One man, a rucksack and a can of Fosters

16/02/2011 - In my previous post I detailed my new "off road" course.  Now the beauty of this new route is that it's still has many "off shoots" still unexplored and many miles of track to run.  So tonight as soon as I got home from work I decided to go out and explore.  Now obviously it was going to be dark but a man with a trusty headtorch is not so easily put off.  I'd seen some paths going off into the woods on my last jaunt and I was determined to explore some of them.  First I have to escape the lure of the Viennese Whirls placed on the kitchen side to catch my attention.



Temptation

I managed to hold onto my dignity and walk past the Viennese Whirls but having denied myself one pleasure temptation once again wiggled it's boobies in my face.  A frosted "tinny" of Fosters let out a siren call and seduced me into popping it into my rucksack.  So suitable attired in my running gear, trusty headtorch adorned, Fosters in rucksack, rucksack on back and runkeeper activated I set off out the door into the night.

What a lovely night for running.  A slight chill, clear skys and a beautifully bright moon lighting the way.  I could almost have run without the headtorch (trusty) it was so bright.  Now up the hill and out of the village.  On for about a mile before veering left across the road and through the gate into the countryside.  First bit of the run is along pathways intersecting farmland.  This is very open and as you get further in you start to feel a little isolated..... great :-).  It's also quiet a steep climb and a perfect for training for the TR24.

Eventually you start to approach another village so it's a veer off to the left past a football field and down a muddy track.  This eventually brings you out at another road.  Quick check on traffic and it's across the road, through another gate and into the darkness.  Here's where we reach the wooded area.  This is where I want to investigate but not quite yet as I've got some running to do before I tackle the woods.  First I run alongside the woods for a mile or so then it's through some farmland before I go through another gate and head up another hill.  Here I can see the ghostly silhouettes of the horses in the field.



Picture taken of the field on a previous run

So I do a circuit of the field, underneath the power lines that buzz and crackle quiet alarmingly as I run under them.  I'm lucky to keep my feet as it's quite muddy in parts.  Eventually I heading back through the farmyard and once again I'm nearing the woods.  So far I've run just over 8k over paths, road, mud and grass and decide nows about the time for a beer.  There's a picknic area next to the woods and in the middle of nowehere, comparatively.  So pop through the trees and settle on one the benches.  The moon is so bright I can turn off the headtorch, (can I just assume that you'll appreciate how trusty it is from now on? Good), rifle through the rucksack and exhume the can of Fosters.  I was surprize that it didn't spray everywhere when opened and took my first sipping with an appreciating sigh.  Oh it was good, not Peroni good but still.

Party in the Park?

Beer consumed I was ready to commense my voyage of discovery.  Not since the days of Magellan, Cook, Shackleton has one man so capture the spirit of adventurous exploration.  So to the woods.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Again it's running along side the woods until I spot the entrance and path into the woods I'd seen previously.  It's pitch black with the trees blocking out the light from the moon.  I jinx into the opening in the trees and set off down the path.  I have to adjust the angle of the head of the headtorch so that it illuminates the floor less and the branches more.  While this makes it much harder to see where my feet are landing at least I can see the branches that threaten to snatch and claw at my face.  As I get deeper into the woods the view in front of me, as I run along, brings to mind many a horror film.  Am I a soon to be victim watched by some evil predator.  The feeling that a werewolf or perhaps a bunch of loonies ala Severance are hunting me down impinges on the mind. I'm loving it. 

I come to a fork in the path.  Which one to take.  One looks like it heads back to civilisation, the other goes deeper.  I take the deeper path.  I've not had this much fun running for ages.  Eventually I pass a farmhouse in the woods.   At first I'm tempted to see of the walls are made of gingerbread but I decide I can do without the calories and press on.  And on.  Suddenly I break through into moonlight and into a muddy track across some fields. 

A mile or so later I'm at a large gate.  From here I can see the village where I live which was a nice surprize as up to that point I'd lost all sense of direction.  So with quiet a bit of reluctance, I could have easily have turned round and headed back into the woods, I headed home.   15 minutes later and I'm home and in the light I can see I'm covered in mud and my lovely Nike's are encrusted. Best run of the year, 8 miles of sheer bliss going to go for 10 at the weekend.

