The end of July

Monday 29-July-2013 – Today there had been torrential rain during the day which would have made my normal route very muddy and wet. I had been looking at alternative routes and decided to adapt my 4 mile route around Hinckley by extending the run for a few more miles.

I had still not fully recovered from all the running I had done last week and had a slight ache in my left knee and hip. Because it had been raining all day I had dinner and then I noticed the cloud was breaking up, I just could not believe it. I waited a couple of hours after dinner until 9pm. I started off the run trying to keep relaxed as possible to keeps the muscles as loose as possible.

I took a couple of miles for the aches and pains to stop so I carried on at a steady pace as it was all about getting the miles in and not setting a personal best time. I was surprised that the temperature was still a bit warm considering the amount of rain we had and the sun disappearing fast.

Once I had reached the 3 mile mark I was in new territory for running, I had been only been around the area in a car and could not really remember what the route was like. I carried on and thought to myself that I am half way around now so whatever is ahead will only last half an hour.

I ran past B&Q and then a pub call the New Plough Inn, I noticed the pub was very quiet as I went by. I carried on along the road which had houses each side, the further I went along the road the houses seemed to stop. I passed the Golf Club and noticed the light was going and the street lamps had stopped, as I looked ahead the road disappeared into the darkness. The path narrowed and I could barely see where I was going and I was aware that I had no reflective gear on.

As I carried on the road went downhill and the only time I could really see where I was going was when a car passed me, luckily there were not many cars that came towards me to blind me with their headlights. Once I had got to the bottom of the hill the light appeared as the road was not covered by trees, and I felt a bit happier. I ran past the Rugby Club and a bit further on the Football Club, this area was very quiet and still which was a bit creepy but not as creepy as the dark road I had run through.

The road came to a roundabout which is on the A47 and was a familiar sight. I carried on left past the roundabout and up a slight hill that just seems to go on for ages. When I got to the brow of the hill I noticed another runner coming along, nothing was said and it was fairly dark on this part of the road. I noticed a couple of shadows in the distance that became apparent when I got closer that it was a couple of people out walking their dogs.

I knew I did not have very far to go now and the run was going to come to an end. I looked at the Garmin and noticed that I had come to 6 miles of the 7 mile route. I reset the Garmin thinking that it would give me a 10k time that I would be able to use as a bench mark in the future. When I got home I uploaded the Garmin data to Garmin Connect and wondered why a 10k time was not showing, I then realised that 10k is 6.2 miles and not 6 miles. I had reset the Garmin too soon so I still do not have a 10k time on Garmin Connect.




Tuesday 30-July-2013 – I looked out the window and thought I had better get out and do a run before all the rain comes along and stops me going out. I thought what I would do is the same route as I did last night.

As soon as I set off I felt my hip was quite painful on the left and also my left knee had a bit of an ache as well. It took a couple of miles to mute some of the pain and then all of a sudden I got cramp. The cramp was very painful indeed, I tried to run through it but it was just too painful. I walked for a while which eased it up a bit. I started off running again and found that my hip and knee were also hurting now, it was like this for the remainder of the 7 mile route.




Endomondo Monthly Challenges

Running Rotten Egg Award May (Most km - Running) - I managed to get in to the Elite Egg Awards and got to Gold which was for people who had run 155.3 miles plus. I had achieved 162.8 miles.

Rotten Egg Award May (Most calories - All sports) – I got to Silver which is for people who burned 25,000 calories or more, I burned 25,770 calories for July.

The most miles I have run in a week

Monday 22-July-2013 – I thought it would be best if I started this run a couple of hours later than my normal time due to the heat. After a couple of hours the temperature had not moved much, it was 29C.

I hydrated myself all day and mentally prepared myself that this will be a slow and uncomfortable run. I made sure that I had a litre of squash to leave in the car for when I finished the run. I took a couple of mouthfuls of water before starting the run.

I started off slowly and got in to a nice slow running pace and then ran through Ambion Wood, by the time I got through the woods and out the other side was only 0.5 miles. At this point I felt out of breath, the heat was taking its toll already. I continued with the run down to the canal and tried to keep in all the available shade when possible.

After 2.5 miles I had to break down into a walk for a short time, my breathing was all over the place and I really felt tired. I continued on along the canal and had to fall back down to a short walk after another 0.5 mile. I decided to not do any hills and to carry on up the canal until I got to just over 5 miles and then turn back.

There seemed to be more flies than normal along the canal, I am not sure if this is because I was running 2 hours later than I normally run. I was battling with the flies sticking to me and trying to go into my eyes and mouth, I found it very off putting. For the majority of the remainder of the run I ran 0.5 mile and then walked for a short distance.

I was very glad to get back to the car and finish the run, it had been a very uncomfortable run and I was feeling exhausted and washed-out. I sat on a bench and drank the 1 litre bottle of squash that I made earlier. I spent all evening feeling very washed out, running in the heat had really taken it out of me.




Wednesday 24-July-2013 – The day was a bit cooler at 26C, but it was still fairly hot. I felt okay and did not have any aches or pains, but as soon as I set off I had a pain in the knee, hip and ankle. After around a mile of a gentle pace the aches went, but I thought I would walk up all the hills so as not to strain the weak areas again.

Running along the canal was fine until I tripped up over a tree root, I just took my eye off the path for a little while and tripped, luckily I did not fall down and cause any injuries. I got back into the slow steady pace as quick as possible, I did not feel any injuries or muscle pulls from the trip so I was lucky.

The remainder of the run was fairly uneventful and went by reasonably quickly. During the evening I had a lot of pain on my left hip and knee which made walking around fairly painful.




Thursday 25-July-2013 – Today’s temperature was much the same as the day before. I had recovered quite a bit during the night but still had a few aches in the left knee and hip. When I set off I could immediately feel the hot air on the intake of air, it just dries the mouth out.

After running a mile I felt quite out of breath so I know I would have to try and sort out the breathing quickly to last the run. Running along the canal I managed to overcome the heat and concentrated on the running pace and breathing. I looked at the Garmin (Forerunner 610) I noticed the heart rate was all over the place and reading at times as much as 220bpm, this was a bit annoying as I use the heart rate to help me know how I am doing.

I walked up Market Bosworth hill as not to aggravate the injuries I had and continued on once I was at the top of the hill. I checked the Garmin for the time and noticed that I was a couple of minutes behind which I thought was not too bad as it was hot. I continued along the single track road from Market Bosworth and headed towards the Bosworth Battlefield Centre. There was another hill that I walked up and continued afterwards. I ran over a few fields, past the Bosworth Battlefield Centre and back along the canal.

Once I reached the point where I normally leave the canal I decided to carry on until I reached a viaduct that ran across a road. I joined the road for a short while and then ran across a couple of fields that had cows in. I find the cows always look at you as if you are mad or something like that!
I reached Shenton Railway Station and ran across the railway tracks and up a couple of hills along a track. This takes you back to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre where I followed the track down a hill and back into Ambion wood which led me to the gate that I started from. I had covered 11 miles which I was happy with but I was very tired and glad for the run to be over.




Friday 26-July-2013 – I started off the run with a few aches but these soon went over a mile or so as I settled into a steady running pace and breathing pattern. I kept the breathing generally long and slow which helps to keep the heart rate down as much as possible. The only trouble with the long and slow breathing is the flies along the canal which tend to go in to the mouth and eyes which can be very off putting at times.

