More hills

Following my previous post about running up hills, this afternoon I am recovering from the effects of a major hill session in my training plan, and loving it!

I ran 2 miles from Winchester to a steep(ish) hill in a country park and ran 9 sets of sprinting up the hill for 1 minute followed by jogging back down. By the 8th set I was feeling a bit sick, but I persevered and as a result felt like I had worked harder than I have for a while in a solo training sesh. The problem normally is that I drift off whilst running alone and enjoy just looking at the scenery or mulling over my thoughts, so find that I am just plodding along for miles and miles. Which is mostly fine, because I enjoy it, but completing a structured session like hill sprints makes me more focused and spices things up a bit. Hopefully these sessions will soon see me on my way to conquering those hills!

A head for heights

My first race of the new year today, and the first time I've entered a running race in North Devon. The event was the Braunton 10m road race, a challenging route on country lanes between Braunton and Barnstaple and quite a shock to the system after several weeks of plodding through my training plan. The race experience could be summed up thus: an endless succession of thigh-burning hills during which you choose between walking for a while or your lungs bursting out of your chest, a couple of miles pleasant jog with fabulous views, then suddenly a glimpse of the end to take you by surprise and a fast downhill finish.

What I learnt from today's race was that I need to do more practise on hills. I'm not used to such extreme inclines, and even the sharp descents felt jarring, but the race today reminded me that incoporating more hills into training routes can be rewarding. The incredible views on reaching the top provided one incentive, but I also quite liked the increased challenge the course provided. I ran 10 miles last weekend too but on a flatter route and didn't feel nearly as satisfyingly tired afterwards as I do today and I know tomorrow I'll feel that I have earned having a rest day.

The race itself was brilliantly organised, with clear markers, lots of marshalls and two drinks stations, although the first one after just 2.5 miles felt a little premature. There seemed to be a good range of runners taking part from speedy to straggly, and a nice crowd waiting at the end. And as an extra bonus, as I passed the finish line I was handed a voucher for marks and spencers as a 'spot prize' which, for someone who is never going to get a real prize at an atheltic event, made me feel very chuffed. More places should have random gift giving I say!

The Blustery Day

OK, the really blustery day was yesterday, when the evening brought gale-force winds to our part of the world and in our living room we could hardly hear anything over the noise of the wind and rain, but this morning I still experienced a fair bit of a breeze on my run and started thinking about running in the wind: How much does it affect your performance? I know that a blustery day is probably my least favourite condition to run in - give me a downpour any day over running against a stiff breeze. Of course, it's ok if you are running with the wind, but when you are against it and your clothes are flapping around, your hair blowing in your face and the resistance is making you work harder for your mileage it's not good.

Unfortunately my favoured routes for long(ish) distances are all along the waterfront, where the wind is most severe. When I heard the gales last night I initially thought I might put off my run today, but this morning was bright and clear and the only trees I could see from my window didn't seem to be thrashing about too wildly, so I set off for my 10 miles and it was only when I crossed the bridge over the river that the full extent of the bluster became apparent. Although it's a terrible picture above, you might just be able to see how much the wind was moving the water about. I did a pretty lousy time for this run, my longest distance since Athens, and have decided the wind is a good excuse for it feeling so hard.

Secret Weapon

I have been meaning to write about this for a while but have never been quite sure whether it is just too deeply unsexy, and therefore off-putting to read about. However, over the last few days I have been using this product more than ever and it has reminded me it is about time I gave the makers my thanks! What I am talking about is a tool to tackle the dreaded runner's affliction of chafing. Recent wet runs in many layers of clothings (and perhaps some extra layers of post-Christmas blubber) have given me a reccurence of sports-bra rubbage and it is time to unveil my secret weapon:

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. This pot is full of a slippery, shiny, substance that, as the name suggests, is really quite like butter. Slathered on skin under straps it could help them glide more easily, but its main talent seems to be healing. I have found putting it on raw areas heals them up in just a day or so and relieves itching, whilst feeling and smelling far more pleasant than vaseline, and looking much more dignified than carrying a huge tub of the latter around with you!

