Time for a holiday..........

I've not blogged for a while.  I've got a lot going on at the moment and I'm not feeling the best mentally or physically.  I've not run since the 29 miler but have just received my booklet for the Fellsman (panic). 

So, I'm off to Scotland for a week with the boyf and the dogs to do a bit of MTBing, some walking and some running.  I need to get the enjoyment back into it.

Dietwise I'm on and off the 811 but I'm staying 100% vegan.  I'm loving my frozen banana and date smoothies and feel better on the days I'm 811rv.  It's a transitional process, and at least I'm going in the right direction.  I know it's the right thing to do, so I'll keep on with it.

Hopefully my next blog will show evidence of a re-charged Deb ready to crack on and complete both the Fellsman AND the Housman Hundred.  All I'm looking for is a completion, and I'm sure I'll achieve it!

The Three Shires - 29 miles..... of hills......



Nice weather - NOT!  Roachford Rocks in background...



We'd been promised ok weather, but that promise wasn't kept!  The alarm went off at 4.15am (on a Saturday.... I know!) and the preceding week of insomnia was really beginning to catch up on me already.  Still, we got ourselves up and out and arrived at the venue in Staffordshire at 7.20 ready for an 8am start.  Nice hall, lots of nice toilets and a welcome cuppa and biscuit.  I'd drunk my banana, pineapple & date smoothie  (with a stick of celery for sodium) on the journey so managed to avoid the temptation of the biscuits.

The Three Shires (Cheshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire) is run by the LDWA Staffs branch and involves loops using a single venue for CP2 and CP3 before a return to the venue.  CP1 is just a table on the side of the road (with wet biscuits as it transpired).  The usual crowd were there at the start, and the event had reached its maximum of 160 participants.



Roachford Rocks.... great bouldering!



We set off up a long hill to an exposed trig point on Gun Hill.  I HATE uphill starts as my legs don't warm up till about 4 miles in, so I slogged up.  The weather looked like a storm was imminent, so we really didn't want to be that high up!  We trotted all the way down the other side on a long and rewarding downhill section, but I just couldn't settle into a rhythm, I couldn't get my 'eye in' and bound down like normal..... I was overly cautious.  I don't know why...perhaps concern about knee pain after last week, so maybe the fact I was so tired..... not sure, but it felt horrid!

The long down was followed by a very long up towards the imposing rocks we could see looming ahead of us.  We climbed through fields and farmyards until we eventually reached Roachford Rocks.  There were people bouldering up there, and you can see from the pics that it is a great place for them to be!  We got some welcome shelter in the wooded area, but soon ventured out onto the ridge.



Trig on the ridge.... awful weather - we just had to get down!



We hit the ridge at precisely the wrong time as the rain and dark clouds came slowly creeping over the rocks and sat directly above us.  Despite the warm air temperature, the wind was cold.  Fortunately it was behind us so we were protected by our packs.  After what seemed an eternity on the tops we began snaking our way downhill again along the slabbed path.  They looked like they were going to be treacherous, but we managed to trot our way down well.  I still had no confidence though, and I was beginning to get a bit fed up. 



Sandy track to the Packhorse Bridge



CP1 was a pile of wet biscuits and a drink on the side of a fell - not nice for the marshalls at all, and not much better for us.  We continued downwards along a rocky stream bed and my ankles seemed to be all over the place.  I was protected my knee and so allowing my ankles to take the motion - something I was going to pay for later!  We continued right down into the valley bottom, taking in a a lovely Youth Hostel building and following a stream to a lovely old packhorse bridge and some sandy tracks..... not easy on the legs!

After that it was up again to CP2.  We missed out Shuttlingsloe as it was a steep up and steep down for no real reason (you can see I was fed up by now!) and I didn't see the point in punishing my already aching ankles!  CP2 (and 3) was in a village hall and was well stocked with food.  True to form, Rich stuffed sausage rolls and pork pies down his face, and I had to abandon my banana for a biscuit.


Camber and fields on the 7 mile loop..... ankle breakers!


Leaving CP2 we then had to do a 7 mile loop to return to the same CP.  This was demoralising... you felt you were doing a loop for the sake of it, rather than actually travelling somewhere new.  Anyway, what didn't help was that the loop was almost all on a camber (the same camber too) and all it did was cause more problems for my ankles.  At around 20 miles I gave in and said I couldn't run anymore, and we then went into 'get home' mode.  We completed the loop, went to CP3 for food (I'd eaten my dates instead) and then set off on the final 7 miles home.



Lovely church at Wildboarclough - by CP2/3



It was a slog and a drag all the way home.  We looked back to the earlier 7 mile loop and could see the walkers making their way across the field.... we were glad it wasn't us!  We were overtaken by runners (and a few fast walkers) on this slog to the finish, and the fact we were now travelling so slowly didn't help matters.  It was still very hilly, and each hill just seemed worse - either longer or steeper....... yep - I was TOTALLY fed up!

Eventually we got to the finish.  The one good thing was that the food was AMAZING!  Rice and salad, bean salads, quiche, pork pies and lovely lovely puddings.  OK, so I stayed vegan but the raw went out the window..... I was fed up and hungry, so I won't apologise for that!  Certificates at the end but no badge (gutted).  My legs were killing (both ankles/Achilles and hip) and I just wanted to go home.  Could barely keep awake in the car on the way home.... I was knackered.



The sun came out on the final stretch - but I still wasn't happy!



I woke up Sunday morning in agony - ankles would not flex at all, and my hip did not allow for movement up or down hill.  I've never been bad like this after a run - not even after the 90 earlier in the year.  I need to just put this down to a bad day and NOT hold onto it, but I am now worrying about the Fellsman and the Hundred.  I need to put the negative thoughts out of my head!  Needless to say, we didn't go to Blubberhouses, and I need to see what my ankles are like before I decided if I'm going to Calderdale (36) next week.  Maybe my body is finally saying 'no thanks' or maybe I'm just tired and got too much going on at the moment...... time will tell.....

