Winchester parkrun revisited

          

           With the legendary Vegan runner Mike Harper moving away to North Devon, there was one last chance to meet up locally before his move. Winchester parkrun was the choice. It wasn’t an official Hampshire vegan runner’s meet up but a few of us were heading there anyway. I still had some unfinished business with this parkrun. This would be my 6^th run at Winchester and I had never “Gone sub 20” on this course. In November of 2013, I had got a 20.30 and finished in 9^th place.

It didn’t get much better either... 20.39 in 2014 with 11^th place, and that time I went there thinking I was going to “smash it” and came away with a disappointing 20.28 and 28^th place. That was in 2018. I can’t blame the course or the conditions, as on that same day, legendary Andy Greenleaf set a course record of 15.35 which still stands. My mates Kev and Paddy also ran. Kevin Willsher in 3^rd place with 17.17 and Patrick Connors in 6^th place with 17.48. Poor guys had to wait a good 3 minutes for me..lol. I still remember my upset at not even getting close. What had gone wrong? It may be a bit of a twisty course with some sharp turns but it was dead flat and pretty quick still.

 

Enter 2021. The second parkrun after the Corona virus pandemic (not that it’s over). I got up early, didn’t eat breakfast. Caught a bus at 7.30 to the train station. Got a train into Winchester for 8.17. I casually walked down to the North walls and Leisure centre. A few photos and into the Vegan vest for a warm up of a mile on the field. My breathing already seemed laboured. I told myself to stop worrying. It’s only a parkrun right? My 212^th in fact. I carry on jogging whilst smiling and saying good morning to the happier looking folks. All the while, random thoughts come and go… I should have been collecting my 250^th shirt by now. Stupid pandemic. I wonder where we are going for breakfast or coffee afterwards?

I spot a couple of the infamous Black and Green Vegan runner vests and hone in. Mike and Jon are the first to arrive and then James, Jhon, Matt and Ceci. Not a bad turn out at all for an unofficial meet up. We head to the start and Mike tells me to get to the front. Mike and Jhon say they are running together. Both are faster than me but today they are going to enjoy the easier pace, unlike me who will suffer and wish for my life to end on the way around.

Good to see that Tim is still a big part of Winchester parkrun. He is race directing again today and counts us down to start. I feel a lot more confident about the course today and I shouldn’t get lost like last week at Itchen valley. Off we go…

Ok, a sub 20 requires.. 3 miles at 6.26 pace and we allow 45 secs for the 0.1 of a mile. Yes, I still “talk in old money” as one vegan runner told me the previous week (not Jhon or Jon but John). That’s miles and not kilometres. This made me laugh a lot. I start off okay following the plastic discs on the grass of the field as we skirt around the outside. The grass feels a bit wet underfoot as the concrete path we are now on feels a bit slippery but all is good as we run into the next field and I thank the marshals. This is hard work! I sadly pass the first mile in 6.33. Maybe not on for the sub 20 but I can still go for a course pb which is currently at 6.35 pace. I am 2 seconds up on that at least. Take the positives! It doesn’t get any better though as I jump a few muddy puddles and dance around the roots of the shadowing trees above me. Mile 2 in 6.37. This now gives me an average pace of 6.35! which will equal my 20.28. No good. Now is the time to push harder even though I am already really suffering. On the final mile there are also now people to dodge as I lap the slower runners. I overtake on the left when it’s possible.

Keep pushing Dean. I struggle a bit mentally as I couldn’t remember if it was 2 or 3 laps. Even though (as Matt tells me afterwards) there are Kilometre markers on the course. Anyway, it’s 2 and a half laps and I finish my 3^rd and final mile in 6.25. 3 times 6.25 would have been ideal but at least I should get a course pb but by how much? I run harder, a majestic sprint finish.. or so I think. I probably haven’t gone much faster but it feels like I have. The course isn’t necessarily short as all the parkrun courses are accurately measured. Yet I come in with 3.03 miles on the watch. To my surprise, this not only gets me a course pb but also a sub 20. The sub 20 I have been trying for. At last. I make it 19.54 but have to wait for the official time by text message later.

In the meantime, I walk back onto the course and cheer others in while waiting for my fellow Vegans and taking a few bad photos of them. Mike Harper blasts his way in with a sub 22 leaving Jhon behind. 21.56 for Mike in 43^rd place but the most impressive thing is his age grading of 73.10%! Even with my time I only manage a 71.84%. Mike’s 403^rd parkrun too. His PB here is 18.42. Well done Mike. Next was Jhon Cosgrove who was obviously jogging around and having a great time in 21.57 and 45^th place. Jhon has run an 18.24 here! Two speedy Vegans indeed.

Then in came James Pittman looking quite comfortable and relaxed I thought. 22.35 and 53^rd in position. His first time on the course too. Jon Taylor to follow with a course PB of 23.51 and 73^rd place. This was Jon’s 252^nd parkrun. The next day he managed a 22 mile run as well! Matt Salisbury next with a time of 26.38 and 147^th. Another first timer here. Matt was taking it slightly easier today as he had run a pretty good half marathon time the day before for marathon training. Ceci was not far behind with 26.56 and 156^th. Another first timer on the course. She may have been the last of us but she sure looked like the happiest out of the lot of us. Smiling on the way around. Well done all.

