Day 30 - Oh go on, just a little one!

The end is nigh...

Well I finally made it to the end of the Juneathon, phew what an adventure! I mentioned yesterday on finishing on a nice round number, so currently being on 260 miles, what was I to do? Well 300 is big and round, but that meant 40 miles (only if I had the whole day spare!). There's 275, nice and round, divisible by 25, that meant 15 (wasn't really going to have the time to fit it in today). Then I had a brainwave, why not 262 or 10 marathons, genius! That meant just a measly 3 miles needed, yes that's what I will do.

As my daughter's school was on strike, I was working from home today. It was a very disjointed day, first I had to drop the car off for it's MOT and my son had football training in the evening. Fortunately having decided on a 3 miler it fitted in very well with the one hour window I was left with early evening. My 'book' of routes didn't contain a '3 miler' so I would have to improvise and go out on a circular trail that encompassed the early parts of other routes.

So off at 6.15 for the last Juneathon jaunt, the loop took me through the estate and on to the farmers path through the local fields. It was a gloriously sunny evening, very befitting the occasion. On past a field of cows, no chasing, just lots of grass chewing. Over the stile and past a collection of 'retired' farm machinery. As has become customary, no blog would be complete without a photo, so here is one:

The end of the road...

Half way now at a steady 8 minute mile pace, on down the path and out on to the main road past Toft Hall. I was only half a mile or so from home so headed across the road and into Toft Woods to get the distance up to 3 miles. A nice trot though the woods and the final run down the road back to home - job done!

So there we have it, 30 days and 30 runs all logged and blogged. In all I took a total of 140 photographs and ran the equivalent of 10 marathons. In the words of Juan Antonio Samaranch - 'I call upon you Juneathoners to meet 6 months from know at the Janathon. I now declare the Juneathon - closed'. Whose going out for a run tomorrow...

Stats
Distance: 3.20 miles
Time: 26:30
Juneathon Total Distance: 262.11 miles

Day 29 - Up Bosley Cloud

I'm going to the top...

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, I was thinking of routes I have run in the past but have not included in the Juneathon challenge. Well today was the chance to air another favourite - an out and back route from the office to the top of Bosley Cloud - a round trip of just over 10 miles. The hill stands at 1,125 feet and is visible from miles around. From the direction I was tackling it, most of the climbing is done in the last two miles!

After a drive up to the office, I set off at 6:30am on the route to the top. The first 2.5 miles took me along a well trodden route along the canal past the Bosley locks as featured in several other daily reports. Once off the canal I had a couple of hundred yards of very wet grass to get through! Now the climb started, I got a brief glimpse of where I was going (above) and I could see the road winding up the hill. After the slow climb up the lane the final part to the summit is via a set of steps.

Route to the sky...

Stairway to heaven...

At the foot of the steps is a sign signalling the way to the summit, so, on up the steps (I counted 60 in all). The final trail to the very top took me over a lot of exposed boulders. The sun was breaking through the clouds and casting some great shadows over the fields below. It was now just after 7.15 and already there were a couple of walkers with fully laden backpacks admiring the view!

I can see for miles...

The route back down took me on a more gradual descent on a long and twisty rocky path through the heather bushes. It took a lot of concentration to ensure I didn't fall, I wouldn't have wanted that being so close to the end of Juneathon.

The long and winding trail...

The final trail before getting back on the road took me through a tricky wooded section, a multitude of tree roots criss-crossing the path, again lots of tripping opportunities! After successive miles of 12:01 and 11:21 I was now back on the country lane and fairly flew down the hill, clocking the next mile in 6:58! This certainly was a good test on the legs, speaking of legs I have been very pleased on how well they have faired with 29 days straight of running. I took the last three or so miles fairly steady, back along the canal and the final hill up to the office for another 10+ miles.

Having uploaded the route to the website that brought up my total to 260 miles. I thought I would mention here that the runningfreeonline total and my calculated total have differed from the start. I have been quoting my mileage based on the endomondo recorded mileage and then when exporting to a GPX file and then importing, the actual distance is slightly different. Sorry to bore you with the details but that explains that! The final day tomorrow, not sure of the distance yet, maybe something to make a nice round number, not sure how round that number will be yet!

Stats
Distance: 10.42 miles
Time: 1:31:29
Juneathon Total Distance: 258.91 miles

Day 28 - Running in the park with the deers

Tatton Park restrictions...

So, only 3 runs left and I was thinking of runs I had done in the past but hadn't included in the Juneathon. One of the great places to run is Tatton Park, I had briefly run through on Day 5 in the rain but hadn't done the proper loop over the far side of the park. So my son was playing football with a friend tonight at the local sports club nearby to the park, I'll drop you off, leave the car there and go for a run. I had until 7:30, so that gave me an hour and a quarter, enough for 8 or 9 miles.

