For Harpski

 

A walk around my house. 

Short lap.

Google map of route

Just a couple of miles. No more running until Sunday. As is to be expected I am ill.

27th and final run on Sunday.

Last long run.

Muddy and scenic cross country in the middle, roads and hills at either end.

Goggle map of route

A short run around the University. Just 3 1/2 miles.

Google map of route

SToke Cannon run

Just a slow 10 miles - took about 1 3/4 hours, but plenty of hills and we waited 10 minutes at the level crossing before jumping the barrier.

Google map of route.

Half the route.

Why are there so many chavs about in town so early in the evening?

Took me 50 minutes to run half the route - 2 hours looks like it might be doable, but bugger does it hurt.

Google Map of Route

We cheered on the blue runners and booed the red ones, scared a tramp by accident who was hiding in a hedge and I commented on a young emo lad's visible pants in a jovial manner which set him to much swearing and shouting, presumably to impress his lady friend.

Not too bad at all.

GOOGLE MAP OF ROUTE

muddy number 20

A spot of cross country for Matt, James and I.

Very muddy and good fun (except for the running part) A group of seven or eight chavs, about 15/16 years old had a go at slapping our legs with a shoe horn as we ran past, but I ducked out the way and, in doing so, managed to knock the one with the shoe horn's peaked cap off. This made me smile.

Google Map of Route

Quick short run

3.5 miles around the campus and horseguards, taking in Rosebarn hill.

Google map of route.

18 runs in and we do the route.

We ran the route and it wasn't too bad.

No fears left.

Google map of route

Lost again?

Seems to be happening a lot lately.

We went and listened to the campinologists down at Pinhoe church.

Didn't mean to, of course.

Anyway, Here's where James and I went according to Google Maps.

16 - Uni Run.

A short run which was unintentionally a tour of campus.

It seems that there are a lot of dead ends up there!

Matt and I went really quite rapidly up Rosebarn lane, but I feel I need to try the actual route soon as all this hill work is not necessarily going to be the ideal training.

Google Map of Route

Jim runs!

My mother had the children, so we went for a run together.

Only 2.5 miles, but Jim has, to my knowledge, never run anywhere before, so the fact that she ran the whole way is remarkable.

Google Map of Route

Short run tonight

A quick 7km run, up Rosebarn hill and through the university.

I am doing a lot of hills at the moment (almost exclusively) and I wonder if I shouldn't consider having a go at the route.

1) The route is, whilst a bit hilly, is nothing compared to Rosebarn, Stoke hill, Wrefords lane or the route through the university, so I am running an extra 20% on the distances I am getting from the map at the moment and
2) I (hopefully) will find running on the flat both faster and easier than hill running.

We shall see.

Anyway, tonight's run was short and fast. We spotted a runner ahead of us as we were coming past St James' Park and ran him down, so I am a bit bollocked and ready for a beer.

Google map of route

The good news is that I am up to £313.41 with my sponsorship.

On a less pleasant note, my bike is very broken at the moment.

I have put a big dint in my back wheel, it's been trued, but it has a really nasty flat spot. I have got to have a new rear mech, new front ring, new axle (snapped it) and a new nut (which is a lot harder to get for the DeeMax than it would seem).

I've broken the shim on the rear pivot so I need new bearings at least and maybe a new thread cutting, a new seat post, new quick release for the seat, new brake lever (snapped the unit, not the lever) a new front rotor.

Most worryingly I have got a big black mark on the frame where the back tyre has been touching the tube. Obviously it is going beyond five inches of travel.

Unfortunately this means no bike for a bit whilst I wait for an axle and no new spring for the back.

Ten and a half miles

Slightly accidentally this went over the ten mile point. We ran out to Branford Speke, doing the Rosebarn Hill slog first.

At Brandford Speke we hung a right, across the footbridge (where a young man ran away from us. When we caught him up he was smoking an incredibly strong spliff, so his running was probably an error), and along the old railway.

We missed the Stoke Hill turning and ended up running along the Tiverton Road for a bit (not too nice) and up to the Roman Fort (Which was far from fun.)

On the map it's 10.4 miles and with the hills I reckon it must be reaching up into 12.

Google Map of Route

Short run

I have still got a stinking cold & Matt is not running tonight, so we just did a quick 3 mile run around St Leonards:

Google map of route

Planned Route

Having gone too far on the last Brandford Speke jaunt, we were anxious to find a better way across the river, so Jim and I went out with the kids to have a look for one.

First time lucky we found a foot bridge which is about 120 yards shy of a disused railway which runs across to Stoke Cannon. which will be this nice, just over nine mile run, as shown by Google maps

Bugger!

Well, tonight we set off to run the 6 mile route which I ran back in December but turned off at Rosebarn lane and went up the hill, down Wrefords Lane, turned at the bottom and returned. When we got back to the top we decided to extend it a bit and went down Argyll Road and through Duryard.

I have a bit of a cold and nearly pulled out today, so I wasn't too surprised when I started to drop behind James and Matt, but by the time we turned up into the Stoker Road stairs I had, had enough and sat on the steps to eat some chocolate buttons.

Not to good a run, but a reasonable distance and afetr three weeks off and with a cold I'm not too disapointed.

Google Map of Route

Fortnight off.

With Matt, James and Derron going snowboarding there is a two week period where I would be running alone.

I have set up some sponsorship which is over £200 pounds now and I was meant to be having my pre op metal insertions yesterday, but I bottled it once I was up on the table.

Hope I don't get too fat in the interim.