 
           It was then time to get a group photo and head into town for Coffees and a chat. We grabbed a stranger to take the photo and she said “say cheese” she instantly realised what she had said to a bunch of vegans and looked a bit embarrassed as we laughed and saw the funny side of it. She quickly followed up with “Say Tofu”. It was a lovely morning and I was so happy to get that sub 20 despite the pain and suffering all the way around. My official time was 19.53 in the end. That is now a sub 20 at 14 different parkrun locations. So close at many but some nowhere near. The adventures of parkrun continue… Go Vegan and don’t say cheese.

The return of parkrun

      

           I was in two minds whether or not to run a parkrun. There would be a lot of people attending after all. The plan was to possibly meet up with Mike Harper and a few other Vegan runners at Itchen Valley Country park. Even on the night before, I couldn’t decide. At least there would be fewer people at this location. I would wake up in the morning and see how I felt and if the weather was going to be kind that day. I heard there may be some more storms and it was going to be a 6 mile cycle each way at least.

 
             I woke early and looked outside. It was raining but very lightly. I could tell that I was secretly excited about the return of parkrun. My last one had been at Southampton on the 14^th of March 2020. 16 months had passed by with the pandemic and continues to do so. Restrictions had finally been lifted though.

Itchen valley would be my 57^th different parkrun location and I would gain an “I” for my parkrun alphabet. It would also be my 211^th parkrun in total. That’s 211 weekends of getting up early and travelling around the U.K just for a 5k run! I love it. Pretty tame in comparison with Mike though who would run his 402^nd parkrun and his 119^th different location. I had some work to do.

 
               I sat on my mountain bike and decided to go back inside for a rain coat as there was a light drizzle. 7.40am already. What had I been doing since I woke up at 5.30am? It took a while to find my parkrun wristband and my trail shoes which I also hadn’t worn for 16 months. Toast and coffee were essential of course. I also looked at my cycle route on google maps. I had never been to Itchen Valley apart from when I passed part of it on the Itchen navigation trail a few times. I studied the route and realised it was similar to when I cycled to Queen Elizabeth Country park for that parkrun.

          

              Winchester road, Bassett, through Woodmill, turn left into Townhill park. Through the school cut way and then I was getting a bit lost in Chartwell Green. I just needed to find Allington lane which I did eventually and then into Itchen Valley Country park. It wasn’t too hard to find at all but I did do an extra mile and made it 7 miles. I got there at 8.30 and had plenty of time to lock my bike up at the “Go Ape” place. I changed into my running stuff and had a nice warm up looking for the start. I chatted to a few people. I spotted “Hammy” the legendary photographer who was already snapping away. I went over for a chat and a catch up. It was great to see him. It had been a long time. I saw Mike and a few other Vegan runners, plus I spoke to Daniel Baker. We joked about getting lost and following each other as the course seemed quite technical. It was a single lap and this was a new course, unlike the previous 3 lapper. They were low on volunteers but there was parkrun tape around the course to help us out with the route.

        Luis was our race director and got the race briefing under way. He was hilarious and made everyone chuckle. We should have listened to the instructions and directions closer though. The course details were a bit too detailed for some of us runners to remember. The numbers looked small here and there was a very wide start in a big grassy field. It was perfect and everyone seemed at ease and in good spirits.   

 

            3-2-1… Off we went. I couldn’t believe we were actually back at parkrun. I followed the pack and my breathing felt heavy already. I wasn’t used to running a 5k. I had been doing half marathons lately, so the pace was a bit quicker than I was used to. We did a lap of the field and towards the car park. We turned off but some of us out in front went right instead of left across a wooden bridge. It wasn’t long before the marshals were telling us so. It got a bit chaotic as we stood in various locations wondering which direction to run in. It didn’t really matter though as everyone was laughing and taking it in good spirits. It was suggested that we just run the first bit twice in reverse. This we did as we jumped over muddy puddles and dodged tree stumps. It was a proper trail course and I was glad that I had made the decision to wear my trail shoes.

 
      

           There were now other runners coming in the other direction. The right direction in fact! They were looking more confused than us now as we knew what we had to do. Some stopped and we’re trying to work out which way to run. We told them we were running the wrong way. Somebody told me I was running the wrong way too . We were going the wrong way but having the most fun..lol.

   

     After 2 miles, we were back out into the field where we started. We now went into another part which was much easier to navigate with signs. It was a lovely course through the woodland. It was dark and sheltered. Nice and cool. I had sped up a bit now as there was less mud and fewer puddles. 4k in I was thinking… time to put in a bit more effort? I didn’t know the course or if I would be running 4 or 5 miles due to the start or if it would be shorter than 5k. Step on it Deano, I told myself. Last K to go. It felt good and then I was back out onto the field and racing for the finish line. I then hear Hammy shout “Someone’s closing in on you Deano”. I don’t look around. I just put all my effort into a sprint. I can’t hear or see anyone though. But then, I get out-sprinted by someone nearly 15 years younger than me. No excuses though, I always lost in sprint finishes. I shamefully smiled and congratulated him on his victory. My finish token handed to me as the jovial volunteers applauded my efforts. I squinted to read my bar code. 6^th place! If I’d known, I may have tried a bit harder I told myself. The great thing was that there were only 116 runners. My time was 21.46. First Vegan home but still 2^nd in my V45 in age category. The winning time was only 20.47 as well. Mike came in 24^th with a time of 23.38. Mike’s age grading was far superior though with 67.84% and mine 65.62%. I had compared the distance with a few other runners and all was good. I made it 3.03 miles which isn’t uncommon on a trail parkrun even though they are accurately measured. I always made Netley parkrun 2.9 miles. Something to do with the satellite getting lost in the woods, or so I’m told.

