Sand Angels | Shadows | New Year

Beyond the fireworks, celebrations, cork popping and merriment there is but one truth. We have left 2012 behind and have welcomed in a new year.
Personally I had much to enjoy from 2012, the obvious highlights that have been documented time and again such as The Queens Jubilee and the Olympics certainly rubber stamped certain dates in history as well as bringing a much needed cohesion to a society if only for a short while. It also highlighted how social media has reinforced that cohesiveness on many levels. I for one enjoyed the opening ceremony not only with Mr T but with many of you on Twitter, making the experience incredibly inclusive. Sofalising was certainly something to be experienced and I am not ashamed to say I enjoyed it very much!

Personal highlights included birthday celebrations when both Mr T and myself turned 40, we raised many a glass to our inclusion into the 4th decade of our lives. I also became a life long member of the "I have run a marathon club". In May 2012 I ran the North Dorset Village Marathon in 4 hours 7 seconds. I competed in my first triathlon as well as saying hello to the world of adventure racing. All of these events had me being in the best shape ever, not bad for this 40 year old maid!!

40th party celebrations

Roseland Adventure Race

Taking to it like a duck to water!!

Marathon finish line

Most surprising of all I became a mud runner. I was introduced fairly swiftly to the trails and coast paths around this gorgeous part of Cornwall by fellow runners who were training for the Grizzly 2012 run. I was finding my injuries increasing as I started to increase my road running mileage, I took to the trails to enable me to gain strength and miles whilst limiting the injuries and fell in love with the feeling I got from it all. Lots of squeals and laughs as we were slipping and sliding through trails, much chatting as we reconvened at the next stile to take on board the view or a jelly baby or two. I totally and utterly caught the mud running bug.
If you want to read about how it makes you feel, this wonderful blog post by Katie Davis for the Mud Crew Events sums it up perfectly.

Last but not least I can include myself within the Mumpreneur category. This year saw Avril Sainsbury and myself introduce The Wire Digital Marketing & PR agency to the masses!! A venture that has been hugely gratifying in these first few months whilst also being amazingly hard work. I'm not one to shy away from giving myself challenges though and am happy to take the journey forward into 2013.

New Years Day has been a day of enjoying what is around me, my family, my environment and my ability to engage my body in the activity it enjoys the most. It has also been a day to ensure that I take stock of what is good in my life and nurture those who are so very dear to me.
Happy New Year to you all x x

Sand Angels | Shadows | New Year

The runner took a stroll in the deep dark wood...

....in fact it went more like this. This runner took a run through the deep sunny woods,the runner smelt the woods and the woods smelt good. It was wonderful to be out there this morning. The sun was dappling through the trees and the ground was soft underfoot, the streams were flowing well after the recent rainfalls and this runner was in good spirits. There were no gruffalos though ;)
I saw only a handful of people along the way, it was just me and my run. It was blissful and nspired by runners I was privileged to meet yesterday.

Yesterday I went to support friends and fellow runners at the National Trusts Mouth to Mouth 10K off road run. In it's second year it is a fairly new race on the calendar but one not to be missed. I took part last year and enjoyed it immensely, not only was it a fairly small affair but so friendly and unassuming.
Jeff Cherrington from the North Cornwall National Trust was organising it as a keen runner himself he was best placed to select a route that inspired and challenged the most seasoned off roader. That it did! With hills that were nothing but epic, to woodland that was tranquil, to streams that were well, more like rivers yesterday, it really was a wonderful way to spend a morning.
I managed to miss the start as TJ's swimming lesson and Mr T's weekly cycle ride infringed on it slightly but was able to catch the finish where the first runner in was a Bude RATS member and was cheered in appropriately.
From then on it was a steady stream of runners, slip sliding their way down the descent back to Sandymouth, over the bridge to the home straight. Conditions were soggy, boggy and slippery and many runners were having to walk down descents due to the nature of the terrain after the rainfalls that hit N Cornwall in the last few days.
They all crossed the line with smiles on their faces and mud plastered up their legs to receive a warm welcome from a small but perfectly formed support network. Marshalls were along the route with one water station beautifully supervised by @thedaytodavis and Bridget, cheering people along the way with words of encouragement.
I managed to meet two runners from Twitter who I had tweeted many times and who have proved to be fellow mud lovers!!! @PhilippaDavey and Emily aka @plymfitness made their way to the North Cornish coast to take part in the Mouth to Mouth. It was great to meet them and get their reaction to the race. As they had both taken part in the Commando Challenge recently, they were used to getting down and dirty on trails and were taking this one on in the same style. They both commented that it was a tougher beast than the Challenge which I was quite pleased to hear as next year we have a team going into the Challenge from the mud runners in Bude RATS and my name is on the list! 
To top it off, there were medals for all participants, a T shirt and even some bling for category placers of which Emily was one of these!!
All in all, a great run in a spectacular location with some fantastic runners. For all those interested in next years race, keep an eye out on @NorthCornwallNT for information.