Running along the canal I felt really good and finished 4 miles not even out of breath which was quite strange for me. I left the canal and ran most of the way up the hill that leads into Market Bosworth. It did not take long to run through Market Bosworth and along the single track road towards Sutton Cheney, the time just flew by. Most of the single track road is a gradual decline which helped me have a slightly longer stride and keep the breathing long and slow at the same time.

After running across a couple of fields and passing the Bosworth Battlefield Centre I headed through Ambion wood to join the canal again. Once I got to the canal I had covered 8 miles and still felt pretty good at this stage so I decided to carry on up the canal for 2 miles and then turn back. On the run up the canal I managed to keep it together okay, but after reaching the 2 miles mark and heading back down the canal this is when I really started to feel tired.

The last 3 miles along the canal towards Sutton Cheney Wharf was quite tough going, I could not understand how I could feel good right up to 10 miles and then after feel so tired so quickly. The sun was out and I am sure this took its toll on me. I was happy to see the finish point but also glad that I had completed a half a marathon distance, I have only done this once before just over a month ago. I settled down with a 1 litre bottle of squash and sat on a bench for over a half an hour to recover.

The 10 miler, 11 miler and 13 miler without any rest days in between had taken its toll on me, during the evening I could barely walk.




Sunday 28-July-2013 – My legs and hips had been feeling the toll of the amount of mileage I have done during the week, I have just been aching like mad. Yesterday we had a lot of rain which turned our road in to a river for a short time. According to the weather reports we had just over 60mm of rain. The forecast for today was heavy rain again during the afternoon, so I thought if I do a 4 mile run then that may help the recovery process.

I got ready and headed off, looking at the dark clouds coming over it looked very threatening indeed. It was quite windy as well and I thought that I might get caught out halfway around in the rain. My legs and hips were quite painful for the first half a mile and seemed to settle down the further I went. This run seemed to go by very quickly which I was quite pleased about as it started to rain on the last half a mile.

A week of not much rest

Tuesday 16-July-2013 – When I started this run it was 28C, the temperature had dropped a bit but there was no wind. I started off and got into a nice steady pace but just could not get the breathing right no matter how much I tried.

By the time I had done 4 miles I was fairly tired and my knees had started to ache a bit. I thought it would be best if I walked up the hills so as not to aggravate my knees any more. The heat was getting to me as well at this point as I had been running in the direct sun with not much shade. I kept on sipping water and was careful not to drink too much or I would run out.

Running down the single lane road from Market Bosworth I had to drop down to a walk for a short distance as the knees and hips were aching. I was extremely hot at this point but carried on, thinking the temperature will be dropping a bit and I will have some shade soon.

By the time I got to Ambion wood it was a Godsend with all the shade, it really did make a big difference and felt cooler. By the time I got to the canal I felt a bit better, but knew that most of the remaining journey would be in the direct sun and I would be suffering with the aches still.

By the time I had finished the running I was so glad, it really was an unpleasant experience running in the direct sun and it seemed that nothing had come together making the run an ordeal. I drank a 1 litre bottle of squash over a short time, I must have been dehydrated.




Wednesday 17-July-2013 – I went out in the morning before it got too hot, the temperature was already at 18C and rising quickly. The idea was to do a steady recovery run as I was getting knee pain in my last run. A mile into the run I had to drop down to a walk, I was totally out of breath. I was wondering if this was because I had not had any breakfast and not drunk much to rehydrate myself.
I carried on a short way and had to drop back down to a walk again as my knee was starting to ache, so I thought I will do a quick walk and then go back to a run again. The rest of the run consisted of dropping back to a walk and doing short runs.




Thursday 18-July-2013 – It had been another very hot day so I spent most of the day hydrating on water. By the time I went out running the temperature had come down to 27C, which was still hot in the direct sun, but better in the shade.

My knees had been playing up but they felt okay, right up to the point where I had 3 miles left. My right knee started to ache and was getting progressively worse. My hips that I had some aches with during the week were okay. The run consisted of running and dropping down to a walk, I just could not control my breathing today and my heart rate climbed fairly quickly resulting in me falling back into a walk for a short distance until the heart rate had recovered enough to carry on.

I was glad to have finished the run as the heat really does take it out of you. When I got back I drank a 1 litre bottle of squash while sitting on a bench overlooking Sutton Cheney Wharf.




Friday 19-July-2013 – This run was a recovery run as I have been having some aches with my knees, when I started the run the sun was out and the temperature was already 21C. It was a case of trying to run in as many shaded areas to keep cool, I found that keep sipping water while running was helping.

I managed to get around without any aches or pains so I was very pleased with that. By the time I finished the run the temperature has soared up to 26C.




Saturday 20-July-2013 – The temperature was 21C but it was sunshine and cloud, there was also a nice cool breeze. I changed the route slightly to extend the 3 mile route into a 4 miles route. I kept running in all the shady parts of the path to keep out of the direct sun, but the cool breeze helped.
I had a couple of niggly aches in the legs that soon disappeared after a mile, but mostly the run was ache and pain free. I will use this route in the future during the winter months as it was quite a nice route.




Sunday 21-July-2013 – The day was overcast and the temperature was very cool compared to what it had been during the week. I set off getting into a nice running pace, I was trying to maintain 6mph. I managed to get the breathing sorted out quite early on in the run and this kept the heart rate down. I felt a few spots of rain but the cool still morning felt quite strange as I have been running in the hot sun feeling drained most of the time.

Another runner caught up to me and ran along with me for about 0.3 miles while we had a chat, it was nice to be running along with someone. He had already done nearly 10 miles and still looked quite fresh, he said that he was going to do another 4-5 miles. He upped his pace a little and went off into the distance while I was still maintaining my 6mph pace and breathing.

I managed to get round the 4 miles route without any problems which I was fairly pleased with. I found a bit later on in the day that I had developed an ache behind one of my knees, I gave it a little massage to loosen it up a little which did seem to help.

Running 3 x 10 miles in the heat

Monday 08-July-2013 – The day was very hot when I started my run, I made sure I was hydrated throughout the day which helped. The goal was not to get any personal bests, but to complete the mileage. The air felt very dry and I had to keep on taking a sip of water every so often, the downside to that was that it was making me feel a bit bloated and sick.

I was keeping to a steady pace and listening to the music on my iPod to pass the time away and at times running to the beat when the tempo was right. I got to around 3 miles along the canal and saw a guy sat on a deckchair reading his paper opposite his barge, next to him was a big black dog asleep. I approached giving the dog as much of a wide berth as possible, but as soon as I got close he woke up looked around at me and let off a couple of deep barks. I am sure I lost a couple of pounds in weight at that point in time and thought if he bites it going to be messy. I don’t normally have any problems with running by dogs, sometimes they run along with me thinking it’s a game. Anyway the owner called his name and the dog settled down quickly, I suppose I must have startled him a bit.
I tried to run as much as I could in the shade that tall bushes and trees were giving and there was a breeze as well, it did not feel as hot as it actually was which is the ideal time you end up getting sun burnt.

Generally the run went fairly well, but during the evening at home I felt really washed out. I drank a couple of pints of squash and was weeing light yellow so I knew I was hydrated. The following day I felt okay apart from the usual aches in the legs while recovering.




