decisions decisions

as the 2012 plan gathers shape what should it be in march....??

a. wuthering hike aka haworth hobble 33m (the longer one and the one on which to get lost a third time in a row)
b. edale skyline 21.5m (the faster medium one with a real threat of being timed out :-0 )
c. derwent dambuster 10m (the easy option but all in the name of charideee)
d. cheeky trip to the lakes and some proper mountain running

almost in with the new

never wish time away, you cant get it back, but forward planning is ok / essential (delete depending on your level of OCD).

i took this pic yesterday on our trot out. its our nearest trig, the cloud,and probably my most frequent hill run

i wonder what was going through charlie's mind (as he looked west)?

mine is like a washing machine right now trying to plan 2012, mixing up old and new events. there are two definites right now... the lakeland 50..and OMG! the next 8 weeks of 'that' training plan, which now has 3!, yes 3!, fast weekly sessions in it (that surely warrants overuse of exclamation marks). the official plan still has no long runs in it but im afraid i just cant leave it until march to start those..it doesn't leave much time, so I'll be gradually sneaking a few in ;-)

time to pull my socks up once again methinks

the last post, being kind of non-running in content, didn't seem to enthuse the world too much so I'll cut to the chase and give you my current xmas number one..that isn't a song as such

working in advertising there are from time to time ads that come out and for whatever reason you think to yourself 'i wish i'd done that'. right now there's one playing on the airwaves that is simply one of the most moving and inspired pieces of film ever. it's simplicity is boiled down to the naked human truth that 'giving is better than receiving' and delivers this truth in the most endearing and disarming way possible. hats off to john lewis and their agency adam and eve. it's a film that i simply want to watch time and time again.
so for those of you who haven't seen it (and those who have too), this is my present to you. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do

happy xmas guys from me and the ultra running collie x

collies christmas countdown

seeing as the running plan is simply being worked through there isn't a great deal of running news to blog about..except that a number of regular bloggers seemed to have gone awol..running bear, emma, julie to name a few..come back your words and craic are missed

so with christmas just around a snowy corner i'll be posting my top 5 christmas hits over the next few weeks for all to enjoy a bit of a sing-a-long

and at number 5..a little number that takes me back to my teens at a time when i'd broken up with my then current girlfriend..i was no fan of this group or genre of music whatsoever but the timing of its release hit me between the..
and as an added bonus there a bit of a fellrunning feel to it (well at the start anyway)

collies round up

1. the pooch has got his full winter coat on whilst there's been sightings of hair on the head of his follower. yes folks, after 5 years shaven, the locks are flowing once more. kind of.

2. earlier this month i legged it round lathkil, my first fell race since the waltz. this time there was no river dousing but a fine slurry yard was there to be negociated

3 whoever thinks running long distances is harder than short ones run hard is maybe not right. they're both hard but for totally different reasons. i get more anxious before a 5 x 4min solo track session these days than i do lining up for a 50 miler

4 training plans look easier on the paper than they actually are

5 my current plan has meant i've had to let go of the reins and my security blanket and trust in what has been laid out in front of me. it might be working. but its certainly shaking things up and that feels good

6 its the forth week of the plan and the prescribed eating regimen of no rice, bread, pasta etc. overall ive done ok apart from one reckless night and on a few occasions i've been seen sneaking in a few potatoes, beers and crisps when nobody's looking. mums the word ;-)

7 i am now officially asthmatic. i did wonder what might be holding me back from being a front of pack runner..well now i know why ;-)

8 next up is gravy pud fell race..because northern boys love gravy

9 and probably like you we're starting to get into the xmas spirit in the UC household..ding dong

on your marcs*

after a fantastic year of running in 2010, it has to be said that 2011 has fallen well short of the mark. a six month injury didnt help the cause, but it's a sad day when i look back and see only two major highlights - the whaley waltz and the lakeland 50. but dont confuse highlights with great performances guys. highlights = enjoyment. and even the lakeland 50 wasn't 100% enjoyable.

amidst all this, something's been eating away at me..and not for the first time i have to say. and that thing is ..speed..or total lack of it. i've gotten into the habit of running in ever decreasing speeds and i've just let it happen. there's no excuses, i am where i am and, without throwing out my philosophy of running for fun, i know im capable of much better.

so, feeling like it was time to drink some truth serum and with the aim of getting my physical side knocked into better shape I thought i'd pay a visit to see marc laithwaite, the endurance coach, lakeland 50/100 organiser and alround top banana

i wasn't at all sure what the results migh be or indeed what marc might prescribe for me going forwards as in life there are: the things you know; the things you dont know; and the things you dont know you dont know. i can safely say that my visit; confirmed a thing or two i suspected; illuminated stuff i didn't know; and importantly revealed stuff i didn't even know existed! so..a visit well worth making

the biggest surprise came in the form of a 16 week plan of aerobic conditioning with lots of easy, steady, tempo and interval sessions..all designed to focus on getting me to move faster and improve my running economy. i am allowed one longish run a month but that's it for this period. and my diet needs to change (ouch).

but...i've loaded up my garmin with all the different heart rate zones for these sessions and im ready to go. i feel a new lease of running life coming on and im really quite excited by it. it feels a bit like a case of back to the future..im no stranger to this sort of training..its just been a long time since i did any!

so for now im trading long winter slogs for shorter sharper stuff and attempting to retrain my body's fuel choice

for me this feels like a personal running revolution..and with revolutions anything can happen!



and for charlie boy, he'd best watch out..i might start giving him a run for his dogbones in times to come..or maybe that's being a tad over-optimistic





*id make a great headline writer as a journo for the sun no??

sweating cobs

by it's warm isn't it! unseasonably so. the other day i was running along, mouth wide open obviously, and in shot a fly! next minute i got one in the eye. not a good look, coughing and spluttering with a twitchy eye. but then neither is running along mouth and eyes shut tight. try it. you'll see what i mean!

anyway the reason im going on about our little heatwave is because it wasnt that long ago our little bloggtasticsphere was full of stories of snow, ice and running in 5 layers. 6 if you include base. it were a winter blogg wonderland (you know who you are). so its only right to bang on a bit about october heat. before you know it'll be humping down once again you watch. 'it needs it it does. ground needs it' everyone'll be saying. you cant win.

make most of it i say. im still in my (short) salomon shorts. the factor 15's seen a fair bit of sunlight too. though i have to say i haven't got round to getting the patio furniture back out.



whatever weather is it catches us all out. we're never ready for it. it snows and all schools close. it rains and that campsite at top of derwentwater floods. its get all hot and there's a shortage of ice cream cones. kid you not. it were on telly other day. about how the weather has thrown everyone. shops full of winter clothes in sales. asda back out with 3 for £5 on bbq range. restaurants cooking up hot pots no-one wants. and yes, the ice cream man panicking about his cone supply (there were no mention of sprinkles or monkeys blood mind..he must have bought a job lot of those at start of season)

not sure how long it'll last all this lovely weather but you can bet your house it won't be long before it'll all be back to normal. old folk forever banging on about how dark and freezing it is all the time. price war on tins of roses n quality street escalate as we head towards xmas. january sales starting in november. and cadburys easter eggs hitting shelves on boxing day. along with blanket coverage on telly of sofa ads.

and we'll all be banging on about snow and 5 layers. 6 if you count...