Wrekin Fell Race 28/3/10

5.5 miles 1700ft. Never done this race before, even though it's my local hill.

Started off in a school playing field, then under the motorway, up and over the Ercall (a hill) then up the steepest part on the eastern side of the Wrekin. Once at the top, follow the same route back to the start.
Coming down the Ercall.
Photo from Alistair of http://www.fellrunningpictures.co.uk/
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Wrekin Run and log find 20/3/10

Not able to do the race in Wales I wanted to due to having friends round for the weekend and the late start of the race. So instead I went to the Wrekin.

Started on the west side. Up and over little hill then continued up to Wrekin summit. 21:03 to the top. Quite good time for me. Then down the east side to halfway house before doubling back along the south side low path. Once abeam the summit I took a right turn up one of the steepest bits back to the top (had to walk the last quarter). Once at the top again it was a run back down the west side and over little hill(sprint up little). Found a modest log to carry the last few hundred yards back to the truck. Out for about an hour then back home for a shower just in time for our friends to turn up and get down the pub to undo all the good work.
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Wrekin training run 17/3/10 and mysterious wood disappearance

A blast up the east side. 17:22 to the top. Best time for a while that.

Then down the other side and slow jog round the south side back to the car 55:00 in all. Don't know why the GPS decided to stop working on the way back ?
More disturbing though........I think some one has tipped the foresters off to my wood pilfering. They seem to have cleared most of the logs away. Who could have tipped them off I wonder ? Fellow Forester MattR maybe ?

Kick Boxing 15th and 16th

Hard sparing session in Kidderminster on Monday 90 mins. I must have pissed world champion James off because I came home with bruises all over head and body. Started to think I'm too old for this sort of punishment. But then, what the hell, I've just got to try harder.

Tuesdays session at Halesowen much more laid back. 45 mins warm up, pads and some light sparing.
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Wrekin training run 10/3/10

Been busy flying but squeezed in a short Wrekin run. Up the east side and back. Just going dark as I went up. 17:56 to top.

Last year when I was regularly doing night runs around the Wrekin I got used to running with out a torch. When going up I was never too quick and by the time I had got to the top my night vision had come into play so was able to run slowly and carefully back down again just using the ambient light. This works fine until you encounter some one coming up with a billion watt head torch. Because you're not wearing a torch they don't see you, they hear you last second, look up blinding you and buggering up your night vision. This happened several times on Wednesday.
Glad I managed to do a night run at last this year. I'll try and do some more.

Kickboxing 9/3/10

Couldn't bring myself to do the Monday "monster" session. But did 45mins gentle warm up, pads and sparing on Tuesday.

Tread Mill and Weights Machines

Last week on holiday I managed a couple of sessions in the hotel gym. 1 hour slow running on the tread mill and some reps on chest press and lat pull down machines. Another day, 30mins on the tread mill and some reps on leg extension machine. Didn't do much to compensate for all the beer and food I had over the week. I need to do some long runs.