Author: FosterRuns

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Lazy Sunday

After the exertions of last weekend, I spent a couple of days descending stairs sideways, one at a time and generally walking around like a 90-year old.  I’d been looking forward to getting out running again today, but I guessed that, with a day of heavy drizzle yesterday and a night of torrential rain, all my favourite paths would be waterlogged.  Whilst I love running in the mud in the winter, I’ve been enjoying dry feet for a few months now and sploshing didn’t really appeal today.

So I drove back to Jack & Jill, planning to see how I was feeling, but probably run to Blackcap, more or less, and back again.  For some bizarre reason I was like a racehorse out of the gate and I found myself running hard all the way to the top of the first hill where last week’s tank tracks go off left.  Then I slowed down… I think I had to!

It took me 17 minutes to Ditchling Beacon (I have made it in 15 before) and then I stopped to chat to a guy who was out walking with his young family.  Part of the joy of running for me is the camaraderie of chatting to other people who are out enjoying the fresh air, runners or not.  Paul Beadle turned out to be visiting from Dubai where he said the runs are pretty flat.  And hot too, I guess.  He’d certainly chosen a great day to walk on the Downs… windy with lots of clouds flitting around and taking the edge off an otherwise hot, sunny day.

I ran on towards Black-cap and there were loads of people out, enjoying themselves on bikes, in prams and like me, in trainers.  The white section of the route, which a like a ground chalk path and reflects the sun, was spotted with big puddles and I was glad that I’d chosen the top to run on, as the Weald would have been a quagmire.

I’d not seen Mark Johnson for a while, but I often think of him when I’m running along the top here.  I had thought that if I saw him before Blackcap, I’d turn round & run back with him.  Bizarrely, there he was, just before Blackcap and right where I imagined he would be… probably because we had bumped into one another in the same place last October.

I’d only been out for 40 minutes, but I turned right around and we ran back together.  It’s a real pleasure running with him as he keeps up a good pace… and a decent conversation!  And since he too has entered the Brighton marathon, there’s a good chance that we’ll now do some (planned) training runs together over the winter months.

We reached the car-park at the 1 hour 20 mark (for me… he’d been out for 2 hours 40!) and I had run about 8.5 miles.  This was not as far as I had intended, but still far enough to knock me out on the sofa for an hour this afternoon.  Well, it is a lazy Sunday, after all!

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The Blighty Grouse Grind

Inspired by Daren’s recent ascent of the Grouse Grind in Vancouver, which rises 933m in a distance of 2.9km, I [stupidly] decided to replicate his feat right here in Blighty.

I scoured the map for likely candidates and the only hill that I could find with that gradient was Wolstonbury, which I stormed back in April (archive post). Remembering how treacherous it was descending the grassy north face, I looked for an alternative, settling on the tank tracks that lead to the top of the hill above Jack & Jill.

The track is 1km long and rises about 140m, so I figured that if I did the climb 7 times, I would have a vaguely comparable height gain to challenge Daren with… he claims to have finished the Grouse Grind in less than one hour… and was going back with his trainers to try to beat that… so I had my work cut out!

I parked at Jack & Jill and warmed up on the gentle hill, giving me an initial 60m tally.  At the top I found some radio masts and a bunch of cars and a sign warning of vehicles using the track.

I ran down ‘the hill’ encountering one of the vehicles coming slowly up the incline… the driver kindly informed me that it was the Mid Sussex Amateur Radio Society who were camped out for an annual worldwide competition to see who can reach the furthest distance.  Apparently they had been talking to someone in Trinidad & Tobago last night, which is pretty impressive.

His eyes widened when I said what I was planning to do.

I ran on down to the gate at the bottom and turned round and started grinding up the hill myself.  Ten minutes later, I knew Daren had beaten me… I would have needed to have beaten 9 minutes to stand a chance.  I thought I would do a second loop before I headed for home and off I went.

