Kit

Spare camera battery arrived today from Hong Kong eBay seller. Now need to weigh it!

Training - wet and windy 7

Blowing a gale tonight. No hail or snow though, but wet under foot. Ran out to Pool (headtorch needed), then up Pool Bank and back down the Leeds Road. Should be a rest day tomorrow but might run to work if the snow materialises.

Kit - deliveries!

Gaiters arrived yesterday, so now I just need to fit them and find some sand to run in! Also delivered; silicone case for my camera and a 2 GB memory card.

Training - 5 miles fartlek

Yes, speed work today. 5 miles into wind and very cold rain.Tail wind good for speed though.

Training - 9 miles

First run of a new week but technically a 'recovery' run after the weekend. Fairly easy 9 miles, up the Leeds Road, a few wiggles around Bramhope and then back home (slight extension today with a trip into Otley to buy a paper, which surprisingly added a mile!).

Training - 15 miles

Had planned to do another 20 miler today but just didn't have enough time in the end. Still, enjoyed a steady 15 miles and felt really good - no aches or pains after yesterday's 23 miles.

Usual night time run - up to Menston, Whitecross, Guiseley, Rawdon, Yeadon and back again. Wind had also died down by the time I went out and it was eerily calm after two solid days of 'gusts'.

Completes 51 miles for the week - not bad given this cold is still lingering, but I think its on its way out....

Kit - Chicken Korma

Tried out the Expedition Foods Chicken Korma today - verdict: not bad! Was expecting this one to be particularly manky but almost enjoyed it (admittedly I was hungry). Now just need to decide on the 6 meals I take to the MdS....

Training - 23

Added a 'loop' to my usual 20 mile route and a bit disappointed it only added 3 miles. Still, running somewhere new is always good and the run was generally OK. Bit windy, and head wind for the last 4/5 miles, but otherwise OK. Still testing nuts, seeds, fruit and nut bars and all seem OK. Proper dosage of Kona Cola Nunn tabs too -electrolytes that are supposed to be easy for the blood to absorb. Cola tasted just like flat coke - nice! (No, really thats a 'good' thing!)

Training - easy 6

Gentle 6 yesterday. Still can't kick this cold, so only a little sprinting today. Cooler than recently and very blustery. Saw the Otley runners out, but only 5 of them (the faster ones).

Training - a very wet 7

Tipping it down tonight - hence the floods! Very wet under foot, roads closed, and a bit of 'tightrope' walking along a wall to circumnavigate the floods on Birdcage Walk.

Still, run felt good.

Rest day tomorrow.

Training - 15 miles

Another dry day -yippeee! Slightly unusual training run in that I ran approx. 3 miles to the local railway station, got on a train to Leeds, picked up some train tickets for later in the week and then ran the 12 miles home.

Felt much better than yesterday .So two runs completes a 35 mile week!

Tried out the cola flavoured Nuun tabs today and they are fine, probably prefer them to the Lemon and Lime but will take a mix - I guess the bottles will end up tasting of Lime cola. Also snacked on a Granola bar - another hit and another food item on the list.

Kit - chilli con carne HOT!!!

Another Expedition Foods offering. Looked and smelt like totally minging! However, spicy enough to taste OK. Also had a single tortilla. Both now on the packing list!

Training - 20 miles

Despite the cold not completely shifting after a week of rest, decided to stick to plan and do 20 miles yesterday. Was joined by Pamela AND Emma for the first mile and then set off up the Leeds Road (this is the reverse of the usual 20 mile loop). A bonus after a week of rain was that it was dry and the sun was almost out!

Felt OK for the first 10 miles but then legs got tired, I felt cold and generally rubbish. Still, did some walking up hills and completed in 3 hrs 15 mintes'ish', so no great disaster.

Used about 1.5 litres of the 2 litres I was carrying. Lemon and Lime Nuun again. Also tried out some mixed 'fruit, seeds, nuts', some salted roast cashews and date and nut bars and all seemed OK, though the cashews sat heaviest on my stomach - either need to eat less in one 'snack', or save these until the end of each run.

