I cycled to Bath

     My ankle was still swollen and I had a marathon coming up. It was time to get the mountain bike out for a long ride. I think the furthest I had ever cycled was 58 miles with my friend Lawrence around the Isle of Wight for a his birthday a couple of years ago. My god, that was hilly!
I had some routes in mind. Cycling some of the South downs way or possibly a route to Newbury and back using some of the Testway. After speaking to Mike Mattingly though I was convinced that Wylye would be better. Although, I thought, why not make it 100 miles at a leisurely pace to Warminster and back. I could probably cycle 100 miles right?

    I studied the National cycle Network website and found the route I needed. Route 24 would almost take me the whole way there. I had made tuna sandwiches and added a couple of go ahead low calories biscuits for some reason. They are quite sugary and sweet :) I also packed a rain mac, spare t-shirt, socks and deodorant. I left just after 6.30 in the morning and headed out towards Romsey via Lee lane. I would soon reach my first 5 miles and then head to Timsbury where I would hit the National cycle route 24. It was then left into Mottisfont where I stopped and watched a Grey wagtail bobbing up and down on a log over the River Test. The sun wasn't out but it was still a beautiful and peaceful morning here.

 

     I was a bit worried about getting my bike stolen even it was only a £300 one from Halfords. I didn't want to lose it and hated the fact that it still looked so sparkly and new. I thought that if I put a few Gary Glitter stickers on it, it might deter any potential bike thieves. After all, I didn't want to walk back to Southampton and I was bound to want a cake at some point. I also had no puncture repair kit and no bike pump. I was praying for a puncture free day but also knew that there are train stations at Romsey, Dean, Salisbury and Warminster so I would only have to walk 20 miles at the most with my bike ;)

 



      I got lost for the first time in Mottisfont. I was so used to following the Testway that I had missed the turning just past the abbey. I had also nearly cycled into two deer whose hooves were frantically sliding on the concrete as they tried to make a dash for the hedges. They were so big that I thought they were horses at first glance. It was still early by the way! I turned around and found the right road to Dunbridge and knew where I was again as I cycled towards Lockerley, East Dean and West Dean. A nice quiet road with no traffic, just the birds singing and the sound of my bike running smoothly on the lovely road. This was as far as I had cycled on route 24 though. I was soon to be an explorer going into unknown territory and I loved the thought of this. I love checking out new places and just before I got to East Grimstead, I saw some lovely poppy fields and could see for miles around and the A36 was visible but far away so I couldn't hear the cars or barely see them. This road would now run parallel to the A36 for many miles. There were stunning views and wildlife and no smelly motorists polluting the lovely countryside near me.

     This road would continue to East Grimstead and then I got a bit lost again which meant that I cycled through a place named Farley but it was a pleasant route, although a bit eerie. It was quite dark and misty as both sides of the road were lined with overhanging trees like an avenue and it was silent and I could really feel the isolation out here. Should I panic and phone the police now?
It wasn't long before I had come into Alderbury though and it was now raining but not heavily. I had decided to stop in a bus shelter and take off the long sleeved t-shirt that was under my short sleeved t-shirt. I was getting very warm despite the rain but was going to put my rain mac on. I wasn't expecting to see anyone as it was still only about 8.30 but then felt eyes upon me in my half naked and vulnerable state. There was a man watching me change from across the road and he appeared to be quite grumpy. He stopped and shouted over "Getting quite warm are you?" He laughed and carried on walking with his morning papers under his arm.

      I was then thinking... was it possible to watch parkrun in Salisbury. If I cycled a bit faster and put some effort in I might just get there in time and maybe there would be some familiar faces there from my running club. I followed the cycle route through Milford which seemed to take an exaggerated route into Salisbury via train tunnels, tracks and an industrial estate but then it came out at Churchill gardens. I managed to chat to a few of the marshals at parkrun who were stood out on the course as I also got to cycle a loop of the course before the runners had started. A great winding route with nice variety. I was tempted to run it, but saw sense.
I went over and listened to the race briefing and at the same time scanned the crowds for recognisable faces but saw none. Then I was startled from a hello followed by a handshake. It was superstar athlete Ben Pitman from our running club. Not only did I witness him win this parkrun by a long way but he also got the course record!

