Tuesday 30 April 2013

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 2nd 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 2nd 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.
 

Thursday 25 April 2013

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)

Friday 19 April 2013

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)

Running through the winter

I have been running around the local block which is 5k and found that I couldn’t complete without stopping and more importantly I was coming back with injuries most of the time.

I started the Couch to 5k to get myself in a programme which I could follow without over training. I have gone through January, February, and March, doing the programme and just can’t get past Week 6. I have found the couple of hills just too much and feel this is now stopping my progress. I am also getting a little fed up of the route now and feel I need a different route to keep me interested.

Over the course of the winter I have also put weight on and have now got to 14 stone, which is 1.5 stone overweight. This is really down to eating too much of the fattening foods and also not enough exercise to burn it off.

The goal now is to find another route that I can put in to my routine and eat a bit healthier to drop the weight down bit. I am hoping this will keep me motivated more than I have been.