FosterRuns – Page 21

July 30, 2013July 30, 2013

The many-headed monster

First, an admission… even people who help others to improve their focus, lose their focus from time to time. That might go some way to explain the delay in posting my last two runs, as well as the reason for posting in the middle of a work day when I have a myriad of deadlines to hit!

Scroll back to the 18th July and Kim & I were in the middle of a relaxing week in Cornwall… it was like a holiday from my childhood, but that might have been because I did in fact go there on family holidays in 1969 and 1973, or thereabouts.

We were making great use of the amazing weather but I really wanted to manage at least one run before returning home. With daytime temperatures in the high eighties, this involved an early morning start… for a non-work day, at least!

With the cottage situated on the cliffs above Mullion Cove, 100m from the South West Coast Path, and having already explored the path south, it was an easy decision to head north.

In short this involved visiting Polurrian, Poldhu and Church Coves, along with the steep headlands between them and then continuing on way past my the 30 minute turnaround time that I initially planned. In fact I was so enjoying myself that I finally turned round above Halzephron Cliff at the one-hour mark, and then mainly because I found a stretch of path that had millions of midges where the fresh air was supposed to be. YUK!

The return journey was faster because I wasn’t running down onto each of the low-tide beaches in turn, but it was also harder work with the increasing temperature. And yet, when I got back to Mullion, I had the strong urge to run down to the Cove… and then back up again.

The run was approximately 7.5 miles took something like 1.45… SLOW, but REALLY enjoyable! PS, sorry the photos are all mixed up… you hopefully get a sense of the scenery though!

July 7, 2013July 7, 2013

Water shortage

This morning it was 20 degrees in the shade, at 7am, so I realised a long run would be foolhardy.

However… I may just be that hardy fool.

A trip to Holland & Barratt yesterday had yielded some weird pre-run chemicals and I was interested to see whether it did what it said on the tin.

There was sadly no explosive surge of energy as I ran off down the road just before 8am, but I managed to reach the Beacon two minutes faster than last week and still felt like running.

Most of the route thus far had been under tree cover, but as I neared the top of the Beacon track I kept getting wafts of superheated air coming through the trees from the grass slope below. Yikes!

Wanting to go slightly further than last week I turned east from the Beacon and headed along to Blackcap, arriving in 1:21. This meant that I had averaged 5.74mph compared to last week’s 5.5mph at the halfway turn. I had taken the precaution of carrying a Beet shot and rather than waiting to run out of energy and drank it at this point.

It was really hot along the top of the Downs and I was glad that I had all my black gear on again! Actually, the wool is very comfortable indeed, despite the heat… it’s really growing on me! I even noticed on the Armadillo website that when you finally have wrung every use out their stuff, you can put it in the compost heap to good effect. Green as well as black!

Once again I ran up to the Beacon and then turned north, back the cool under the trees. Tiredness came over me somewhere between Ditchling and Oldlands Mill, right about the time that my supply of water ran out. Fortunately for me, Oldlands was setting up for an open day and a very kind steward refilled my water bottle.

I made it back to Ockley Lane and then my mental energy just seemed to evaporate in the heat. I walked for a couple of hundred metres and then ran walked all the way home… fortunately not too far by that point.

Four Dextrose tablets, two handfuls of nuts, a bowl of porridge, umpteen glasses of water and a cold shower later and I was ready to write.

15.5 miles in 2:50 is an average of 5.47mph, which despite the increased distance and walk/running is still faster than last week… and I’m still awake! So maybe the Nitro did its job after all… on a crazy hot day to run!

STOP PRESS: Kim quite literally just booked us on a short trip away and I can’t now do the marathon… I’m really sorry Mark! I’m definitely fit enough to join the guys on a training run sometime though!

July 7, 2013July 7, 2013

More than half out of the box

I’m writing this a week late, on account of the fact that last Sunday afternoon I unaccountably fell asleep on the sofa for two and a half hours. Poor excuse, I know, but it’s been a busy week.

During the previous week I had visited The Run Shop in Hove. I arrived good & early to beat the rush but, em, found them closed! Fortunately Ethel’s Kitchen opposite does the best cakes ever and I sat whilst an Americano and a hot chocolate brownie slipped deliciously down my throat.

While sitting there I had two surprise visitors: Fred who was off to Run’s store in Worthing and then Claire, who was taking baby Emma for a walk. Claire informed me that the BIG man Daren was home so I took myself off there… for more coffee and more cake!

