Plans are afoot

I've been making plans lately - so it's probably time to 'fess up and explain what I have in mind for 2014.

Having said 'never again' after the Bath half-marathon in 2011 (when I got cramp in my calf after 9mls exactly as had happened in 2010) I have had a change of heart. My running has been going well this year and I am well on course to reach my target of 500mls. The scores on the doors show I'm currently at 481mls so I should reach my target in the next couple of weeks (I must try and remember to take a photo when I get there for the '500mls in 2013' thread that I post on). So, having been able to train regularly and managing to get a PB at the Tring Ridgeway Run (9.7ml) in October, I have taken the plunge and entered the Bath half-marathon which is on 2nd March 2014.

I worked out earlier that the Bath HM is only 13 weeks away but I'm currently managing 8mls on my long runs. So I feel better prepared than in previous years and have put together a training plan - the main aspect of which is gradually increasing the distance of the weekend long runs to a maximum of 14mls. I'll try and remember to pop back here regularly and post updates on how the training is progressing.

Once the half-marathon is out of the way there is another challenge I have set myself. It will also need a training plan of some sort with ever-increasing distances. After the Thames Path in 2012 and the Ridgeway in 2013, my goal for 2014 is to complete Wainwright's Coast To Coast path. I've booked with a company that transport your luggage and provide a guide. These were concessions that I allowed myself as the path isn't marked like the previous ones I've done. And the route from St.Bees on the east coast, via the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors to Robin Hood's Bay on the east coast, is 190mls long and involves lots of climbing. There are some long (20ml) days where we will be out walking for anything up to 9hrs. So preparation (and lots of it) will be the key. But before that, there will be a visit to Cotswold Outdoor very soon to get some new walking boots and get them worn in.

The C2C is something I have dreamed about doing ever since seeing some 'coast to coasters' near Ennerdale while on a walking holiday in the Lake District. I promised myself I would do the C2C myself one day and the time seemed right so I decided to get it booked and do it rather than keep dreaming about it. Again, I'll try and remember to pop back here and post updates on how preparations are progressing.

Tring Ridgeway Run 2013

Since finishing our walk along the Ridgeway back in June I have been concentrating on my running. I did the Tring Ridgeway Run in 2012 and remembered it as we completed walking the Ridgeway - so I entered the race again this year. Here's my thoughts on the day ..

I’m sitting in my car at Tring Park Cricket Club, its warm and cosy, but outside people are scurrying around in the rain, some wearing that well known fashion item, the black bin-liner. Others are running around in shorts and vests – is it warmer out there than I think? 25 minutes to go – I emerge from the car wearing my jacket and realise the answer is no, it’s not! Any thoughts I had of not bothering with a jacket rapidly evaporate. A quick jog around the field to ‘warm up’ (literally) and I notice one or two men admiring the scenery through the hedge and make a mental note that the queues for the toilets must be long – luckily I didn’t need to find out. 15 minutes to go - I have warmed up a bit and the other runners are beginning to make their way to the start so I join them. 5 minutes to go - gallows humour is the order of the day as we stand in the wind and rain, spectators nearby wrapped up in coats and huddling under umbrellas. It’s cold, it’s wet and we are all about to run 10miles in this weather.

There is no hooter or whistle - people just begin to shuffle forward soon after 10am and then we’re off and running. The first mile is flat and along a farm track and I pick my way through the puddles. We cross a road soon afterwards and run along a grass verge. By now I am picking my way through mud as well as puddles. There is a delay while we queue to enter the first of many footpaths and begin a gradual climb through the woods. We emerge at the edge of a golf course and running on grass makes a welcome change. Then it’s over another road, through a farmyard and the mud returns with a vengeance. I’ve given up trying to avoid the mud and puddles by now and just splash through regardless.

Then it’s time for the first big climb up to Bridgewater Monument. I try to run up the footpath but the slippery mud and steepness defeat me. I walk as fast as I can and start running when I reach the top. My family are there to meet me and cheer me on. The first 3 miles have been done in around 37 minutes - about what I expected. We get some respite then and are running on a decent track through the woods along the top of the ridge. We reach the halfway point and I have settled in with a group of 5 or 6 other runners.

