Janathon 2013 Day 16 - A busy day

My original plan of a morning run was put paid to when my second alarm went off signalling the 'normal' time to get up. A lunchtime run looked unlikely as I had a trip to the dentist first. The said dentist gave me a filling, a numb mouth for half the day and a £48 hole in my wallet for the privilege! My mouth was just beginning to 'come round' by lunchtime and as I still had a lot to get done I would run in the evening.

The evening run became a much later affair as I had forgotten that I had a meeting to attend at the school for an hour. An interesting meeting outlining the options that my daughter would have to decide upon in the coming months. By the time I was home it was now 8:15, so it would be just a shortish run as I was now hungry and it was getting colder by the minute.

I donned the hat and gloves yet again and set off round the block. I took a meandering route round the outskirts of the town and past the moor. The moor is a small lake at the very bottom of Tatton Park and is home to a lot of bird wildlife. There were many birds still milling around mainly on the ice! Into the second half of the run round the other side of the town and finally back home after nearly 5 miles.

A somewhat slower week than last but it has helped my gluteal pain as it was less noticeable now. A few more days and I should be up to 200 miles, leaving 10 or 11 days to try and break last years January total of exactly 300 miles!

Route

Garmin Connect Details - Day 16

Stats
Runstreak: Day 596
Distance: 4.70 miles

Time: 35:49
Elevation: 93ft

Janathon Total Distance: 178.15 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 15 - A lunchtime across the snowy fields

It was a cold sunny day at the office, absolutely perfect for a lunchtime run. One of my colleagues was up for a run, but when I motioned towards going across the 'field' he said he would do his own thing! I can understand his resentment towards the said field as it had been a quagmire for months.

Off I set down the road on a circular route of 6 miles, half off-road, half on country lanes. The first 1.5 miles through the field across the many stiles went well, most of the ground was frozen with a crunchy layer of snow on top. On past the picturesque Gawsworth church and the lake was mostly frozen. The mile through the next field was a more muddy affair but once at the top afforded some great views across the hills.

A sharp blast down then up a narrow lane was very runnable as most of the ice had melted in the now relatively warm sunshine. After the lane it was over half a mile along the canal, which was also mostly frozen over. With the sun glistening of the snow it was really a great lunchtime to be out running. The final mile and a half back up to the office brought up the fastest mile of the run and another 6 miles in the bank.

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 15

Stats
Runstreak: Day 595
Distance: 6.23 miles

Time: 54:43
Elevation: 234ft

Janathon Total Distance: 173.45 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 14 - A gentle icy trot to Waitrose & back

As followers of mine on Twitter will know, I am partial to the odd cake or two. This has led to the occasional, ok, often visit to Waitrose to bag the odd discounted pastry, tonight was to be no exception. As I had missed out running at lunchtime, it meant a quick jaunt once home from work. After last weeks high mileage I was looking forward to a shorter run, in fact the first single digit mileage run since New Years Eve!

I have lots of little routes around Knutsford and this one would see me take in Waitrose at around mile 3. It was 7:45 by the time I set off and already the local roads were becoming very slippery. I took it nice and steady and wound my way down the road. It was a bit more comfortable under foot once in town and a nice trot up the main street. I pulled up at Waitrose, paused the watch and headed inside.

What is left is a complete lottery and the daily 'discounted' offerings vary from nothing to a veritable smorgasbord! It was a good night and I selected a few items (not all for me). I set off back home after remembering to press start on the watch. A gentle mile back home and a steady 4 miles for the evening.

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 14

Stats
Runstreak: Day 594
Distance: 4.05 miles

Time: 33:48
Elevation: 75ft

Janathon Total Distance: 167.22 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 13 - A slow frozen field and lane trudge

A cold night on Saturday led to a sharp frost on Sunday morning, time to keep off road and a jaunt round the fields. With the gluteal pain I wasn't about to go out and run 23 miles to bring up 100 miles for the week, but instead I would just take it steady! I knew I had what was needed for that elusive 100 mile week, it would come in time. I had noticed that my watch was signalling low battery as I set off, I'm usually pretty good at keeping it charged so took my phone as well to ensure a full set of stats were recorded for the Janathon scrutineers!