      I sat by the meadows and ate one of my tuna sandwiches and drank some water. I was a bit worried about the next part of the route and finding my way out of Salisbury. I knew I had to head to the Cathedral and then search for a place called Bemerton. It turned out to be a lot easier than I had imagined with the cycle signs clearly marking the way. I then noticed that Bemerton, Quidhampton and Wilton were all part of the Salisbury 54321 course. I had run the 50K route twice, so it brought back a few painful memories of the summer heat and tiredness that comes at the end of a 50K race in August.
I remember seeing some complaints about Quidhampton on the National Cycle Network website. The cycle route runs out here and doesn't start again until Wilton. Not sure what the fuss was about though as it was a simple route and if I can find my way around it must be simple!

     The route then went to South Newton and then there was a slight climb up to Great Wishford. This was a fairly flat route to be honest. Nothing was too challenging, even on my crappy mountain bike. There were lots of lovely looking villages to follow. Little Langford, Hanging Langford and then Mike's suggested destination of choice - Wylye. And I could see why he had suggested this route to me. It was pretty much traffic free. There were proper cyclists out who were all passing me but all were very friendly. Some would cycle beside and chat for a while or just say hello and smile. Cyclists can be nice people despite all that lycra and stuff.
I also saw my first Male Siskin. I just saw a flash of yellow as I cycled past. I hit the brakes and turned around to watch the yellow throat and headed bird singing as loud as he possibly could. Not far down the road I also spotted a white throat. Later I was to see some buzzards hovering overhead and a Kestrel hunting in a nearby field. I only learnt this on Saturday but did you know that Kestrels are the only bird to see in UV light? They can track a mice by the trail of their urine.

      Then followed a series of little places with nothing really there apart from fields and hedgerow. I was ticking them off on my list that I had written down. This was to make sure I was heading the right way for most of the time. Next up was Bampton, next Stockton, Sherrington, Boyton, Corton, Tytherington and then Sutton Veny. Sutton Veny appeared different though, they didn't have one of those little white signs with the black writing on it. They had a great big colourful sign with a picture on it. Although I can't remember what the picture was of now. I was expecting great things as I cycled into this place. Had I reached civilisation again?
There were quite a few little houses and it was very clean here and there was union jack bunting/flags high in the air, stretching from one telegraph pole to another. This gave the place a great sense of community. Everyone I saw smiled and said hello and the children even waved at me. Aww, it was lovely but a bit surreal maybe.

      I wish I had taken more photos but was a bit concerned about the battery life on my phone. It wasn't long before I had reached my destination of Warminster and it was exactly 50 miles. I had previously thought about my good friend SJ in Bath though and decided to text her to see if she wanted to meet up for food and a drink. After all, Bath was only 62 miles away wasn't it? I had already done 50 so by my calculations I only had another 12 miles to cycle each way. Surely I could cycle 124 miles in one day right? Was I losing the plot here a bit?
SJ text back and it was on. I told her I was 12 miles away and would be there in less than 2 hours. I got a slice of overpriced pizza and a bottle of water from a local bakery and google mapsed Bath. Another 20 miles? That can't be right. Anyway, I'll just get going...

    The problem I had now was that I was relying on google maps on my phone and the battery life that I had was now at 20%. I just followed the road signs for "All other routes" and followed the smelly motorists for a while until I saw a sign for Frome. I had worked out that this was in the right direction but couldn't use the A36 obviously. The Route 24 signs magically reappeared but some of them were a bit confusing and they were offering choices of direction and a route 246 or something like that. I saw a sign for Longleat and decided to ignore it as I didn't really have the time to go on a Safari right now. I had no bike lights and I was hoping to see SJ and go for food and a couple of ciders before it got dark at least.

       I went through some nice wooded trails. I think it was called Buckler's wood. I come out of the woods and on to a main road with a big sign standing in front of me. The sign reads "Longleat". I definitely got lost again and did some sort of detour I guess. So, I get a pic and cycle into Longleat. This is the right way isn't it? Did I read the sign properly?. This is weird. I cycle where cars are queuing to pay at a kiosk. I stop there wondering what to do and in the end I just cycle on the grass and pass all the cars and kiosks. Am I trespassing? I was starting to get a bit nervous now as I cycled over 30 mph down a massive hill thinking that I might get chased by a lion or a giraffe pretty soon.

