Getting back into marathon mode

Following on from a successful Parkrun yesterday where I added in an extra fee miles from the course to the station and then the station back home, today I had planned a long slow run.

My plan was to get into 'marathon mode', to run long, run slow, forget about running fast and just relax enjoy the run and without being cheesy 'get into the zone' and really enjoy running.

I was taking my hydration pack out for its first spin in a while to get used to carrying it again ahead of hopefully completing a few marathons in the autumn.

I had planned out a proposed route of sorts, an ambitious there and back route of at least thirteen miles heading through some local parks and out onto the London Loop sections 22 and 23 towards Rainham.

In the end I only ended up completing about half the route, firstly as it was a lot longer than I anticipated, secondly I was more tired from yesterday's running then I though and thirdly last nights enchiladas had played havoc with my stomach, but the less said about that the better! 

My adventure began after around 5k when I headed onto the first off-road trail section of the London Loop section 22. A quite little residential road leads downhill into a dark wooded area that looks like it should be the setting of a horror movie as it is so out of place at the end of this quiet suburban road.

The trail is great though and an enjoyable but technical route to run.

It soon opens up into a large meadow which was beautifully in flower in this early part of the summer.

Some more trails around some ploughed fields and through hound woodland and I was soon back into built up residential areas. A quick lap around the Upminster Bridge area including the start of the London Loop section 23 And I then started on my return journey taking much the same route.

A slightly different path took me past some some lovely pink flowers.

I also had a quick stop to chat with the resident pony that lives in a little small holding along the route.

After a quick chat and a few handfuls of grass, (for the pony not me!) I headed onto through the fields and along some nice green trails.

Soon enough I was heading for home and back into Pages Wood and then Harold Wood Park before less than 2kms back to home to round off an 18km run in a snip under 2 hours.

Once home I was quickly into a cold bath to aid my recovery as these form a key part of recovery strategy after longer runs.

All in all a really enjoyable run, some great sights to see and really what I wanted in terms of just running slowly and enjoying the scenery. 

The London Loop is a network of pathways designed to provide a route encircling greater London, you can find out more about the London Loop on the TFL website here, the sections I partly ran were sections 22, Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge and section 23, Upminster Bridge to Rainham. I have previously ran these sections in their entirety and you can read about my experience doing that here. The best way to find out more about the routes make up the London Loop is by reading other peoples experiences, a quick google will bring up a plethora of pages. There are several pages by people who have walked, cycled or ran large parts and in some cases all of the London Loop, a particular blog I have enjoyed reading on this subject and many others is Diamond Geezer which is well worth a look, his post on section 22 can be read here. 

Trail running part of the London Loop

Yesterdays run was trying out a new route, new in the sense I hadn't run it before but it is a route I have walked several times before.

My route was a trail path 5 minutes away from where I live and the more scenic part of what forms section 22 (Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge) of the London Loop.

Anyone not familiar with the London Loop its basically a section of continuous walkways that circle London divided into sections. 

For further information visit: http://www.walklondon.org.uk/

I did once think of having the ambition of trying to cover all the sections as a long term objective, but writing this reminds me I haven't even fully completed my local section so thats another plan added to the to do list!

When you enter the off road section you are greeted with a view like this:

You could be forgiven for thinking you were out in the middle of no where but you are in fact well within the M25 boundary and only a handful of miles away from the bustling urban landscape of Romford and the industrial areas of Rainham and Thurrock. 

Most of the pathway is well worn by local dog walkers and ramblers walking the London Loop but it is fairly overgrown in places.

The path is quite uneven and technical in several places, in fact I almost smashed my face in about three strides into the route when I tripped on a rock. Nothing gives you an energy boost like a shot of adrenaline caused by almost seriously injuring yourself! 

Note to self: Always focus on your footing on unfamiliar new trails. 

The path leads you to follow the river Ingrebourne, its called a river but more realistically I would classify it as a stream as it is a small, narrow and shallow watercourse for its majority. 

Its nice to run alongside a waterway and to hear the gentle flow of water, unfortunately the river is too gentle and too far away from the path to be heard. Instead you do hear the noises coming from the adjacent golf course and I quite enjoyed hearing the 'piiiing!' of golf clubs driving balls onto fairways.

For the second time this week running trails my path has been blocked by a natural obstruction. The winter storms from earlier in the year seem to have taken their toll on the local trees.

The highlight of the route and the reason why I have walked here so many times before is illustrated in my next picture. 

There is a small free holding where someone keeps a pony and has also had an assortment of goats over the years. They are all very friendly and very keen to receive any spare vegetables or salad items!

This guy seemed particualy interested in checking me out as I passed by!

Workout summary

So my run covered just over 5K in around 31 minutes a real gentle pace mainly be design but also as the path necessitated it as it was barely accessible in places.

It was a consecutive day running for me which is something I have shyed away from in the past through fear of injury but something I need to keep up as I am more than fit and strong enough to run some good mileage on consecutive days.

The other notable outcome from this run was the impact trail running is having on my lower legs. At this time of year the vegetation is lush and subsequently nettles and thorns are rife! So I had quite a few battle wounds from this short run. I had forgotten how painful nettles can be! 

I tried to think of it as mental training, as any long distance runner knows as well as coping with the physical demands of a distance you will inevitably have to learn to cope with the mental challenges of overcoming pain and pushing youself out of your comfort zone. So nettle stings go some little way to strenthening my mental resolve for the psychological battles that lie ahead.