Foster Runs

We’ve had the pleasure of Karen’s company over the weekend and when I returned from dropping her to the station I had a coffee with some neighbours… thus it was quite late before I even thought about running.

I then had to decide whether to run outside or inside… a general time constraint helped me choose the latter.

More time was then spent trying to get my MacBook Air to play music from my PC (no chance, apparently) before I resorted to a Jackson Browne CD and cranked up the stereo.

Finally I jumped on the machine to Running on Empty and instantly felt the desire to crank up the speed… I warmed up on 7mph and had soon increased this further.

I decided to run just five miles and dialled in a different speed at each quarter mile.  Everything seems to flow nicely for me at 7.5mph… 9mph was not so flowing and I don’t have the fitness at the moment to keep that up for long.

However, as the final mile progressed I tested out 10mph, then 11mph and eventually 12mph.  My legs are plenty long enough for these speeds (I used to happily sprint at 14mph on the machine) and I reassuringly seem to have recovered some of my general fitness.  It was like exploring fifth gear on an open road, when you’ve been stuck in traffic all day.

So 5 miles took me 38.33… an average in the region of 7.75mph.

I’ll leave you with some pics of our orchid and some KriKri ceramics… great for Christmas presents!

It was late in the morning by the time I managed to motivate myself to run and I needed a little help from Kim to decide whether to run locally or from my folks’ place… I (she) chose the latter and it was a great decision!

The sky to the south of the Downs was slightly brighter and it was almost warm down on the coast.  Nevertheless I was taking no chances and wore a really soft t-shirt under layer (we call it a bunny-rabbit, it’s that soft) under a long sleeved top and my Gore jacket.  I probably could have got away without my jacket but I was really glad of it running back up the hill into the wind.

I ran down the old track that links Woodingdean to Ovingdean and reflected that this may have been the first place that I ever went ‘running’, more than 35 years ago, thanks to an enthusiastic Scout leader.  He was also a Police Diver and thus was able to teach us about the build up of lactic acid in the lungs (aka the stitch) and how to overcome it.

From this ridge it’s easy to see how the villages nestle into the valleys and how much green space has been left… there is space for many more houses, but the quality of life would be dramatically lower.

At Ovingdean I ran in the opposite direction to the other week, dropping down to the valley floor and running on down to the steps that lead to the Undercliff Walk.

Protected from the chilly north wind by the cliffs, the path was a sun-trap and I could easily have run along in t-shirt & shorts… this might actually have been better because when I reached Rottingdean and turned to run up the hill, the sweat from wearing too many laters exacerbated the effect of the cold wind.

I ran up past Rottingdean windmill and back up through Ovingdean, where I deliberately included the steep hill back to the ridge.  It was then a comparatively short run back up to Woodingdean Primary School and back to my folks’ place.

I’m guessing that the run was about the same 5.8 miles as last time and it took around the same time too at 64 minutes.

Actually, I probably could have got away with wearing shorts today, but I decided to run from my folks house so I had to guess the temperature.  At home it was decidedly chilly in the shade, but down near the coast the sun had made it a pretty warm day… I wore two layers just in case.

It was Remembrance Sunday and my Dad had my Grandfather’s medals, along with those of his siblings, from the various conflicts in the early twentieth century.  It gives me pause for thought that my Grandfather, his brothers and a good proportion of the young men of Britain were trooping off to war a hundred years ago… many not to return.  It also amazes me that my grandfather grew up with horses & carts and was in the cavalry, yet lived to see men on the moon.

I ran down the track that leads from the Primary School that I attended to Ovingdean and then on down into Rottingdean.  The people I passed were all so friendly, smiling and saying hello as I passed.  I put this down to the sunny day… people often say hi, but not always in a happy way.

I was surprised how sprightly I felt despite not having run for three weeks, but then it was all downhill!

At Rottingdean I turned right and headed along the Undercliff Walk and was soon feeling tired by the flatness… exacerbated by the climb up the steps to road level at Ovingdean.  Running up Ovingdean valley was particularly hard work, maybe because its a long section of pavement and the vague gradient is against you.

I paused at the church to pay my respects to an old friend, before chugging back up the hill to the Woodingdean path.  This super-steep hill was actually easier than the flatter stretch… maybe because it feels as if you’re getting somewhere!

