Patience ....

When I rest my feet my mind also ceases to function.
J G HAMANN

After what has felt like a long winter, finally spring has arrived. And with it there is the promise of renewal to lift the spirits. The sun feels warm on my face, and there is a strong smell blossom in the air. The days stretch into wonderful light evenings.

It is a wonderful time to be training, to enjoy running on the trails. Plans to be made, adventures to be had.

Sadly, not yet for me. I have been injured since Easter and face another few days of no running before I can ease back into training. It is a lesson in living in the Here and the Now. It is just time of course, but time is not what we want to give to injury - and so we have to be patient.

“When I rest my feet my mind also ceases to function.” In some ways that is how I have felt these last weeks. Moving goal posts. Changing plans. The focus of my winter training had been directed towards the 2008 World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships at the 54th Three Peaks Race in Yorkshire (UK). Not often I turn up late to the start of a race, or start backwards, or arrive home as the course markers are being taken down?! And, again last weekend, my plans to compete in the 2008 Mainz half-marathon (Germany) were also scuppered. Now race plans are on hold until I’m back in training once more.

In the meantime I am keeping body and soul together. Cycling, swimming and walking every free moment. Although, perhaps training would be easier if I gave my poor bicycle a little more love and attention.

The determination and the motivation are there - to come back as strong, if not stronger, than before. And to savour again the sheer joy of running free.

Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Keeping the momentum going.

There are no shortcuts to training. The momentary high of a good training week is suddenly laid low by the backlash of fatigue a few days later. You stop and ask yourself - do I keep on pushing - do I force myself out and up that hill - or do I resort to being a couch potato and just have one more day of rest.
This is such a week for me. Yesterday after two days rest I ran alone - unbelievably slow - having to will myself on to the next obstacle where I could legitimately pause for breathe (oh how I love stiles). And then today it was decision time - could I really face the club run. Forcing myself to go was a hard mental test - the time got nearer and nearer, I kept finding things I just had to do and maybe these things were more important than training and maybe I just had to do them now.
But somehow I made it out the door - the hardest part perhaps of any training session. And it was okay. The pace had changed this week - there was less pausing for banter, more competitiveness, more earnest running and less time for slower runners to catch breathe. You could smell an underlying seriousness to the training run. Maybe it was the talk of next week's 10k at Alnwick - the thought of inter-club rivalry, the honour of the club at stake - or maybe it was an early whiff of the rapidly approaching 20 mile Chevy Chase. One can speculate but the run was long and hard, the legs ached, the breathing was loud and heavy, I had to concentrate not to trip over the wee dog scrappy and the Wooler Common carpark at the end of the run has never looked so good. But guess what - next week I will be back for more.

Snake County

A few days of sunshine and the County is alive with Adders again. There was a squashed one on the road at Langlee Ford as I headed for a beasting up Cheviot and Andy was attacked by one earlier today. It heard his mountain bike approaching and reared up to strike! Only a quick thinking swerve saved him from being bitten on the ankle - although they do have very small mouths so maybe the threat wasn't that big. But these adders look fierce!

My training is still on track - despite real dangers in those hills. The Cheviot is now much drier - only ankle deep bog. I was going to take a picture of the squashed adder but my batteries ran out - instead this is the descent off Cheviot.

Sun, Cycling and Sore Bums

Hurray for some sun! I discovered the cycle trails at Kielder Water on the bank holiday - fantastic place. I cycled with Andy and Conrad along the Lakeside Way. Described as flat! the hills were quite a challenge for a novice 7 year old cyclist and I could barely watch as Conrad negotiated the descents - 'don't forget your brakes!'. Still no long term injuries (apart from a sore bum) and Andy has already been back to try out the Dead Water red route (wicked). As a complete scaredy cat when it comes to the downhills I shall psyche myself up to try a blue trail sometime.