When I returned to Run, Kurt was mobbed with customers, but he’s a really good juggler and he managed to seamlessly add me to the people he was attentively serving.

A little later I was kitted out with new splodge and new socks and the weekend couldn’t come quickly enough!

The previous week I had also met the lovely guys from Armadillo Merino and although their gear is designed primarily for professional risk takers, it seemed as if it would be pretty good for amateur runners too. Aside from this, my brother Nigel loves merino wool gear, which is a pretty good recommendation, so I invested in a new t-shirt.

One of the things that Armadillo said is that I’d only want to take it off to wash it (which is not that frequently due to it’s natural odour control properties)… and they were right! I’ve been wearing it pretty much non-stop since I got it!

In between meeting Armadillo and going to Run I had spent a fun evening in Lewes with Mark Johnson… in fact I was sat at dinner between him and Richard Garland of Gradient Consultants, who just happened to also be an ultra-marathoner! A recurrent theme of conversation was my elusive next marathon!

I’ve been caught like this before, by Grant in 2004 (hence doing the Berlin marathon that year), so I’m quite wary of what I say… and reserve the right to change my mind again Mark!

So Sunday eventually came round and there I was, like a small child at Christmas, getting ready to run before 8am! One final touch was required… some energy!

And then I was off, curious to know what my new splodge could do straight out of the box…. and whether I really could do a marathon in three weeks time. I headed up to Oldlands Mill where the view was beautiful.

Then to Ditchling and up the Beacon track, where I was grateful that a walker commented on how hot and humid it was… I thought it was just me!

I continued along the top to Jack and Jill then turned around to do the return journey. It was hard already and I was way past half way through my water, but hey-ho, it was a lovely day to be out and about.

The sun went behind a cloud as I reached the top of Lodge Hill so I took a few photos looking back at the Beacon (aka quick rest).

Then it was back to base for a cold shower and, as I previously mentioned, a rather long snooze on the sofa with my feet angled up onto cushions.

So the new splodge and I managed 13.75 miles (more than half a marathon) in 2:37, a respectable average of 5.25mph. Socks, t-shirt and shoes were all great… I’ve lost count of the number of these shoes I’ve had in the ten years we’ve been customers at Run (though I still have them all so a photo will be forthcoming in due course!).

Right, now on to write about this week!

June 23, 2013

Hard work

Rather than down an energy drink ahead of my run this morning, I opted for half a banana and a handful of almonds. Whilst probably more healthy, this combo did not have the same effect as the orange drink last week… every step of my run was hard work.

Is that really the effect of just one glass of wine last night?

Either way, with power reserves allocated to running, there weren’t a lot of interesting thoughts going on upstairs, or at least nothing that my famously fickle memory is allowing me to recall!

With dark clouds threatening rain as I got ready, I did think about wearing an additional layer, or even a hat, but in the event it was warm enough that I would have happily taken my t-shirt off and I was relieved that I had nothing else to worry about!

I took the same route as last week and then threw in the additional loop out to Hundred Acre Lane as per this April run.

Looking at the top of my left shoe, it’s clear that it’s about time for a visit to Kurt at RUN. I’ve noticed the same wear indicator with a number of earlier pairs… once the splodge has been extinguished and the shoe is past its replacement date, my toe starts to make a bid for freedom!

To be fair though, this pair started out on the TMB two years ago and by all accounts they are well & truly knackered.

As am I right now! The sofa calls, despite having run only 6.2 miles in one hour. I hope that my new shoes come with fresh supplies of energy… or I’ll be forced to drink the Beet juice drink that I’ve been avoiding!

June 16, 2013

Hocus Focus

In addition to the desire to rid myself of lethargy, there were a couple of small influences behind my fast-breaking run outside this morning. In particular, my mother pointing out how many days it had been since I last blogged when I saw her last week and the guys I met from Armadillo Merino on Friday who piqued my interest in technical fabrics.

Alas I needed something more than desire to push me out the door.

In September 2011, when Daren and I had just started the Tour du Mont Blanc, we reached an early low-energy point. Due to late flights we had set out at 8pm and intended to find somewhere to eat and sleep, but at 2am had still found neither and were on our last legs. At this point we each downed a Quick Orange energy drink and found a remarkable surge of energy which kept us going for another two hours until we found some rudimentary accommodation. [look at the site if you want to see the definition of rudimentary!]

Disgusted by the taste but amazed by the effect, I had bought more (this time Focus Energy Shot) for the London to Brighton run last year and had one left over… which I consumed this morning before setting out.

