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I’ve done it a bit differently this month. Usually I would do my write up at the end of the month and I would forget a lot of the details.
This month I have written about each run as they have occurred. This does mean that there is a lot more reading for you to do though. I hope you enjoy it all the same.
1st of August - Thoulstone parkrun.
I get up at 6am, Clare drives me to Romsey railway station at 6.45.
I get the 7.11 train to Cardiff Central. I need to get of at a station named “Dilton Marsh” which is a request stop. Which means that I need to notify the train guard that I need the train to stop there.
Where is said guard? I’m getting nervous already.
Do I speak to the driver?
I looked at the run from Dilton Marsh to Thoulstone park. It’s only about 4k for me to run to but it’s along a country lane ‘A’ Road with no pavements, I’m a bit nervous about this too.
I think I’ll wait for the train to arrive at Salisbury and then try and locate this train guard if he doesn’t appear in the meantime…
Hoorah! The guard appears to check my ticket. I tell him my request. He just casually says “Yeah”. There is no assurance for me here. The worst scenario is that I have to run from Westbury. I am due at Dilton Marsh at 7.55 or Westbury at 8am. I keep checking my watch. We’ll see what happens I tell myself.
Finally, the guard comes to collect me. “FOLLOW ME” he bellows. “ANYONE ELSE FOR DILTON MARSH?”, he shouts as I follow him through the carriages to the front of the train. I am the only one getting off of course!
Ok, let’s see how bad this ‘A’ road is. I start my watch and jog under the railway bridge. I miss my first turn off and not long after head back and then onto the long ‘A’ road. It’s not too bad at 8am but at 10am it will be deadly. I will definitely find an alternative route back. I stop for a few cars now and then to let them pass and cross the road on the blind corners. I then cross the A36 and I’m there. Thoulstone park.
I can now see the pink high vis crew glowing in the distance. I speak to one of the ED’s and he tells me that he lives in Dilton Marsh and that there is a much better and safer route back.
I enquire about the toilets and he informs me that they are in the Pavilion which doesn’t open until 9am.
I head off in search of an alternative option but soon stumble upon some busy outdoor padel courts. They must have toilets right? Sure enough, I walk into a nearby bar and the barman says “Sure, just around the back” as he gestures with his hand.
The briefing is done and 3,2,1 we’re are off with a nice uphill start. We get about 150 metres in and I am about 15th. The dude in 1st place is already way ahead and then we crest above the gravel track and turn left onto the very dry, yellow grass.
Ah, a bit of downhill now. I notice that the other runners in front of me don’t look particularly fast. I pass a few and they are already breathing heavily.
After a kilometre, I find myself in 2nd place but the guy ahead is way ahead! I knew that I wouldn’t catch him. I was more concerned about being overtaken from behind. Another P2 would be awesome to add to my collection. It’s one and three quarter laps around the field. It’s pretty simple but I did start running the wrong way towards the finish on my first lap. The marshal was not great to say the least. No instruction or pointing of direction. Someone had shouted out that I had gone a bit wrong though and it wasn’t long before I was back on course.
I was now leaving a bigger gap on P3, but getting no closer to P1. I slowed a bit for some sheep that were crossing in front of me. At the same point on the 2nd lap of the field, I started to run the wrong way again. Same marshal. I could see the finish funnel and started to run towards it. I was to stay right side of the cones until the finish. This just needed pointing out rather than waiting to be shouted at again!
Oh well, P3 wasn’t gaining on me and P1 was long gone. All good.
I finished in just over 20 minutes. I speak to P1 and am astonished when he tells me that he is 61! He says that he thought that I was gaining on him and then goes on to tell me that it is his first P1 here. I tell him that that is why I let him beat me and he laughs. He also gives me directions back to Dilton Marsh as he also local. I thank him and tell him that P1 and P2 today have a combined age of 112!
In my original ramblings, I go on about the Vegan breakfast that is no more at the cafe, that was a big disappointment as some members from my running club had said how good it was. It has been changed to a vegetarian breakfast now. They tried to “Veganise it” but it was just terrible.
That was location #114 for me and my NENDY (nearest event not done yet) . Sandhurst memorial parkrun still awaits which I might do on my birthday in 2 weeks (12.09.26).
I put my backpack back on as I jog in search of a big oak tree and a stile where there is a road crossing to another road called Short street. A big downhill leads me into the woods where I soon discover a bog with my right foot. 4th heatwave of the summer and I still find a bog to muddy my lovely new Evo SL’s. It’s a lovely route though and I’m soon in Dilton marsh but decide to run the extra mile to Westbury where there should be more train options.
