dog – Page 2 – Blue Green Gold Grey, Awyr Maes Tywod Aarreg

Perspective

I was planning to post again here a little more regularly and then i didst because I never seem to find the time or inclination. maybe running doesn’t seem as important right now. As long as I’m out with murph how quick we move doesn’t seem to matter so much.

And I think I’ve been right. Just reading up here and hearing others going through so much worse than the odd running injury puts things in perspective. So yep we’ve been out putting in the miles ready for some big plans this year – assuming the body copes. But at the end of the day what’s really important is just living life and enjoying it.

I got my fingers crossed for you Ceej! Now enjoy some photos!

IMG_20191115_162558867 — We’ve been out at dusk

IMG_20191207_081109923_BURST023 — Early morning struts

IMG_20191208_114911144 — Played in the foam with our little buddy

IMG_20191225_095125928_BURST020 — Did out xmas day run and loved it!

IMG_20191225_100621420_HDR — Enjoyed the weather

IMG_20191229_130937140_BURST002 — Of course we posed

IMG_20191230_094917419 — Visited old haunts

IMG_20200103_145616677 — Checked out waterfalls

IMG_20200105_093408486 — Saw more sunrises

IMG_20191202_161752335_BURST019 — And enjoyed more sunsets

IMG_20191225_094538486 — And always climbed up so we could look back … before moving on

Always a pleasure

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 ….

IMG_20190915_065957444 — Dawn in the Grange – heading for the beach

IMG_20190915_072332002_HDR — On the lead due to big cliffs and idiot dog

IMG_20190915_072929379_BURST031 — Happy runner – technically going the wrong way

IMG_20190915_083739469 — We even did roads – well lanes – as you can see not used much

IMG_20190915_083800166 — A filter here a filter there

IMG_20190915_084633372_BURST000_COVER — Happy 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 is

IMG_20190915_085052070_BURST010 — As evidenced by Murph crossing the giant stepping stones

IMG_20190915_090528239_HDR — More lanes – note designer grass growing through

IMG_20190915_091405535 — I always love the views from up here

IMG_20190915_091415354 — Yay! We are out and about!

Starting Over

So its less than two weeks since the Eddum 50 miler and I think I got away kind of lightly. I had a few aches and pains but they faded pretty fast and within a week I could jog gently again. Today I was able to knock out a happy 8 miles in the sun and cool breeze, We took it easy – I always need to make sure Murph doesn’t overheat and although we went up over Witches Point i didnt run all of it. The legs still feel a little dead on the uphills.

IMG_20190815_121328188 — Whats it like being back in training Murph?

IMG_20190815_121330387 — Pretty damn sweet dad!

I have that “so what next” feeling at the moment. I swore that before the race I would just be happy running the beach again. The preperation (or lack of) for the race, the injury worries, the sponsorship stress all added up and I’ll be honest I didn’t enjoy the build-up to it. I was happy once the gun went and we were off but the rest was stress.

But I do like having a purpose to my running as well. I already know what I’ll do though because it will be fell running. I enjoyed the one short race I did back in january but after than injury and prep for ultrarunning took over. So maybe just stick to the shorter hills for a while. For a while…..

IMG_20190815_122940910 — Haven’t seen this view in a few months

IMG_20190815_123620639 — Murph surveying inland from the top of Witches Point

IMG_20190815_125414849_BURST022 — Wandering through the crops

Moving on

Moving on slowly in fact. A couple of runs this week which is progress and to be honest running and walking don’t seem to harm the leg at all, it’s sitting and especially driving thats still the issue. I can feel it improving though and I’m sure the exercise is doing it good rather than harm so as long as I keep the intensity low things should be good … right?

So around 4 miles on monday and 6 on thursday and a few days rest now. The temptation of course id to go back at it full on nuts again like I always do but i’m trying to show restraint I really am!

Lets see if it lasts

20190518_095633 — Despite my camera phone basically dying it still works ok when the subjects this good

All in the mind?

Last saturday was the first “proper” run for a while, it was still a test run in essence although the leg has been feeling better lately. oddly enough the saturday morning when i should have been running in preseli the leg seemed to be better and has improved from that day onwards. Which makes me wonder – Its quite the coincidence that once I’d resigned myself to not being able to run the race and had informed the organiser that the leg started to really improve. The mind and the body are so closely intwined was the bodys constant reproduction of pain a warning to the mind that no it wasn’t ready to run that race and once the decision was made then it simply stopped generating so much pain as it no longer needed it’s self defence mechanism.

Who knows. All i know is that I can feel it improving little at a time and on saturday I ran seven miles to Witches and back without the “its gonna go” feeling of the previous weeks test run. Don’t get me wrong it ached but not in a “you’re screwing this worse way”
Then that afternoon I walked with some friends to the next village for another 7 miles and yesterday it was a little sore but not much – and what do you expect when you cover 14 miles the day before no matter the speed.