 

   It was a fantastic event followed by coffees and vegan sausage rolls at the Itchen valley country park café where we sat outside and chatted about life, the universe and everything. Then a slight detour through Fair oak and Bishopstoke on my cycle home in the rain. Another 14 miles later I got home, ate again and napped while still on a high from the return of a great day and the return of parkrun and the loving parkrun community. Thank you parkrun, you have been sorely missed.

 

 

Good Friday's 29

  

      I wake up early on Good Friday and I have already decided that I am going to go running. Although, I’m not actually in the mood at the present time. Maybe I’ll run later? Where should I run? I’m thinking I want to do a long run but not fast, just enjoy a day out. An adventure run as I call them. I haven’t done one for ages. I drink cups of coffee and ponder upon ideas and options. 20 miles would be nice. Can I jog 20 miles slowly? My longest run this year is probably the 14 miler I did with Di and Mike Mattingly a few weeks back. I did do 40 miles of cycling too that day though.

Later on, an idea I like the sound of hits me.. I’ll get the bus to Romsey and run from there. I could run a 20 miler and do Ampfield woods, Braishfield and Slackstead. I always wanted to go back to explore Slackstead a bit more. I look at a map and work out a circular route. I know most of the route from cycling anyway. I have never run through Ampfield woods or around the Hillier Garden centre though. This was recommended to me by a couple of old ramblers I got chatting to at Baddesley Common. I say old, but they were probably only Septuagenarians. All the people around me seem to be getting younger nowadays!

I look at bus times and get my backpack ready. Spare socks, t-shirt, thermal vest, coat and extra shorts. Headphones for my music on the bus. Should I take a bottle of water on a 20 miler? Seems like a lot of weight to carry? I take it anyway, I can always bin it if I need to. I don’t have any food to pack though but then I remind myself it’s only a 20 miler! I stand at the bus stop donned in hat, coat and gloves. It’s nearly 11am already but it still feels cold. I go through the justification of my bus use. We are allowed to travel now. It doesn’t have to be essential but it does have to be minimal. 5 miles to Romsey seems ok to me as it’s the first public transport I’ve used this year! There are only two other passengers on the bus anyway and we are spread out as much as we can be. I have my headphones on and a playlist is playing from my phone. The sun is shining on the window and I can feel its warmth. I am really enjoying this journey. I feel very relaxed and at ease. 

I decide to get off the bus at the top of the hill by Romsey cemetery. I walk down the hill and take off a pair of long shorts to reveal my running shorts underneath. My running backpack seems a bit full. I am a bit worried about getting cold and ill as I am still suffering with what I believe to be long covid. The heart specialist thinks that my heart is enlarged and it is what is causing me hours of chest pain. My lungs also suffer some days and I have a lot of phlegm on my chest and lungs. Some runs I struggle to relax my breathing and my lungs burn, other days I am fine. I am told not to run too much or too fast. I ignore the advice as I can’t see the point of just sitting around and waiting for the good days of health. I have had my heart MRI but am still awaiting results. My chest pains are less frequent at the moment and always seem worse at work in the cold weather. The warehouse never gets warm. Anyway, I have 24 hour heart rate monitoring next as they found an anomaly in my original ECG test. Enough about being ill. I am bored of it after 5 months! The main thing here, is that I keep my body warm.

  I have decided to start my run at Tadburn meadows. There are a few people walking around and enjoying the good Friday sunshine. I still have my coat and gloves on though. I follow the river and run through the park. The path narrows. Walkers in front hear me coming and move aside for me to pass. I thank them all while smiling and saying my good mornings. Everyone seems responsive and in good spirits. Out in to the housing estate at Crampmoor and over the railway line, up the hill and I am at the Hunters pub. Straight on into Woodley and towards Abbotswood and Braishfield.

      I did invite my mate Kevin Willsher to join me today but he had a 10k time trial to do. It would have been nice to have the company but I also love all the thoughts and ideas that pop up on these longer runs. I swear I could have invented a million things and written 50 books, if only I had the motivation and drive! Anyway, Kev smashed out a 10k PB. 34:40 was his time. This was achieved while I was still in bed drinking coffee and feeling unmotivated.

I’m getting close to Braishfield and the garden centre when I see a sign for a permissive path. I take the unknown path and end up running through the garden centre. The old(ish) lady from Baddesley common told me that there was a nice figure of 8 to run around the garden centre grounds. I didn’t do it all and somehow ended back up on the Braishfield road and near the Dog and Crook pub. I was going to do Ampfield woods first which is further down the lane but now it will be Braishfield first and then Slackstead and back through Ampfield woods if I can find the route back through.

        I run through Braishfield with great memories of my first ever race. The 5 mile beer race. I decide to turn left and do some of the race route in reverse. I’m not sticking to my planned route and I’m adding on extra miles maybe. I am really enjoy my run though as the memories come flooding back. Almost a decade ago I stood under a line of trees, in an attempt to shelter from the rain at the start of the race. I remember feeling so nervous. My first ever race. Could I complete 5 miles? I heard there was a hill too!

My friend Steph from work drove me here and got me into running. We ran together during the race but I found I had to leave her as we got to “the hill” which was just a railway bridge. I was running up this road in reverse and realised that I was so lost in my own thoughts that I had already ran over the railway bridge and didn’t even realise it.

I finished that 5 miler in a time of 42.12. I was beaten by then unbeknownst to me… running legend Derek Goodchild of Lordshill Road Runners. I think he was just a sprightly V60 in those days. In fact, he shares my Dad’s birthday and is a year older than him.