Jogging Photography

Recently I went to see the film 'Yes Man' with Jim Carrey (that's the film starring Carrey, not him munching popcorn next to me!) and I keep finding myself thinking about it when I'm running. You see, in the film Carrey's love interest (played by Zooey Deschanel) leads a 'jogging photography' class, where a motley crew of unlikely runners meet at 6am to jog around a park with these huge cameras and snap what they see. At one point they even host an exhibition of the resulting photos.

The reason I keep thinking about this is that so often when I'm out running I see something that makes me wish I had my camera on me. The other day it was a beautiful sunset over the frozen river, today a family of rabbits spaced out along the footpath like a relay team. There are so many scenes which we runners are privileged to stumble across, and having a pictorial record of these sights could be really neat. Even though in the film it was obviously designed to show how quirky and Deschanel's oddball character is, it really makes me want to build my own collection of runner's photographs- who knows, maybe I'll even start my own oddball club!

A Wintery Scene

Today, for the first time in a while I felt like an explorer on my run. The winter weather has transformed the scenery on one of my favourite routes and it was like running through unknown territory again. I ran a 6 mile there-and-back course along the river front and couldn't believe my eyes. Everything was grey and white; the sparse wintery trees and vegetation were iced with frost, and there were huge islands of ice along the water. With flocks of sea-birds resting on the floating ice and the only colour coming from the orange sun sitting low in the grey sky, I felt like I was setting out on an arctic voyage. Of course the sting of the freezing cold air across my cheeks and the numbness of my fingers did nothing to destroy this impression either.

Unfortunately I was so distracted by the landscape and my daydreams of arctic adventures that I trod in some dog poo. But I guess every expedition has it's mishaps.

The best time to run

It's amazing how your body gets used to a routine. I used to always run in the morning before eating breakfast, maybe just having some orange juice or a cup of tea before going, and enjoyed coming back and getting ready for the day with warmed-up legs. But then I moved to Devon and had more time during the day so I started running a couple of hours after breakfast or in the early evening and now when I try to run in the early morning everything feels wrong. I feel stiff at the start and light-headed after only a couple of miles so never feel like I am getting the most out of my runs. 'Proper' training runs like interval training or long runs have to be done at the 'right' time, that my body has gotten used to running at, or they tend to be disappointing.

But what is really the right time to run? Some people swear by running first thing and others would rather do it late at night. I have heard some reports that gym-goers are better in the afternoon when base body-temp is higher, and other reports that it is better to do sport in the morning to boost your metabolism for the rest of the day. Having been attempting early morning runs for the past week or so whilst away, I definitely have enjoyed the sense of achievement from getting it out of the way before everyone else is up and about. It certainly makes me feel less lazy! But then there is also something nice about donning your running gear at the end of a long day and using the run to get troubles out of your system or digest the day's events. I guess the answer is whatever fits in with your schedule best, as it is better to exercise at anytime than not at all, but what's really interesting is how you so quickly adapt to running at different times and get set in your ways. I wonder how much of it is psychological, and whether by persevering with early runs for a few more days I can reverse my routine and become one of those sprightly morning runners...

Control

It has now been two weeks since I have posted anything, and I have started to feel increasingly guilty with every missed day, which is a little ridiculous as I am writing this blog for fun, not to follow orders! But I was starting to feel generally unsatisfied about not posting anything, and I think it was largely due to having a lack of control over what I was doing. You see, I have been a guest in someone else's house and didn't feel able to even make a cup of tea according to my own whims. I don't like going for so long without being in control of when I can write and when I can run. I have (of course, since London is only 16 weeks away!) been doing some running in the last two weeks, but I have had to get up early and run before everyone else was up and before the day started being planned out for me or my ability to exercise started being dictated by heavy (social) meals. I suppose the loss of control is also partly because of the festive season interrupting day-to-day routines, and also the collecting together of different people who all have their own needs and ideas, but I can't wait to start being selfish again and training when I want to!

But I'm home now and about to start my new training plan for London, so there will be plenty of running-exploring to come.