My Review of Running in 2014

              (The Flanders field Marathon in Ieper, Belguim. My 40th birthday weekend).



         So we come to the end of another year. I always like to reflect on my achievements for the year and what I had set out to achieve. You can see this posts on this blog from last December. A great year of running with no serious injuries or injuries that took me out for ages. This is a first for me!
I ran 22 races this year, that excludes club races like the CC6's and the RR10's and parkruns.

     I ran 4 ultra marathons, but only 2 marathons. 6 half marathons and various other weird races and distances. I achieved my 50th parkrun (although, i'm still waiting for the t-shirt). I got PB's in distances of 5k, 10k, 10 miles and marathon, although the 10 mile one is debateable.
19.06 5k at Southampton parkrun, 41.28 10k at Eastleigh, 66.48 at the Great south run (stopped my watch at mile 10 but when I crossed the line the course was quarter of a mile longer which gave me a time of 67.27) 3.29.30 at Brighton marathon.

             (Hills on the Camborne stormforce 10 mile race in Cornwall!)



         I decided to give Stubbington a miss this January and run a 10 miler in Cornwall called the Stormforce 10. This is part of the Cornish grand prix (league). Sadly, I hit my head the day before skateboarding and had to drink 6 pints of Tribute to calm me down. Not a great time but a great race with some nice big hills around country lanes.

        Then came the craziness! The Thames trot 50 mile race. I was going to pull out but I had talked Mike Mattingly into it and didn't want him to run it alone so I said i'd support him for the first 20 miles as I hadn't really trained for it. There was pressure from my running buddies on facebook of course. "You can do it Dean", "Good luck Dean" etc.. Well, we ran/walked it, got lost lots and had to wade through the icy cold Thames in February! The route was being changed a lot due to flooding and then my headtorch died in the woods. Great experience indeed but it took us 10 hours and 26 minutes.

       I then had a couple of bad half marathons in March. The Llanelli half. Very windy, bit of a hangover and then the John Austin half. Blew up after 5k and struggled to hold a decent pace after that.

I then rolled my ankle when I was drunk when I fell off a curb after my mate's 40th birthday with the Eastleigh 10k only a few days away. The ankle hurt like hell even on the day but I thought i'd try and run it anyway and got a PB :) See pic below for swankle:

             Getting that 10k PB gave me confidence for the Brighton marathon I had coming up in April. I was running for my little 10 year old buddy Thomas who has Type 1 Diabetes. I was raising money for the JDRF charity. Think I raised about £600-£700? The JDRF charity people were great. Out of all the charities I had run for, these were the best in the way they supported and treated me. Personal phone calls and emails, sandwiches and massages etc.. I felt like a celebrity ;)
Anyway, I had left my gels in the boot of Di Mattingly's car. Not a great start. I was running so well and hoping to get sub 3.30 time. I was hoping to run 8 minute miles but was running 7.30's quite comfortably. No effort at all! I was starting to feel it at mile 16 though as I still had no food/gels etc.. Just water and maybe a sports drink. By mile 18 at the lovely powerstation (worst part of the marathon) I was feeling drained but managed to get a gel from someone but I knew it was too late by then. It was a case of holding on. I was slowing down and was grateful for the earlier pace. I saw the 3.30 pacer but couldn't catch him up. He was turning round and beckoning me forward but I couldn't go any faster even with the support of the crowd. My hearing was going as well. I thought I might actually be dying here! I never did catch that pacer and he must have crossed the finish line about 20 metres in front of me. I was disappointed at first but later found out that I had achieved 3.29.30 on chip time so was really happy with it in the end.

(Me with Thomas a week or so before the Brighton marathon)



         There were other various races like the Southbourne 10k (Windy as hell!) Netley 10k (Very boring) I then did the Ox Ultra race in Tollard royal. It was a very hilly 35 mile race (36.5 in the end)with a love station (Vodka and locally produced cider). This was to be Rob Kelly's first ultra and I was more than happy to tag along for a fun 7 and a half hours of running, walking, eating, photo taking and piss taking. The views were absolutely stunning. It was a very tough course but it was worth it cos Rob gave me his cheeseburger voucher which meant I could eat two :)

          June: The Braishfield Romsey beer race is a 5 mile race. It was my first ever race and I did it in a time of 42 mins and 12 secs getting beaten by 60+ Derek Goodchild from our club. I was hoping for a course PB on this day at least! It was so hot though and like all races, even when I ran it, nothing at all was familiar to me. I got a PB though and was really happy. It was a lovely sunny summer's day sat on the grass with the others from my club. Andy Griggs wanted his money back though as the competition was weak and he nearly won the race by 2 minutes. Ben Pitman was 2nd though.

          

 (Me and Rob Kelly somewhere in Wiltshire on the Ox Ultra)


                 Next up was the craziest race I have ever done and probably ever will be. Man V horse which is sometime in July I think. Set in Britain's smallest town of Llanwrytd Wells, Powys, mid Wales. You run just under 24 miles of massive hills whilst racing next to horses. It sounds completely mad and it is! I thought I was going to get trampled a couple of times but managed to dive out the way. You also get to run through streams to cool your legs down which is very refreshing. I was up over 1000 ft at one point and I was looking down on the Red Kytes flying over the tree tops.
I took no gels and no food or drink. There were water stations but I thought as it was only 24 miles i'd be fine. Those hills will destroy you no matter how fit you think you are! I beat around 10 of the 60 horses anyway and finished around the 4 and a half hour mark. I am still trying to decide whether or not to do it again in 2015. You can also have relay teams of 3 but this will sell out on New Year's day when entries open probably.

         I did the Summer plod with my friend Adam Sizer who had never run further than 13 miles at the time. This was a hilly 21 miler with Butser hill at the end on the South downs way. Great views but more brutal hills. I ran it slowly with him and watched him go through all the emotions that a runner does when they're pushed to their limits. He finished it and i'm super proud of him :)

 (Nearing the end of Man V horse)


                 I did the Indian Queens half marathon in the first weekend of August. Not a great result but another great race with things like inflatable crocodiles hidden in the woodland course and inflatable parrots in the trees. One of the flatter courses in the Cornish Grand prix.
Salisbury 54321 came along again. Thought i'd try the 50k distance again and wanted a sub 5 this time around. This was the first time that I actually raced an ultra and found it horrific. I hated it so much, it just went on forever as I ran it on my own. I was in a bad place mentaly on this one. Think I got 5.03 and ended up in the back of an Ambulance because I was really dizzy and close to passing out and I couldn't slow my heart rate down, which was really scary for me. St. John's were brilliant though and gave me a lovely blanket to keep.

            I did the Vale of Pewsey half the day after trying to run the Avon valley path from Salisbury to Christchurch. The route is 36 miles but I had got lost so much that I was already at 36 miles when I reached Ringwood. So, a 36 mile slow run on the Saturday and a sub 2 hour half marathon the next day! Surprising what the body can be put through.