The first couple of miles were pretty slippery and the gluteal pain was making its presence felt, keeping the pace down helped so with going off road it would definitely help achieve this. I headed along the old farmers track and the once muddy route was now a combination of ice and mud. It actually made for a more easier run. After crossing the main road, I took the seldomly used route along a path going through someone's garden. The fields beyond this made for very slow going as even though the field was covered in frost the mud was very much to the fore. Once out of the fields a gentle trot along the lane led to a nice undulating route through a wood with a great view of Jodrell Bank with the sun shining brightly behind it. The path got ever slower having to weave round or straight through the icy puddles.

Out on to the country lanes again and on approaching 8 miles I noticed that the watch had now exhausted the battery! I would have to rely on my phone and upload the stats back to Garmin Connect. I continued on past Peover church climbing over several very slippery stiles. The final 2 miles were back along the same main road as I had started the run on and ended up with another 11 miles on the board for an 88 mile week. I was very pleased with this and think the 100 mile week would have definitely been on if I had done some double days, rather trying to do the distance in just 7 runs!

As a side note, for all you statistic fans out there, I downloaded the gpx file from Endomondo, the app I was using on my phone and uploaded it to Garmin Connect as in the link below. Interestingly it shows the whole route as 1 lap, whereas when uploading it to Strava, it gives the complete mile splits: Strava - Day 13

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 13

Stats
Runstreak: Day 593
Distance: 11.00 miles

Time: 1:39:27
Elevation: 192ft

Janathon Total Distance: 163.17 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 12 - Through the airport tunnels

Ever since the death of my father-in-law in October last year, we spend a fair amount of time visiting my mother-in-law. Saturday afternoon was no exception and since my run there on Thursday evening, this was the turn for running home. Again I have a myriad of routes and took a slightly less direct route that would see me achieve my required distance of over 10 miles.

I set off down the back lanes and the after the first two miles it brought me to the first of two tunnels that pass directly under the two runways. The first is under the newer 2nd runway and is very brightly lit with a host of graffiti decorating the whitewashed walls. As usual the Garmin lost its satellite reception and then as soon as I exited the tunnel the mileage jumped up the 0.2 of a mile once the satellite was found again! The second tunnel was negotiated bringing up 3 miles.

A steep down then up and a winding country lane brought me out to the Ashley crossroads. I had been noticing for a while a dull pain in my right buttock (more probably a gluteal muscle tear after referring to the 'tinterweb) it was uncomfortable but not really bothering me too much. I slowed the pace down so as to not to bother it further. I turned towards Mobberley and on approaching a tight bend, could see two cars coming towards me. I stopped and stood into the hedge, the first car saw me and slowed right down. The car behind was oblivious to this and had to slam on his brakes. Being right alongside I was sure of an imminent collision! Luckily he stopped 6 inches behind, I glanced at the driver and we went on our separate ways. The joys of running down country lanes at night :)

Once through Mobberley it was into Knutsford and finally home in just short of 11 miles. A good overall pace in the end although the muscle pain was annoying. In the evening the wife and I met up with a couple who are returning to Calgary to live and enjoyed a few drinks. I knew the 100 mile week wasn't likely now as it meant 23 miles to be run on the Sunday and didn't want to put further strain on the gluteal muscles!

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 12

Stats
Runstreak: Day 592
Distance: 10.86 miles

Time: 1:22:41
Elevation: 226ft

Janathon Total Distance: 152.17 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 11 - The long way round to the office

After the run from the office yesterday it meant a run back in the morning. My usual route varies between 13 and 14 miles, there are small nuances that make the distance vary. I would certainly keep my double digit streak going and in my quest for a 100 mile week (it ended up as 88) I planned a route that I thought would be 16-17 miles. I awoke before the alarm, had a cup of tea and bowl of porridge. It had been raining overnight and had thankfully stopped as I set off out the door.