         I think I did the 5 mile beer race 3 times over the years. The second time I raced it, I was a Lordshiller myself and obviously got an easy course PB. Myself and Mike Mattingly just stood around at the Beer tent happily taking everyone’s unwanted Beer and Cake tokens. I think Mike was more focused on the latter while I got as drunk as I could on London Pride.

Another year, I sat in blistering heat while Andy Griggs sat there with 3 tankards complaining that there was no competition and wanted his money back. He had beaten second place Ben Pitman by over 2 minutes. I also got to hang out with my heroes like Dan Campion and his family. Rob Benham who I ran it with one year and many others from the Lordshill family. I used to love sitting in that field, getting drunk and watching runner’s faces change when they had sprinted to the field and then realised they sprinted too soon and had a long way to run around that field yet. Kind of evil I know but great entertainment all the same. I was one of those runners 10 years ago.

       I get to the Braishfield pond and decide to take off my coat and gloves. I am actually sweating a bit now. I’ve only done 4 miles. I remind myself that this run isn’t about pace. It is an adventure run. I take a few photos and sit down on a bench with a view of the pond and ducks. Not long after, a cyclist joins on an adjacent bench. We get chatting about routes and where we are going. He shares my hatred for irresponsible dog walkers and dog crap. He’s from Winchester and is meeting a friend at the church in Little Somborne for Coffee and sandwiches. His friend is taking the sandwiches, but he says he’s running late and has forgot to bring the coffee. Despite his tardiness, he doesn’t seem in a rush to head off as we continue chatting.

I then decide to get going and wish him a great day as I run off towards Slackstead. It’s a lovely, quiet long country lane. There are no cars, just a flat road and fields either side. The run feels hypnotic and calming. I stop at Lower Slackstead and find a footpath. Should I take it? Could possibly be the Ampfield woods path? After a while, I make my mind up and deicide that I am really enjoying the quiet roads. So now I will run to Hursley. This means that I will not be using my return bus ticket from Romsey. Looks like I will be running home. I’m glad I have brought the water now as there are no shops for a long time.

 

For some reason I think I am going to come out at Ashley. The roads look similar. I have done so many roads around Hampshire that I often get them mixed up. I am never lost though. I realise where I am when I get to a junction and realise I have a massive hill to run up. I take more photos and look around. I haven’t seen a single soul since I left the cyclist at Braishfield. I can hear my footfalls up the hill and an increase in the speed and sound of my breathing. My head is down and as I listen for the intermittent calls of a woodpecker who is drumming away somewhere in the background. I am now being told off! My mind flashes back to another memory. I am hill training at the sports centre and the person shouting at me is another running legend. “How are you supposed to get any oxygen in your lungs if your head is down there?” It’s Roger Bradley. This moment has stuck with me for the past 9 or 10 years. Every time my form falters uphill his voice enters my head and I can see the Sporting view pub in the background. Head up, shoulders back.

I make the top of the hill and arrive at the castle wall when my phone rings. I don’t usually answer my phone when I am running but it could be the Heart specialist with some news of my results. It’s a mobile number but no name appears. It’s not the specialist. It’s my old friend Julian Molyneux who asks if I want to go skateboarding as he is in the area visiting his Dad. Julian used to live in Southampton but now lives in Lyme Regis. He has always been quite spontaneous too. Never any planning on his behalf. I am often busy when he visits as I always plan stuff if I can. I think we chat for 30 minutes and have a good catch up. Every now and then I look up and around as a pheasant squawk nearby. I tell him I have to go as I am getting cold now.

I put my phone away and think about my route ahead. I have a nice big downhill now but will be coming to a main road to get into Hursley. I shrug off the thoughts of the fast cars on the main road and blast the downhill but being aware that a car could be coming up on a blind bend. I can see the road but have found a footpath sign which heads towards the right. This must go to Hursley I am thinking. I climb the stile and run along and follow and narrow dirt path. It skirts around the outside of the field and then down to a wood and another stile. There is now a Hursley sign and a path beside the road. I feel pleased with my discovery and achievement.

I run into Hursley and think that I don’t want to run on the Ladwell road as it’s pretty dangerous. Although, I have run down the dual carriageway of the A337 at night before. Probably the scariest run ever. (Thanks to Google maps!). I’m up to my old tricks of adding mileage on. I decide to run up Port lane and towards Oliver’s Battery. Now I am reminded of the hardest part of the Winchester half marathon I did a few years back With Paddy Connors and Paul Carpentar. I pass the Oliver’s Battery sign but turn right across the fields which I know will take me towards Otterbourne. I will run home through Chandler’s ford that way.

I think I have only been this way once and was on my bike. I see a Private land sign but realise it is also a public right of way. A bit confusing for me. I get to Yew Hill nature reserve and enjoy the views and reap the rewards of the climb up to Oliver’s Battery now. Lots of green fields for miles. I now see a few people around. Ramblers, Dog walkers, families etc.. This bit looks popular but not too busy still. I see a man, his wife and kid come up from a gate to my left on the hill. I ask where is goes. He tells me and I decide to take it. It is downhill again but a lovely dark shaded run through dense woodland and overhanging trees. There are paths everywhere but I just pick one and keep running. It’s a lucky dip. I don’t quite come out where I thought I would but know where I am and decide to do another detour across Shawford down. Worse mistake ever! I wish I hadn’t bothered. Dogs running around everywhere. I am too scared to run. There are big dogs running loose and they look out of control. A pitball type dog runs up to me and starts sniffing me. I walk on slowly. Another dog jumps up on me and is very playful. Further down a dog growls at me and the owner explains that his dog is “just nervous”. I got bitten twice last year and twice the year before that. I am thinking about getting some pepper spray of something similar. How do I protect myself from these out of control dogs? I am starting to get really annoyed by them.