 

   

    I went past a big house and took some pics and still no sign of a cycle route 24 sign. There was a sign that read "Safari park" as I closed the gate behind me on a cattle grid. Now I was really nervous. Am I on one of those safari places where the animals roam free but you're okay if you're in a car? I was eyeing the trees nervously for monkeys and the heads of giraffes. And then I managed to relax when I saw a cycle sign. I must have cycled 2 miles inside the Longleat grounds. I then had to lift my bike over two locked gates until I was back in some more woodland called East woodlands. I then got to Feltham and eventually Frome.

 

 

       Frome was another place where I kind of went the long way round to get back onto the cycle route as it had disappeared again for a while. Frome was hilly! In fact, it was here that I walked up my first hill with the bike. It really wasn't worth the effort. I kept on looking at my phone now and trying to work out my route to Bath. Great elm was my next milestone and I went through Egford to get there. The hardest part of this cycle was trying to get to Radstock. I walked up massive hills with my bike and saw plenty of signs. Radstock, 7 miles. 2 miles later... Radstock, 9 miles. I got my phone out and discovered I was in a place called Buckland Dinham.

 

 

    I stopped at the pub and asked the barmaid for directions to Radstock. She said it was quite far. I glanced at my watch and told her that I had already covered 65 miles anyway. She gave me two choices. The way I had come and got lost down a big hill or the main road with lots of busy traffic which she said was the more direct route. I was past caring now, so chose the latter.

It sure was busy with cars constantly whizzing past me. It can be pretty scary when they're really close to you.

Anyway, 7-8 miles later and I finally reach Radstock.

 

 



     After Radstock,  it's just lots of small places with more hills in the middle of nowehere. Lovely out here but my relaxed nature of spotting wildlife and taking in the views had now passed me by. It was all about getting to Bath before my phone battery died and working out how I was getting home.
I then headed to Shoscombe, Stoney Littleton, Wellow (another massive hill) Combe hay, which looked really nice and the sun was now out. It was now hot and I was dripping with sweat and my white t-shirt was just plastered with dead flies. I decided to walk for a bit and try and eat again as it had been 35 miles since my last snack. I wasn't feeling the other tuna sandwich right now, so ate my low calorie biscuits instead as I walked up another hill gasping for breath and trying to eat at the same time.

      There was a weird little shop here that sold ice creams but it was just kind of someone's shed in their front garden. I couldn't be bothered to call them out though and carried on up the unforgiving hills. I was almost there after all! I hit a main road again and came into Bath. Once in Bath it should be easy right? I didn't bother looking at the map now. I was in Bath. Again, another detour ensued as I cycled through Odd down and Englishcombe. But I got there. It was all big downhills to the city now.
After 82 miles I had made it to Bath city centre and was sat on the floor like a homeless person changing my socks, t-shirt and spraying myself with deodorant while I waited for SJ to arrive.

      We went to a nice pub for food and cider and chatted and caught up on things and then she gave me a lovely tour of Bath. My legs were fine but I knew I didn't have enough daylight to cycle home, plus I didn't fancy cycling up some of those hills that I had cycled down to get here! The options were a hotel or a train home. It turns out a train would only cost me £25. I thought it would be closer to £50 so was well happy with that. We went to another pub after the walk where I had the thirst for more cider now and then headed home on the train. I had such a lovely day and would love to do it again. It got me thinking that I would like to go further. Maybe Cardiff or even Dylan Thomas' boathouse in Laugharne and after I had learnt the route from cycling there. Maybe next year I could  run it as a challenge and to raise money for Cancer research.

                                                                             (Bath Weir)

(SJ trying to ride my bike in busy streets of Bath)

 

(Bath to Bristol cycle path)

The River Arun Trail marathon

                              (I managed to bribe this calf with some money to let me pass)

        Well, I hadn't long done the London marathon and I was quite disappointed with my training, weight gain and poor time. This was exactly the kick up the ass that I needed. Ever since, I have been feeling more motivated to run harder, more often and to lose some weight. Let's do another marathon. Yay!

(Me taking a Relfie at the start (running selfie)

 

 

    I worked out the public transport and times and this was only possible as the race was on a Saturday. I wish there were more races on a Saturday. This means I can get public transport there and I have a day of recovery before returning to work, plus a few beers ;)

6am taxi to train station. 6.33 train to Havant. 6.37 train to Littlehampton. Walk to Littlehampton marina café for the start. Got there with about 40 minutes to spare. Got my race number and changed, then chatted to a few other runners. A few 100 mile running t-shirts which I find a bit intimidating sometimes. Makes me feel unsure of my ability on these trail races for some reason.

