Viking Way 2014

On Good Friday, 22 intrepid ultra-runners began to converge on Hull for the start of the 3^rd running of the Viking Way Ultra; 147 miles in 40 hours, from Hull to Oakham.

It was great to see so many familiar faces at race HQ, Premier Inn Hull West, in the evening – Mark and Alex Cockbain, Riccardo Giussani, Ben Davies, Jon Steele and Shirley Colquhoun, Allan Rumbles, Colin Fitzjohn, Andy Horsley, Cliff Canavan-King. Many others I knew by reputation.  After a communal dinner and with the race due to start at 7am, we all settled down for a good night’s sleep.

Or so we thought.

We were to woken to fire alarms just after midnight. Personally, I ignored them, although I did immediately think of the conch shell which is blown to announce 1 hour to the start of the legendary Berkley Marathons. The alarms sounded again and we were told to evacuate the building. Great.

I decided that the only tactic was to remain cheerful and see the funny side. After all Mark does call his events “The Hard Stuff”. In fact we wondered whether he had arranged for the alarms to sound just for a laugh! Some of asked if we could start now!

After over an hour outside in pajamas in very chilly conditions, we were finally allowed back to our rooms. For a final hurrah, the alarm sounded a few more times before allowing us to sleep at around 01:30.

At 5am, my alarm sounded. I didn’t feel like I’d slept at all. At least I’d be getting an early night that night. Oh, that was it….I wouldn’t be getting any sleep at all.

Viking Way 2014 

We sauntered down to the start and soon enough we were off on our journey. I started very steadily, having a good chat with Jon. Before long I found myself in a lead group with Ed Catmur, Luke Ashton, Cliff  Canavan-King and Andy Horsley. Cliff and I nattered away, whilst the others could barely get a word in edgeways.

Soon we were at Bilby, CP1, at 15 miles. Ed appeared to eat his body weight. He is very fast (15:44 at NDW100) so I decided to copy.

The next couple of legs through the Lincolnshire Wolds are the prettiest and most interesting part of the route with a few hills. Please bear in mind that the high point in Lincolnshire is the imaginatively named Wolds Top at 168m so I use the word ‘hill’ in that context!

Cliff, Ed and I seemed to be running fairly much together as we approached Tealby, CP2, at 30 miles. Luke was ahead of us but must have gone wrong as he entered the CP just after us. He was soon through with Cliff & I following.

Apart from pausing briefly in Donnington-on-Bain for a very therapeutic ice-lolly, we kept up a good pace through to Fulletby, CP3, at 50 miles. Here we had access to drop bags so we had a longer stop, changing socks and picking up gear for the night. Mark had outdone himself this year, providing hotdogs, rice pudding (with jam to accompany) and even cream eggs. Real Cadburys ones too, not home brand!

Living the dream!

Replenished it was down through Horncastle and then the long, flat, straight run to Woodhall Spa. Just before Woodhall Spa, I began to feel very tired and lethargic. I knew I had been eating and drinking well so thought it was one of ‘those phases’. Coming out of the town, I suddenly felt very lightheaded, and strangely emotional and tearful. With the next checkpoint only a couple of miles away, Cliff pushed on to warn them I was struggling. 

It was time to call Jenny!

Jenny and Jade were on their annual Easter break; this time touring Ireland. Jenny was driving but Jade was amazingly supportive and generally lovely. Our 2 girls really are wise beyond their years. Jenny pulled over and gave me some loving advice. With my resolve strengthened, I made my way towards Stixwold, CP4, 64 miles.

The checkpoint was manned by Drew Sheffield and Claire Shelley and well stocked with goodies. A couple of hot cross buns with lashing of jam seemed to work wonders, so I guess I must have been a bit low on fuel, or perhaps it was just the sugar hit. Or perhaps it was just one of ‘those phases’.

Off I trundled towards Lincoln. On the section towards Fiskerton I managed to go completely the wrong way. It was absolutely ridiculous to go wrong here as I live in Lincoln and know this bit like the back of my hand. Fatigue, pure and simple. Not wanting to end up back in Bardney, and seeing headlights, I opted for the cross-country route to the road. Lincolnshire really is very flat and featureless so although I was fairly sure where I was, I decided to wave down a car and check that I was actually still going in the right direction. Amazingly the first vehicle to pass was Mark and Alex Cockbain – I was on the road to Fiskerton. Happy days.

