Sunday run returns

Sunday the weather was cooler, a lot cooler, more conducive to running. Cloudy and a noticeable breeze. We ran along the main road before turning into a lane. In the field next to the lane I saw a man with a metal detector. I could not resist the temptation so we stopped and had a word with him. His haul for the morning was a broken child's toy cap gun from the seventies. Metal detecting can be very hit and miss unless you do a lot of homework into local history. It can become a bit addictive, the next sweep could uncover a hidden haul.

Reluctantly we set off again along the lane, then up the steep field. I was pleased to be able to run all the way to the top after losing so much time through injury. A man was at the top with his daughter collecting elderflower to make elderflower champagne. Running down through the woods with the breeze blowing it was very pleasant. After the woods we ran down a field across the stream and up the other side before entering a village. The footpath beside the pub is overgrown so we had to walk up it. Once into the open fields again we were able to press on again. Fields that a few months ago were flooded are now as hard as rock due to the hot dry weather we have enjoyed. It was six and a half miles at a fairly sedate pace but that was exactly what we needed. We now have a base to build on.  

Run,walk and curse

I started out on a run today. This was the first time for three weeks that I had attempted running. The cycling was not really keeping me fit so I thought I would give it a go. It took two and a half miles for me to realise it was a mistake. The two mile walk home gave me plenty of time to reflect on the decision to run. I guess I will be back on the bike for the foreseeable future.

Achilles could stop run.

Hmm. May have overdone the comeback bit. Achilles was a bit sore after the run yesterday but I decided to run today anyway. We had taken the decision to only do a short run so I thought I should be able to manage that. Hoping the stiffness in the ankle would ease after a mile or two we set off. Well it didn’t in fact it was becoming more uncomfortable the further we ran. We did some off road which was not the wisest thing but I do like it. We managed nearly five miles but since the run the ankle has stiffened up. Tomorrow is looking like a day off but you never know, we will see how it feels in the morning. I am keen to get at least fifteen miles this week but we will see. The good news is, I have no ill effects from the recent influenza.

Six of the best.

Thursday we were Poll Clerks for the County Council Elections. This involved leaving home at 5.45am to get to the Polling Station and set up ready for voting to begin at 7.00am. A steady flow of voters came in all day until we closed the doors at 10.00pm. After all the equipment had been packed away we were driven home. A long day but enjoyable, voters that came were in good humour. This helps the time pass more quickly.

Friday it was business as usual. Shopping followed by another session in the garden. Carrots, radishes and spring onions are now in the ground. Better late than never.

Saturday we were again up early. Invited to Essex for the day we needed to get away on time. The Sat Nav said it would be a two hour journey, what she did not know was that a tanker had shed its load on the M25 at 5.00am that morning which closed it all day. We took evasive action but so did lots of the other traffic. A huge detour failed to outflank the congestion and the journey took three and a half hours to complete. The return journey went much more according to plan.

Tired when I got up today it was decided that a ten mile run would be too far. Six miles would be a more realistic goal and then catch up later in the week. We headed out along the main road, one mile downhill then one and a half up the other side. I must have been a little under the weather as I couldn't get my heart rate down. It was between one sixty and one eighty beats per minute but went up to just over two hundred for a short while which was a little worrying. Heading across the fields we had to slow down a little and the pulse came back down. It was a nice morning for a run and there was quite a few people taking advantage of the sunshine. It was noticeable that crops were further advanced in Essex. Oil seed rape was taller and in full flower, way ahead of the same crop here. Lilac was about to flower which is about two weeks ahead of ours.

Done and dusted in four days.

The already tight schedule is becoming unmanageable. Monday had already been called into action, so was yesterday and now today. I was determined not to miss the twenty five mile target but the price was to run four days in a row. Yesterday's run had to be moved to the afternoon, I thought a nice gentle four would leave today's run more manageable. We started gently enough but as so often happens with short runs they tend to speed up. Admittedly it was reasonably flat but we ran some off road and it turned into a race. I came second but I blamed the digging that I have been doing this week for that.
Today we needed four and a half miles to hit target and I was not to be drawn into another race. We set off at a reasonable pass and maintained it. When we were running down our usual track I glanced into the ploughed field on my left and saw a man walking up and down. He was in the middle of the field and walked about thirty yards in one direction, turned around and walked back. I thought it was a little odd but it was difficult to get a clear view through the hedge. At the next gap in the hedge I stopped to get a better view and could see what he was doing. He was carrying out a geophysical survey. A geophysical survey is what people use to look for ancient buildings and settlements that have long disappeared from the surface but foundations still show on a graph that is produced by the machine that they carry. It's like metal detecting for old buildings etc. they often use it for television programs like the BBC series "Time team" which Tony Robinson presented.  But what are they doing in a field near me? If I had not just started out on a run I would have walked over and asked. Pondering what was happening occupied my mind for most of the run. The run was a circular route of four and a half miles. Mostly downhill in the first half and, you've guessed mostly uphill in the second. It was a mixture of on and off road, the sun was shinning and a pleasant experience. The man was still in the field doing his survey when we ran back past but he did not look as though he wanted to be disturbed so we carried on.
Having completed our twenty five miles for this week already there is a slight temptation to push on  for thirty or more but the schedule just will not allow it.