Just after 5 miles we start down a sloping footpath – the mud is worse than ever here and I feel my feet slip a few times. Then the inevitable happens and I go over. I land on my right side and slide in the mud for a metre or so. I get up, the other runners stop to check I am okay, I seem okay, so I wipe my muddy hands on the grass and we all set off again. 

Soon after that we reach Inchcombe Hole, a steep grassy descent. I feel my feet begin to slip again and am taking no chances so I walk until the slope lessens. At 6mls we cross another road and I can see Pitstone Hill ahead. The time is around 70 minutes so I still seem to be on schedule. My family are there again – I give them a quick wave and I try to run up the hill but admit defeat and walk (like everyone around me). I’ve lost contact by now with the other runners who were nearby and am by myself.

After another flat ridge section we start to slowly descend along the route of the Ridgeway Path through the woods. There are some flattish sections here but it’s mostly downhill on muddy paths and towards the end there are even some steps. I don’t take any chances and walk down them. A couple more muddy footpaths to negotiate and then we emerge onto the road and run back along the grass verge to the original farm track. The traffic stops for the marshals, I cross the road and am relieved to finally be back on solid ground.

I look around and see I am a long way ahead of the runner behind me. Ahead I can see the stragglers of the group I was with in the first half of the race. We’re all struggling by now and having to take short walk breaks. On the plus side the heavy rain has washed most of the mud off my legs. I eventually pass under the start banner and realise I am into the last mile. I have gradually been catching a couple of ladies ahead of me. I pass one as we take a left-hand corner and 100yds up the road I pass the other lady. By now runners who have already finished are making their way back along the route looking for their slower friends. They don’t get in the way and get growled at and I make my way through some trees and turn right onto the road leading back to the cricket club. I can’t see anyone ahead of me by now. I glance back and the ladies I passed are both walking again so I risk a final quick walk break.

Then I see the entrance to the finishing field across the road ahead of me and start running. I reach the entrance, the marshals hold up the traffic, I cross the road and run through the gate, their shouts encouraging me to attempt a sprint finish. After one final effort and I cross the finish line to the cheers of my family who have made their way back. I look at my Garmin and am amazed to see that despite my earlier fall and having to walk down the steep sections I have beaten last years’ time by a minute and I’m left wondering what might have been if the weather had been better.

The marshalling was excellent throughout and the signs everywhere meant there was no chance of going astray. I collect my tech t-shirt (a tasteful shade of day-glo orange this year!) and wander back to see my family and explain how the run went and about my fall. I am soaked through and it’s too cold to stand around for too long so I say my goodbyes and head back to the car thinking I’ll more than likely be back again in 2014.

Ridgeway Photos (Part 1)

Well, it was the highlight of the walk and the culmination of eight day's walking, so why not start at the end?

And then once we had got back to my sister's, it was time for a little celebration with my family. Pictured from L to R - Steve (brother); myself; Margaret; Paul (brother-in-law); Mum. My sister Julie was behind the lens ..

Ridgeway Path - final thoughts?

It's been three weeks since we finished walking the Ridgeway Path. As Margaret (Autumn Chicken) pointed out, the official length is 87 miles but with various diversions to reach b&b's we ended up walking 92 miles in total. I suppose I would describe the terrain as 'comfortably hard'. There were some flat stretches and some wonderful ridge-walking (as you might expect from a ridge-way path!). But there were an awful lot of hills and descents - some of them steeper and longer than others.

We were lucky to have good weather during most of the days we were walking. Apart from the penultimate day that is, when I was out walking the path by myself in torrential rain and strong winds - I just wanted that day's walking to come to an end! On the good days, we revelled in the glorious views to be seen when we reached the tops of the hills and walked on the ridges with scenery all around us. But the walk also had stretches through woodland, alongside the River Thames and on occasions passed under motorways or across golf courses. The variety of countryside and the ever-changing scenery made for a very enjoyable week's walking. 

Walking those 87 miles, tiring as it might have been, would have been a lot harder if it hadn't been for a 'backup team' who helped out in various ways and I want to record my thanks to them all for their assistance ..