Off Roading !!

08/02/2011 - In the week I ran my "new" 7 mile jaunt when on the way I noticed a public footpath just off the route I was taking that headed off into the countryside.  That looks interesting, I thought, I'll head that way next run.  So mid week and it was off to try out the footpath I'd seen previously.  First thing first I had to find it and it's amazing how things look differently when your heading in the opposite direction and it's nearing dark when previously it was daylight.  So after I'd run around a bit I eventually found it and set off.  Trusty headtorch lighting the way I headed through the gate and down the dirt track into the countryside.  I'd obviously found a good route as I met a number of runners coming in the opposite direction.  All I'm sure envious of my headtorch  as they ran in the near dark.  I was right it was an excellent route and as I jogged round I saw a number of different routes I could take on future runs.  I could not stay out long so in all I completed a lovely 5 miles.

A few days later and I'd determined to do the run in the daylight so I could see what other routes lay open for future runs.  So back to the entrance of the footpath and off I go.

The start of miles of lovely running

I had decided to do the same run again just to get my bearings which as it goes was a good thing as the wind was terrible.  Some of the gusts nearly stopped you in your tracks.  Still loads of runners out, cyclists and people walking their dogs. 

A river runs through it

Then I saw the signs I did not see in the dark.  It turns out this whole area is a nature reserve lol.  So I do my five miles but notice an addition to the run I want to try on my next run out. 

Before then I needed to go shopping.  We need a new fridge as the old one is on it's last legs (bit like me).  We tried to buy one just before Christmas but in a failed shopping trip we came back with a microwave and an LCD TV.  So determined to not make the same mistake again we set off with the steelly determination to only look at and buy a fridge.  So shopping done and a new home computer purchased I set my self the task of buying a new fridge next weekend and going out for an exploritory run on Tuesday (tonight). p.s. the computer is very sexy, I was seduced.

So tonight armed with the usual trusty torch and the addition of a pocket of Skittles ( just for nutritional reasons obviously) I set off for the exploritory run.  It was quiet late and seeing as I seem to be the only person  in the county to have a trusty headtorch as soon as I'd gone through the gate into the reserve I was on my own.  Lovely clear night and I mulled over the idea of running naked through the fields as it would have given me something trully epic to pop on the blog.  In the end I decided against it and continued on. 

Eventually came to a part I'd never been down before, this was going to take me well off the beaten track.  I sucked on another Skittle and headed on.  It was fab.  I felt all alone in the world, in the middle of nowhere and needed to keep running just to get home.  Then I sort of got lost, well not trully lost as I sort of knew my rough position .... ish....... just not which direction etc I should be going in.    Eventually after about 20 minutes of running sort of in a circle back to where I started  I eventually came to a road.  AHA! I know where I am......about a mile from where I though I was.  Oh Well.  So now I could head for home.  Eventually got in after an hour and 20 minutes and the longest run so far this year a shade under 8 miles.

Night time leg around the towns

26/01/10 - It was dark, it was cold, it was wet and I needed to get out and run.  I decided to try out a new route, in fact I decided just to head out of the village and wing it.  So I strapped the trusty headtorch over the top of my beenie hat, fired up Runkeeper on the phone and set off.

As I was unsure where I'd be going and for how far I decided to keep the pace steady and not go too mad.  First was leaving the village, so it was through the high street and then off down a dark path through the lanes. Here the torch came into it's own and ensured I neither fell onto my face or ran into one of the many hanging thorny branches.  Still it was rather dark and at one point I was chased down the darkened path by a horde of zombies...... honest.

Proof !!