Wednesday 10-July-2013 – It was cloudy with not a patch of blue in the sky, but it was still warm and more of a stuffy heat along with a slight breeze. I started off at my usual pace and found that after a couple of miles my left knee was aching, I carried on through the ache but had to stop for a wee. I think I must have drank too much during the day. I got back in to the run and my knee was still aching for another mile when the ache disappeared.

I got up the hill heading in to Market Bosworth and had to drop down in to a walk, the hill just blew me out for a bit. I got through the square at Market Bosworth and found it to be extra busy today with people using up the complete path, they were just standing there talking which forces you in to the road with on coming cars.

I made my way from Market Bosworth down a single track road, the farmers were out in the fields in their tractors which seemed a bit strange as it is normally very quiet along this road with the occasional car or van passing me. This road is slightly downhill so I try to up the pace and slow the breathing down for the length of the road. My right knee started to ache now with some sharp pains shooting around it, I tried to bring my leg up bending the knee more and found this seemed to help a bit. I walked up the next hill as I was tired after the faster pace that I had been running and also did not want to upset the knee any more.

I ran across 3 fields where there were a couple of tractors out causing a fair amount of dust, I managed to get through the fields as quick as I could which blew me out. I walked past the Bosworth Battlefield Centre and headed of in to Ambion wood and then down along the canal. As soon as I got off the canal path to cross a bridge I had to drop back down into a walk and have a sip of water. I picked up the pace into a run and ran though Shenton station and along a track up a couple of short hills and past the Bosworth Battlefield Centre again and finally into Ambion wood. By the time I reached the gate where I start and finish I was absolutely knackered, I just did not have anything else left in me.

I managed to do some personal bests:
1 hour – 6.59 Miles (10.62km)
10k – 56m: 14s





Friday 12-July-2013 – It was a very hot day and I found myself sweating while putting my running kit on and wondering if this really is a good idea going out and doing a 10 miler. I had been drinking all morning to keep hydrated and made sure I took plenty of fluids with me.

I set off and tried to keep the pace slow but looked at the Garmin and noticed that I was going at my normal pace, so I thought I will just keep it at the normal pace if that is what I am comfortable with. By the time I had run through Ambion wood and reached the canal I felt quite tired, I felt very hot and just could not get my breathing sorted out, I felt like I was panting while running. I nearly turned back to call it 2 miles, but decided to carry on.

I was trying to find as much shade to run in to keep out of the direct sun which was very hot, this did seem to help a bit but most of the time I was in the direct sunlight which was just sapping my energy. I felt like I had lead boots on, I wanted to stop and turn back but something in me was keeping me running.

I walked up all the hills as I did not want to blow myself out and have to walk the rest of the way. This did seem to help, but it was so hot and tiring even walking up the hills. I found that I had to keep on sipping on water but this was bloating me out and making me feel a bit sick, I thought marvellous I just can’t win.

By the time I finished the run I felt happy that it was all over but also happy that I achieved 10 miles in the hot sun. When I sat down I started to sweat a lot and I was taking on loads of water as I felt a bit dehydrated. According to the Endomondo stats I had sweated 2.81 litres, I cannot really believe that as that is a lot of fluid to lose.

A mixed week with some Personnal Bests.

Monday 01-July-2013 – I found todays run quite an ordeal, my legs were not fully recovered as my knees ached a bit which was putting me off. I could get in to a steady running pace but just could not sort out the breathing, my heart rate was also high.

I gave the run the best I could and felt happy that I had achieved it considering that I did not want to go out for a run, but on the other hand it felt like a dreadful run as nothing seemed to come together. I was very tired over the run and was just glad when the ordeal was over.

I was very surprised to find out that I had gained some personal best times, so perhaps the day was a success after all.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.44 Miles (2.33km)
1 hour – 6.44 Miles (10.38km)
1 Mile – 8m: 04s
10k – 57m: 24s




Wednesday 03-July-2013 – Today I had no aches or pains which was a really nice feeling that does not happen very often so far. I started off at the usual steady pace and managed to get my breathing pattern sorted out fairly quickly, this made the run seem just that little bit easier. I found myself wondering if I should have put a light jacket on as I was feeling a bit chilly.

I found that keeping the breathing at a nice steady pace along the canal helped me to run at a slightly higher pace than normal. When I got to the Bosworth Bridge I still felt knackered as usual though.
I had to part walk up the hill that leads in to Market Bosworth, I suppose the run along the canal took it out of me more than I thought. Once I was at the top of the hill I got back into my steady running pace and tried to keep it there as long as I could.

By the time I got back I was really pleased to be able to sit down and relax, the run really took it out of me. When I logged on to Endomondo from my computer at home I realised why the run took so much out of me, I managed to get 6 personal bests.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.48 Miles (2.39km)
1 hour – 6.48 Miles (10.43km)
1 Mile – 7m: 57s
3 Mile – 25m: 47s
5k – 26m: 40s
10k – 57m: 12s




Friday 05-July-2013 – The day was very warm as the temperature was around 27c. My goal was to do half a marathon (13.1 miles), so I knew that breaking any personal bests would be out of the window straight away. It was all about getting in a nice pace and keep the breathing controlled and my heart rate down to around 150bpm.

I started off with the right mind set and got straight into a nice steady pace, I looked at the Garmin to find that I was not much slower than I normally am but I felt comfortable. Running through Ambion Wood and along the canal felt OK at the pace I was going, I still was running quicker than I thought I would be but the pace felt okay. I was controlling my breathing but the heart rate was up to 160bpm.
I had a short walk from the canal on to the bridge which gave me a bit of a breather as the heart rate had recovered a bit, just as well as I have to run up a hill that leads in to Market Bosworth. I managed to get half way up the hill and I had to fall back in to a walk, my breathing was all over the pace and I felt knackered. The sun was beating down and was not helping at all, I know we should not moan about the heat in this country.

Once I got to the top of the hill I got back into my running pace and sorted out my breathing. I ran through Market Bosworth square which was fairly busy with school kids, luckily most of them kept out of the way. I ran down a single track road and seemed to get my second wind, it just felt like I had not run far.

By the time I got to the Bosworth Battlefield centre I felt quite tired and I was feeling the toll of the distance and running in the heat. I rejoined the canal and knew at this point that I was not going to be able to complete a half a marathon distance. I carried on the route to the finish and was glad to see the gate where I normally finish, I was just so knackered.

1st week back from holiday and the end of June

Monday 24-June-2013 – This was the 1^st run since being back from holiday, so I felt that my aches and pains had gone away which I started to suffer from just before going on holiday.

 

I started off at a nice steady pace but found getting in to a nice breathing pattern was hard. I found that over the course of 4 miles that it was getting increasingly difficult, I wondered what was going on as I had only been off on holiday for a week.

 

On the last few miles I found that I was developing an ache in my knees and hips, this was quite strange as I have not been suffering with this in the last few months. The only thing I thought to myself was that maybe I pushed too hard through the run, but I did not have any personal bests to show for it.

 

During the evening I was in a lot of pain and could barely move without my knees and hips hurting so much. The next day the pain had turned to aches, so moving around was a lot better.

Wednesday 26-June-2013 – I started off in the normal way of getting in to a nice steady pace and trying to sort out the breathing. My knees and hips did not feel too bad but I found it very hard to get in to a steady pace to settle down to.