Anyway, I end up in Compton. I am getting hungry and I am also out of water now. I know there is a garage coming up, so I’m going to stop there. The place has had a big make over. It has a proper shop there now. You could probably do a weekly shop there. I put on my mask and buy more water, an energy bar and a banana. I sit by the river and eat my banana and get myself hydrated. I am about 18 miles in and feel ok. I could always get a bus from Chandler’s ford if I needed to or a bus from North Baddesley.

I run through some woods next to the garage. I don’t even know where they go to. What am I doing? I come to the end of the trail and end up on Poles lane. I know Poles lane is a busy, long road. It wasn’t actually that busy but it is very long and cars do drive fast. So I am running down the 2 -3 mile road and crossing accordingly due to blind corners and traffic. I know I am heading back to Hursley again and will have to take a left up to Chandler’s ford. I seem to be taking the really long way around. I get towards the end of Poles lane and discover a road I was looking for. I recognise the Victorian postbox (2^nd edition) and see the sign for Silkstead. I then realised that I got Slackstead mixed up with Silkstead. The Silkstead trails will have to wait for another day now. Nevermind.

I find a field next to the road I want and run through it. I come to the end of the field. Do I turn left up the hill or right onto the main road? The main road looks too busy, must be left, right? Up the hill I go and wonder if this is a private estate ahead. There are big black gates but a little wooden gate to the side. I see a man cycling with his kid, so I make the decision to go in and run down the road. I follow the signs and turn left into a field. I just keep on following the “Public path” signs. Another field, which is a bit muddier. I turn right into a third field. I come to a gate and a road, the public path sign sends me left and up a hill. Where the hell am I? I seem to be heading in the wrong direction. Is it taking me back to Winchester? Will I end up in Alresford? 

I pass a massive house and up another big hill. I follow the road and the sign tells me to turn left onto another trail and then a road. I see an elderly lady (Octogenarian?) and ask her where I am. We get talking for ages. She is local and we look around and share the peace and beauty of the place. She tells me the history of the estate and the landowners. Will this place be gone in 5 years time? It would be a shame for sure. She tells me she had a fall in the winter and is a bit weary and cautious ever since. I am impressed with her mileage as she often walks to Hursley and back. “Are the cows out in the fields?” she enquires. “Yes” I say. Although there is only a few at a distance and they are shading under a tree. I am not keen on the cows when there is a lot of them and they try to pick up speed and charge at you. I tell her they were fine and I felt no threat. “Where am I going?” I ask. She tells me that I will come out at Otterbourne Waterworks. This information makes me happy. She asks me where I am going. She thinks it’s a long way. I decide not to tell her that I started in Romsey. It seems so far away and so long ago. I smile and wish her a good day. She says it was lovely to meet me. I run off smiling wishing that there were more people like her in this world.

   Yay. I’m on the main Otterbourne road. I run under the subway and I am soon running into Chandler’s ford. I used to work in Chandler’s ford so I know that I only have 10k to get home now. I had just ran that downhill to the station. My 21^st mile was run at 7.38 pace per mile. I remember my legs aching a bit at 14 miles when I got to Hursley but now they feel fine again. Some may call it a second wind.

I decide to sit down and take a little rest. I need to take on more water. The sun is pretty warm now and my cap is soaked with sweat. I sit on a raised drain cover and eat my energy bar on the cycle paths of Chandler’s ford. I am doing calculations now. I will be home at 27.5 miles. Or I could do 26.3 and walk the rest?

        I get up and stretch a bit. My legs have stiffened up. I try and loosen them. There is still that option of the bus at North Baddesley I think. I run gingerly but the legs soon start to loosen again. I remember all my commutes back from work to home. I am on the route now and I remember how much uphill there is. Even though this side of Hampshire is really flat. Living in Cornwall, Devon and Wales had made me realise this.

     I have been running harder and faster towards the end. I remind myself that this is an adventure run again but I seem to want to run faster and harder anyway. I am still keen to run sub 8’s per mile. It would be impressive if I hadn’t stopped so much. In fact, I am really impressed with my own stupidity. 23 miles in and a parkrun to go until my first marathon of the year. I am just coming out of the climb of Valley park and into North Baddesley. Another hill coming up. This time I ignore Roger Bradley and keep my head down. I now have the worst running form. I am kicking my own calves again. My back hurts like hell. I didn’t even use the spare socks, t-shirt, long shorts. Thermal vest? It kind of reminds me of the time I cycled a 1000 miles and packed some books to read. I was way too tired to read after 100k a day..lol. I remember leaving a copy of J.D Salinger’s “Catcher in the rye” in my first hotel room and leaving other books at each hotel room afterwards. It’s weird what memories and thoughts come into mind on these long solo runs. I never get bored or lonely. Although I’m not sure it does any favours for my sanity and well being.

