Perspective

I was planning to post again here a little more regularly  and then i didst because I never seem to find the time or inclination. maybe running doesn’t seem as important right now.  As long as I’m out with murph how quick we move doesn’t seem to matter so much.

And I think I’ve been right. Just reading up here and hearing others going through so much worse than the odd running injury puts things in perspective.  So yep we’ve been out putting in the miles ready for some big plans this year – assuming the body copes.  But at the end of the day what’s really important is just living life and enjoying it.

I got my fingers crossed for you Ceej!  Now enjoy some photos!

 

We’ve been out at dusk

Early morning struts

Played in the foam with our little buddy

Did out xmas day run and loved it!

Enjoyed the weather

Of course we posed

Visited old haunts

Checked out waterfalls

Saw more sunrises

And enjoyed more sunsets

And always climbed up so we could look back … before moving on

Down week

I checked my mileage and it was 110 miles for the 2 weeks of xmas – oops no wonder things are a little achey so showing sense and in the spirit of trying to make it though 2019 without a major injury (touch wood etc) I took a week off running and just walked Murph instead. Admittedly we do around 6 miles a day at the lest but its not high impact and he has to have his walks or he goes mental

And we saw some stunning sunsets. Enjoy. We did.

Might be one of my alltime favourites

Murph failing to get in shot properly

Twas rather relaxing down there

Get ready the suns a setting

There it goes

Sand reflections

Or maybe this one

Doubled up

Managed 7 miles on sat and 12 on sunday because it was just a pleasure to be out and about – well moreso on sunday as it wasnt pissing down like saturday. To be honest I dont really care about the weather its just a joy to see Murph zoom about and be happy. And im happy to be out knocking the legs around a bit, they certainly felt it for the last few days so back to just walking for the week I think. See i can be careful!

You’re aware its cold and raining right?

Hey look the waterfalls working again!

I can derp! Wanna see me derp?

Aha proper trailrunning!

Now this is better weather – Look theres a sky!

And sun!

The dog is an idiot but I love him regardless

Haven’t been running in a few weeks due to injury. Seem to have torn a glute or something, well no seem about it I have torn a glute due to ….. circumstances.

I present some photos of circumstances. Luckily circumstances means that I am still walking around 8-10 miles a day without much pain so hey ho its all good everything needed a rest anyway.

Circumstances resting during a run

More resting

Meeting an old friend – fluffy dog!

Loves to dig!

Loves to play

Sunsets

Sunrises

Dusk dog

Afternoon sun

Handsome beast

Sunrise over the cliffs

Turning circle

Everyday can be beautiful if you let it

Amongst the rocks

Giraffe Hunting and Blurry Birdies

Another weeks flown by and when i go to look at my photos I realise I’ve been to the beach either running of walking at least a dozen times – Its no wonder I don’t seem to find the time to blog so much.  Not that I’m complaining we’re just about the time now when the nights draw in and we’re getting up in the dark. So its LED collar and headtorch time coming up – This will be fun – an unruly dog in pitch darkness through fields and beaches, if we get to spring in once piece I’ll be happy!

Another good week of running – well at least im writing this on a monday and I can walk ok and ankles don’t hurt too bad which I’m taking!  I’m trying harder (a bit harder) to stretch more and futureproof myself, if CJ can do something everyday til xmas then so can I!  Around 30 odd miles this week which would have been more apart from a small strain in my hamstring on saturday which I was sensible enough not to aggravate and head home.

Its a bit blurry but the mornings have been pretty damn cool lately

Need any holes dug?  We’re contracting him out

I knew there was a reason for the title of this post – That very blurry bird at the top is a cormorant! 

And this is a giraffe Murphy brought to ground – I rescued it and it’s joined the whale in my zoo

I dunno – Its just the beach at highish tide

More sunlight making everything shiny

Still stupidly happy no matter how far I run him

Splendid Isolation

Once again I haven’t blogged in weeks. It’s not like I have nothing to blog about I just never seem to sit down to do it these days. Doesn’t help being back in work after the summer off, having a cold, a mental dog etc etc All excuses of course. Luckily I always have time to get out with Murph.  usually two big walks or runs a day, usually to the beach. I calculated last week I was up in the 60 mile range of walk/run so it’s no wonder my feet and ankles are feeling pretty battered.  Theres not much I can do about it though.