I set off through Knutsford and a mile later entered the park at the far end. I was greeted by the sign above, gently reminding the parkgoer of the early closing! A park ranger would do the rounds nearer the closing time to ensure no one is 'locked' in (the gates are quite high to climb over!). The full loop round the perimeter is 8 miles, so given it was now only 30 minutes to closing time I decided to run the 3 miles to the Rostherne entrance. The right-hand side of the park starts at the bottom of Tatton Mere which was looking beautiful in the evening sun.

Tatton Mere

This side of the park is totally different and much quieter than the road and paths on the left-hand side where the bulk of the people wander. This leaves the more remote part of the park quieter and is often a good spot to find the many deer that live in the park. On through the park at a nice steady pace, a sunny evening now, totally different from yesterday! My first sightings of some deer, as this was calving season, there had been some new fencing put in so the deer could have their own refuge.

Evening...

It was nearly 6:50 and a mile left to go before the park closed. I spotted the ranger's truck doing it's rounds and upped the pace and out of the Rostherne exit. I continued on through the village and towards the Mere up a steep lane whereby you are afforded with great views over the lake. I chose the footpath to go and take a photo. My price for this was a quarter of a mile of waist height nettles to wade through, my legs were tingling all over after this (must remember a machete next time).

Rostherne Mere

Out of the lane and it's then a mile up the very busy A556. Fortunately there is a small path at the side to keep a buffer zone between me and the lorries. The final two miles headed back through Mere and then the final run back to the sports club. A quick look at the mileage and it was reading 8.95 miles, a quick lap of the car park and 9 miles (every little helps!). 2 days to go...

Stats
Distance: 9.00 miles
Time: 1:10:46
Juneathon Total Distance: 248.49 miles

Day 27 - A complete soaking!

Calm before the storm...

It was going to be hot one in the office today, and I wasn't wrong, just windows to open and no air conditioning. I briefly toyed with the idea of running at lunchtime, but then thought the better of it and decided to go for an evening run instead. As the day progressed the clouds rolled in with a few spots of rain. By the time I got home there were some very dark clouds, time to get the run in, I knew it was going to rain.

I set off on a route of 4 or 5 miles along the main road out of Knutsford, past the Dun Cow pub and then left through the gate for the off road section. By now it had got very dark, it was only 7:45 but it was darker than 9:45 on Sunday night. The path skirted the edge of a golf course and then into the woods, it was very dark indeed, with a few rumbles of thunder in the distance! I exited the woods and I was deposited at the entrance of the field above, a long path stretching between the crops.

Having successfully negotiated the field the wind had picked up and then the rain started, just a little at first then a steady downpour. This is not too bad I thought and ran up the trail through the final farmers field. Back onto the road at Booths Park and then all hell let loose, no point sheltering I'm wet already! I upped the pace and 'sprinted' along the rivers of water now flowing down the road. I was trying to keep my phone dry, so couldn't check my time or pace, it felt pretty quick. I finally got home whereby my daughter opened the front door with a towel in hand! That was probably the most rain I have run in for some time. On checking the stats from the run the final mile was run in 6:32!

Soggy...

Stats
Distance: 5.25 miles
Time: 42:07
Juneathon Total Distance: 239.49 miles

Day 26 - Running the stations

Having spent a lot of last night following the Western States 100 race online, I finally went to sleep after midnight with the knowledge that the winner would be finishing around 4.30am. My body clock must have woken me as I looked at the clock and it was 4:15! I know, I'll get up, follow the results to see who wins, then a quick snooze before going out on a run before it got too hot. Well the first part of the plan worked, well done to Brits Jez Bragg (4th) and Ian Sharman (10th). As for the quick snooze, before I knew it, it was 8.30! I must have needed the sleep! As yesterday was an out and back route, I thought today I would try an A to B route. The planned route was to run to Cuddington, closely following the course of the railway and catch the train back.

As I needed to carry money for the train and lots of water I took my camelback, plus some additional snacks. As it was Sunday the train service was less than frequent - actually every 2 hours! So the goal was the 13:27 train, so having figured the run was around 14 miles, I left at 10:45 to give me plenty of time. The first station was Plumley, I knew all the routes to get here as the fields around this area have been well run. The approach to the station is over a steep road bridge (which I am sure you could take off from if driven at speed!). The actual station building is now an office. Stations: 1 Miles: 4.5

Plumley

The route then took me through the village of Plumley and across some fields before crossing over the railway line via a very overgrown bridge. The next mile and a half followed an old road adjacent to the line passing an old signal box. The next stop Lostock Gralam, not much going on here. Stations: 2 Miles: 6.5

The route so far had been mainly off road and very scenic, I knew the next 2.5 miles would be very different as the railway goes through the town of Northwich. Back onto the main road and past several out of town shopping areas, B&Q was very busy, no doubt doing a roaring trade in barbeques! Approaching Northwich station, the land all around it has now been taken over by a Tesco's and petrol station. The station building itself dates back to 1897. Stations: 3 Miles: 8.25

Northwich

I was very glad I had taken my Camelback as I was now sweating loads, probably due to the built-up area I was now running through. The next 2 miles took me right through the centre of the town. The town of Northwich grew up around the salt mines and a series of interconnecting canals and rivers. The river Weaver is crossed by a road swing bridge built in 1899. It was the first swing bridge on floating pontoons and the first electrically operated swing bridge in Britain.