Sadly my phone died on the train at Warminster. Luckily there wasn’t a ticket inspector for my digital ticket. I got off at Romsey and headed to Golden Gecko to drink coffee and charge my phone while writing this article. I told you it was a bit long! Thanks to the lovely staff at Golden Gecko. Next…
8th of August.
I was keen to revisit Brockenhurst parkrun. The summer course is just 4 laps around the college field, but I love it. It’s a small parkrun in numbers too. I asked Toni and Kev if they wanted to go and they happily said Yes and gave me a lift there too. Thanks again Toni :)
We did a warm up on some of the trails around Brockenhurst after we had parked at the college. It was nice and cool but sure enough, when 9am came around it was hot again.
A nice run around the field today and I like to see who is ahead of me and if I can catch them up. I had already told Kev that my goals for today were a sub 20 and a top 5 finish. Obviously, I was not going to beat Kev, so the pressure was on for me. I was in P9 position with Kev just ahead. After the first lap I had jumped up to P6. 2 laps done and I felt okay but wasn’t convinced that I could catch up with P5. 6.24 for the first mile. Just on the 20 minute mark! On the third lap a marshal shouted that a Sub 20 was possible for me. 6.28 for the 2nd mile though. Damn! I had slowed a bit but not as mush as the guy in front of me now. His form had gone and I was ready to pounce. P5 was mine or was I in P4? Hard to tell after lapping some of the slower runners/walkers. I was going to get my P5 at least. Now to try and push for that sub 20. I thought about my 800 metre reps from the other day put in a burst of speed. Now is the time to push Dean.
Kev got P2 with a 19.05 and I got P4 with a 19.48, the same time I got at Battersea parkrun two weeks beforehand. Things were obviously improving for me. P33 for Toni with a sub 25 too (24.58).
What I didn’t realise until the official results is that I was only 7 seconds from a course PB too. Next time..
I loved it that there were only 101 runners/walkers today and that there were no dogs allowed either. It was very peaceful.
We got speaking to a chatty young lady who came in just behind Toni. Her name is Caroline Woodford and she ran 25.04 today. Not bad for someone over 70 years of age. Her age grading was 93.42%!
Last year she ran 23.42 at Southampton parkrun and got 97.12% on age grading. Insane. She also told us that she still runs sub 4.30 marathons too. Such an incredible and inspiring lady with a wonderful personality in the Nike Vapor flys.
On Friday the 14th, Clare and I caught the train to Newport in Wales. We hadn’t had a holiday in a very long time, what with all the house buying and repairs to the property. We were also both flat out with our jobs, doing extra hours as well. We had just spent a small fortune on some roof repairs too. Anyway..
It was only an overnight stay but it was a much welcomed break from the norm and some quality time for us together. It almost felt like we were on a date!
We decided to do Newport parkrun of course, not the one in the centre of Newport called “Riverfront parkrun” where I used to run the 5 mile series. Newport parkrun is set in the National Trust grounds of Tredegar house on the outskirts. We had some walking to do to get there the day before for our hotel. We covered a good 7 miles in 30 degree heat.
CC and myself decided to walk the parkrun. It was 3 laps around the estate instead of the usual 2 because of some bridge repairs by the pond. It was a nice tree lined, grassy course though and we got chatting to a rather nice Parkwalker. He told us about his fancy boots and his line dancing obsession as well as some funny family stories.
He was really nice and engaging as a parkwalker should be. I often just see parkwalkers wandering around the course on their own. Where’s the volunteering there? Shouldn’t they be engaging with the visitors/slower walkers and encouraging them around the course? Making the time go quicker and giving out local knowledge as our Parkwalker did. Thank you parkwalker. Anyway, enough of the ranting.. We had a lovely morning complete with Vegan sausage baps and coffee from the cafe on site.
It was so nice to get away, no matter how brief. We sure did a lot of walking in those 2 days, including a tour of the Romsey Train signal place. Which was full of nerds with vast knowledge but we actually really enjoyed it.
22nd of August.
Guess what? Another parkrun. This Saturday it was off to Portsmouth Lakeside. Which meant another early bus and train journey. I got off at Cosham and jogged a mile to the start at North Harbour. I needed a wee but wasn’t waiting around in a long queue for a single toilet. I thought I’d warm up a bit more and do a few sprints until I found a suitable urinal. I found a dried out pond behind some bushes. I tried to refill the pond but my efforts were futile.
I jogged the remaining loop of the lake, not really realising how far I still had to go. I glanced at my watch and it was already 8.55am. I was still the wrong side of the lake. A bit of panic made me increase my pace.
