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!



Cleanse results....

Apologies for not blogging, but I've not had a lot to say!  I have been cleansing (see last blog if you have no idea what I'm talking about) which means that exercise has been out the window.....which has been great for my niggly ankle - it's had extra time to recover!

Cleanse was a HUGE success.  I didn't feel hungry, slept fantastically and had lots of energy (not to run - but to get through the day!).  I lost 13lbs in 11 days, which is pretty much all the Xmas weight gone.  So today I've been back onto food - just fruit and veg to start with - and everything tastes really delicious and strongly flavoured.

Tomorrow it's the Anglezarke Amble run by West Lancs LDWA.  It's a local one for us, so not too early a start.  We need to leave the house at 7am, so I'll be up about half five to get porridge down me, food packed, kit sorted etc.  I'll take my camera again!  It's a 24 miler and quite hilly.  We walked it last year in 8hrs 6 mins (it was Rich's first ever walk of a distance like this) so we're looking forward to running it this year.

I know I am fairly depleted from the cleanse, so I'll take it steady as ever.  My legs don't feel the strongest and it's pretty hilly, so we'll pace up and trot down.  The rain has been horrendous, and I remember a lot of bog-trotting last year, so this year will be a quagmire.  Weather is set for lots more rain overnight followed by a bright 7ish degree dry day tomorrow....perfect running weather!

After the run we have to rush back because we've got to get over to Leeds for Rich's work 'do'.  My main panic is that I won't be able to wear my recovery tights because I'm wearing a dress! 

Anyway, I will report back on Sunday about the run and I'll include some photos too!

Cleansing....

I haven't lost my Christmas weight, and my fantastically healthy habits in the last six months of last year have gone to pot..... so I'm embarking on the Master Cleanse (Google it).  Once I've completed the 10 day cleanse, I'll be a lot lighter and will get back to my healthy diet.  This ten day break will give me chance to get out of the bad habits and get back on track.

I started on Monday and am now nearing the end of day 2.  I'm not hungry as the cleanse fluid keeps your blood sugars and mineral levels up.  My mind is trying to make me think of bad foods, but I've warded that off.  I've committed to this for 10 days and I am determined to complete it.  By the end I'll I've a much improved digestion, cleaner body and a few less pounds to lug around the fells!

Once the cleanse is over I'll revert to a vegan diet (I've been 100% veggie - no meat or fish - since I was 12 years old, and toyed with veganism for health reasons on and off for years) and this time try to remain strict on the dairy.  I try to avoid all milk products (milk, cheese, butter, chocolate, cream etc) and minimise the eggs (ie I won't eat eggs, but I may eat something that has eggs in it.... like a flapjack).  I've done it with varying degrees of success in the past, but I know I feel SO much better without the dairy... it actually makes me feel quite ill!  I've read 'The China Study' so I know what I should avoid and why... it's just not always so easy in practice!

So..... that's the plan - back to cooking everything from scratch and avoiding all dairy products.  I've stocked up from the Vegan Store (mainly for portable foods I can take on runs) and pre-ordered my groceries from Tesco for after the cleanse.  If I fall off the Vegan Wagon, I won't beat myself up, because at the end of the day, I'll still be minimising my intake of animal proteins!  Scott Jurek is one of the top ultra-runners of all time and he has been Vegan for years.  If you Google 'Vegan Athletes' you'll be surprised at home many there are - and most say they reverted to veganism to increase their endurance!

Anyway, enough food talk.....I'm supposed to be doing the Rombald Stride this weekend, but I'll see what my energy levels are on the day.... it's not the end of the world if I miss it, and my ankles could probably do with a break too!