Off the wagon....

7 perfect days (pretty much), really enjoying it, no hunger, no cravings then.... I fell off my wagon!  Annoyed at myself because I wasn't hungry or craving, I just chose to eat rubbish because I was feeling a bit down (lots going on at home, work etc) and was kind of punishing myself I think.  The fact I'd lost no weight at all made me want to sabotage the plan, but it's not particularly helpful in the long run!  Only good thing about it is that the foods I had tasted really fatty, creamy, rich and pretty horrible actually, so I've written it all down so that when I want or crave them in the future, I remember that they're not as lovely as I might think!

So, back on the wagon tomorrow as I want to try running this weekend on the 811rv system, or at least give it a go!  Friday I will eat lots of fruit to carb my body up, then I'm planning on keeping it simple at the weekend with just water, bananas and dates with some grapes in the car for the way home... nice and juicy!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

So - the weekend..... we've got about 6 weeks till Fellsman and 8 weeks till the 100 and I'm NO way fit enough to even get round, so it's important that we do the 2 days this weekend (body permitting).  It's 29 miles on Saturday at the Three Shires, then 23 miles on the Sunday at Blubberhouses.  I'm pleased the shorter one is on Sunday!  Saturday will be no problem, we'll get round, but we'll take it very steady (yes - even steadier than usual!) and aim to get round in one healthy piece so we can at least arrive at the start on Sunday.

Sunday's will just be a case of getting round, and I'm happy if we just walk/shuffle round as long as we get out and do it.  Fellsman in 62 miles, so we need to make sure we can do it even if we break it up over two days.  I've run 62 in one go and 70 over 2 days as well as 3-4 50 milers.  Rich has never gone over 31 miles, and he's never completed two long runs on consecutive days.... so this weekend is about getting round!

We'll be knackered on Monday!

Day 6 of 811rv....

So, I'm on day 6, and I'd LOVE to say I haven't cheated.... but I did one day.  For no apparent reason (wasn't hungry, craving or anything) I decided to eat a biscuit.  On the upside, I ate only one (I can NEVER eat only one!) and afterwards I felt a bit strange, like I had an invader in my tummy!

Apart from that, all is well.  I'm not hungry at all (if I am, I eat fruit) and I'm eating 1300-1800 cals a day which is too low, but all I can manage volume-wise so far.  No cravings, in fact I've tried to tempt myself a few times and gone through the list.... chips, chocolate, cake, biscuits, crisps..... but nothing takes my fancy.  Again - highly unusual for me - I can talk myself into eating rubbish quite easily, but I genuinely don't fancy it!

Stress of mealtime options has gone, and it's just the excitement of which smoothie to eat today (melon & grapes = good, pear & kiwi = acidic and horrid!).  I've had a few mono meals - usually just bananas, just grapes, just melons etc, and my smoothies are usually just two fruits.  I'm loving my dates of an evening, just 50g as a 'treat' and so I can get my cals without the volume at night.

I'm hitting 90/5/5 everyday easily and I don't worry about it too much now.  I'm concentrating on fruit and not worrying about the greens too much as I settle in, but sometimes of an evening I feel munchy, and I go to the fridge and pull out all the cucumber, lettuce and cherry toms.... it's what I REALLY fancy!!  Strange, but nice.

On the downside, no more weightloss (NOT happy) so I'm still at 2lbs!!  Still, I can't possibly put weight on on this diet!!

Day Three of 811rv

I'm feeling good!  No cravings, no hunger, no problems.  I'm drinking a lot more water than I thought I would (considering I've upped my fruit and veg considerably) but apparently this can be due to the amount of bananas I'm eating - my body hasn't caught up with me yet!  Dr Doug Graham's other book arrived yesterday "Nutrition and Athletic Performance" which is much more tailored to me and what I want from the diet.  I read it in 2 hours, but I LOVED it!  Lots of ideas (and help on the forum too) regarding what I can take with me on long runs etc.

I'm struggling to eat enough cals (never thought I'd say that!) but the ratio is easy.  I'm nearing 90/5/5 rather than 80/10/10 which is not an issue!  I had a few dates last night to add some extra cals, but even then I only got 1200 down my neck!  I'm trying harder today!

So far I've eaten a whole watermelon (half as a fruit, and half blended to make a smoothie) and I've got 5 bananas chopped up for my lunch.  I should be aiming for about 8-10 really, but I'll have to work up towards that.  My body feels light, I've lost 2lbs and 1.2% body fat - but I'm not doing this for weightloss, it's health and athleticism I'm working towards. 

I've not been hungry, but the first night I felt 'empty' like I needed something heavy in my tummy.  Conversely, it's the LAST thing I need in my tummy, but it's all about retraining the mind - my body is MORE than happy with the nutritional change!

So - all good.  I'm learning more from the forums and reading and re-reading Dr Doug's two books.  I'm LOVING my home-made smoothies - a particular favourite being frozen melon with red grapes.....pure nectar!

Melon and red grape smoothie - LUSH!

Refining the diet....

As you know may know, I've been veggie since I was 12, vegan on and off for years, and managed 6 months 90% raw vegan last year. I felt amazing during the raw vegan stage and my weight levelled out, recovery improved, energy increased.  Then.... for a variety of reasons..... I fell off the wagon, much to my detriment.

So - I have decided to get myself back onto the RV wagon.  I've been reading up (re-reading Natalia Rose's books that inspired me last June) and getting to grips with Dr Doug Graham through his book "80/10/10" and I've committed myself to it for a minimum period of 28 days.  Once the 28 days are over, I'll see how I feel, but judging by my successes last year, I think I'll be good.  More and more endurance athletes are taking  up a vegan lifestyle, and more of them are refining it further to achieve raw vegan - with considerable success.



Evening Meal - HUGE and delicious!

 Anyway - thought I'd let you know as I'll be commenting on progress on here.  I'm giving it the full 28 days of no-cheating, 100% 811rv and I'll report back truthfully on all I experience.

For info - my food today has been:
Breakfast:  Smoothie made of 2 bananas, 1 pineapple, 100g blueberries (gorgeous!)
                 200g melon
Lunch:       4 bananas with 200g of strawberries
Snack:       200g red grapes
Tea:          Romaine lettuce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, red pepper and cucumber
Supper:     About 7pm I'm going to have a raspberry and mango smoothie.... can't wait!

Raspberry and Mango Smoothie - YUM!

I've easily achieve the 80/10/10 (80 is a MINIMUM for the carbs....) as it's currently coming in as about 90/6/4.  Not been hungry, and really enjoyed the taste of the food.  No cravings yet.......

Two Crosses - crashed out.....

Woke up early, weather not the best, but ok for running.  Before Rich even got out of bed he warned me he may not be running - his knee had kept him awake during the night and pressure on it was not likely to help.  After walking up and down the stairs a few times he decided he may give it a go, and pull out if needs be.

So, we got to the start at Tottington Youth Club, Bury.  The drizzle was persistent, and we should really have started in our Pertex, but we decided to trust the weather forecast that said it was soon to dry up.... wrong!

Two Crosses is an LDWA event run by East Lancs Group (our own group) and we have been looking forward to having a chat at every checkpoint along the way.  £6.50 entry included well-stocked checkpoints, tea and toast at the start and an array of soups with bread, puddings and cookies at the end.

The start - Tottington Youth Club, Bury

We set off uphill through the housing estate and climbed our way up towards the misty tops.  Irritatingly, RIch's knee seemed to be fine, but my knee decided it was not having any of this running lark!  The ground was pretty sticky and wet in places, which really didn't help matters.

Jumbles Reservoir

We had a nice long run down towards Jumbles Reservoir, out the other side and up to Affetside and the first checkpoint at Turton Tower.  My knee was not coping with the long downhill sections, and the pressure on it uphill meant we were slowing right down in the first few miles!  Not good.  What was worse was that the weather was not getting better and we had managed to get quite cold (because we were moving pretty slowly and not generating much warmth). 

We passed the split for the 18 or 25 mile option, and were thinking off the shorter route, then realised we only had the description for the 25 miler.  So we decided to battle on.  Then I saw the long slog we were due up the next hill, and as my knee gave way on the downhill road section I decided enough was enough.

We walked back to the split and got a lift back in the sweep up car.  It was gutting because we'd been looking forward to this, but with the double weekend coming up in a fortnight (29 miles on the Sat and 23 miles on the Sun) it would be silly to risk it all now.  Two weeks rest and I hope it'll all have settled back down.  I'll give Chester a miss next weekend, perhaps go do the social walk with the East Lancs group instead.  We'll see.

'Ell and Back - 30 miler - wet, boggy, muddy and wet.....

Early up (5.15am) and out in the car for 6.45am.  Weather was wet and drizzly, so we figured we end up starting in coats even if we ended up getting too hot later (we didn't).  Drove to the start at Greetland Allrounders Rugby Club at the top of a hill - not a good sign as it meant the finish will ALWAYS be uphill! 

Rich at Greetland Allrounders Rugby Club - the start!

We arrived at 7.30am.  The event is organised by Elland Round Table and there is a choice of 15 or 30 miles for the route.  £7.50 entry (for LDWA) to include refreshments and a meal at the end.  Saw many of the usual faces there, so we all nodded at each cordially even though we could spot each other in a line-up but have no idea what each others' names are!  No tea or toast at the start which was a bit disappointing for some, but I'd smoothie'd up on the way over.  

 The run was due to start at 8.00-8.30 (according to the details) but people seemed to be drifting off.  I spoke to the organisers and said we could go when we wanted as there'd be no official timings anyway, just a completion certificate.  We didn't need to be told twice, so once I'd visited the facilities we set off.  Weather was drizzly, so we had our Pertex on and we made our way down the road passing the walkers as we went.  



Rich navigating us to CP.  The viaduct is in the background, and there were a few miles of (bloody) canals in store for us..... and you KNOW how happy that makes me!




Bloody canal... and look at the weather!

Downhill starts are fab for me because it takes a while for my legs to warm up.  We trotted along the Calder Way and along the River Calder (I think we crossed it) before going under the viaduct onto the canal.  Yes..... canal.  Bloody canal.....  We did about 3 miles along the (bloody) canal and I hated every second.  I took a photo and tried to keep trotting along, but despite the fact I was fresh and the going was easy, my mindset kicks into a 'can't be bothered' mentality and I dragged Rich down to my level too!  We ran bridge to bridge and were pleased to reach Sowerby Bridge......where we left the canal...... and then we re-joined it again.  Joy!  We finally reached the CP and were able to leave the canal.  Yay!

Unfortunately, on leaving the canal we went vertically upward forever... or at least it felt like that!  Still raining, and we were traipsing up wet, slippy cobbled streets followed by well-worn stone steps up alongside fields.  It was hard to keep our footing along here, and Rich fell stopping me from falling!  Treacherous and debilitating.  Although the hill was steep and very very long, we were still fresh and still pleased not to be on a canal, so we toddle along nicely.  The wind was cold on the top of the hill and we were able to pick up a trot again and made our way to the next CP.



Muddy path, muddy gateway = joy!



We followed the Calderdale Way Link Path for a while now and were glad of the shelter from the lanes.  This soon ended though, and we were running along the muddiest field path (the track had been tractored to death) with huge puddles by the gates that there was no option of going around.  It was also very exposed, so we quickly got cold because the ground was too poor to be able to pick up any kind of pace.  We followed bridleways through some nice countryside and enjoyed a fantastically long downhill along a road and then a track.  However, when you go down so quickly, you know the inevitable up is not far behind, and it came with a vengeance..... complete with those slippy stone worn steps again!  Nightmare!  We gained back the height we had lost, then trotted down a stone path to the next CP.  All the CPs so far only had water/squash - refreshments were only being laid on at the halfway point, so we were pleased we'd packed some food!