The effect was excellent and I went from tired to fired in a few minutes… the effect lasting at least for the duration of my short run!

My route today was the simple loop out to Wivelsfield, through West Wood and back via the Magical Path.

A little mud persisted from the rain last week, but otherwise the going was firm… apart from the point where I slipped sideways and instinctively stretched like a scalded cat to stop myself hitting the deck! It was a close thing… my face was low enough for a moment that I could smell the ground!

It was also the day of the London to Brighton bike ride… it seems strange to think that 23 years has elapsed since I participated! Where did that youth go?

I completed the 5.2 miles circuit in a Focus-powered 50 minutes (average speed 6.24mph) which whilst not great, is not bad considering how little running I’ve done recently.

I’m now thoroughly stretched, showered and breakfasted and just about ready for lunch now! Have a great week and keep that lethargy at bay!

June 16, 2013

Playing catchup

As many students will have heard me say over the last few years, the one thing that you can guarantee about habits is that they lapse. The key thing to remember is that when you realise that a habit has lapsed, you just pick up where you left off… with no emotion.

So although I’ve not blogged for six weeks, here I am back at the keyboard picking up where I left off.

Although I’ve not blogged, I have at least completed a few short miles: On the 12th May 5.02 miles in 40 minutes; on the 3rd June 2 miles in 18.31; and on the 4th June 2 miles in 18 minutes. All on the machine.

The lack of running and blogging was initially due to a busy few weeks, with conferences, a ten year reunion at LBS and the marking of 100 strategy papers for a friend at UCL. Then I just didn’t feel like it and found other things to do, like gardening, barbecues, researching or relaxing. Then, when I did do a couple of shorter, faster runs, I didn’t run because I could hardly walk for a week with a pair of wooden calves. [Memo to self, stretch after running!]

Eventually it was due to lethargy, which reminded me why I created this running/writing habit in the first place, way back in 2007.

It wasn’t just about keeping fit and slowly improving my ability to write: it was as an antidote to the tiresome physical and mental lethargy I feel when I don’t exercise.

So three runs in six weeks, totalling 9 miles in 78.5 minutes, average speed 6.88mph and a lapsed habit finally restarted.

May 5, 2013May 5, 2013

Duke of Edinburgh energy

The tea-house finally opened for business this week… which simply involved waiting for a warm day and emptying out the deck furniture. To have designed & created such a versatile space makes me smile every time I look at it… which I have done a lot over the last five years! A perfect thinking retreat.

For some reason I was not on top form this morning. Sure, I often put off starting my runs, but this morning was different… I lacked energy.

When I did finally set off it was clear that I wasn’t going to get far, but then I did a silly thing… I followed the same route as last week.

It was a lovely day (I almost wore two layers which would have been unbearable) and I meandered along in the direction of Ditchling, choosing my footfalls carefully on the baked clay ruts.

I was in no particular hurry and was contemplating turning around at 45 minutes when I met a group of lads practising for their D of E Bronze Award. They politely asked if I could confirm where they were on the map (they were right) and called out for me to ‘Have Fun!’ as I ran off.

The positive energy transferred to me in that short interaction was amazing and it carried me all the way up to the top of the Beacon, past a couple more teams, one of which was really making hard work of walking down the hill.

The outbound journey had taken me 1:02, five minutes longer than last week, though it felt like I was twenty minutes behind.

The return journey seemed slower still, though I passed the labouring team whilst they were still walking down the hill and caught up with the second team before they reached Ditchling. The energising team however had rocketed off. I almost caught them up at Ditchling Common where I turned off… they were clearly on a mission. Bravo!

I ended up running back into Burgess Hill on impulse power, so I am somewhat surprised that the return leg took me the same time as last week. Running is funny like that sometimes.

So overall 1:58 for 10.5 miles… 5.3 mph average.

Since then I have been largely in a state of collapse on the sofa, in between consuming food and water… clearly I drained reserves that weren’t there in the first place, though I’m also glad that I did. More food is now required!

Good luck all you D of E-ers out there!

April 28, 2013

There & back a different way

It’s been a really interesting week with two student business pitch events at Brighton Business School and a day spent at TEDx LBS, held this year at the Royal Geographic Society. Whilst the former are always brilliantly thought-provoking, the latter was really excellent brain food.

The speakers are generally talking about really challenging subjects and the fascinating conversations with the other delegates between sessions are icing on the cake. I could happily spend a day every month at one of these events!