I kept the pace nice and steady as I usually end up getting carried away on my runs. This was easy to do for the first 6 miles as the fog was still thick and it was still properly dark. I continued through Chelford and kept to the quiet back lanes, it was at this point I diverted from my usual route. A short stint up the A34, thankfully on a seldomly used footpath and then back onto the country lanes towards Redesmere lake.

This lake and the surrounding area is a haven for birds and a large gathering of swans slipped into the water as I went past. In a bid to not repeat the missed lane from the previous night I had paid close attention to the next combination of quiet lanes that I had never run down before. All went well, some nice quiet lanes passing by some stunning farm conversions which brought me out to a junction that I drive past on the way to the office. The watch was at 12 miles now, straight across to the office would end up with about 15 miles, going left I estimated at 17. 

I opted to go left and the now wider and busier lane led me another 2 miles to another junction that I knew was 4 miles to the office meaning 18 for the morning, a few more than expected!! There was a lot more traffic and I certainly had to keep my eyes peeled, several close passes left me jumping on to the grass verge or holding onto a hedge! I was now getting hungry and was glad when I got to the office, arriving there at 8:45. An enjoyable run which brought up 65 miles for the week...

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 11

Stats
Runstreak: Day 591
Distance: 18.26 miles

Time: 2:21:51
Elevation: 565ft

Janathon Total Distance: 141.31 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 10 - An evening dash to Wilmslow

Always on the lookout for somewhere different to run, Thursday may now be the evening to run to Wilmslow to meet my wife at the mother-in-laws after her trip to the gym. This allows for a Friday run back to the office. This would be a repeat of the previous Thursday but now on a much colder night. I set off in hat and gloves but still in shorts! I pressed start on my Garmin and checked it was registering the distance correctly. I have a habit of doing this to check it's locked onto the satellite, this time it said I was doing a 2:30 mile pace!! I stopped the watch after a couple of hundred yards and 'rebooted' it, this time it worked fine!

I had a rough route sketched out on a post-it note to ensure I was going down the correct lanes in the middle  of the run. It's very easy when at your desk looking at the map than when out in the dark and fog! All was ok  for the first 5 miles and I found the correct 'Wrigley Lane'. The fog suddenly got much thicker and it was a tricky 1 mile trying to find my way down the lane. At the end I was supposed to cross the main road and onto another lane, something was wrong here, it wasn't there! Oh well, I knew the road I was now on so carried on regardless.

On along the main road towards Alderley Edge and I was passed by a gritting lorry, a sign of things to come! Down the big hill and I picked up the pace for the final three miles. I pulled onto the mother-in-laws drive with just under 12 miles in the bag. This brought me up to 47 miles for the week so far...

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 10

Stats
Runstreak: Day 590
Distance: 11.85 miles

Time: 1:39:41
Elevation: 344ft

Janathon Total Distance: 123.05 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 9 - An extended lunchtime run

In a bid to keep the double digit runstreak going I needed a minimum of 10 miles and this would have to be achieved at lunchtime today. I arrived at work early which would allow me sufficient time to get in the extra miles. I thought of running the same route as Monday evening but fancied something hillier so plotted a route using Gmap Pedometer a simple tool but sufficient for plotting out a route.

The weather was much colder today and the morning's fog hadn't lifted, so with the route in mind I set off at a quickish pace so I could get the 10 miles done in around 1:15 to 1:20. The first couple of miles I got into a good rhythm before the gradual climb up the A54. Half way up the climb I spotted several people clad in leather biking gear standing by the road. As I got closer I spotted one motorbike in the hedges on a sharp bend. A quick word with the guy who had come off to see if everything was ok, he was just a bit shaken and was waiting for someone to pick them up.

Off the main road and the next couple of miles downhill saw the quickest two miles of the year so far in 6:56 and 6:53. I pretty much knew most of this route having run bits of it on different forays from the office so knew after the quick spurt it was now a steady climb of 250ft over the next mile. Once at the top it was a quick downhill again in 6:58! Into the last couple of miles and the only thing of note was a tractor going down the lane pulling a container that was spewing something all over a field. With the crosswind there was sufficient 'blowback' to stop me in my tracks, whereupon the farmer noticed and turned off the said machine and I was on my way again.

