb’d at around the 18 minute mark. I was happy with 113th and 25 1/2 minutes at this stage of the year. I’d been trying to catch Hattie that I know and just managed it in the last 200m but when she said she’d run a pb I felt much better 🙂

With so many people it’s hard to name check too many in this blog but it was great to see Ian and Kirsty Edwards with little Ava who Ian was pushing in a “go faster” pram and still ran 21 minutes !! So it’s goodbye Rio and we all look forward to Tokyo. Three cheers for the National Lottery, all our superstar medallists and everyone that ran today.

Together #WeWereTeamGB by the sea !!

My running friend Ros Clarke suggested that Wednesday the 17th of August would be a good day to visit Chichesters “The Run Company” (TRC) as they had organised an evening with Hoka running shoes and Henning wine. Joining the regular Chichester and Portsmouth runners were our Fareham gang of Paul “22 press-ups” Coates, Michelle “100K Trail Walker” Edmundson & Paul “100 miles Centrien” Pickford.

I arrived far too early but this did give me the chance to have a chat with Tony the shops manager and get a general idea of the format for the evening. With some time to kill I took a stroll down the scenic Chichester high street and bumped into Paul P & Michelle. The warm Summer weather meant even our sociable 5K run would be guaranteed to be a hot one.

On returning to the shop the Hoka Rep had been busy as he was surrounded by a sea of running shoes. The range included different sizes, colours, neutral/pronaters, ultra/general, road and off road shoes. I’ve only recently bought a new pair of trainers but I did like the look and feel of their challenger shoes. Very light and a real sense of extra cushioning. Numerous questions were asked about the best choices and I have to say the Rep had an answer for every question.  The vast majority of us ran the 5K in their chosen Hokas. Tony ushered us out into the warm evening #runshine and we were off !!

 

The 5K combined largely pavements but a nice touch was two circuits of a park so you could try running on the grass as well. The pace was conversational so that the various groups kept together and could comment on how they were finding running in the Hokas. I ran with the Rep for a bit and he said that he covered both running clubs and shops across the whole of the south !! We ran back with Ros and found a welcome drink waiting for us.

Once we returned to the shop there were more questions for the Rep and the Henning wine lady arriving with a selection of bottles. I confess I’m not a wine drinker but she had quite a captive audience. James Ellis, the shops owner had joined us on the run and I had a good chat with him. The event was a great success and James said he had more events planned for not only shoes but other products. Paul Coates carried on his 22 press ups video challenge and a great final touch was that we all received a Hoka running cap.

These events really are worth attending because you get to run in a different area, with different people, swop ideas and conversations as well as try out new products. Many thanks to James and Tony for an informative and enjoyable evening.