 

By the time I had done 4 miles and had reached Bosworth Bridge, my knees had started to ache a bit. From this point I decided to walk up the hills to limit the damage on the knees and hips. This strategy seemed to work for a while but the last 3 miles I found it very difficult to carry on as I was in a considerable amount of pain, I just could not concentrate on a running pace of breathing.

 

When I got back to Sutton Cheney Wharf I just collapsed on a bench and stayed there for a good 45 minutes trying to recover before I could jump in to the car and drive home. When I got home and looked at the running data from my Garmin and Endomondo (iPhone), I really didn’t think I would be anywhere near getting any personal bests, but I was very surprised to see that I had gained a few personal bests. During the evening I found myself hobbling around the house like I was on Monday evening, the run had really taken it out of me.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.44 Miles (2.33km)
1 hour – 6.44 Miles (10.38km)
1 Mile – 8m: 04s
10k – 57m: 24s




Friday 28-June-2013 – The weather had been very dull and it had been raining on and off all day. I decided to pop out for a short run as I had been suffering with my knees and hip, so I suppose you could call this a recovery run.

After a couple of minutes running it started to rain, I hate the rain but I hoped it was only a short shower. The rain lasted for just over half of my run, I was feeling very tired but kept on pushing before the rain started again and knowing my luck it would be a heavy downpour. My knees and hips did not feel too bad, there was a slight ache, but I had developed a bit of pain in my ankles. I just could not believe it, I seem to be going through loads of injuries at the moment. I kept on pushing until I had completed the 5k and then dropped down to a walk for a cool down.

When I got home and checked the data on the Garmin and Endomondo, I thought to myself that no wonder I was knackered and aching I had done my fastest 5k.

I managed to do some personal bests:
3 Mile – 26m: 49s
5k – 27m: 46s




Sunday 30-June-2013 – This was a recovery run that was done in the morning as I wanted to watch the Formula 1 (British Grand Prix) that was going to be on TV at mid-day. I had a couple of sips of squash and got ready to go out, the weather was quite overcast. When I got outside I felt a few spots of rain and thought, I am to get wet and I hate the rain.

I was surprised how warm it was out there during the run, I felt quite empty not having ad any breakfast so it was a new feeling for me to deal with. I also felt a bit dehydrated as well, but kept on having sips of water from the water bottle I took out with me.

I did not have many aches during the run, so was quite pleased with that. I also did not break any personal bests but was a fairly good run for me.




Endomondo Monthly Challenges

Bear in mind that I had a week off on holiday, this is what I managed to achieve.

 

Running Rotten Egg Award June (Most km - Running) - I managed to get in to the Elite Egg Awards and got to Titanium which was for people who had run 77.6 miles plus. I had achieved 93.11 miles.

 

Rotten Egg Award June (Most calories - All sports) – I got to Crystal which is for people who burned 17,000 calories or more, I burned 17,064 calories for May.

2 10 Mile runs, Half Marathon and 1 stone in weight lost

Sunday 09-June-2013 – The weather was sunshine and cloud, it was fairly warm when the sun was out though. I made sure I had taken on lots of fluids during the day and for lunch I had a nice light salad.

I set off and got into a nice steady pace and the breathing also was a nice steady pattern. I felt the heat from the sun when it was out and it was going to be out more than in as there were not many clouds in the sky at this point, there was a nice breeze though.

Once I reached 3.5 miles in to the run I had to stop for a wee, it must have been down to all the fluids I had during the day had caught up with me! I did not stop very long so it did not hurt the times too much, but at least I was more comfortable now and could concentrate on the run.

As the weather was nice and it was a Sunday the route was fairly busy with families out and dog walkers, this did not hinder me too much thankfully. By the time I got back to the car I really felt the toll of the run in the sun (that rhymes) and felt quite dehydrated.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.38 Miles (2.23km)
1k – 5m: 00s

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth



Tuesday 11-June-2013 – The day started off when I looked out the window and thought I will wear my long running trousers and long top as it was cloudy outside and a bit chilly. When I got to Sutton Cheney Wharf the sun was out and it was quite warm, I thought to myself that I am wearing the wrong clothes in the heat. I set off and tried to get in to a nice steady run as quick as I could, as this was going to be a tough run in the heat.

After I had covered 4 miles the sun went in and the wind got up, this was a nice welcome breeze to cool me down just before running up a hill into Market Bosworth from the canal bridge. I ran through the square at Market Bosworth and through a gate that leads to a single track road, when I was coming up to 6 miles it stated to lightly rain. I hate the rain but this was quite welcome to cool me down a bit, and the rain did not last very long.

When the single track road ends I turned right up a road for a short way to a car park and then this leads to a right of way on the edge of a number of fields. The grass on the field was long enough to make my trainers a bit wet, I was concerned that my feet would get wet and I would end up with blisters. As I ran through the fields I tried to pick my feet up as much as I could to help them stay dry.
By the time I reached the Bosworth Battlefield Centre I was quite tired, I think the style as I ran through the field used more energy than I thought it would do. I carried on and thought if I concentrate on the breathing then it will be okay. I ran through Ambion Wood, along a disused railway track and got to the old disused railway bridge that crosses the canal. I had done 8 miles at this point, so I thought I wonder if I can do a further 5 miles to make this run in to a Half Marathon (13.1 miles). As I started to run along the canal for the second time today I started to work out how far up the canal I would have to run. I knew that from the railway bridge to the car it was just over a mile, so if I ran up the canal for 2 miles and turned around then the mileage would work out nicely.

I tried to get back in to a nice running pace and sort out my breathing along the canal. Once I had covered just over a mile along the canal it started to rain and then gradually got heavier, this was not a pleasant experience for me but all I could think of is I have just under a mile to cover before turning around.  I kept on checking the Garmin until I reached 10 miles, I turned around and headed back along the canal in the rain. I found running along the canal in the rain was quite an ordeal, I could get back in to a nice running pace but just could not sort out my breathing. I noticed my heart rate monitor was reading a low heart rate, I tried to wipe underneath the chest strap but this did not make any difference. The rain stopped and I started to dry off in the wind, I was so tired at this point and had to fall down in to a walk for a short time to calm down. I found that I had to keep falling back in to a short walk after each half mile and was so tired.

I was so glad to get back to the car but was so happy that I had covered 13.1 miles. My legs were like jelly and I could barely walk, I had to sit on a bench for 40 minutes until I was able to drive back home. Once I got home I uploaded the data from the Garmin to Garmin Connect and checked the Endomondo site to find that I had got 6 new personal bests. Even though it was very tough going I thought the day was a big success.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.39 Miles (2.24km)
1 hour – 6.36 Miles (10.24km)
1k – 4m: 28s
1 Mile – 8m: 05s
10k – 58m: 34s
Half Marathon – 2h: 13m: 57s

Garmin Connect – 13 Miles, Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth



Thursday 13-June-2013 – After looking at the weather forecast I decided the best thing to do was to go for a run earlier than normal due to the heavy showers that had been forecasted for later in the day. When I arrived at Sutton Cheney Wharf the day was very cloudy, windy and a bit muggy.

I set off at a slow pace as normal and found it to be very windy at times, after a few miles I had a bit of a washed out feeling. I continued on as I thought the washed out feeling would just wear off and I would be able to get in to a nice running pace.