Heading towards Baitings Dam CP - halfway point.

We climbed up another steep hill (it was ALL hills today) and finally enjoyed a long sloping downhill.  We were caught by some runners that we'd passed earlier, and they admitted that they'd got lost and had ended up doing a few extra miles.  They were not impressed, and we felt their pain, having done that in the past!  We made our way now downhill to Baitings Dam where the CP was a campervan in the car park.  'Refreshments' meant a ham, cheese or tuna roll...... that was it.  I had neither, but grabbed a tuna for Rich whilst he munched through his ham roll.  I opened up my ginger biscuits and started chomping.  We had a long section of faceless moorland in front of us, and there was a climb to be had to get there!



From the moor - looking back to Baitings Dam - the sun came out!



We crossed the dam wall and worked our way up to a bridleway onto the moor.  Four miles of this now, and luckily for us it was not foggy.  The path was so boggy it was indiscernible in places and if it wasn't for the infrequent orange markers giving us an idea of the general direction, we could easily have got very very lost!  It was fairly flat, but the wind was straight in our faces and the ground so boggy that progress seemed slow.  It was also a bit demoralising too!  There was an ambiguous marker and direction on the instructions at Warm Withens Drain.  We went left (which ended up being correct) but once we'd gone 10 mins or so, we looked back to see others had gone straight on.  Thinking we were wrong, we decided to cut across country (bog) to the CP at Green Withens Reservoir as we could see it, but couldn't work out how our path would reach it.  We bog-trotted - knees deep in most places - for an eternity before we got to the CP, much to the surprise of the Marshall!



The moorland was faceless and it was hard to navigate a path amongst the bog!

 We ran down the side of the culvert now heading towards the main road.  It was very slippy and lumpy, and ankles were all over the place.  I managed to fall quite heavily on my right knee which twisted as I fell..... so I was in quite some pain.  However, we were about 20 miles in and I wasn't going to pull out, so I battled on.  The pain was pretty bad and there was some fantastic limping going on, but my stubbornness prevailed.  We crossed the main road and ran along a packhorse track parallel to the road....where I fell again (much swearing).  We then crossed back over the road and past Rishworth Lodge before descending to the carpark on the main road and the CP.


Looking back towards Rishworth Lodge - shame about the M62



After the CP it was a slog uphill.  Joy.  Views were ok (if you could ignore the M62) and the sun was finally showing its face properly!  Still too cool to take jackets off though.  We followed a bridleway up the hillside and eventually reached the brow.  I was in much pain with the knee, so where the route took us straight across the road and down another lumpy path, Rich used his local knowledge and took us left down the road and crossed at Scammonden Dam to get to the CP at the tunnel on the far side.  It must have been a slightly quicker route (we'd been able to run the length of the road, which we couldn't have done on the path) and we passed a few of the people who had been in front of us.


Crossing Scammonden Dam - M62 to the left, reservoir to the right....and sun up above!

 It was the final 5 miles now, but Rich's quads were starting to give up, and my knee wasn't fab.  We kept up the intermittent running when we could, but we struggled on the steep downhills and our pace slowed considerably.  There was also a fair bit of intricate navigation to be done so there was a lot of stopping and checking directions which always loses time.  More hills, more cobbles and a paper mill factory later, and we were starting to wind our way back uphill to the finish.  The final climb was a killer, and meant that we got into the Rugby Club at the end feeling pretty tired.  We picked up our certificates and traded our route cards for pie and peas before setting off home.

Got back, walked dogs, bathed and got into the compression tights for the night.  Both feeling very tired and thankful for a good meal!

Overall - a very hilly, very boggy route but a bit of everything - canal, lanes, tracks, moorland etc.  Well organised but disappointing on the food front.  I wouldn't want to do this one in bad weather or with poor visibility on that moor!  I would do it again, but it is hard and certainly don't expect quick times!  We managed 7hrs 42 which was fantastic in the circumstances (for us).  Rich's legs held out to 25 miles, so his endurance is improving each time.  Apart from my knee injury, my legs were fine and energy levels good too!  No badge, but a certificate, so not all lost..... although I'd prefer a badge.....

'Ell and Back tomorrow...... can't wait!

Well, I've certainly not been well this week!  Gastro-enteritis is going around work and a few of us have had it.  I even had to leave early on Thursday because I wasn't in any state to be staying around!  I couldn't manage solid food for two days, but luckily my smoothies got me through.  I'm still feeling a bit rubbish, but alot better than I have been.  No doubt this will affect my energy levels tomorrow, but Ii don't want to load up today and risk upsetting my tummy again!  I made the most gorgeous smoothie today - 550g pineapple, 2 bananas (frozen) and a nectarine - makes about a litre of pure heaven.

Went for a walk with the dogs up Rivington again whilst Rich rode his MTB.  Very foggy up there, but nice to be out despite the bitter wind.  Walked the usual route, but my calves were sore up the first hill.  My left knee is also playing up a bit. It's been painful this week (I blame that road run last weekend entirely... not had knee issues for ages) even when resting, so I'm hoping I'll run it off tomorrow.

Rich knows bits of the route and, with the wet weather due tonight, it's going to be pretty boggy.  This won't be so bad for us if we're suffering a bit on our knees - the softer the better.  Weather for tomorrow shows rain clearing by 9 (we start at 8) followed by cool, but dry, weather for the rest of the day.  Perfect.

There is only food at the halfway (15 mile) point, so we're having to carry.  I'm taking 2 beakers of smoothie with chia, 2 cartons of soya milk, a pack of Hobnobs (vegan - provided you don't have the chocolate ones!) or gingers and a couple of packs of ready salted crisps.  We'll eat at the halfway point if there is anything decent, but I need to carry something for me that I know I can stomach!  Rich will eat anything.....

