Midnight Rambler

A day of two halves.

The first half started at nine at my desk, and finished about eleven hours later. The second, rather shorter half started at about half eleven, and finished about three quarters of an hour after that.

I didn't say these halves were equal. They were, in fact very inequal.

Half number one was very considered, since it was a day of work, but the significant (and favourite) part of the output was to prepare the following items for people signing up to our two day ultra-running event in June:

1. Top tips for completing an ultra
2. A five month, multi-discipline training plan to turn mortals into ultra-distance runners
3. An article providing event-specific recommendations on clothing, shoes, nutrition and kit.

Nice work if you can get it.

I'll put a link to the content once it's live on the site. The event, in case you were wondering, is an ultra-run from Carlisle Castle to Newcastle Gateshead, either in one go, or over two days, with a night stop half way. Have look at the current site here if you like.


Half number two was a my run. It was ill conceived, rushed even. It came too late in the day, and too soon after a fish supper. Whether it was all the gastric activity going on, or a residual symptom of my now receding cold, I daydreamed (nightdreamed?) the whole way round, and at one point, forget where I was going. Thinking back, I remember bookmarking certain aspects with peculiar clarity.

- The clouds were hanging low, and felt like they were hogging the mildness, the light, and the sound. I could see my breath, and it felt like there had been a fresh snowfall, but someone had stolen it, and left the effects.

- Curled beech leaves rolled as they blew down a street lined with Victorian houses on one side and a building site hoarding on the other. They were all I could hear, and they sounded like spinning pebbles bouncing down a rocky hillside.

- Running towards a formaldehyde car showroom, intense forecourt uplights appeared to fire sparks of light towards me, along the reflections of the brand new gutters hanging from eaves of the building overhead.

- Dented hatchbacks full of partygoers beep horns and swerve as they burble past. I wonder how close they'd  consider funny if it weren't for the wheel-buckling kerb between us. Meanwhile, the polite druggies in the park beyond the fence call "good evening".

- I collide with a very small dog outside a pub, the very next signpost insists Dogs Must Be Kept On Lead. The smoking owner seems oblivious. It occurs to me that the same control is not required of the owners of tigers.



Tonight: 6.5 miles, 51:32mins, avg pace 7:54/mile, one dog, three hatchbacks, no snow.
So far in Janathon, 51.62 miles, and all my Christmas chocolate, finally. Run stats are up on runningfreeonline here.