Footprints in the snow.....

It has been quite a good week this week and I have run a total of 26.25 miles including a long cross country today of 10.74 miles... It was very cold and started snowing at one point, luckily not the whole route is that exposed. Funnily enough I didn't see that many other people whilst running... Some weeks I meet loads of other walkers, runners and cyclists, a few lost people, people with dogs and children but today there was hardly anyone.

When the weather is like this I think that the cross country routes are safer than the pavements. While the main roads round here are quite clear the pavements have become sheet ice... The fields aren't walked through as much and in general on the paths the snow isn't as compact. I'm still not that good with the hills, I can see I am getting better but some days it just seems like hard work...

Next Saturday is Christmas so I don't think I will get to do the same mileage I have this week, hopeful the ice will clear a bit off the pavements so in can do my road routes in the evenings... And I will have to see if I can rearrange my running to fit in a long run or two mid week.... I know that Christmas and the new year will come and go and then it wont be that many weeks until the half marathon. I still have a lot to do.

These photos were taken on my iPhone over the last two days running...

Still muddy !

It may be muddy but at least we have lost the treacherous Ice from the pavements making it a bit easier to get out running in the evenings. I must admit I'm really looking forward to the light summer evenings.. I also never know what to wear when it is cold.. I start off feeling cold but the I warm up quite quickly and feel hot... But as soon as I stop I feel cold again.

I'm still trying to find the best way of avoiding blisters... I've been getting them on the arches of my feet since switching to orthotics insoles. I don't know how long it normally take to run them in and for your feet to get used to them... Vie found taping my feet with elastic plaster tape the best solution so far, I can run without getting the enormous blisters I had been getting, at the end of a long run they feel sore but I can still walk on them.

Somedays I do wonder if running will ever start to feel any easier, I know it will if I stick at it but somedays it just seems hard work ! I'm currently trying to run 20 miles a week and then gradually increase it so I'm running 30-40 miles a week by the time I come to run the half marathon in March..... With Christmas, the New Year and a few work commitments in January I know it is going to be difficult to keep up with the mileage. I have been having my long run on a Sunday but may need to change this over Christmas... The difficulty is then hours of daylight and fitting it in round work... I guess it is a case of watch this space !

Anyway, this week has been quite a good week. I have managed a total of 22.57 miles split over 4 runs with my long run today of 10.65 miles.. I ran a slightly different route today and had to stop a couple of time to look at the maps on the GPS to make sure I hadn't gone wrong and try and workout which way I should be going. I know I went bit wrong at one point but managed to pick up the right path and carry on :) it was still incredibly muddy and some parts I ended up walking becuase of the amount and depth of the mud, and that is without anymore rain or snow all week. Some other parts were still frozen solid and the snow was still filling some of the ditches... But with blue sky and sunshine it really was a great day for a run !




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Location:Still muddy !

Running safely....

I am always slightly surprised by some peoples reactions when they find out I run, primarily on my own, over the South Downs or *gasp* in the dark.... and they tell me I shouldn't do this...

With everything you do in life there are risks and you do always have to consider your personal safety but it shouldn't stop you doing what you really want, just be aware of the risks and plan properly.

99% of the population are really wonderful people that will go out of their way to help someone else. The 1% who are not most probably won't be in the middle of the South Downs !

Then you can use technology, I use a great app called runmeter for my iPhone, it not only talks to me and tells me how far I have run and how long it has taken, it also emails my husband every 10 mins with the same info and a map link showing where I am. So, if I hurt myself he knows where to start looking and I know that within 10 mins he will know something is wrong.... And hopefully phone me !

I also plan the routes that I run.. On each long run there are a couple of points accessible by car so I can always phone for a lift if need be :) I also have routes that can be shortened so if the weather changes I can cut the run short..... I also make sure that someone also knows the route I'm planning on running.

It is all common sense really.

A bit like running with a bum bag that contains a wind proof / waterproof jacket, snack bars, blister plasters, water etc... Plus money just in case !

I love the area that I live in and have seen far more of it since I started running. The breathtaking scenery and watching the countryside grow and change throughout the seasons is worth more than anything money can buy. It is exhilarating and relaxing, it is also cheaper than gym membership !


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A difficult week....

Well due to the weather this week I have only managed two runs totalling 10.85 miles.... Only just over half of my target of 20 miles. The weather really has been too bad for me, a mix of icy pavements and very deep snow in the fields. I did a short 2.5 mile run through the fields in the snow and found it quite hard going, it is a route I haven't run for a couple of months and I was pleased that despite the snow I did manage to run more of it than I ever had before, sometimes I don't seem to see any improvement for weeks at a a time then all of a sudden I will notice an improvement....

Today's run was over the South Downs, I was planning 10 miles but cut it short to 8.4 miles because a mix of deteriorating weather conditions, the temperature started to drop quite quickly and I could see fog coming in, whilst I know the area quite well I also know how disorientating fog can be and how easily you can get lost... I also started to get a pain in the back of my right calf and thought that continuing to run on it may be foolish.. Today also has to be the worst conditions I have ever run in. Ankle deep slushy mud that mad it difficult to keep your footing when walking yet alone running... Mixed with the wet ice on some of the steeper slopes made it a very interesting run ! A million miles from the warm sunny summer evenings.....

This is a photo taken on my iPhone at the point I decided to cut the run short.....



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Snow !

Well, I shouldn't be here today, I should be in Leamington Spa but after nearly 3 hrs for a journey that normally takes 40 mins I turned round and headed for home.... 5 1/2 hrs after leaving I was back where I started.

When I woke up this morning it was snowing... And it has been snowing all day... So I thought wouldn't it be great to go for a run ! I suppose it is the child in me, any excuse to play in the snow so innate just got back from a 2.5 mile run through the fields at the foot of the South Downs. It is fair to say didn't appreciate how hard running in snow can be, especially when it is more than ankle deep. As well as the practicalities of having to really puck your feet up you can't see where the paths are... Or the rabbit holes.... Or the ice covered puddles that break as soon as you run on them...

I'm glad I went out running. It has made me appreciate how much easier the road runs that I have been doing are compared to the cross country routes... And how much more training I still need to do.

This photo was taken with my iPhone and converted to black and white on the phone...



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