Enough of the history lesson and back to the run, after crossing the bridge there followed a long slog up a steep hill out of Northwich towards the town's second station of Greenbank. Man, that was hard work in the increasing heat (where had this weather come from!) A very uninspiring section of the run now ensued past a series of takeaway restaurants and the like before arriving at Greenbank station.

Stations: 4 Miles: 10.25

The road was now heading into the village of Hartford and the route became more scenic again with large houses on either side of the road. The railway line swung to the north whilst the road looped round to the south before finally turning up to the village of Cuddington and my final destination. I briefly dropped down to the main Chester Road whereupon my phone decided to not record the distance and I ended up stopping the session and starting a new one (ended with i) 12 miles and ii) 1.5 miles). The half a mile up the Chester Road was hard work before the final 1 mile into the village of Cuddington and the station. Stations: 5 Miles: 13.50

Cuddington

By now it was 12:40, so I had 45 mins to wait for the train. It would give me a chance to cool down and avail myself of a cold drink from the local shop. The station lived up to it's award above and also featured a picture gallery in the old station building. More and more station buildings are used for something else than their initial purpose to serve the railway. After sitting in the sun, the train finally arrive a couple of minutes late and made the 18 minute journey back to Knustford for the princely sum of £5. As pence per mile goes, I thought that was quite steep. Anyway it was a nice relaxing ride back and ended off a good Juneathon run. Only 4 more days to go...

Stats
Distance: 13.50 miles
Time: 1:53:29
Juneathon Total Distance: 234.24 miles

Day 25 - Sweaty business

More sweat than shirt...

It looked like summer was finally going to arrive on Sunday, however more rain overnight led to this morning being very humid. Proof of this was the state of my shirt when I returned home, it was more sweat than shirt! I hadn't planned a route for this morning, just figured on a run of around 12 miles. I would say 90% of my runs are usually a loop, the other 10% being running from A to B. So an out and back route (todays decision) are like hen's teeth!

A 12 mile out and back would mean turning round at the 6 mile point! I set off running in the same direction as Thursday morning towards Mere. Once at the Mere crossroads I decided to continue on along the same road towards the village of High Legh which I figured would be the exact turnaround point. There was an on and off breeze but I could feel the humidity building, glad I had my water with me. Readers of the blog will know I like to include lots of photos to keep things interesting! So just before the half way point I passed a water tower similar to the one on Day 9 (that seems like ages ago), this one dating back to 1938.

1930's Water Tower

Half a mile further up the road the 'endomondo woman' signalled 6 miles which put me exactly at the High Legh garden centre (right where I thought halfway woud be). A quick U-turn and it was time to go back the way I came. The trouble with this type of route is that you always know what you have got coming! I was feeling pretty tired on the way back, I think the humidity was playing a part. The pace was good though, all around the 7:30 minute per mile. On up the road and finally back into Knutsford, I took a slightly different lane prior to getting home as it had been December since I last came down here, what a difference!

Croft Lane

Back home and another Juneathon run done, only 5 days left to go...

Stats
Distance: 12.01 miles
Time: 1:29:19
Juneathon Total Distance: 220.74 miles

Day 24 - Friday biscuits

Mmmm biscuits...

On the way in to work this morning, I knew we were low on milk, so stopped by a purveyor of the said 'cow juice' and exited the shop accompanied by a packet of the above custard creams. The office biscuit tin had been empty for a while now and I thought I would reward myself after a lunchtime run with a few of the aforementioned items! On the menu for today was a 7 mile loop taking in the village of North Rode, along the canal and back to the office.

I set off at 12:30, the weather not too bad, I thought it would have been warmer having watched the forecast. The first couple of miles took in the country lanes leading to the small village of North Rode before a steep descent down to the busy A54. I have run many of these lanes before and the easiest way of getting to the canal from here is about a mile along the main road. I quickened the pace along the road to get to the canal only to be greeted by a group of walkers who stopped to ask me directions to the Robin Hood pub. I gave them a blank expression and told them I was unsure of its location!

On to the canal and it was a nice 2.5 mile stretch under the viaduct and the gradual climb up the path through the Bosley Locks. Before the start of the climb there is a nice wooden bridge that traverses a section of the canal that can be flooded in heavy rain. In the distance you can just make out the Croker Hill transmitter, my conquest on Tuesday night!

Wooden bridge...

There was much boat activity on the canal with boats in both directions negotiating the locks. In the distance I could see two couples sitting in chairs blocking the path. As I got closer they moved to one side and raised their glasses (beer) and said 'pit stop?'. I smiled graciously (I've got a Juneathon to get done, I thought to myself) thanked them and continued on along the path. The steady pace 7-8 minute miles continued along the canal and then back on the lane for the final mile and a half back to the office... and the biscuits...

Stats
Distance: 7.02 miles
Time: 54:30
Juneathon Total Distance: 208.73 miles