JCC Day 3

OMG! I sometimes wonder why! Still stiff as a board & day 3 is supposed to be the toughest! I again joined the walk group with the aim of running when I could (legs & hills allowing). Mini bus took us to Lulworth Cove. Started off in the local hotel loo & only just made the start whistle!! Faced with a mega hill straight off - thank goodness for my walking pole! I was huffing & puffing after 5 mins. But... what goes up, must come down! Bliddy heck! Them there steps really hurt the already stiff quads! :-(

Didnt know what was worse, they ups or the down. Still the view were stunning & it was relatively warm.

Nessa was feeling pretty good & I was struggling, so I pushed her on after around 10k. Met up with Heather again & we stuck together until the final check point. I heard at the 2nd last check that James was pulled off the course due to missing the time check. Apparently he was struggling with blisters too!

Weather started closing in & it was getting v.chilly & misty. We were all pulled off the course at the final check point & told that the coast gaurd were going to make a decision on whether or not we could complete..gutted! Only 7 or so miles to go. After an hour of getting cold & stiff we were told we could continue but only providing the 30 or so of us stuck together til the finish. Hurrah. 7 or so folk then just took off & left the rest of us to it. Camaraderie was brilliant & we were all in great spirits which made the final few miles really really good fun. Too misty to see "Old Harry", and we had to get the maps & compasses (not me) out to find our way. Coast guard counted us all in & off a couple of times too!

Finished eventually after around 10 hours. Cold, tired & very happy. Ben from VOTWO met us at the end to give us our nice little momento. Hot soup & mini bus back to Weymouth. Met with Pip & Jilly before saying goodbye & driving home. Bloody hell my legs ache!!

JCC Day Two

Nice & warm last night & used sleeping bag & duvet! However, legs vv stiff when got up. Didnt know how was going to manage today, let alone tomorrow! Still, onwards & upwards!!! Decided to join the walk group so I had a little more time to finish! Set off from Chesil holiday park at 8:30 & the walk group almost started jogging off immediately! Due to stiff legs I walked the first 4 miles until the top of the cliff in Portland then walked jogged to CP1. Saw Jilly & Kerry there, but they soon left me in their dust! Lovely scenary & weather good albeit a little chilly. Walked jogged everywhere I could & met a lovely lady called Ness at CP2. We laughed & jollied each other along. Saw Dr Hickish out running in Weymouth & had a little chat with him. Ness & I decided to do an Eddie Izzard & had an ice cream on Weymouth beach front - very nice it was too. Made it to Lulworth Cove after 8 hrs & 47 mins. Total mileage today was 27.76 miles according to my garmin. Actually enjoyed the day more than yesterday. Far less mud & hills, although tomorrow is yet another day! Again enjoyed a few glasses of wine & also had a sports massage on my poor stiff leggies!

JCC - Day One

Didnt sleep very well. In caravan & froze all night. Was too cold for me to get out of bed & get my sleeping bag out of the car! Got up at 7 & made tea!
Very nervous about the day. Registered at 8, kit check & cooked breakfast which was very nice.
Mini bus to start was around 50mins. Scared stiff looking out the windows - big big hills.
Quick wee break at the start & we were off. Stunning scenary so took a few photos. Hills were pretty gruelling & most folk in the G2 (walk/jog group) were walking. This didnt last. They all shot off! I caught up with Pip at West Bay & she looked good. although she is in the walk group. Met Kerry & Jill at check point 2 & they were both looking pretty good although Kerry struggling with blisters.
By 9m my ache hip was hurting. Took ibuprofen & struggled through. Did lots of walking. Wind was horrific - very strong 30m/hr head wind all day. Lots & lots of very deep & cloying mud & this didnt let up the whole way.
I was hoping to finish in 7 hrs but actually did it in 7:25. Apparently most of the folk that have done this previously, finished on average an hour longer. Purely due to the awful conditions!
Once got back, we got stuck into the wine, put our feet up & chatted about our adventures over the next year.

