Exploring a new direction

Back to true exploring this week, as my long run took me in a new direction, by which I mean running southwards, into the centre of Devon rather than east-west along the coast. Living so close to the North Devon shore, it has been natural to run along the sea line but this week my running partner and I took a turn downwards, across the heart of the county towards Dartmoor.

We ran from Bideford to nearly Okehampton and back again. Looking at the map afterwards I was impressed by just how much of the countryside we had covered- almost half of the entire length of Devon, which means if we had run in a point-to-point route instead of turning around we could have run from coast to coast. Devon is the only county in England with two coastlines and we could have run from one to the other; from the Bristol Channel to the English Channel. I find that so satisfying! And it's given me an idea for another mission to do after doing the whole of the coastal path through North Devon. If I had ran the width and length of the land I think I would really be able to say I had run-explored in Devon.

Spring marathons or autumn?

On my run today, whilst being blasted with gale force wind and stopping to pick out bits of dust that kept being blown in my eye, I started reminiscing about training during the summer. Last year when I was training for Athens I did the bulk of the work during the long days in July and August, when I could head out for a run at any time that was convenient and always knew what to wear (i.e. something cool). Now, whilst the weather has given us some amazing runs lately (see my photos below for evidence!), these last twelve weeks of training for London have been much harder going, and harder to stay motivated for. Who wants to head out when it's cold, wet and windy? I never know what to wear on long runs because it fluctuates so much between sunny and sub-zero, and my runs have been affected by gales, hail, slippery roads, floods, snow, and having to plan routes around well-lit areas on dark winter's nights. Thinking back over it, I think autumn marathons will be the way forward for me in the future. There is something about a sunny day that makes me feel excited to go on a long run, hell I'll do it just for an excuse to be outdoors, so my training over the summer goes more smoothly, but in the gloomy days of February I sometimes found it hard to even get going.

I also remember how hot it has been on occasions when I've been to watch the London marathon. If there is a heatwave on the day (which is apparently likely for this year too, yikes!) then it seems to me you get the worst of both worlds with spring marathons- slogging through training in the miserable cold and then risking your performance and health in the heat on the actual race day. At least if there is a heatwave while you are training in the summer you can choose to run in the coolest part of the day, but in a race there is no escape.

We're still a month away from the marathon, but as you can see, I like to get my excuses in early!

Yes it's Running Photography!

My training is now taking me all over the North Devon coastline, and by the end of the summer I have vowed to have run the entire length of the county, not all at once of course!
Here, for posterity, are some pics from recent runs:

(top to bottom: Morte point towards Lee; leaving Saunton; Looking back to Woolacombe)

Girls vs Boys!

Those sporty types at Nike + have issued a new running challenge; girls versus boys for one month to see who can clock up the most miles. One of the things I like most about the whole Nike + system is being able to see all the miles you have run add up on your computer and go towards your grand total, so I love the idea of seeing who can complete the most. I thought the girls would be in with a chance too, not just because many girls I know are good at going the distance whereas the boys are more often all about the speed (insert your own joke here.....), but because Nike opened the challenge to women first so that there would be time for more girls to register.

However despite these efforts, when I went to sign up for the women's team, the men's team was still waaaay bigger, meaning they will probably win based on sheer numbers. So I joined the challenge, keen to help show those boys who's boss, but disappointingly I then found that my contribution to the challenge will not be recorded because my Nike + plug in for my ipod has spontaneously died. I had stopped using it lately and something seems to have affected the sensor, so the girls will have to go on without me. I still think it's a great idea and a good way to motivate runners. Whether running or not, everyone can become fans of the team on facebook to help support them so please join in here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nike-Team-Women/123214320025

The swift half

Yesterday was my longest run since Athens, as I took part in the Bideford Half-Marathon. It was a good race, with a picturesque course and lovely supporters, although now that 24 hours have passed my lingering memory is not the actual race but the delicious homemade cakes available at the finish!

The start was rather underwhelming, with the line set up in a car park facing away from the quay. But the finish more than made up for it, showing that the course had clearly been designed with the end in mind rather than the beginning. There were some hills in the first half, but after mile 7 it was basically flat all the way home. The sun was shining the whole time, which added to the pretty scenery along the river and the general holiday atmosphere that seemed to have taken over the town as people turned out to watch the race.

I was not aiming for any particular time but got round in 2 hours 9 minutes, which is not far off my personal best for a half, so I came away very pleased, and still feeling that I had some life left in my legs. Enough in fact for a bit of a sprint finish for the last 100m!