So - early to bed as we're setting off at 6.45, so a 5.30 get up so I can walk the dogs etc.  Looking forward to it - feels like AGES... although it's actually only a fortnight.  I get so used to running every weekend that it feels like a long time in between if I have to miss one!  No badge tomorrow (boo!) just a certificate.  I'm hoping for good weather for some good photos!

Good news for the weekend.....

Doing Ell'and Back at the weekend - 30 miler over Huddersfield way.  Was supposed to be running solo as Rich has his kids that weekend, but that has just been cancelled (due to children's parties) which means we can run together!  Yay!  Nice for 30 miles as we're talking 6+ hours to complete and it'll be nice to have the company - plus Rich needs to do these longer ones if he's going to be fit for the Fellsman! 

Contacted the Elland Round Table who organise the event, and he's ok to enter on the day - bonus!  So.... weather permitting.... a good weekend is in store!  I'll take my camera!

P.S.  My cold is a little better, but I'm still tired ALL the time - it's ridiculous!  Came home from work the other day and fell asleep after the dog walk!  Must be a bug or something.... or maybe I'm getting old?

The run that wasn't

Well, you could see how excited I was - but it was not to be.  I managed to get to sleep on the Friday night, but by 1am I was awake and didn't get back to sleep until 3.40am.  Needless to say, when the alarm went off at 5.10 I wasn't happy - and the cold I had developed overnight was not helping.  I made the decision (eventually) to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep.  It was the right decision - I woke again at 9am!

Despite the cold, I felt I needed to get out and pound the streets, so I dragged poor Rich out for an 8.5miler.  I can't remember the last time I ran solidly for 8 miles (we;re always having to stop for stiles or to navigate) on the road!  It was torture.....SOOOOO boring!  I thought canals were bad, but this!  We both complained of knee problems afterwards, and although we were glad we went, we didn't enjoy it one bit!

Sunday we woke intended to do a 17 miler (in order to make up the 25 I missed) but I couldn't keep awake long enough!  In the end we settled for a 8 mile walk over Rivington with the dogs, but when I got home I was straight back to bed again!  Whatever I have, it's making me very very tired.

Legs were aching from running on the road, and even today they're a bit sore.  Madness!  I can do 50 miles on the hills with no bother, but 8 miles on the road and I'm a mess!

Anyway - I am hoping to be fit and well for Elland Back 30 miler next week..... fingers crossed!

Running tomorrow!

YAY!  Had quite a stressful week at work and I can't wait to run tomorrow.  Rich was supposed to be MTBing but his man-flu has put paid to that idea so he's planning on a lie in and I'm off running solo.

It's Troller's Trot over near Threshfield (Yorkshire Dales) so it's an early start.  I need to leave the house at 6.10, so I need to be up at five to get breakfast, dress and pack.  At least lazy-bones can walk the dogs for me after his lie-in.

The entry info says that the 25 Mile route is fully marked throughout and no map or talk-around is required (although a route description is available if requested).  I'll probably grab one at registration so I've got it in case I get lost.  I'm looking forward to being able to just run and not keep checking directions.... bonus!

I'm continuing trialling the Alpro Soya drinks tomorrow, so I'll report on that again.  Weather looks cold (1-2 degrees) with all rain cleared by 8am (start time!).  Perfect running weather....cold, sunny and dry!

A training run... ok .... only a short one.....

We managed to grab a 40 min run through the woods at Darwin Forest Park in Matlock (Derbyshire).  It was very flat and VERY VERY boggy - but it was out and it was running!  Took my mum (who is a road runner and big cyclist) and she managed to get her pristine road trainers well and truly bogged up!  I had my gaiters on again and am still very impressed.  I've also worked out that I can slip them off easily whilst still attached to my shoe - so that'll make it easier at the end of runs!
Got Troller's Trot on Saturday (25 miles) and I'm hoping my knee is ok - got a bit of pain on the outsides of the knee.  Luckily it was only a short, soft run, and weather permitting me and Rich are gonna go out for another shortish one in the week.

So - that's it really..... not the most exciting week!  Troller's Trot race report will follow!

Half-term.....

Not much to blog, cos not much going on!  Been looking after Rich's kids whilst they're on half-term so we get the trade off of an extra week off together later in the year.  They've not been too bad at all, but I have kept them busy constantly.  We've been to Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, I marched them up Rivington Pike this morning (I am unhappy to report that Ashley (7) ran up there faster than me and Rich did on the Anglezarke Amble!), and any spare minute I've got them on the Wii.  We've entered them into a 7 mile charity walk (they're 7 and 9 years old) in May, so it's all part of their training!

Off for a weekend away with the kids, and hoping to get away from it all with a nice run around the Peak District whilst the commotion of family life goes on in the background....bliss!

Legs feeling ok - arch is fine but the outer knee (right) hurts when on a camber....so need to nurse it round a few flat miles over the weekend ready for Trollers Trot the following Saturday (5th March I think it is).

Beacon Bash - 21 miles of slop and goo.....

 

Inov8 Debris Gaiters.....before....



It didn't start well.  Alarm went off at 5.30, and as I was already awake I got up quite easily, but Rich insisted on an extra 25 mins in bed whilst I walked dogs.  When I went to wake him after his lie-in, we started on the "Do you want to go?" and the "We could just snuggle back into bed and have a lie-in" scenario.  However, as I had already had my breakfast and it wasn't raining outside, and the fact this was such a local race.... we managed to turn it around and get ourselves out there.  It only took us 25 mins to get to the start in Newburgh (near Parbold, Wigan) and the weather was fine.... so we had no excuse.  We'd also bought some Inov8 debris gaiters to prevent stones and twigs going into our trainers on the run, so we had to try out our shiny new kit...