Back to our old ways.

A busy schedule this week means we have to get our running in when we can. Monday, normally a day of rest was pressed into action. The weather was fine and the sun was shinning so why not. After yesterday's ten miles and bearing in mind our schedule I thought it would be nice to get another six under our belts. I also thought it would be good to revisit a route that we had not done in its entirety since well before Christmas because of the flooding. As you may have guessed it would contain a substantial distance off road. Steep fields were followed by running downhill through a wood and fields, across a stream then uphill again into a village. Crossing the Main Street we took a path up beside the pub, through a paddock with a horse in it and then a couple of rough fields down to the road. The fields on the other side had been flooded for months but we thought it was time to give it a go. A few wet patches remained but in the main it was pretty good although crops that have been planted are in poor condition and the yield will be low. A short burst along the road and it was back to the fields. On higher ground, they were a lot drier and progress was good. Arriving home the Garmin had recorded six and a quarter miles. The speed was a bit down but this reflected the type of ground we had covered so another good run completed.

Too good an opportunity to miss.

Another sunny day and a light south westerly breeze is too good an opportunity to miss. Breakfast digested it was time to get out and run. Half a mile of flat road to warm up with and then we are in our element. A short section of track was followed by our first taste of fields. The oil seed rape that is planted in the field is now a foot high and well established. In another month or so it will be chest high. When it reaches maturity it is chin high and covered in bright yellow flowers, which gives quite an unusual experience seeing just people’s heads bobbing up and down as we run. A short run down the main street of a village takes down an open track that has become very dusty. A bridge takes us over the small river which is much more peaceful now the winter rain and snow has passed. Continuing on the track it climbs gently around a field where horses graze. At the top we pass the farm which has had its barns converted and sold as upmarket accommodation. On the left is a small windmill that is about fifteen feet high and painted white. I must take a picture of it one day and find out what it was used for. Pumping water is my guess. We move on along the road and over a cattle grid before turning sharp right into a farm entrance and downhill. Through the farmyard we take a path that crosses the river again higher up stream then across the meadow that has sheep with their lambs grazing. There is a lake on the left that has water fowl on various kinds on it. The fields are sloping upwards and the running is becoming harder. Crossing a road we are then running on tracks again. We rejoin the track we went out on and make our way home. A circular route of five and a half miles, four of those being off road. Added to the run we did on Sunday this leaves less than nine to run to achieve target for the week.

Lark Ascending

Friday already, where does the time go to. Well yesterday was spent mostly on the end on a spade in the garden digging for victory. Anyway my back is aching but no good grumbling just get on and run. Only a little over four miles to cover so the choice of routes was endless. Once again I chose mainly off road, we had a mixture of sun, rain, hail and thunder yesterday but I felt we could find some fields that would be relatively dry. Down a track and turning right down a path we were soon in open fields. Sheep with lambs took little notice of us as we skirted around where they grazed. I heard a skylark singing overhead, the first this year I think. Only one part of the field still slightly flooded so that was ok. Leaving the fields behind we ran up the Main Street through a village before turning onto a track that lead to within a short distance of home. The run was over four miles which means we have again reached our twenty five mile target for the week.
Good luck to all those running the London marathon on Sunday. We will probably go for a run early  then get home to watch the finish on TV.

Roe! deer,deer,deer.