Back on route, I made my way along the 2.5 miles of riverbank, to CP5, just before Lincoln, 81 miles. A cheery welcome was waiting and I was soon on to Lincoln where it was great to see my son, James, who had come out after midnight to cheer me on. This was so good of him and it really lifted my spirits.

I really do know the next section well which is good because I can't remember much about it. I do remember the temperature dropping markedly. However, I arrived at Wellingore, CP6, 96 miles at 03:40. This was an almost identical time to when I had done the race in 2012, but I was in much better shape. In 2012, Mark had had to virtually force me to continue but this year he just told me that one of his goals for the race this year was to see me finish which meant a huge amount to me.

I was surprised to see Cliff here. Apparently, he had come into the CP with Luke, but had been passing blood in his urine and was in a lot of pain. He wasn’t sure if he could continue.

It was getting really cold now. Drop bags were available for the final time before the finish so I grabbed my veteran Montane Fireball smock and took plenty of time making sure I had everything I needed for the rest of the race. I had packed individual mini-bags for the 2 drop-bag CPs  with food, electrolytes, kit etc. This made life a lot easier. I also changed shoes and socks. After a good feed, and another cream egg, I was ready to go.

Cliff then decided he was going to come with me. I wasn’t sure that he should from a medical prospective but I think we both wanted the company. I was getting quite cold so we were quickly off.

Dawn soon came which always lifts the spirits but unfortunately, after crossing the A17, Cliff was obviously struggling and in a lot of pain. He made the sensible decision to stop. I was sad to leave him; he was great company and we’d been getting on really well.

I then steeled myself for the trek to the next CP at Foston. I was getting really cold and was shivering a lot despite base layer, t-shirt, OMM Cyber smock, Montane Fireball and OMM Kamleika, hat, 2 pairs of gloves etc. I really do feel the cold! I was also struggling tremendously to stay awake and at one stage was seriously contemplating sitting down for sleep. That would have been a very bad idea!

It was time to mobilise my support structure! Had a nice chat with Jenny who told me to keep on going, and then checked in with my Mum & Dad whom I was looking forward to seeing at the finish.

After a brief (ish) heavy shower. I approached Foston, CP7, 113 miles. I had dropped out here in 2012 and that certainly was not on today’s menu. Feeling much better, I set off on the long 18 mile section to Sewstern.

I was heading south towards Oakham now, it was getting warmer, I was feeling pretty good all things considered and I was going to finish.

This was a REALLY long leg and seemed to go on forever.

Going around Grantham, I popped into the Rutland Arms on the Grantham Canal and grabbed the best available food, a couple of pepperami’s and a Mars Bar, and filled up with water. This pub is in a great location and is sadly missing an opportunity.

The long, long, long Sewstern Lane was rife with cross-country and quad bikes, and nicely dug up into a veritable quagmire in places. Not fun.

I nearly bumped into a couple of people out for a walk who turned out to be Archie Stewart, fresh from his successful MdS, and his daughter Sophia. It was great to see them and I met another brief heavy shower with spirits lifted. Not for long, as I hit even worse sections of slippery mud, easily the most unpleasant bit of the whole event. I wasn’t having fun and I wanted to go home.

A graveyard for ultra-runners? Pretty much how I felt.....broken

Eventually, I got to Sewstern, CP8, 131 miles. I was feeling really tired and suddenly the remaining 16 miles seemed a very long way. Just before the CP I spotted my Mum and Dad with James.  My Mum insisted on ‘running’ the last 200m to the CP with me which was rather comical at the time. She then tried to help me with my bag. I asked politely to be given a little space! Once a Mum……

It was good to see them though and they were particularly amused by the number of chocolate rice crispy squares that I was able to eat in one go! Why do you think I do these events?

As I got up to leave another runner approached. It was Steve Gordon who must have been reeling me in all day. I wasn’t particularly bothered if he caught me. I had been walking almost all of the day and although I didn’t have much left, I knew I was going to finish. To me these long races are events rather than races. The race is 99% against oneself and I was winning that one.

Five minutes out of the CP, I suddenly decided I was bothered about finishing second. I had been in 2^nd all day and I deserved to be 2^nd! So I tried to run and it seemed to work so I kept on running. At this stage, I really didn’t want to go wrong so I very much had map in hand and was double-checking everything. 

I kept on running and I couldn’t believe how good I felt.

I was soon through  Exton and then down to the final checkpoint at Rutland Water.

141 miles done. 6 miles to go.

Pausing quickly for water and a couple of hits of cake, I ran along Rutland Water pleased that I had recce’d this bit.

