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!

20181208_102155
You’re aware its cold and raining right?
20181208_104508
Hey look the waterfalls working again!
20181208_103017
I can derp! Wanna see me derp?
20181209_110641
Aha proper trailrunning!
20181209_114959
Now this is better weather – Look theres a sky!
20181209_115012
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.

20181010_170951
Circumstances resting during a run
20181010_171009
More resting
20181011_170751
Meeting an old friend – fluffy dog!
20181011_170308
Loves to dig!
20181017_163349
Loves to play
20181019_170727
Sunsets
20181020_082053
Sunrises
20181020_084251
Dusk dog
20181018_165430
Afternoon sun
20181019_165020
Handsome beast
20181020_084757
Sunrise over the cliffs
20181020_085320
Turning circle
20181020_091826
Everyday can be beautiful if you let it
20181021_131203
Amongst the rocks

Weather patterns

Its been quite the week of weather, we’ve had the lot.  been out for a few runs in it and many more walks. One of the best things about owning a dog is that it forces you out no matter how you feel you have to go (I’ve had the lurgi all week). And if we dont go and do the miles every day Murph turns into a raving lunatic.  Run-wise I just got back from an 8 miler in the pissing down rain and it was great.  Everything feels spot on – well apart from the usual foot problems which I have decided simply just to ignore. It doesnt matter if I run or not things hurt simply because of the walking mileage too.   I literally cant rest cos of the dog so hey ho its suck it up and keep moving time.

20180919_074639
Are you this happy? if not then why not? Be the dog!
20180919_163059
Timing is everything – Tide going out and just enough sand to get along
20180920_164822
Can you lick your own nose like this?  If not why not? No wait ….
20180921_163414
Sun and wind make some beautiful conditions
20180921_163615
Froth sea under a shiny sun
20180921_163430
Crashy waves
20180922_105728
Pissy rain has its own beauty – mainly keeping people indoors
20180922_111103
Why? Why take a lovely natural path and build fucking steps on it. I know it probably makes life easier for hikers or something but for the love of god please stop sanitising nature in the name of convenience and safety. Argghghghghghghgh

Karma

I believe in karma. Or essentially what goes around comes around. It works both ways, bad and good karma.  Learned the hard way and seen it happen thankfully to others who deserved it (Yes I have a mean streak a mile wide)

So yesterday I had to go out mid morning and decided to fit in a quick 4 mile or so run to the Barrow mound on the cliffs as the tide was in.  When I got there it was beautiful and sunny.

20180421_093648
Like this kinda sunny

So I headed back and passed coming the other way a group of kids doing their Duke of Edinburgh type stuff, all with their packs on etc  I met one group at a stile and the first two kids just ignored me stood there dripping with sweat and breathing hard and then a girl at the back said “wait everyone let the person through” (Im not sure that they knew what gender I was due to the long hair) and so I hopped over and thanked them and ran on.

A mile or so later I got to the beach and found one of them had dropped their sleeping mat.  So what do you do? I was in a rush as I had an appointment to keep, I had already run 3 or 4 miles hard pace and they were headed in the opposite direction and all uphill. You know what – the tipping point of making me grab it and run as hard as I could to catch them (they move fast these damn kids) over 2 miles or so at 6-7 minute uphill pace (good training hey) was that the girl had called out to let me through and they did.

So I caught them eventually utterly fucked and they were I think amazed that I had done that for one of them – all I could gasp was “Its a bastard sleeping out without a mat” and trotted off – thankfully downhill and home. Ok so I was a little late. So what – And thats karma.  Just the little things can come back to you. And maybe those kids saw a small  gesture from a stranger and might just try it themselves.

20180421_095406
Should have nicked it for myself it was a nice one too (Joking of course)

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….