  I may as well make it up to 28 miles. I’ll do Balmoral road. Nice downhill. I am definitely stopping at 28 miles! I am really tired and super achy now. I guess I could get 29 miles if I ran through the Ordnance survey though? Luckily I arrived home and quit at 29 miles. I couldn’t tell you why I wanted to carry on running despite the pain and suffering. To be fair, I felt pretty decent for one of my long runs. I could have done 35 miles that day. Was it that I haven’t had any alcohol for over 5 months plus being Vegan? Who knows. Let’s just say, it was a good (Fri) day.

The first thing I did was go to Tesco and buy a can of coke and a Vegan ice-cream. Then followed 4 vegi samosas and whatever was in the cupboard. I had done 29 miles. It was an adventure run and I loved it. 6 hours had elapsed. I didn’t really get lost, although I didn’t know where I was at times. Hampshire is a wonderful place. Go and explore it.x 

2020: A review

(The ponies heading into town)

        I’ve been writing annual reviews on my blog for a few years now. Something I would highly recommend. It gives you a chance to remember and reflect on your year. Also, it will help shape and plan a few things that you want to achieve for the coming year ahead. They may seem like trivial goals to some but everyone needs a purpose in life. Without a purpose, life seems very pointless and mundane. You have nothing to look forward to or nothing to strive for. I should know, I’ve felt it many times before. There is a famous saying about the purpose of life but I can’t remember it and can’t be bothered to look it up.

                                                                (Hogmoor Inclosure parkrun)

A great way to start the new year is parkrun of course! 2020 saw me starting off pretty keen or maybe a little stupidly? I decided to cycle to Netley parkrun and run that for 9am. I was feeling pretty fit and skinny though for a cold January morning. I jogged around and chatted to Claire McErlean. Other familiar faces were Ian Bower and Mike Mattingly. Parkrun done in 24.23 but no time to hang around as I had planned to do Eastleigh parkrun at 10am. It was further than I thought but just about made it to the start and ran around tiredly in a time of 24.05. A much muddier course too. I can still remember how tired my legs were on that cycle home. It was a great morning though and a double parkrun done.

                                                      (My film premiere at the Firehouse)

Not long after this I had my first viral infection of the year. I was in bed for a week. I had to have some blood tests which had shown that my white blood cells were very low. Something that isn’t uncommon after having a viral infection. I was thinking that being Vegan had a part to play in this but my then girlfriend also Vegan made me see sense. Although Vegans generally do have a lower white blood cell count anyway and it wasn’t a problem as my second blood test had shown. I had only been Vegan for just over two months then. I look back and think how tough it seemed, compared to how easy it has become over time. Being Vegan is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I feel so much better for it both mentally and physically and great to know that I am not contributing to animal suffering.

  
                                   (That breathtaking run up and down Cefn Bryn)

Not long after the infection. I did my first Vegan runners meet up at Mountbatten (Romsey) parkrun. I can still remember how fearful I was turning up in my Vegan runners vest. I felt like a fake and a fraud. I had only been Vegan for 3 months and hadn’t long joined the club. I also didn’t know anyone! I coyly walked over to the group of vegan runners and got chatting to a few. Everyone was so nice and encouraging on the run. I ran as hard as I could on a very muddy course with my trail shoes. I was never going to catch the speedy Jhon Cosgrove though, who was P1 and fastest vegan runner that day. I got a very respectable 21.46 though and was really pleased with that, post virus.

                           (My mate Disgo Dan keeping me entertained during Lockdown in Wales)

The next thing you know, I am in a car full of vegans going to Off Beet cafe for breakfast with about 20 other Vegans. It was a fantastic experience. We sure took over the place with Jhon doing a hilarious mock award ceremony for all the runners. Although it was mostly Hampshire vegans, some had travelled from East and West and were booed and jeered like an opposing team. Haha.

 
                                           (One of our not parkruns on the Fareham course)

   February came around and I was training for Goodwood 10k. The first of February saw me catching a train to Bognor Regis for the parkrun. Goodwood 10k was the following day so it would be a jog round the parkrun course right? Well, I was quite surprised to see I was out in the lead pack and held on to third place in a time of 20.27. A few pints ensued that evening too. Great prep for my 10k the next day? It was a bit of a shock really. I got a 10k pb by 5 seconds with a time of 40.25. This was mainly due to Captain Jim Davies shouting me in with real enthusiasm and encouragement. I really wouldn’t have pushed that hard at the end if he wasn’t there! It was great to see others I knew there as well. Irene, Claire, the legend Alan Graham and I met some new vegan runners including super speedy vegan runner Lisa Gawthorne who I briefly spoke to at the finish.

                                       (Beautiful sunsets were very common on the Marsh road)

Eighth of February would see me doing more tourism and my quickest parkrun time of the year. I was surprised how good Bournemouth parkrun is. A fantastic course. There were quite a few vegan runners there that day including a girl who had got the train from Portsmouth. I spoke to them all, it was a lady’s birthday (Fiona I think) and her son was a newly converted vegan too. A vegan runner called Oliver Herdsman got me in with lots of encouragement as he paced me to the finish line. He obviously wasn’t racing that day. 19.30 was my time. I was over the moon. I then went to the awesome “Mad cucumber cafe”. Such a great breakfast. I need to go back. Bournemouth parkrun and Mad cucumber definitely on my 2021 list.