During this run I had to drop down in to a walk for a short time to catch my breath, I found I just could not get into this run at all. I found it very hard to get into a nice running pace and my breathing was all over the place which was very off putting. I was very glad to get back to the car as I was so tired, not long after I got in to the car it rained quite hard so I was lucky not to be caught out in it. I think that I had not fully recovered from the previous run which gave me the washed out feeling, I maybe suffering with overtraining as well.

On the up side of today run, I managed to do some personal bests:
Copper (12 mins) – 1.40 Miles (2.26km)
1k – 4m: 24s
1 Mile – 8m: 04s

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth



On 19-April 2013 a holiday was booked and I was 14 Stone, my goal was to lose 1 stone in 2 months. I am pleased to say that I have reached my goal, I now weigh 13 stone. Once I get off holiday the next goal will be to get my weight down to 12.5 stone.

Stepping up to 10 miles, not once or twice, but three times

Monday 03-June-2013 – The weather was a nice blue sky with a few clouds, so I decided to put my shorts on and running t-shirt and head off to Sutton Cheney Wharf for a gentle run in the sun.

I set my Garmin and headed off from Sutton Cheney Wharf along the canal path and into Ambion wood. I ran up to the Bosworth Battlefield centre and turned left as I normally do along the stony path and back in to Ambion wood. After a while I came to a disused railway which has been converted into a path, I took the path and headed down to the disused railway bridge which is where I joined the canal footpath.

 

Once I was on the canal footpath I felt fairly good as I was in a nice steady running pace and my breathing was nice and steady as well. I felt really good all the way along the canal and when I reached the Bosworth Bridge I decided to run up to Market Bosworth. Previously I have struggled to get up the hill and had to walk most of it, but this time I got up the hill without stopping.

 

Once I reached the top of the hill I checked my Garmin and it showed that my heart rate was 165bpm, I started to take some slow deep breaths for a while which helped to bring the heart rate down to 150bpm. I ran through the square at Market Bosworth and took a single track road with a gate you have to open to drive though, there was a car going through as I approached so I didn’t have to mess around opening the gate and closing it.

 

The single track road seemed to go on for ever, but I kept a nice steady running pace and kept the breathing nice and steady at around 150-155bpm. When I reached the end of the road there is another gate to open or you can take a little track that bypasses it which is what I took. I turned right and headed up a short hill to a car park on the left and headed along the footpath on the edge of 3-4 fields. This brought me alongside the Bosworth Battlefield Centre, I looked at the mileage on the Garmin and noticed that the big loop was 7 miles. I was still feeling pretty good at this point and couldn’t understand what I had done differently, I decided the today was the day I was going to do 10 miles.

 

I headed off along a path and into Ambion wood, the disused railway track and joined the canal north bound for the second time today. The idea was to do a small loop to for the extra mileage, so I ran along the canal until I came to a hump back bridge, I came off the canal footpath and over the bridge and along the road. After a short distance I reached Shenton Railway Station, I ran through the car park, across the tracks and along a path that runs alongside the station building. Once I got through a couple of gates the path leads up a small hill then after a short while there is a second hill. I managed to get up the hills without stopping and carried on past the King Richard III sun dial and along the path back to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre. I checked the Garmin and noticed that I had done 9.3 miles, I thought to myself that I would have to do a tiny loop around a field outside the Bosworth Battlefield Centre to make up 0.2 miles. Once I had done the tiny loop I headed off into Ambion wood and finished the run after 0.5 miles where I first set off at the beginning of this run.

 

10 miles is my personal best distance, I really don’t know how I managed to do this amount of miles and all without walking unless I was going through a gate. My legs were like jelly so I had to sit down on a bench for half an hour before driving home. I wonder how long it will be before I feel like this again and am able to run this distance again. 

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth

Wednesday 05-June-2013 – I managed to do the same route as I had done on Monday to see if doing 10 miles was a one off. Once I got in to a nice running pace and got the breathing nice and steady the miles just seemed to go by fairly quickly.

 

I was very pleased to finish the run and knowing that getting to 10 miles was not a one off, even though my legs were aching like mad afterwards.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth 

Friday 07-June-2013 – I found todays run very challenging in the heat, I was having digestion problems with feeling a bit sick. My mouth was getting very dry so I had to keep sipping on water which was making my digestion problem worse. In the first 4 miles I nearly gave up but I kept going and found that the problem seemed to get a bit better.

 

I had to drop down to walking on a number of occasions as I just felt so tired even though my heart rate was okay. When I got back I was very surprised to see that I have got some personal bests as I really didn’t think I was anywhere near getting any.

 

I managed to do some personal bests:

1 Hour – 6.3 Miles (10.2km)

3 Miles – 27m: 15s

5K – 28m: 07s

10k – 58m: 43s

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Market Bosworth 

The last two runs before the end of May and the Endomondo May Challenges.

The weather was a bit wet this week making the canal running a bit muddy. I have missed out on a run which makes me out of my routine on running on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Being that I have the Endomondo on my iPhone I joined some challenges for May which are as follows:

Running Rotten Egg Award May (Most km - Running) - I managed to get in to the Elite Egg Awards and got to Pearl which was for people who had run 93.2 miles plus. I had achieved 99.55 miles.

Rotten Egg Award May (Most calories - All sports) – I got to Crystal which is for people who burned 17,000 calories or more, I burned 17,023 calories for May.

500 calories a day keep the doctor away (May) – The challenge was to burn 15,500 calories in May, I managed this as I burned 17,023 calories.

I was expecting to have some sort of badge in my Endomondo profile, but there is nothing so I am left wondering what the challenges are for.

Monday 27-May-2013 – Today was a warm day but quite windy with strong gusts. I didn’t really feel my best and had to force myself out, I am still trying to lose 1 stone before I go on holiday and only have another 5lbs to go in 3 weeks. The other thing that really pushed me out was that it was forecast to rain on the following day and I hate the rain as well as making the canal path muddy.

I set off at a reasonably slow pace to warm up and found myself negotiating through people that were out as it was a bank holiday. I find it infuriating when people can see you coming along and don’t move over a little to let you past without brushing past them. Most people I find have been really good, they let you past and greet you with a ‘hello’ as well.

I found I had to break back in to a couple of 30 second walks before reaching the 4 mile point which is the Bosworth Bridge along the canal. I thought to myself that if I have to walk a couple of times on the way to the 4 mile point then what is it going to be like on the way back. I kept on having sips of water from one of the couple of water bottles that I carry on my running belt, I also found the running belt really needed to be tightened up a little being that I have lost a bit of weight it has become a little loose resulting in it bouncing about which was a little off putting.

On the journey back I had to keep dropping back into a walk and having sips of water, I felt quite dehydrated at this point and was wondering if I should have not bothered coming out on a run. I felt my face getting hot and was just longing for the run to be over. I found that I just could not settle into a nice steady pace with a nice breathing pattern, which I am sure did not really help. When I got back I looked at the overall time and I was astonished that I was only about 5 minutes more than my previous run.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

 

Thursday 30-May-2013 – It had been raining for a couple of days so I ended up missing yesterday and doing the run today. The canal footpath was mostly okay but in places it was a bit muddy which involved negotiating my way through the muddy patches. Surprisingly I still had a few minor aches in the legs from the last run, so I thought today I am going to take it steady.

