Out with the old and in with the New...

...dump of snow. Another 3 inches last night.

Above is road this morning on way to catch the bus into work. We closed early for Hogmanay and the snow so had the entire afternoon free! Went for a run down the glen from Braemar to Linn of Dee this afternoon straight after I got let loose. Really pretty. Really bloody cold!

 

So, tomorrows run will depend on what tonight brings! Forecast is more yet more snow and the storm that pelting Inverness and closed its airport at the moment is due down here in the wee small hours. Determined to get out though. Clachnaben run on the 2nd has been abandoned due to both parties involved not fancying much wading through waist high snow in skinny wee running tights (well that and the road to it is closed due to snow..). Will give it some thought and come up with a plan.

In the meantime, I'm off to position myself in front of the log fire with my new bottle of Moniack Sloe Liqueur, oatcakes and Strathdon Blue.

Slàinte mhath!

Another snowy run

I always fancied running home from work and today I did. Banchory to Drumoak - 11.95km/7.42 miles in 01:17:26. Its usually 8 and a bit miles from work to home but I'd left the landy in the village this morning full of wine bottles (nothing to do with me!) so I could do the recycling this afternoon when I got back. A blizzard followed me all the way home which gave me added impetus to run an average 6:56/km. Not bad considering the snow underfoot.

The snow that fell last night has covered the ice to a depth of about 3 inches so it was a better surface to run on than the last run which was on pure ice really. Wore the 'rocs and again, really pleased with them. At points it was a bit 'one step forward, 3 steps back' but to be honest, unless you were wearing crampons, you kinda expected to be slipping.

Happy about the run. Kept the pace up pretty much all the way which is all I'm after at the mo. More miles, steady pace.

Bitterly cold

-15 C last night and today its not got over -5C at all. So cold overnight in fact, it froze the turkey I'd stuffed in the back on the landrover quite solid. After the mini thaw yesterday, todays temps turned anything remotely liquid to pure ice and now everything is encased in several centimetres of the stuff.

So no run today again. Too icy even in the 'rocs. Instead I stuck on my big boots and pulled a toddler-laden sledge for 2 hours along the river and through the forest. Working on the assumption that said toddler now weighs the best part of 60lbs (tad short of the 400lbs I want to be able to pull).

 

Well I had to really didn't I

3 mile night trail run testing the Myo XP (top marks) and the Mudrocs (phenomenal). 32:52. So total mileage today 7.5 miles which is better than nothing! Now am going for a bath and a read o' me book :)

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Oh bugger it...

I went anyway :) 7.33km/4.5 miles cross country, mostly on ice, in 56:54. Really lovely run. Ice on the river and slippy underfoot but disengaged brain (which was screaming 'idiot! Idiot!) and just ran.

My reasoning was 'tis better to risk injury running on ice, than to murder entire family whilst suffering RWS (Running Withdrawl Symptoms).

 

and I got them!!!! Not Mudclaws and I intended as even with the inserts, my heels slipped out of them (and yes, I tried 3 sizes either side of my normal) so am home with Mudrocs (the 280's) which don't have such an aggressive sole but will do fine for what I need (running up and down hills on and off track in crap weather :) Haven't tested them in anger yet. Looking forward to it though!

Alrighty, enough with the snow and ice.

As you can see its still white here. In fact it was a white Christmas but as much as I love the crisp, clean er...snowy appearance of it all, where it's now shallow enough to run in, there lies a 4" thick sheet of sodding ice.

The road is sheet ice (so bad cars can't drive on it), the woodland trails are sheet ice, the track is sheet ice, the Deeside Way is sheet ice. Even the river has frozen.

In previous years this would not have presented a problem. In fact, I would have now been happily hacking away at ice some 500ft up something in Lochnagar corrie and wondering what kind of curry I would have on my return home but times have changed (due mainly to previous unavailability of ice - both meteorologically and financially..though the curry is a constant) and as my focus relies now more on being able to see the sodding ground, I have developed a new, slightly depressed, shoulder slumping hurumph everytime I see a snowflake falling. Its a multi-application 'hurumph' too! I can use it with equal effect when Nick gets excited about Griswalds Family Christmas coming on the telly ;)

So this is Day 3 without a run. I feel fat, bloated (ok, that could be turkey and After Eights..), lethargic and generally borderline psychotic. I've tried, but within 1/2 a mile it was obvious it was a really stupid idea. I'm now contemplating running around the ploughed field next to the house if its not also sheet ice..