Another 10.7 miles on the board and I think most definitely the longest run I've done at a lunchtime...

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 9

Stats
Runstreak: Day 589
Distance: 10.71 miles

Time: 1:18:09
Elevation: 715ft

Janathon Total Distance: 111.20 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 8 - An evening in the hills with the Mow Cop Runners

It was Tuesday night, so that meant it was time to head up the hill to Mow Cop for a run with Mow Cop Runners a club which I have joined and been running with since June of last year. We meet at 7:15 and usually do a road route in the winter of around 6-7 miles. The lighter evenings allow us to get off road for a bit longer. So if I wanted to keep my double digit streak going I would need to do a few extra miles...

I had plotted what I could do to achieve the extra miles and decided to park at the pub at the bottom of the long hill that winds it's way up to the top of Mow Cop and the community centre where we meet. It was a distance of 3.75 miles and knew it would take a good half an hour. I timed the start so that I would arrive as everyone at the club was ready to depart so that I didn't have too long to stop for. The first couple of miles went well and then into the steep climb and the fog descended. Once on to the ridge I was straining to see through the swirling mist and had to focus on the white line on the side of the road to keep my bearings. Finally the dim lights of Mow Cop could be seen ahead and I reached the community centre where everyone was ready to depart.

I entered the centre to a comment of "You look like you've been out already". My response of "Oh yes, I ran up from the bottom of the hill" was met with glances of "Really?!!". There were two groups of us tonight, a newer runners group who were doing around 5 miles and the main group of around 10k. The route is usually decided 5 minutes before we depart and goes along the lines of "We'll go down to blah, blah, up thingamejig and then back up via blah, blah blah". This is met with nodded approvals and off we go. The routes all sound the same to me and can be quite confusing in the dark!! I kept with a couple of the 'faster' runners and enjoyed a steady jaunt round the undulating streets. On to the final hill and I commented to the other guy I was with that I would meet them back at the pub as I was continuing on down the hill to my car!

Once out of the street lights that we had been running under for the duration of the club run it was back out into the fog and it was a lot thicker this time. This made it harder, more so as I was running downhill now! The torch only served to light up the swirling fog and detract from lighting the road. The only respite came from a passing car to light the way only briefly. A couple of miles along the ridge and once I got nearer the bottom the fog cleared allowing me to up the pace for the final push to the car. I got back to the pub car park with another 13.76 miles in the bag! A quick change of clothes and I drove back up the same hill to the pub and met with some of the other runners for a pint before heading home...

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 8

Stats
Runstreak: Day 588
Distance: 13.76 miles

Time: 1:46:41
Elevation: 1,241ft

Janathon Total Distance: 100.49 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 7 - An office 10 miler and flies in Waitrose

As has become customary with my many days on the runstreak - nearly up to 600 days now, I try to keep the runs varied so that it keeps the runstreak interesting. Today's run was going to be after work and with my wife going to the gym I thought I'd do a run from the office on a combination of two of our lunchtime routes.

I needed to be back to the office at 7 so set off at 5:45 with the plan of a 10 miler to keep the double digits streak intact! The first couple of miles up the farmers track was a very muddy affair and my ever weakening headtorch making it interesting. A steady undulating country lane section brought up 5 miles of our standard lunchtime 10k route and mile 2 of our 7 mile route. So continuing onto the 7 mile lunchtime route would give me the required distance!

The route was all the more different from being run in the dark as I had only ever run this route at lunchtime. There was nothing much more interesting to say about the run, some more muddy lanes up and down, over the railway line and up again to the main road. That uphill section is on one of my segments in Strava and ended up being my 2nd fastest! The last two miles mainly downhill to the office and another 10+ miles on the board.

With all this running, I need to keep my cakes level up so on the way home visited Waitrose for the much eluded to 'cheap' pastries. There was a veritable display, so I pondered my selection whereupon the Waitrose man (WM) behind the counter said he was going to have to remove them as he had seen a fly landing on them. The conversation went something like this:

WM: I have seen a fly landing on all the pastries, we can't sell them, so I'm going to have to remove them.