I decided to run past the Bosworth Bridge where I normally turn back and ran for a further 0.5 mile. I suppose I was wondering what the footpath on the other side of the bridge was like, well the answer was very similar to the 4 miles of footpath I had just run. I had to keep going down into a walk as I just could not get into a steady pace. I really felt the extra mile that I did as my legs ached so much, I felt good that I had covered the miles though and burned the calories towards my weight loss.

 

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

Couple of runs along the canal and one round Hinckley

Monday 20-May-2013 - After having the weekend off running to recover I still felt a few aches and pains but nothing too bad. The weather was overcast but muggy when I arrived at Sutton Cheney Wharf. I got myself ready and headed off. There were a couple of coaches that arrived at Bosworth Heritage Centre so there were a few guided tours that I had to negotiate around through Ambion Wood.

I managed to get into a nice steady pace along the canal footpath and kept my breathing nice and steady. There were not many people that I had to pass so I could just concentrate on the pace and breathing until I got to the Bosworth Bridge. I always find it is the homeward journey back that I just can not get back in to a nice pace and keep it, I have to run as much as I can and break into a walk until I have recovered enough to carry on, this will have to be work in progress.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth



Wednesday 22-May-2013 - I had been feeling tired after not having a very good sleep, I must have had between 3 and 4 hours. Somehow I also missed having breakfast and on top of that my legs still ached, so I was not feeling my best.

I started the run off with a slow steady pace as I was thinking it all about the miles which equates to more calories to lose. I got my breathing sorted out and kept a nice deep slow breathing pattern while listening to music on my iPod.

I arrived at the Bosworth Bridge in reasonably good shape so decided that instead of turning back and walking for a bit I would try and see how far I can run back. To my amazement I only stopped a few times on the journey back, so I am wondering how I have achieved this when all the cards were stacked against me with the lack of sleep, no breakfast and achy legs.

When I got back I noticed (on Endomondo) that I was just 10 seconds away from reaching my 10k personal best time, which has left me feeling a little frustrated. I am now wondering how long it will be before I get to the point where I can beat the time.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth



Friday 24-May-2013 - Today has been very windy and quite a bit of rain, so I thought it would be a bit too adventurous to do 8 miles along the canal. I thought it would be better to just run around the block if the weather breaks. Well the weather did calm down a bit so I thought ‘let’s do it’. I got ready and went out looking up at the sky, there was a massive black cloud coming my way, I didn’t think too much more about it and set off.

This route just goes around the block in an anti-clockwise direction which is a good 5k. The route consist of a short hill followed by a long gradual hill which really becomes challenging to keep on running without breaking into a walk. If you make it up the gradual hill there is a nice gradual descent afterwards which gives you a bit of a breather, but not today as there was a head wind I was running in to and it started to rain. I managed to run all the way around without stopping which I have only done once before which was a long time ago, so I was quite pleased.

I managed to do some personal bests:
Cooper (12 minutes) – 1.37 Miles
3 Miles – 27m: 34s
5K – 28m: 36s

Run around Hinckley

3 runs the same along the Ashby de la Zouch canal

Monday 13-May-2013 – This run was very similar to the last run which was on Friday along the Ashby de la Zouch canal, the only difference was that I extended the run to the Bosworth Bridge. The extra distance made the total run 8 miles.

 
I had the usual problems along the canal of running over the pot holes and up and down, but I felt I managed to keep at a nice running pace and control the breathing more this time. I really felt like I was in the zone this time and managed to run without stopping all the way to the Bosworth Bridge. I also managed to do less walking on the way back to Sutton Cheney Wharf as well, I can’t explain why I felt like this as I just can’t put my finger on it.

I managed to do some Personal Bests:

3 Miles – 28m:51s
5k – 29m:50s
10k – 1h:00m:52s
1 Hour – 9.87km (6.13 Miles)

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

Wednesday 15-May-2013 – Todays run was the same as the previous run on Monday. I found it very hard going indeed, my legs ached from start until finish. I just found it very difficult to get in to a nice running pace and my breathing was quite heavy from start until finish, I must have sounded like a train.

I think what didn’t help was that I was still buzzing with achieving all the personal best times and I really wanted to improve on my 10k time from Monday, what I did was set my Garmin’s virtual partner at 6mph. I thought if I can keep to 6mph that will not be too far off getting my 10k time under an hour, this kind of blew me out on the first couple of miles. I think what I will take away from this is to keep to a pace that I can naturally run to and slow down if needed and speed up if I feel comfortable, for me it is really all about putting in the mileage to burn the calories as I am trying to lose some weight.

My legs are now in a lot of pain, so I am hoping that I have not over done it for Fridays run which I will aim to do the same route again.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

 

Friday 17-May-2013 – This time I managed to run all the way to the Bosworth Bridge without stopping which is my main goal until I am comfortable with it. Two miles into the run along the canal footpath I could really feel my legs becoming heavy and aching. I carried on going trying to keep to a steady pace but my legs were just getting worse.

On the way back I had to go into a walk as the pain was becoming unbearable and I found it hard to concentrate on my breathing. It felt like the miles went by very slowly and I just couldn’t wait to get back to the car for it all to be over. When I got back to the car I just collapsed into the seat, my legs were aching so much I just had to sit at Sutton Cheney Wharf for half an hour to let my legs recover while watching the canal boats and ducks go by.

Somehow I managed to get a couple of personal bests, it certainly was not through trying:

1Km – 5m:04s
1 Mile – 8m:34s

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth 

1st run along the canal without my neighbour

I had a light lunch early at 12:00 and texted my neighbour to let him know that I was still on for a run at 3pm. He texted back to say that he had far too much on and would have to give the run a miss.
I got ready for 3pm as usual and drove to Sutton Cheney Wharf to park the car. There were not very many cars there and I thought well it must be down to the weather as it had been raining in the morning and was due to rain again later in the day. I took a windproof/showerproof jacket just in case it did rain.

I walked through the car park and past the café to a gate, where I set the Garmin Forerunner 610 and started off on a slow running pace. The path follows the canal for a short way then disappears in to Ambion wood, the path is not too bad and becomes quite wide while in the wood. After a half a mile I went through a gate across a narrow field and through another one which leads up to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre, which is where I turn left along a path.

The path heads towards Ambion wood again, passing the ‘Richard III well’. Running through the wood is nice and peaceful, all you can hear is the wind blowing through the trees. The path comes to an old disused railway track, I turned left and ran along it to an old railway bridge which crosses the Ashby de la Zouch canal.

I joined the canal and ran North bound watching where the pot holes where, twisting the ankle is the last thing you need! I got into a steady run at 6mph and settled in to a nice breathing pattern. Some parts of the canal footpath get very bumpy which messes up the running rhythm so you have to try and get back in it again.

After about a mile I passed a slowing barge with a couple of people aboard looking at another barge in the middle of the canal. As I ran past the barge I noticed that one end of the barge had come loose which is why it was in the middle of the canal. I thought shall I stop and pull the barge in and continue with the run, I then thought sod it I will leave it for the people in the barge approaching. Knowing me I will pull my back or twist an ankle and that will put me out for some time, I’m sure the people in the approaching barge have more time. I carried on running and didn’t look back to see if the people were shouting or not as I did feel a bit guilty.

