Tag: Long Run

The Vanguard Way

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The Vanguard Way (VGW) was where I discovered trail running in 2016. Before the Vanguard, I was a road runner pounding the pavements of Croydon day after day. I knew no different.

One evening early in the summer, the club run took us off the roads & onto the trails of Croydon. I entered a whole new mystical world. Over those summer months with Striders, I discovered a wonderful side to Croydon that I never knew existed; woods, forests, fields, tracks & trails. I started to fall in love. One evening we ran a few miles along the Vanguard Way. I saw signs around the woods, my curiosity was piqued.

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The XNRG Humanity Direct Ultra, aka the 50km training run

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I *totally* get the irony of calling a 50km race a training run, but that is exactly what the XNRG Humanity Direct Ultra was. On the 10th March, four weeks before the SDW50, I lined up on the start line ready for my longest ‘training’ run & what would hopefully become my second longest run ever. Oh, it was also my ‘birthday’ run… What better way to celebrate turning 38 the next day than to run 50km! Continue reading →

Summer 2017

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It’s twelve months since I first started writing this blog, nearly six months since the NDW50 & I’m about to embark on training my next challenge. NDW50’s sister race, the SDW50.

I’ve had a great summer of running, but it’s been just that, running. I never wanted to be writing about every mile I covered, so I haven’t. This blog is more about the runs that I do that challenge me, that push me, that take me outside of my comfort zone & beyond. The running that I do that I want to remember. Continue reading →

Running Toronto

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One of the things I love about travelling is running to explore. I have to admit I’ve not done as much of it as I would like – I didn’t really run when I visited exciting places like Havana & Mexico City – but now, one of the first things I do is pour over a map looking for good running routes!

I know Toronto reasonably well & until Brighton this year Toronto held my marathon PB from 2014. I’d run the marathon but had never really ‘run’ Toronto. I was excited to get out & see some of the city.

One week, five runs, 44 miles but only a tiny percentage of the city! Continue reading →

NDW Caterham to Wrotham, AKA mile 38 onwards…

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22 miles, 4:11:42, 11:26 min/mile, 2,400 ft elevation gain

When it’s the hottest day of the year so far what’s the best thing to do…? I’d like to say 22 miles on the NDW & whilst I enjoyed it, 30+ degrees was just a little too warm!

At 6:30am I jumped on the first train outta Norwood Junction that headed to towards the Downs. Arriving in Caterham at 7:01 I hot footed it up the A22 to the Caterham Viewpoint, or as I now like to refer to it ‘Mile 38’. I walked rather than ran to my start line to stretch my legs a little, my right quad was feeling a bit tight & I wanted to stretch it out before I started running. Continue reading →

NDW50 Wk 25: NDW50 T-5 Days (wc 01.05.17)

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As I write this post it is five days until race day. FIVE DAYS! How the f**k did that happen?

My training is effectively done. I can do no more A few easy miles over the next few days to keep the legs moving & the mind happy but the main priority for the coming week is rest & recovery & preparing myself physically & mentally to run 50 miles next weekend.

It only seems a few weeks since I signed up for the race, since I started my training & now here we are.

How do I feel? Continue reading →

NDW50 Wk 24: The finish line is in sight (wc 24.04.17)

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Like most things following a bank holiday I’m running late, but that’s ok because my runs are a day late too so this week’s post is a little off kilter with an extra day thrown in!

Banstead Woods parkrun: running in the bluebells

5km, 23:39, 7:44 min/mile, 141ft elevation gain

I still don’t quite believe it when I run a 23:39 5km, especially when I feel as if I could have run harder. It was May last year that I first dipped under 24 minutes with 23:51 on the flattest, smoothest road parkrun I could find & here I am now running faster on a much harder course. It just shows how much my running has improved over the past 12 months.

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NDW50 Wk 20: Back in the Game! (wc 27.03.17)

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Chasing sunset not sunrise

9 miles, 1:23:21, 9:16 min/mile, 272ft elevation gain

I did not want to run.

Sunday’s long-run had not quite gone to plan due to tiredness. I was still tired, I was worried about my knee & I had serious DOMS. I had been dreading it all day to the extent that I delayed running for 12 hours & rather than my usual 6am run time, I didn’t hit the pavements until 6pm.

This is most unlike me.

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NDW50 Wk 19: Thames Path Twenty (wc 20.03.17)

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AKA Insomnia stole my sleep

20 miles, 3:01:09, 9:03 min/mile, 95ft elevation gain

The start of British summer time, the clocks go forward an hour so we loose an hour’s sleep & insomnia stole the rest… I remembered this about mid-way through when this run started to feel really, really hard. Note to self, a long run after less than two hours sleep is not going to be easy!

Having been lying awake for hours, I jumped on the first London bound train out of Norwood Junction on Sunday morning to find somewhere more exciting than the streets of Croydon for my long-run. I don’t know how I managed to train for a marathon in previous years doing the same old loops round Croydon for almost every session. Continue reading →