So having escaped the bloody clutches of the zombie horde I got as far as the nearest town.  I then decided I'd run through the town and head back home in a big circle.  It's amazing for me, since I tend to run a lot down the country lanes on my own, when running through a town just how many other runners there are out even on a cold rainy night.  So I'm doing OK though not entirely sure where precisely I am and I'm having to stop to look at road signs.  Also something I'm not used to, stopping for traffic to cross a road.  Eventually I make it to the other side and exit onto a road I know will take me back to the village.  Excellent.  So headed for home knowing I was no more than another three miles from a cup of tea.  In total the run ended up being just over seven miles so nice distance and route to add to my growing list of routes.

Apologies if for any typo's if there are any but as I'm typing this one of my cats is pestering me for a stroke and is licking my hand while I type.  Stupid cat :-)

Stella - licky cat

The tale of two cameras

24/01/10 - Well last week was a bit of a mixed bag as far as the running goes if I'm honest.  On the upside I managed a PB for the 10k and felt pretty good all week.  On the downside I've got so much on that I only managed 3 runs in total for the week.  

Tuesday saw me deciding to really push and see how quickly I could do a 10k.  I felt great and, for me, flew round.  Finished in just over 51 minutes, 3 minutes under my previous best.  I'm pretty sure you could here me puffing away from 5 miles away.  I must of sounded like the home made porn video of  heavy smoking 80 year olds.

I had to wait till Saturday to do my next run and it was a slow plod round my usual haunts.  It was made slower by a new toy and one of the reasons for the title of this post.  I'd got myself a tiny tiny video camera ( see below):

It's got a 2 mega pixel video camera and sound recording.  The video quality is surprisingly good and I was impressed with how good  it also recorded the audio.  I tried clipping it to my jacket, with one of the many attachments it comes with, and running with it but as expected the video's too jerky.  I can see how it would work well on a bike though.  It's very small, light and I'll use it to record bits of my run if as and when. Below is a short vid I took while out:

For 11 pounds it's a bit of fun, though it does lend itself to dodgy voyeur snooping I think I'll give that a miss.  I'll have to keep it away from my daughter as I reckon it'll take her 2 minutes to realise she can hook it onto the cats collar and record where the cat goes.   Trouble is I know it likes to visit our neighbours and I neither want them to think we're spying on them or even worse to see them on the bog.

I enjoy my Sunday morning runs as they get me going on an otherwise lazy day.  Not much to report on this Sunday as it was a pretty standard uneventful run round the lanes .  A nice easy 5 miles. 

So why the title "The tale of two cameras"?  Well today I took delivery of a Canon 550d DSLR.  I've wanted a DSLR for years and final decided to invest in one.  It's very nice and oh slightly more expensive than the pin hole camera :-). So that's my evenings taken care of for a few weeks.

Cannon 550d plus EF-S 18-135 IS Lens

Double Days

12/01/2011 - I need to increase the mileage I'm running.  OK, in principle not hard but in practice tough.  Mainly due to the whole load of decorating I need to do a.s.a.p.  As mentioned in the previous post I've been re-decorating the utility room and things are going well but it meant I only got one run in over the weekend.  So I decided that I'd double up on my runs where possible, doing two a day.  So I took my running gear to work for a lunchtime jaunt.

Lunchtime came and off to the ladies loo, sort of, actually to the shower next to the loo.  Funnily enough last year my mate got reported to security for using the ladies loo.  Well not him specifically but security sent out an email drop detailing that "A man was seen using" and carrying the warning "we frown on these things".   The "Man" in question was not actually using the ladies toilets but the shower room?  Only to get to the shower room you have to go through the door marked "Ladies" then you can either a) actually go through a second door into the ladies loo or b) take the door to the right mark "Shower".

So off to the shower room to change wondering if I'll get tackled by security and my name on the sex offenders register.  I get changed, dump my stuff at my desk, out through the security gates and I'm off leaving St Albans and down into Sandridge.  It's light rain which is not unpleasant, though I'm having to leap the odd puddle as I do a 3 mile loop.  I pass a number of people out walking their dogs all of which say hello (the people not the dogs).  One chap, as I run through a cemetery,  got the fright of his life as I overtook him with an "afternoon". Now there's a couple of nice pubs in Sandridge.  Quite hard running past and seeing people enjoying a beer without wondering how nice it would be to stop for one myself.  I managed to get past them and headed back into work, dry off, get changed and just time for some lunch.

