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

Day 23 - Double Century Up

Mere Golf club

After the 'little' run yesterday I was keen to get a good length run in this morning and move through 200 miles on the clock. I had got my good old fashioned local map out (one of the many pathfinder maps in my possession) and looked at various variations of routes. Without wanting to fire up my laptop and carefully measure out a distance I had a rough plan in mind and decided to settle for that. There had been even more rain overnight but thankfully it was now fairly dry.

The legs were definitely feeling fresher this morning and I headed off at a fairly decent pace. There were a lot of large puddles around so having decided on a road route looked a good idea as the local fields would have been a tad boggy. I passed a fellow 'runner' who was decked out in full rain gear as though it was the middle of winter. It amazes me what some people wear, myself being more than warm enough in shorts and short sleeves! The first three and half miles took me up to the main crossroads on the A556 and past the exclusive Mere Golf Club pictured above.

My original plan was to keep to the smaller roads but having roughly calculated the route it was going to be upwards of 12 miles, where 8 to 10  miles was more the sensible target. With that in mind this meant a slog along the A556 for about a mile where 4 lanes of lorries and cars were already flying along at this early hour and throwing up large volumes of spray! Once off this road it was back to the tranquility of the country lanes and the unusually named Cicely Mill Lane. This took me through a very nice wooded area and into the village of Rothstherne. Now running out of Rothstherne I was up to 6 miles and knew that once I had reached the entrance of Tatton Park it was another 4.5 miles to go.

Tatton Park is a great place to run during the day, it's owned by the National Trust but is operated by East Cheshire Council who have taken it upon themselves to only open at 8am and then close at 7pm, even worse in winter. This meant running the country lanes around the perimeter of the park to get back into Knutsford. So as to stop people parking along the lanes and walking in to the park and therefore avoiding the extortionate fee, there are miles of double yellow lines in all directions. They stop at a point so it makes people think twice and actually drive in to the park. The wet weather made the journey along them a slippery affair.

Slippery lines...

Into the final four miles and a run back along the final lane skirting the Egerton Football Club and then back into Knustford itself. The run felt quick and analysing the times afterwards proved that they were all in the low 7 minute range! The consistent daily mileage seems to be improving my speed on the medium distance runs. With today's mileage that brought up the double century on the Juneathon clock!!

Stats
Distance: 10.67 miles
Time: 1:18:52
Juneathon Total Distance: 201.71 miles

Day 22 - A short traverse through the woods

Running through the woods...

After a strenuous jaunt up the hill last night, I only felt up to a short run today. With the rain lashing the windows this morning and a busy day at the office, I decided on a 4 miler through the woods this evening. With a lot of dark clouds around, I felt that I was in for a wet one! The first mile and a half was through Toft woods just down the road from home. A very popular place for dog walkers, however nobody was around this evening. I kept the pace at around the sensible 8 minute mile pace as the legs were feeling a bit heavy tonight.

On out through the top of the woods and a short run down Manor Lane which lead to Seven Sisters Lane. This lane is often used as a shortcut to avoid the centre of Knutsford and at 6:30 in the evening was very busy with rush hour traffic. A mile further on and I was back on to the main road and the rain had finally started, not too heavy and was quite refreshing. This month keeps feeling more like April all the time!! Another 4 miles done, the magic 200 mile mark nearly there and will hopefully be reached in the morning...

Stats
Distance: 4.02 miles
Time: 31:34
Juneathon Total Distance: 191.04 miles

Day 21 - Croker Hill Climb

Tonights target (see the transmitter?)...

As today was the longest day of the year, I had planned to run in the evening and take the opportunity of one of the 'office runs' - the climb to the top of Croker Hill and back - a round trip of 10.5 miles. The transmitter that sits atop Croker Hill is visible from miles around and at 1325 feet makes up one of the hills on the Gritstone Trail.