On the bright side though, once my dad has been to visit today, we're off to Run4it in Aberdeen to collect my new offroad shoes that our 4 year old bought me for Christmas god love him! Went to try them before Christmas but the heel was far too roomy so they sent off for inserts from Inov8 for me. Today is the Grand Fitting. I'm also madly in love with Santa who bought me my new Inov8 backpack and Petzl Myo XP headtorch :). So much excitement!

This is all dependant on us getting out of the track as its now snowing in a biblical stylee once again.

"You'll never complete a BG round if you stop now"

....said Richard Askwiths conscience to himself as he struggled to keep going on a 10 mile uphill run with a 40lb rucksack in searing heat.

This phrase has become my mantra whenever I feel like stopping and by god, I was fairly chanting it today! (not that I'm planning a Bob Graham round by the way!! Its purely a mantra!) My calves were killing me! Both of them (unusual, its just the one normally) stopped me in my tracks. Tried stretching, tried walking, tried walking backwards, sidewards...nothing worked and I pressed 'stop' on my Garmin 305 and whilst self flagellating, set off towards home almost in tears.

I was arguing in my head all the time -  if its an injury then I am right to stop. Better to stop than to risk being out of action for weeks (leading to likely divorce as I get v grumpy :). If its not though....then I am being a puf. If its not then I am just giving up. Perhaps its my compression calf guards? So I adjusted them. Perhaps its my socks? Adjusted them. then I hit 'start', put the ipod onto my favourite grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr track and set off again.

No pain. Normal ache but no pain. 6.5km in 44:51 through trail run through deep snow. Don't know what changed, maybe just my attitude... but happy with that :)

Scolty run

Today I ran from Crathes West Lodge to the top of Scolty and back. A distance of 8.22miles (13 and a bit km) which took me 1 hour and 32 minutes (1 hour 40 mins if you include the 2 x 4 minute puke stops on the way up). 1,700,000,000 ft of ascent too! Well, ok, it felt like it. Overall ascent is only something like 886ft though but once get Garmin software sorted (its playing up) will report back with accurate stats! Scolty is 986ft asl and I started at 100ft asl.

I am quite pleased with this as [consults sports logging program] it was only this summer past (after getting fat and unfit) that I struggled to walk up the sodding thing from the car park at the bottom let alone run it with extra mileage. Its also the furthest I've run in one go since starting this thing again.

And this is going to sound terrible and egotistical but as I passed and smiled/grimaced at the 15th person I knew and arrived at the top, a group of menfolk in full winter kit looked at me with open mouths and then said 'err..., and we thought we were doing well walking up here'. This ego boosting kind of comment provides much needed warmth from blushing and a welcome relief from the ever persistent self doubt and internal battle one wages with oneself when running uphill. (I can't do it, I am going to die. No you're not, keep moving. No, I am going to die, look my heartbeat is all irregular!. I can't feel my hands! My feet! You are not dying, its supposed to be hard, what would Joss Naylor say if he saw you now? I don't care. I fucking hate Joss Naylor and anyone who runs uphill. Sadists. Masochists. Idiots! How on earth I ever thought I could run...oooh there's the top! Whats that doing here?)

I didn't get too close incase I breathed sicky breath on them and ruined their freshair type coffee break. I just smiled politely and snapped a few pics before turning around and running down again...which, I have to say, was one of the most eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee experiences of my life. The entire route varied from hard packed snow and ice to soft, calf deep snow and my Grizzly's performed admirably - even downhill there were only a couple bits I felt I needed to slow down for (a child and a ice patch).

Reality and (more)pain kicked in with 2 miles to go and I was running on vapour. In fact, less than vapour. By the time I got back to the village itself, I was running in that kind of stiff legged ultra distance gait that you see superheroes do in like Marathon des Sables and the like. Unfortunately, I'd only done 6 and a bit miles and so must put it down to ultra-punterdom. The final two miles were grim, dogged determination and a sharp reminder than in September, I would have to run that, then go do it again, twice....

