The murphometer! As mentioned in a previous post our goal this year is to walk and run 2000 miles. Progress has been steady and as you can see from the power of high-tec wizardry we have cracked the 500 miles mark! After a 200 mile march – due in no small part to working from home and spring bringing lighter mornings and evenings we got there a few days ago.
Stay tuned for very infrequent updates when I actually remember to update!
Apart from that – obviously still running and walking while of course maintaining social distancing (It’s not hard to do while living out here to be fair)
Be glad of the fence – this is actually top of the cliffs and theres a 200 foot drop a few feet to the leftDawn runs at the beachDawn skies in the fields – and the rapeseed is suddenly shooting up and starting to flower – bring on the spring allergies!
We rocked out this morning at dawn as I was under the impression it was going to be a really hot day (it wasn’t really) and I wanted to get a good run in with murph before it got too hot for him. I don;t mind a bit of sufefring in the heat but i wouldn’t want to inflict it on him, its just not fair. So off we went on an adventure which as I am lazy i will recount in photo form. It was a great run, we were out for around 3 hours and it’s time on feet in innterested in these days not distance – plus im not wearing a watch but im guessing 11 or 12 miles over cliffs, fields, roads and forests ….
Dawn in the Grange – heading for the beachOn the lead due to big cliffs and idiot dogHappy runner – technically going the wrong wayWe even did roads – well lanes – as you can see not used muchA filter here a filter thereHappy up on the common as the temperature starts to rise – we actually ended up in the hottest part of the day anyway but it was never oo bad and we know where water isAs evidenced by Murph crossing the giant stepping stonesMore lanes – note designer grass growing throughI always love the views from up hereYay! We are out and about!
Thats one happy doggo. We’re both happy to be out and running, so much so it seems I never update the blog. And I say that every single time I post now!
Something else I say every year at this time and I’m always too early is – Doesnt it feel like spring! I just got back from a beautiful run and whether its february or not it felt like spring!
So what have we been up to? Plenty of runs and plenty of rest days so the niggles dont become injuries. Plus a hiking trip to the Brecon Beacons with friends.
Trust me people winter is officially over – its spring! (Bet we get more snow)
Sometimes we run. Sometimes we stand stillOh hai – got any treats?So if you’re gonna climb a tree ….. so am I. Now what?oh right I got to help you down!Adventure buddies waiting on treats
Haven’t been running in a few weeks due to injury. Seem to have torn a glute or something, well no seem about it I have torn a glute due to ….. circumstances.
I present some photos of circumstances. Luckily circumstances means that I am still walking around 8-10 miles a day without much pain so hey ho its all good everything needed a rest anyway.
Circumstances resting during a runMore restingMeeting an old friend – fluffy dog!Loves to dig!Loves to playSunsetsSunrisesDusk dogAfternoon sunHandsome beastSunrise over the cliffsTurning circleEveryday can be beautiful if you let itAmongst the rocks
I’ve run everyday for the past week (except friday which was actually a rest day) but havent blogged any. Cos im lazy and its summer and Im not at the PC so much and a million reasons so you can have a smorgasbord of photos from the last week. Ive looked at my movescount stats and Im still a abit scared but nothings broken or hurting too bad. This morning it was beautiful out and we just kept purring along feeling good which turned into 12 and a half miles some of which was even tempo (which is around 7 min/mile pace these days which is shocking me). Murph loves it as much as I do thankfully.