In Septemeber I got a parkrun PB of 19.06. Not sure where that came from as my previous PB was around 19.46. The day after, I did the Overton 5 miler. It didn't go well due to the PB the day before. I was hoping to do a double PB weekend. It happened to me a couple of years ago!

(The start of the Flanders field marathon in Ieper, Belgium with Roger, Patrick and the Mattinglys)


         I wanted to pick a good race in Europe for my 40th birthday. One I would remember forever. There was a race in Austria that I was interested in but we decided on this one in the end. Wasn't easy to sort out with the payments etc but we have Di Mattingly for that... Thanks Di :) x  
I drank way too much on the Friday night (my birthday) and was really sick and too ill to even collect my race number on the Saturday. I spent the day sleeping in bed and feeling rough. On race day I decided to not race it but just enjoy it. This is the only marathon on the grounds of the first world war. It was good to remember them as it was the 100 year anniversary. We passed many fields where soldiers would have fought and lots of graves.
It was a pancake flat course with lots of canal river and cycle paths. The route was fairly boring outside of the built up areas etc.. It was great to run through the Menin gate though and see supporters including Laure from our running club. I ran most of the marathon with a guy called Keith from Kent or Surrey or somewhere. We chatted for half the course and kept a fairly good pace. It was his 113 marathon, it was only my 7th! Although I have done 7 ultras too.
 We finished together in a time of 3.37 which made it my 2nd quickest marathon so I was very pleased.

(A stolen photo from the Ely Ultra)


     The Ely ultra was my next race at the end of September. It was a 45 mile race from Ely to Cambridge and back when I first entered. There was a Triathlon on the same day or something so they had to shorten the course slightly. I had heard it was 38 miles, someone else said 40, others said longer. So we really didn't really know the exact distance. I got a train up and booked a hotel on my own. I was a little scared of running this ultra on my own after the darkness of the Salisbury 54321 but here I was. The route pretty much followed a cycle path once you got out of Ely. It could get a little confusing sometimes on route and we had heard people had run the wrong way in the previous year. I ended up running it with two others. A guy who had previous got lost and was wearing the number 13 (Bad omen) and a dude from Essex who had just completed his 4th Ironman in Sweden. We lost the bad omen as he had slowed after 10 miles and the rest I ran all the way with the other guy.
We exchanged funny racing stories and encouraged one another to keep going when things got tough for us. It was a fairly flat course but pretty well organised with good support and food stations. It was just over 41 miles in the end and we did it in under 7 and a half hours which I am most proudest of, of all my ultra times.
I went back to my room. Showered, had a pub lunch and then went for a walk and the race was still going. I think there was a 12 hour cut off time. I got to cheer in the last man as I stood there with his wife and she was telling me how he had DNF'ed last year and he didn't finish in the cut off time. This year he was going to do it and I was so happy for him.

              (The Ely Ultra details)


I had a bit of a break from the races after that but was still running. I did the Denmead 10k a while after and was hoping for another 10k PB but this course was hilly. I actually walked up part of one of the hills, not only that but we had missed out on winning the club team prize by 20 seconds because of me not beating Southampton AC's Paul Johnson. I was a bit gutted but the others (Rob Kelly and Jeff Scarle) took it well and humoured me with the blame..lol.


End of October:
The great south run I really enjoyed this year. Think I may do it again next year too. A nice local 10 mile race with lots of our club runners. A nice fast, flat course but a bit of wind on the last mile or two. No official pb but really pleased with my 6.40 average pace throughout the race. Felt really good for the first 10k. Awesome goody bag but a very expensive 10 miler.

Gosport half was another dark race for me. I was going for a PB and wanted 1.27 even though my PB is 129.26. I thought I could do it. 1.30.48 was what I managed. It was the best half I had run for a couple of years but at the same time I was slightly disappointed and really didn't enjoy the race at all.

(Not sure where this was or who took it but it's from this year)


    Downton half was to be my last race of the year. This is my favourite half marathon course out of the 20+ halfs I've done. Cardiff probably comes second. A great race with some nice hills. I got a 1.32.29 a few years back and wanted to try and beat that. Not really a PB course but it's possible! Anyway I ran a 1.33.33. 1 minute and 4 secs off of my previous time but was proud of my efforts as I was at least a stone lighter then and I was struggling to run a 1.36 half in the spring of 2014.

My only other noteworthy achievement I think is coming 3rd at Chichester parkrun and it was only a 20 minute 5k! I also enjoyed parkruns at Llyn Lech Owain, Colby, Brockenhurst, Winchester, Southwick, Eastleigh, Andover, Southampton and my 50th at Netley.

Hopefully next year will be just as good for me. Thanks for reading and a big thanks to all those who take the photos and give me lifts to and from races. You know who you are, too many to mention. Thanks :)


Below are my running stats for the year:

The Denmead 10k

At the finish. A big thanks to Nicole Kelly for the photos. (Kim Kelly, Rob Kelly, Jeffrey Scarle and Myself).


       The race didn't start until 10am so we had plenty of time to get there. The weather was fine, if not a little warm for the time of year. I was quite excited about this 10k and a possible pb was on my mind. I was wanting 40 minutes something. I would aim for an average pace of 6.40 minute miles. If I blew up, it would still be great training for the Great South run the weekend after.
We knew that this was a new course (not that we had run the old one). There was no profile or elevation to be found but there was a map and a written description on the course. So there were going to be undulations and a big hill.

    Anyway, Rob, Kim and myself get to the scout hut and pick up our numbers. We then see another Lordshill Road runner's vest. Who's that? It was Jeff Scarle. He had entered late on the Thursday night and why not at the bargain price on £10. There were only 200 places in this race and there were only 17 left from what their facebook page had said.
I joked about a team prize as there were now 3 Lordshill men running. We saw Paul Johnson from Southampton AC and had good banter with him while we were putting on our race numbers and getting ready.

   I was quite confused in the toilets when I came out of the cubicle and saw a women there washing her hands. She also looked puzzled by my presence. We both scanned the toilet door for a sign and I was relieved to see it say "Men" in big, bold letters :) Sorry, she said. No problem I said.

We warmed up and headed for the start. We made sure we got right near the front but not too near Julian Manning who would obviously go on to win the race (in a time of 34.55). Off we went! I would try for my 6.40 minute mile. Don't go to fast Dean. Stick to the pace. But I feel good. Damn, first mile 6.32. This didn't last long though as we started climbing and I managed a feeble 7.28. Damn! What was that!?!
 This course was no good for averaging your pace. Jeff, Rob and Paul were out of sight until we got to a very long, steep downhill. I managed to pass Paul and another Southampton AC guy as I just love the downhill. I glanced at my watch and noticed 2.5 miles in I was running at a 4.40 something pace. Obviously this wasn't going to last with the uphill in sight. 6.18 for my third mile. That will make up for my crappy mile 2 but I had worked out that I still needed to make up roughly 40 seconds.