Newburgh Sports Club

Once we'd got ourselves into gear, we got into the car with all our kit and set off.  The sat-nav took us round the houses to get there, but we arrived and found a parking space (amazingly) in the actual venue!  We couldn't believe our luck.  It's quite a small event (150 max I think) held by South Lancs LDWA and the entry was about £6.50 as I recall.  There was no queue for the toilet (unbelievable) and a minor change to the talkaround had been printed out onto sheets to avoid all confusion....a good start!

Illegal parkers.....at the start!



So, when it got to 8am and we were due to set off, we were taken out to the carpark and given a good telling off!  Firstly, anyone who'd parked in the venue car park got told off (oops!) because we were supposed to park somewhere else.  I hadn't seen anything saying we couldn't park at the sports club, and there wasn't a sign at the car park (as there usually would be) saying no parking on site.  Then we all got told off because last year someone left a gate open, some sheep got out, and as a result the group have now got to staff an extra checkpoint at the entrance to this field.  Having had strips torn off us, we were told to have a lovely day and to start.  Joy.  If we weren't in the right frame of mind at the start (which we weren't), our little 'pep' talk wasn't making anything better!



Rich on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal

Anyway.... we started off on a slight downhill through Newburgh and onto a footpath crossing a sticky field heading towards and then along the canal (Leeds-Liverpool this time).  Now, if you've read my Ultra-90 blog entry you'll know that if there is one thing I HATE running on, it's canal towpaths!  Rich's legs were taking time to warm up and his shins were hurting, but he managed to run this off.  We stayed on the flat until bridge 30, then we crossed the canal and went up hill to Parbold hill.  Now, we walked this route as a West Lancs Social Walk late last year, and we both recalled this being a horrible hill, but it was fine!  I felt a bit sick as it was the first uphill and I'd just downed a carton of Alpro Strawberry Soya Milk drink.

It was my first time experimenting with soya milk as running fuel and I THINK it was ok.  I had my porridge and rice milk for breakfast with a smoothie mixed with chia seeds (for hydration) and a carton of soya milk just before the start.  My body isn't used to drinking soya milk, but following the advice of "Vegan+Sports" writer Arnold Wiegand, I thought I'd give it a go.  It certainly kept my well hydrated, and I managed to get 3 down my neck during the 21 miles. 

I didn't feel hungry, but I did miss the burst that sugar gives you - although this is a deliberate attempt to stop the highs and lows of blood sugars, ensuring greater endurance and consistent fuel consumption.  Anyway - subsequent cartons didn't cause nausea, but caused much frustration trying to get the stupid straw out the packet (with gloves on) and pierce the little foil hole!  Drinking them was easy, but made me burp a bit - probably because I was trying to drink them as quick as I could.  Anyway - I'll definitely keep trying it!  I didn't have anything else apart from one packet of crisps and my energy levels felt ok.



We got a bit fed up of the muddy fields....like goo!

Anyway - back to the Beacon Bash.  Having got up Parbold Hill we then ran down the muddy other side through countless sloppy gooey fields, collecting lots of mud along the way.  We were pleased with our gaiters, they stayed on, didn't move, were comfy and certainly kept the debris out of my trainers.  I tend to have them quite loosely tied, so there's plenty of opportunity for twigs and stones to get in them!  We'd managed to take in 2 of the 5 checkpoints by this time, both offering just drinks.



Rich choosing his French Fancy at the CP!



We ran up Hunters Hill (well, we walked it actually due to the big muddy fields - one step forward, half a step back all the way) where there was a much better stocked checkpoint where Rich managed to down a French Fancy and some home-made cakes.  We were leap-frogging some guys from last week and they took some photos of us - so if I can get them off the website, I'll attach them to the blog too!  There was a long road section downhill which meant we could run some of the mud off our shoes finally!

We headed on towards Fairy Glen (a wooded area with walks) and we managed to get a bit lost.  The talkaround was pretty good, but we weren't using it much because we remembered a lot of it from the recce walk we did, but when we did need to use it, we had to check back and find out where on the details were actually were!  A local dog walker put us right and we navigated our way through, ending up on muddy fields (a recurring theme). 



Debris gaiters holding up well aganst the mud!

After visiting the visitors centre, we had a slog up to Ashurst Beacon.  I say slog because we remembered slogging up it last year on the walk, but in fact we trotted up and it seemed to take only minutes!  You start the ascent on the golf course and through muddy gloopy wooded paths up to the top.  There's a checkpoint just before the final push (with soup - I couldn't imagine anything worse!) and after a short pull, we were at the Beacon.  Easy!  A nice muddy sloppy gooey (recognise the theme?) run down then to the muddiest section of the day.  Debris gaiters still holding up well though. 

The arch of my right foot was twinging from slipping and sliding all the time, and my right knee was coming out in protest too, but otherwise I was feeling fine - energy, breath and muscles all fab.  Rich was tiring and his knee and quad were starting to sing a bit, but as we recalled later on, it's the first time he's done two events in two weeks - he can only usually come every other weekend.



Ashurst Beacon - and my new nutrition drink!

We did the finally muddy field and managed to trot up the roadway to the finish.  We completed in 5hrs 14.  We were hoping for about 5 hours, but I think the sloppy muddy sections that we were forced to walk could easily be blamed for the extra 14 mins!  We had to take our trainers off before entering the sports club, and we realised then that the gaiters were both friend and foe.  They were clogged with mud, and now we were trying to get them undone so we could go inside!  We managed though!



Mud....lots of it!



Meal was pie and peas, so Rich tucked in, but there was nothing for Vegans!!  Not surprising really, restaurants rarely cater for us, so you can hardly expect the LDWA to!  I found a bit of cherry pie and ate my remaining pack of crisps.  Rich had TWO puddings, both with cream......  We set off home and got bathed etc.  Feet were grubby as usual, but had clumps of mud on this time, not just staining.  However, it wasn't anything that the nail brush couldn't cope with.  Rich walked the dogs whilst I nipped to the shops for food as we were craving chips and burgers (a vegetable burger for me of course!).