A selfie after 143 miles of running felt appropriate.

  

Then it was along the main road into Oakham. It started to drizzle but I didn’t care. Mum, Dad and James were waiting just before the final corner so I stopped quickly to thank them.

As I rounded the final corner and saw the finish, I suddenly felt really emotional, and then it was over. I’d finished. I was happy.

147 miles, 36 hours and 9 minutes, 2^nd place.

Mark and Alex gave me my t-shirt and medal. We’re talking serious bling here! The Mayor of Oakham was also here so I had a photo with him too. I was a bit excited now of course and called him “Your Excellency”. Mum insisted on an obligatory family photo.

And I went home.

And I was in time for tea (see here!)

Big thanks to Mark and Alex for all their tireless efforts over the weekend and for giving such a good vibe to the event. A real family feel. Thanks also to all those who gave freely of their time over the holiday weekend. Events like this just wouldn't happen otherwise.

Congratulations to all runners. Whether you finished or didn't, you toed the line. He who risks nothing......

Thanks 

Viking Way Ultra - take 2

Right, lets get this blog started again!

Next weekend, I will stand on the start line of the Viking Way Ultra; 147 miles from Hull to Oakham with a cut off of 40 hours. This will be my second attempt at this tough event, and yes, it does pass very close to my home in Lincoln!

This time 2 years ago, I competed in the first Viking Way Ultra. Note the lack of an 'L' between the 'P' and the 'E' in the word 'competed'.From memory, I had to pester and beg race organiser, Mark Cockbain, to give me a place. I had a good run, met some great people, but ultimately DNF’d at 113 miles.

On Facebook I posted, “So 113 miles in 27 hrs continuous running - I was a broken man when I stopped. Disappointed to score a DNF but still proud. Not a failure - failure, for me, would be not being prepared to give it a go and put body & mind on the line”.

Many people sent me messages. “Well done……A valiant effort……Proud of you”

Yet the more I thought about it, the more it niggled at me.

I also received this message from a runner that I rate as one of the absolute mentally toughest I know.

“Just read your last post. Grrrrr

I'm sure you have loads of friends who give you soft, cuddly feedback.

Good mileage but that wasn't what the race was about. It was to finish a 150 mile race.

And you fucked it.

A lot of average peeps can do 110 miles in 24hrs.  So why are you piling in after your shift?

Lesson 1: Know your enemy.  What does it take to finish the race?  Were you disabled? Visible or physical injury? I say this because it’s the only thing that could have stopped me finishing. A MIND SET! What was the cut off that stopped you?  Mentally you had less than 30 miles to go.  Even at a slow walking pace you.should have finished in 12 hours? These are just numbers.  I know this is very different from doing the distance in any discipline. Know thine enemy.

Take a breath, and build up with successes and finishes..  And from there you can build into longer  and longer ultras.  I think from your shape you have huge potential in long distance ultras. Give you self a chance”.

And that was the truth. It was harsh but it was the truth.

I was tired, very tired but I wasn't disabled. I was hurting but I wasn't injured. Ultimately my head had stopped me. The internal conversation went something like this:

“113 miles done, only 30 to go. Definitely getting there”

“Bloody hell, another 30 miles! That’s more than a marathon……that’s another ultra”

“Just 30 – I can walk that if necessary. Lots of time to spare”

“But I’m really tired. Really, really tired. And it hurts”

“Think of all the ice cream in the freezer. So much better if you finish”

”Ha……if you finish now, you can get home for tea and have a curry and have the ice cream tonight!”

And there you have it.

I stopped so that I could be home for tea.

Since then I have become much tougher mentally. At least I have when it comes to running ultras! I have finished the Spine, the MdS, Hardmoors 110, Lakes 10 Peaks. I now know what it takes to finish these biggies – physically and mentally. I know the places they take you. The highs and the lows.

I know that similar thoughts will go through my mind in this year’s race, and probably some new demons, but I will be ready for them. I know that these thoughts are usually transient – each event has it bad spells and each has its good spells. Enjoy the good, deal with the bad. I also know to cut it up into manageable chunks – not 30 miles to go, but 10 to the next checkpoint.

So, I am ready to put this baby to bed. It’s been in the back of my mind for 2 years because I really should have finished it the first time. Physically I feel in great shape and mentally I am as good as I have been for a while.