20180301_122931
Like iron underfoot and an ankle killer in fields with horses
20180301_133621
Soft snow, in fact probably the best bit of the run for shelter
20180301_124318
Arctic beach with first icicles
20180301_124540
More impressive icicles
20180301_130522
Cave surrounding icicles
20180301_130656
The waterfall is on a break
20180301_130732
I liked the way this one was frozen in the act of being blown to the left
20180301_132135
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
20180301_132146
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
20180301_133201
Opposite the snow has been very kind and traced out my hill repeat training route

Going longer with a wonky leg and sunshine

The plan continues – run longer, take a day or two off to rest ankle then run longer.  Each time the ankle takes longer to hurt more, it was fine til around 12 this time.  Everything feels stronger. Might be the yoga (yep I’m still doing it although the breathing side of it mystifies me. I wanna breathe when I need oxygen dammit I cant wait for my arms to be over there ——>  ) might be the general stretching, might be the work on the bike (and parents exercise bike – cheers for that even though I broke it immediately) might be the wobble board. Might be a lot of things but I’m feeling more optimistic about things holding together.

While checking out my ankles – yeah we all do it I’m sure. I’ve noticed that my right leg is considerably bigger than my left, I did spot it a while back but its definitely more pronounced, Im gonna look like a leggy version of popeye at this rate. I guess its from the right leg doing all the hard work – all the pushing up onto rocks and taking the impact when dropping off them. In fact any time I need to drive up anything the right leg does all the work as I protect the left foot and ankle. Cant be helped so Ill just look weird in shorts I guess!

Anyway enough waffling about my wonky body, bring on the photos!

20180220_141726
Rainbow! See it this time dad?
20180220_141734
It was pretty damn amazing down there – hence a 4hr training session
20180220_142629
Can you blame me for staying out as long as I could?
20180220_143105
Molehills on a hill!  Highest moles in the Vale
20180220_160017
Sun starts dropping and time to go home

There’s always the sun

A quick 7 miler to Witches and back racing tide and darkness.  And around the 3 mile mark it suddenly went gloomy as hell and then the mizzly rain turned to full on hailstones

20180125_162128.jpg
So its light over there … but here it’s just dark and hailing

Within another mile though I literally hit the edge of the storm like a wall which I had been heading into and through and now going my way! I stayed on the edge all the way back.

So even when things seem pretty dark and shitty there’s always the sun … You just have to keep going til you find it.

 

20180125_162933
Edge of the storm

One for Soak

13 miles yesterday down to Ogmore and back. When the sun shines and I’m going this way I always think of Soak. I think I’ve mentioned before that when I’m cold, tired and hurting on a run I always imagine that sunshine is brought courtsey of Soaks as a gift. I had sunshine yesterday.

20180106_11001120180106_111947

As ever I stopped where we used to play fetch the pebble for endless hours

20180106_11471120180106_114713

Sometimes it’s just running and sometimes it’s something else.

 

Errr thursday?

All these days run into one amorphous mess so I think this was thursday or friday, does it really matter? It was a run and judging by the photos and where I was it was around the 11 mile mark. So in running order …..

20171228_093127
Start off with the carrot delivery
20171228_100933
Rainfall means the waterfall has ramped up its efforts
20171228_101448
Good day for it
20171228_112128
From Nash Point which leads tme to believe it was at least 11 miles if I did the photo above too

Xmas day – bickering horses and surfing seagulls

Ran the cliffs again xmas morning and it was a beautiful one and all for just me!

First I delivered some xmas carrots to the guys – They look so happy together here but note the flattened ears on the left?  They had just squabbled over the carrots so I withdrew all carrot priveliges until they played nicely

20171225_095523.jpg

I had nothing for the seagulls but they were amusing themselves by surfing. There were hundreds catching the waves and I swear they were doing it for fun only taking off if a wave actually broke on them

20171225_101223
You can barely see them but the white dots are sufing seagulls – made my xmas morning watching them

The rest of the run was spectacular as the sun came out to give me some nice shots

20171225_10175820171225_10512320171225_10511720171225_104035