In the spirit of sharing and in the absence of running to write about, I thought that you might like to see the photo below.  The quality is not to Karen’s standard by any stretch of the imagination (her site is still under construction but will be worth revisiting in a few weeks), but there was no tripod or medium format camera here… just my point-and-shoot, taken through the dining room window, steadied against the window frame.  Please click on the image to see it more clearly.

While I’ve got my wallet out, so to speak, I’d like to recommend the film that we chanced upon last night.

Moonlight Mile is a really thoughtful portrayal of loss and Jake Gyllenhaal, whilst finding his own way, takes the hands of both the viewer and his fellow characters, played by Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Ellen Pompeo, and leads them on a journey to acceptance.  This beautiful film from 2002 will probably bring a tear to your eye whilst the underscoring soundtrack will have your foot tapping merrily away, and I think you’ll be left feeling the richer for having watched it.

This morning dawned sunny and COLD!  Rather than run from Woodingdean, I had arranged to meet Cliff at Falmer and run off-road and since there was virtually no traffic on the road for either of us, we were both standing shivering by about 8.45am… as was the pond, which you can see below was partially frozen.

Pete then turned up in his car (a double surprise!) and I was then treated to the spectacle of two grown men comparing their prototype appendages ahead of the Brighton Marathon… if this sounds a little vague, then it’s supposed to, as I am sworn to secrecy.  I did get a photograph of one of the said items…

… although whilst Cliff is holding it, he is also carefully hiding it behind the black fabric.  Designers eh!

Since none of the others deigned to turn up (very sensibly, in view of the temperature) we set off up the Falmer Road, around to Newmarket Copse and then up to the top of the ridge.  The wind was fweezin and comments were passed the couple of times I snuck into Cliff’s slipstream, so I had to grin and bear it!  We went along as far as Swanborough Hill before heading south, down towards Balsdean pumping station.

At the bottom I suggested that we run up to the reservoir on the top of the hill before returning and continuing on our way, but was vetoed by my older friends.  I’m sure that I saw the sheep, with their newly-born lambikinis in tow, smirking at this display of wimpishness!  Mind you, neither I nor the sheep have a 50-mile race coming up in less than two weeks time… on that basis maybe they should be given the benefit of the doubt!

We took the path affectionately known as The Snake, for all its twists and turns (and today slightly slippery top layer), up to the top of Woodingdean and from here we doubled back up to the radio mast, Pete insisting on racing a cyclist up to the top of the hill.

For all you bottom fetishists out there, the following photographs are purely designed to illustrate that I’m a messy runner… that can be the only explanation, because we ran along exactly the same paths!

From the top of Castle Hill we dropped down to Newmarket Copse and then back to Falmer, which we reached at the one hour 40 mark.  Alas, I was certain that I needed to do more, so I left the others next to the cars and pressed onwards.

I ran over the A27 and up the road towards Mary’s Farm, cutting off left on the other side of the hill to reach the back of the University of Sussex… where I was frankly disappointed by the amount of rubbish laying around where the students presumably had held a party (what a grumpy old man I am… but clean it up guys!).  I ran through the campus and then across the bottom of Stamner Park before running to the bottom of Coldean Lane.

I crossed under the road and ran through the housing estate and then through Falmer School grounds, memories flooding back from the years I spent there as a child… although I have to confess mixed emotions about the evocation that has been placed over the doors, which read ‘Welcome Proud of Falmer‘.  I think I get what the authors were trying to say, but I bet this was designed by committee and I’m sure my old English teacher would have put a red pen right through it with a comment to the effect of  ’could do much better‘.

I continued on towards the football stadium, but just past Falmer Station was forced out on to the main road when the path ran out.  I carefully snuck along the side of the road, took my chances with the traffic at the junction and then ran into the tranquillity of the old village (well, half of it, since the planners long-ago cut it in half), going all the way around the pond to add a few minutes to my time… and hence getting a rare shot from the other side of the pond.

The time was 2.32 and with a distance that I’ve just worked out as 15.5 miles, the speed averaged out at 6.12mph.  Sad to report that the initial 10.8 miles, completed with the guys and hilly as it was, was much faster at 6.48mph and the balance a tardy 5.87mph, but the distance was the overall aim today so I’m happy with that.  I have another 20-miler planned next week, so watch this space!

Meanwhile, Avatar… well if you are not at all bothered about seeing this, as was I, you should just go see for yourself.  It was not at all what I expected and aside from this… well let’s just say that the days of 2D films must surely be numbered.

I did manage to get my planned longer run in yesterday and it was reassuring to see progress in at least some areas since the same time last month, not least that whilst both days had snow on the ground, it’s at least a lot thinner this month!

January 10th: 10 miles in 82 minutes, heart rate sub 175, slight post-run staggering, upstairs bathroom in progress.

February 10th: 10 miles in 79.35, heart rate sub 170, scant post-run staggering, bathroom complete.

The increase in speed was due to 1) not waiting 800m to increase the speed to 7.5mph and 2) running a slight negative split by increasing the speed to 7.6 for the second 5 miles.  40.11/39.25.  The decrease in heart-rate is the exciting thing for me as this seems a better indicator of fitness.

As to the bathroom, where once it was Orange:

Now it just is: