Good Friday Run

Needed to get out for a think, so decided that today was a good day for a run. I’m still being cautious because of this dodgy thigh muscle, but I figured it’s six days since the last run and therefore time to get out again. Next run will hopefully be in five days, then back to twice a week.

Following on from my last blog, I decided that I would try and do a comparison run. So I drove up to Stonebarrow car park and did my old medium length training run. 7.22km but with just the one hill. ie. Starting from Stonebarrow car park, along to Chardown Hill, down to St Gabriels, then back along the coast and up Stonebarrow Hill. There’s a picture of the route somewhere on one of these pages.

It’s a fabulous run this time of year, loads of trees and bushes bursting into life, bluebells and wild garlic all out in flower. Sunny and dry, but not too hot yet.

Felt ok, but very consciously was not forcing the pace. Kept up a steady rhythm and never had to walk on the uphill bits. Did it in what felt like a reasonably comfortable 45m 52s, which when I looked it up was an amazing 1m 10s inside my previous best on this loop set last Autumn.

So what conclusions can I draw from this. Well I guess my overall fitness is improving which bodes well for completing the Charmouth Challenge. It also means that even though this inner thigh muscle is sore most of the time, and very sore for 24 hours after a run, it’s not actually hampering me that much. Interesting.

So that’s it, back out next Wednesday. Probably the same loop but will tag on the run up Stonebarrow Lane from home.

Juneathon sounds interesting. Might have to join in on that one.

Summer Run

Well it certainly felt like summer. Something like 15 degrees according to the BBC.

Had planned a short hilly run from the school and up Stonebarrow Lane, but after warming up by jogging down to the beach I realised that it was low tide. So decided to head off along the beach to St Gabriel’s and then back overland from there.

Started off all right; running along the damp but firm golden sands is guaranteed to lift the spirits. But when the sand ran out and I was onto the shingle and pebbles it got a lot tougher. Especially as running East the beach is always going to slope from left to right, which in turn meant my right foot constantly slipping away putting extra strain on an already sore inner thigh muscle. Got so hard I had to slow down to a walk for the last few hundred yards up to the almost vertical set of steps that leads off the beach. At least they were still there. The last set got washed/carried away when another chunk of cliff disappeared last year.

Which reminds me, the coastguard have been pretty busy recently on our bit of beach. I ran past a number of cliff falls this morning where they’ve been hauling people out who get stuck up the waist in the mud that comes down. In fact there was a coastguard type guy being interviewed by a camera crew down there this morning.

After clambering up to St Gabriels I was conscious that I might be overdoing it, so took the shortest route I could think of back to the top of Stonebarrow Lane, then down there and back round to home. Nice run back. Not too muddy and lots of birds to listen to. Past a woodpecker somewhere hammering away.

8.31km,   1h 2m 27s,   average of 7m 31s per km

Off to Jersey tomorrow. Definitely taking running gear.

Saturday Medium Run

Nothing very exciting, just another one of those runs you do to keep the fitness up. Grey day, about five or six degrees, fairly brisk easterly wind so long sleeves and gloves today.

Did a loop of about 7km starting on Stonebarrow, along to Chardown, down the hill past the farm along the lane cutting back to St Gabriel’s, then back along the coast and up Stonebarrow again. 45m 16s which compare well with the 47m 50s I did on the same route a month ago. Probably less muddy this time as it’s been dry for a week and the mud has finally started to turn a bit more solid.

Three weeks to Southbourne 10k (and house move the following week). No idea on how I should adjust my runs to prepare for it, so I’ll just carry on as usual I guess. Make sure I just to a short run mid-week before the race. Really looking forward to it now.

On an ornithological note. Was amused to see a man in Stonebarrow car park hand-feeding a robin. The bird was stood on a tree branch, and he allowed the guy to slowly walk up and hold his hand right up to it so that the robin could peck seed out of his hand.

Hot run, but quick

Did the medium St Gabriels loop this morning, and this time remembered to take my stop watch/heart rate monitor! Warm morning, so got pretty hot. Might have started off a bit too quick as the second half was hard work up the hills. Did it in 47m 7s, about 5 minutes quicker than the last time I timed this run! But that was in bad weather and when I was really unfit. So this time is more realistic, and I’m really pleased with it.

Also had a result on the Garmin front. Won an Ebay auction this morning for a two year-old jobbie at £81. If it turns out to work ok, then it’s a bargain. New and nearly new ones on Ebay go for £120+, and the price on Amazon is £144. Should arrive some time next week, so will have to figure out how to use it before doing the Golden Cap loop next Saturday.

Summer running in Dorset

It was muddy, rainy and foggy. At least it wasn’t cold!

Not sure that was a good idea, my ribs were uncomfortable before, now they bloody hurt! It’s a bit like having a constant stitch in your side. Anyway, can’t just stop running, got the Jurassic 10k in 18 days time. I’ll try and run again at the weekend.

Distance run: 4.44 miles
Time : 52m 29s (split time at St Gabriels 26m 52s)
Average Speed: 5.07mph (8.11kph) Hey, it’s hilly ok!
Visibility: About 30 yards on the higher ground
Squally showers: 2
Muddy stretches walked: 1
Steep bits walked: 0
Cattle grids: 2
Gates: 3
Stiles: 15
Dogs passed with care: 7
People passed: 3
Sore ribs: 1

St Gabriels Loop

The medium loop of 4.44 miles.

Detours

St Gabriels detour

Just had another look at the route map, and there’s two detours away from the coast path on the run back. The first one is on the run down from Golden Cap where the route cuts inland for a bit, presumably to avoid the cliff edge I was running next to this morning! I’ll have to try and work this route out next time I go that way.

Westhay detour

The other detour I kind of knew about. The route runs past Westhay Farm and then zig-zags up on to the Smuggler’s Path. Not sure why they do this, the coastal path is ok at this point.

These two detours added together will probably cost me about five minutes, plus I’ve realised that the missing loop between the school and Stonebarrow is longer than the loop I added on today, so my revised estimate at current fitness is now 1h 45m to 1hr 50m.

The Story So Far

The Charmouth Challenge course is basically a loop from the school running along inland to Golden Cap then back along the coast path. For training purposes it’s ideal as I can divide it up into any number of loops of any length.

Recently, I’ve been starting from the National Trust car park at the top of Stonebarrow, and running a small loop over to Chardown Hill, cutting directly down to the coast, then back up Stonebarrow. This short loop took me 32m 15s on Monday. I reckon it’s about one third distance, taking in probably the easiest of the three ascents. I can run it all except for the steps from the Smugglers Path up to near the top of Stonebarrow. From now on I’ll just refer to this run as the Stonebarrow Loop.

Last Friday I did a longer run. Stonebarrow, Chardown Hill, then over to Norchard Farm and down to St Gabriels before coming back along the coast and up Stonebarrow again. (St Gabriels Loop). Time was 49m 41s. Didn’t feel any harder than the shorter runs which was good. So a bit further, but still only one real hill. I say real hill because the coast path does go up and down a lot between the major climbs.

So the plan is to run Monday and Friday for now. I intend to add Golden Cap into my run this Friday, cold permitting!