Dog breath, me?

Day 140 Saturday 19th May 4 miles : miles to date 922.3

Having blown the SMC out for the first time in living memory for a lay in bed and Saturday short run - I know, Saturday and short runs just don't go - I marvelled on tonights trot how my running companion of choice and I share so many attributes and similarities. These include the following;-

1. Short, hairy and slightly chubby legs
2. Identical running gait - feet don't move off the ground in what is known as the ultra shuffle
3. Bad breath
4. A touch or two of grey appearing around the edges
5. A love of woods
6. The ability to do a no.2 anywhere
7. Not needing toilet paper having done so
8. A 'lets just walk the hill' philosophy
9. A love of chasing birds...( Fi suggested that one honest)
10. An inability to see over the top of farmers crops
11. A willingness to eat any meat product available
12. An ability to sleep anywhere
13. Small feet (ahem, no jokes please)
14. A tendency to pong when a tad damp
15. Totally true trail hounds

The list could go on and on. Have I found my running companion for the future. Mmm, perhaps not. The problem is that I share so many of these things with... my Border Terrier, Daisy the blooming dog. Grrrrrrr. And we speak the same!!!

Cup of tea anyone?

Day 139 Friday 18th May 3 miles : miles to date 918.3

It was a battle of the woods today. Having cheated on my favourite Clophill woods last night with Ashridge woods, I felt compelled to make amends with a run before work in my old pal. Like a naughty school boy, I went back with my tail between my legs, apologised and got back to my old trail. I'm sorry Cloppy, your still my besty mate I told it, but if you want to help me do this challenge, you have to let me run free. I ran my normal loop and no more, hugged a few trees and promised to return.
Now, Fi has just pointed out I must have spent the entire day in court, occasionally asking the odd arrow like question in cross examination (or not as the case may be), with my legs caked in mud under the pinstripe. Well, yes would be the answer to that one albeit it some dried off and dropped to the floor. There was quite a little mound of mud by the end of the day, which luckily the Judge or witness couldn't see. I did have a shower this morning, but that was around twenty minutes before my run. Yep, I know, but I needed one, didn't want to run around the village again before hand and I needed to see my old pal. I also wanted a cuppa char straight after the run. Mind you the char lady didn't half give me a funny look when I asked her to take a photo of me (I'm keeping a photo running log as well).
Right, I'm off for a bath.

Day 138 Thursday 16th May 3.3 miles : miles to date 912.3 I have found a little slice of running heaven. Having moved office to Berkhamsted today, I took the first chance I could to check out the Ashridge Estate. I was like a kid in a sweet shop. I headed off down a main path and just ran past trail after trail. I found a route map in the woods showing 4, 7 and 17 mile loops. It was just fab and a real boost to the running plans. I feel like I have covered every trail there is in Beddiesfordland, which I probably have which is why I am having to go to another county to find new runs. Oh boy oh boy oh boy, I had best not stop there in the morning as I don't think I will make it into work. Even on the way back, I came across so many other new places to run which will keep me going for the rest of the year I hope. I'm almost looking forward to going to work, just to check out all those lovely trails that will wind to all sorts of new places I haven't been before. If I sound a tad excited, its because I honestly am!!

Mean Streets

Day 137 Wednesday 15th May 3.2 miles : miles to date 909

Having left for work at 6.55am, I spent the entire day in a really dull court case, followed by a two hour meeting the moment and I got back and I then didn't get out of the office until after 9pm. I cant pretend that I was overly thrilled by the prospect of a three mile odd jaunt around the mean streets of Luton, but needs must. Where I often park, there are are two loos amounting to just over three miles. The trick is to always do the small loop first. If you do the longer loop when you are tired, its more tempting to stop. With the shorter loop, that tends not to happen simply because you haven't been running that long. It was not very scenic, a tad cold, dark and on the whole an unattractive route. Still, its done

Grease

Day 136 Tuesday 14th May 5.3 miles : miles to date 905.8

I re-enacted a classic scene from Grease tonight, following my wife turning up for the first time at the club's Tuesday night track session. Cast your mind back to the scene when Danny had to join the track club to try to impress Sandy when she was sitting on the sidelines, who had previously been chatted up by a jock (the athletic version and not my celtic cousins). Every time he ran in front of Sandy, he would put a bit of a sprint on until, out of sight, he would collapse and puff hard. Yep, that was me. Like a 14 year old boy trying to impress Gertrude, Skyline or Beaver (these are trendy girls names now aren't they?) in the school playground, I pranced around the track when I went past her holding my stomach in and trying to run that bit faster. And today was going to be a rest day, as I was coaching and only needed to do a slow three miles and not faster five. Mmm, I can see a bit of a benefit in Sandy, er I mean, Fi coming along to future track sessions if my male bravado makes me try to run a bit faster to impress her.

Day 135 Monday 13th May 3 miles : miles to date 900.5 If its a Monday, it must be three miles around the village on what is becoming a bit of a repetitive run. Still needs must, as I have to get short runs in for the next eleven days as I taper for the John Bunyan run. The drop in miles is going to hit my average weekly mile target. I am aiming for 2500 miles for the year, which means that today I should be at 922 miles, with an average of just over 48.07 miles per week. At just 22 miles off target, I am actually averaging very close to that each week since the start of January. I may well drop down to 21-25 odd this week, although that will go up to close to a 100 next week assuming I finish JB. The JB is around 78-80 miles, assuming we don't get lost. One of my big running worries for the year is how am I going to manage to run 3 miles the day after JB. I know from the last two 100 plus milers I have done, that I could barely walk the next day let alone run and that is a concern for me. My hope, is that by limiting it to just three marathons in a row, I wont be as out on my feet as I have been for the others. In both those races, the real pain started when we were in the 70's and kicked in big style in the 80's, when we still had 20 plus miles to cover. That, lots of drinks, slow sections and a big fry up early Saturday morning.

Day 134 Sunday 13th May 3 miles : miles to date 900.5

 It was a tussle last night between a couple of bottles of vino and a pizza, against running in this mornings Stevington 12k which is quite local to me. Sense prevailed and the vino was consumed with some gusto and without any regrets. My pins are still quite heavy and I have to get some low level runs in, to recharge for the JB which is now less than two weeks away. So a bottle of red and a minimal run were Doctors orders today.
 I did pop over to the race to see if any flyers were running, just in time to see Steven Upton in magnificent form storming home in first place, followed not long after by Warwick Browning and the ever present Becs Rebecca Fleckney. Great stuff and well done to all three. I did have a chat with Steven and his dad after the race. Naturally we talked about running, when he asked an absolutely blinding question. It went something along the lines of, " When you were my age......."
 Whooaaahhh there tiger, lets just pull up right there shall we. How old did he think I was? Is this running every day malarkey causing premature ageing? Has 134 days of exposure to the great British weather turned me into a Harry Potter Dobbie look alike? The rest of that question is now just a blur. And to make matters worse, he's 38! I'm only 44!!!!! Luckily, I'm on the whole a mellow sort of soul and have the attitude that in a 100 years time, we will all be dead so best get on with living right now, even if I might be one step closer to the next age category in races.  Quick, someone pass me the vino, I ain't got much time left....