The Walker With Heart

If anyone ever says there's no difference between running on the hills and on the road then they probably haven't tried it and almost definitely deserve a slap... Based on trying to switch back to road running I know I have stamina in spades, shovels and buckets... I know that I have some speed, even though I've been going long and not doing much at pace... So why have I found the GNR & the Aintree Grand 10k so hard mentally, and sort of physically... By sort of I mean my niggles are back after much shorter distances than off road, and mentally well it's staying focused in a way I used to be able to do much, much easier. Part of it is the surface, both were on tarmac or concrete which does jar a bit more than bog... More importantly they were flat.  My stride pattern and cadence was fairly constant, and repetition and repetition isn't what I'm used to. Off road my cadence is changing all the time, my stride pattern shortens and lengthens on the angle...

I've done everything I hoped to on two feet this year already, 2012 was the year of the pb - 10% off every one,  apart from the marathon where it was 'only' 5%... 2013 has been about going long, as long as I thought I could go and then the next day, and the day after that... I've only got one pb... 5 miles,  painfully close to my dream time of under 50min, but still a shade to go. Top 5 5ks,  second fastest 10k and way back in the snow of Cambridge my second fastest half Marathon... So,  it's back to Newcastle.  Where all of this running stuff began,  a course that I used to consider hilly (!) and the friendliest people on a course you could want.  This is the run I suggest for non-runners, for those who want to say I've done a half and no more, and those who've never done a big run.  It's not perfect, sometimes it's a long way from that but by hell is fun! So,  no pressure. My 'speed' work has consisted of 3 fairly speedy for me 5ks, and...

The calendar has flipped over another month, another run has been done... Another one I've wanted to do for a while. For as long as I've jogged along in the hills I've looked at the sweep down from Mam Tor and thought - that'll be fun to run... I've then walked along and up Back Nic and Losehill and thought, that may hurt on the way up... and I'm not sure I can run down the Losehill steps. Well I did run down, dodging the walkers, and it did hurt on the way up... And there was no bloody way I was running down those steps.  My feet are far too big for them, and its as steep as hell! Complete success, no.  I ballsed up my feeding and my hydration, and paid for it on the flat road section. Lesson learned, eat more and drink more than I think I need - I can't do the best part of a half-marathon on 1 gel and a packet of Cliff Blocks when there's 1500ft of climb in there.  So, I did what I set out to do... Loved every minute of it, and learnt ...

It was a spur of the moment thing... Bank Holiday weekend, any beds left at the Youth Hostel near Castleton - Yup... Good, then what to do... Getting there is easy, train ride into Edale and then hike up and over Mam Tor, the ridge and then drop off the back of Lose Hill to get to the sneaky back gate into the Hostel. Eight glorious KM, possibly my favourite Saturday's forecast was wet... and it drizzled most of the morning... Up over Losehill, Back Nick, Hollin's Cross, the long drag up Mam Tor, then that dispiriting drop to the road and then dragging yourself back up to Lord's Seat.  I'd love to say that there were fantastic views over the Edale valley... But... This was the drop from Lord's Seat before the turn north across the hideously featureless Brown Knoll; luck, half a path, a compass bearing and I was very, very happy to see this... Love them or loathe them, after 2km of knee high sludge I was moved to almost kiss this lump of white con...

Ok, I'm not sure what the prize will be - think amusing trinket rather than an item of great worth... I was pondering on the way back from the Edinburgh Fringe, what do I do in the hills... Fell Running implies a skimpiness of shorts that others wouldn't feel comfortable with, and a speed I may never muster Fell Walking implies a cloth cap and a ferret, and an excess of ale... Rambling? Hmmm, my companions thought that was not active enough... So we chewed the cud... Fell Jogging - do gaiters count as ankle warmers? Mad Bugger (Extreme) - I like the link to my gong, but extreme for some reason it suggests that I'm doing assault courses... So, the competition is open until I get an name that is moderately amusing;-) Anyway, the Fringe... None of my shows were truly bad... Which sounds like an odd place to start, but the Fringe can be a bit hit and miss... Newsrevue was it's usual caustic self - no one is safe...  Bonk, the show of the science of ...

And I love you all for it.. 100 miles... 161km... 800 furlongs... The medal says 4 days - it was 3 and a half... Some of us met in a car park outside Bath, some nervous (me), some terrified (that's more like it) and others seemingly strangely calm (if I gave that impression to anyone, I'm a good actor). Faces from previous races were recognised, acknowledgements made and mutterings about Win Hill, 30 degree heat - nothing can be that bad again. Then up to Chipping Cambden, drop off our bags, collect the emergency numbers for the control and medical staff and then line up... Walkers, inc me, off first for a warm day's hiking over good paths and moderate terrain - highlights for me, being accosted by a man (very drunk) with two shire horses... Who thought I was quite mad... I have to agree with him! The Cotswolds are a stunningly beautiful part of the world, littered with follies and monuments, including towers only built so that it could be seen by all arou...

An 100 mile adventure... Yup, the taper is here and annoying... the carboloading has reached the point where I quite frankly just want to have a simple chicken salad... I feel fat, and unfit... Which is cobblers... Yes, I'm maxed on the weight, but a lot of that is bloat and will come off as I use it.  The fitness thing is that bizarre confidence thing I have - I feel more confident when I'm doing things, which can mean I undertaper and don't go into events completely injury free. So shake the head, dust off the confidence generator and run through the adventures to come... Last day in the office tomorrow, light food (to avoid the bloat still being here on Friday), gentle 3-dimensional yoga (climb) and then finish the packing. The guys organising this madness are transporting my heavy gear between runners villages - so my tent, mat, sleeping bag and normal crap is in my duffle sack.  All I'll be carrying during the day is my clothes (you'll be pleased to...