The second climb was way harder than the first, but I managed it in about the same time.  Unfortunately, the guys at the top were now rooting for me, which meant that I couldn’t really give up after only two climbs.  The third was really painful, but I thought I had better do four… for some reason that completely escapes me now.  The guys said they would have a cup of tea waiting for me.

I had passed some youngsters who were doing a dry run for their Duke of Edinburgh Silver award a couple of times up and down the hill and I chatted to them while I supped my mug of tea.  They were really impressed with what I was doing and so I felt I had to complete at least one more circuit… by which time they would be gone and I could head for home.

As I neared the top so the MSARS guys cheered me and said only two more to go and I then I knew I was going to have to finish it, somehow.  Coming up for the 6th time, I was barely moving in places, although I was still (I think) technically running.  Going down for the last time, I took this video to show you the view and the path.  Alas it is once again very jerky… and worse still, it looks flat!  WAAAAAAH!

May I just say… it is NOT FLAT!

And then I was on to my 7th climb and I rather think it took me about 15 minutes, so slow and painful was it.  I even had to stop momentarily, twice, on the final hill… just because.  There was a big cheer from the guys at the top and I would like to say a hearty thank you to them, as I wouldn’t have made it without them.  Although I wouldn’t have had to have finished it if they hadn’t been there!

I stretched out as best I could back down the gentle hill to the windmills, getting back to the car at 2 hours 33 minutes.  980m plus the 60m to the top from the car park gives 1040m in total height gain (WAY more than Daren, you’ll note) and 16.7km / 10.5miles… well the gradient doesn’t compare either!

I estimate that the downhills were completed at an average speed of 6.1mph, while I managed only 3mph on the uphills.  At an average speed of less than 4.1mph though, it would take me about 6 and a half hours to complete a marathon… furrgeddit!

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Circling

After the heat of the last few days, it was a little cooler sitting outside this morning with my espresso and my current book, Synchronicity, The Inner Path of Leadership by Joseph Jaworski.

The lower temperature drew me to do some more fartleks and so off to the Common I trotted.  It is such a lovely place and as I did the warm-up lap, I thought about how I could share this with you… so on the next loop I took a video, which you can see here.  It’s more than a little bumpy, so you may need to take a sea-sickness tablet before you start watching it, but I think that you’ll get the idea:  lovely path through the high grass during an earthquake, beautiful scenery zipping past in every direction, fresh air being drawn in noisily by the runner in the background etc.

It was so lovely that I put in an extra lap… no no NO, scrub that.  Actually I didn’t feel that I was trying hard enough, so I forced myself to run an additional lap before heading for home, so five laps in total.

So just over 5 miles in 46 minutes gives 6.6mph… slightly quicker than last week and a speed that would allow me to sneak in at under four hours… if I kept it up for the whole of the upcoming Brighton marathon.

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Short and sweet(y)

This morning’s run was always going to be a short one.

For starters, I spent yesterday painting more of the house, managing to complete fully two-thirds of one side wall.  I’ll have finished by next year at this rate.  I then had to go to Kim’s rental flat to try to figure out why the cistern was leaking, which involved taking it to bits several times and still only figuring out what the likely problem was afterwards.  I need to return to both of these lovely jobs at some point, but between these exertions, I woke up this morning as if I’d be starched.

For another thing, it’s about 25 degree outside.  In the shade.  And humid to boot.

All things considered, it was pretty amazing that I got out running at all, but out I did get, clunking down the road like a Transformer in need of lubrication.  I was keen to stick to the shaded woodland paths, which meant the easy route was my 5.2 mile one and I staggered around this in a less than stunning 54 minutes… slowest time yet, I think and I’m still knackered.

Oh well, back the painting then…

PS. I wrote to this point earlier, but could not post it due to a net outage,.  I can now report that no painting was done on account of my being too knackered… and tetchy with it.

Still, since Kim very kindly and painstakingly removed the white paint that I sloppily applied to the black down-pipe the other week, I did get out and refurbish some of the UPVC window frames that were dirty in addition to having had paint splattered on them.

Before collapsing in the tea-house and falling asleep.  Happy days!

