Training : Back to it

Intervals

So it's dark now and off road running on a Tuesday evening is off. In it's place is road running training, intervals and rat runs in and around Hexham.

After almost three weeks off, lazing in the sun or just skiving, tonight was a bit of a shock. Steep hills flat out, repeated intervals with bugger all rest and a weird masochistic streak that made me try and out run myself and all around me. Add to that coming down with a cold and thinking "this'll kill or cure me" I'm certifiable but I have to work off the holiday excess somehow and there's another race in a week or so!

Four Seasons

Autumn

Straw

There's a sense of satisfaction
Of a job almost done
Well trimmed hedgerows
Close cropped fields
The last of the summer sunshine
Stockpiled high.

Mezze

Mezze, originally uploaded by rantoutloud.

This is just the starter!

boats

boats, originally uploaded by rantoutloud.

The Tour of Britain : The Breakaway

The Breakaway, originally uploaded by rantoutloud.

This small breakaway group was soon caught by the Pelaton.
Photo taken at High Barns Farm Horsley on the way up to Harlow Hill on the Military Road and not far from my flat.

Lakeland Langdale

View from col below Pike O'Stickle

Pike O'Stickle

View Crinkle Crags & Langdale Pikes in a larger map

Millenium Bridge

Millenium Bridge, originally uploaded by rantoutloud.

The newest Tyne Bridge

Tynedale : Jelly Tea Race

Better in the eating than in anticipation

I'd been panicking all week and more besides, the thought of 10 miles, longer than anything I've run was getting to me.

I'm up early pacing the hallway. Take the train to Hexham, leaving my car at the finish in Prudhoe / Ovingham. Early again pacing the platform. Arrival at the start over an hour to go. Meet up with a couple of the girls from Tyndale Tuesday group, now we're all panicking a bit but the mutual support is encouraging.

The amble to the start turns into a jog and one or two folk think we've already started, not yet! Then we're off!

The route is actually beautiful following the National Cycle route 72 for most of the way. Leaving Hexham on the Beaufront road to Corbridge, through the town it's self a steep section taking you up out of town to the turn down right to Bywell. The road is then goes back down the hill bypassing Bywell and follows the river towards Ovingham. A short steep section at mile 9+ proves as hard as the pre-race horror stories made it out to be.

The end is almost in sight and we realise that with a short burst of speed we could make it in under the hour and a half! In the end 1:27 more than 10 minutes in under my target time. Knackered but well happy with that.

Manchester

Restful is just an API

The Ashton Canal, Manchester

Canals in Manchester

I'd been invited to a conference by the people at JISC after my uncesseful bid for funding of a spinnoff project to ALPS which involved development of an iPhone™ version of the ALPS client software.