Coming into the finish.


     And then it definitely all went wrong for me. There was this monster of a hill. I was slowing, my breathing was so laboured and out of control. Paul from Soton AC had long passed me. I came to the decision to actually walk for a bit to get my breathing under control and not only that but I thought I could walk as fast as I was running at the present time. I blame this on the ultras! Walking on a 10k race? It may have been no more than 15-20 seconds but it's still being a pussy and giving up.
A Stubbington runner urged me on and I thanked him for his kind words as he passed me.

Mile 4, 7.47.
Kiss that pb goodbye. After this I didn't really pay much attention to my watch and my miles. The last 2 miles were pretty much on a downwards slope though. I soon picked up the pace again and passed the same Stubbington runner. I could see Paul from Soton AC in sight for the last 2 miles but just couldn't gain on him. I pushed and pushed. Mile 5 was run in 6.43 and mile 6 was actually my quickest in 6.29. I had finished with a time of 42,22. I wasn't disappointed with my time on such a challenging course. I came 23rd so that was pretty good I thought. Jeff came 11th with a time of 40.24. Rob came 20th with a time of 41.46 and Kim came 170th with a time of 1.12.16. A great day was had even though we weren't prepared for such a tough course. We got Denmead striders shoe bags with our medals inside, some food and water. The marshals were really supportive and encouraging on the course. A lovely race around country lanes. Such great value and good spirited people. Denmead striders also got to race this course a few weeks before us. What an awesome idea. They even had a list of results. I wish our club did this as I have never run in our 10k or 10 mile races and don't know the courses. I would love to do this race again, especially now I know the course and have a time to beat.


Sadly, due to my slower pace, we missed out on the team prize. Southampton AC had won it and Paul was their third runner. When I later checked the results, I was 24 seconds behind him. I had let the team down by eating too much chocolate during the week ;) Better luck next time. A big thanks to Nicole for the photos and support as well.

Muddy legs. My walk of shame as I had let the team down (Jeff seems to be laughing still so it's all good ;)

     


               

The Ely Ultra

       It's hard to know where to start with this story. I guess that one day I woke up and decided that I wanted to run another ultra. After a bit of searching I found the Ely ultra. It sounded perfect. No need for navigation or a compass. In fact, they said it was idiot proof. I couldn't really get lost! The other thing that appealed to me is that it is flat. 45 miles from Ely Cathedral to Cambridge and back. Most of  the route being on paths.

     I paid £35 to enter this race. £6 cheaper than the Great South Run but an extra 25 miles and a much better long sleeved technical running t-shirt, medal and free food and coca cola :) There was a limit of 75 runners which meant no congestion and a very friendly bunch of people. some of them I would get to know quite well. The thing that scared me the most was running 45 miles solo. I don't think I could do that mentally. But I had paid and no-one else I knew was interested.

     I got the train to London, changed on tubes, got another train to Royston, bus service to Cambridge and then another train to Ely. It was a long day and dark by the time that I got to my hotel room. I ate well and got an early night as registration was at 6.30. It was still dark when I registered and couldn't even see the faces of the event team.

    As it got lighter I spoke to the other ultra runners. some told me they had got lost the previous year. Some told me about the route. We joked and laughed about our own stupidity of running 41 miles. I was told that the course had to be cut short due to a Triathlon happening at the other end. I was a bit disappointed by this obviously. We had a nice briefing and I had prepped well.
We were told that we needed to run with two things or we would be disqualified: A rain coat and a fully charged mobile phone. I had my running backpack with waterbottles, enough food for a week, a change of socks and a t-shirt, written instructions and money were also in my bag. I had also downloaded the course onto my phone in case I did get lost. A lot of prep goes into some of these ultras!

         I chatted to a local man named Robert who got lost the previous year. (Idiot proof remember!) After speaking to him, we thought we would run together. He did 8 hours 15 last year and managed 51 miles somehow, he also had the race number 13 this year. Maybe he was just a bad omen..lol.
He wanted about 3 hours to Cambridge. I wasn't sure and said 3 to 3.30 hours and slower on the way back. Off we went at 8am. The streets of Ely were still deserted. We went through the Cathedral and downhill into a park and before we knew it we were onto a canal path. We were all chatting with excitement and still joking about stuff while taking in the views.

     I got talking to a 29 year old school teacher called Pete from St. Albans. I thought he looked and sounded a little bit like Danny Dyer and was a very nice guy. He had recently completed his third Ironman in Sweden. He decided to run the same pace as Rob and myself. We were now a trio. We swapped race stories and experiences. Pete told me about Ironmans and Mountain marathons, Rob talked about races he'd done and as always I talked about Man V horse and parkrun.

    After a short while we came onto cycle path 11. Most of the ultra is on cycle route 11 with the odd bridge crossing and village visit. There wasn't really much to see to be fair so I was glad not to be running alone.
"What time are you going for?" That question came up a lot. I was thinking sub 7 hours to start with and then I thought sub 8 hours and then I just wasn't sure. We were running consistent 9 - 9.30 minute miles. Ah, let's just see. There were waterstations at midway of the half marathon point, halfway of the marathon point and halfway for us at mile 20 something. (There was also a half marathon and marathon starting at later times.)

      We were lucky enough to meet Ironman, Spiderman and the green lantern. As if running 41 miles wasn't mad enough in the first place! It was a very humid day even though the sun was mostly obscured by clouds. We were very grateful for this. I thought we would beat these guys easily but I was wrong.
There was a uneven grassy area that we had to run on for a mile or two at about mile 15? This was tough as you were having to think about your every footstep and climb over a couple of stiles. This would also had to be done on the way back at around mile 25-26.
We had just passed some horses who were blocking the whole path but managed to walk through them without getting kicked and from then it was all canal path again into Cambridge. We could watch the barges on the canal and the rowing teams practice. Passersby would ask me about the event and looked shocked when we mentioned the 41 miles. It was very amusing to watch their facial expressions and reactions to this. We were mental..lol

      By now, it's just me and Pete running together as Rob had dropped back. Pete didn't really want to waste time at waterstations. We walked while we ate and then just ran again. This was a great idea and worked really well for the first 20 miles. When we reached mile 16, the leader of the race was already coming back the other way! He was 8 miles ahead of us. He smiled and said well done to us. What a lovely guy. the next runner was about 5 minutes after him. Then there were more runners. It was good to see the other runs as we wished each other luck and exchanged well dones.

