Govember

[Charliecat5]

Sunday morning running they call it.  Meeting up at 8am on a SUNDAY MORNING to go running.  Madness.  COMPLETE MADNESS.  But this is exactly what I did. 

A cross country event was cancelled this weekend which left the Athletics club at a loose end, so it was decided to arrange a romp over the Downs.  Meeting up at the Dorset Arms (which strangly isn’t open at 8am) I decided to run to the start line which put a mile on the clock before the gun had even fired.    Surprisingly, given it was so early on a Sunday morning (have I mentioned that), quite a few people turned up and at 8:15 we were off, heading into the railway land and along the river to Rodmell, up the hill to say Hi to Derek Baker before turning north west up the yellow brick road and back along Juggs Lane into Lewes.

Now broadly speaking this is a route I’ve done many times, although I would usually travel a little further along the river to Southease and I’ve only ever done it the other way around.   But all in all it is a route I'm comfortable with… I know pretty much every step and every puddle – there were a lot of puddles.   But this was really tough. 

It was on mile three along the river when suddenly it hit me.  Like BGG earlier this week (and probably because I had been reflecting on his recent post) I realised that I too had been cruising.  Yes, I’ve made some significant improvements over the last 12 months, but at the same time I have dropped into a rut… same runs… same pace… not dialling up the pressure.  Moreover, apart from a few great runs early summer with the big man, the enjoyment had started to slip away.

This morning was different.  It was tough I realised because the pace was quicker.  I was behind the herd for most of the run… pushing hard to keep up.  The leaders would reach the top and circle back around the slow coaches to keep themselves moving… pushing the miles.  This morning I was on the edge just to keep within their slip-stream as they pulled away in the mist of the Yellow Brick Road.   These are my trails and I am use to leading the way over them… but it's easy to fall into a false sense of achievement when you’re only leading yourself. 
 
Running with the herd is a revelation to me… they keep me going at those points I would have otherwise have stopped.  They’re good company… friendly, quick to provide words of encouragement, to chat about all manner of things.  They sympathise but don’t let you give up.  And they push boundaries that need to be pushed. 

I arrived home covered in mud and completely buggered, but also happy and content.  It was good running this morning… I finishing knowing I had achieved something.   It’s the 1st November and I already have 10.5 miles in the bag… and not any old ten miles… I had to work for every one of them. 

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I arrived home covered in mud and completely buggered...

Fantastic! You know you've run well when you get home looking and feeling like that. Meanwhile however, a certain other RC member has rather let himself ... go ... and not in the running sense.

[Charliecat5]

Running the Twittens

Before I start my mutterings about Twittens I wanted to start with a little chat about running kit.  I’m not really interested in running kit… in-fact the only reason I wear it is because I’ve been threatened with arrest if I head out into the hills (or around town) naked… again.

However, having joined the herd in the winter months, I am doing a lot of road running (yep, I know, I have previously announced that I would NEVER run on the road).  This has been quite harsh for my delicate feet, which aren’t use to the hard top, particularly in my beloved trail shoes. .. which are great off-road, but don’t provide much cushioning on the tarmac.  However, I also have a pair of Hoka running shoes – from experiments past - which since the spring have been languishing at the bottom of the ever increasing pile of family footwear.  It only occurred to me this week to put these back on for my forays around the streets… and what a revelation they are.  Lovely cushioning for my poor sensitive feet.  I am sure they improved my performance as well.  Anyway that’s enough of running kit… back to the Twittens.

For those of you who don’t know Lewes (and perhaps for those of you who do), Lewes is full of Twittens.  These are Saxon lanes which run parallel from the high street to Southover, usually (always) in a steep drop.  They are pretty narrow and there are ten in total.  They also vary in length and steepness, and are things of beauty.

On Tuesday I was working at home and around mid-morning an email arrived from the club explaining that Tuesday night’s running excursions were changing a little.  Instead of a general run around town, each evening from now on would be themed… and tonight’s theme was hill running.   Immediately I started to panic… hill running is hill running… I like hill running… but knowing the club like I am beginning to know the club tells me that this will be a new type of extreme hill running.