The canal winds around through the Leicestershire countryside which is really scenic. It started to rain and I thought ‘oh marvellous, I’m not even at the point of turning around and I am going to get soaked’. Luckily there was a high hedge that I was running past which went the length of a field, the hedge was high enough for me to run close and not get wet. It was only a very short shower so I felt very lucky and relieved.

I reached a bridge which was just over 3 miles away from my starting point, I was fairly tired at this point. I turned back walking along the canal to try and recover a bit. I found it a bit strange not to have my neighbour with me as we have a little chat which makes the time go quicker.
The run back along the canal didn’t seem to take too long, I must have had a lot on my mind to pass the time away. I had to slow down in to a walk on a number of occasions to recover and before I knew it I had reached the disused railway bridge, so I thought should I carry on along the canal and if I do will that make the distance 10k. I decided to take the same route that I had come along knowing that distance would certainly make the 10k.

When I got back to the gate where I started off from I stopped the Garmin and looked at the distance, it was 6.6 miles so I was happy to have coved the 10k distance. I sat on one of the benches at the side of the café (Sutton Cheney Wharf) to recover, my leg muscles were aching.
I aim to do this route again soon.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Ambion Wood, Canal, Bosworth

Sutton Cheney Wharf, Bosworth Battlefield, Shenton

This was another run with my neighbour, we parked just outside the gates of Sutton Cheney Wharf and you now have to pay to park in the car park. The day was quite hot so I decided to change my running gear to shorts and short sleeve t-shirt to try and keep the body temperature down.

We walked across the car park and past the Café building where there is a gate, this is where I set the Garmin and started a slow run while my neighbour decided to walk a bit more to warm up. I thought if I keep the run very slow then he will catch up being that he is fitter than I am.

The path ran alongside the canal and disappears in to Ambion wood for nearly half a mile, I kept up the slow pace and as I got to the other side of the wood I looked back to see him coming along. I carried on slowly towards Bosworth Battlefield Centre and then turn left along a track that goes back in to Ambion wood. After a 5 minutes run the track comes to an old disused railway line which I took a left to go down. I followed the railway track down to an old railway bridge where I took a short breather, my neighbour had now caught up at this point.

We ran Northbound up the canal at a steady pace, I got my breathing sorted out which seemed to keep my heart rate down to around 150 bpm. We eventually came to an aqueduct which is where we came off the canal footpath. There are some steps that lead down to a road, we turned left and headed towards Shenton village.

After a short run on the road there is a gate that we climbed over to continue along through a field full of sheep, this lead us to another gate which crossed a field with cows in. The cows seemed to stop what they were doing and started to looks at us running through their field, with some cows crossing in front of us, I’m sure they were trying to put us off.

We eventually got to the top of the field which was up hill to join a road which we turned left on. This road went over the canal and past a farm. Just past the farm there is a car park to Shenton Station which is part of the Bosworth Battlefield Railway, we went through a couple of gates that crossed the railway line and walked a short way to the side of the station building where there are another couple of gates.

The track goes alongside a field with sheep in and up a short hill which I managed to run. My neighbour had a short stop while I carried along the track to the next short hill, I managed to run up the hill but had to take a breather at the top. While I was waiting for my neighbour to catch up I was trying to take in long slow breaths to bring my heart rate down while enjoying a nice view across the Battlefield.

Once my neighbour got to the top he had a lay down on the grass, he was having a bit of an off day and was feeling very tired. He said that if I wanted to do another circuit around while he was recovering then he would wait.

Off I went through Ambion wood, along the disused railway track and along the canal. I managed to keep to a nice steady pace and keeping the heart rate to 150-160 bmp turned off and the aquaduct and along the road to the gate, across the couple of fields and back up the road to Shenton Station. I didn’t quite manage to run all the way up the short hill, I had to break into a walk just a short way to the top. I carried on running to the next short hill where I did manage to run up back to where my neighbour was waiting for me. I had to have a short break while catching my breath back.

After a short while we set off past Bosworth Battlefield Centre and in to Ambion wood, we only had a half a mile to go so I got in to a nice steady pace. It didn’t take very long to get through the wood and out the other side where the path follows the canal to Sutton Cheney Wharf, I stopped the Garmin at the gate that leads to the car park where we walked through and had a sit down on a bench for a well-deserved break.

 

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf, Bosworth Battlefield, Shenton

Sutton Cheney, Stapleton, Bosworth Battlefield, Sutton Cheney

Today my legs were aching from a mixture of my last run a couple of day ago and possibly a load of gardening I had done yesterday. I planned to go out of a run with my neighbour at 3pm and it was going to be a 4 mile route (the same route that was done on Monday).

As we came to Sutton Cheney Wharf we noticed that the car park looked full, so we decided to do another route. We parked outside the Hercules Pub in Sutton Cheney and got ourselves ready for the run.

We walked down the road and a short way along a footpath until we came to a stile, we hopped over the stile and I set the Garmin (Forerunner 610) and the run began. We ran through a few fields, some of which were ploughed, and then ran through a field with a horse roaming around which lead us to a children’s playing field with swings in. There was a 5-10 minute break in the playground before we backtracked along the route we had just come along and back to the car.

Once we arrived at the car I paused the Garmin and we had a water break while deciding where to go as we had done about 3.5 miles. A decision was made for the next part of the route which was a short 0.5 mile drive to a couple of fields away from Bosworth Battlefield Centre. I unpaused the Garmin and created a split and then decided that I would run the 0.5 mile to the next start point along a path.

Once I arrived to the start point where my neighbour had parked, I created another split on the Garmin and then had a small sip of water before we started the next part of our run.

We ran across a few fields to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre and then on towards an old unused railway track via Ambion wood. When we exited the woods we turned left and headed towards an old railway bridge that spans across a canal.

We took a short path from the bridge down to the canal where we turned left and continued up the canal. I seemed to feel okay at this point as I got into a nice slow run and controlling my breathing, until we reached a bridge with a road going over it. We took the road which leads to Shenton station which is a part of the Bosworth Battlefield Railway Line.

We crossed the line by going through a couple of gates and through another couple of gates at the side of the station building. The track went up a little hill and alongside a field that leads to another small hill. We had a small rest to get our breath back and a small drink of water while soaking up the fantastic view across Bosworth Battlefield.

The run started again and headed off into Ambion wood towards the disused railway line, once we got to the disused railway line we turned left and ran down towards to old railway bridge once again. When we arrived at the railway bridge we took to the canal but this time we turned right that leads to Sutton Cheney Wharf. I found I had to try and get into slow run and concentrate on the breathing again. I was very surprised that the run along the canal went by very quickly and that I managed to continue without stopping, I was really tired at this stage.

There is a bridge that crosses the canal to the Sutton Cheney Wharf car park which we just walked across to give us a little break. Once in the car park we carried on through the car park and along a path that runs alongside the canal and once again into Ambion wood. I really don’t know how I managed to carry on but I did, I suppose it was the thought that we were not far from where the run was going to come to an end. I found running on the side of the track on the pine needles were softer to run on and more comfortable, it wasn’t that long before we came out of Ambion wood through a couple of gates and a short distance to Bosworth Battlefield Centre where we turned down the side of the building to a gate where the run came to a stop. At this point I looked at the Garmin and notice the mileage was reading just over 8 miles. We walked across a couple of fields using this as a cool down towards the location where the car was parked.

