Bah Flu Wah

Every time I feel like im getting into a groove something like flu kicks in. This week has been mainly a writeoff, to be fair the flu didnt properly kick in until later in the week but last weekend saturdays run was around 10 miles and I felt amazing. Then on sunday everything was broke. Just felt bleuuurgh from the off. So you know what, I walked a lot of it, we did 6 miles or so but half run half walk and normally I cant get away from that “cheating” feeling when I walk but I figure its better to be out there doing something than nothing at all. I know Murph would prefer it!

So with 3 months to the first ultra and with a few fell races in between I feel like I cant get a solid training block started … and then i realise I havent really stopped and the fitness is there anyway so whats the worry.

Technically I shouldnt go out and run today but y’know…. techincally we’re all dead one day so im gonna seize this one

Great subject – terrible photography skills

Nights are drawing out

We had a bit of snow – Murph loves it!

Frosty morning at Nash Point

Waterfalls of course

Our forest in between the showers

Sepia tinged doggo

What a difference a day makes

From subzero snowdrift mayhem for the previous 3 days the weather switched to a beautiful sunny day.  It was so warm I ran in a tshirt!

Tide was out so down checking out the “reef”

Google photos didn’t do a bad job of a panorama for once!

After snowmageddon the sheep look a little … worn

 

More snow and a moider!

A moider? Yes a moider – well more of a massacre.

Headed to the beach to check out the latest snow conditions.

Had to pick my way over the stream to start

Spot the birdie?  There are tonnes of lapwings down there sheltering at the moment, they are all slow and lethargic and don’t shift until you get really close – like this one

Cliffs still looking cool

Moider scene! I omitted the gory photos here but this was the scene of a massacre – at least a dozen dead birds which at first I thought was a case of being frozen to death. Then I notcied that some were decapitated and I dont know of any Siberian wind that rips birds head off.

Evidence! I found the tracks of the culprit but how the hell did a fox get onto the beach here?

Aha! The cunning git used the old smugglers path which is hard enough to climb in summer

He would have climbed down here to catch the little frozen birdies. Ah well it aint moider after all its just nature

Usual photo from Witches Point with added snow

Up onto the cliffs – and time to start the wading through drifts

Luckily the snow was pretty hardpacked by the wind so didn’t sink too deep

I’m on his trail!

Hmmm ok i’ll just jump the wall

Out onto the road – that way is home if I was in the car – and work wondered why I was worried about getting back?  I know it out here – when it snows it drifts and we get cut off. Took me ages to convince them

Um yeah and thats the other way out

And thats the road to the rest of the village – Its lucky I can run everywhere these days

Don’t need gritters where I’m going

No not hell but the beach, major advantage of coastal running on days like this is the abundant salt. Not so good the rest of the year when it wrecks your shoes apparently.

It was extremely cold and the windchill was a killer but worth it to get out to see some cool stuff….

Like iron underfoot and an ankle killer in fields with horses

Soft snow, in fact probably the best bit of the run for shelter

Arctic beach with first icicles

More impressive icicles

Cave surrounding icicles

The waterfall is on a break

I liked the way this one was frozen in the act of being blown to the left

I climbed the ladders to get up on the cliffs – may have been a mistake as I lost all my shelter and it was bastard freezing up there.. Boring photo really but I took it to remiond me next time i’m dying of heat exhaustion in an ultra that I did the hard yards in winter

Amazing really, for about a minute I could see the sun. One minute – when i was cold and tired again. I swear its Soaks 😉 Said thanks anyway

Opposite the snow has been very kind and traced out my hill repeat training route

Frozen dog stops play

Couple of days ago I went up to the Brecon Beacons with a friend and her mums dog to find some snow.  We appear to be missing out on the fun down here in the South but I guess one of the beauties of living in Wales is that there are always mountains a few hours away at most.

Short dog and deep snow issues

Tilly aka ratdog did actually do quite well and had a whale of a time in the snow. But after a while it was clear she was getting pretty cold ….

So this is me doing an impression of a South American paramilitary holding a frozen dog hostage

So after thawing her out we heaed home where I realised I was technically in my running gear anyway and so it would have been amiss to not get down the beach too so go to knock out seven miles as well.

How much warmer does this look?  (It wasn’t though)