 

 

(Lovely café with a free fried breakfast and drink when we finish)

 

 

     A bit about the event:

 

The race is organised by "Sussex trail events". They do some quite quirky little races. Check out their website and enter a race. They only allow 100 runners in this event and you must carry water with you. There are aid/water/food stations at miles 7ish, halfway and mile 20ish. The route follows the river Arun from Littlehampton marina to Arundel and then onto Amberley before reaching the South Downs way. You get to a checkpoint and turn around and come all the way back. I had a nice chat to the race director as well. A very enthusiastic, happy and proud guy. And you can see why because this was a brilliant event and I would love to do it again. Very supportive, friendly and chatty marshals. Which I love. Can get a bit lonely out there sometimes in your own world of pain ;)

 





(Start of the race)

 

       The race director gave his talk with lots of laughs in there. We were told there was a market on in Arundel and we would have to run through it. This, I thought was even more awesome. I heard there were 104 runners and 1 dog. The dog was made to start at the back though. Fair enough I guess. We were off and I felt well prepared. I had downloaded the GPX file to my watch so I knew where to go if I got lost. Although, I wasn't sure how to view it whilst in race mode. I wanted to see the miles and time go by more importantly. I had also written down directions on the bits which didn't follow the river like Arundel and Amberley and the South Downs. I had water bottles, Vaseline, toilet paper, a rain mac, cake and my phone for taking photos.

 

 

(The river Arun and Arundel castle in the distance)



 

       Started off nice and slow and trying to get into a comfortable pace. The ground was quite hard going underfoot though. There were quite a few divots and within half a mile there was no avoiding the stinging nettles. Just run faster! No logic there whatsoever..lol. Obviously, everything we were encountering now we would again on our return journey but in a much more tired and weary state.

 

(It was the first marathon for that guy on the left. He sure picked a tough one!)

 

 

     The views were stunning and I was taking lots of photos and bird watching. We were right near the Arundel nature reserve so I was in my element. I could hear my favourite bird song of the Cetti's warbler. It's a really loud and angry sounding rant. Love it! I could also hear a few Sedge warblers about my the reeds too. Arundel castle was getting closer and closer and then we came into Arundel and there were marshals to direct us in the right direction. There was also red and white reflective tape all over the place and orange spray painted arrows. This was awesome and gave me confidence if I ever wasn't sure if I was going the right way.



Me and another runner got to the market and weren't sure where to go and we had the locals directing us through the market and people were watching us and clapping. I joked to the other guy that I was feeling a bit like Anneka Rice on Treasure hunt. It was nice to see all these people after being on the lonely trails. Being only a 100 runners, the field can spread out quite a lot and you may not see someone for a while. So seeing all these people clapping gave me a rush of excitement.

 

(More beautiful scenery)

 

   

       Ok, I was taking quite a few photos. I had a rough plan in my head. I would take photos for the first half of the race and try and run 8 to 8.30's (minute miles) and then race the second half maybe.

After running through a pub's beer garden we were now into some woodland with a few muddy puddles but they were avoidable with a few leaps here and there. It was so nice to have all this varied terrain. Sad to admit that I still love tarmac though and would run a lot faster and effortlessly on it. (Apart from the uphill which I walked).

 

(Running up that hill. Not me though)

 

 

     The sun was now out which I wasn't expecting at all. I had no suntan lotion or hat, just a rain mac! Typical me really. There was a nice breeze though and I had my water bottles so that I could squirt water onto my head to cool me down a bit. As we headed to Amberley there were a few stiles to climb over. I was running with this guy for a while who said he had walked some of the course a few weeks ago as he didn't want to get lost on the day. I was in good company :) I slipped on one of the stiles but was okay and then I accidently broke one with my elephant like weight. The guy was nice enough to point out that it was probably just rotten though. We then started our first gradual climb through a field. We then saw the guy's girlfriend or support crew? She tells us that we are in 14th and 15th place. This now makes me want to race the event and then I tell myself to not be so stupid. I want to enjoy this race, not put myself through a lot of pain.