We were then shattered - much more tired than we were last week, and yet we hadn't worked that hard at all.  I think it was the fact we were tired before we started that made us feel like that!  Anyway - we're sat here in our recovery tights barely able to keep our eyes open.  I'm just pleased it's half term next week!


So, to conclude, an OK run.  It's local, but it isn't the most exciting.  No particularly spectacular views or rewarding downhills, but it's undulating and guaranteed to be muddy.  Yes we'd do it again, but only if there's nothing more interesting to do that weekend.  Checkpoints were lacking in food, but they made up for it in the after-run meal, so can't complain really!





Our prize....makes it all worth while!





Drowning the tonsillitis in wine.....

....unorthodox medication, but it seems to have worked!

Went back to work on Friday and left early to go to a funeral up in Carlisle.  It was a lovely service, a real celebration of the lady's life.  Then I met up with some friends, went for a curry and stopped in 'for one' at my local.  The 'one' ended up being many many more and I finally staggered to bed about midnight.

Woke up this morning with a dry mouth, sore lips.... but no tonsillitis!  I think I must've disinfected them with the alcohol....or drowned them.... but either way they feel much better. 

I'll run tomorrow (it's only local and a short one - 21 miles - but it is quite hilly).  I'll try out my new nutrition to see how I get on.  Worth a try.  I just hope I can get over my hangover by then. I'm really far too old to go out drinking.  I think it's because I do it so rarely now, that I get so affected by it!

Went to Ambleside on the way home (Kirkstone Pass was impassable due to snow and ice - not a great omen for tomorrow, AND a 26 mile detour for me) and got a nice lightweight pair of Inov8 Roclite boots (see picture left) for the GR5 this year.  They only weigh 288g and seem perfect!  Waterproof too.....fantastic!  Even better, they were half price (£60 instead of £120) so we both got a pair.... Just a shame that we'll be walking the Alps with matching shoes.....oh the shame!  Last year I walked in a lightweight leather pair, but they were a bit heavy - these are like wearing flip-flops!

Right - off to rest up now ready for the run tomorrow... race report and photos to follow.  Weather looks ok till about 2pm when the rain will be coming in.  Hope to be almost home by then!

Tonsilitis and reading......

Woke up yesterday with a sore throat.  Went to work, but by 10.30 my head was pounding, throat closing up and I felt absolutely knackered.  So I came home early from work and went straight to bed.....and slept!

Woke this morning and my throat is even more swollen, and I can now see my huge bulging tonsils with lovely yellow spots all over them.  No work for me.  Stayed in bed then got up and walked the dogs....but that's made me even more knackered!

The only bonus is that it's allowed me some time to read my latest books.... all about Vegan sports nutrition.  I need to ensure I am staying fuelled enough and getting the most out of my body.

I started with "Vegan + Sports" by Arnold Wiengand (Amazon).  He runs ultras and Ironman Triathlons and has been vegan since 2003.  The book is quite basic, but he has some interesting views on training that I am going to try. 

Firstly, in training he trains his body to burn its fat reserves.  He does this by not fuelling up before a training session.  His body then learns to tap into the fat reserves quickly, which means that when he IS competing (and therefore fuelling) when he gets further down into his reserves, his body is able to metabolise the fat more quickly and easily because it has been trained to do so.  Interesting theory, and one I'm going to work on!

Secondly, he promotes the use of soya protein drinks DURING endurance events.  I always carry water and a variety of foods, but I am definitely going to try taking my Alpro Soya drinks with me.  They're about 187cals per carton, and I reckon I'd easily get one an hour down my neck.  According to the author, it helps support the conversion of glycogen and fat into fuel, but prevents fatigue in the muscle.  I'm planning on trying this on Sunday (tonsillitis permitting).  He then recommends soya protein and a banana as an after-run recovery snack.  I'll report back on how I get on.

The second book I am currently working through is "Thrive Fitness" which is a Vegan-Based training programme written by the International triathlete and ultra-runner Brendan Brazier (also on Amazon). 

I'm not that far into it yet, but he is all about conserving energy in order to have it available for longer.  This involves eating food that is easily digested and converted into fuel so your body is not spending energy doing all the work, therefore leaving more energy available to the muscles. 

He also advocates strengthening exercises for the leg muscles, not to build size, just strength.  A weak muscle requires more energy from the heart and fuel stores to move it.  By making the muscle stronger, less energy is used and endurance is therefore increased.  I'm loving it so far as it makes perfect sense.  Perhaps it is very obvious, but it's only when you take time out to think about it that it all fits into place.  I used to do kettlebell training to strengthen my legs and core, and it really did help - so maybe it's time to dust them back off!

Anyway - I'll report back further on the book once I've finished it.  I'm snuggled up in my bed keeping warm!

Anglezarke Amble - 24 miles of hills, mud, bogs and more bogs....and more hills....boggy ones!

Thank goodness the weather held up for us!  A week of full on rain meant that we knew what we'd be facing, and we weren't wrong!  Luckily, we woke on Saturday morning to a general greyness, but we'd been promised a dry day (with a hint of sunshine) and about 7-8 degrees....perfect running weather.  Sunday was forecast wall to wall rain, so we were glad the event was on this day instead!

So, being a local event, we didn't have such an early get-up and only a 15 minutes drive to the start.  The Anglezarke Amble is run by West Lancs LDWA and many of our friends from the group staff the checkpoints along the way.  It's 24 miles of hill (up to Rivington Pike, over Winter Hill, up Darwen Tower and over Great Hill) and incredibly boggy wet ground.  We did the Amble last year, but we walked it.  It was Rich's first ever walk of that distance and I remember it being a bit of a slog.  It took us 8 hrs 4 mins to walk it, and although we knew we had a lot of slogging up boggy hills, we hoped to take a couple of hours off that running.  It's so hilly it's hard to make huge gains in time by running.  I was also pretty depleted from the cleanse, and a nice dose of the 'runs' wasn't helping much either!


