January 2015

[Charliecat5]

I was inspired by MLCMM this morning having read his lovely first post of the year telling the virtues of early morning running.  So knowing I had to be at a meeting 70 miles away at 10am, I got up at 6:30am for a run.  

It was bloody dark and my head torch is not the best.  But it was three miles and I had the route to myself and... it was nice out there - or at least I think it was.  It is the second time I have run in the dark and it is noticeable how much faster I think I'm running, only to find the stats are telling a different story on my return.  

First run of the year complete... bring it on... 

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

It is the second time I have run in the dark and it is noticeable how much faster I think I'm running, only to find the stats are telling a different story on my return.  

Yep, I always found that as well. It's actually pretty hard to run fast in the dark, and probably that's a good thing when you think about it. Mrs MLCMM broke her arm last year after tripping on a tree root whilst out for a run in the dark, so it pays to slow down a bit in any case.

But well done, here's cheers to a few more 2015 runs to come.

[Charliecat5]

Holy mother of all things alcoholic.  

I am no spring chicken… before long I will be hitting my mid-forties, so you would have thought I would have learnt by now.  You would have thought wrong.  

Saturday evening and after a very long time we eventually arranged to spend an evening with some old friends and neighbours for a meal and a few drinks.  We went round there with a bottle of bubbles and a box of beer at 18:30….  zip forward a few hours and its 1:30 in the morning and I’m in the Swan drinking shots of Jägermeister.

Sunday was a complete write-off.  Nothing doing.  I woke at 11:30 and managed to get out of bed for a glass of water and then returned until around 16:30 when I got up for breakfast.  No running, no sitting around watching movies, no roast dinner. 

I am now on the wagon for the rest of January if not further into the year… I still can’t even face the thought of it. 

I did plan a run yesterday, but wasn’t feeling the best and was still in the dog house for not making tea on Sunday evening, so decided to skip it and go out today.  So this lunchtime I have just done 3 miles round Sweder’s circuit.  Quite a pleasant run although windy and wet and getting very muddy underfoot.  All things considered my pace was OK: 8:36 min/mi.  For the first time for ages I wore my heart monitor, mainly to check it was still working (my monitor, not my heart).  Interestingly, my heart rate was highest for the first mile along the flat and dropped as I ran up Sweder’s Hill before staying relatively level all the way home.  Weird.  

[Charliecat5]

Hill Reps... that's all I can bring myself to say... 

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

What? Really on the wagon? Are you insane?

[Charliecat5]

What? Really on the wagon? Are you insane?

I quite often go dry for January... just to prove to myself that I'm not a raging alcoholic.  I am 6 days in and the shakes are now down to a manageable level and I did get a little sleep last night.  It's all fine... IT'S ALL FINE I TELL YOU!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Yep, insane. I blame Sweder.

[Sweder]

Yep, insane. I blame Sweder.

It's a fair cop.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

It's a fair cop.

...which immediately brings this to mind:

[Charliecat5]

It's a fair cop.

...which immediately brings this to mind:

I'm heading out in gale force winds and driving rain to map a new part of the Moyleman route this afternoon.   

   

[Sweder]

It is bloody foul out there
*continues packing for Key West*

[Charliecat5]

The mighty Caburn

Last night Sweder, Mr Roper and I sat down over beer and nibbles (I had a ginger tea obv.) to start some serious Moyleman planning.  There’s a lot to be done and to add to the pressure we already have 150 mad buggers who have pre-registered their interest.  It is beginning to get quite exciting. 
 
My job is to explore some of the changes we need to make to the route and then to re-map the whole thing.  Prior to the test event last year, I did all the mapping on two wheels… endless hours testing out different sections and piecing it all together to get to the required marathon distance. 
 
This year however, I have become a runner, turned to the dark side.  As the man in the sports shop said to me earlier… there are sportsman in this world, and then there are trail runners.  So as a runner who needs to re-route an off-road marathon, I only had one option - strap on my shoes and get out there.
 
This seemed a great idea last night it the warmth of Sweder’s kitchen, but this morning we had gale force winds and torrential rain.   A little research from under the duvet provided a glimmer of hope that the rain might abate a little later in the day, so a lunchtime start it was. 
 
Loaded up with supplies and a map, Mrs Charliecat kindly drove me to the bottom of Bo Peep, kicked me out and drove off.  Suddenly it was just me standing in a howling gale, approximately 9 miles away from home, with the mighty Caburn standing in my way.
 
The first section is along a gravel track that runs underneath the North side of the Downs, easy running for the feet but challenging with the headwind buffeting every step.  But I found my stride and ran the first couple of miles pretty comfortably arriving on the East side of Firle village.  The first change we wanted to make was to re-route around the village instead of going through Firle Place (we had a bit of grumpiness from them last year).  A few checks of the map and some head scratching and we now have a new route around Firle – bingo.
 
A couple of miles later and the next challenge reared its head.  Is it possible to cross the busy A27 via an underpass?  We know there is one, but we weren’t sure exactly how to access it, or indeed whether we can access it.  The good news is that there is a good route to get there; the bad is that it is not a public crossing.  However, I know the farmer so a visit will be made soon.  From there I found a good footpath which takes us across the fields right into Glynde village, next to the pub!
 
