RUN 249 - Hello humidity!

How fitting to return to the place of my first blog post, 248 posts ago... its comforting to know these places, to know they have always been here, and continue on without me, each place feels like an old friend i haven't seen in a while, or a best friend that i always hang out with.  Catching up with them again is a beautiful thing.

[Oak Brook, IL, USA]

RUN 248 - Post Stag

From 32 mile to just one... like i said, every run has its purpose, sometimes its simply to make it a mile, sweat our a hangover and to try and kick a hangover... im certain it helps... especially in the beautiful New Forest of England.



[New Forest, England]

RUN 247 - 32m for Japan

Every run is for a reason, they're usually selfish if were honest.  Occasionally we get the opportunity to do what we love and help other people out too.  www.justgiving.com/hike-for-japan was one of those occasions.  Setting a challenge tougher than you honestly think you can achieve is really the only challenge worth setting, and must be the definition of a challenge.  If you have no doubt you cannot enjoy your success.  I ran and hiked 16m + 16m along Beachy Head in England today, and my friends and i raised over $2000 for relief efforts in Japan, you can still give at the link above, many thanks!



[The undulating chalky south coast of England]

RUN 246 - Perfect Putney

One last time along the river, a suspiciously perfect day to run, almost like London is stating its case, i'm trading these tidal river banks and tow paths for a shoreline of another sort on another continent.  The only comfort is that they've been here for hundreds or years and will be there for me anytime i need them.



[Putney Bridge on the River Thames]

RUN 245 - Must stretch more!

Sometime i wonder if there's a natural universe conspiring against me, giving me shin splints at the most perfect moment to encounter the beautiful world around me, hobbling along stubbornly i catch this most beautiful view, how else would i ever have found myself here; what better reason to run?



[Battersea Power station, London]

RUN 244 - Look

Running through the city, you spend a good proportion of that time looking at the ground; watching your footing; the closest i've come to rolling an ankle has been on kerbs rather than cross country... im an observant person, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded to truly look at the world around you, especially while running, there is so much more to see if you look past the obvious.

RUN 243 - Run 'till you catch the sun

Chasing the sunset home from work, seems so simple, run till you catch the sun.  Like the Thames or Lake Michigan, its a powerful larger than life running companion which inspires greatness and mocks petty complaints of fatigue.

RUN 242 - The Banks of the Thames

This spot on the banks of the Thames near Kew Gardens is fast becoming my regular turn around spot on my weekend longer runs, about 8 miles from home its a good hours run which feels even better as each step i take is one i know i'll have to take home making a 16+ mile run.  Im not precious about training or timing anymore, ill happily sit and enjoy the view and its infinite detail before heading home, there is so much more to running that the physical fitness it brings, i don't ever want to forget that.

[Low tide, but coming in fast!]

RUN 241 - The perfect run

A run doesn't get any better than this... 10+ miles through unexplored countryside from my parents house to visit my nan, going off my usual route to explore a little more, getting 'lost' and picking a new direction to run somewhere familiar again, discovering a small stream and following it, across varied terrain grass mud and hills through forests... and waiting at the end a happy face pleased to see me and a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea.

[no idea how i found this stream, but it took me home]

RUN 240 - No Swimming

After 10 miles along the beautiful south bank of the Thames in 75 degree sun heading towards Richmond from the city, the only thing i want to do is jump in that water and swim... not ever going to happen though, killer currents and bacteria... 

RUN 239 - Tide racing

The turning point of my preferred run route going west along the Thames, regardless of the time of day, the tide is always there.  The power of it is inspiring, and the effect is obvious, always plainly revealed on the return run, i like feeling part of a bigger world, having something to put ones efforts into perspective always gives me strength and confidence to complete them and push harder.

RUN 238 - Regular Route

Home to work or vice versa, its a regular route which lets me avoid public transport (but not the public!) it provides the perfect transition from one part of life to another, combined with the physical exercise, its a mental break between the two which i maintain helps me be better at both of them.

[Central St Giles, Renzo Piano]

RUN 237 - Back on the Thames again

Having been away for a while its good to be back to a familiar place, sometimes that familiarity is encouraging, other times distracting, especially on a challenging run, being reminded how much further there is to go, and how much more i'll be asking of myself can be a difficult mental struggle, but inevitably at some point that changes in my favor and becomes comforting.  

RUN 236 - The Corniche, Abu Dhabi

Business travel is not always as glamorous as it seems, there often are not opportunities to see the places you're visiting and working in... running is a great excuse to explore... the Corniche is like Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, a road, park, boulevard, beach along the waterfront.  Abu Dhabi isn't the most beautiful place in the UAE, but still a beautiful place to run.

[The Corniche Waterfront of Abu Dhabi]

RUN 235 - Greve in Chianti, Tuscany

It doesn't get much more idyllic than the rolling Tuscan countryside! an early start on a frosty spring morning exploring the hillsides, surprising a pack of dogs and not getting mauled, trying to keep the blood flowing to my frozen fingertips and wishing id brought gloves... none of it matters when the world is this beautiful!