Me and Rich at the start

We arrived to a filled car park and filled hall with walkers and runners taking advantage of the tea and toast - we'd already had our porridge.  I managed 4 more trips to the toilet before we set off at 8am...not good!  We gathered outside with a mixture of 24 mile and 16 mile runners and walkers, and managed to bump into Tim, who I'd only previously communicated with via this blog and Facebook.  Our only aim was to get in front of the walkers at the start because the slog up to Rivington Pike has a series of stiles that bottle-neck everyone and we knew we'd get stuck behind for a long time. 

If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that it takes my body about 4 miles to warm up, so running straight up hill at the very start is not a great prospect. But we managed it - we ran up the car park and trail with the rest of the runners and assured ourselves a place at the stile unhindered.  The mist was very low making visibility poor, which was a good thing because I didn't want to see how far away I was from the Pike!  I wasn't feeling great - my fuel tanks felt very low and my tummy was threatening to do its worst...


Walkers and runners registering at the start


We slogged our way up the steps to the Pike and turned for a nice skiddy run down before joining the stony track again.  Rich was feeling quite good and was trying to pull me along - but he knows I'm rubbish the first 4 miles!  This was followed by a boggy uphill stint along the single-track road up to the first checkpoint at Winter Hill.  The mast lights were all we could see in front of us, it was impossible in the mist to make out any shapes!  Luckily a lot of runners were in fluorescent tops, which was very helpful!  We'd been passed by a number of runners on the way up (sorry - I can't run up those hills so early into a run!) but we soon passed them again on the way down.  It's quite a long technical downhill, so Rich and I got a good buzz leaping from rock to grass to mud to bog as we hurtled our way down.  Great fun!

Really boggy crossing of fields and streams then (soaked feet from this point on) and we soon got to Checkpoint 2 where the 16 milers peeled off from the 24 milers.  We remembered this part from last year and we knew the bogs would be worse this year.  We both ended up knee deep in various parts of the bog, but it all adds to the fun!  We kept passing and being passed by a group of men and we had some good banter with them throughout. 

Checkpoint 3 was by a reservoir, but as usual we barely stopped.  Rich just picked up a drink of orange squash and a biscuit.  I was struggling to eat and spent the first 4 hours nibbling my way slowly through some ginger biscuits I'd brought with me.  We then started the long long long slog up towards Darwen Tower along Witton Weavers Way.  You can't see Darwen Tower (although the weather had cleared alot and there was a glimmer of warming sunshine from time to time) at the start of the slog and you just seem to go up endlessly without any kind of reward in a nice downhill.  I'd managed to rub a hole in my sock and my trainer was beginning to work its way through my skin layers, but luckily I was blissfully unaware until Rich pointed it out!

This section has a lot of stony track and never-ending roads.  It then moves onto the more exposed fells, complete with the aforementioned bogs and a crisp cross-wind.  Luckily the sun decided to show its face and warm us up a little.  We marched up and trotted down the undulations, but you never really feel like you're getting there.  Eventually Darwen Tower came into view and I managed to stuff a pack of crisps down my neck as we checked in at Checkpoint 4.


Finally.....Darwen Tower and a reasonable track too!

 Having slogged up for what seemed like hours, it would be nice to have the reward of a lovely long downhill, but you never really seem to be going down.  In fact there are still a lot of 'ups' on this stretch, until eventually you get a short section of track where you can let your legs fly down to the road and Checkpoint 5 at Slipper Lowe car park.  This is a well-stocked checkpoint and the place where the 16 milers re-join our route, but we didn't stop to chat.  It was nice to have the 16 milers back in the mix because we always seemed to be passing people.

However, the worst was yet to come.  The final hurdle now was Great Hill, and the rain clouds seemed to be moving towards it at an alarming rate.  The problem with Great Hill is that there is nothing 'great' about it.  It is high, has 3 false summits as you approach n the direction we were coming from, and is the boggiest piece of ground in the area.  If anything was a slog, this was it.  We literally trudged our way up one small squishy step at a time, feet in and out of bogs, slipping backwards.... the lot.  It's horrid.

Eventually it was over and we reached the tops and got a fantastic run down all the way to the final Checkpoint 6 at White Coppice.  It's a great downhill because it's a mixture of tracks, rocks, bogs and grassland and it's so steep you just have to keep your legs turning. I fell over, but the ground was so soft there was no damage - for a change! My legs were feeling fantastic, and for the first time in the run I was starting to feel a bit better, rather than worrying that my stomach contents were going to appear at anytime.  Typically, when I start feeling warmed up and ready to crack on a bit, Rich is starting to fatigue.  His calves were cramping on and off and his ankle was beginning to protest at all the rocks and cambers.  I'm usually at my best from about 12 miles in!

The finish is about 5km from White Coppice, but it feels longer.  I'm not sure if it's because its flat, or because we know the area so well, but it feels like you're never getting any nearer!  You run along road, woodland, river and past the two reservoirs, but all you really want to do now is get home.  The weather held off and we never got the rain that was threatening us on Great Hill.  We made our final run across the field, across the road and back into the Hall - our time was 6 hrs 14 mins.  Not bad considering how boggy it was this year and having to slow towards the end for Rich's calves. 


Lovely... and the mud goes right up to our knees!

 Unfortunately we had no time to hang around because we were due at Rich's work Xmas do (yes - in February) over in Leeds.  So we got ourselves home, bathed, dressed and ready to go.  Our feet were filthy, and my knees were too from falling over!  However, the only thing we wanted to do was sleep.  Luckily we managed to last till 11pm before hitting the hotel room!


Yep - this is what we slog our guts out for.... and it's worth every minute!