This run is the furthest I have ever run and is a personal record for me, I really don’t know how I managed to cover the 8 miles plus. I feel great having achieved today’s run but I can’t help thinking that I will be suffering for it during the evening and the next day.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney, Stapleton, Bosworth Battlefield, Sutton Cheney

Bosworth Battlefield, Canal and Bosworth

This was a route my neighbour knew, so it was a case of following the leader. We parked a couple of fields away from Bosworth Battlefield Centre and go ourselves ready. We walked across a couple of fields as a warm up and then I started the Garmin (Forerunner 610) for the run when we were alongside Bosworth Battlefield Centre.

We headed into Ambion wood along a track that headed towards a disused railway line. Once we arrived at the disused railway line we turned left and ran towards an old railway bridge. Running through the woods is a really nice and peaceful experience and I feel very fortunate to be able to do it.

Once we arrived at the old railway bridge we dropped down to the canal and turn left heading North bound along the canal, again this is really peaceful. I found it a bit difficult to get in to a steady run as well as watching out for tree roots, bumps and pot holes. We ran a fair way along the canal until we came off the canal.

We joined a road that went over the bridge and up a long hill heading towards Bosworth. I felt so tired by this stage and just walked up the hill. As soon as we got to top of the hill I started off running into Bosworth and through the square passed a monument. Just out of the square there is a narrow road leading south through a gate, this road seemed to go on forever as I had to keep stopping due to my heart rate not recovering quick enough and staying low. I was glad to get back to the car and have a sit down, even though it was quite an achievement for me.

For some strange reason when I uploaded the data from the Garmin Forerunner 610 to Garmin Connect the map part of it don’t work but the rest of the data is there.

Garmin Connect - Bosworth Battlefield, Canal and Bosworth

Another route at Sutton Cheney Wharf

It’s been a nice change going for a run with my neighbour, generally the pace has been slower and with more stops than I am used to but the distance has been further. I have found so far my legs are not so achy the next day.

The route used parts of the route I have used for the past 4 runs, so I was reasonably familiar with it. We started off with a little walk for a warm up and then once we got to the other side of a gate I set the Garmin to record the route. I started the run at the pace I normally do but this was too quick, I found it hard to keep to a slower pace to start with, but after 5 minutes I settled in to the run.

The run took us alongside the canal and into Ambion woods. After a while the path comes out of the woods and heads towards Bosworth Battlefield Centre. We turned left next to Bosworth Battlefield Centre and headed off along the track in to the woods. This track comes out on an old disused railway line which we turn left and followed down to an old railway bridge.

When we go to the railway bridge we could follow the path alongside the canal, I found this a little hard going as the path was a bit uneven and had pot holes to watch out for. We ran as far as the next bridge which is where we left the canal and joined a road. The road went over the bridge and past a farm (which smelled due to muck spreading), after a little while we entered a car park for the Battlefield Railway Station at Shenton.

We picked up the track which was just across the car park and over the railway line. This lead us through a couple of gates and headed towards Bosworth Battlefield. The path goes up a couple of small hills but enough to tire us both out as we stopped at the top of each hill to catch our breath back.

Once at the top of the 2^nd hill we decided to follow the path down the hill and turn right back in to Ambion Woods and headed off towards the old disused railway. Once we got to the old disused railway track we turned right this time which took us back up to the Battlefield Railway Station at Shenton again.

Once we reached the Battlefield Railway Station we once again headed along the track and up both of the small hills, taking a small break at the top of each hill. At the top of the 2^nd hill the views are just fantastic, it is so peaceful up there taking in the view which you can see for miles across the green fields.

After a short break we headed off along the track, past the Bosworth Battlefield Centre and headed off back in to Ambion Woods. We only had a half of a mile left and at this point I was glad in a way that was not going to take us too long. We settled in to a slow steady pace and ran through the woods and finally alongside the canal to Sutton Cheney Wharf where I stopped the Garmin at the gate we started the run at.

We walked from the gate to the edge of the woods and back again as a cool down, then finally sat down on a bench watching the world go by as we recovered.

I’m glad I did the run and enjoyed the route, but it really shows I have a long way to go until I am fit enough to be able to run the route without small breaks. We have agreed to take a days rest and do the same route the following day.

 

Garmin Connect - 4 Miles from Sutton Cheney Wharf

More running around the Sutton Cheney Wharf route

Since the last post, I have had a further 3 runs around the Sutton Cheney Wharf route. I have slightly modified the route to bring the mileage up from 2.4 miles to 2.5 miles, it is just a case of not cutting the corners which has made the difference.

I have found it fairly had going still, but been soldiering on with it. I have been keeping an average pace of 5-6mph throughout the run, but I have been finding the uneven surface on the track quite difficult to cope with.

I am still enjoying the route, looking at the scenery and running through the forest.

After a bit of reading on several running forums I have found the general consensus of running on a track is known to be more difficult than road running. I am going to keep at it for a bit longer and see if I improve as well as looking at the stats on Garmin Connect.


Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf (Run 2)

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf (Run 3)

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf (Run 4)

A new route at Sutton Cheney Wharf

After a tough time running through the winter and lacking a lot of motivation, I have put on weight and not really improved running without stopping.

After speaking to my neighbour about one of the routes he takes I decided to wait until a nice dry day and give the new route a try.

I arrived at Sutton Cheney Wharf a bit apprehensive of the route and where I was going. Having a blister on the back on my left foot made me wonder if I was doing the right thing before it has healed up. I just thought ‘sod it, I am here now’.

I walked from the car park to the start of the trail that follows alongside the canal and set the Garmin. After a short time the path went in to Ambion Woods, the path is a wide stony path leading off into the distance. After a while of running through the woods I came to a gate which leads to the Bosworth Battlefield Centre, I took an immediate left which runs along the edge of the woods.

The path once again disappears in to the woods and finally comes out on a path that runs alongside the old disused Battlefield Railway line, this is a slight incline but nothing too much to worry about. Eventually after this long path then you veer right (next to where the Battlefield Railway line track starts, there is also a railway station there) and through a couple of gates.

There is a hill that does not last that long, but I found myself going up this very slowly and once at the top I had to walk to get my breath back. I started to run again and came to another hill which again just took it out of me, so I had to walk once at the top.

Right in front of you there is a garden feature which is a sundial with a big sword and a king’s crown on the end. All around the sundial there are roses, which makes the whole feature look really nice. The sundial was just a quick look as I ran past and started the descent towards the Bosworth Battlefield Centre.

Just in front of the Bosworth Battlefield Centre you turn right and head towards Ambion Woods (there are a couple of gates to go through before you enter Ambion Woods). I thought to myself that this is now the home straight back towards the car park. The path felt like it was going on forever at this point but I kept going on without stopping.

I finally came out of the woods and followed the path alongside the canal which is only a short distance to Sutton Cheney Wharf car park which is where I stopped the Garmin. I felt absolutely knackered at this point but also felt that I have done better on this route than my normal route around the block.

Note - If you decide to do the route then be aware that there are dog walkers around with their dogs off the lead. All the dogs I ran past were absolutely fine and well behaved.

Garmin Connect - Sutton Cheney Wharf (Run 1)