RUN 170 - Bank holiday Sunday post-marathon jog

Felt very restless this morning, a week after the Exmoor marathon, i guess my mind and body are back in sync and ready to run, it felt good to be moving again, although i could definitely still feel the effects of 5000+ ft of elevation change over the course of that race.  Good to be back on level ground and enjoying the quiet early streets of our neighborhood.  

[A quiet peaceful city morning]

RUN 169 - Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series; Stage 7 - Exmoor

I feel like i should say i faced my most difficult challenge this weekend, running the Endurancelife Marathon (27.1m instead of the usual 26.2!) final stage in the 2010 Coastal Trail Series on Exmoor, England. However, writing this a few days later, with the benefit of heinsight, i'm not so sure. Yes, it was definitely a massive challenge, and after fighting with one particularly massive 900ft(?) hill around mile 17, even the slightest hint of an assent brought my forward progress to a painful crawl. But, i never stopped moving; only to greet my family, take a photo or check in at the official pit stops, if i had to walk i walked up the hills.

Usually in a marathon or any race, time is a reliable measure of improvement, but not here, one race bears absolutely no relation at all to the next. From the freezing rain and driving winds in The Gower (28.2m!), to the ankle twisting rocky paths of Cornwall, to the heat and massive inclines of Exmoor, the series has been absolutely stunning! and i'll definitely be signing up for some of the new course next year, i'd definitely recommend you do too. Regardless of what kind of runner you are, theres a course for you, 10k, half or full marathon. Forget pace, just run and enjoy the stunning scenery. The Endurancelife people do an amazing job organizing the events, as good as any big city world renowned marathon.

With that said, am i a converted road runner? am i a trail runner now? no, if i wasn't a city dweller, then perhaps, but i wouldn't want to ever limit myself but such a narrow definition. I'm going to switch to some shorter distances over the summer months (i don't do well in heat!) and plan on more marathons in the fall when the weather cools down a little again, (thats the plan at least! we'll see if i stick to my word) and i can hit some of the european city marathons, hopefully all this hill training has improved my physical and mental stamina and i can improve my PB.

[27.1m - 05:48:06 - 12:50/m]

[The first steps of many, and on level ground!]

[Runner Jam in the middle of nowhere, up a 'small' hill!]

[Not your usual marathon route ahead, somewhere out there is the finish]

[Running across the first ridge, after climbing the first hill]

[Stunning views across the Exmoor Coastline, downhill for once!]

RUN 168 - Thames path rediscovered & navigating life's path

Life's journey along this random path of opportunity never ceases to amaze me, patience and in the worlds natural way of righting itself is a difficult thing to live with, but pays dividends in the end. You can never know what might lie in your path around the next bend, good or bad, its how we deal with whats presented to us and having faith ourselves to overcome and move towards the upswing. Running can often be the same, especially in a distance race. My next coastal marathon is this weekend, today's run was beautifully sunny but hotter than I'd prefer. Dealing with that extra factor will elevate what is already a significant challenge, but i have faith in my ability, both mental and physical. I've never finished a race or a run feeling worse than when i started, i know what pain to expect, and i know my wife and parents will be there to pretend I'm looking great even if I'm not, and they'll never tell me i can't do it, and I'll never give up. That feeling of confidence, justified by past performance is a powerful motivator. [3.46m - 28:20 : 08:11/m]

[Bridge carrying the Tube south over the Thames]

RUN 167 - Sound advice from the Eco Village

If life gives you lemons, you better make lemonade. Following the path of least resistance can be more challenging than striving to achieve ones preconceived goals in the face of adversity. An open-mindedness to life opportunities could be social utopia, living out ones natural course as it presents itself to you on life's journey. That however is not a widely accepted way to live in this society, we're expected to identify a goal and work towards it diligently and without compromise, whatever the cost. Success is measured by the effort and sacrifice made to achieve those goals. The question is, is that sacrifice worthwhile? maybe it is, maybe not, hindsight brings answers, but the risk is regret. Be the change you want to see? its a mantra of confidence, dismissive of doubt and weakness, as valuable to the runner in me as in my daily life, but equally difficult to live by. It speaks of effort and dedication, which every runner knows of, and the payback that's forthcoming. Its translation to everyday life is the real challenge. [3.75m - 31:35 - 08:25/m]

[Settlers of an Eco village, an example to us all]

RUN 166 - Malmo, Sweden

When to run? when you feel guilty? because of its scheduled? because you slept well and feel full of energy? ... those are all great times to do so, however nothing like as satisfying as running when you don't want to, when you feel weak and tired, when you've driven in a truck to Sweden helping a friend move countries. Running when it seams most unlikely to do so has always given me back the most unexpected joy. [2.31m - 20:13 - 08:45/m]

[The Turning Turso, Sweden]

RUN 165 - Eve & Gumball 3000

Sometimes I have to run, whether I want to or not, my wife knows when, and she tells me. It always clears my mind, gives me space and perspective and time. First run today in a week after last weeks marathon on the Cornish coast, and only three weeks until next months marathon on Exmoor, my race strategy was much stronger last week, I'm going to work on cross training a little more during these next weeks, build a little more leg and core strength and scale back the mileage since there is only 3 weeks until the race. Today i put in a solid 6 miles or so into the city to catch the Gumball 3000 start from London to New York; saw Michael Madsen, Xibit, Trinity Jade Jagger and Eve, who looked as stunning as the stickered up dream cars about to drive thousands of miles across Europe and North America, all within the speed limit of course. You just never know what or who you're gonna see when you lace up and hit the road. [6.24m - 51:12 - 08:11/m]