[The countryside around a stunning Tuscan B&B]

RUN 234 - Rome, Italy

Take the chance to explore a little further and trust your instincts, run with a flexible plan and you'll never be disappointed, i always seem to discover a natural climax on runs like today at the top of a hilly Roman public park.



[A perfectly roman public scene]

RUN 233 - Rome, Italy

Being away from home is exciting as a runner, every step will be something new and unfamiliar, you're guaranteed to be surprised and delighted... its also a great way to scout out places to return to, like this hilltop cafe view hidden away near our hotel in Rome.

[A Roman hilltop view]

RUN 232 - 1940s dress design sketches in South Ken.

Even in the city there are always beautiful interesting things to see, and you see so much more when running... there may not always be beautiful vistas, sun rises over impossibly large lakes or the banks of a powerful river, but make the effort to open your eyes and you'll see so much more.

[40's dress designs in a Knightsbridge shop window]

RUN 231 - London drizzle is a runners friend

I'm actually more of a 'poor weather' runner, i love the challenge that weather presents, snow, ice wind, rain... i love sunny day runs too, but its hard to keep cool... a drizzly day is fine by me too.



[Got to watch your step though]

RUN 230 - Post run Rooftop

Running A-B is always so much more satisfying; home to work or vice versa, every step is a step closer to your destination and is filled with a little more confidence.  It translates more directly to our life experiences, and reminds me that so long as we have a direction, a destination or a purpose, make every step a step towards that place and no matter how much you tire, you can draw strength from the knowledge that you're making progress.

[West London skyline from our roof]

RUN 229 - R&R along the Thames path to Battersea Park

Sometimes everything just works out perfectly, today was absolutely one of those days; a gentle breeze, cool air, slightly drizzly but not raining, just enough to keep the fair weather walkers and runners off the Thames path, but to top it all my wife decided to get out her bike and join me for an hour or two! running has always been a quite selfish indulgent pastime for me, one which is mine to enjoy and explore and reflect, to give me balance.  My running isn't about physical fitness; i'm not the fastest, or most efficient, and certainly don't follow a strict runners diet, but i enjoy every step i take, its never a chore, i allow myself to enjoy and experience the places it takes me, even the smallest details of perhaps the most seemingly mundane place.  Its a wonderful chance to observe the places we live and visit and be part of them.  But to share these beautiful places and moments of chance encounter with the woman i love are an even greater joy.

[Flowers blooming in Battersea Park]

RUN 228 - Capture the moment

I always run with my iphone, its useful if i get a little lost, or to call someone i'm meeting or who expects me, but mainly i carry it for the chance to capture a moment.  I have 5/6 main routes either to or from work or around our home, the route is repeated time after time, but the experience of it is entirely different on every occasion, with the weather, the season, time or day, the people who share the moment or the things taking place... the local authority trimmed the trees back along the south bank, felled a few too... this log obviously rolled down the bank of the river having been cut at low tide... this angle and composition screamed out to me as i ran by... the stump in the foreground, the log on the beach and the river beyond...when the tide returns to collect the log, this image will be gone forever.

[sometimes the images scream out to be captured]

RUN 227 - Every step is a history lesson

Every step is a history lesson in this city, relics of the past are everywhere, often re purposed, preserved or simply allowed to deteriorate.  This proud forgotten relic has served its useful purpose many years ago, and now stands to intrigue or be ignored.

[I have no idea of its purpose and almost prefer to keep it that way]

RUN 226 - Stop and look

RUN 225 - Chinatown

Its tough not to try and take this picture every time i pass through, its the glamorous celebration of the entrance to Chinatown, equally interesting are the side streets and back alleys which propel this machine

[the grand entrance serves as a distraction to what lies beyond]

RUN 224 - Take a break, stretch it out

A slower start to today run home, tight muscles from yesterday and still recovering from Angleseys marathon, not surprising really. Stretching when traffic holds me up really helps and reminds me that it's ok to stop when racing too, it's not all about pushing pushing relentlessly, stopping or walking doesn't not equal failure, it indicates awareness of an intelligent runner, to modify form, pace or to rest or stretch when necessary, all of which will in fact get you to the finish faster than simply plodding stubbornly on. Finished really strongly and confident to pick up pace [7m - 01:01:57]

[Stretch it out after running the first mile or so]

RUN 223 - Routine Commitment

After 5 coastal marathons in a little over a year I feel the need to find a new challenge, I love the rhythm of off road running, the variation in pace and the muscle control required to navigate undulating unsteady terrain is both challenging and satisfying. By comparison it makes road running almost monotonous, city street running still requires concentration and dodging pedestrians, which breaks up the rhythm, I'm not sure how I feel about returning to traditional marathoning. However I do want to work on my pace and finish time, my recent marathons and shorter road races indicate a 3-3.5hr finish time is possible, which I'd love to work towards... I

think I'm going to look for a autumn road marathon and in the meantime get back to my road roots and half marathon speed work  [7m - 1:01:34]

[The slow walk to stretch out at the end]

.