So at 7pm I was standing there in the cool autumn air waiting for instructions.  Four groups, mixed abilities, shuffling ready to go.  By chance I had joined the group that was heading out to run the Twittens.  I love the Twittens, this was quite exciting.

We set off at a gentle pace, and I was so busy chatting to my good friend Nick, that I wasn’t really aware of the direction we were heading, so it was quite a surprise to find myself, five minutes later, at the bottom of the first Twitten.  The idea is a really simply one… you run up the Twitten as fast as possible, maintaining an even pace… and then jog along the top and back down the next, before running up the next one.  When the Twittens run out, we run a flat circuit to cool down a little, before doing the whole thing in reverse… racing up the ones we had previously jogged down.

It is bloody tough… but very enjoyable… and something that I'm fairly good at.  I couldn’t match the really fast guys (who are unbelievable), but I wasn’t that far behind them.

Before I knew it, we had finished and were standing back where we started, rasping for breath and trying not to fall over… when somebody (I’m not mentioning names, but I will have my revenge one day… if I can ever catch them) suggested that we finished with a sprint up the high street.  Christ! 

Hey big man (BGG)… if you’re ever at a loose end… let’s go and run the Twittens… it’s great fun… and you get a whole lump of history thrown in for free.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Hokas? You mean marshmallows... you know I only lightly jest. I tried Hokas last time I went to a running expo thing, and I was flabbergasted. It was not so much like running on marshmallows, as running on the backs of baby seraphim that were swimming in clouds of helium. Soft, definitely. I thought they'd last maybe five minutes on a typical Aussie outback trail and so didn't buy them. But I've always wondered...

[Sweder]

Running the Twittens

Hey big man (BGG)… if you’re ever at a loose end… let’s go and run the Twittens… it’s great fun… and you get a whole lump of history thrown in for free.

Goes without saying this would be awesome.
I'm in Hamburg until 21st then off to Vancers on the 25th until 14th December.
A small but possibly perfectly-formed window?

[Charliecat5]

Hokas? You mean marshmallows... you know I only lightly jest. I tried Hokas last time I went to a running expo thing, and I was flabbergasted. It was not so much like running on marshmallows, as running  on the backs of baby seraphim that were swimming in clouds of helium. Soft, definitely. I thought they'd last maybe five minutes on a typical Aussie outback trail and so didn't buy them. But I've always wondered...

I like my marshmallows... and they're actually pretty good on the trials... although I do feel (and look) like Zebedee on speed.  They also are crazy looking.  I stopped wearing them because they cause blisters between my toes.  When Googled, I discovered this was actually a THING.  The betweeny toes blisters are called Hoka blisters.  However, for short(ish) runs through town, the risk of blister is worth the comfort of the bounce.

[Charliecat5]

Running the Twittens

Hey big man (BGG)… if you’re ever at a loose end… let’s go and run the Twittens… it’s great fun… and you get a whole lump of history thrown in for free.

Goes without saying this would be awesome.
I'm in Hamburg until 21st then off to Vancers on the 25th until 14th December.
A small but possibly perfectly-formed window?

I will check my diary.

(bugger, he actually wants to do it... I wasn't expecting that)

(on another note, it is quite remarkable how many pubs are situated on (or near) to Twittens)

[Charliecat5]

Having spent Sunday procrastinating myself out of a run… I decided, spur of the moment, to throw my running gear into the car boot as I left yesterday evening for the journey up north.

So having taken in Market Harborough, Kettering and Peterborough today, I found myself late afternoon in a B&B in the middle of nowhere with my running shoes staring at me… giving me the look of a pleading puppy… “come on Dad, let’s go running”.  So with the sun setting and a quick look at Google I was out the door.

Whilst I had packed my running stuff, I had forgotten my running watch.  Being in strange lands it seemed sensible to take my phone – something I never usually do.  So I set the timer running, turned left and started running towards the golf course.  I have no idea how far I ran – somewhere between 2 and 3 miles.  I know my pace was quick because my lungs hurt.  I jumped ditches, ran across fields, over greens, round bunkers, sacred ducks settling down for the evening, and ran home along a road.  I also got lost a couple of times… which made having Google Maps with me very helpful.

All in all a nice little romp in the countryside.  

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Sounds like fun, CC. Are you away long? How about some photos?