As I ran up the path so the sun disappeared behind a bank of cloud and the temperature dropped… two layers was a good idea after all!

The 5.8ish miles took me about 65 minutes, including my pause at Ovingdean Church… 5.35 mph average.

I was delighted to find that my sister had dropped in for lunch… though having caught up over a cup of tea, I left the four of them to eat.

The warm weather is still hanging on with it’s fingertips and this morning felt more like a summer day than an autumn one!  It seemed rude not to go out for a run in it so I ran a slightly extended version of my normal loop.

Last time I took the Magical Path I quite literally had to wade through ferns up to my neck, but since the ferns and stinging nettles are no longer dominant, I decided it was time to get back down there.  It really is magical, hence my pet name for it.

When I reached the end I took a path that took me out to the common road and though I opted for the path on the other side of the hedge to the road, I effectively then turned left into Hundred Acre Lane.

I went straight down the lane and on down the path into Wivelsfield that seems the lane’s more logical end (the road bends right and makes a big loop).  Down here I found a tree that looked like it had its winter drawers on already (moss is really trendy this year).

Then I was back onto my normal path past St Georges Retreat and back to home.  6.6 miles took me 68 minutes, an average of 5.8 mph.

The warm weather meant that the grass and the green got a cut this afternoon… all now ready for the storm that is forecast this week.  Summer better get some moss gloves to protect its exposed fingertips!

I was really in the zone on Friday afternoon, but I also couldn’t wait to get out of the office… my nose had been running like a tap for a couple of hours and there’s only so many times that you can escape to the toilets for a good blow!  YUK! for me and for everyone else… sorry guys!

My cold progressed yesterday, but that was okay as I had a tonne of work to do, fortunately in the privacy of my own office!

This morning I was really in two minds as to whether to run at all.  Fortunately if was a lovely morning so I went out for a short run to a least stay (coughing) fit.

I ran down to the common and up to the top end of St Georges Retreat, before going the other way along my normal route and back down across the common.

The route was 5km, a shade over three miles in 30 minutes.

After breakfast and a shower, I got back out into the fresh air to pull weeds from the Japanese garden and noticed that one of the bamboo clumps had expanded enough to push the retaining sleeper over by more than an inch.

I set to with a spade and a carving knife to remove the clump entirely, then cut it into four smaller clumps.  Three went into pots and I placed the remaining one back into the ground, where it looks as though nothing much has changed!

Hopefully the fresh air and exercise will have done me some good… I’d like to be rid of this cold by tomorrow, in an ideal world!

When I arose this morning there was frost on the ground and the temperature on the thermometer (inside, by a vent) read 5 degrees.  Having walked around in a t-shirt most of yesterday this was bit of a shock, though I suppose that we are now in October.

A few hours later when I finally put down my book and ventured out, there was little more than a chill in the air, in the sun at least.  I chose to wear shorts and a t-shirt on the basis that there will probably be very few more opportunities to do so this year.

My late start meant that I could only afford the time for a short run, which meant that I defaulted to my woodland circuit, despite the fact that most of it is in the shade and thus slightly on the cool side.

I soon warmed up though… or should I say that I soon felt warm, despite not really getting into the flow of the running at any stage.  It was particularly hard work today!

I was also startled twice, early on: once when a cyclist came speeding silently out of the woods ahead of me and locked up his back wheel to slow down, causing me to jump and yelp like a wimp; second when a daredevil squirrel launched himself out of a tree above me and misjudged the strength of the branch he landed on… it bent right down towards the ground and we almost looked each other in the eyes.

Okay, I exaggerate slightly, but he certainly made me jump… before he regained his composure and disappearing back into the treetops.

In lieu of much more to report, I offer some photos of the day:

My 5.75 circuit took me 57 minutes, an average of circa 6mph, after which I collapsed onto a chair in the now-rather-hot garden.  If I hadn’t put all the rest of the garden furniture away for the winter, I probably would have fallen asleep on the lounger.  As it was I eventually made it inside and into an uncomfortably cold shower (yes, I’m still taking them, though I might relent as the temperature outside drops!) which did a pretty good job of waking me up!