   

Me, Pete and Rob


      We managed to get half way in under 3 hours 30. I changed my socks and t-shirt, while Pete refilled his bladder pack. We ate and chatted to others for 5 minutes and when we set off again were still under the 3.30 mark. I knew we weren't going to go sub 7 hours, in fact I was now worried we may not go sub 8 hours but that was my new target.
We struggled more on the way back but kept each other going with positive things to say. Walking was becoming more frequent after mile 25. The legs were really aching already for some reason. By this time Ironman and Spiderman were nowhere to be seen ahead of us but the Green lantern had dropped back behind us somewhere.
About mile 30 onwards there was hardly anyone to be seen. I thought we had paced quite well and was expecting to pass people who hadn't paced so well. We were obviously the ones who hadn't paced so well..

      We were told at mile 27 or 28 that this may be the last waterstation. I thought that this was very poor as it was such a humid day and we were consuming lots of fluids. I drank plenty and filled my two bottles. I also made sure I wasn't wasting too much water but it was nice to pour over my face to cool my face down as my body temperature seemed pretty high by this point.
We continued to tick off the miles. We celebrated at Pete's first ever 50K achievement. We cheered and ate some food. We were glad to discover that the final waterstation was still there. There was a lovely old man and a very helpful young girl. They said they weren't going anywhere and would stay until the end of the event. There was a 11 hour cut off time! They must be out there for a good 12 hours volunteering for free. These people are an inspiration to me. I love them especially when they're so happy and accommodating.

      Mile 35 and onwards, no-one in sight in front or behind. It was just us two. Few words were being exchanged now as we dragged our tired bodies closer to the finish. The miles were taking longer and feeling much, much longer to reach. I kind of woke up a bit and got a little excited as I pointed out the sight of Ely Cathedral to Pete. It felt like my pace had quickened a little and it looked like we may be able to get under 7 hours 30 if we kept on going and walked less. I don't think Pete was too bothered about the time but I wanted that sub 7.30 so bad now. it gave me a new sense of purpose and another goal.

   People had been telling us different mileage. 6 miles to the finish, 5 miles to the finish etc..
We just didn't know. Was it 40, 41 or 42 miles? We managed to navigate pretty well between the two of us and didn't get lost. The Cathedral seemed to be getting further away as we ran on twisting tow paths. Eventually it was getting closer and bigger. I told Pete we were going to get under 7.30 if we pushed a bit. We ran through and under the Cathedral and into the finish together with a round of a applause from everyone there.

     We congratulated one another with our time of 7 hours and 27 minutes, Grabbed drinks, goody bags and medals and laid upon the grass gasping for air and gaining relief. We applauded others coming in and enjoyed the much welcomed rest and conversation of others too. Great race and lovely people. 51 people managed to finish but one of them had to be rushed to hospital with chest pains.
I came 23rd and Pete 24th and I still had 2 uneaten pork pies in my backpack! The winner easily got a sub 5 and I watched the last person coming in after my pub meal and shower in a time of 10 hours and 32 milnutes. He told me that the previous year that he had DNF'ed due to not making the cut-off time. So much for the raincoat!

Man V Horse 2014

      As the sign says, Llanwrtyd Wells is the smallest town in Britain. I had travelled by train on the Friday from my family in Carmarthen and had to change at Llanelli. The scenery from the train window was incredible. Massive hills, tall trees and low flying birds of prey when we got to Llandovery. When I had reached my destination, I really did feel like I was in the middle of nowhere. I was the only person to get off the train and there was no-one on the platform either. The song "ghost town" came into mind. It wasn't long until I saw life though as I followed the signs into the town centre. All the people were smiling and super friendly but I couldn't stop thinking about the Simon Pegg film "Hot Fuzz".

     So, Man V horse is a race I read a bit about but didn't really know a lot. I knew It was a weird town with a population of just over 600 people. I knew they held strange events like the "World bog snorkelling championships" and was home to the "World alternative games". This includes bizarre events like "Gravy wrestling", "Worm charming championships", "space hopper racing" and "wife carrying" plus many, many more crazy things. In the nature of things, Man v horse sounded just as insane!
To me it sounded like they were calling it a marathon even though it was just under 24 miles. You would be racing horses and running through streams and a bit of mud. That's what I knew...

    At the start of the race and my hotel.

         I booked in to my room at the Neuadd arms hotel. I managed to get a last minute cancellation thanks to Bob the race director who emailed me to tell me so. What a lovely guy he is. Obviously being the smallest town in Britain, I guess news travels fast there! There is also a free pasta party at the hotel for the runners. Didn't matter if you were staying the hotel or not. Free food is always good. Went to collect my number from the hall on the Friday evening and asked for directions. I couldn't have asked a nicer guy either. His name is Melvin and he was so friendly and welcoming. We walked down to race collection together with a few others from his running club (Collingwood). Everyone was joking and laughing. This was great and exactly what I needed as I was here on my own, getting nervous about the race and being trampled by horses. Melvin asked me if I was a virgin and I said yes, so he filled me in with lots of course details and gave me some very useful advice which I would remember on the way around. He also told me about the time he was lost and had to be rescued. Like I wasn't worried enough already..lol.

          There was a list of running clubs in the hotel foyer that said people had travelled from all over the world for the race. I was pleased to see my club Lordshill Road Runners on that list.
There were a lot of relay running teams too as well as 60 horse riders who had entered. A last minute look at the course profile made me wonder if I should have done the relay. Was I mad to do this solo? What I had thought is that it's only 24 miles but I had later realised that the elevation was in units of 500 feet and not 100 feet! Some big hills then. I would soon find this out anyway.
All runners start at 11am and the horse riders/horses start at 11.15. We had to get a move on before we got trampled, the start was quite congested but we had chip timing for the first time on this race. I managed to run my first mile in just under 8 minutes. This race wasn't so bad afterall! :)

        Not long after the first mile, hills like the above one started to appear. That sub 8 minute mile was to be my only one. What makes it even tougher is that it is mostly off road trails with mud, streams and the occasional track, but all hilly. It was either up or down but I seem to remember a lot of up.
The thing that annoyed me a little bit was that you couldn't tell the difference between a solo runner and a relay runner. I think different colour numbers would be a good idea.
A bit later on in the race I could tell the difference as the solo runners were covered in mud and flies and the relay runners had shiny clean legs and lots of energy. Even so, it was not nice watching little girls fly past you and wondering if they were doing the solo run.

      So where are these horses then? After 3 miles I could hear one approaching and approaching at lightning speed. I looked around and there were 2 of them. I said the mantra back to myself which I had read in the manual. "Runners to the right, Horses to the left". Now these 2 horses were running side by side. One of them had a rider and the other i'm guessing had lost it's rider so it was just a crazy horse galloping towards me. I really hadn't expected them to run with such speed as I have never seen a horse racing before. I must admit I was a little bit scared. I just stopped running and stood back and prayed a little bit and this seemed to work as they flew past me.
Later up the hill I was using my ultra skills to walk up the bigger hills. Then I got chatting to this girl from Brecon, so we slowly ran up the hill together while we talked about races, life etc.. She was a lot fitter than me and obviously did a bit of training as she later left me at a water station but I didn't cry.