I don't care though. Today has given me a glimmer of hope. And a reason to eat the rest of that Bournville choc bar :)

More snow

Its falling again after largely disappearing last night (even though everything inc landrover was frozen solid this morning necessitating an very last minute impromptu, casually dressed 1km uphill sprint to the bus). Rewarded self with sausage softie from baker and then a slice of Raspberry Cranachan cake for lunch. And so, to help burn off aforementioned fat loaded lunch...



....4 miles (6.4km) through Park Estate grounds and then Deeside way, and reverse. Slippy and snowy but feel better for it. 6:43/km so still not breaking any records but banking those miles :)



Rest day tomorrow. Well, skiing apparently. Er..... ;)

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Snow!

Hurrah! Bejaysus! Begorra! And other such sayings. The snow has finally arrived down at our level and its been falling since early this morning.

This afternoons run was at 3pm as I'd forgotten to eat AGAIN after mid morning snack and so had to refuel (slice loaf and spread and coffee) and wait before I went out. Waited half an hour then realised it was going to be a night time run if I didn't get my arse into gear and so risked puking.

7km (4.35 miles) of trail and cross country at recovery pace (which according to Coach Bob G is 1 to 1.5 mins slower than your normal pace) later I returned home happier and remarkably awake (unlike yesterday when I returned and fell into a coma) and just a little bit cold. Its really pretty out there and hopefully even more will fall! Wore my Grizzlys and they were fine except on the really muddy hills but really, cannot wait till Inov8's arrive :)

No real calf problems and although I wasn't feeling my usual yeee haaaa about the run, it wasn't as bad as yesterday and at points I even forgot I was running which was nice. I had only planned on doing 5km but felt good at 5km and though well ok, lets go for 6.4km (4 miles) and felt fine at 6km so though oh well, round it off to 7km then! Breathing was fine so I can stop panicking. Does hypochondria go hand in hand with running? :D

Right 'Echo Wall' has arrived and although I'm no longer a proper serious climber (snort), its apparently got some good footage of Dave Macleod running the CMD arete or something equally as insane so that'll be good. And its got a decent soundtrack too (Martyn Bennett)!

Hurrah for snow, log fires, mince pies, DVD's and the smell of lodgepole pine in the living room :)

Battle of the wills

Oooh it was today. Ran home from Crathes after work. 4 miles - well 6.48km to be precise and I felt every bloody metre of it.

Couldn't find my rhythm and one side of me was saying 'Oh just stop, just walk. Go on, just for a minute!' and the other one was 'don't you dare, don't even slow down'. Thankfully the good side won and I didn't stop and even managed to squeeze out enough energy to throw in a loop of the forest to bring it up to full 4 miles but today is one of those days where you start to doubt your fitness and motivation and arghhhhhhhhh.

Still, warm now and stuffed a banana sandwich down my throat and a mug of tea and feeling decidedly more human. Now off for a hot shower to defrost the outside bits. I ran through a sleet shower about half way and even though I normally run hot, I was freezing today.

Not sure if it was just a bad day, or because I had a drink yesterday or because I only had a bagel and porridge this morning and nothing after 12 noon or because it was a late night. Or a combination of all.

But, musn't grumble! :) 4 more miles in the bank, which is good and my willpower is obviously improving!

End of an era

I went climbing today. Well, bouldering. I didn't really enjoy it - more than just an off day. I had no interest really in even trying. No interest even in going back. No interest in 'it'. I'm a bit sad but this is heralding, I think, the end of a very long era. First time I climbed I was 12. So thats 27 years of climbing on and off eeeek!

Ah well, onwards and upwards! (just by the power of legs and not hands lol!)

I love sundays!

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7.5 miles (12.07km) in 1:20:59 av 6:42/km. 1399ft total ascent. Original loop is 9.5km but I was feeling really great at around 7.5 km to threw in an extra leg up to Drum Castle and back. Began to feel 'it' after an hour and think I'll need to start taking some water for longer runs. But a stunningly beautiful run. The photos do it no justice (taken with my phone). Like running through Narnia :)

Currently RICE'ing left calf which began playing up about 10k. 

No more than 10% per week added on to total distance!

Apparently. Or you die. Or your legs fall of or something.