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Common farts

I don’t know why it should be, but whenever I think of the word fartlek I get a really clear picture of Dai Thomas first explaining it to me.  Thus he was out there on the Common this morning with me, in spirit at least.

I was off to London, so I had to squeeze in a short run and based on my realisation that I’m currently running too slow to better 3.45 in the marathon, I thought I’d better use the time working on speed.

It was a stunning morning, hot even at 7am, with a slight breeze.

Fortunately the really fast side of the oblong was in the shade and unlike previous trips to the common, I managed to do four circuits without stopping for a breather, which I thought would surely give me a better time.  For some inexplicable reason however, the overall 4.5 run still took me 42 minutes, EXACTLY the same as last time I ran it on 20th May.

And despite the breathlessness and the sweat pouring from me, this speed (6.4mph) kept up across 26.2 miles will not even give me a sub-four-hour marathon.  Oh boy!  I have a LOT of training to do!

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“Hi. Thank you for calling the Brighton Marathon…

… enties will go live from the 23rd June, at 10am.  For any further information please go to brightonmarathon.co.uk.  If there are any futher questions, please leave a message after the tone.”

Blah blah blah…

So, after redialling about 120 times in about 40 frustrating minutes, I returned to the website which now had an Enter Now! button.

I feel a bit of a dullard for having wasted so much time, but maybe the email & website messaging from the organisers could have been a little clearer and the voicemail message could also direct people in a more forthright way… as in ‘to enter, please go to the race entry page on our website‘.

But here’s the real newsflash:  Kim and I have entered and are now officially in training!

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London to Brighton bike ride

No, don’t be silly, although I did complete it once in 1990, the year that I bought my first house.  Maybe next year?

I’ve felt a general malaise over the last couple of weeks and I would have AGAIN happily not run… but for two things.  One, the need to write and two, the fact that there is now officially going to be a Brighton Marathon next year.  Places can be booked from Tuesday and I figured that if I couldn’t demonstrate to myself that I could overcome a little lethargy, I really shouldn’t be entering.

Lifting my legs as I ran off down the road required a huge effort and I thought this was going to be a short run indeed.  Since the bike ride was on though, I thought I should at least go across and see the fun before I threw in the towel.  I ran down through the new Folders Keep for the first time (last time I went through that way it was a waterlogged meadow) and across the the cyclists route.  There were more bikes going past than I expected for 9.40am.

Then I headed for Ditching on the east side of the road, round behind all the garden centres.  It was to be a farmyard experience.  First up, the young cows, which I came face to face with as they barred my way.  Ususally cows get out of my way, but this morning it was as if I had ‘breakfast’ written all over me and followed me on the other side of a fence before pushing forward to see how I tasted.  Spooked, I backed off and they decided to show what a great team they were by heading off around the perimeter of the field.  In a thundering, tight group.  As they headed back to where I first encountered them, I picked up my skirts and ran across the field for the next stile.

Further along I came upon a small flock of lambs, who crowded around me as if I still had the ‘breakfast’ sign lit.  As I stepped over a stile they tried to reach through to take my waterbottle and as I moved it back I startled them, otherwise this photo would be far sweeter.

Yet further along I was harrassed by some chickens who also chased after me… what’s going on here?

Finally I made it to Ditchling and there was a certain irony when the Marshall controlling the traffic at the crossroads waved the cars across just as I was about to run through following some cyclists as they whizzed through the village…. ‘sorry mate, I didn’t see you’.

I think you’ll have realised that by now I was past the lethargy and whilst not running strong, I was committed to Ditchling Beacon.  I took my favourite path up, getting admiring comments from some walkers and as I neared the top I dropped onto the road rather than get tangled in the spectators.  Unused to running on tarmac, I verily zoomed up, overtaking all the cyclists that were there and getting some funny glances from all concerned.

Making the Beacon at the 1 hour 7 minute mark, I turned back around and headed down again, this time down the next track to Westmeston.  From here I ran along Underhill Lane and turned right onto a new (to me) track that took me back to Ditchling.  Via a field with some hungry horses that ambled after me.