With the office at roughly 425 feet this meant a climb of 900 feet. The first mile and a half is mainly downhill to the canal (I'm supposing to be going up!). Then once on the canal (see yesterday's lunchtime run) it was a nice 2 mile run along to the junction of the road which leads to the start of the climb. At the junction is an old swing bridge which turns to allow boats through on the canal. I arrived there just as a boat had gone through so didn't have to wait long. The real climb started now in the final 2 miles to the top.

A short climb up the country lane and then the sharp right on to Croker Lane for the steep climb up to the Lee Hills Quarry. An old shovel from one of the old cranes serves as the sign for the entrance.

Lee Hills Quarry

The lane then gave way to a gravel track with many cattle grid crossings. A few cows were giving me a hard stare (no chasing after me today!). On through the first farm and I kept getting the occasional glimpse of my final goal. The gravel path now is a more muddy affair and starts to climb more sharply before reaching Croker Farm. The farm dog went ballistic (behind the fence thankfully) as I went past.

Going up...

Nearly there...

In to the final half a mile or so to the top and the path continues on going up sharply. I felt as though I was expending energy for a 6 minute mile pace but actually only achieving a 10 minute mile pace. I was thinking back to a run up here in December last year in all the snow and this part of the route had knee to waist height snow! No such problems today and I finally made the top with the sun poking out behind the clouds.

At the top...

The very top...

Once over the top of the hill there are great views looking out towards Macclesfield forest and Shutlingsloe where I ran last Tuesday (see 14/06 post). The run was now all downhill literally speaking, down the farm lane and out on to the A54 Congleton to Buxton road. Fortunately the road was farily quiet this time of night, so didn't have to shelter from many cars. After three miles at over a 9 minute pace the next 2 miles flew past at the 7 minute pace.

Roadside flora...

Going down...

So after a quick descent down the A54, with a few switchback bends and past the Bosley Reservoir I ended back up on the main road to the office. I could certainly feel it on the knees after the 2 miles of fast descending. The final 2 miles back down the country lane brought me back to the office for a nice evening 10.5 miles.

Stats
Distance: 10.47 miles
Time: 1:24:04
Juneathon Total Distance: 187.02 miles

Day 20 - Sunny lunchtime on the canal

Lunchtime canal running...

After yesterday's speedfest, I was looking forward to a more leisurely lunchtime run. The weather was looking good so had decided to head off on one of the 'office loops' that takes in the Macclesfield Canal and the surrounding country lanes. I set off down the road and settled in to a comfortable 8 minute mile pace, this was fast enough for today. On to the canal and there was a queue of boats ready to tackle the Bosley Locks (see post of 16/06) from the top to the bottom. Off the canal at the 2.5 mile point and it now felt like a proper summers day!

The next part of the run took me down a narrow country lane and back up the other side before the very pleasant field crossing down to the village of Gawsworth. On day's like today I feel very lucky to be working in an office in the countryside! The path off the field leads you to Gawswoth Hall whereupon I noticed a statue of Sir Robert Peel that I must have run past loads of times but never really noticed!!

Sir Robert Peel

On past the statue and the run then goes through the Gawsworth Hall Estate. The sun was shining on the lake which made for a couple more great photos opportunities!

Views of Gawsworth

Enough photography and back to the run, still maintaining an 8 minute mile pace. I upped the pace for the last mile and half back to the office along the main road to round off a nice 10K run. Well that's 20 days done and now 2/3 of the Juneathon completed! 

Stats
Distance: 6.21 miles
Time: 49:09
Juneathon Total Distance: 176.65 miles

Day 19 - A speedy Fathers Day 10

At the crossroads...

The original plan for today was a very early run before we had to leave for the Race For Life 10K at 9:30 that my wife was taking part in. I was feeling tired and decided to run later in the day, which later on I had wished I had gone first thing, oh well! A good morning was had supporting my wife and her sister at the Race For Life. It is a very well organised event for Cancer Research, which is a very worthwhile cause. I think everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer.