The hard-working LBS students who organised the superb event

You can see the talks from last year on the site at the moment and I’m sure that in due course they will add the ones from Friday… I can highly recommend listening to Shoshana Clark talk about her work in Kabul which I found incredibly inspiring!

I was immersed in an HBR article this morning, sitting in the sun on the deck and could happily have stayed there reading the whole day. But a run was needed to stay in shape and to keep the writing here going, so on went the running shoes and off I ran.

It was a beautiful sunny day but there was a distinct chill in the wind… not enough to make me regret wearing shorts and a tee-shirt, but enough to give me painful ears and make me fantasize about ear muffs!

To start with I wasn’t really sure where I was going, so I followed my nose out onto Folders Lane, across the common and down the Sussex Border Path to Ditchling. When the ground is wet, this path is a quagmire but the recent dry weather made it a really enjoyable route, along behind the garden centres and right into the middle of the village.

Even the route South across the fields here was firm going, which is rare indeed and then I was faced with a choice. I could turn left or right and still do a lovely loop, but instead I chose to go straight on and up the Beacon… there’s something about the lure of a steep hill!

I reached this halfway point in 57 minutes and set about retracing my steps. With the chilly breeze now behind me and the sun higher in the sky, my ears started to warm up, though I now noticed that many of the walkers I passed were wearing jackets and trousers.

Mown paths... Ditchling really is a lovely place! — Mown paths… Ditchling really is a lovely place!

The route through the vale is normally all like this... yuk! — The route through the vale is normally all like this… yuk!

I found the return leg to be harder work, despite the absence of a big hill. I’m definitely fitter than I was (maybe last year) as I was still able to keep pushing ahead, but there was nothing left to really push hard over the last quarter-mile.

Surprisingly this route is slightly longer than the one via Oldlands Mill, so I ended up running 10.5 miles in 1:53… averaging just over 5.5 mph… and I’m definitely going to run this way to the Beacon again as the weather warms up.

April 24, 2013April 24, 2013

Short run & spring clean

It was a beautiful Spring weekend and breakfast was consumed outside both days. But this shouldn’t lead you to think it was a relaxing weekend!

Last week a visitor asked how often I cleaned the deck and whilst he seemed satisfied with my response, I now knew that it wasn’t only me that thought it needed attention.

Worse still, I knew that it needed resolving before I put the garden furniture on it for the summer.

It’s a horrible job, trying to wash off two years of weather & wear with a broom and a pressure washer. But Karen was down so it became a group activity and by the end of the afternoon we had completed the top deck.

My Sunday run then was a barrier to further progress so I made it a short one. I chose the Wivelsfield/Ditchling Common circuit and then added the loop out to Hundred Acre Lane for good measure.

It started cold (in my shorts & tee-shirt) but I soon warmed up and had fun in the remnants of sticky mud that barred the path from time to time.

I estimate that the route is 6.2 miles so the 58 minutes it took to complete meant that I averaged 6.4 mph.

And then it was back to the deck washing and treating, which meant that by the end of the day I was pooped!

The deck now looks like this…

… which is hopefully sufficiently nondescript for no-one to notice it for another couple of years!

April 14, 2013

Shorts on 2013

Finally the wind blew from Southern climes and after a day of rain yesterday, Spring sidled in and made its mark on the weekend.

And what a day it has been… windows open, sitting outside to eat, car washing, grass cutting and prefacing all this, the first run of the year in shorts and a tee-shirt.

In a nod to those friends who were running in the Brighton Marathon today, I took to the pavement for a 10-mile run down to Hassocks & back.

The first couple of miles were hard going and then I started to run into a warm southerly wind which meant that it didn’t exactly get easier as I warmed up. Somehow I managed to reach the turn-point in 46 minutes, just outside of a 9 minute per mile pace, which gave me an incentive to push a little harder on the way back.

Out of interest, you’ll note from the pictures above that the hedgerows and trees and all still brown… the photo in my post from the same run on April 15th last year shows a thick green hedge!

With the wind now behind me I did my best to make up for the lost minute as I retraced my steps. A quick glance at my watch with one mile to go showed that I was back on track, but alas not ahead.

That meant that I had to push really hard up the steep part of Junction Road and keep the pressure on when I reached the flat part at the top. Knowing that I couldn’t possibly do it, my subconscious was telling me to slow down and take a breather, but I pushed on through regardless.

And somehow I managed to do it! 10 miles in 90 minutes… a full 10 minutes faster than that same Brighton Marathon-day run last year!

One thing was clear though… I would never have been able to run the other 16.2 miles! Congratulations to all those who did!