Endurance Training: March 2013

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

25th March 2013 - 8 Mile Run

Into work early this morning so that I could finish at a reasonable hour and get an 8 mile off road base run in before having to pick up the children from "After School Club."

I decided today to do a loop based on a 8 mile loop from a Cornwall Walks book I own. The walk entitled Lizard Point, Kynance Cove and Cadgwith is described as looking "quite a short distance on the map but this is deceptive, as the coastal path is exceptionally tortuous, though without severe gradients. The scenery is outstanding, especially if a rough sea is running, and the inland leg makes a pleasant contrast with the coastal sections."

From home, I ran down to Lizard Point, the most southerly point in Britain and turned right onto the coastal footpath. From Old Lizard Head I had a fine view of the lighthouse and point. As you look around the rocks off shore have evocative names such as Man of War, Barges Rock, The Stags and Shag Rock. Sadly, all have claimed lives over the years. 207 died when the Royal Anne was wrecked on the Stags in November, 1720. The victims were buried at Pistol Meadow which you run past but sadly there is no sign or plaque for you to remember them by.

From Old Lizard Head the view opens up wuth the shapes of the rock stacks of Kynance in the distance ahead. For a while I ran across the springy level of turf passing Caerthilian Cove and Pentreath before the National Trust's car park for Kynance Cove is reached.. Kynance is one of the places beloved by the "Excursionists" of the 19th Century. Prince Albert bought his children ashore here in 1846 and Tennyson visited the cove a short while later.

I followed the path round the top of Kynance before bearing right across Lizard Downs. The path here was very muddy and wet with a golden colour before eventually arriving at the row of houses on the A3083 called Mile End. (exactly a mile on the road to Lizard Village). I crossed the road (next to Kynance Filling Station) to the track opposite and this soon opens out into a heathy wilderness (albeit muddy) with the tower of St. Grades Church in sight ahead. This was followed by another short section of gritty path that leads to the Cadgwith road. I turned right heading towards Grade and then took the path left, heading for the church. This is a place of tranquillity and I have been to a number of services here. Midnight mass is wonderful made even more of an event as there is no electric power and therefore the church is lit by oil and the organ bellows are pumped by hand.

I left the churchyard at the stone stile on the eastern end and circled the field before joining an enclosed path over a further stone stile and another field and then crossed the road to a white house, Metheven. I followed the lane towards Inglewidden and then turned left for The Devils Frying Pan.. Running down the hill, I then turned right past Town Place, a National Trust cottage. and joined the coast path again. Immediately, I was running past Devils Frying Pan which is a spectacular natural feature of a rock arch below sheer cliffs which curve like a basin around it. Always a great site and even more so today as the sea was in and washing through the arch. Running south back towards Lizard point on the coast path. Running around the cliffs the path was straightforward and Landewednack Church and the Lifeboat station can be seen in the distance. I ran down into Church Cove (conscious that I soon had to collect the children from school!) and then up past Mariners cottage and back towards the village but not before doing a short out and back detour down Green Lane to ensure I could make the run 8 miles.

All in all a great run after work that I used a new app on my phone for called RunKeeper. The whole run was done at a steady base heart rate pace with no negative aspects to it at all.

I am blessed to be able to live here! :-)

Runkeeper

Monday, 25 March 2013

Latest Update - 24th March 2013

I have been terribly remiss in my updates and that is either because of work or other commitments I have had but, I have been training. I think the best way forward for the blog is to literally use it as my training diary.

A quick summary of the last few weeks has involved quite a few off road runs around the coastpath and some bike sessions. With 15 weeks to go now until The Outlaw Triathlon (Ironman distance) i am really starting to become more specific as opposed to just maintenance whilst at the same time looking to compete in other events before and after. These are as follows;

7th April 2013 - The Buttermere 10 Mile Trail run up in the gorgeous Lake District. I love this area and whilst 10 miles is not a challenge in itself to run such a course with like minded people should be great fun.Buttermere 10. I won't be racing the event, just using it as training and having an enjoyable day with my family. My wife will have competed the day before in a 10 Mile Cycle Time Trial so it will be a bit of a sporting weekend for us.

19th May 2013 - Is the Marazion Half Ironman distance Triathlon with the swim in front of the iconic St Michaels Mount. It will be cold in the swim with a hilly and testing bike course but should be good prep and training for The Outlaw.

8th June 2013 - I will be running the Endurance Life Classic Quarter 44 mile Ultra Run. The start is in my village and follows the coastpath around to Lands End. Despite the fact I live on the the start line I have never run this event and so would like to. My rationale is again to take it steady but for it to give me encouragement and mental and physical strength to tackle the marathon run in The Outlaw after spending 112 miles on the bike and a 2.4 mile swim.

7th July 2013 - The Outlaw Ironman Distance Triathlon. Myself and 5 colleagues are competing in this event. It incorporates the National Emergency Services Championships so we shall see how we all get on.

17th August 2013 - The Plague 64 mile Ultra Run. This is being organised by MudCrew Events and it seems is based on a course I did a couple of times in the 1990's when there was a 33 mile event from St. Anthony Point (or as the lighthouse is known locally, "Fraggle Rock") around the coastpath to St. Austell. I am looking forward to doing it again nearly 15 years later. I remember doing a night shift first, driving down from Torbay (where I was based at the time) and then running the event with no sleep.

So, training. Where am I with that? Well yesterday, (23rd March 2013) I did my first long run. I had 14 miles pencilled into my diary and because of family commitments and building my training around my wife's I was up at 6 a.m. a quick bite to eat and off out of the door with map as I planned to do a loop which involved the coast path around the Lizard Peninsula but cutting across and along footpath over the fields and Downs. We have had a lot of rain and I knew it was going to be very wet and muddy. However, I don't mind that. The coastpath in fact wasn't too bad. It wasn't until I turned off the coastpath at Poltesco to start finding my way across the barely discernable public footpath through farmers fields that the wet and more than ankle deep mud came into its own. This together with map reading meant that the run was slower than it would have been but still great fun anyway. Just being out in the fresh air is a real bonus. I ran at no more than 75% of my maximum heart rate which I refer to as base. It wasn't too cold but when I reached the west coast the south westerly wind kicked in and made a definite difference to the chill. All in all, 14 miles of good running up and down through fields and coastpath, mostly in ankle deep slippery mud but my Inov8 Mudclaws were upto the job albeit I reckon I have now grown webbed feet.

I will attach some pictures taken during the run first and then some more taken over the past few weeks.

23rd March 2013 - 14 mile run pics