     After only 9 miles, my legs were feeling trashed already. This hills were ridiculous. I had never seen anything like them. I was beginning to think that maybe Snowdonia marathon was pretty flat now. I also thinking that I might not finish this race, I was less than halfway and really struggling. I was already having to dig deep within my soul and push myself.
 The most stupidest thing of all was that I didn't bring anything with me. There were water stations aplenty but that was it. I didn't bring any gels, food or energy drinks. Well I thought it's only 24 miles, i'll be fine. The miles were passing by slowly and by mile 12 I was offering out the promise of free beer to anyone who had an energy gel I could have. No-one seemed to have any until I got to my 15 or 16. I asked this guy who looked like he was off to Butlins for a week. Turns out he had loads and was more than willing to give me a gel and even offered me a second one. I just took the one and said i'd buy him a drink tonight if he could find me. He was a fell runner, so this wasn't really that hilly to him, just kind of the norm. I was meeting some really interesting people now and that's the great thing about distance running.

      There was quite a bit of mud in places and the horses that passed had obviously made the mud even worse. About 15 horses or more had passed me by the time I had reached mile 16. There was probably more.
How the course works is that there is a runner's route and a horse's route but they both overlap and join up at certain times. Some of our course through the narrow woodland downhill would have been impossible for them. Slate was slipping from underfoot as I ran. It was hard enough for us.
I think I may have been close to getting trampled twice. Once was about mile 7 on a flat and rare bit of road where I decided to pick up my pace while the surface was good to firm. I am running where I think is probably leg 2 of the relay and I look behind me and there is a horse literally about to run into me and going really fast. I managed to dart to the right and let them pass. The lady said sorry afterwards. The second one was on a narrow wooded area and the path had only a bush and about a 6 foot drop. I had to jump into the bush and luckily I didn't fall down the drop. I was really annoyed with this rider as most riders would normally slow down a bit or shout when they are coming. Most riders were friendly and cheery but a couple were not so nice. A lot of the times though if I saw a horse coming I would simply shout "Horse" to the runners in front and many others did this too.

       A picture of the finish line that I took the day before the race

          About mile 18 I was getting cramp in my right hamstring, so I did some stretches and ate a couple of jelly babies that a kind marshal offered me. I was walking more and more now as the hills got bigger and bigger. At one point I was running at 1600 feet and was watching the Red kytes hovering and cycling above the trees below me. What an amazing and breathtaking sight that was. I pointed this out to some other runners as well. No matter where you were on this course, there always seemed to be someone around which was weird but there were a lot of runners in the relay I guess.

      I battled on and found the cramp fading away the more I ran. I was now running with an iron man dude. He loved it. He was such a calm and relaxed man. He told me about his next iron man and also told me about this 100 mile bike ride the day after this race and there was me wishing I had booked the Monday off for recovery! We ran for a few miles together but he said he was gonna wait back for a friend for a while. I pressed on, just wanting to finish. The water from the stations were mostly being poured over my head now, just to cool me down. It was hot but we were lucky that it wasn't too sunny. I had put on suntan lotion but instead of a tan, all I got were dead flies covering both arms.

      I didn't see anymore horses for a while until I got to mile 22. Then 2 passed me at once. I remember being proud earlier in the race where I actually passed a horse running downhill but managed to kick a rock really hard with my big toe as I was descending... But I passed a horse.
    At mile 21 I was chatting to another guy when I routinely said "Just one more parkrun to go!".
He laughed and then we compared times. My marathon time sub 3.30, his marathon time 4hrs. Yes! My parkrun time 19.44, his parkrun time 19.04. Bastard!

Photo by kind and supportive volunteer, a lady named Katie Page. Thanks Katie.

      It was then time for the deeper stream near the end that my new mate Melvin had told me about. He wasn't wrong, it was thigh deep and even deeper if you had managed to slip and smash you knee on a rock. It loved it though. The water was nice and cooling. The marshal asked if I was okay. I made some stupid joke and grinned as I ran on. My knee had a cut with blood seeping out, I was 23 miles into a race and I was racing horses. I couldn't have felt any more manlier! This was bloody hard but I was glad to be doing it and finishing it. Despite all my conversations, I can honestly say that I ran as hard as I could and even had stitch for nearly 2 miles at the end.

    It was still bloody uphill even when I got near the end but as I was told there only 300 metres to go I picked up the pace and the crowd cheered as I ran onto the grassy area and over the loud speaker I heard " And here comes number 659. Dean Jones of Lordshill road runners". The crowd cheered even more and the hairs stood up on the back on my neck. I felt euphoric. I knew there was a reason for running this race.

    I collected my medal and queued for free sandwiches and a drink. Who wants a goody bag with a load of crappy flyers and a two year old mars bar when you can have ladies making you fresh sandwiches there and then. Although after running 24 miles it's tough to make decisions. Cheese, ham or egg?

Check out that elevation! Official chip time of 4 hours 20 minutes and 56 seconds.
I also beat at least 10 horses. Anyone fancy the relay next year? 3 people, roughly 8 miles each.
I think this race was only about £20-£25 to enter as well. A weird and wonderful event and they have already bribed me back next year by giving me 3 free jars of peanut butter, Hope to see you next June for another crazy day with some awesome and inspiring people.

The Ox Ultra (35 miler)

                                           Nice long sleeve t and massive bling


            So Rob Kelly is my old coach from my running club, Lordshill road runners. He sends me a text one night: "Wanna do this race called the Ox ultra?". I google it and sure enough there is such a race and it's run by some people under the name of "White star running". Never heard of them? Me neither. Anyway, looking at their website you can tell that they are totally clued up and well organised. It didn't take me long to reply to Rob and tell him I was in. I was dying to do another ultra after the Thames trot in Feb. We both entered without too much thought and one day I thought i'd do a bit more research into the race and maybe read something.
It was going to be the first time that this race had ever been held and there was roughly 4000ft of ascent! Oh dear. I spoke to Rob and told him about the elevation and what a nice job he had done on picking his first ultra marathon race. It really didn't matter, I was still so excited.

   View from the car park, registration and close to start. Yes, that's part of the course down there!

          Anyways, Rob picks me up at 6am. We had been discussing food, hydration, maps etc..
We were really well prepared, apart from the lack of training but I told him to treat it as an adventurous day out. Time did not matter. Neither of us had a 35 mile pb yet.
The Race is on an estate in a place called Tollard royal where they hold the Larmer festival. It's kind of between Salisbury and Shaftesbury I think.

         We get there with plenty of time to spare and go to collect our number. It's bloody cold and very windy on top of this big hill. There were three events on today. There was the 35 ultra, the marathon and the half marathon. We queued and the man asked "Ultra?". We said yes and then I made a joke as it reminded me of that bit from the Monty python film, the life of Brian. "Crucifixion?". "Eh no, freedom.."