                                                 (My birthday run to Portland from Weymouth)

February was also the month that I had quit work and was planning a move to Wales. Something I had thought about in the previous year. I had saved enough money and would hopefully find work when I moved. I was looking at places to move too. It was between two in the end. Obviously the decision would be made upon the basis of public transport ease as I don’t drive, having a parkrun or two nearby and an industrial area for employment. Milford haven was one and Crofty was the other. I chose the latter. Crofty is about 12 miles from Swansea on the Gower peninsula. Oh yeah, I also wanted a nice place for running. Anyway, I feel like I’ve jumped ahead in the story here…

                                          (One of my bike rides to a Castle near Three Cliffs on the Gower)

I quit my warehouse job at DX on the twenty first of February. The plan was to house view in Crofty during a weekend of running in Wales. I stayed in Penarth on Friday night and on the twenty first did Cosmeston country park parkrun. Nice and scenic with massive puddles. Very nice people as always. I forgot to jog again with a time of 20.31. Fourth place shamelessly beating an under fifteen year old in a sprint finish. After parkrun, breakfast and a shower, I got a few trains to Gowerton which is the nearest train station to Crofty. About 5 miles away. I then got the bus to Crofty. It was now dark. I couldn’t really see the surroundings or coast. I viewed the room in a bungalow and said I’d take it. My new landlady gave me a lift back to Gowerton to get the train to Newport. It was really late and I was really tired by the time I got to my hotel in Newport and the next day I had the Newport half marathon.

I wanted to get a sub 1.30 on the half marathon. I didn’t happen. The parkrun played a part in this I reckon as my legs got tired early on and then there was a fierce headwind at one point and at maximum effort the miles were getting slower. 131.23 was my time. Pretty good for me, but disappointing all the same. It was also the first race that I got shouted abuse at for being a vegan. I turned it into a positive of awareness for veganism and animal cruelty. I’m out there getting noticed.

                                        (My medals for the year despite a lack of proper races)

March the seventh saw my second vegan runners parkrun meet up at Hogmoor Inclosure. This would be my fifty fourth different parkrun location. And what a parkrun it was. A lovely wooded undulating course with vegan support and even a photographer. I forgot to add that the legendary Mike Harper picked me up from Fareham train station to get me to Hogmoor along with other vegan pick ups along the way. I sure met some really nice and inspiring people that day. Twelfth place with a time of 20.37. We then went to “Earth” in Petersfield where we took over the place again with lots of orders. More great food and chat. I remember thinking that I was going to miss these Vegan meet ups in Wales. They sure had a great community here in my beloved Hampshire.  

      (One of my runs into Penclawdd: Translates into Hedge end. Pen meaning end and Clawdd meaning hedge in Welsh).

A week later was sadly to be my last parkrun of 2020. Fourteenth of March saw me running around a very familiar Southampton parkrun in a time of 19.39. Great to be getting those sub 20 parkruns back! The same day I later had my new skateboard film preimere at the firehouse pub in town. Little did we know it was to be our last big gathering for a long time.

Four days later my Dad would drive me to Crofty. There was mention of this virus “Covid 19” spreading. My Dad stayed in Penclawdd, with me in Crofty about 2k away. I waved him off the next day in Penclawdd and watched as his car got smaller and smaller. This was it. I was stranded in this little town by the coast. The next couple of days I did some exploring on my bike on the Gower. Wow, what a stunning place. I hadn’t really done much research on the place before moving here.

                                                 (Ponies on the marsh road at low tide)

Sadly, days later, we were in complete lockdown. Who knew it was going to get this bad? We hadn’t experienced anything like it before. Now, I was looking for work but unable to use the public transport. I didn’t know anyone and was cycling nine miles to get food from a Tesco garage near Gowerton. I was only allowed to leave my room for my one fix of exercise a day and to food shop. I didn’t even take a t.v to Wales with me. I listened to the radio a lot and ordered lots of books to read. It was hard going. I had never really experienced isolation like it. I always saw myself as a solitary person who enjoys his own company but this situation made me realise that I actually needed other people in my life and interaction.

                                                               (My longest bike ride to date)

In April I got another viral infection. I was bedridden for another six or seven days. My landlady would get my shopping for me after she finished work at the hospital.

It all started when I got short of breath after one of my runs. It really freaked me out. Then came the fever. Sweating, cold chills etc.. I sure did a lot of thinking in that room for twelve days on my own while I thought I was dying. A bit dramatic maybe!

For some reason my landlady started to dislike me shortly after this. I confronted her about this and asked if everything was ok. She was just off-ish with me. It was bad enough as it was. I had made the decision after nearly three months to move back to Southampton as I still hadn’t found a job and was spending a lot of money on the rent.

                                                       (Walking into town for chips)

In those three months though, I explored the whole of the Gower and did long bike rides around Wales. I lived about a quarter of a mile from the Marsh road which took me to Llanrhidian and into the Gower. You could only use the marsh road at low tide as it got covered and people have been known to die trying to get through at high tide. You had to learn your tide times or had to run the main road back but it wasn’t busy anyway. There were houses on the marsh road too. Imagine being stuck indoors during the tide or not being able to get in your house after work. Madness. Also the ponies used to come inland at high tide and could be seen running into the town of Penclawdd and eating everything in people’s gardens. It was a funny sight. I had all that beautiful wildlife on the Gower. There were a lot more sheep and ponies than people. No cars either. My running fitness was fantastic. I was running comfortable sixteen milers at seven fourty pace. I had Mike harper to thank for his (Not parkrun) on facebook. We just recorded our 5k’s on Saturday mornings and posted them to the community page. It was great to see everyone else running, encouraging, smiling, eating cake and even offering support for the disappointments and failures. Mike would write up a race report including us all with lots of mesmerising facts and stats. It’s great that these are still going too. It gives you something to focus on when there are very few or no races. I also did a Roger Bannister one mile time trial. I did a couple just under six minutes each. I think I want to get quicker on the mile next year too.