 

 

(The climbing continues just after Amberley)



 

      We cross a fairly fast road and the uphill continues. I see a sign for the South downs way but I thought we were already on it for some reason. I walk up these hills to save energy but it's good to know that I will be running back down them on my return. The scenery changes again as we finally get onto the South Downs way. This really climbs alot. There is a nice 600ft ascent here! It is stunning though. So I continue walking, taking photos and saying hello to the few walkers that I pass. I also see a Red kite flying over head. I am trying to watch him hover above me but need to concentrate on my footing as the ground is still uneven. I felt my ankle nearly tweak a couple of times but luckily all was good. I was expecting to see the lead running coming past me by now but that didn't happen until mile 12. Although I didn't realise the halfway point would be about 13.7 miles.

 

(Climbing the SDW)

 

 

       I was so glad to reach the checkpoint. The volunteers were so chirpy and friendly. They were my best friends :) I ate some mini sausages, a couple of savoury eggs and pretzels while I refilled my water bottles. They told me I was in the top 20 still, this made me happy. I told myself that I would try and stay in the top 20 too. That would be a great achievement for me.

Now the good bit could begin! There was a fair bit of downhill for the next mile. Although, I didn't want to trash my quads going too hard and fast. It turns out that some of the hills were too steep for me to run down anyway and I had to adopt a sideways fell running type style to get down at a good pace. Also, you had to concentrate on putting your feet in the right places. It was lots of fun.

I then saw a yellowhammer (Bright yellow bird). It was closest I had ever been to one and it was just perched there singing away as if I was not even there. I thought about taking out the phone again but someone behind was catching me. I was racing now, remember!

 

(I was glad to be heading back)



 

 

      At least I knew where I was going now. Nothing ever looks the same when you run it in the opposite direction though. I remember learning running routes when I started running but could only run them in one direction because I would get lost trying to run them in reverse even though it should have been the same route. Anyway... I ran back across the weird suspension bridge that I forgot to mention earlier. Just like the race director had said "It is so springy that when you run over it on your own it feels like there are 1000 people on it at the same time". This felt a lot weirder on the way back as the legs had now done a lot more miles. I was staring to pass a few people at miles 18 and onwards. People were starting to look tired but I was feeling pretty good and strong.

 

 

( The beauty of this course never ends)

 

 

      After 20 or so miles though, I noticed my pace had slowed and I was now running 9 minute miles. The sun was now beating down upon me. I was pouring more water over my head but needed to save enough to drink as well. Mile 22 and that was it, I was struggling. I even started to walk. The legs were fine though but I was having a hard time breathing. I later spoke to a runner in the café who said I had been suffering from heat exhaustion. I couldn't run further than a quarter of a mile. I would stop and then get a bit dizzy and feel sick. I would walk for a while and runners were now catching me up. All who passed asked if I was okay. I was okay but just needed to take it easy for the last 4 miles. It was going to be a long 4 miles. I didn't want to end up in the back of an ambulance again like I did on the 50k at Salisbury where my breathing became very shallow and I was sunburnt and shivering,

 

 

( May as well take more photos)

 

 

 

    Okay, I was in a bad place both physically and mentally but I needed to stay positive and think straight. I knew the route was going to be at least 27 miles and I knew that once I was getting stung by the nettles again that I would of have half a mile to go. I managed to run with two runners for a little while. It was great to have the company and take my mind off any negative thoughts or feelings. One guy told me a story about when he did the Gran union Canal race. (It's a 145 mile race if ya didn't know). He see he'd done 140 miles and then just sat around drinking Red stripe with a load of Rastafarians. He said he wasn't sure why he did but think he just wanted to be with people at the time as it takes you away from the thoughts and feelings when you are suffering, I liked that story :)

 

 

(Good to have pacers at these events)

 

 

   I was glad to be running through the stinging nettles again. I was actually looking forward to it. I was hoping it would take my mind off the now aching legs. Would the pain of the stings take away the other pain? Well, I was about to find out! Nope, I now having itching burning legs and achy tired legs all at the same time..lol. It made me laugh though. I was now running through a car park and the end was in sight. I had to keep running now. The crowds were cheering me in. I now felt nothing apart from pure emotion of elation. I wasn't even going to finish under 4 hours but I really didn't care. All that pain and suffering on the last 4 miles was quickly replaced with a sense of achievement, joy, relief and a nice lie down on the grass.

 

 

                                                         (No sub 4 but still 18th place!)

