The long and winding (and very muddy) road.....

The Roadie completed his ultra run of 50miles - the Not for Nothing Fifty - on Saturday with his mate Simon from Deal Tri. Lovely run, really nice countryside and we were (comparatively) lucky with the weather. Much respect for the Walkers in the LDWA - some we past at mile 10 came steaming past us at 45miles. Well organised by Norfolk & Suffolk LDWA - probably spent far to long at the inviting checkpoints. Got a lot harder once it got dark, especially on a long section thru the woods - we got lost big time and ended up doing nearly an extra 6miles.  I was not in my happy place on the last 3-4miles thru somme like fields at the end. Big thanks to Si - would not have liked to have done by myself.

I understand now why they give you dog-tags on these runs....

I never understood why instead of medals you usually get on Marathons this particular tough series of coastal trail marathons hands out dog-tags as a finishers mento.

It was the Portland Bill one Saturday - Portland is basically a very hilly stone quarry connected (at this time of year) by mud & pools of water.  About two minutes after this photo was taken I clipped my big foot on a rock and went flying. Cuts and bruises, a broken garmin and some very sore ribs. Once I picked myself up I noticed the nice 400ft drop to the left... Hmmm .... Guess I have answered my question

Finished in 4:53 after the three miles of running along Chisel Bank.... Thats another roadie story

Errr is this mic on ?

Driftwood after several months of moaning & sulking by the Roadie are finally going to record some of their songs, so he can have some MP3s for the website and MySpace page.
Who is going perform this miracle of audio science (& medical - there is bound to tears! Ed) none other than folkestone's favourite singer/songwriter Mike Broomfield.  I have already started the petition for beatification for his efforts this coming Saturday... good luck Mike, you are going to need it!

Unfortunately, The Roadie will not be there witness this momentus event as he is running around Portland Bill in Dorset on another of his off-road trail marathons.
Shame....

Full report next week, so dont go changing channels.

The good, the bad and the muddy

The roadie ran the Gower peninsula coastal trail marathon on saturday - a very scenic course (which is code for hills and more hills) around the south welsh coast in 5:07 - it had over 5000ft of accent including a lovely 600ft climb in the last two miles (and a suicidal descent to the finish - think vertical mud and rocks). The course was so magificient that the organisers decided to extend it to over 28miles!

PS: Just found out today 14th Dec - that I won the age group prize for V50. Gosh twice in one week!

after the flood

Your intrepid roadie completed yesterday's Snowdonia Marathon in respectable 3:57:37 and was fully operational today in Deal for Roadie duties.

The weather totally fulfilled it forecast with horizonal rain and gusts of 60mph (there is about a inch of water in my rucksack still) and according to my garmin i did 4082ft of accent ... the last six miles were the killer with a three mile steep climb followed with  equally steep 1.5mile drop down a trackway (I wish I had my fell shoes for this bit!), then just to add to the fun the organisers had included a dog-leg in LLanberis with another hill in it to the finish....

Thoughly soaked, thoughly enjoyed it!

Roadie

http://www.snowdoniamarathon.co.uk/

Over the hills and far away....

Spare a thought for the poor roadie this Saturday 24th October - he is running the Snowdonia marathon and the forecast is for a mild monsoon.

To say this one is hilly is a bit of a understatement....

Back on Roadie duty on the Sunday as it the 'Celebrate Your Deal' Green event at the Landmark Centre ... with your favorite band playing at 2pm.

Bill & Mac are playing at 10:30 and the Deal Hoodeners are also lending their support....

Lots of interesting stalls ... see the report in this week's East Kent Mercury

Like a virgin....

The Roadie has manged to get into the 2010 London Marathon - It will his nine outing at the event.

Sponsorship has moved over the years from Mars (health food?) to Flora (Fatty spreads) and next year will be the turn of Virgin (beardie failed-ballonist capitalist). ...

so as madge says 'like a virgin, for the very nineth time'

It keeps the roadie on the streets....

Marathon

did not make it yesterday - bad night and woke up at 6am feeling exhausted! Decided to pass on this ... today I feel fine and ran over the cliffs to st margarets nr dover....

3toGo Marathon 12th Sept

running my 31st marathon tomorrow - well hopefully, felt bad today very tried ... we shall see what tomorrow morning brings.

This a small marathon down the lee river valley to the 2012 Olympic Park ... off roadish but flat

Portland Marathon 24th January 2009

This is suppose to be the 'easiest' of the Enduralife Coastal Trail Marathons, but still nearly took me 5 hrs to run.

The island itself was not as impossible of parts of the November Dorset stage but Portland is basically one large quarry so there is tons of loose stone around. The killer is Chisel Bank - the 7 mile pebble spit that contacts the island to the mainland. We had to run the ridge of this for about just under 2miles (x2) - hard on the legs and harder on the head. It was difficult first time around but at second time it hits at mile 23, hard.


Well organised run - run HQ is at the 2012 sailing centre which excellent facilities. Loved the 'dog-tag' medal plus ok teeshirt.

http://www.endurancelife.com/