So 13.54 miles (is that all? Seemed like so many more!) last week, so by this Sunday I need to have banked 14.89 miles. As I've done 8.89 already then sundays run is going to be 6 miles/10k. So plan roughly is....

W/E

20th Dec 16.37 miles
27th Dec  18.00 miles (inc one race)
3rd Jan 19.80 miles (inc one race)
10th Jan  21.78 miles

and after that theres going to be some serious rejiggery of exercise plan...

Frostbite on toes-ies

...And also my nose-y! (Sung to the tune of 'whiskers on kittens' if you please).
Definitely not a few of my favourite things! 25km on the MTB today. Minus 6.5 deg C as I left this morning at 0745hrs, & minus 2 deg C as I left work at 1530. Going to be a cold one tonight.

Pic is off the route to work.

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Another glorious day on Deeside

Into town this morning to see Jnr perform in his first ever Nativity. So once I stopped crying and got home for lunch, I ended up having a late afternon run as the sun set. 7.5km (4.66 miles) in 49:58. Partly cross country, partly on trail. Av 6:39/km on outward and 6:17/km on return leg.

Odd pain, well more an ache, in left calf for first 3.5km then went completely after I changed my gait and started rolling from heel (which is not how I usually run - I am a forefoot striker). Heel striking is apparently not so good for the old joints and is less efficient as a running style but maybe it had a 'mobile stretching' effect on the calf? Odd, but it went, so thats encouraging. I've had no recurrance of the pain in my thigh but I'm going to do some ITB exercises tonight in front of fire (Day 4 of no central heating. Its so cold in the kitchen that the chicken breasts I took out to defrost at 6am this morning are still covered in freezer frost...)


Another glorious day with no sign of clouds let alone snow, and more of the same tomorrow. Will be cycling (MTB) to/from work tomorrow and thinking might take long way home over Strachan and Finzean

Oh yes, and I've lost 4lbs in a fortnight.

Winter light

Its a stunning day out there. Weird half-light which has turned the River Dee as black as ink but given everything else a golden lining.




Mountainbike to/from work today 1:30:34 altogether along the Deeside Way. 16 miles/25km

No sign of twingy thigh today which is good and the antibiotics are possibly having a positive effect!

Rainy evening inspiration

This one made me cry. I might be in love.



This makes me want to get my shoes on (Gullfjellet in the winter :)

Woe is me, Woe... ;)

The 4 month sore throat (comes and goes, never affected breathing really but is mildly annoying) is apparently an infection and docs given me a weeks worth of Euryth...Eury...antibiotics. Chemist says its fine to run (he's a runner too) and technically, its 'above the neck' (as per 'If its in your chest, rest. If its above the neck, what the heck!'..or something like that)

So if I've been running under par for 4 months, will I suddenly drop to 6 minutes miles when I'm better?

I'm thinking not ;)

Never run on an empty stomach

Oh, that hurt! I have been moving furniture about all morning, pretty'ing the house for arrival of family for Christmas and other than porridge and a cup of coffee, I've not had anything to eat. Stupid.

So 6.81km/4.23 miles in 45:29 - Tersets extended loop with an extra hill and extra distance to knock it over my baseline. Part road and part cross country. 250ft ascent. Felt hard running uphill but with no food, its my own fault. Also feeling a slight twinge - middle, outside of right thigh. I did place a foot awkwardly as I was running back over the stubble fields so it may simply be that [fingers crossed and avoids any mention of ITB..]

Pace steady all the way round at 6:43/km and felt I could sustain that for 10k (6 miles) so I'll dub that my 10k pace for now.

Right, shower.

Rest day and gathering some inspiration

Rest day today. Didn't feel too bad considering I'd been wrenched from my post-run stretching to go see Satan...sorry, Santa at Crathes. Fully expected to wake up and not be able to walk but no, bit stiff but still walking!

Anyway, Inspiration! Someone posted this on UKC the other day and its still one of the most startling demonstrations of  how impressive the human body can be.