Much of the week has been proper murk – rain too. I dont care really as it just means its more likely I get the whole beach to myselfThe face in the cliffs – Found it works both ways as long as you get the angles rightPouty lips too!Derp dog derping along derpilyDifferent beach, we ended up in ogmore and so I took Murph to where I used to throw stones for Soak a lot when she was getting on a bitReturning from yet another unsuccessful skyrat chaseHaving fun? I think you might beReturning from unsuccessful skyrat chase number 293Just a beautiful morning, n o reason to go home so tack on some extra miles
Well im finding that a days rest everynow and again helps. Well I knew that anyway but for once I actually listened to my body when on wednesday night my legs were just saying no just don’t do it tomorrow. Then on thursday morning I thought “hey they’re ok I could run” and common sense kicked in people! I actually thought about it and gave it a day off. I looked at my stats which I rarely seem to do these days and realised I had run a 50 mile week with 30 miles in the last 3 days which is is maybe overdoing it, truth is im enjoying being out with murph so much I dont really notcie the miles. If you add on the miles we walk too its no wonder the legs protest.
So a few runs since and today i made a find. A find find.
Surfboard with leash and fins intact just washing in overnight. Not sure what I’m gonna do with it as I dont surf (though i could learn) but a find is a find – So I ran back 3 miles with itExtreme closeupHide and seek – spot the dog?PoserRockfall
Even sheep, one of the stupidest animals alive and always looking for a new way to die. But they have one talent that I dont have and im jealous.
They have absolutley no fear of heights – I could barely watch them pass along a tiny gap between the fencepost and cliffedge to get from one field to another. They didnt even need to do this as the fence ends a few feet inland and they could have walked around it safely. But thats sheep for ya, always looking for a novel way to expireMurph watching them, utterly mystified
Another 7 miles or so and came home in a lovely rainshower kicking out silly pace as we were having fun
Murph and I ran another 6 miles yesterday – He loves it, puts me to shame, when im flagging and he gambols off into the distance its a good feeling though as I know he’s not even really putting any effort into it and clearly enjoys the whole thing. Today we just walked 4 as the ankle still plays up a bit. Its good to be able to do either as I feel. So yeah … lifes good!
Taking a breakChecking out the way aheadNew rockfall – right where I warned the “geologist” to get from under the cliffs a few months ago. Would take a bit of digging to get him out from under thereChilling in the fields
I believe in karma. Or essentially what goes around comes around. It works both ways, bad and good karma. Learned the hard way and seen it happen thankfully to others who deserved it (Yes I have a mean streak a mile wide)
So yesterday I had to go out mid morning and decided to fit in a quick 4 mile or so run to the Barrow mound on the cliffs as the tide was in. When I got there it was beautiful and sunny.
Like this kinda sunny
So I headed back and passed coming the other way a group of kids doing their Duke of Edinburgh type stuff, all with their packs on etc I met one group at a stile and the first two kids just ignored me stood there dripping with sweat and breathing hard and then a girl at the back said “wait everyone let the person through” (Im not sure that they knew what gender I was due to the long hair) and so I hopped over and thanked them and ran on.
A mile or so later I got to the beach and found one of them had dropped their sleeping mat. So what do you do? I was in a rush as I had an appointment to keep, I had already run 3 or 4 miles hard pace and they were headed in the opposite direction and all uphill. You know what – the tipping point of making me grab it and run as hard as I could to catch them (they move fast these damn kids) over 2 miles or so at 6-7 minute uphill pace (good training hey) was that the girl had called out to let me through and they did.
So I caught them eventually utterly fucked and they were I think amazed that I had done that for one of them – all I could gasp was “Its a bastard sleeping out without a mat” and trotted off – thankfully downhill and home. Ok so I was a little late. So what – And thats karma. Just the little things can come back to you. And maybe those kids saw a small gesture from a stranger and might just try it themselves.
Should have nicked it for myself it was a nice one too (Joking of course)
Hill sprints yesterday at Cwm Nash. I never quite know how many I’ve done so I used nature to help me count. Sprint up, jog down and pick a buttercup on the way, drop it in a pile at the bottom of the climb, I think it’s 20 its kinda hard to tell. Whatever the exact it’s almost inconceivable that I can run around 20 of these, 2 or 3 used to kill me not so long ago. Plus I ran back home at pretty much full beans. Feeling good. Please body hold out a month like this :p
Carefully laid on Trumps toupeeThere are worse places to train!