I’m ready to get on that Highway to Hull

One further message after the race, from someone rather close to me, also stands out:

“One day, my darling you will realise that you have nothing to prove. You run because you enjoy it, and you are good at it, and you are very fit as a result of it. We all love you just as you are; you don't have to run 150 miles to be worthy of that love”

Food for thought indeed.

Where is the Viking Way?! A catalogue of misfortune.

Being bored with running around here, and as the weather in the shires was forecast to be a little brighter at least until lunchtime, I decided to get the early train up to Barnetby and then run down the Viking Way to Horncastle, where I can get the bus back to Lincoln. This is generally a very pleasant route and is more undulating than Lincoln central.

Fortunately, I checked the train times when I got up as the train goes 20 minutes earlier on a Saturday (05:38!). This was the high point of the day.

The first couple of miles were nice enough but then I hit the soaking wet, overgrown jungle of the Viking Way. Now, I know I'm not a giant but at times I was battling through nettles, brambles and general flora up to chest level. Hugely unpleasant. 

Very quickly, my knees and thighs were scratched to shreds and on fire thanks to the nettles. I was only glad on the partial protection of my calf guards otherwise I would have probably just sat down and cried. I was soaked as if it had been pouring with rain.

It then poured with rain.

I decided to bail out at Tealby before I had an anaphylactic reaction either to nettles or being p*ssed off! From there I could make my way to Market Rasen and get the next bus home.

Going through the woods near Rasen, the path was completely inpenetrable. I had to detour by over a mile. I missed the bus. At least I can get the train from Rasen too.

Having waited for the next train, the single carriage arrived - completely full. The guard said he would get on who he could. Luckily everyone fitted but it was similar to the underground in rush hour. I was standing next to a lady with claustrophobia!

Obviously the guard hadn't been able to get around the carriage to collect fares so we presumed we wouldn't have to pay at Lincoln. Guess what, we did! One man collecting all the fares on the platform at Lincoln station. We queued for 10 minutes. I expressed my opinion that we shouldn't have to pay and was told that he didn't have time to discuss this as everyone was waiting to pay!! Some form of reverse logic? He used the word 'great' several times and I explained that I didn't think it was particularly great all. I paid.

A thoroughly miserable morning. 

From now on I will sit on the sofa, eat pizza and get fat!

2012 – The Forgotten Races

I ran several races through the middle of the year that I didn’t get round to writing about mainly due to my poor state of mind. Although I kept on running whilst I was unwell, my training was totally erratic and I had a few niggly injuries. On hindsight, I was probably running more out of habit – I was continually tired and had totally lost my sense of enjoyment.

In April I ran in The Viking Way Ultra – 147 miles from The Humber to Oakham. I felt I was well prepared for this both physically and mentally. I pulled out at 113 miles for whatever reason and initially was pleased to have got that far – it was my longest ever continual run. However, the more I mulled it over, the more I became disappointed with myself for giving in/giving up. Physically, this run took me a while to recover from – mentally even longer. A great race though – well organised by Mark Cockbain, and can’t wait to give it another go.

At the end of May, I ran in the Dukeries 40. Organised by Roger & Maria Lawton-Spence, this was a lovely run in and around Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. Although, only 40 minutes away from home, I had never really explored the area – beautiful, typically English countryside. The race took place on probably the only hot day of the summer and I had a really good run finishing 2^nd. A really fun, local event that I would really recommend, especially for those just starting their ultra-running careers. Roger & Maria are a lovely couple, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting them at several races since.

I really found it hard to motivate myself to do much through the summer and the dismal weather didn't help. I had a place in The Lakeland 100 at the end of July but had done minimal training for this and wasn’t sure whether to bother at all. Jenny persuaded me that I would only regret it if I didn’t even go, and that failure would be not starting rather than not finishing. 

I felt totally lethargic right from the start and wanted to pull out at every checkpoint. To make matters worse, after drinking a couple of bottles of the supplied energy drink, I began vomiting for England.

I sat contemplating life for 45 minutes at Braithwaite CP where I met Sam Robson who'd injured his ankle. Sam had some great runs in 2012, including being one of the 2 finishers in the Piece of String fun run. Eventually, I thought ‘sod it’ and left the CP with a group of runners including Jon Steele. Jon is a great guy and I have the upmost respect for anyone who can ran 50 ultras in a year. Carrying on, I began to think I might even finish but had a bad spell leading up to Dalemain and withdrew at the 58 miles point. I wasn’t really disappointed by this – I had got further than I thought I would, and I had started with no real expectation of finishing. Without doubt, The Lakeland 100 is a great event. Mass camping at the start, superbly organised and amazing support at every village passed through and every checkpoint – I will be back! I have a place for this year’s event but may have to put it off until next year due to other commitments.