Jurassic Coastal Challenge

Manic week. Manic day & I was hoping to finish work by 3 in order to get my kit packed & move down to Dorset. Got home just after 5 & still had to pack my kit bag & clothes for the next 4 days. Left home & 5:30 after mad rush & set off. Made it down to Weymouth in 1 hr 15 which was pretty good. Pip & Birdypie aka Jill had checked in to our caravan already. Jill had switched on all the heating so it was lovely & warm. We walked up to the Votwo marquee for our pasta dinner & a beer. Not bad & all beer for the weekend free! Chilly in the marquee though so we headed back to our caravan for wine & a chill! Had to finish all my work call notes & update this. Wine lovely. Off to pack my day pack for tomorrow. Getting a little nervous as I am hearing stories from last year where Pip got lost on all 3 days & said how tough tough tough it was. Also with all the rain we have had in the last couple of day, apparently the course is as muddy as hell!
We will see how we feel this time tomorrow!!!! :-)

Chiropractor & Acupuncture

With 4 days to go before the Jurassic Coastal Challenge starts, My left shoulder & hip are still hurting. Calf seems to have eased. I saw the chiropractor (who is also a sports medicine practitioner) last night. Had acupuncture & ultrasound treatment to the offending areas.
Also just had a sports massage with my masseure Denise!
Ache terribly. Think I now have lots of pain in my head as even my knees now seem to ache when I walk up & down stairs.
Well, tough - its too late...... I am not pulling out. Just stocked up with packets of Ibuprofen.

Oh Dear!

Getting a bit concerned that my left hip is quite painful! I am almost having to limp out of the car if I have been driving for a few hours. Ibuprofen is not doing the trick either. I was hoping if I ignore it it will go away. Went on a short hash Tuesday night which was a little silly as running cross country on very uneven ground in the dark could really have exascerbated things. Still it was only 3miles long.
Running club last night but I did 3 slow circuits of Langport. It added up to around 5.3miles in total but again, the hip & now my left calf muscle is killing. I am wondering why it is all about the left side? Seeing the chiropractor about my left shoulder on Monday, so may mention my other ailments. I suspect it is just old age that has actually crept up with me & is telling me to put my feet up with a cup of coffee & the papers or Saga holiday brochures!!!!!

Jurassic Prep

Was at running club on Wednesday following the 20m Grizzly. All talk was now about final prep for the London Marathon. Most folk are doing a 16m run this weekend, & I stupidly had planned the same! My thighs are still stiff & I still feel knackered. Again, most of the girls are doing their final long 23m run on the 23 March, then winding down to 24 April. What changed my mind?... Well I had an email from Jilly (running MdS next year & Jurassic) saying that she was winding down with a few short slow walk/runs with her backpack in final prep for JCC! Aaagh! I think I had slightly forgotton that I was doing this one. 3 marathons in 3 days along tough hilly coastal paths! Surely this can count towards my final long marathon training run? DOH!!!

I binned the 16miler & did a slow 6 on Friday evening (legs still aching) & today planned another 6miler wearing Tanjas Raidlight backpack with a few pounds of weight in it. 6lb weight to be exact. Got to carry a pack for JCC (compulsory items such as warm clothing, whistle, compass, maps, chocolate etc!

After last nights fillet steak & 3/4 bottle of wine, I woke not feeling like running at all. Still, sun was shining, Alfie gone to golf, so I thought I had better show willing. We have a monument nearby so I decided to trot down to it & jog around the paths & hills. It was really stunning. Very hilly & a bit slippy but I spotted 7 deer, loads of birds etc. No one else about. In 3 or 4 wks time the area will be worth another visit as the daffodil & bluebells are all starting to appear!

I wore my brand new Inov8 off road shoes & turned them from a vibrant turquoise to a muddy yuk! Still, cant be running JCC with shiny shoes, can we?