Kit - breakfast

Tried out Expedition Foods 'Porridge with Strawberries' yesterday and, found it was almost 'nice'. Definitely preferred it to the one with sultanas. So, BIG question, 7 packs of 'Porridge with Strawberries', or a mixture.....

Good thing about this pack is that it is one of the new 800 calorie packs, so 100 more cals but no more weight.

Kit - Food

Tried out the Expedition Foods Spaghetti Bolognese the other evening. Colour of the food was almost as bright orange as the packet, but it actaully tasted OK (bit heavy on the tomato if I'm being picky, but I doubt I'll be picky in the desert).

Also tried out a Mediterranean flat bread that went very well with the meal. Now need to find the lightest flat bread for the maximum calories (some sort of tortilla or chapatti probably).

Still a few more meals to try out before placing my final race order...

Epilepsy Action Bradford 10K

Entry Forms are now live on the website! Get yourself signed up!!

Just click on the town hall!

Training - 1800 metres.....

My shortest training run ever today - 1800 metres! Had decided not to run to try and go over the cold I've had the last two weeks (running in the Hebden last weekend probably didn't help). But then my daughter brought home her 'PE homework' which was to see how far she could run in 12 minutes. Answer, 1800 metres with 30 metres of ascent and descent. Quite enjoyed it! Back to long runs next weekend I hope....

Total miles this week, 21 and 8 miles on the bike. All 21 miles in the new Asics 2130's and all seems to be fine so far...

Training - nearly eight

Easy run out last night. Just short of 8 miles. Up Leeds Road, few twists and turns around Bramhope and then back down to Otley.

Doodling

Have just finished reading Ranulph Fiennes autobiography. If you want to put the MdS into some sort of context, read his book and you'll have nothing to fear........Sir Ranulph has also done this doddle in support of National Doodle Day 2008!

A vision of things to come?

'Two dromedaries and a donkey by Paul Klee'....

Training - speed work

Yup, speed work today. Ran 5 miles in total and as ever did fartlek. Quite a strong wind today and it was behind on the home leg so ran fast the whole length of Bradford Road, then Birdcage Walk and finally sprinted up East Chevin Road to Silver Mill Hill. Felt tired after that.....

Rest Day - Bradford 10K

No running today but have just come back from another reccy of our planned 'Epilepsy Action Bradford 10K' race which should be taking place on Sunday 20th April 2008.

Route is now set, for those that know Bradford it starts and finishes on Centenary Square outside the magnificent Town Hall, runs out along Valley Road and Canal Road, turns around before the Shipley turn and back to the centre. Should be a quick course.

Will post a link once its live on Epilepsy Action's website.

Training - Ascis 2130's

Trip to Complete Runner in Ilkley today to pick up new road shoes (old ones have passed 500 miles). Asics 2120's have become 2130's but fit seems the same. Ran the 7 miles home (wind behind) and felt fine. Only problem was catching a tree branch in the eye - very stinging at the time but doesn't seem to be any permanent damage.

Also bought three new Helly's - the old ones are getting rather 'Helly smelly'....

Training - easy 7

Just an easy 7 mile run today. Up Leeds Road, loop around Bramhope and then back down the hill again. Actually 7.26 miles and 600 feet of ascent.

Anyway, helped to clock up 51 miles for the week, plus 8 cycling!

Race - The Hebden

Decided to enter 'The Hebden' yesterday after seeing it advertised on a Runners World email. Also, I was going to be in Heptonstall in the afternoon for my godson's first birthday - so perfect timing! Happy Birthday Inigo!

The Hebden is organised by the LDWA and takes in 22 miles and 4,000 feet of ascent in and around Mytholmroyd (where it starts), Hebden Bridge, Heptonstall and Cragg Vale. After lots of rain on Friday and on the drive over from Otley the day was actually quite clear and apart from the cold wind on the tops relatively warm. It was, however, very muddy underfoot.

Set out at quite a quick pace and was in a group of about 8 just behind a lead group of a similar number. However, I started to flag a bit on the climb out of Hardcastle Craggs and was feeling a bit out of sorts. Also, I knew we were approaching the cemetery where a former colleague of mine is buried.