 

       20-30 minutes passed and I felt ready to order my breakfast and two cans of diet coke. The lady in the café gave me the coke for me but told me not to tell anyone. Whoops! I enjoyed the fried breakfast sat on the balcony and chatting to other runners and spectators about their experiences of the day. This truly was a great race. Just a shame that I was so ill prepared for the heat that I wasn't expecting. I would definitely do this race again and again. Can't remember how much I paid to do this race but it was a bargain and a proper running experience. Shook hands with the race director and thanked as many volunteers as I could before heading home with a headful of great memories.



 

 







 

After work bike ride

 

 

 

    After work I thought i'd go for a 20 mile bike ride on my mountain bike to Awbridge and back. My IT Bands and Soleus muscles are still really hurting from all the racing at the weekend. I have been having plenty of hot baths and Foam rolling and the pain is easing off a bit. Another run free day was needed and the weather was good, so a bike ride it was.

 



I left work with a bottle of water and a rucksack with a hoodie. Cycled along Lee lane but straight away there was a queue of cars turning around. Some woman tells me i'll have to turn around because I can't get through. I see an office girl from work but she says she doesn't know what the obstruction is. It turns out to be a fallen tree. Luckily, I am able to pick up my bike and carry it over the tree and another cyclist follows suit. I tell him it'll be a much nicer cycle to Romsey now without any speeding 4x4's and pollution. He smiles and agrees with me. I can't keep up though as he is one of those proper cyclists.

 

 

     I get into Romsey and follow the gravel path by the side of the river that leads to Timsbury but I come off at Fishlake meadows and head down the Stockbridge road and turn left at the Dukes head pub. I am now in unknown territory. All I know is i'm heading to Awbridge and I've only done parts of it via the Testway, so you don't really see much apart from a cottage, bluebell woodland and a lake. 

 



 

 

         I get into Awbridge but not the village part of it. I then decide to cycle to Lockerley as I have never been there. I stop at the little shop for 2 apples and a banana and sit outside and eat an apple in the sunshine and exchange "Hellos" to some locals. Then it gets me thinking... Is "Dean" around here somewhere? Would be cool to get a picture of me with a sign of Dean. Bit of a pointless mission but it'll give the ride a bit of a purpose apart from burning a few calories and enjoying the sunshine and quiet country lanes and watching the wildlife.

 

 

     I don't know where this Dean place is and I end up cycling on Lockerley footpath number 6. I don't know where it goes and it's pretty tricky terrain even for my mountain bike so I decide to turn back and follow the signs for East Tytherley instead. I see a Deer grazing in a field and nearly cycle into a hedge watching it. I then see signs for West Dean and East Dean. 

 

 

   I cycle through West Dean and East Dean but where is Dean? I'm here cycling on my bike I stupidly answer myself. I then get to the below sign and can't make my mind up which way to travel. Should I turn back. I don't like travelling the way I came and am obsessed with loops. If I head towards Salisbury would there be a route through to the New forest maybe? I knew Winterslow was on the Clarendon way after Broughton. 

 

   In the end I decided to head towards Tytherley and hoped this would take me back towards Lockerley. I had done quite a few miles already, so it was time to start thinking about heading back. Plus I didn't have any lights on my bike and I would like some food and a nice bath.

       As soon as I got around the corner, there was Dean Train Station. I had been past it many times on the train. I had found my Dean. Seems to be just a train station rather than a place I think. I took a photo while I waited for the train to pass at the gates. Then up a hill I came to West Tytherley.

      This brought me back to East Tytherley and I could see the road running parallel was the one I had taken earlier. I was now the otherside of the church. I was back to kind of knowing where I was.

     Back to Lockerley and then I took a different road towards Romsey as I wanted to go through the Wellows and cut through Ridge to get to the Farm on the Testway near Hill street. I managed to go through the village of Awbridge at last and then to the Wellows.

      At least I knew where I was now. Through East Wellow to the Wellows and then that big climbing hill past Wellow golf course and then right towards the main road and into Ridge.

     I briefly went to this place but there wasn't much there to be honest. I cycled through Woodington as well which I know from getting lost on the Testway and ending up in someone's back garden.

     I was tempted to continue the adventure and head right to West Wellow and Plaitford. I was about 25 miles in already though. There was enough I had decided. I sat on a rock and ate my banana. I was starving by now and couldn't wait for some decent food when I got home. Another apple wasn't going to do it.