[Charliecat5]

Running… it’s a funny thing.

There is good news and not so good news on the work front.  The good news is that we are really busy… busy is good because it means growth and growth means income.  The bad news is that we are really busy, and busy means less time to do the things I like to do… and more (understandable) pressure from the rest of the family to spend time with them.  Amongst all of this I am trying to re-ignite my running.

I am very happy being a member of the herd (running club)… they are doing me a world of good and are a cracking bunch of guys.  However, it has now been two weeks since I ran with them and sadly this week is no better.

So this last weekend I decided to take matters into my own hands and invited BGG to run the Twittens with me.  Having made the invitation on Twitter, another running friend, Rob (aka Out Along the River) asked whether he could join us as well.  Excellent.

So this is how the three of us found ourselves meeting at 8:30 on a cold Sunday morning.  Two of us turned up in what I can only describe as very loud, brightly coloured tops and light weight lower running apparel… i.e. dressed for the occasion.  The other one (you know who I am referring to here) arrived wearing gear than would make an Eskimo sweat.  I kid you not… he had two pairs of gloves on… long trousers, short trousers, three tops and a hat.  The poor man was sweating like a hamster in a sauna before we had even started.

But start we did.  It was my idea, so I felt I needed to take the lead.  “Come on guys” I shouted and started sprinting up the first Twitten.  The only sounds I heard behind me were the sounds of plotting… the plotting of my downfall… if they can’t catch me… then their only recourse was to nobble me. The game was on.

We jogged lightly down the next Twitten before launching again up the next.  This time Rob did his best to catch me up… and very nearly made it before we arrived at the top in a mass of sweat (and in my case) blubber.  On, on, on we ran… up and down until we reached the half way point.  Here the big man made his excuses and headed home, having received a text message from the Mutts requesting his return for their daily constitutional. This left Rob and I to reverse the route and run back to the start again. 

This run is brilliant, yet brutal.  All told it is 5 miles… 5 very tough miles.  But I love it.

Once finished, Rob and I managed a slow jog to a local coffee shop for refreshment, before we parted, in my case running back up the hill to head for home.

So that was Sunday.  On Monday I realised I only had one more opportunity to rack up a few more miles before next weekend so decided to head out again. The Big Man decided to join me…he clearly has the bit between his teeth.

So 19:00 on Monday night we met at the prison for a romp through town.  Again I had the lead… and with only a rough idea of a route in mind we set off.  A long downhill started the run, all the way to the river.  Next there was a flat bit on the edge of a park.  I innocently suggested that we ran a few Fartleks here, as this is where I do them when running with the herd.  Honestly, the look he gave me could have cut diamonds.  But he did them… he didn’t say much… but they were done.   We then headed back into town where I had a choice.  I could either skirt around Southover, which is relatively flat, or head up the high street, which isn’t relatively flat.  I chose the latter.  I realised half way up the hill that I was in a feisty mood so decided  to head back down another hill so we could charge ourselves up one of the infamous Twittens before turning our attention to a nice steady incline back to the starting point again, 3 miles in the bag. 

We had a natter for a few minutes before meandering our way home.  Like I said I was feeling feisty, so instead of running the direct route back, I took a detour and added another quick mile to the distance.  It was a great run… I was feeling up for it… the pace was sub 8 min/miles and it was lovely to be out with the Big Man again.

Interestingly, having made some noise on Twitter about Sunday’s shenanigans, I have two others expressing an interest in running the Twittens.  I think we have a new Sunday morning running club in the making.
 
         
 

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

This sounds like Point to Pinnacle training, boys.

Shame you just missed it. Maybe next year, eh?

[Sweder]

The Twittens were clearly named with us in mind.
It was fun, when it stopped. I'd be up for a Sunday Twits Club. I can always haul the hounds out for five relatively gentle miles afterwards.

My post-Twitten sojourn was pretty sedate, what with my respiratory system being in lock-down and all. And no, MLCMMan, it's not ideal P2P training. Not al all. P2P is brutal and relentless, but at least has the decency to wind up the torture slowly. This is smack! in your face, eyes down for a damned good thrashing, eye-balls-out mayhem from minute one. Bonkers, and yet, rather lovely, as I say, when it finally stops.

On, on.