A morning out of work

Today I managed to plan a day off work when it was nice weather. That's quite an  unusual combination. I'm out of practice on longer runs so committed to run/walk from the outset, my overall goal being around 22km in 3 hours. My planned route would keep me well within the Sheffield city boundary so that I was compliant with Covid-19 regulations.

I got a reasonably early start so the sun was still low even at the top of Porter Clough.

I just had to ascend to Oxstones, but after that key waypoint I set off for home via God's Spring and Devil's Elbow and then into Dore through Blacka Moor plantation. That route includes some short but sharp ascents and descents with a scattering of ice patches and bogs. Progress wasn't fast therefore. It also felt hard on my legs! My right knee is playing up again - I've blamed this on some old boots previously and had intend to throw them out...

I'd hoped to achieve 22km to match the date but I've not managed to keep up with the #496 challenge really so why bother today? It was a great outing nonetheless.

Fill Your Boots (with peat-laden water)

Once again Sheffield is in COVID-19 Tier 3 and we're not supposed to leave the city. Luckily I'd been sent a route to revisit the summer run destinations, 9 of which are within the city boundary. It looked as though a 17km loop would encompass these so long as I started at The Norfolk Arms. The day was picked wisely and I was on Houndkirk Road for sunrise. Within 20 minutes I'd got wet feet and legs from knee-height heather but this would prove to be a relatively dry part of the run. 

I have to confess that after 90 minutes was getting disillusioned with skipping through boggy bits and trying not to trip over stone islands that (falsely) promised dry feet. Progress was slow and I decided to complete the run with 7 destinations passed. It's often said to set trail runs by duration rather than distance so 2 and a half hours seemed enough. For just under 15km this shows how 'steady' I'd been.

It was great to be out mid-week and by accepting I'd had enough, and replanning my route as I ran, Type 2 fun was avoided.

Into December

 It's been hard into this winter. We've been in and out of rather lax 'lockdowns' and 'tiers' that restrict opening of gyms. The perpetual change has disincentivized getting back into swimming. Now it's a good 9 months since I was in the water. My early successes in regular morning runs have dissipated now I'm going into work a few days a week and need to be ready at my desk the other days.

Even so we've done a walk or two every day and I've maintained the circuits habit on a Wednesday evening. Sunday morning to Oxstones is a good habit too. This (saturday) morning I managed 5km in the mud. This week I've had an aching right knee which has no apparent cause although I'm thinking it's due to uneven heel wear on my current daily boots. The absence of issues this morning whilst running with my mid/fore foot gait supports that hypothesis. Hopefully OK for a longer run tomorrow then.

Replaced Lone Peak 4.0

 On the last run the Grey/Orange Lone Peak shoes were ripped. For quite a while I'd notes the midsole collapse, the lack of lugs on the sole and the general shoddy nature of the uppers. The rip was the deciding factor though. So, after 1400km, new ones were ordered, as usual there was a new model, and tested today.

As might be expected they felt a bit stiff and the heel tab slightly caught my foot but for 45minutes they were fine. I did run slightly faster than usual but I'll put that down to the chill weather rather than new shoes.

Oxstones habit

With a return to attending work I've found by 'COVID' morning runs to be impossible. However, for the last few Sundays I've managed 90 minutes to Oxstones which is always a lovely journey. Actually it's just under an hour to the stones and 35 minutes back along the road.

Today was very overcast but the image looks quite atmospheric after 'some' enhancement. The last couple of weeks I've been a bit quicker on the ascent and  I now have a goal to do it in under 55 minutes. I've probably done that in the past but somehow every year achieving a pace gets tougher!

Todwick 12

I'm trying to develop a good running routine again after a break due to disrupted guts. The medics claim the radiotherapy didn't affect it but I've not been trouble-free since. Could be a coincidence of getting older? It's a disappointment that I've had to step back and rebuild as early in the summer I was managing a reasonable distance each week in a reliable way.

Anyway, I took the risk today of another 50% increase in length to 12km. I've only run this circuit once before although included sections in 2 other longer runs. I felt that I pushed quite hard today and was rewarded by 7 Strava segment stars.

Of course, gaining '3' means that it was my second slowest attempt! The weather was blustery and that's my excuse for an especially slow kilometre near the end when I was into a headwind and uphill.

Closer analysis might suggest that I set off too fast and lost pace? The main thing is that I was out for over an hour and seem fine afterwards.

July into August

The end of July and early August have had summery weather which has made it good to get out and about. Perhaps a little too pleasant as it appears that some popular spots have been so busy a to risk COVID-19 transmission and attractive swimming and camping locations have been 'discovered' and left a mess. There has been such a noticeable rise in 'wild camping' that the Home Office are considering making it a criminal offence.

I've had to go into work a few days per week recently which has meant that I've missed my Tuesday morning run. Most weeks I've fitted in an extra run to compensate. This morning, for instance, I've done a slow 17km which should fit nicely with something on Sunday to make a back-to-back slow run.

Today was very warm and I kept a slow pace so as not to be too worn this afternoon. The heather is coming into flower so the moors are becoming colourful.