          We had a good race briefing with some great humour in there and then headed over to the start. This was it, we were ready. Just after 8am, we set off in the cold wind. I was hoping it would get warmer as I was only wearing a t-shirt and didn't bring a base layer or even a coat in case it rained. It looked like it might rain at the start as well.
Lots of runners were chatting and exchanging stories as we ran on the uneven, bumpy grass. I was concentrating on my footing as i didn't want to roll an ankle on the first mile. After the first mile or so we started to head down the hill and around a corner and then before long we were rising up again. it was time to walk up the steep hills.

                                                Hiking up one of the hills

        It wasn't too long before we were nicely spaced out. I loved the fact that the scenery and terrain were changing all the time. No chance of getting bored on these 35 miles! We would be out in open fields on the grass and then running through shaded woods on trails. Later it was be a nice country traffic free lanes with amazing landscapes. 6 miles at the start just flew by. We were told that it would be roughly 36 miles today as they had diverted the course to avoid some flooding, or a 4ft deep puddle as they put it.
We were still going to get wet feet though. We passed through farms with cattle, there were sheep and pigs on route as well. We also spotted a bird of prey hovering overhead in the later miles.
The aid stations were fantastic and so were the marshals. You were allowed bag drops for your stuff. Rob and I decided to share bags. We left one bag at mile 13 and one at mile 25. We had put so much food in there and we didn't even touch any of it as there was food at the stations. Pork pies, savoury eggs, jelly beans, party sausages, chocolate, even sandwiches and watermelon! They really had treated us well. Every marshal was enthusiastic and spoke to us. Making jokes and encouraging us along.

                Food station around mile 16 and 21? We were so grateful for the coca cola

      We had got to the place above. I think it was mile 16. Anyway, when we got there the leader was coming in the other direction. He had covered around 5 miles more than us already!
There was a bit earlier in the race that I had forgot to mention. We came to a wooded area where the yellow arrow was pointing left. We went left and came across lots of confused runners. No-one knew the way. We were all lost. One guy told us he was 4th at one point but had now ran 16-17 miles. We had only ran 12.5. Poor guy. Someone had tampered with the sign and we should have taken a right turn. The sign had been moved by someone.
There were plenty of theories of angry dog walkers or motocross riders. It didn't really affect us but I felt sorry for the other guys who were racing this. The organisers were very sympathetic and assured us that this would never happen again.
Apart from that, the whole 35/36 miles were so well signed and marshalled. In fact, it was faultless apart from the obvious that happened.

                             Rob and I enjoying the scenery and a bit of slight downhill

       We had run through some mud, but not a lot. We had also ran through some puddles now as well. Our legs were aching and we had wet feet. We had decided on a nice long pit stop at mile 25 so that we could refuel, change our socks and a change of t-shirt for me. About 5-6 minutes we stopped for and it felt well needed. We chatted to others and shared blisters etc.. That rest and the clean socks and T-shirt was brilliant for our spirits. We were felling great again and ready to attack the last 11 miles of so. I was struggling a little bit in the woodland earlier, so when we hit some open road, it was much appreciated by myself.

    I had told Rob that this is what happens. You run so far and your legs ache and they keep on aching but after a while you become desensitised to that feeling and it becomes the norm. We did a celebration whoop as we reached mile 27 as it was the furthest that Rob had ever ran. We were ticking off the miles now. I said at the start that we are only doing 5x 7 mile runs.
I always do the same at races. Tick off the miles. 10k done, 10 miles done, half mara done, 20 miles done, 25, 30 etc..

                        Beautiful views ahead and i'm not just talking about the ultra ladies!

      The next thing we were looking forward to was the "Love station". White star running knew how to organise an event. At 32 miles there was the Love station. At this station there was cider from a brewery in Wareham and Vodka! Now that was worth visiting but even more so, we were very low on water and it was hot in the heat now and we were getting a little dehydrated. I was a little dizzy at mile 30 and made Rob walk for a bit as i had to fight off a panic attack. Seems to be a common thing for me in the 30 mile zone for some reason. i knew it would pass in a couple of minutes. Fuss over and we were running again.

We spoke to more runners as we got nearer to the finish. We even passed a few who were now looking tired and walking, we were also passed by some as well though. There must have been about 6 miles where we ran and never saw another person though. That's what makes ultras so good. Not overcrowded and if it is, it will only be at the start. Little did we know after the event that there were on 75 runners! I thought there were a lot more.

                                      Another very memorable part of the route.

     
       Rob got stung a few times by the stinging nettles. Made me laugh every time he got stung as I was wearing running tights. He reckons the Dock leaves worked but they've never worked for me..lol.
We knew there was a big hill to come at the end but just before we got there we met a guy called Nick from Bournemouth. We got chatting and ran together for a while. The marshal warned us about the hill and so did some local villagers. I high-fived a little kid who was holding his hand out and then we turned a corner and saw a sign saying "Up". We were here. Then there was another sign saying "The Hill" and underneath it said "Sean Connery". I was confused by this but Nick explained that the hill was a Sean connery film and it was very good and also Sean Connery's favourite. (i'm yet to check it out).
When we got to the "Up" sign. I told Rob i'd take a photo. He got on his knees and I said he had to try and look like the dude on the cover of the film "Platoon". (not a Sean Connery film).

                             Platoon would never had sold any copies with this cover!

        Not only is the hill too steep to run up but it's also covered in thick, gooey mud. We get to the top though and even though we're on grass now, we still seem to be climbing. What a view though! We keep going and we know we are nearly there. The excitement is overwhelming. We see Rob's wife Kim who cheers us on. Me, Rob and Nick all run together and finish together. There was no race here, we were proud to all finish together. We ran in to a big cheer from the crowd and I watched the big digital clock tick away. 7 hours and 44 minutes! Rob was thinking 5 hours at first. I was think more 6 or 7 hours. We were pretty sure at mile 18 that we would get a sub 7 hour time. Seems crazy as we are both around 3.30 marathon finishers. Just goes to show you how tough this course is.

                               Nick, Me and Rob. Photo taken by Rob's wife Kim.

     We had lovely showers and I ate 2 cheese burgers as Rob didn't want his. The cheese burgers and baked potatoes were free to the ultra runners. Rob already said he wanted to run it again next year and I agreed. This is a must do race. One of the most beautiful, well organised with very friendly people. I can't wait for next year. Sub 7 next time! Not bad though as none of us had trained for it. Took me 3 days to walk down the stairs properly and i've just put a hot needle through my black toe nail but all worth it :)
       

                               This photo was taken by a photographer on the course.                                       All photos are free and everyone at the event shares their photos for free. What a great idea!