RUN 222 - Coastal Trail Series Stage 5; Anglesey North Wales

The challenge of the Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series is hard to describe; at its simplest its a marathon around the coast of the UK somewhere, but that doesn't tell the whole story.  First of all, you usually discover at mile 26 that the course is a couple miles longer! and technically then an ultra.  Secondly the terrain is intense, every single footfall requires complete concentration to prevent a twisted ankle or literally falling off a cliff, not to mention being knee deep in muddy bogs with soaking wet feet, and i haven't even got to the climbing or elevation change yet! seriously, who puts a mountain at the beginning and end of a marathon+!?  However, these are precisely the reasons that i love this series and continue to enter them, this was my 5th in a little over a year.  The scenery is stunning, and there is simply no other way to see these places in this amount of time.  I've always met the most interesting and inspiring people; a guy from Thailand flew in especially for this race, as did two brothers from France in their first ever marathon (they set a great pace, but fell back with some minor injuries) plus a girl in her 20's who stormed past me carrying a 30-40lb backpack and a smile, with kind words of encouragement, and there are always first timers at the pre-race briefing who become the butt of lighthearted jokes about early injury, but always seem to make it through.  The challenge is massive, and there is no hiding in the crowds, a 100 or so people strung out across 26+ miles is very different to a big city race with tens of thousands.

As for my own race, i was worried, i hadn't trained and id had back problems in the previous months, i had no idea how i'd cope, but i've succeed before when i thought i couldn't, and i know how to tap into that confidence which lets me succeed.  I have a loving wife at the finish line who i call during the race and who always says the right thing, and never tells me to stop!  my early pace was really steady, and fast considering the first few miles included the mountain ascent, which we would later face again.  Once into the the middle part of the race i paced myself well, the toughest parts being the short road sections which we occasionally took inland to bypass some impassible feature or cove.  There always seems to be a boggy wetland section around mile 20, just to make sure you're properly soaking wet, today was no exception, that's where i met our friend from Thailand who was also making his way through knee deep.  Pushing through to the 'finish' with the mountain in the distance, i started to realise the course was probably longer than 26.2 ... i arrived at the base of the mountain well before the safety cut off of 1530 after which they would divert runners around.  The guy at the bottom told me "just a mile to go" i had about 20 minutes to get to the finish and come in under 5hrs, doable! accept that mile to go was actually two; one up the mountain, and one down! ... literally climbing on hands and knees with burning thighs from already running a marathon distance, i crossed the line in 5hs 24mins and as always delighted to have finished, i came in 61st of 103 runners.

If you've red my other Coastal Trail Series blogs, or ever heard of 'Endurancelife', and you're a runner, sign up for any of their events, they're the most professionally organised i've ever run, and always really fun people to be around!

[Caught by surprise by one of the cameramen]

[A look back at the coastline i've just run]

[Beautiful and dangerous sections through the first half]


[Approaching the top of the mountain to complete mile 27 and begin the descent to the finish]

RUN 221 - A Bear window

Like most people who spend a few years at university followed by professional training, I've moved around a lot, between cities and within them. Renting and relocating is exciting as you get to reinvent yourself and explore new places, running is a constant but the places you run change every time, even the same routes vary with the weather, seasons and people.  I've struggled recently with my run/life balance, but I'm ready now to recommit to it and its documentation here.  2011 is about to kick off fast for me this weekend with my first marathon in anglesey north wales, its another of the endurance life coastal runs which I was running last year, this is a new course, level 3 (severe) which is the same as Portland, I'm apprehensive as I always am, but know I'm experienced enough to manage the race, I'm looking forward to meeting new people also crazy enough to run a marathon in north wales in january and to it kickstarting my 2011 season of running and blogging.

[Bear window display]

RUN 220 - Setting goals

Setting a goal provides a challenge and establishes parameters for success, it mentally prepares me to settle into a pace and commit to the success of the run.  Its good practice for race day, I like to have a race plan which I memorize and visualize myself completing.

[Beautiful but stinky too]

RUN 219 - East/West city running

A to B is entirely different from B to A, city commute running can provide a much more varied running experience than weekend long runs which I typically head to the river trail for.  Dodging the pedestrians and watching out for cars requires a level of attention which more relaxed longer runs does not, it’s actually good experience for the coastal trail marathons which require very precise feet placement, acceleration, deceleration, navigating narrow paths and avoiding obstacles… there are plenty of 10-15 storey staircases in the Tube system too to mimic those hill climbs!

[street art in the east end]

RUN 218 - West/East regular route

This is now easily my most regular run route across the city, longer than my regular weekday runs used to be, it helps to keep my mileage up when I don’t have the time for longer weekend runs.

No idea what this arcade is on Picadilly, will probably never go in]

RUN 217 - Wintery London day

Something about the weather makes running so much more exciting, it’s a massive factor every time you step outside the door, figuring out what to wear can make a run great or terrible if you get it wrong.  That’s probably why I like days like today, I can tolerate the cold pretty well, the added challenge of rain or snow just makes it more exciting for me, the tougher a run and the more varied the experience the better equipped I feel to take on the next run.  Although I probably need to work on my warm weather running… that still causes me the most problems!

[a rare chance to run in snow in London]