Cold and wet = Gear testing

It was cold, windy and raining when I got home on Wednesday and I was actually happy about It! I got the chance to try out the rain jacket I had to buy for the kit requirements at the preseli beast five months ago. Seriously it’s wales and I haven’t needed once – I carried it at the roseland ultra too so I figured it had done 56 miles without being worn.

It’s a ronhill jacket (not sure of type) which is fully waterproof with taped seams to pass kit inspections and its actually great to wear, I thought it might get a bit hot but was just perfect, I was a little damp afterwards from sweat but not excessively so and it was so worth it to keep out the cold and wind which it did a brilliant job at.

I also wore full length running tights for the first time. They were actually an impulse purchase as we have a “designer outlet” near work which have some good running shops selling last years lines (I guess) and one of these is an Asics shop which does fantastic sales. I picked up the tights for £7 and have picked up loads of shirts for around a fiver and being asics (I like their clothing) its all great quality.

The tights at first felt a bit weird but by the ed of the run (around 7 miles) I was sold.  They kept the legs warm and did away with the annoying “drag and swish” of wider tracksuit bottoms (If youve ever run in them you know what I mean) plus they dont hold water like tracksuits.

So ok Ive now worn lycra shorts and full length tights …. Im guess im sold on this running thing. Luckily I gave up on careing what I looked like many moons ago!

Met some wet looking buddies too!

 

Snot Rocket!

So I did indeed come down with a cold. It’s an everpresent danger of working in multiple primary schools with hundreds of snot ridden, coughing little monsters.  This explains my lethargy last weekend I think. So for 3 days I laid off pretty much everything but work. I figured I might as well go in and cough all over the little bastards as revenge.

Then yesterday I felt an improvement plus it was springlike and sunny when i got home from work. I know I’ve already declared the start of spring around 15 times already this year but ladies and gentlemen I swear THIS IS IT.  It was warm enough to go out in shorts and tshirt for a cliff run!

Off I ran and everything felt great including whatever bit of me creates snot as it was determined to join in the party! The legs were awesome after 3 days rest (reminder – rest is good) and I carved out 5 miles along technical track and cliffs (Ok I finished with a bit of road because I wanted to pop into see my parents who (Yes mum you gave me your cold not vica versa))  at 10 min mile pace which is unheard of for me considering the number of stiles and walls I cross.

View from the cliffs

Path back towards the coast

Do whatever fills the hole in your soul

Been laid low all week with man flu type snot based illness. It comes with the territroy of working in schools, multiple schools with multiple coughs and mobile snotbags.  Some of the kids are ASD and for some reason they  all want to hold my hands and/or touch my face and hair (I’m growing my hair at the moment and it fascinates them)  You can’t really prevent them but germs are gonna get through eventually no matter how many times you wash your hands.  Price you pay for a job you love doing I guess (Plus I love the kids no matter how infectious they are)

So it’s basically been work and sleep all week but today I just had to get out and run, still feeling pretty awful but needed something to clear the head and maybe blast some fresh air through the pipes! To the beach!

Tide was in but I wasn’t feeling like going much further anyway

Fuck me its the Matrix only with cows!

Strangely there were no seagulls today …. Incoming storm? However check these dudes out!  My parents broughtthem back from holiday. Cheers guys you get the best presents! Sod boring t-shirts I get gulls!

I did 3 miles and had a hop around on the rocks to cheer myself up =)  Was good to just get back out and I feel batter for it now. Luckily it’s half term so a week off, hope I get better for the rest of it so I can get out and do some proper running.

Catch you again after I’ve done some more sleeping!