I then retraced my steps behind all the garden centres, noting a small room with a view en-route.

As I ran down a piece of unused road near St Georges Retreat, I tripped.  I’m forever reminding my parents that they need to exercise their quads to help stop them falling over when they trip, but even my well-exercised, if tired, quads did not save me this time.  I ran forward, trying desperately to gain control with my hands close enough to the ground to touch it, but realising that a crash was inevitable, I jettisoned my water-bottle and dropped into a low and uncomfortable roll.

I lay there, laughing and busily trying to take a photo as a couple with their daughter and two dogs walked gently up.  Sniggering.  It was quite satisfying that I had at least had an audience, even though I had to jump up before the dogs tucked in to my face.

Short run back across the increasingly fuller flow of cycles and back home for 2 hours, 17 minutes.

12.2 miles at 5.3mph.  NOW I feel lethargic, although at least I can enter the marathon with impunity!

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Oh, by the way…

The day before we went to the Tate, Kim twisted my arm to make her some bookshelves for her study.  They’re fun and functional and whilst they might not be finished as well as a shop-bought piece of furniture, they have been designed to satisfy one persons’ particular requirements.  Price, say £30 (although I had most of the wood that bought left over afterwards) plus a day’s labour.

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Sunday 14th

Apologies for the sporadic nature of the last few posts, to do both with missed runs and missed posts.  Although I didn’t run midweek (yet again!), last Sunday fell into the latter category, primarily because we rushed straight out to meet our friends Patrick & Sarah at the Tate Modern for lunch… and I’ve then had a manic week.

What makes it doubly difficult to remember what I did is that my notes from the run go as follows: 1.48, Noel, 11 dog walkers, 10.75.  From Cliff’s perspective this might make for a prefect post, but I feel at least some more colour is required, if only to remind me what I did when I cast my eyes back over this at some point in the future.

It was a lovely morning, accentuated by the 7.15am departure time and bearing in mind our plans for the rest of the day, the run couldn’t be too strenuous.  I headed out past Ote Hall, across to the pub at the bottom of Fox Hill in Haywards Heath and up into Colwell Lane, which you may remember is a really muddy lane.  I turned off early though, cutting through to Slugwash Lane, joined the Sussex Border path for a short distance and then headed into Wivelsfield from the north via Strood Farm.

There was a slight diversion when I tracked all the way around a huge field because I missed the path… the funny thing is that it’s not the first time I’ve done it… I just went round the other way last time!

I came out of Wivelsfield on Hundred Acre Lane and I was gently running up the hill, minding my own business when a training shoe appeared silently at my left… I nearly jumped out of my skin!  It was Noel, who was out for a three mile run and therefore running quite a bit faster, but I relish company so I sped up to his pace and we chatted for most of a mile as we ran down the lane.

I then headed back across to the magical path and across the common.  Between the common and the railway line is a path that takes less than 5 minutes to run down and in this duration I passed 11 separate dog walkers.  9.00am must be the time to go out and be sociable around here!

10.75 miles took 1 hour 48 minutes, pretty much 6mph.

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A less than great advert for Burgess Hill

Some 18 months ago, I commented on the signage that welcomes most people to Burgess Hill and since then have commented on it several times to the leader of the Burgess Hill Business Parks Association.

This morning I had cause to run past Sheddingdean Industrial Estate again and found that a really discreet sign had indeed been added, albeit placed after the turning on the other side of the entrance road where it must be pretty useless to someone actually trying to find the estate.  Not that you could really miss the turning as the original, decrepid monstrosity had been left in place as before, only a little more dank, dirty and weathered.

It strikes me as odd that, with an economic down-turn starting to bite, the people who should be taking a pro-active and strategic approach to encouraging commerce in our town, should allow this advert for despondancy to remain.  Aside from which, this is surely not a great advert for ANY of the businesses on this sign?

Come on Peter, can’t you bang some appropriate heads together and do Burgess Hill a REAL favour before this sign does any more damage to the fortunes of the town?