[Eve at the Gumball 3000 on Pall Mall]

RUN 164 - Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series Stage 6: Cornwall

The Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series (CTS) just gets more and more amazing! I was lucky enough to run and finish the Marathon course along the west coast of Cornwall today, from St Just, along the coastal path about 13 miles north towards St Ives (where Pirates of the Caribbean is about to start filming) before heading inland through the village of Zennor and across the farmlands back to St Just. Every step threatened to twist an ankle on the rocky terrain, with punishing assents of up to 700ft followed by fast tricky descents to cross rivers, bogs, ancient abandoned tin mines all while avoiding cows, bulls and not getting blown off the cliff into the Atlantic!

The course is tough, single file for much of the first half and tough to overtake without causing injury, but that probably helped me keep pace. I finished faster than both The Gower and Portland in 5hr 24m 49sec, a provisional 47th out of 120 in the marathon. It might not sound like a great finish, but theres no comparison to a road course, in a race where finishing is the goal of most who enter and in a field of massively impressive runners i'm feeling happy and strong, looking forward to testing my endurance in a road race later in the year.

I ran much better without the camelbak, and thanks again to my amazing wife and parents, they kept me fully motivated throughout the course with water, food and cowbells! much to the satisfaction of many of my fellow runners too.

The elevation chart clearly shows this was my toughest course so far, but the path itself was just as challenging, with hardly a single step landing on flat ground the entire way.

I continue to be amazed and inspired by the people i meet; first time marathoners, experienced fell/cross country runners who have tackled the Himalayas, arctic circle and beyond; a cancer survivor running his 130th marathon; and the camaraderie of runners willing to give up their race to help someone injured, i came across just such a pair helping a seriously dehydrated runner limp to the 11mile checkpoint, which was fortunately only a couple of miles away, an air ambulance fly by not long after, hopefully he got out ok. These races are extremely well planned out and managed, the entire day runs like clockwork from my point of view and i can't thank Endurancelife enough for everything they do to create these amazing races, i absolutely recommend any of their events, marathons and longer, or half or 10ks, theres something for everyone.

London marathon is tomorrow, I have to say i wish i was running it, its an entirely different kind of challenge, much more celebratory than the Coastal Series, but i'll always have the satisfaction of knowing what i've achieved today, and as always, i'm massively proud and looking forward to the next ... Exmoor on May 22nd!

[26.2m coastal - 5:24:49 - 12:23/m]

[First major assent up from ruins of a tin mine below]

[The rugged coast of the miles already run behind]

[Some flat ground finally before heading uphill again]

[Typical terrain and another river crossing]

RUN 163 - Pre marathon jog in the park

Running coastal trail marathons doesn't allow me to obsess over time, until i run any of these courses again another year i cant track any progress as each course is so massively different from each other. That does help make 'training' more relaxed, which i like, i run for fun, not for fitness or to achieve any specific goals, i just enjoy doing it. However i cant help wondering now, how fast might i be over a flatter road course, time to find an autumn road marathon. [2.17m - 15:49 - 07:17/m]

[Once around the park in Chiswick]

RUN 162 - Acton Green Common & Carb Loading

Another beautiful day in London, perfect for a light jog around Acton Green Common and back up Chiswick high street, stopped off at the flea market outside Sainsbury's to pick up a few things before heading home. I'm torn in this week before the Cornwall Coastal Marathon, i'm getting more sleep and feel full of energy, the weathers great for running, but i'm 'resting' and loading up on carbs and water, both of which i love. I cut my mileage back by a little more than half in the week before the race, sipping water throughout the day, forcing myself to drink more than i normally do, snacking on fruits, cereals and delicious Cliff bars, which i stocked up on when i was in back in Chicago in February. I'm going to need all the energy i can muster for this race, im finding it harder not to think about my finish times, and wondering what i might be capable of in a road race without 100's or 1000's of feet of elevation change, need to find a flyaway race in September or October! [About 3m - forgot to charge my Garmin]

[Scene of the battle of Turnham Green in 1642]

RUN 161 - Fulham FC, & Ash clouds

The skies are clear, not a single plane in the sky, but no ash cloud visible either! Last long run before next weeks Coastal Trail marathon in Cornwall, its going to be tough and rugged terrain, 1000's of feet of elevation change and; which its been near impossible for me to train for, but i'm feeling confident, strong and fast, fast for me anyway. I need to set a steady pace in the first half and save my energy for the hills of the second half. I look forward to the mental challenge as much as the physical, the chance to prove to myself that i'm capable of doing this. I don't train as hard or as scientifically as i could, i don't want to, i like running, and i want to enjoy every single time i go out, the races provide the drama and chance to test myself. Regardless of everything else in my life, this is entirely down to me and me alone. I'm not racing anyone other than myself. [9.85m - 01:17:37 - 07:52/m]

[A park along the River Thames near Fulham FC]