In August, I had a thoroughly therapeutic holiday with Jenny and our 4 children. Running consisted of laps around our cruise ship. The combination of sun, relaxation and escape served to get my mojo back! I had a great time.

Having reassessed my goals and general outlook on life, I ran the High Peaks 40 Challenge in September. I had run this in 2011 and really enjoyed it. I ran this race with no pressure – I decided to go out and just enjoy the day – and I did. I ran the last 15 miles with Max Dillon and we had a great laugh – I’m sure we will meet up again. This run was the turning point for me – enjoyment had returned, not just to running but to all facets of my life.

In October, I ran two 50 mile race on consecutive Saturdays, firstly as training for The Spine and secondly to see if I could! I entered the Round Rotherham on the day. Again, I decided to take it relatively easily and enjoy myself. I enjoyed the route more than expected – it’s very variable through countryside, villages, urban areas and old industrial areas. It was very muddy! I was pleased to finish in just over 8 hours in 14^th place (or so!).

The following Saturday, I ran in the Dusk til Dawn ultra. Starting and finished in Castleton in the Peak District, the premise of the race was that it started at dusk and you had to finish the 50 miles before dawn. I’d entered this when it was first advertised as it was something a bit different. My legs felt surprisingly good and I was really pleased to finish in 5^th place. Another new and very well organised event. A lot of fun too.

And that fills in the gaps! My next outing was the Spine training run

Having been on the verge of pulling out of this year’s Spine and MdS, I am now hitting the New Year with total enthusiasm and am ready to take on both challenges head on.

My initial goals for 2013:

• Continue to enjoy my running and just enjoy life
• Be positive, do good and keep a smile on my face
• Finish The Spine (and I will because I’ve now written it down)
• Top 50 MdS

……and then we’ll see!

Happy New Year!!

Happiness Is The Road

I will write up a race report for The Viking Way Ultra when I have a little more time. Suffice to say, I DNF’d at 113 miles. That’s a long way to run – but it’s still a DNF.

I rarely run with my iPod as I like to hear the birds singing, the sounds of nature and just the sounds of life. It’s also strangely reassuring to hear one’s own breathing and footfall. I have only resorted to my iPod twice during races. Both times when really struggling and both times the first song to come on has been Happiness Is The Road by Marillion.

“The greatest blessing that we have
Is the dawn of each new day
A chance to finish what we started
And made a mess of yesterday
As day comes out of night
A chance to get it right
A chance to start again
A chance to get it right

The people here
Full of love and comfortable in themselves
Not scared to let go
No fear round here

I met this man
In Utrecht Netherlands
He was a doctor of the body and the soul
He said to me:
Man, there's a book you have to read.
I feel your pain. It makes me cry
But these tears are yours - not mine.

You're focussing on all of your bad yesterdays
The worry lines are getting deeper every day
And deep inside you
No surprise - there's a crisis!
You might have been to blame
But you can't go on this way
Must I watch and pray?

While you torture yourself with what's behind ya
Torture yourself with what awaits ya
Draggin' that guilt and regret inside ya
Anxious of the goals that always evade ya

Your mind will find a way to be unkind to you somehow
But all we really have is happening to us right now

HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD

And each baby..
A human sunrise
Each baby - a human sunrise..

Look around you
Feel your soul inside you
Look inside you
Feel the life course through you
The life that's giving In every thing that's living
The plants and the trees
The birds and the bees
And apes like you and me

HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD
You're a slave to your mind
But you are not your mind
You are not your pain
Say it again
You are not your pain
Say it again
You are not your pain

Happiness aint at the end of the road
Happiness aint at the end of the road
Happiness IS the road
The road

HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD

There are about 180 songs on my “exercise” playlist. The probability of a named song coming up first, twice in a row, is about 1:32,400. Is technology taking the p*ss?!

Oh the irony! “And deep inside you, no surprise - there's a crisis!”

Viking Way Ultra

Well here it is! The 147 mile Viking Way Ultra starts 7am on Saturday morning, with a 40 hour cutoff.

I'm nervous but also strangely calm and quietly confident. I'm under no delusions that is going to be incredibly hard - both physically and mentally. However, I'm not scared as I was before The Spine. With The Spine there was fear of the unknown and fear of being stranded, lost in the cold possibly miles from anyway. With The Viking Way, whilst I know it's going to hurt (a lot!), I also know a lot of the route and it's never far from civilisation. So yes, nervous but not terrified!!