                   (A 30 mile bike ride into Wiltshire with my friend Bo. Her longest bike ride at the time)

It was great to be back in Southampton in June. I was injured though after running sixty mile weeks in Wales with fast time trial efforts. It took quite a while for my hip to heal in fact. In the meantime I went to my brother’s funeral which was a day of ambivalence for me. We hadn’t really got on in later years but had a lot of great memories from my childhood. Great to see some distant family too. The same day I had a job interview.

I got the job two days later and am still there now. I am only contracted for fifteen hours a week. I would work Mondays and Fridays. Two days a week. Work got really busy though and the last three months it has been full time and hectic working eight until four p.m, Monday to Friday with occasional Saturdays as well. I am back at my Dad’s house so it has given me a chance to save some money up for my next adventure maybe?

                                             (The Hullavington half with some of my running crew)

In the summer while injured, I did a lot of cycling with the most epic journey being my One hundred and eighteen miler to Frome and back. I was supposed to do a virtual race for “Fluffy Butts Rescue” but did this instead. They are a great rescue looking after rabbits and many other animals. If you join their facebook page you get to see the cutest rabbit photos everyday and get to learn about the residents.  Despite cycling a thousand miles in twelve days once, I had never cycled over a hundred miles in one day. Another one of my little goals ticked off.

                                           (Trail running around Fritham with Kev Willsher)

A return to running and a great adventure for my birthday. I always like to plan something memorable for my birthday. Some sort of adventure. It was tough with the virus still around but I managed to book a hotel in Weymouth. My plan was to run from Weymouth to Portland and back. It would be me, my friend Carl from Cornwall and Di and Mike Mattingly. I think it was about eighteen miles. It was a fantastic day and a much better route than I had expected. Definitely not as flat as it looked on the map when I planned the route.

                       (Another not parkrun at Portsmouth with Greg and Josh followed by a sea swim)

There were a lot of races that I didn’t get to do in Wales due to the Covid virus. I decided to do the “Great Welsh Half” as a virtual race. I wasn’t that fit for it but did okay with a 1.36. It would be good training for an actual upcoming race in October. The “Hullavington half”. This was a great race and was very well organised with social distancing. I was very happy and just about kept under ninety minutes for the half. Sadly, not a UKA race so it won’t appear on my “Power of 10” or “Runbritain” pages.

                      (Lots of wild garlic for my tea. I would finish my run and pick the leaves)

Earlier in October I was supposed to do the “Pieces of Eight” 10k race. In contrast to the Hullavington half, this was poorly organised and cancelled at the last minute. I had no other choice but to run it virtually. I picked a fast course and treated it like a race with a time of 40.40. Only fifteen seconds away from my pb! In the meantime, everyone else I knew was running the Virtual London marathon that same day. It sure rained a lot and was windy.

                                                         (An early morning commute to work)

I went out for a friend’s birthday. I sure did a lot of drinking that weekend and was sick everywhere. The next day I felt very rough and then I got a cough, cancelled work and tested positive for the Corona virus. My third viral infection for the year! I knew what to expect at least. Another six or seven days in bed. Nausea, dizzy spells, headaches, fevers, aching body etc.. It gave me more time to reflect yet again. I was sick of drinking to excess. I had no control over it and felt it had been getting me down for a while. I felt that it had become a problem for me. I would, without fail, go out every weekend and drink fifteen to twenty pints on a Saturday. This was often done on my own but I would know familiar faces around and get chatting to others. I didn’t really drink in the week but couldn’t stop this weekend binge drinking. Anyway, I could write a book on this topic… I have now done over two months with no alcohol and it has been very tough and I am still craving it. Even writing this I get a very thirsty taste in the back of my throat. After only two months, I feel a lot calmer though and my anxiety levels and depression has decreased. Something that running really helps me with too.

 
                           (My last run on the Gower before coming back to Southampton)

Sadly, I end the year with a calf injury (Another virtual race. The “Newport 5” paced by the awesome Kevin Willsher. Time: 33.34) but it has been a good year for me despite this. I really like my job and the people I work with. I catch up with friends via running or skateboarding. I really miss bouldering and the people there. I will do more again next year when “Boulder shack” reopens. I have comprised with my boss at work and said I am happy to work four days if needed but will be taking Wednesdays off for running or climbing. It’s all good. I also have friends who I just go walking with and friends who just want to meet for breakfast and coffee and chat for hours. These little things are the best in my life. I am studying a lot of Buddhism lately and have found a great affinity to it. Strip away everything and start again. Everything has to change. Cut down on the materialism etc..

Hopefully I’ll never drink again and lose a bit of weight in the new year and get some of those faster running times back as well as returning to the ultra running next summer. Most importantly I look forward to catching up with friends and sharing new experiences as well as laughing about the old ones. Peace dudes. X

              (I learned when to race and not to race on the Marsh road. The sheep were released at 8am)

Lastly, a big thanks to the people who have really helped and inspired me throughout this year:

My Dad, The Mattinglys, Mike Harper, Josh Chivers, Kevin Willsher, Captain Jim, Disgo Dan, Kathy Annalls, Vix Hales, Carl Green, James Bell, Chris Odgers, John Cattle and Greg Nowik.

                  (I was learning Welsh for 3 months but have been slack on my return back to England)

And to all the others that I have had the pleasure of running,walking,cycling,climbing or chatting too.