25 Mile London Marathon Training Run (Road)

25 miles from Grantham - Harlaxton - Denton - Harston - Branston - Barkstone - Redmile - Belvoir Castle - Woolsthorpe - Denton - Harlaxton - Grantham. Apporximately 3 hours 35 minutes. Didn;'t feel good till after 10 miles but improved steadily to a good canter over the last 7 miles. I had planned to drive round the route the previous day to drop drinks by the side of the road but the sub zero temperatures would have frozen the drinks solid. Happily my trusty girlfriend offered to drive round the route in the morning and drop off my provisions whilst I was running. Friday night was spent driving her round the route planning "drop points". The things you do for love....



I left Grantham at 7.45am managing to get myself out of bed. I doubted my ability to run so far so soon in the training plan, the last long run had been on the Dave Lewis Challenge from Newark in November (a seven hour navigational epic). The route was fairly inspiring passing across the Vale of Belvior. I passed a grouse shoot between Branston and Barkstone and plenty of other country types. A limping elderley shooter asked to swap legs with me, if only he knew how stiff mine were! Glad to get 25 miles in the bag.     

Ropsley Raid Sunday 16th January 2011

Ropsley Road Runners are a low key bunch of friends who put on some excellent low key races centered around the quaint village of Ropsley, near Grantham in Lincolnshire. The entry form for this post Christmas sessions reads:

"OK, IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR – YOU HAVE INDULGED AND THEN INDULGED AGAIN BUT FEAR NOT AS WE ARE HERE TO HELP.

   WE HAVE ORDERED THE MUD AND THE CHEESE ROLLS SO COME ALONG, YOU KNOW YOU      WANT  TO !"

The race involves 13 miles of trail, a little road and lots of muddy fields, the type of mud that gathers to your shoe making the going heavy, added to that was a savage wind making the going slow. I was particularly concerned about wild horses this year as the previous year I had been chased out of a field near Pickworth. Kindly the horse folk had tied up their mares and we passed through the same fields untroubled. The race passes, Ropsley-Sapperton-Pickworth-Great Humby-Nr Ingoldsby-Before heading north past Kirton Wood and Ropsley Wood back to Ropsley. 

I was glad to get the hard miles under my belt as the going was tough. It was nice to chat to a fellow participamt at the finish, we had met two years ago at the Six Dales Circuit. I felt a little guilty as I "gazumped" him shortly before the finish by taking a path near the church graveyard as he continued along the road.

 I finished under two hours to receive a goody bag including hat and gloves, a welcome cheese "barm" or "bap" in this parts, a cereal bar and a banana. In the summer the Ropsley Runners organise a six mile road race in the evening with a post event barbeque in the pub car park - not to be missed! 

EDWINSTOWE CHRISTMAS 10K - 9th January 2011

The Edwinstowe Christmas 10K was supposed to take place on Sunday 7th December 2010 but the snow fell and fell some more. The race was postponed and instead took place as a post Christmas blow out on the 9th January 2011.

The event was well organised involving a 10K blast through Sherwood Forest. The race passes somewhere near the The Major Oak Tree, a tourist attraction best avoided in my opinion.

There must be a more sympathetic way to preserve a tree of historical significance rather than proping it up with scaffel poles!
I finished 19th with a time of 42:03. I was satisfied with this result. I felt good considering the Christmas excesses but was bought back down to earth when i had to exchange my large t-shirt for and extra large.