Me: Oh (sad face).

WM: Which one were you after?

Me: This one (points to cake).

WM: I didn't see the fly land on that one.

Me: Cool (bags pastry and heads for the checkout)

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 7

Stats
Runstreak: Day 587
Distance: 10.17 miles

Time: 1:15:57

Janathon Total Distance: 86.73 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 6 - A slipping 'n' a sliding in the mud

As yesterdays run was an evening run this meant a small gap between this mornings run! A similar day was to follow to that of Saturday, but this time my son was playing in a football match rather than spectating. I didn't want to fall into the same trap so was determined to get out early. I had a two hour window for my run, which would allow for anything between 14 and 16 miles dependant on the volume of mud I was to encounter along the way.

I headed out the door just after 7 and dispensed with the head torch as it would soon be light (sort of). The chosen route would involve several field crossings, round the back of the airport on the trails, a couple of miles on the road and then back through Tatton Park. This would provide plenty of scope for mud! The first 4 miles in semi darkness passed with a combination of light mud and road before getting to the airport trail. This trail is mainly sand and provides a good running surface, not so today. The next couple of miles were sent spent sliding around, more so given that I was wearing road shoes - schoolboy!!

A nice 4 mile section of road followed and I was treated to a glorious sunrise. The temperature had dropped quite a bit and a shifting layer of fog enveloped the road. Before entering Tatton Park, there is a gradual climb along an old Roman Road and is referred to locally as the - Tatton Mile. A boring section of road where  cars tend to fly along there at over 60mph even though it is still a country lane.

Into the park and back on the mud, the fog is quite thick now and I am treated to a herd of deer huddled under the trees. A stag spots me running along and ambles across the park road. This is one of the great highlights of the park and is always an amazing sight to see. I could have run down the park road but given that I had been through a lot of mud a couple of miles more wasn't going to make any difference. 12.5 miles was reached on exiting the park and a final push of just under 2 miles back up the road to home would see close to 14.5 miles in a shade under 2 hours - all in all a good run.

My son's football match saw a trip to Frodsham to play Helsby in the Under 15 Mid-Cheshire league. They are unbeaten this season so the pressure was on to keep this streak going. The pitch was more like a farmers field and made the going tricky. A good match ensued with my son's team fighting back from 2-0 down to gain a good 2-2 draw. Swiftly back to the car and we were just in time to hear the draw for the 4th Round of the FA Cup. Macc were drawn at home to play Wigan or Bournemouth. We were hoping for an away match at one of the big premier sides but this match gave us a good chance of going further in the cup...

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 6

Stats
Runstreak: Day 586
Distance: 14.35 miles

Time: 1:58:09

Janathon Total Distance: 76.56 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 5 - Macclesfield Town 2 - 0 Cardiff City

On the menu for today was a trip to see Macclesfield Town vs Cardiff City in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. With some chores to do in the morning, an early morning run was on the cards. After a night out on Friday with the wife and some friends and half a bottle of wine (Note: lightweight drinker) I decided an early morning dash could wait. On reflection this would have been the best option as now the run would have to be done early evening after the football.

On to the football and my son was very excited for the match. We were seated in the Silk FM Stand, a change from the larger stand but with a much better view. There was a great atmosphere inside the ground with double the normal attendance. An evenly matched first half with plenty of childish banter between the supporting groups of fans! In the 57th minute Cardiff scored and I thought 'Oh well, it was good whilst it lasted.' Macc had other ideas and a full on onslaught in the remainder of the match yielded a goal in the 83rd minute. "Yes, we've got a replay now". A frantic 7 minutes ensued and we were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute!! GOAL: 2-1 to Macc, the crowd erupted!! The 4th official held up his board to show 5 mins of added time, we held on and meant we were through to the 4th round for the first time in over 130 years!! 