      34.5 miles was cycled in the end. It was windy in places and I got covered in bugs, flies and insects many times. I managed 29 mph downhill. My mountain bike won't cycle any faster! I saw deer, buzzards, rabbits, a Hare, Woodpecker, pheasants etc.. I also have a sore bum but I loved the adventure of not knowing where I was or where I was going. Looking forward to some more sunny days like this over the summer. Thanks for reading :)

Tamar Lakes parkrun

                                            (Tamar Lakes parkrun starts on this bridge)


              I went to Cornwall/Devon last Friday with Di from my running club. Di had previously done Tamar lakes parkrun but it was cancelled due to flooding but in true parkrun style, they ran it unofficially anyway. I was looking forward to this event. I always love going to new parkruns around the UK. This was to be my 13th different parkrun course. Although my calves were still achy from London marathon, I decided I was going to try and win this parkrun.

                                      (Towards the finish, around the 3 mile mark)

               This parkrun starts from a bridge. You run across it and then run around the lake anti-clockwise for 3.1 miles. It was as if this lake was built for a parkrun course. Lovely gravel paths all the way around and undulating throughout with a bit of an evil climb at the finish, which looks like nothing until you've run your hardest for 3 miles! One of the most beautiful courses I have ever run with the exception of Colby and Llyn Llech Owain. Anyway... Back to the race.


        I just had to check the results from the previous week to get an idea of how many runners turn up and what the finishing times were like. There are usually around 60 runners and the winning time was 20.30ish or there abouts. I could win this with a lot of effort in my current state!

                                      (Just over a mile on the otherside of the lake)

              The rain had held off but there was a bit of a breeze as me and Di made our way over to the start line. I was ready to run and keen to win with my 20 minute time but I didn't want to lead the race as I didn't know the course at the time. So, the plan was just to sit behind the leader for 3 miles and then take them at the end. Of course, this was a complete fairytale but I was starting to believe it anyway. I wished Di good luck and we were off.

    We set off and I was running just behind the front pack of Three runners. Seemed okay for a little while but then I noticed my breathing getting heavier already. I looked at my Garmin and I was only a quarter of a mile in and running at a pace of a 6.02 minute mile. This was too fast for me. It was then that i'd realised that these weren't 20 minute parkrunners . Dammit! I'd picked the wrong week. I decided to slow a bit but try and keep my 4th place. Maybe they would slow down after a mile or two.

                               (Resident Heron on the lake) (P.S. Photo not taken while I was running)

         I kept on going at a good pace and finished my first mile in 6.26. Not too bad I thought. I'll just try and average 6.30's all the way round and i'd be happy with that. It got worse though. I struggled to hold the pace. The first runner had sped off on his own, the second was a long way off but the third runner was always in my sights but so was the runner behind me. The runner behind me wasn't close but I was slowing already. Poor pacing on my behalf. Second mile 6.44. 18 seconds slower than the first. The Fourth runner didn't seem to be gaining on me though. I then saw a Heron fly across the lake and land on a floating orange buoy. Was nice to take my mind off the pain for a bit.

                                         (Who needs breathing when you have breath-taking scenery?)

            The last mile was even worse. 6.54. 10 seconds slower than my last mile and 28 seconds slower than my first mile. I was so determined that I wasn't going to run a 7 minute mile though. Must get another sub 7 I kept telling myself. Push harder!
I was actually taking all these stats in as I ran. I love to work out the maths even when i'm racing hard ;) The fourth place runner wasn't catching me though and the marshal even told me that I was going to finish in Fourth. I wasn't catching the runner ahead though. The course seemed to climb harshly on the final bit. It didn't seem like much earlier when me and Di walked up it. I was giving it my all here. If only I could discipline myself and lose this excess weight. Stupid fat body.

                                                              (Official time was 20.39)

            I was Fourth, I was happy but I was nearly dying here. I had crossed the line and was breathing so heavy and my lungs were on fire and then I looked across to the Three other finishers who were sat on the bench and they weren't even sweating, breathing heavy or red faced. Made me laugh. 18.57 was the winning time. We congratulated each other and the guy behind me said a few words about not being able to catch me too.
I waited for Di to come in who had run brilliantly and was first lady to finish in a time of 23.57. We were Two happy Lordshillers. We clapped and cheered the other finishers in and chatted to various strangers. No matter where you go, you'll end up chatting to other friendly parkrunners. Love the sense of community at these events :) A great event and I was also First in my age Category. Despite not winning, I almost couldn't be happier. It was time for a fried breakfast :D

                                       (That's me in Fourth! And Di in 13th, unlucky Di! ;)