That was the exploration done… from this point I was on very familiar ground.  Trouble was I knew exactly what I was facing… THE MIGHTY CABURN.  I have walked this many times and biked it many times more, but have never run up it.  Oddly, I was really looking forward to it.
 
For those of you who don’t know Caburn, it is a deceptive hill.  From a distance, not much of a distance, it looks quite gentle.  But up close it’s a bastard.  Steep, wild and always windy… but also beautiful and a very special place.  This is why we love having it at the end of the Moyleman – a real kick in the teeth so close to the end!
 
I loved it… it was tough, I didn’t make the top in one go, the wind was incredible, but it was great… and such a sense of freedom at the top.
 
The rest of the run was pretty uneventful, a mile and a bit back home through town for a cold shower (forgot to turn the water on before I left), a quick change and out to watch the mighty Rooks in action.  Two hours later and I kind of wish I had stayed out for a few more miles – it wasn’t the most entertaining game of football we’ve ever witnessed at Pan Siro.

This shows the true colours of the mighty Caburn:

   

Back home:

   

[Charliecat5]

It’s a sweet little mystery.

 
It is wet, wet, wet out there.  The paths are sodden and the river is running high.  At least the mud is so wet now that it doesn’t stick.
 
Hill reps were on the menu again this lunchtime for starter, mains and pudding.   I  embarked on the usual circuit, a one mile warm up followed by six hill reps… and the good news - I could actually feel an improvement today.   I didn’t need to call the medics until rep number four and I could still breath – in a fashion – as a rolled back home again.
 
I have big plans for a weekend run… but normally when I make such statement it all goes horribly wrong… so I’ll say no more… for now anyway.


And for MLCMM's benefit... I briefly fell of the wagon this week, indulging in a few beers and glasses of wine… but I am safely back on again now. 

[Charliecat5]

I think I have just done the best run of my running career to date.
 
It was only 2 miles; it was pretty slow (13 minute miles), the weather was cold, grey and damp.  It didn’t have any memorable mishaps, misdemeanours or rip roaring feats of daring. 

What is did have is my eight year old daughter running alongside me for her first ‘running with Dad adventure.  She wanted to run two miles, so we ran two miles making her Dad very proud in the process.  

She set a great steady pace which she maintained all the way… she chatted a lot… and she sat on the doorstep when we got home and drank water... gently steaming… just the way I do at the end of a run.

Sweder, your days are numbered, I have a new running partner now.

[Charliecat5]

I did it… I only went and bloody did it!  All 1,548 feet and 13 miles of it.  

It has been a private goal of mine which I have been aiming at for the last six months… to run the first half of the Moyleman. 

Today I had just the excuse I needed.  Whilst our chief race organiser is doing his best to singlehandedly consume every Margarita in existence across Florida, I have been out re-routing parts of the Moyleman and a crucial part of this was to re-set the beginning, as we cannot start from same place as last year.  So if I was re-setting the beginning, it would be good to map all the way to Southease bridge (the first half); that way we can see what impact the changes have on the total length.

I am planning to write up a mile by mile account to post on the Moyleman site to help people picture each stage so I will leave the detail for that, suffice to say that the trails today were the muddiest and wettest I think I have experienced.    Large parts were very slippy and in places, treacherous.  Frustratingly the worse bits were on the downhill sections which did nothing to help my pace.

The weather was OK. Apart from the top of Blackcap, which was concealed in cloud, the views were clear and I didn’t have to endure any rain, but it was cold.  For the first time I suffered, particularly my legs, which resulted in my calves starting to pull over the last few miles.  I would invest into some of those weird running trousers if it wasn’t for the petition signed by the local towns’ folk pleading with me not to wrap my shapely arse in any form of lycra. 

Reassuringly I felt the fittest I've been since I started running back in April and although I was mullered by the time I reached Southease, I could imagine running further… and if the head can imagine this… the body will follow.
 
What’s next? Well the second half of the Moyleman obviously!


The elevation map for the first half:

   

[Sweder]

This is excellent news!
Superb effort, Caruthers
*slurp*

[oldgrunter]

Nothing like a gentle 2.5 miles at the start of a marathon.
That is nothing like a gentle first 2.5 miles at the start of a marathon!

[Hiwheeler]

What? You're changing the frigging route??
I've broken the original down into four sections, ran all four, now in the New Year, carefully putting them together.
I've done 3 & 4 then 1 & 2 - I'm about to embark on the difficult 2 & 3.

Bleeding eck! Please tell me it's still starting behind my house at the firesite??

Worried Pete

[Charliecat5]

What?  You're changing the frigging route??
I've broken the original down into four sections, ran all four, now in the New Year, carefully putting them together.
I've done 3 & 4 then 1 & 2 - I'm about to embark on the difficult 2 & 3.

Bleeding eck!   Please tell me it's still starting behind my house at the firesite??

Worried Pete

Don't panic. We're starting at Landport Bottom.  

[Hiwheeler]

Phew,

I've organised the cheerleaders and canapes already.

Let me know when you need a list of helpers to set up signs the day before.