dog blog

this week we managed to get the mileage up to 58..just 2 short of our goal..we must either try harder or learn to count properly ;)

sundays 4.5hr outing saw weather ranging from springlike with all the bird sound effects





right through to snow blizzards on top of the roaches



the great thing is that im really enjoying it all and secondly sustaining the effort (50m, 51m, 58m) hasnt been an issue..probably due to my enjoyment

now the worst of the weather has just about gone we'll be going higher once again and adding in some faster stuff and hill reps midweek as time goes on

charlie too is coping well with the extra mileage and im desperately hoping he'll be in good enough fettle for our ultras but most importantly the coast to coast. big thanks to our friends kate and gerraint for their massive help with the lad.

so..an easy week ahead..some swimming, gym, bit of biking and a long run at the weekend..and some lounging around



one happy collie!

spot the difference

last staurday

this saturday

51+ miles done this week. 1 more than last, though 4 short of the weeks target.

now the snow is abatting, ice has become a problem, so much so that sundays run was a run of two halves..the first off road that had to be curtailed in favour of road shoes and a slightly less slippy surface in the form of tarmac. made for quite a nice change and dont road shoes feel like slippers!

loving the whiteout

well, we seem to be back on track guys. this week we've bagged just over 50 miles, which for early January and the tasty conditions out there i feel is a good effort. charlie is hyper on every outing, his energy is boundless.
for me though the snow and ice is forcing me to run at a very steady pace, which i like! but with greater effort. i wonder how much more effort exactly is used running in snow than normal..it feels like a lot!

to keep it safe we've been running locally where we know every inch of the land. but even yesterday the variabilty of snow depth was incredible down one field alone! you're running on a more compact less deep surface one minute and the next you're missing the bottom half of your legs!

here's a few snaps from saturdays outing. the weather kept changing. one minute a sun strewn winter wonderland followed quickly by dark skies and light snow flurries. and so it kept alternating. the wind chill was also very noticeable for the first time.

fresh snow...nose lickin' good

up on gun hill

the roaches looking moody

hen cloud looking less moody (5 mins after taking the roaches pic)


round tittersworth reservoir (with a brief stop to refuel on mrs uc's spiced apple cake)

over to a frozen rudyard lake


and finally, back home via our local church (called the church in the wilderness) where me and mrs uc got hitched and our kids christened


a good week to snowboard us into the next with a slight mileage hike..here we go again!

slip slidin' away

on saturday we set out to clear skies and a crisp white coating underfoot

hidden ice and slippery rutted steep sided banks drew our running into walking at times

then in came the snow storm for the next two and a half hours

it was a whole load of fun

and just the sort of outing that im after this year

charlie adores the snow..maybe i should take him sledging too!

looking back going forwards

not exactly a wise move when youre out running, what with all the trees, boulders and big drops around, but just a few minutes now at my computer to take stock before we all leap into another year, another decade in fact.

i started this blog after runners world had done a feature on charlie last january. it kind of seemed to be a good idea as there appeared to be some apetite out there for people to read about other peoples adventures. in some ways i find blogging a little sanitised..you put stuff out that people will read or may want to read..in this case about running. but life is a lot more than running and sometimes my blog has strayed into these areas..but always with a kind of restrained emotion.

all that said, im pleased i started as ive subsequently met (virtually in some cases) some really great people that write interesting and inspiring stuff.

looking back to 2009....a learning year. 2008 was such a good running year i automatically assumed 2009 would simply follow suit but it didn't. im able however to learn from the numerous mistakes i made and kept making. the book of 2009 is coming to its end with a new one about to begin.

as we go into 2010 im loving my running once again, i think largely having stripped out the unwanted and unecessary pressures of running for times..i now run as i feel, and if that means i come last then so be it. the main thing is that i run with joy and my trusty sidekick does the same. a watch cant make me a better fitter runner but a good diet, enough rest and some excellent training can.

in june we set off on the coast to coast which will be an epic adventure. im so excited. but theres lots of miles to cover to take us to the start so i'd better end here and get out there and bag some miles, but before i do id just like to say 'happy new year, i hope you achieve your goals in 2010 but more importantly that you have lots of fun along the way'

always take the positives

its been two weeks since i last ran and really i'm still not 100% but im not going to dwell on that.
as every long distance runner will appreciate, we always look to take something positive out of times of adversity. and this is one of those times because this lay off has enabled me to start sleeping properly. yes! i'm getting around 9 hrs of solid sleep without my usual break in the middle of the night and ending up with at best 6 maybe at a push 7hrs of interupted sleep.
all through 2008 ive not slept well which im sure has resulted in me being tired and eating more (the crap stuff) which will have had a knock on effect to my training and performance.
whatsmore, i've hardly touched a drop of alcohol or my usual mountain of salty snacks.
so folks, the morale of the story is this. if you want to get the balance right for great running you can do a lot worse than a good old dose of swine flu and all its glorious after effects!

Happy Xmas folks ! Have a fantastic time.