Weather could be interesting. After a couple of weeks of lovely spring, almost summery weather, this week has brought heavy rain (and snow to higher parts) and a massive dip in temperatures. So major quandary on what to wear - I'm bad enough at the best of time. So basically I'm taking a big bag!

Things I must remember:
1. Don't go too fast at the beginning
2. Keep the calories going in

Let's do it - bring it on!!

Viking Way - another recce

So yesterday I got the 05:57 train from Lincoln to Market Rasen, arriving just as the light did. I managed to find a very pleasant path through some woods towards Tealby.  Some local frost but lovely in dawn's first light.

Once in Tealby, I picked up the Viking Way and immediately found a hill in Lincolnshire up to the mighty height of 149m! On to Ludford where the route wasn't really signed at all but fortunately the map was very clear. Next followed a very pleasant section through the wolds to Donnington on Bain - accompanied only by bright sunshine and the sun of bird song. Gorgeous.

The route on to Goulceby seemed to have a gate every 100 metres which was really annoying and broke my rhythm a bit. The last mile into Goulceby was a bit boggy in places and required some careful attention to the map and surrounding features, as some of the next bit to Scamblesby.

The section to Belchford and then Fulletby was lovely. A short sharp hill up and over to Belchford was again a little boggy in places and another hill before Fulletby. From there, the route was very clear across farmland and down into Horncastle. Checking my Garmin, I had covered 27 miles and felt really good

I pushed onto Woodhall Spa. This section was along the Horncastle Canal, very flat but picturesque then followed a disused railway, very flat, very straight and very boring! Across Woodhall Spa golf course and  arrived in Woodhall Spa 5 minutes before my bus to Lincoln! Good timing!

34 miles, 4:55 hours running. A really enjoyable run through a lovely part of England.

Route-wise all pretty easy to follow and well signed apart from the few short sections mentioned but I kept a constant on my map and knew when turns etc were coming up. Conditions underfoot were pretty good, but this section definitely warranted the trail shoes I was wearing - some of it would have been tricky in road shoes.

I've now covered the section from Tealby to Barkston (near Grantham) and am really excited about the race - can't wait.

Next up - UltraTrace Grantham next weekend. Back to back 29 miles on saturday and Sunday. Treating this more as 2 long training runs and only going to partially taper. Also have to try and pass my fitness test on Tuesday!!

Viking Way recce's

Last Friday I decided to recce the Viking Way from Woodhall Spa to Lincoln. This section may well be in the dark come race day so a sensible bit to do.

I left work early on Friday afternoon, and drove the short distance from Coningsby to Woodhall Spa. Leaving my car there for the night, I set off along the Viking Way and promptly missed a turning after 10 minutes! Map now in hand, I carried on to Stixwould then Southrey where I saw one of our physios driving home. On Monday morning, she asked where I had been going. When I said “Home to Lincoln” it just confirmed my insanity to her!

I wasn’t really enjoying the run at this stage. I often find it takes 60-90 minutes for me to get into my long runs – until then it can be a bit of a drag and a mental battle - “Why am I doing this when I could just drive home and have a rest?”

I was very wary as I passed the “Beware of the Bull” sign. At this point, wearing a red shirt didn’t seem like such a good idea. Fortunately, no sign of aforementioned bull and I safely made it to Bardney. Getting in my running by now and enjoying the sunny afternoon, I negotiated the fiddly route to Fiskerton, then 4km along the River Witham into the setting sun. Lovely. Another fiddly bit into the outskirts of Lincoln, then used my local knowledge to get to the cathedral and then drop down home.

25 miles, 8:43/mile

This of course left the slight problem of my car in Woodhall Spa, so like any good ultra runner would do, I got up early on Saturday morning and ran to Woodhall Spa. This time I followed the River Witham all the way to Bardney which can be boring but I found very peaceful on this occasion. Then took the Viking Way from Bardney back to Woodhall Spa. Car present, unscathed, and with 4 wheels – well, this is Lincolnshire!

I actually felt better during the Saturday morning run which was really pleasing, and I was also faster.

19 miles. 8:27/mile

All in all a really pleasing weekend, followed by 3 good runs this week. Training right back on track.

Taking tomorrow off as leave and will either check out the last section from Grantham to Oakham, or do some of section before Horncastle. Indecisive as ever!