Training Resumed : Jelly All Round

There's Bears in them Woods

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There's nothing like getting a race bib number in the post and a sudden realisation that the start date is just a few weeks away to get the motivation going. For 'motivation' read PANIC.

After a few weeks of not feeling great and not enjoying the running I decided last night to get down to it and motivate myself. The receipt of the bib for the Tynedale Harrier's Jelly Road Race, start time 11:00am 6th Sept. that morning had something to do with it too. It's 10 Miles! Shit that's far longer than I've run ever at one time before and I'm starting to panic for sure. Tips on how to up the distance from where I'm reasonably comfortable, 10k, to the new goal of 10 Miles, would be helpful.

Statistics: Distance: 10.44 km Elevation gain: 217.1 m Elevation loss: -217.5 m. (As calculated by GPS Visualizer)

Reservoir Dogs

Running on Water

The reservoirs from near Harlow Hill

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Running out after all that rain, I didn't think it'd be possible yesterday but the weather turned warm and sunny. Another new route variation, north from the flat up towards Hadrians Wall and around the reservoirs at the top of Whittle Dean. Many of the tracks were both overgrown from lack of traffic, obviously hardly anyone runs or walks these very often and very very wet. Indeed several times I was up past my ankles in water and mud. Then back down the hill to Horsley, 7 miles or thereabouts quite a slow time, route finding in the long grass and wading through ankle deep mud doesn't make for a fast pace.

Rain stops play

The River Tyne

River Tyne, Hexham

Trying something new, embedded video clip of the river just below the bridge at aHexham after considerable overnight rain. The power and the noise of the flow was considerable and a huge contrast with the conditions seen last week when the rowers were out on the water and the sun was shining.

The weather this weekend is mixed at best with a big anticyclone over the North Sea dumping hige amounts of water all over the north of England. Staying indoors catching up with work seems like a reasonable option.

Training : 2 for 1

Two For the price of one

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Sunshine on Tyne

Sunshine on Tyne, originally uploaded by rantoutloud.

Not fog

Military Way

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The Pot of Gold

The Pot of Gold, uploaded by rantoutloud.

Great Railway Journeys of the world, Leeds to York. This spectacular rainbow seen from the train going to York on my way home from Leeds at about 17:30. Over the past few days there's been much 'big weather'; thunderstorms and sunshine and the contrasts on a minute by minute and mile by mile basis seem extraordinary.

Downtime

Getting The Sunday Papers in

Hagg Bank Bridge

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Taking a 9 mile walk just to get the papers in seems a little excessive perhaps.

There's a good description of the Hagg Bank Bridge over on Cycle-Routes.org and yes it does look like The Tyne Bridge, that's because it was the predecessor of both the Tyne Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.

10K: Wiped Out

Thynedale 10K

Nearly 600 finishers by runnerwanderings

Pensive

0:54min My goal achieved; under an hour, still standing at the end of a very hot and humid race. Pacing as usual a bloody nightmare, went through the 3 mile marker in just 23mins but started to flag badly through miles 4 and 5. It's the first time I've run with so many people and spectators, the encouragement was clearly helpful. The Pie and Peas in Ovingham School dining hall was like eating in a turkish bath.