Take rest everyone screams in the running world when you feel injuries and those niggles. Rest it! Rest it!  I can’t, not out of stubborness and stupidity (Been there seen it done it) but because I have aforesaid mental dog who needs the exercise. So I really have no option but to hope things hold together!  Im sure they will, I stretch and roll my feet (Got a great foot massage roller thingy that looks a bit like a sex toy)

So splendid isolation?  Its that time of the year again which I love, I love Autumn not just for the season itself but because the beach empties and I have it pretty much to myself again until spring.  Being a rescue Murph has some difficulties with people and as his confidence has grown his defence mechanism has switched from running away from people to barking at them.  I know he’s fine and wont hurt people hes just saying “stay the fuck away from me” but hes quite large and scary if you dont know him so I almost (almost) feel sorry for people when he charges up to them baring his teeth and barking.  He is responding better to commands though and I can usually haul him off before kids cry.

So here are the latest batch of photos. A random mix of walks, runs and ….. well just see

Dawn at the beach is always special

Sunrise in the fields (awful photo technically but i like it)

Little fluffy (pink) clouds – for you SRG

Sunlight through the woods

Splendid isolation in full swing

Eerie evenings

Then fun in the sun

Stroll with friends

If you’re digging a hole then i’m digging a hole

Blue skies

Random cat in a pot in neighbours garden

poser

Rain and shine (and mist and stuff)

I’ve run everyday for the past week (except friday which was actually a rest day) but havent blogged any. Cos im lazy and its summer and Im not at the PC so much and a million reasons so you can have a smorgasbord of photos from the last week.  Ive looked at my movescount stats and Im still a abit scared but nothings broken or hurting too bad.  This morning it was beautiful out and we just kept purring along feeling good which turned into 12 and a half miles some of which was even tempo (which is around 7 min/mile pace these days which is shocking me).  Murph loves it as much as I do thankfully.

Much of the week has been proper murk – rain too.  I dont care really as it just means its more likely I get the whole beach to myself

The face in the cliffs – Found it works both ways as long as you get the angles right

Pouty lips too!

Derp dog derping along derpily

Different beach, we ended up in ogmore and so I took Murph to where I used to throw stones for Soak a lot when she was getting on a bit

Returning from yet another unsuccessful skyrat chase

Having fun? I think you might be

Returning from unsuccessful skyrat chase number 293

Just a beautiful morning, n o reason to go home so tack on some extra miles

 

Still alive and going up!

Still around, still running just never seem to have time to post!  Murph went on his first camping adventure this week, we went up with his therapy dog to Snowdonia to climb Cadair Idris.  He did so well too! He’s so nervous around people I wasn’t sure how he would settle but he did start to get used to it after a while and even slept right through the second night.  I invested in a tent with blackout tech so it was cooler, darker and he could use it as a refuge when he was a bit overwhelmed and it worked great.  We had an awesome few days climbing mountains and exploring.  Even tired him out!

Murph Emerging from his cave

Yes he wore a cape at the beach

Yes Tilly had a cape too – This is the two superheroues digging a hole

Forests to play in

And a river right by the tents

Early morning recce of the route up Cadair Idris – Its up there somewhere – was a little concerned about the visibility and weather but who wants easy adventures right?

The mountain at dawn – The clouds roll in and out so fast you’ve just got to roll with it

On our way up

Halfway – mountains everywhere

Murph looking enigmatic on a mountain

Views for days

Look at the bloody camera Murph while we can see anything at all

At the peak, hanging on tight to the lead as its a long way down off this one.  Vertigo kicking in too

On the way up or down – I dont remember

Christ we almost look normal

Timer photo actually worked!

