RUN 94 - English Countryside

I set off today with map in hand to navigate through the South Gloucester countryside on an 11/12m run which i planned out on mapmyrun.com and checked out on Google Earth. A mix of pavements, roads, grassy verges, fields and muddy lanes... i decided on wearing the road shoes; should have gone with the trail shoes, but it was a pretty even split. I'm finding it very important to constantly check my footing when off road, something i haven't had to think about in my training and racing before. One wrong placement could easily twist an ankle and that would be it. It isn't affecting my pace though which I'm pleased with, although i can feel a greater level of effort required for the same distance. Today's run was beautiful, weather was perfect, the roads were a little busy, but i was amazed how polite and courteous driver were, I'd forgotten that. The rhythm is different too, heavier shoes, carrying a camelbak or more water than I'm used to, and a greater degree of elevation change, i can feel more muscle groups being worked and i feel like I'm working harder, but I'm enjoying the effort, and feel capable and confident. I need more off road experience ideally so i need to work on planning running routes more carefully than I'm used to. [10.79m - 1:28:29 - 08:36/m]

[Wales & old Severn Bridge]

RUN 93 - Hello England!

Safely back in our other home with my family after 6 years of living, working and marrying(!) in Chicago, my wife and I are staying with my family for a while until we get settled in London. Jet lag seems to have escaped me somehow, so after arriving yesterday and waking up this morning at the reasonable hour of 8am, i pulled on my trail shoes, my mum got her bike out and she showed me around the local lanes and fields. An easy 4 miler has me back on training schedule and i feel ready to plan out tomorrows long run! [4.01m - 32:35 - 08:07/m]

[Open space at the top of a small hill, Bradley Stoke, Bristol]

RUN 92 - Cheerio Chicago

So this is my last Chicago run for a little while, my wife and I are moving to England today. Chicago is a runners dream city, miles of uninterrupted track along lake shore drive, every season as much as every day offers a new challenge. We have many family and friends in Chicago, runners and non-runners, well be back many more times to run many more miles in this beautiful city. For now, a new page is turning in our lives, were excited to move to London, another great city to be close to long missed friends and family, and to run the streets of London, it's royal parks, and the great English coast and countryside, to face up to many new challenges and to enrich our lives... I hope you'll follow us there...

[Lake Michigan, Chicago @ Granville]

RUN 91 - Run/Life balance

Life challenges and decisions ca make scheduling everything you want to accomplish into 24hrs or 7 days extremely difficult, either you compromise, prioritise or sacrifice. i lean towards the last two generally and push myself to make time for the things in life which i know will make me happy. If you read this blog, you know that's running, but while organising our life and packing to move to another country, the demands can be great, and I've had to adjust running's priority this last week. It also means elevating the priority of taking a phone call from an important friend during a run. Being content with these decisions is key to remaining content and happy. [2.14m-16:40-07:47/m]

[A favorite stretch of South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago]

RUN 90 - New Challenges

I've started to mix serious off road trail runs with trail shoes and a camelbak into my schedule, there are limited places in the city to train but there are, beaches, gravel, grass and hills (well grassy mounds) to run around rocks to climb over and the challenge of the transition from regular marathoning is exhilarating! I feel like I'm learning and growing with each run the success of which is a massive motivator. My wife and I are moving back to England this month where i'll be able to take my training to a whole new terrain, which im really excited about. [5.01m-40:40-08:07/m]

[Autumn colors in Chicago]

RUN 88 - Priority & Patience

Long runs can't be rushed they need to be paced without pressure of time, you have to prioritise the time spent running to allow yourself to fall into a natural rhythm. Which is just what i was able to do today on my longest training run since my St Louis Marathon of last year. Chicago gave me a beautifully perfect calm autumn day, and i had my entire morning open to pace myself. With only the thought of each 8 minutes passing, and the weather on my side, the miles tick by almost effortlessly, controlling patience is an important skill. [18.0m-2:28:38-08:15/m]

[Chicago Skyline across the Outer Harbor]

RUN 87 - Making time

Finding time even in bad weather makes the commitment to running a real challenge, the time demands of training are huge, but i know the pay off is just as large. Running when it seems like the least likely of occasions can be the most rewarding if you can push through the challenges. Today wind and driving rain presented that challenge. Its one that i enjoy facing up to, testing myself and training in poor conditions to build on experience in preparation for racing. [7.04m-58:48-08:20/m]

[Lake Shore Drive run after dark]

RUN 86 - Trail Running

I took my running off road today with new trail running shoes and a 10lb Camelbak in preparation for the coastal trail series beginning in December. I always run with my Garmin Forerunner 301, tracking my pace and heart rate, but i know myself well enough now that i can pace myself without it, from 6:15/m to 7:15/m to 8:15/m... Trail running is going to be different, the rhythm and challenges aren't the same, especially carrying a Camelbak. I need to find my pace, but it felt great to have the right shoes and equipment to be completely free to run wherever i wanted to, I'm really looking forward to this series. Check my 2009/2010 schedule for races and links to the respective Endurancelife websites. [4.82m-45:31-09:26/m]

[Trail running on Lake Shore Drive]

RUN 85 - Runners rule OK!