Ed - who transported our luggage each day and helped us to and from our b&b in East Ilsley; Joan - who collected us on day 1 and delivered us to the start of the path; Alan & Diana - who met us on day 2 and delivered us to our b&b in Woolstone; the landlord of the White Horse, Woolstone who drove us back to the path on day 3 and saved us a 1.5ml uphill walk; the landlady of the Cherry Tree, Kingston Blount who drove me back to the path on day 6 and saved me a 1ml walk along a fast, straight race-track road); Julie & Paul - who met us on the last leg of the walk (day 8), provided us with a picnic lunch, met us again later in the afternoon and encouraged us up the final hill, took some photographs to record the event, whisked us back home for tea, cake and glasses of fizz, then delivered us to our hotel.

And finally I want to say how proud I am of Margaret for having done the walk with me. The pace was a little too fast for her - sometimes because my estimates of the distance we needed to cover and the size of the hills were a bit ambitious! But Margaret persevered with the walking, dealt with the blisters, didn't complain, and kept me company on what would otherwise have been a long lonely walk on the days when hardly anyone else was around. As she said herself, it was outside her comfort zone and she could easily have decided it was 'too difficult' and not tried.

So .. do I have any other long-distance paths in my sights? Well, Margaret and I have toyed with the idea of walking the Cotswold Way together. But we know that would be an even tougher challenge than the Ridgeway so it’s currently on the ‘maybe’ list. However, I am considering walking Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Path in 2014. Since I first walked in the Lake District and discovered Wainwright, I’ve always wanted to walk this route. It’s something I would need to get myself fit for because it has some strenuous walking days. But there’s something very appealing to me about a ceremonial boot-dipping in the Irish Sea at St Bees on the west coast, then walking the 220 miles through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors to arrive at Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast some two weeks later before finishing with another ceremonial boot-dipping in the North Sea to mark the completion of the path.

NB: I managed to take a few photos on the walk and will post them here when I have had a chance to sort through them, tidy them up and identify where they were taken! :-)

Day 8 - Wendover to Ivinghoe Beacon

What a difference a day makes. After yesterday's wind and rain today was a total change with sunshine for the final leg of the walk.

Leaving Wendover, the path was flat at first but then started steadily climbing. We got slightly delayed at a farm as some sheep were being moved into a field across the path. I couldn't help smiling as one sheep had other ideas about where it wanted to go. Then it was a case of carrying on climbing up through the woods to the top of the ridge. The path was level(ish!) for a while but then it inevitably started descending. Then it did a strange thing .. The signs pointed down into a large ditch running up the hillside and then up the centre of the ditch. We took the easier option of the path running along the top of the ditch.

Some level walking across fields and through a small village and then we were entering Tring Park. This was where we had arranged to meet my sister, her husband and my brother. My sister brought along some lunch for us and we had a nice break looking out over the park and Tring beyond. Then we set off again and the three of them walked with us until we reached the edge of the park. They had already said they would meet us at the end of the Ridgeway so we agreed a rough time when we thought we would arrive. 

Some downhill walking and level paths brought us to Tring Station and then we inevitably started to climb again, this time in an area called Aldbury Nowers. The path steadily climbed up and I recognised the paths where I had run last October when taking part in the Tring Ridgeway 10ml run. The path eventually levelled out for a while but then as you may guess, we were soon climbing up again. 

At the top of the path we were walking on a grassy ridge. We were now getting glimpses of our final destination but before we would reach it the path had two stings in its tail which we had to negotiate. The first was after we descended off the grassy  ridge and crossed a minor road. We were by now heading for Inchcombe Hole, a steep-sided valley which the path winds around the end of. At the top we looked back to see the line of hills we had negotiated during today's walk.

We made our way over the top of the hill above Inchcombe Hole and met up with my sister and brother-in-law. Then it was time for the final section. A short steep descent brought us to a minor road where my sister had seen a sign saying "Overton Hill  87 miles". She took some photos then we crossed over and started the very steep climb up onto Ivinghoe Beacon itself. My BIL walked ahead and took some more photos of us climbing up the last few yards (at a very slow speed it has to be said!). We were both getting very tired by now and our legs and feet were sore.

And then - we were there. We came over the final small ridge and found the trig point marking the end of the path. Some more photos to record the event and time to celebrate finishing. Unfortunately the car park at Ivinghoe is some way from the finish so we hadn't quite done our walking for the day. We went back to my sister's afterwards and she produced a bottle of bubbly to celebrate our achievement (and took a few more photos!). My mum and brother had driven up to meet us and congratulate us and afterwards my BIL drive us to the hotel in Aylesbury where we are staying tonight.