After all the exercise sometimes you just need a friend to sleep on

Just stuff

First off a happy birthday to my dad – Hope you’re having a good one (assuming you still read the blog that is)

Seven miles on Sunday thats disappointingly left me with a sore (more than usual) ankle – whats with this?  I drop the mileage and things get worse?

Anyway I’m kinda used to it by now but as long as I can keep walking Murph too all is good, at least I’m bound to be keeping some level of fitness walking 4 or 5 miles a day even if I’m not running right?

Rock dog

Just mooching – nice place to mooch mind you

Haha you stinky little shit – bathtime – He wasnt so impressed with this bit

Triple Crown at Preseli

Yesterday was Preseli Ultrabeast day. 2 years ago I ran the Beast Bach 11 mile race linky and last year I ran the Preseli Beast 24 miler linky and yesterday I completed the hat trick with the Ultrabeast.  I was to be honest a little concerned about it as although training has gone well and I feel in good form, breaking a toe on a baby gate 2 weeks ago was going to make it a different proposition plus I know what the course is like – as Carwyn the organiser puts it “As if the original wasn’t hard enough for you!  And if the 32mile route doesn’t grab you enough, then what about the 6,000ft of ascent it now has! Be warned this is no easy walk in the park. This is proper hardcore fell running terrain. This route really does take it to the extreme and those thinking of running this one really must be physically and mentally prepared.”

32 miles, 6000 feet of ascent (and the quad shredding descents which by the end are worse) through fell country, not much of this is run on any sort of trail and most is barely a sheep track.  It had pissed down constantly during the day before and there was a lot of mud, the evil black sucky mud you only seem to get on the beacons (Preseli is the westernmost end of the Brecon beacons).    There were moments when you went up to your knees in it, at one point up to the groin. You just could tell until you hit it. All part of the fun but it just sucks and sucks at your legs.

For the sake of the marshalls (who were superb as ever here – especially the one dressed as a lobster) the ultra started the same time as the 24 miler.  This made pacing tricky as everyone set off around the same lick and it was hard to judge what the extra 8 miles would be like.

The option was also there around 20 miles to skip the 8 mile extra loop out into the wilds and still get a qualifying finish in the 24 miler.  You make this decision at the top of the longest steepest hillside there is and apparently quite a few took it and I cant blame them. By then things were really hurting and the thought crossed my mind but not for long. Those extra 8 miles were beautiful singletrack and took us out to parts i’d not seen before including a monolithic hillfort.  There were more climbs, more descents and more pain than I care to think about now but by then I had grouped with 3 other lads who were in a similar boat and were happy for me to tag along and for once I was happy for the company. Sometimes its ok to suffer in silence and sometimes misery loves company. When its not just you stepping into knee deep freezing mud for the hundredth time it makes it easier to bear.

The last peak was finally done and all that was left was a 3 or 4 mile descent on busted up everything – Sometimes its that last drop that kills.  But finish I did in 7 hours which I’m well pleased with considering the toe and the terrain.

Dunno where to go next …. who cares

Anyway if you read all that you get the photos – Beauty of ultras with fuckoff big mountains is you feel better about stopping occassionally for a photo op.

First up, spot the start of the bogs

Climb to Carn Ingli – around 12 miles in, yep right up to those peaks

View from Carn ingli

Looking back towards Newport bay whence we came

Marshalls on Carn Ingli

Next point – yeah just run to that cairn on the horizon and go left

See that peak – yeah we’ll probably cross that one too

They all look the same after a while

Somewhere in a field with mercifully no bogs to fall in

The extra loop took us out into bluestone country – Apparently this is where the stones came from for Stonehenge. I cheerfully apprasied my fellow runners with this information – I was glad the correct retort was “Its a pile of fucking rocks”  Thank god we’re all in the same mental boat then i’d hate it to be just me

Leading the way along the ridge – my newfound friends following

Unmanned checkpoint (on a pile of fucking rocks) – here we had to draw a smiley face on our bibs to prove we came, saw and gasped for breath

Checkpoint view

Hey guess what – we get to go up there – its steeper and longer than it looks and after 20 odd miles its an utter bitch

Mud. Bastard mud – Socks kept my feet clean tho!