With less than ten miles to run to achieve our weekly target we set off yesterday (Wednesday) knowing that a five plus run would leave a very modest effort on Friday. We ran the first part well within ourselves then put in a bit of effort on the first hill. Once over the top we coasted down the other side, not letting up we turned onto a country road that undulated until we came to a village. I had to stop at the main road to cross and could not get running again on the hill the other side. After walking the steepest part I set off again, the road continued rising for the next half a mile before I got some respite. Some more undulations and then we turned onto the main road. Looking into the field on my left I saw four Roe Deer grazing on a crop on winter barley. It was the same place that I had seen them a couple of weeks ago. We pressed on taking a slight detour to add a bit more distance to the run. It was five and a half miles which only leaves four and a quarter for Friday. It was gardening in the afternoon or to be more precise digging. I may have overdone it a bit as my back is suffering today. Probably a good thing we are not running today although I have been gardening again.

Finally finished the book that I was reading, “The Secret Life of Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay” It was very informative and showed the hard work that went into cracking the Germans coded messages during World War Two. It also talks about the men who pioneered computers which are also of great interest and how the British government were not willing to invest in computers commercially, leaving that to the Americans. The book is available on Amazon, you can click on the link on the right to view and purchase it if you so desire.

Off to a flying start.

Monday is a funny day; it used to be a day off running to fit in small jobs after the weekend. The unsettled weather we have been having has encouraged us to run when it is fine and for the last couple of weeks this has included Mondays. On the back of yesterdays ten miles I thought five today would be good and leave us a wide choice of days to complete the other ten.

It was sunny and mild; birds’ singing in the trees it was very pleasant. People who were out walking their dogs looked almost human. It was one of those if only days. If I hadn’t paused for breath here and run a bit harder there we would have recorded a good time. I suppose in part this was because it was mostly on the road and not as lumpy as normal. The last part was the worst as usual, a half mile drag up through the housing estate. A straight road that just keeps on rising then we turn a corner and climb again. Home cannot come soon enough. Shower then lunch followed by a spell in the garden digging. I was hoping it would be rain stopped play as my back is now killing me.

If it is fine tomorrow I’m not sure if I will be fit to run or not. Look on the bright side it may rain.

What no hat or gloves? Is it summer?

The first day I have gone for a run this year without the aid of hat and gloves. The sun was shining albeit there was quite a strong southerly wind blowing. Because of heavy recent rain I decided on a route that kept us mainly on the road. We set off at a brisk pace, this lasted for about three miles when the petrol started to run out. We had been running into the wind and when the course got a bit lumpy fatigue started to set in. I never recovered from this and it was tough going for the rest of the way. We saw a lot more runners out this week, most appeared to be travelling better than us. Unfortunately the worst of the hills were in the second half, knees wouldn't lift and lungs didn't convert oxygen into energy very efficiently. Walking up the steepest parts became the norm. Having finished last Sundays run at nine and a half miles I was determined to get ten this week if possible. With this in mind I altered the last mile to a downhill route and battled on to the end. When I uploaded the run to Garmin the walks that showed up on the graph were disappointing. Further analysis however showed that when we were running it was at a quickish pace which was a pleasant  surprise. Climbing four hundred feet and burning eleven hundred calories was a good mornings run.

Monday and we are running.

The weather forecast for the rest of this week is rain showers. Running in the rain is OK but to be avoided it if possible. It was this attitude that lead us to run today. Normally after a long run on Sunday we take Monday off but not this week. The joints were not too stiff as we set off and the little bit of sunshine gave the impression it was warm. I wanted to run five and a half miles to get right on top of the weeks target and leave an easy run in if the weather is not very kind. We didn’t start off that slowly, about three-quarter pace I would say. Checking the Garmin at two and a half miles confirmed this. We had already run quite a lot of it off road and were about to head into another field. A lap of the field was well over half a mile and a little bit up and down but nothing serious. Out onto the road again we had a gentle uphill gradient all the way home. It was the required distance and now we can look for gaps in any showers that may come to complete two further five milers. I must have been feeling fairly good because I mowed the lawn and did quite a bit of digging in the garden this afternoon. A robin and blackbirds were in close attendance eating up worms that I uncovered. Surprising how tame they become when food is available.

Day ends in disaster.

The run yesterday was one of our better efforts. It may have been the milder weather or just the desire to get it done. A circular course of just over four miles, it went very well. Knees were not in rebellious mood, breathing fairly even and target of twenty five miles achieved. A good start to the day. Then it all went wrong. Connected the Garmin to the computer to upload the run details to Garmin Connect to view the run analysis and the computer would not start, not even in Safe Mode. Tried all the solutions we know without success. The other bad news was that the book I am writing is on this computer as well as the book I have already written and some poems, not to mention the pictures. I have no back ups for any of this work so today could be very long trying to sort it out. The moral of the story appears to be, "Back up, back up and back up again."