I have been increasing my training mileage slowly. A five hour + two hour back to back went without any special protest from my left leg. I will run my usual 27 miler this weekend as the longer of my back to backs. Apart from the total freeze up following the Brecon 40 there has been no real link between pain and running. I am beginning to think that the pain following Brecon might have been the result of 8.5 hours sat at a desk followed by the long drive down and back, rather than the run.
Reeds in one of the Miry pools - My local route, lovely plumage. The path (right) was under knee deep water from May last year until this April..
I am experimenting with running my back to backs on Sunday and Monday. Running the shorter run after work on Monday gives me Saturday (and Friday night) back. The only problem I can see is that the recovery time between runs is some ten hours longer and this may negate some of the benefits of running back to backs.
It has been a real joy to run free in the countryside this year. Though summer was late in coming, the ground had already been drying for some months. Paths have reappeared from underwater and leaves are green again instead of last year's white mildew, yellow and diseased browns and blacks. Every interval has its particular glory, linden blossom, roses and honeysuckle are amongst the present pleasures. The seasonal nuisance is, of course, grass seeds. They get everywhere, but particularly fill shoes and it is amazing how sharp seeds can be when they manage to stand on end. They also become so enmeshed in the knit of socks that removal takes ages.
Nettles and brambles are also starting to take over and some paths are now nearly invisible. Sadly, many of the paths around Newcastle under Lyme have become permanently overgrown through lack of use. It seems that people tend to keep to the municipal areas and the paths immediately off them. Stiles and signposts are often missing or in such poor condition that there is little, if any, evidence of where a path should be. Many others paths have been fenced off, hedged along or suffered other abuse by landowners. Well over half of the paths that I know of have suffered one or both of the above, some are parts of national long distance routes! I hope that this neglect does not lead to the loss of these public rights of way, but I am sure that it will eventually. A subject for a future page or post, methinks.
The twenty fifth arrived, I became a year older and Staffs Moorlands AC held the last but one race of their Summer Series - Rudyard Lake. The afternoon had felt cooler than it has been, but by six thirty the breeze had dropped and it was very warm. I shared the car with Sarah once again, unfortunately her doctor had used the 'R' word that very afternoon and she came to help (or watch as it turned out).
The route laps Rudyard Lake, registration was at Rudyard Lake Steam Railway - Rudyard station, the the route started a little way up the track. Starters were well strung out due to the fairly narrow path. I was towards the back and I and my immediate neighbours became distracted by a lovely border collie that had slipped its leash and had come to find its owner. Eventually we noticed that everyone else had started running and thought we had better do the same just as someone turned up with an empty leash.
The outward route followed the course of the old North Staffordshire Railway, the route that the present narrow gauge track follows. The path is firm and flat, good going if you like that sort of thing. I wound through a large gaggle of slower runners, with some difficulty, then a runner I had met before shouted a cheery hello. She was running at a good pace and I stayed with her as we steadily caught and overtook one runner after another. This kind of behaviour is unusual for me, early and on the flat, however; I had made a slow start, I felt that I should up my usual pace for an almost flat race and I was rather enjoying the company.
Though my companion's pace was a little faster than mine would have been, I felt that I could keep up and so made the effort. As we neared the end of the lake she noted that we were maintaining a 7.5 minute per mile pace. Given the very slow start this average seemed a little fast for me and as we rounded the lake I wondered if I had enough in reserve for the ascent ahead. A couple of other runners had joined us and the four of us made our way into the trees. I managed OK as the path steepened, to my surprise my companion from the start dropped back to a walk and jog for a while, I thought she had been doing better than me. At the same time the other two pulled ahead and I ran most of the rest of the race on my own. On the ups and downs of the narrow paths near the end I caught and over took one of the runners, as the paths improved near the dam and close to the finish he passed me again.
Rudyard Lake - A public domain image, not taken on the day
I crossed the dam to a cheer from Sarah and as the finish came into view I decided I might as well use any spare energy I had to close the gap between me and the runner that had re passed me. I entered the finishing tunnel at a fair pelt, only to find that there were several people standing around in it! I shouted "WATCH OUT" and managed to side step the first person only to find another two people ahead. The person directly ahead, who had his back to me, then bent down to pick up something he had dropped. I managed to side step back, only brushing the person to my left. I am not sure whether these people were runners or not, whoever they were their behaviour was pretty stupid!
I cleared the crowds round the tunnel then found a sensible place to watch my companion for the first half of the race come in. I could not see her so decided to walk back to the car for a drink, On the way I passed her at the side of the path, she had come in while I was still extricating myself from the crowd.
I am not sure what my time was as I forgot to set my watch, I think it was around 43 minutes (41.47 confirmed). I used to run this distance in under 40 minutes on my quicker lunch break runs! I'll blame the heat.
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