A nice afternoon as it was Fathers Day and at the back of my mind I was thinking 'gonna need to get my Juneathon run in!'. Finally at 6 o'clock, it was now or never and I had time to 'knock' out a quick 10 miles. I didn't fancy fiddling around in long grass as per the previous two sessions, so decided to keep this an all road affair around the country lanes of Ollerton, Marthall and Over Peover. A steady first mile which then lead into a series of sub 7 minute miles arriving at the crossroads above at around 4.5 miles. I thought to myself, if I keep this pace up we could be on for sub 70 minute 10 miler, the halfway point was reached in 35:04!

Jodrell Bank in all its glory

In to the second half of the run and most of the clouds had dispersed and the sun was now making it a very warm run. I was now running past Jodrell Bank which today was tilted into it's most vertical position, and a quick photo so as not to slow the pace! Mile 7 turned out to be the quickest at 6:35, leaving me under 21 minutes to complete the final 3 miles. It had been a while since I had run this pace in training, this pace is usually reserved for races! Feeling very warm now I kept my head down and bashed out the remaining miles with the 'Endomondo woman' signifying 10 miles in 1:09:43, phew I had done it!

Not the initial plan for a run today but more than enjoyable nonethless, there's still speed in those legs yet! This brought the mileage up to a nice round 60 for the week and over 170 now for Juneathon. 11 days to go, who knows what my finishing total will be?...

Stats
Distance: 10.04 miles
Time: 1:09:43
Juneathon Total Distance: 170.44 miles

Day 18 - 4 Quick, 4 Slow, 4 Quick

Summer fields...

With the forecast of another wet day on the cards, it was going to have to be an early one to beat the rain. The sun was shining at 7:00 with a lot of blue sky so I set off out the door at 7:30. The planned route today was for a 12 miler which is split between 4 miles on the road, 4 miles over fields then finishing with a further 4 on the road. I had last run this loop 3 weeks ago in the dry and knew the field sections were probably going to be pretty wet after the recent heavy rain.

I set off on the first road section between a 7 and 7:30 pace, this led to a gravel section, a bridge over the M6 and then down a country lane. As I approached the house that belongs to two dogs, I knew they would soon spot me and charge down the lane to 'greet' me. Sure enough, I'd barely got the past the house and there they were! On through the farm to the start of the off road section which is part of the North Cheshire Way.

In to the first field crossing and the grass was knee high (was this going to be a repeat peformance of yesterday?). This time however the grass was very wet and by now my feet were soaking! Over a couple of stiles and I was presented with a difficult field to edge round with the grass now over waist height. This is supposed to be a public footpath I thought, obviously not widely used except for the occasional idiot out running! Eventually through and the pace for the last mile had dropped to over 11 minutes!

There's a path here somewhere!

A short burst up the lane to the furthest point of the run and then the start of the journey back. The next farm is approached through a very ornate gate whereupon a very angry goose was patrolling the courtyard. The said goose was strutting it's stuff and hissing loudly (no need for a guard dog!). Straight on past the goose and the next couple of miles on fields with much more manageable length grass. I finally got past the last farm and the end of the middle 4 miles, which had taken 9 minutes longer than the first!

Interesting gate...

So back onto firm ground and time to up the pace for the final 4 miles to home. The sun had been quite warm up to this point but the dark clouds were now beginning to build, let's see if I can out run this rain! After all this mileage the legs were not feeling too bad with the faster pace and the last 4 miles were completed in under 29 minutes! Not long after getting home the heavens opened with a mixture of heavy rain and hailstones, glad I had missed that!

Stats
Distance: 12.18 miles
Time: 1:38:31
Juneathon Total Distance: 160.40 miles

Day 17 - Long grass and bovine encounters!

Chase me!!

I awoke this morning only to find my lip had swollen considerably from the sting it received yesterday. It looked someone had given me a good left hook! As I was working from home today I had planned a lunchtime run, although having seen the forecast I was expecting it to be a rainy affair. The rain didn't materialise and the sun was even out, I might just get away with this!

The planned route was mostly off road with several field crossings. Off through Booths Park, busy at lunchtime with the occasional runner going about their own routine. Then across the first field and a herd of young cows spotted me and rushed over to have a look. I stopped to say 'hello', they stopped, I carried on and now they were right behind me, I stopped again and they stopped! I think they were enjoying themselves!

