Confession Time

OK it's time to fess up, I'm not an athlete in training or even a blogger making it all up.
The last 6 weeks have been pretty light - the excuses are too much snow, too dark, too fat, too busy, too much lethargy, SADS.
So until last week, apart from the odd guilty but pleasurable amble - nothing much you'd call a run.

I have managed however 4 runs in 8 days. Nothing too athletic but all enjoyable. Off road, around the trail run course in the snow last weekend and up to the 12 apostles last Thursday were the highlights.
Running off road in the snow is just the best and ok so I keep stopping to take photos, but it's rehabilitating me.
So back to running and blogging officially - I'll ponder races and goals in the week.

Monday morning... luxury

I'm setting off to Latvia later today via, Betty's, Harrogate, mums for a cuppa, Cullorcoates, 4am at Newcastle Airport and Finland. So I've grabbed this morning for me. The plan was to do a steady run down to Bolton Abbey, but it looked all cloudy/foggy down the hill and like heaven here up the hill so ran out of the door onto the moor.
First proper frost I've noticed this autumn, so first time that my feet crunched as they ran. The colours up there were breathtaking. Looking across to the North, could see much but cloud the other side of the valley. Mendwith hill surround by hill fog (now there's a thought to conjour with), but on my bit of the hill just sky and sun. (sad I didn't take a camera of any type up here today)
I reckon it would be pretty muddy up here to be honest if it wasn't for the layer of frost and ice. Given the my life didn't include a slot for a visit to casualty I took things pretty cautiously. Saw 1 dog walker and 5 runners, proving that "runners like to do it early and in broad daylight". A rather meagre 4miles pretty easy, but I'm all perked up now.
So showered, checked the packing and off I go, a quick lunch meeting then off to pick up and meet up with my teaching buddy's before we go to meet old friends in Vilnius and get the show on the road with GP colleagues over there. Running shoes in the bag and not back in blighty til Sunday night so I hope to get out and stretch the old hamstring.
The plan is when back home to start training again

Valley circuit

Bit of a non running week, business sort of overwhelmed any running thoughts.
Away for weekend with L's family I declined the trip to the zoo as did bro on law Ian. We opted for a run, some quiet, a pub lunch and some rugby watching.
So off we set, knowing that somebody's law or is it just common sense dictates that running never follows on from pub lunch.
We climbed from valley bottom to the summit above the mills fairly quietly, but enjoyed the clear cool weather and views and chatted as we wandered down the ridge towards Belper. Running out of ridge we dropped down in to belper and quickly left town, up on to the ridge on the other side of the valley.
So good to catch up, and have that sort of man to man chat re work you get talking to someone who is not in your line of work.
We did a pleasant 8 1/2 miles and were set up now for pub meal and rugby viewing. Nice.
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Running free

With Rhys, Ian and card shark Elliot away for the weekend, we enjoyed a fine walk in the Rhinogs on Sat joined by neghbour at the cottage Harry and daughter Sioned. In a vein attempt to make the weekend calorie nuetral and because it was all cold and clear and autumy we got up at a civilsed time a quickly resolved the bike or run dilema by going off in 2 pairs. Rhys and I took our recovering hamstrings out of the cottage for a delightful run along trails and up onto the nearby fells and even went high enough to find a cairn and views of all snowdonia.Injuried continue to recover and fab 6.5 miles. Remembered as I often do off road the joy of running free, not time concious and in this beautiful country. Aah now for manbrunch.
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Swimathon

Keepimg the old legs ticking over, I shamed lin out to join me for an easy run to addingham and back. Big flooding of the river over night meant having to ford stretches of water frequently which wa a tad iritaing for us, but the ducks on the golf course looked happy.
I decided on a slow one to save myself for the lads annual trip to wales. So now bikes, walking shoes, running gear, chainsaws all packed and just in case anyone thinks that's a bit extreme, whisky, wine, beer, manfood, paracetemol and zantac packed too.

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Rehabilitating

Out early this evening so i could do parental taxi duties later on.

Very wet, unispiring dark autumnal street running, keeping it flat today, keen to keep things even.

So 5miles at 8:10 pace and that hamstring, well I'd do a quick dance except I suspect I might do it a mischief.

So painfree before, during and after.

Another week or nursing it and streching it then hopefully forget it and back to buisness. :-)

Still in rehab

So having changed my friday run into a damp amble on the hills with friends looking for eractics and finally finding a warm pub. I used the extra hour this am to do a steady 10km, hammy niggled but unlike before wasn't slowing me down, just a niggle, not like the excruciating discomfort on the couch this afternoon watching my beloved team being humiliated by the skunks.. I will try and put 3 runs together next week over 10km and lots of streching. Not totally convinced I am making progress, we'll see
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