The Walker With Heart

We've learnt from last year, hell we even did a simulated kit check before we set off to Threshfield... Yes, we counted each others safety pins and plasters... We looked at last years marzipan with some sceptism, but its over the 300g and comes in a bag that moulds to the bottom of your rucksack. We started off in the rain, and headed quickly into the cloud... and more cloud, and horizontal rain.  My top gear, as it sometimes does, didn't want to play - but we were still at the top in good time for us - 1h 45 min. From the Trig we couldn't see the shelter, so we paused, caught a break in a swirl... Spotting a red blinker we moved to the checkpoint and got our tallies stamped. Last year, in similar visibility, we screwed up big time... and this time we checked the bearing from the shelter to the edge, got the GPS out at the top of the path, checked the bearing, kept going, checked the GPS and then... we saw the flags skirting out towards Hill Inn... So, d...

Diary congestion is a pig... London; done, dusted, photos bought... Gentle recovery done during the week - keep moving Mon & Tuesday; Wednesday use a work trip to Buxton to take a stroll over a hill... Only 5km stroll, but it felt good for three days after a marathon, Thursday and Friday more of the same, keep moving and keep loosening off the tight bits and testing for damage... No damage.  All good then, Saturday was a stroll with friends in the Clywdians, 8 miles, one short sharp nasty climb - this time fully loaded for next weeks challenge.  The Fellsman has a strict equipment list; five top layers, two bottom, first aid kit, emergency food, woolly hat etc... All sensible stuff, but even with my predilection for gear it all adds up.  Another cracking day on the hills - The legs worked again - I'm not sure why I'm so surprised, but I am... Sunday was a route recce for the Liverpool Rock n Roll Marathon - why?  Because it wen...

A challenge, and a small donation, has been set... A blog without the R word, nothing that involves harnesses, specialised shoes or body lube... So welcome to my reflections on almost three years of being an Open University Student. I'm a neophile, and specifically I like new stuff in new areas.  So its a good job I have the job I do, plenty of new things land on my desk at an alarmingly regular rate.  However, my desire for newness isn't totally satisfied by a random collection of requests from various parts of the Civil Service. So, where do I go, and what do I do... I've got the BSc, and the Post Grad in Occupational Health... I've gone back and done GCSE French.  A couple of friends was saying how good their OU course was so I had a look... I've always enjoyed arty farty stuff (despite being advised I wasn't good enough for GCSE Art), and often mooch around art galleries and museums. Combine that with the analytical part of...

London, six years in the making. Everything was damn near perfect... except the weather.  As regular readers know I'm a cold weather runner, and heat takes it out of me more than most other things. For 20 miles it was to the plan, through 13 in 2:33, through 20 in 4:05... To say I was focused would be an understatement, the run walk was programmed in and was being turned out like a running metronome. I almost missed the Cutty Sark because I was in the zone and the crowds were rather large at that point... Tower Bridge was the MOMENT, the one that I admit to dreaming of... Running up the ramp, knowing the bridge was under my feet, knowing that this was the magic. Over the Thames, and turn right down to Canary Wharf - that series of monuments to high finance, before looping back to head down past the Tower of London, dropping to the Embankment and along to the Mall. Sounds easy... But what makes it special is the people; the people who knew me as me (thank you a...

The taper... That two week period where you reduce your mileage and generally feel like crap... The temptation to try and cram an extra couple of miles in is huge, you remember the runs that didn't happen or didn't go brilliantly, you focus on the negative... Is it any wonder sports psychologists are in such demand? I have a couple of friends who are either qualified to strap me into a jacket that ties up at the back, or are training to be qualified; which is great apart from when they play with me head... (They don't that would be unethical... though as one pointed out - fun). So with professional help a mere call away, but at a significant cost (my sanity), I tend to do the distraction thing... In previous years this has involved booking the next challenge, up to and including the next marathon or ultra... Err this year they are booked... and I do need to think about the fun for next year, but not quite yet.  I'm up to date with my OU reading... Bugger.....

Apologies, I do like Hair Metal / Poodle Rock... So I'm here, 6 days and counting... Nigh on 500km run in training (will be clicked over on Tuesday morning), two pairs of trainers, more body lube than I think I want to think about... The training has been good - only a couple of runs dropped from the schedule, and I've been nailing the pace I wanted almost every run.  Yes, a 4h dead 20 miler would've been nice but 4:04 will do. Especially given compared with previous years worth of marathon training is a PB of 15 and a half min :-D My taperitis is fading, usual niggles - left ankle, why?  It'll fade, I'll be fine... The smog scare did make me wheeze a bit, and looking back at the data it looks like some of the hard races coincided with bad days... Another bit of data - is useful?  I'm not sure, but it's something to watch... This week included a proper fun run - the people behind the Liverpool Rock and Roll Marathon now how to put the fun into marath...