On the drive home the run was nagging in the back of my mind, could I stick to my streak of double digit runs for the year, meaning a minimum of 10 miles? A cup of tea and piece of cake when I got home and thought, yep, I'll do one of my 10 mile loops. I put my lighter road shoes on and thought we'll make it a quicker run so that I could get back to eat at a reasonable time. The chosen route was the 8 mile 'Fruit Farm Loop' with the added 2 mile extension thru Plumley. I've run this route many times, so even with a headtorch on I could still run this at a quick pace. 

Once on the country lanes, the sky yielded an array of stars, it was a beautiful night for running! There were still a lot of houses with all their Christmas lights a blazing, on what was now the 11th day. On I went keeping a steady pace and then noticed 2 cones on either side of the road. I realised there placement when I nearly went flying, tripping over a metal strip that had been placed between them. Another near 'trip' happened at 8 miles when an unspotted pothole nearly threw me off my stride. Into the final mile and I kept to the furthest side from the house to ensure I ended up with the watch stopping at 10... rather than 9.9... Another double digit run done to end a good day.

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 5

Stats
Runstreak: Day 585
Distance: 10.02 miles

Time: 1:12:33

Janathon Total Distance: 62.21 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 4 - The first run to the office of the year

As I had ran from the office yesterday this meant the car wasn't at home and would require running back again in the morning. This is a tried and tested route which I knew very well. I had decided on the mainly road route as some of the fields were still very waterlogged. With the distance being around 12.5 miles, this would give me 4 straight days of double digit running!

I didn't leave until 6:45, it's a lot harder getting up in the morning when you're the only one getting up (the kids are back at school next week). I set off on the first 5 miles along the main road, definitely the worst part of the route especially with the dazzling headlights. The pace wasn't feeling great but was to be expected after the 3 previous days. In the end the average ended up at 7:54, I'll take that :)

On to the quiet lanes now and I might as well have been running through a field with the amount of mud and branches on the road. After about an hour it was eventually getting light. I kept the torch on so I could be seen, more than for me to see where I was going. The final 3 miles are the best of the run and see a final climb through the boggy woods and along the farmers trails before the final half mile down the lane to the office.

Again, another warm run especially with the backpack carrying vital breakfast supplies. The Janathon this year is being run alongside another challenge on the Strava run tracking website Strava Run Base Mile Blast the mileages being logged on here are awesome and has made an extra incentive for logging miles...

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 4

Stats
Runstreak: Day 584
Distance: 12.63 miles

Time: 1:39:53

Janathon Total Distance: 52.19 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 3 - Is it really January - Sweaty!

So on the back of yesterday's run and keen to keep up the HM average, the first day back in the office was always going to prove more tricky to get a good (long) run in. The opportunity arose to run from the office to my mother-in-laws in Wilmslow (a distance of around 12 miles) whereupon my wife was and I would be able to get a lift home and set up the run back to the office in the morning - game on!!

I'm not one to dress for the season, if it's warm outside and in the middle of winter I will wear a t-shirt and shorts (in fact I always wear shorts, Twitter followers will be familiar with the #stillinshorts hashtag). With the old bearded gentleman bringing me a new bright yellow long sleeve running top for Christmas, it seemed a good time to wear it as there would be a lot of traffic on some of the lanes. I knew after a couple of miles that the choice of top may have been a bit much as I was getting very warm (read sweaty).

Anyway, the run would see me take the back lanes from the office on a gradually undulating route into Alderley Edge and on into Wilmslow. The legs felt very good from the previous day's hills and I soon got into a good rhythm. I was on quite a tight schedule as I had left the office some 20 minutes later than planned, so I was glad I could keep the pace going. A tricky couple of miles ensued along the main road that had me jumping onto the boggy grass verges to avoid some of the over zealous drivers, albeit I was clearly visible.

Approaching 9 miles and it was a fast descent into Alderley Edge past the gated mansions! In my exuberance I nearly took out a set of bins left by the side of the road, a quick swerve round and all was good. The main street through Alderley Edge was resplendent in the still fully lit Christmas lights! A final couple of miles along the lanes into Wilmslow saw 12 miles come up on the board and myself absolutely roasting - is it really January?