30 miles: From Southampton to Salisbury

                                          (Me about to leave my house at 6.45am)


            I'm not sure why but i've always wanted to run to Salisbury. A lot of people get killed on the A36 just trying to cross it, so I had to find an alternative route. I thought maybe through Sherfield English or Wellow. Then I got this book about the Clarendon way. The Clarendon way is a 25 route that runs from Salisbury to Winchester from one Cathedral to the other. I thought about getting a train to Salisbury and doing this but I like to get out the door running pretty early.
I also have a book on the Testway. The Testway is a 50 mile route from Eling Wharf to Inkpen Beacon. However, I was not very confident that I would succeed as I tried to run some of the Testway before and it's not always well signposted. Last time I had only got as far as Squabb wood when I took a wrong turn and ended up in somebody's back garden. I was then in Shootash and ended up in East Wellow somehow! This time though, I did a bit more planning and wrote down some directions from the internet.

             So I get up early, eat my crunchy nut cornflakes and pack my trail backpack. This included: A map, vaseline, socks, 2x t-shirts, shorts, a flapjack, 2x cereal bars, Lucozade sport and water, Mobile phone, wallet with money in, keys and some toilet paper. My phone and compact camera went in a bumbag/fannypack along with some of my written instructions.
   A cup of coffee later and i am out the door running. The sun is shining brightly but it's chilly and my hands are cold. Should have worn gloves maybe? Nah, it'll soon warm up after a mile or so I think.

    I run to Lee but decide on the shortest route possible, so I ran on the main road to Romsey and take the second exit on the roundabout. I was only able to do this as it was so early and therefore would be very little traffic. As soon as you get to Lee you leave the busier areas of Southampton and hit Lee lane. Lee lane can be quite boring as it's just long and flat for about 3 miles. It's a lovely day though and i'm enjoying the adventure and the not knowing what is to come.

                                    (one of the ways into Lee via the railway bridge)


         I get to Romsey (pronounced Rum-sey) and tell myself that when I get to Sadlers mill I will take out my phone and wallet from my bumbag cos it's too heavy and needs to go into the backpack. I turn left after the so-called "mile long wall" and then i'm at the River Test and onto Sadlers Mill. This is a lovely place with a fast flowing stream and some nice wildlife. Not far from hear is Romsey Abbey which is worth a visit if you haven't already seen it.
I take off my backpack, take some pics and drink some water. 6 miles done already!

                               (A female Grey Wagtail on the wall by the Mill)

      The first time I tried to find Squabb wood I got lost and just walked around in circles. In fact, it took me ages to find the path to the left behind the houses. Typical of the Testway, not signposted. On the way to Squabb wood there is a big field to walk across. This happened to be water-logged, which I wasn't expecting. Just over 6 miles in, finally on the Testway and I have wet feet already.

                      (To the right, Romsey Abbey. To the Left, Burnt wood and Squabb wood)

I get to Squabb wood and there is so much mud. As I am tip-toeing around the bog I check out all the wildlife. Great tits, Blue tits, Woodpeckers etc.. My white trainers which were wet are now also muddy. I still continue slowly. I am trying my best to choose the best paths with less mud when this (proper) runner comes along and just runs through all the mud at a good pace and just shouts a good morning at which I reply accordingly. What a hero. I felt like a right girl now..lol. So, I manned up a bit and trudged through the mud. Would have lost trainer if my laces weren't tied so tightly.
All is well as I take a right turning instead of the left turning I took last time and came to a field with pigs everywhere. I also get startled when a deer gets startled. We startle each other but she jumps high into the woodland as I just stand there watching. Straight on or Right? I ponder on this and get my instructions out. Finally I see a testway sign but wasn't easy to spot. I head straight on past the pigs and come out on the Old Salisbury road.

                        (The second field just before Squabb wood. Head north west)

         There are two more fields when you cross the road. Not much to see in these. On the second field you have to turn right and onto a track that leads to a farm. This is where I saw two more deer in a field but they had already seen me, so the pic I got wasn't too good. I tried to run after the deer but of course they were too fast for me. It was nice to be running again as this was the first dry, even ground since leaving the Mill.
        I came out to a cottage and a road. It was another case of just crossing the road and following a path behind some houses. The path was narrow and my legs weren't enjoying the warmth of the stinging nettles too much. Ouch! I got a good one right on the calf muscle. I rubbed a Dock leaf on it even though I know for a fact that they don't work. It was something to do anyway and made me feel like Bear Grylls or something. Using my survival skills in the wilderness..lol   Then there was a beautiful lake to the left and a scenic path with bluebells covering the whole area on both sides. It was amazing to see under the trees. The pictures do not show its true beauty. You really need to go there.

                              (The wonderful Bluebell woods near Awbridge)

    I then come to another road where I turn right and run for about a mile. This is Awbridge (pronounced A-Bridge) What a great place and I didn't even go to the main part of it. I just continued on to Kimbridge which I never really got to see either as I turned left before the railway track and back into the woods. On my way to Mottisfont now and I get to a footbridge which has the river Dun flowing under it. I meet my second person of the day and have covered 11 miles roughly? You hardly see anyone on the Testway, it really baffles me!
I chat to the dogwalker who is local to the area. We spot a Buzzard and watch it hover and circle around in the sky. He tells me the type of Buzzard it is but I can't remember. I keep thinking "Light-headed Buzzard" but that would just be a drunk one wouldn't it? I tell him i'm running to Salisbury and that I want to get from the Testway to the Clarendon way. I haven't really worked out a route for this. I just knew that I wanted to head for Broughton. I get my map out and he explains in detail to turn left at Mottisfont church and not right and then to Broughton that way. He confuses me a bit with his over elaborations but I nod and take in the basics that I think I need to know.

                                           (The crossing of the River Dun)

     I come out at the Church and take a look around. I eat a cereal bar and take on more fluids. There are a few rabbits in the grounds of the church and some more birds. Turning right would have taken me to Mottisfont Abbey and I know it's lovely but I don't want to end up on the Stockbridge road. I take the left as suggested and I get to the testway path again but instead of turning right this time, I go straight on like the man suggested. I was now able to run at a decent pace for the next two or three miles. It was just a country road and so isolated and quiet with great views of fields afar. I couldn't even see the Stockbridge road even though I was probably running parallel to it.

                                                 (On my way to Houghton)

        I get to Houghton (pronouced Hoe-ton and not How-ton). I look lost and smile at some dog walkers as I run by. I find an entrance to the Clarendon way. I stop and think though. I think to myself that this is probably the wrong way for Salisbury and will probably take me to Winchester. Luckily I get the map back out before deciding to not to run down there as it's the wrong way. There should be another way on the otherside of the road and i've already passed it somehow.
I run back but can only find a dead end road with something about an estate on it. I ask a local old lady. She says it's the right way but doesn't seem too sure and her dialect wasn't very decipherable. I ran up there anyway where I got talking a to a man and a lady who were coming from the opposite direction. I tell them about my journey and they tell me I have 14 miles to go to Salisbury. I thought it would be further than that to be honest. I thought it would be about 30-35 miles when I got there. I had already done just over 14 miles. They said they walked the Clarendon way regularly but had never done the whole 28 miles as they said. They congratulated me on my efforts so far and the guy made a joke about me running the 14 miles. I said goodbye and started running and he shouts "Should only take you an hour". We all laugh and I continue along the bumpy gravel track.