I was fortunate enough today to run a small portion of the Chicago Marathon with a friend and her fellow running partners, who all ran supporting AIDS Foundation. Their team spirit, camaraderie and dedication was inspiring! These amazing women worked together and enjoyed every mile as much as possible even through the pain, I left them at mile 17 looking slightly weary but strong! I'm jealous of the awesome feeling of accomplishment they will shortly feel; as every runner knows, when they cross that finish line!

[Mile 16, 2009 Bank of America, Chicago Marathon]

RUN 84 - Free Thinking

There are times running, especially on long runs at night, where i might encounter only a handful of other people, which is amazing in a city of 3+ million people. Spending hours moving along alone you can get a lot of thinking done, or sometimes I'll allow my mind to wander freely trying not to let my conscious mind debate or analyse any issue topic or idea that comes to mind; letting it flow in and out at its own pace sometimes allows me to honestly connect with those thoughts and dreams. [14.22m-02:05:41-08:51/m]

[Chicago Harbor, Chicago USA]

RUN 83 - Nature's power motivates

The power of the weather is an awe inspiring motivator, so much so that it's sometimes hard to not stop for too long taking it all in. The power in the wind and the waves is amazing, and although makes you feel insignificant by comparrison, its uncompromising limitless strength also stirs a sense of possibility in my running. [3.2m-26:22-08:15/m]

[Promontary Point, Hyde Park, Chicago]

RUN 82 - Running Mad

Sometimes i just have to run; just as sometimes i might say i 'need' a drink... or perhaps a smoker 'needs' a cigarette. I'm not talking about addiction, I'm talking about the confidence you have in the outcome of a particular action or activity. The knowledge that completing a run will channel built up negative energy, tension or stress is a powerful support system to deal with life. [6.38m-52:18-08:12/m]

[43rd Street Bridge @ Lake shore Drive]

RUN 81 - mental strength

I've found that just as the mind plays tricks on me to make me stop running, i can do the same to build mental strength... organising a run from point A-B so that there is no choice but to complete the run home, simulating the scenario of a race to stimulate the same strength and resilience you find when racing. It's interesting to experience the different mental challenges, which vary greatly depending on the type of run route, A-B, A-A etc. [4.55m-36:36-08:02/m]

[Storm clouds brewing over Chicago]

RUN 80 - learning to run

How can you ever discover what you're truly capable of unless you try? Running is like studying, you have to teach your body and mind the skills necessary to compete or complete a goal. Just as you would never try and take an examination without studying, running a marathon or any race without training would be futile, the training is where all the hard work is done, if you've trained hard and long enough the racing will come naturally. [4.0m-42:04-08:43/m]

[Sunrise over Lake Michigan]

RUN 79 - Confidence & Support

So much of running is about confidence, confidence in your ability, reassured by your training and reassured by the people in your life. Their attitude towards your passion for running (if you truly care what they think) can have an important affect, boosting or diminishing your confidence. At some point in every challenging run your mind is tested just as the body is, to succeed you need the honest and sincere encouragement of those you care for. [6.0m-46:26-07:44/m]

[East Lagoon Brideg Street Light, Chicago USA]

RUN 78 - Peace & Solitude

Even in a city of millions you can find peace and solitude, running south today from the heart of the city along the shores of Lake Michigan; encountering literally no more than a handful of other people, the contrast is obvious leaving the hustle and bustle of the Loop, all the while the calming constant mirror like surface of the lake stays with me, its gentleness setting a pensive powerful mood as i push through a run made difficult by less than ideal preparation. [7.90m–01:06:48–08:27/m]

[Lake Michigan, Chicago USA]

RUN 77 - Identity

Running alone on a chilly windy trail is probably good practise for what's to come over the next six months. I'll be moving from a global city of dedicated runners to a country of equal dedication; but in a region of relative running seclusion, while I expect the sense of community will diminish, the opportunity to reconnect with my own identity as a runner will flourish. [4.0m-30:23–07:36/m]

[Autumn, Chicago, USA]