Alice was only 21 when she died following a tragic accident that happened only a week after she'd finished working on a 12 month placement with me. In her memory we set up 'Alice's Run', a 10k trail race that stats and finishes in Mytholmroyd. This year the race is on Sunday 31 August, which will be the third anniversary of Alice's death.

I decided to stop at Blackshawhead and spent 5 or 10 minutes at Alice's grave. As before the new headstone and many flowers were bathed in sunshine.

I felt much more enthused after my contemplative stop and joined up with 3 passing runners to continue the race.

I stuck with them to checkpoint 3 then joined a bigger group of about 7 runners and stayed with them to the end. It was a good route, lots of steady climbs and some great views from the tops. It was very muddy underfoot though and I think I would have been better off in fell shoes and not the trail shoes I had chosen. A good workout though.

To find out more about Alice's Run go to: http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/involved/alicesrun.html

Training - snow!

Well it did snow, but there was not much lying when I got up. Decided to run anyway and opted for road shoes to go via West Chevin Road and down through Guiseley and along Queensway. As I left home is started snowing quite heavily and was even settling on the road along Birdcage Walk.

Nice snowy views from the Chevin looking down on Otley.

Snow fell on and off all day but it was clearly getting warmer towards the end of the day but with enough still lying to make visibility good in the dark I decided to run back over the Chevin via Moor Lane, Cross Lane, Surprise View and down York Gate.

Lovely run, not a soul about and light enough with no headtorch. Feet got very wet though as it is very muddy under the snow!

9 miles in all and 512 feet of ascent.

Training - cold!

Back to work today and a chance to get back on the bike - it was well cold though!

Did a quick 5 miles fartlek tonight. Cold not too bad as speed work always guaranteed to banish chills.

Hoping it will snow over night so I have a good excuse to run to work...

Training - dank, dark and misty

What a glorious day to welcome in the New Year! Pretty much wet all day and just completed an 8 mile run in thick mist. Ran up West Chevin Road and passed the Chevin End pub - very difficult to see as the light from my headtorch was bouncing back off the mist.

Then ran down Netherfield Road into Guiseley, did a tour of Tranmere Park and High Royds ("too late, its a housing estate" - the Kaiser Chiefs) and back to Otley on the Bradford Road. Very quiet out, very few cars and no runners.

Training - run to Holy Island

Saturday saw us make our first trip to Grandad Ivan's new caravan just south of Berwick upon Tweed. Just before we left I mapped out a route to run on Sunday and confirmed on the OS map that it should be possible to follow the coast all the way from Berwick to Holy Island and back (tides permitting).

Set off Sunday at 10.50 with Camelback and about 2 ltrs of water with Nuun tablets.

First obstacle, crossing the East Coast mainline! Then followed the promenade out of Spitall before climbing to the cliff top. The track here was rough tarmac to start with then close cropped grass. Very flat and easy going and once running not too cold either.

At the first opportunity though I dropped down onto the beach to run on the sand. The wet sand was mostly firm and very easy to run on but my feet would occasionally sink into softer stuff which was much more tiring. A short detour into the dunes also made me realise that running uphill in very soft sand is pretty much a waste of time! Good fun though but soon dropped back onto the wet sand.

As I neared Holy Island and the vast expanse of sand and mud flats I decided it would be wise to hug the coastline and soon had to divert back into the dunes to cross a wide, deep stream. I then picked up a clear track that took me all the way to the causeway across to the island.

Luckily, the causeway was clear until 5.30 that afternoon, so plently of time to get across to the island and back.

This then meant 3 miles of dead flat tarmac making for a quick run onto Lindisfarne. It was easy going and made more interesting by the incursion of sand over large parts of the road and even seaweed in places (though this was a bit slippy to run on!).

At Lindisfarne I met up with Pamela and Emma and we visited the castle which was redesigned by Lutyens around 1900 and had a picnic in the very sheltered walled garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll.

It was then back on with the Camleback for the 12 mile return run. Just about made it before dark but happy with the run which I completed just inside 4 hours in total.

This also meant another 40 plus week with 44 miles run.

Hopefully return to the caravan at the end of January to do more sand running in full MdS kit...

Click on the thumnail below to see a montage of the Holy Island run.


Run to Holy Island 30/12/2007