Back home tomorrow and I will try and write down some final thoughts. But one final fact before I sign off. On a clear day, from the top of Ivinghoe Beacon, if you look in the right direction, you can STILL see Didcot b****y power station!!! :-)

Day 7 - Kingston Blount to Wendover

The road from the Ridgeway to Kingston Blount is straight, fast and dangerous to walk on as we discovered last night on our way to our b&b for the night. So a thank you to the landlady of the Cherry Tree for driving me back to the Ridgeway this morning. Margaret wasn't with me today - the 16 miles yesterday were too much for her and she was completely worn out. We knew today's walk would be a tough one so she wisely decided to save her energy for the last leg tomorrow.

In the event the walk today was even tougher than usual because of the weather. Strong winds, horizontal rain, steep climbs, slippery descents. I found my hands becoming numb with the cold wind and rain.

I would love to give you a full description of the walk but to be honest I spent most of today with the hood of my waterproof up and my head down so a lot of what I saw was the few yards of the path in front of me. It was just a case of keeping going and getting to the end. 

I could almost say today's blog is brought to you in association with Romney's Kendal Mint Cake because this afternoon when I was beginning to flag it kept me going. There were some things to mention such as the old quarries near Chinnor which have been flooded and where the water has turned a turquoise blue because of the chalk. Or walking across the drive leading to Chequers and noticing the security cameras everywhere. But the wind and rain meant sightseeing was not a priority.

Suffice to say I was pleased when Wendover finally came into view. After 12 windy, wet miles it was just what I needed. When I got to the hotel room I found that everything was soaked through and my hands were numb. But a cup of tea  followed by a hot shower revived me.

I have spoken to my sister tonight and she and my brother-in-law will be meeting us tomorrow to walk some of the way with us. And apparently the weather tomorrow will be sunshine. Let's hope so!!

Day 6 - Wallingford to Kingston Blount

Today's walk was even longer than I thought it would be. And it was a walk whose character changed in various ways.

We took a different footpath from Wallingford back to where we had left the Ridgeway yesterday. As we started the Ridgeway itself it wound its way through trees and crossed over a busy A-road. We were then walking on Grim's Ditch which is a bit of a misnomer as it is a raised bank for a lot of the way. The path mostly followed the top of the bank but sometimes dropped to one side or the other. And all the time we were following Grim's Ditch we were gaining height as the path climbed steadily.

After 3 miles or so we reached Nuffield. Passing through the village we were directed towards the Hunterscombe Golf Course clubhouse and at this point the path traverses the golf course. We had to follow a succession of white-topped posts which directed us across fairways (watching to make sure no golfers were in the vicinity) and naturally we avoided any bunkers. After crossing the golf course, the path made its way between two houses and down their gravel drive!

Crossing another main road the path dropped down through a wood. At the end of the wood and at the other side of a field you saw a white post in the distance which you had to aim for. The path was very distinct so there was no problem finding our way. This was followed by a crossing of an even larger field. Again, the path was distinct so there was no question where to go. Just as we got to the wood at the far end of the field a hailstorm started. We decided this was an opportune time to have lunch.

The field had been in a large valley and these downhill sections followed by uphill climbs (and vice-versa) were to be a feature of the next stage of the walk. The path crossed over a number of wooded ridges and valleys and the weather was changeable as well .. Bright sunshine and blue skies for a while, followed by rain and more hailstorms. At one point I looked out over the vale of Oxfordshire stretching into the distance and saw an old friend. There yet again were the cooling towers of Didcot power station. I am beginning to think that if it's a clear day when we reach Ivinghoe Beacon I will probably still just be able to make out the towers from there.

The steep climbs followed by steep descents eventually finished and we were back walking on byways through fields. By now we were walking at the foot of the Chilterns past various steep hills ( thank goodness we weren't going over them!). Long before we reached it we heard the M40 and we eventually passed underneath that and then shortly afterwards crossed over the old A40. Then it was a matter of keeping going until we reached the road into Kingston Blount. And all the time, the weather was changing from sunshine to rain or hail and back again.

I said at the beginning the walk was longer than anticipated. When I checked the Garmin this evening it showed we had walked a total of 16 miles today. Longer than I had expected and far hillier than I thought it would be.