JB trail run and Pics with SMC 10.03.12

Mike Pettys Posterior 

Another great turnout for a new-ish route starting from Marston Moretaine Social Club car park. We wound around the country park, lapping the lake and looking for the underpass taking us into a place called Lower Shelton. Having found it, we wandered through the village looking for a path that I had run on some weeks before. We rounded around the back of some houses and entered a fly tipping area, where one of the lads took a wicked fall, cutting and grazing both his knees and palms quite badly. Being a former scout, I was prepared. Out of the rucksack came my first aid kit, which temporarily stemmed the blood flow. I pointed out that it was at this point a few weeks ago that

 I had a mishap involving a cement bag to a few looks of bemusement. I also had toilet roll, a black bin bag, compass, keys, jacket, jelly babies and water in there as well. I would have had a she wee as well, but Fi wouldn't let me take it out. 

Meeting at the Social Club early doors

We continued over the fields out of Lower Shelton heading into Wootton Green, which was by now a new route for us all. Katie was getting excited as she keeps a horse over there somewhere, although the route took us a tad further on missing the farm.

Heading across the fields from Lower Shelton to Wootton Green

We headed up towards the brow of the hill, turning before we did to run along the edge of the woods and then meandering across a variety of fields trying to find the point where x marks the spot at a junction where paths crossed and we met part of the John Bunyan trail. I eventually realised that the X was on my map and concentrated on looking for way marked posts, which were scarce.

Katie on the way to her longest SMC run yet

Mike "cute butt" Petty and Satnav Jones amongst the throng

Across the fields with Wootton School in the background, which is the 

start of the Bedford Half marathon course

Caught in the act

What me?

Having found the JB trail proper, we then promptly lost it and spent a few minutes wandering around a field trying to find the correct route. This was really the reason I had picked this route. We have not run it before and whilst there was a bit of stop starting, I would rather do it now than on the day itself. If it goes to plan, three of us will be at the sixty mile point around here and may well be on our own. The JB trail run we are planning, is not going to be part of a race, there will be no marshals, signposts, water stations or direction arrows. We are going to do it just for the crack with hopefully a few friends joining us along the way. I have run sixty odd miles a few times and it does effect your ability to think clearly, so the plan is to do one lap of each of the latter sections.

Still smiling after 2 hours on the trails

We followed JB, until we came across a natural point which allowed those doing a shorter distance to peel off and head back. That left me, Satnav, Niki, Claire, George and Katie heading on into Cranfield. More fields took us into the outskirts and we made our way to the local church looking for an outside tap. We had run this way once before and couldn't quite recall the facilities on offer. Fortunately, there was one and a quick refill was had by all. Its a good tip by the way, to locate churches on long distance runs in the summer in particular as frequently they have taps outside. A good way of telling if driving past, is to look if the graves have flowers, not to rob them but to tell if there is a tap in the grounds. One particular 30 mile training run last summer had a route based entirely on the locations of churches, which has subsequently become known as the lost villages tour.

Cranfield Church

Having left Cranfield, we followed JB towards Ridgmont, all the way. We did take a slight detour, but soon found our way back onto it. 

George thought it was the height of summer and put on one of his selection of racing sunglasses looking quite cool it has to be said. Does anyone still use the word cool by the way? To be fair to the Flying Scotsman, he was entitled to a certain degree of coolness, given his first place in his age group in the Phoenix, Arizona half marathon last week where he certainly lived up to his nom de plume. 

We were again on new ground, albeit we knew the direction we were going.

We had to head back over the new dual carriageway, adding as we did a new bridge to my growing collection of pedestrian walkways which I simply would never go over if it were not for the mile munching. I have already bored the family with "look, I've run over that bridge...and that bridge... and that bridge" stories as we drive under them flying past in the car. I can now add another one and bore them even more. Its not so much the fact that I have run over the bridges, but the fantastic trails that I have taken to get me to them in the first place.

Over the A422

Having crossed, we carried on towards Ridgmont, running past the ruins of some old housing site . 

The route from the A422 crossing down to the motorway, is not a particularly picturesque one and didn't warrant any pics. It was straight forward and we crossed a cattle bridge over to the other side. Having done so, an immediate left turn took us back towards Ridgmont. On the JB proper, we will go into the village and find the trail on the other side. The miles were starting to build, so we headed back over another cattle bridge a bit further down and took a route we have used before. 

Running alongside the not so picturesque M1

Up into the outskirts of Liddlington and then down a steep track into the village itself. We ran past Niki Rouse's house and as she has been injured I called her so she could gaze out her window as we sauntered past. She wasn't in, although we did speak and it was nice to see her waiting at the finish point to have a chat.

Claire and George with a final sprint at the 20 mile point

What a motley looking crew, with yours truly on the right

I had picked up a slight groin strain a few miles before the finish and I was quite content to slow down for the last mile or so. Katie did a marvellous job getting to her longest ever SMC run to date, although she also slowed down. We trotted in together, until the last two hundred metres when without warning, off she sprinted for the last section leaving me in her wake. I was last which in truth wasn't an issue.

Another great run and well done to all the girls in particular, as each of them ran the furthest today they have ever run before with the SMC.  I hope that doesn't sound sexist? I would say well done to the lads, but they have done lots of marathons. It was a lovely day, great run and despite a bit of stop starting due to route calculations, it was also really great to head off on brand new trails which we will know better next time.