I put my rucksack down at the finish and then walked to the start where I bumped into Vegan Running Club Legend Alan Burgess, who is still running 21.30’s for the 5k as a V70! There’s something to be said for that Vegan lifestyle ;)
After a short chat, we were off and running. I was quite near the front but I felt that there were a few runners who shouldn’t have really been there. A bit of a congested start but I didn’t get tripped which is always a bonus.
My course PB was 19.30, so I was hoping to beat that today. I was so happy run my first mile in 6.08. Maybe the fitness is almost there! If I could keep this up, I’d be in low 19’s for the 5k. However, when we got onto the gravel track, I could feel my pace drop off a bit. I was still overtaking people from being in 9th place. 2nd mile in 6.15. Damn it! I need to hold this pace to get my sub 19.30 now. The pace kept on dropping off though, despite me overtaking more runners. At the turnaround point after the subway, I could see that I was in 4th place with 1k to go. This felt hard now but I dug deep and got a shout of encouragement from Vegan runner Louise. Thank you :)
On the last, long stretch, I managed to overtake for the P3 position. The guy just looked more tired that me, I knew I had him but kicked on, just to make sure. Last mile 6.17, even slower.. 3.09 on the watch though. My watch never seems to hit 5k at parkruns. I think it has something to do with my stride length.
A time of 19.11. A new course PB for me. Very happy with that in my current form. Alan ran 21.40. Incredible, what an inspiration! We had a lovely catch up at Starbucks and then I went back to Cosham station to get the train home and await my on official result which was indeed P3 in 19.11.
The injuries and weaknesses seem to be disappearing. I have been doing a fair bit of strength training for my hips and some core work. Also, some balance work. I really didn’t realise how important this stuff is. I believe that it will make me a much stronger runner and improve my form too. I have been inspired by a couple of books. The first is called “The race against time” by Richard Askwith which then led me to another book called “Build your running body” by Pete Magill. Some of the stuff I kind of knew but never really took on board until now.
It has made me realise what is important as an ageing runner. Everything should be based around your speed work. That is the most important session. Recover well and do your easy runs, very easy! I am slipping into 9 minute miles nowadays but when it first happened, I was horrified. It feels natural nowadays and I will recover much quicker for my next speed session. Speed sessions give you that all important “Range of motion” that you need to keep you flexible as you get older. They really are great and inspiring books which I can highly recommend and it certainly has changed my method of training lately.
I’m not back to PB territory yet and will I ever get there? I am feeling stronger though and the times are coming down again.
Today I have the Totton 10k. It is a Hampshire league race but this year I only run for the Vegan Running Club as I gave up my first claim at Lordshill Road Runners. It gives me a better chance to represent the Vegan lifestyle and try and convert a few people on the way. Making people aware that we do not need to eat animals or their products.
The plan today is to try and run another sub 40. Yeovil 10k is my Season’s best of 39.52. Goodwood 10k of 39.58 is my only other time this year.
My aim is to run the first 5k in 19.30 and then hang on. We’ll see what happens…
Well, I was really surprised by what happened. I got a lift with Kev, we warmed up for 3 miles. It was very humid. I was sweating so much before the start. I had a rapid start because of the downhill. My first mile in 5.49. Maybe a little quick? I have run 38.00 minutes on this course before though. Anyway, Just before 3 miles on the 2 lap course, I noticed that I was already slowing and very tired. I decided to give up at 5k recording a time of 19.16. I was done. I stopped and couldn’t believe it and I still can’t. My very first DNF in a race. Something just wasn’t right. I had been suffering with stomach inflammation all week, fevers, phlegm and had been feeling sluggish at work. I wasn’t expecting this though. It’s still a shock but I have to move forward and carry on training. I’ll look for another race to target. As I said before, 2026 hasn’t been a good year for running for me. I am staying positive though and looking forward to getting stronger and faster.
(A long run with the dudes)
A couple of other things. It was a great month for seeing the hummingbird hawk moths in our garden. I thought it was a hornet at first until Clare educated me. I manged to get a half decent photo with my Nikon.
My friend Chris Odgers sure surprised me. I used to live with him in Camborne in Cornwall. He is one of my favourite musicians. He current band is called “Joe Pocketknife”. You can check them out on Bandcamp. Anyway, I got a song named after me called “A song for Dean Jones to sing”. I am so hyped on this. Thank you Chris. An amazing E.P too. CC also got me something to store my vinyl records. So I actually did a bit of D.I.Y myself. Which i'm quite impressed with and very pleased with myself :)
That’s about all. Thanks for reading again. A bit long maybe? Am I better just writing the summaries or did you prefer the full write ups? Let me know. xx
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