Cycling, good training for running [runs][hides] ;)

Hilly 10k/6 miler

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Not the best pic but the view from the top of my hilly 10k/6 mile run today - from my house, up past Skinners Cottage, through Denside of Durris and down past Durris House. View is towards Morven and the Cairngorms (which unfortunately were covered in cloud). Its steep (see below taken from Garmin) but not that high. I think ascent is 500ft. Unfortunately for my thighs, thats 500ft is spread only over about 3 miles, and 350ft of it over 1/2 a mile. Interesting breathing techniques called for ha ha! Mind you, once initial pull was over, I switched off and began looking about and humming (my ipod had run out of batteries - crisis!) and just let my legs turn underneath me.

Green is ascent
Red is HR (bpm)
Blue is pace

Still, really lovely run, now a firm favourite, and 1:09:13 which I'm pleased with (I wouldnt be if it was flat but hills are fab excuses for slow times ;)

Amazing ride

Just gorgeous out there today. 2 x 8 miles in 55 and 46 mins respectively.

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I am in love with Hillage

I can barely contain my delight. I've had to duct-tape myself to the chair to stop me dancing about the kitchen. This afternoon I managed for the first time ever, to 'onsight' (to coin one of climbings oft used ethical terms) Tersets Hill - running. It was all road (yuk) and in the worst conditions I have probably ever run in - lashing, driving rain, floods, icy cold, howling gale - but probably one of the best (short) runs of my life.

Might have been the industrial strength coffee I had before leaving - or just me remembering that Joss Naylor ran with shredded tendons and no skin on his feet for 7 days and didn't moan once and therefore if I moan about a paltry few hundred feet in the rain then I might as well give up now - but I felt brilliant and had it not been for the fact it was dark by the time I reached the bottom of the hill, I was considering running back up it the other way! Alright, it not Ben Nevis or Snowdon or Scafell but its been a target of mine since starting this malarkey and yes, repeating it might have inadvertently caused death or snapped hamstrings (or other such newbie-injuries) but its the first time I've thought 'oooh, I quite fancy making myself hurt myself all over again' voluntarily :)

So 5.63 km in 37:48 (av 6:42/km, max 5:15/km) - not sure of ascent exactly - will buy and consult OS map. Red is uphill, blue is downhill/flat.

Edited to say: Alright, its barely a hill apparently. 250ft of ascent. RIGHT...off to find proper hillage.

Hurrah for progress :) (and slight inclines ;)

Back on the bike!

Back to cycling in and out of work again today after what seems an eternity. According to my sports logging program (I use Garmin own via 305 and Sportstrack) the last time was 18 Nov!?! I guess thats right as that was the 50km day and since then I've been ill or tapering. Wow.

Anyway, I found the missing section between the two bits of the Deeside Way so I am now totally offroad which is brilliant (see pic below)

Old route in blue, new in red. So I miss out the dodgiest bit of the A93! Hurrah! It also means that I can now run from home to Banchory as an 8 (or 16) mile session.

As the winter goes on the Crathes - Banchory section is getting really bad. Deep wide holes, fallen trees, tree roots, deep and long bog sections and ice. Its better fun than sitting on a bus though! The 8 miles takes about 45 - 48 minutes and HR sits about 132 - 140 ( av 73% MHR)  the entire time so 2 x 8 miles... thats a good morning and lunchtime workout. By road its 30 - 35 mins or so on my mountainbike each way but a lot more stressy and to be honest, I like spending time on the bike so the longer the journey, the better really :)

Tomorrow I am planning some hill work (running). I have a hilly 5k on Boxing Day and a really hilly 10k on 2nd January so need to get some more hill work in now!

Upping the mileage

First run back today and a whole new training plan. I could consolidate on 5k but no. I'm going straight into 10k and so today I needed to begin to up the mileage and hillage a bit. Trying not to add more than 10% per week.

Today was also a new route which took in my dreaded Drumoak Hill. I wanted a meausrement of how fit I was and actually the hill (which as I was saying to a mate this afternoon, I used to have trouble walking up) presented no problem. From there along the main road then down Deeside way, through Park House, along the river and through the ploughed feild next to the house. Very pretty. Very, very cold!!!!

Left outside calf ached a bit from about 2 - 4 km then eased. Oddly its the flattish cinder path that does it. As soon as I'm offroad it goes away. Couple points when I needed to check on my breathing (too shallow again) but the last 2.3 k was pure joy even though a muddy feild and ankle snapping stony riverbank was part of it.

6.3km (6.5 if you include cool down) in 43:33