                                   (Finally on the Clarendon way at mile 14)

                     I walk up the hill and can feel the sun beating down upon me. Better drink more water and eat some flapjack. I'm not hungry though and only manage two small bites of the flapjack. I know I must eat though and will try again within the next few miles to eat some more.
I walk down some steps and cross a road from one field to another. I had been on the Clarendon way for about three miles and this was my first time on here. I thought to myself that it's really not that interesting in comparison with the testway. What it lacks in mud though, it makes up for in hills! It just didn't seem as picturesque as the testway. Just lots of fields with obvious paths. There were more people on the Clarendon way but maybe this is because it's more accessible and person friendly. Maybe it will get better though.

                                 (Just after the big hill of Broughton woods)

         I made it to Broughton (pronounced Brow-ton) I walked up a very big hill and chatted to an old lady who said there was a bigger hill nearby if I fancied walking up that one. She had a great sense of humour for an Octogenarian. Once at the top of the hill I took in the views and started running again. As I found my rhythm, I started chanting to myself "Those octogenarians have a great sense of humour, those octogenarians have a great sense of humour...". Don't ask me why, cos I don't know..lol I'm not mad, honest!

                                            (More woodland on my way to Buckholt)

           I get to Buckholt farm and then can't make up my mind if I go Left or straight on. Straight on didn't look right to me as it was just a big downhill road. I got the map out and it looked like a straight line to me. Straight on it was. I let a tractor pass me and zoomed down the hill. Nice to open up the stride and stretch the legs a bit. I passed two walkers and said hello and then another uphill section of course. The stretches of road were so rare that it was so nice to run when you got on one of them. Still, I was loving this adventure and was having the best time of my life.
         Next up was Winterslow. There was Middle Winterslow and West Winterslow. I had actually found a shop in Winterslow at mile 22. I was hungry but didn't fancy any sweet stuff. It was then I found the ultimate running fuel... A giant porkpie. I devoured it quickly and drank a ribenna. I was feeling refreshed after that and ran on happily.

                      (The pathway was covered in little cute Lambies just past Winterslow)

      The Lambs were adorable. Most were a bit weary of me but some didn't mind at all. I had to walk across this field as I didn't want to scare them all off. Just after this I had to run behind a skatepark, through a muddy cutway and then through to some more fields of yellow stuff. This is where I got properly lost and choose the wrong pathway towards Pitton. Instead I ended up on a main road but there was a sign for Pitton. This gave me another excuse to run some more comfortable road miles into Pitton. I got some weird looks from the locals as they had probably never seen anyone running down this middle-of-nowhere road before.
I made it to Pitton safely anyway and got chatting to a rambler. He was a Hypnotherapist who had been to see his daughter near Clarendon but he lived in Romsey. We exchanged quite a few stories about our adventures from the past and we even talked about ultra-runners. I thanked him for the much needed break, he directed me the right way and we shook hands and said goodbye. What a really nice guy he was.

(Just before I went the wrong way. Think I should have turned left instead of right here)

              I entered Clarendon woods and there were a few crossroads but the Clarendon way was well signposted here. It was straight on all the way and then I got to the Llamas that the Hypnotherapist was telling me about. Sounds a bit like Alice in Wonderland here doesn't it?
Anyway, here I was at Clarendon palace, in Clarendon woods. This place has a lot of history and was built by the Saxons. Henry II has also been hanging out there etc.. I have read a lot about the history of the Testway and Clarendon way and it fascinates me. However, despite all the history the Clarendon way has, there really isn't all that much to see. I was having a great journey regardless. What was I expecting? A bloody theme park? It was nice to see the Llamas looking very relaxed without a care in the world. Some of them were rolling around on their backs, whilst others grazed in the shade under a tree.

                                         (Clarendon Palace. No Thorpe park is it?)

        Right, I must be close to Salisbury now right? But I still can't see any sign of the cathedral. Salisbury cathedral is massive, if you didn't know. I kept on going and finally there was a viewing point when I came out of the woods and down a dirt track. I could see it. I was confident that I would make it easily now. I was feeling stronger and full of self belief. Not that I had much doubt but it's nice to be reassured.
I ran down the track and onto a field with the Cathedral still in sight. 27 miles done. I'm nearly there... and then I get a beep from my Garmin watch. Low Battery. Right, I want to achieve one of two things if I can but both would be better. I want to either make it to Salisbury with the watch still running or I want to record 30 miles before the battery dies on me. This actually made me speed up but I was still happy to take pictures on my compact camera.

                (A beautiful moment. Salisbury not faraway and a bit of downhill running)

        I head onto the main road, turn right after some indecision and run through Millford. There are now lots of people around and it feels weird as i've been surrounded by peaceful countryside for the majority of 7 hours. It's busy here and getting busier as I head into Salisbury town centre. Kind of reminded me of the 50k race I did on the Salisbury 5-4-3-2-1. You've run 30 miles and then you have to try and dodge all the shoppers which is tough as your concentration levels are so bad at this point. I found it easier to run down the middle of the road and dodge the traffic instead. I'm not even sure if i'm on the Clarendon way anymore. I'm just heading for the Cathedral now. The city is built up though so the cathedral is not visible from here. There will be signposts though, there has to be. I see a sign, run through an archway and I am almost in the cathedral grounds. 29.5 miles. I've made it! I run past the cathedral though as I want to finish at 30 miles. I turn left, hit the 30 mile mark and stop my watch. I get my breath, look up and see a signpost for the "Avon Valley Path". Ha. Maybe next time I think to myself.

                                       (Salisbury Cathedral. An amazing sight indeed!)

                        I get changed and look around the Cathedral. My running shorts are wet from sitting on the grass though so I need the toilets to change. There's only 2 cubicles and both are full. I can't be bothered to wait though. There's no-one else around and it's only gonna take me 2 seconds to take off my running shorts and put on my other shorts. But of course as soon as I take my running shorts off, the door flies open and then walks in a little boy with his dad and  his mum stood outside who also got an eyeful. It was all there to see! I felt so embarrassed and got those shorts on so quickly but the damage had been done..lol. They looked embarrassed too and I walked out of there and headed for the pub for a much deserved Chicken burger and a pint, followed by a train home. Lovely day out and cheap too. I still want to do the whole of the testway this summer. Let me know if you're interested :)

(Where I finished my 30 miles. This path goes from Salisbury to Christchurch and is also 30 miles. Watch this space!)