Over the stile and through the farm whose actual function I wasn't entirely sure of. There were many outbuildings containing a 'graveyard' of office filing cabinets. This was complemented with an array of broken cars in varying states of disrepair! Skirting the edge of the next field I now had to spend the next mile or so wading through knee (and occasionally waist) high grass. So as not to get entangled in the said grass I had to adopt an ungainly running style by bringing my knees up as high as my waist to clamber through!

I was glad to get out of this field and so on to the next, this one another 'cowfest', this time 50 or so of them and much bigger. I had my sights on the exit stile and had to weave my way through the bovine obstructions. The further I progressed the more they were circling and running behind me. 'Show them who is the boss and keep going!' Eventually at the stile I turned round to take a group photo but they seemed disinterested now that I was on the other side of the fence and went about their grass chewing!

A couple more field crossings, short grass, no cows and the sun was out - perfect! I was now at about the 5.5 mile point so once back out on to the main road I decided to go straight through Toft woods which would take me 1.5 miles back to home and round it off nicely at 7 miles. The woods are pretty dense and overgrown and need careful circumnavigation, especially around the 'damp' bits, which even in all the dry weather resemble some sort of 'primordial swamp', you should see it in Winter!

Swampy...

A nice 7 miles done and no rain in sight, nearly up to 150 miles now for the Juneathon (Yay, go me!). Maybe a 12 miler in the morning and who knows on Sunday. Sunday will be a very early one as my wife is doing the Race For Life 10K, which we have to be there for 9.30!

Stats

Distance: 7.30 miles
Time: 1:04:57
Juneathon Total Distance: 148.22 miles

Day 16 - Canals and stinging flies!

Lock 3 of 12...

As I have done most of my Juneathon runs starting and finishing from home, I thought I would drive up to the office early and go for a run on one of the many tried and tested routes. I had planned a 7 mile loop, going along the Macclesfield Canal, out on to the A54 and back through the village of North Rode. I ran the 1.5 miles down to the canal which deposits you at lock 1 of the 12 Bosley locks. This lock system drops the canal down over 100 ft and makes for a very nice stretch of canal. Most of the gates were in the 'up' position implying that a boat had recently 'driven' upstream.

Whilst running along I was 'attacked' I should say 'flown at' by a kamikaze 'fly'. Now I'm not fussy in digesting the odd fly or two but this was rather a large boy (maybe a horse or dragon fly). As it headed straight for my mouth I quickly spat it out whereupon the said 'fly' stung my lip, ouch!! I am quite susceptible to biting insects and have on occasion had bites that have swollen up to gargantuan proportions. I could feel the lip swelling but this had reduced considerably by the time I got back to the office. The things we have to go through in the name of Juneathon!

The culprit?

Anyway, I digress, back to the run. Another feature on this stretch of canal are the old stone mile posts, which give the distances from Marple on one side and Kidsgrove on the other. These probably date back to when the canal was opened in 1831! and provide a good marker for monitoring your speed along the canal!

I got to the turn off point on the canal to head back up the very busy A54, decision time. Do i a) go on the intended route or b) carry on down the canal and 'wing it' with the aim of going out toward the next village and back towards the office on the less dangerous Macclesfield Road. The answer was b) and so I carried on for another mile and got off the canal at the 5 mile point. Glancing at the map on my phone I roughly figured where I needed to go through the estate. With one slightly wrong turning which I figured out after a nice downhill stretch (back up the hill) and on to the right route, I came out on to the Macclesfield Road at 6.5 miles.

Although it is a main road there is a nice footpath set off to one side, sometimes on the other side of some trees. I knew there were approx 3 or so miles back to the office, so this was going to end up as another 10 miler! Just before the 8 mile point I turned off the main road and down the more pleasant country lanes towards North Rode before the final mile back to the office.

Stats

Distance: 10.06 miles

Time: 1:18:15

Juneathon Total Distance: 140.92 miles