Get home from work and had planned to go for another run.  Sadly it was raining, hard, and water had started to come through the roof of the utility room.  Bum.   So there I was in the dark on the slippy roof of the utility room laying down tarpaulin and holding it down with tins of paint and a damaged wheel that had come off my wifes car.  Then it's drying out the room, then the sopping wet me etc.   So it's rather late before I have the chance to get out but a runs a run and the lack of runs was making me feel like a caged hamster.  My wife says "take the key, I'm off to bed", and there's an explicit warning the gist of which is "wake me up and you die".  So I do a nice 5 miles and get home sopping wet, for the third time, but pleased that I'd got out.  One lesson learned though, don't wear the headtorch too tight as my forehead hurts 24 hours later.

Wet but happy

So I dry off and I'm ready for bed, except I'm not as I am reminded that I'm currently doing a "press-up" challenge.  I'm doing five sets of press-ups and sit-ups every night, increasing the number done by one each night until I reach 5 times 100.  It was 5 times 71 to do, that's in total 355 press-ups and 355 sit-ups. Sigh.  Why do I do these things?  Completed them then loped off to bed like Quasimodo with chronic piles. I'll be doing the same Friday with any luck except without the whole leaking roof thing and it'll be 5x73 press-ups/sit-ups by then.

New Year, time to start decorating.

09/01/2011 - This weekend sees the start of the decorating season, a serious threat to running mileage.  I was under strict instructions to get started decorating the outhouse first thing Saturday morning.  I knew I was never going to get out in the evening, I'd be too tired, so decided I had to get out early in the morning.  Set the alarm for 7am.  Saturday morning arrives and the alarm does it's job.  I jump up and then remember that I was supposed to be doing the first combat training session of the year at 08:00.  Bum.  So it's of out the door and off to the training session not the run I was planning.  So it I was going to lose a days run so I had to be sure to get out Sunday morning.  So I set the alarm.  Sunday morning and I'm up and out the door to the cry of "make sure to start on the outhouse pronto".

First thing I notice is damn it's cold.  I was beginning to regret wearing the ultra light marathon jacket instead of the warmer running jacket.  The road is white with frost and very slippy.  Much slippier than running in the snow.

Frosty

At least the suns shining which make it quiet pretty and I'm warming up quiet nicely so I'm beginning to think the light jacket was the right choice. I run past a field of horses who look less than impressed with the morning chill.

Bored Horses in a field

Past the horses and It's back through and out the village passing some equally bored goats. Onwards to the mill where I near do a pretty good impression of an ice skater on a large patch of black ice.  Pass by the mill and a chap whose dog simply refuses to come back.

The Mill

Carry on past the cemetery and it's the return leg home.   I get home and begin to stretch, happy that at least I'd got five miles in this weekend but peeved that's that's 10 miles short of what I wanted to do.  Oh well the outhouse is looking good.

EDIT: Apparently it's not an outhouse now it's a utility room.

Oooo It's so hard after Christmas

03/01/2011 - Not the first run of the new year, that was a 3 mile struggle on new years day, but still it felt like my first proper run.  I'd taken a break over Christmas and stuffed my face with all the usual food stuff and probably too much alcohol as well.  So I'm a touch heavier than I was ten days ago and really feeling it.  I set off .....slowly. Really found it quite hard going and by the time I reached the cemetery at 3 1/2 miles I felt I might become a resident a little earlier than I was hoping.

 

At the Cemetery - I must wear my other sunglasses

Quick pic on the phone and off I set again.  Considered going for the seven mile run route but changed my mind and kept to the five mile one.  It's amazing how a ten day break and a bit of extra weight effects the running and even though I'd been doing ten milers pre-Christmas this five miles seemed tough.  Got home and decided I really need to start pushing a bit as it's only three months till the Silverstone 1/2 marathon.  So it's cutting back on the indulgent food, beer and upping the mileage.  First challenge of the new year though is to get up for work tomorrow morning.  Oh and I miss the snow, odd really, but I do.