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 3

Stats
Runstreak: Day 583
Distance: 12.10 miles

Time: 1:29:51

Janathon Total Distance: 39.56 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 2 - An afternoon in the hills

With the return to work on Thursday, this meant an extra day off and a chance for another longish run. A dull and rainy morning eventually relented mid afternoon, upon which I jumped in the car and headed off towards the hills (Langley in particular). I brought the headtorch with me as it was starting to get dark even at 3pm. This turned out a good call as by 4pm the fog had rolled in and the darkness had descended.

I had planned on another HM distance and decided to base the run around the Langley 7 race held every November. I guessed on the rough route required and parked by the Sutton Reservoir. Off down the road and an undulating couple of miles led to the killer hill of Withenshaw Lane which climbs 700ft. The views were completely non existent with the low mist rolling across the hills. Descending the other side I then forked right and another up followed by a steep descent into Wildboarclough. This was the first time down here since last January in the snow!

At 9 miles it was time for a very steep climb before the steep descent through Macclesfield Forest. I donned the headtorch now as it was very dark and the route was a flowing river in places. After the descent I reached the reservoir and figured the run would end up around 14 miles, not bad for a rough guess. The run past the reservoir and into Langley followed the final mile of the aforementioned Langley 7. The HM distance was reached in a tad under 1:40 and back to the car in 1:48 and change.

Very pleased with the effort, the legs certainly felt it with the constant up and downs! So two days done and 2 HM distance runs, could tomorrow bring a 3rd...

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 2

Stats
Runstreak: Day 582
Distance: 14.26 miles

Time: 1:48:23

Janathon Total Distance: 27.46 miles

Janathon 2013 Day 1 - It's that time again

Well I suppose it's time to start blogging again. I had started last year with the promise of more but this lasted for the duration of Janathon and then abruptly stopped! What turned out to be a brilliant year of running, which included the following highlights:

• The continuing of the runstreak to 580 days
• A total of 3,003 miles run
• A new PB of 2:58 for the marathon 

All the above was left undocumented, which on reflection was a failing on my part. I definitely plan to do better this year (we shall see!).

Throughout the runstreak I am always on the lookout to mark significant milestones with an appropriate distance to match the day/date (eg: On Day 555 I ran 3x5 milers and on 20/12/2012, a 20min 12sec run). What could I do for the 1st run in 2013? 20.13 miles - maybe, after having a lie in I decided on a shorter distance of 13.20 miles. A shade over a half marathon and a play on the year digits.

So with a half marathon distance to run, it was out the door at 9:30 the same time as my wife went out walking for what would see her walk 5 miles. With a visit to the mother-in-laws in the afternoon for a New Years Day buffet we agreed I would finish my run at Costa and meet for coffee and cake there.

The run promised to be a nice 'steady' effort (followers of mine on Twitter will have become used to my run classifications - also known as the Fletchscale and my definition of steady may not match everyone's idea of the word!). A steady run ensued out along the muddy and in parts very waterlogged country lanes. I think in all my years running this is the most water I have seen even in areas that usually stay very dry. The planned route is a 10 mile loop so would need the detour out towards Chelford down a previously closed lane due to flooding. Fortunately the lane was water free and enabled a nice run down towards half distance.

The weather continued switching between sun and light rain and on the route back into Knutsford saw a steady headwind. On the last mile or so in to town saw the remnants of the previous nights activities which included a pair of stiletto shoes hanging on a fence and a cumberband discarded in a hedge! A final zig zagging round the town saw the planned run of 13.20 miles reached in an average pace of 7:17.

For this year's Janathon I am going to include a link to the Garmin Connect map and stats from my Garmin Forerunner 410 watch. This was a very kind gift from my boss on my completion of 1 year on the runstreak which was achieved on 31st May last year.

Route
Garmin Connect Details - Day 1

Stats
Runstreak: Day 581
Distance: 13.20 miles

Time: 1:36:14

Janathon Total Distance: 13.20 miles