20190518_095121 — Sands a shifting – Usually this is just a crevice full of bare rock but today it was full of sand

20190518_095627 — Just a strolling – We did a bit more walking than usual to keep from straining the leg too much

20190518_095810 — When i got to Witches Point there was a huge temptation to go running up it as I normally would do – But today I actually managed to resist temptation and just turned for home – But I took a photo to remind myself I’ll be back

Sense & Perseverence

Well today I should be running the Preseli Ultrabeast as I did last year. Sadly I won’t be. The last few months have been a race in themselves in an attempt to rehab the left leg. It’s been a process thats been tortuous with good days and bad days, I honestly believed I could run it up until the middle of this week. I did a 7 mile test run on tuesday and it felt ok. And thats the kicker it didn’t feel good it felt ok and I knew I was favouring the right leg instead. It felt a bit like running on a glass leg – I was expecting it to break at any point.

So really then on wednesday when it was aching badly I knew deep down it was over for this year. I was going to give it a go but I knew deep down that it was going to cause much more damage, 7 miles is not 32 and not 32 over extreme terrain. Not going to lie I’m gutted. I love the Preseli races and look forward to it so much every year. I told a friend a while ago it’s like my late christmas day seeing as I dont like the real one much. And now I sit here writing this instead of running out on the hills all day. Sometimes I feel like saying to hell with it I dont need to run anyway, I have Murph I can walk with him and its as good, it would remove all the disappointment and frustration of not running and racing.

But you know what, that’s feeling sorry for myself, thats giving up, thats taking the easy route and this whole thing was never about taking the easy route. It’s been a long journey and I need to remember there are lows as well as the highs. Otherwise the highs would be meaningless.

So I’m going to finish off this post with some photos of the walks we’ve done recently. I’m going to walk back out the door and start again. I’m not giving up, this was always the long haul.

20190507_170448 20190429_172300 20190428_161757 20190426_072155 20190425_083630(2) 20190423_085931

Its a party!

We’ve not been up to much running wise lately – the odd trot and adventure. With only 3 weeks to Preseli ive been trying to rehab the leg, thge problem is that I dont know exactly whats wrong with it. I suspect sciatica but have a doctors visit this week to try to get to the bottom of it. Still its been improving slowly so we’re getting there. Not running all the time is hard but hey I have Murph to walk and walking does it good I reckon. And yesterday was the best walk of all because it was his first adoption day – a whole year since I brought him home so we just had to have a hike and party in the beacons with his best buddy Tilly.

20190421_101443 — It was a hot day but we found plenty of pools for the dogs to go in – although Murph doesn’t like to I just doused him with water instead while Tilly is a born water rat

20190421_112303 — Obligatory Tilly on a rock time

20190421_125602 — My phones camera is now officially dreadful

received_894322394242842 — We had birthday hats!

received_2184946458484841 — And I made birthday cakes with peanut butter which were to everyones amazement a huge success! Murph loved them and consumed twice as much as everyone else – well it was his part afterall

received_297874351109475 — Idiots in hats eating cake

received_410959199684057 — Surveying the scene – note the difference in photo quality when i dont take them.

20190421_133938 — And on the walk back Murph shoed Tilly a neat trick. To keep cool he digs into wet peat in the shade and made them a cooling down spot

All in all the best way to celebrate his adoption! Hopefully more running again soon =)

Whats in a name

Well if they’re going to name a storm after you then it would be rude not to go and run in it. I do love running when theres a breeze but when its a full on gale it aint so easy …. for half the run at least. At least we’ve avoided the rain so far, wind fine and rain fine just not together please. Just ticking along at the moment as the mind turns to the first ultra in may. As usual theres paranoia over every niggle but they all go away (he says fingers crossed) eventually. And it’s always better to be out than not. If not for my sake for this ones ….

20190311_171149 — Took a rest while Murph dug holes for the sea to fall in … the sea won

20190309_112612 — There was even sun … photos just dont capture the wind right

Taking it easy

Half term came and went and finished with a 13 mile training run as I knew the tides were gonna be suck this week back in work and had already decided to take a rest week – no running at all! Walking Murph a lot of course rain or shine so its never total rest and the aches and pains dont seem to change whether I run or not. In fact I probably feel better when I do run. Theres so much information about training plans out there, do this many miles, do x amount of speedwork, do this do that but I really am feeling the “fuck it do what you love and it’ll come together” works better for me and to be honest that usually translates into 50 mile weeks anyway which is plenty.

I stumbled across a poem this week also – I dont usually do poetry but this one spoke to me especially the second half.

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

—Mary Oliver

That last line …. think about it

And of course we saw some stuff

20190301_103825 — I call this one “Dog looking into mist”

20190301_104349 — This day was nuts there was so much huge drift coming in. Murph was instucted to fetch this one but failed

20190301_105143 — All the way along, miles of it

Half Term training

Well you cant fault the weather – Well unless its due to climate change in which case in the long run I’d prefer snow but I guess thats another story. It does mean that every morning we get out for a beautiful walk first thing for 4 or 5 miles and then get some training done in the afternoon. I have some weird tight pain in my glutes still – I mean its being going on for ages – but in fact running actually helps it. its when i sit for any lengthg of time it gets angsty – so hey ho if running fixes it then im down for that!

20190223_083103 — Morning starts for a blurry dog

20190225_082233 — Always beautiful and beautifully empty

20190225_083415 — Exit squirrel stage left

20190225_133934 — Afternoon passing through Llantwit beach

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