Philippa and Emily

BACK FOR GOOD?

Who know's. This blog has been very much a measure of my activity with regards my running and training. It has been some time since I have felt I have been able to write anything constructive and fresh about that subject.
After the marathon in May , I really felt the need to pull away from the weekly training runs and spend some more time with my family. Although there was never a time when it felt like i was sacrificing time with them - I would often take myself off early to be back before they noticed- I did want to have Sunday mornings and Saturday evenings not being consumed by my next long run.

I enjoyed the break from running and had entered an adventure race in St Mawes to give a little variety to the training. It was a welcome relief to include kayaking to our usual Wednesday mud runs. I found a new lease of life and started to get out on my bike more as well as getting to know Bude Canal fairly well on kayaking sessions.
I then decided as I had enjoyed the variety of the adventure race so much that I would enter the Bideford Triathlon set for 8th July 2012. I had become stronger on the bike and had kept my running fitness up enough to see me through the sprint distance race, no amount of swimming in the gorgeous Bude Sea Pool had prepared me for the hideous state of the River Torridge swim that we did!! The amount of water that the SW had received in rainfall in the weeks before the Tri was incredible, thus making the river a debris filled brown expanse of water. I have to say I was petrified when waiting to enter the water that morning.
I did it and did it in a time I was proud of 1:36:27 to be precise.

What I hadn't banked on was the swiftness of what was to take up my time and energy for the forthcoming months. My new baby..........

No, no my baby making days are well and truly over, my 2 boys give me much to be grateful for but I also know how much I can give to them and another one thrown into the mix would be messy to say the least!!! No, my new baby is my new business. It feels very much like a newborn has entered the house though. The time I spend with my business does take me away from enjoying sofa time with Mr T, it does make me have to say No to friend's invitations and it does make me make use of the grandparent's more, but I LOVE it.
I will introduce you to my amazing distraction -

My great friend, Avril @ei8htdesign and myself have gone into business together and have created a fun and vibrant digital marketing and PR company. Come and connect with us on Twitter @TheWireCornwall, like our Facebook page The Wire, N Cornwall or check out our blog at http://thewiredigitalmarketing.tumblr.com/ if you so choose!!
It has been an amazing couple of months with much interest around the business as well as many late nights and early mornings getting our business set up. There are many more of these to follow, we are a new business and I intend to give it all my care and attention. I also intend to keep a balance between my passion for my work and reviving my passion for the sport that gives me some quality time and peace, running. The connections I have made through the sports I do have also helped to engage our business in the accounts it already has, a wide network of friends and connections are made when you partake in a sport with like minded people. Just another great reason for me to continue.
Only last week, I was on the regular Wednesday mud run, when a member was asking about what we did. I proceeded to tell them about what The Wire offered and was told to expect an email in the next couple of days detailing the services they required!!! And boom, another proposal to get out.

I do enjoy all aspects of my work but know that for the health and sometimes wealth of my business, it is essential for me to keep on running and enjoying the social side as well as the time I have with my own thoughts when I take myself off on a solo run.

I hope to be back more often than of late to detail more of the running side of this maid's weekly activities, so see you very soon............

IT'S WEDNESDAY...IT'S MUD RUN - DAY 18

Yes, those familiar with the drill of the Maid In Cornwall blog will be bored to tears and realise it is Wednesday and therefore MUD RUN day.

Legs felt good after a social run last night with the club, today's run was looking like it might be a tad different in more ways than one to previous ones.
The weather was set to change, warmer but wetter, yuck! The route we were to take was in Mrs F's words very muddy, so if she was saying it was muddy it was going to be extremely, up to the ankle deep muddy. The met office was correct and so too was Mrs F's warning of more mud. It was the muddiest run I have ever encountered.
We were slip sliding around at various intervals, there was the most enormous, long climb up just after the border into Devon and to top it all no photos for me to show you as the mizzle was dense and not so picturesque!!
The company again was brilliant, all levels of runners out in the countryside together having a real laugh. You can't tell me that I am not regressing as I think even my young sons would question some of what I was up to today.

Feel young, live young.

Now to clean the trainers............

THE HILLS WERE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF...

.....squealing, laughing, talking, cursing, you name it it was probably happening in those there hills and valleys!!

Day 11 of Janathon went rather well after the blip yesterday. The aforementioned lodgers will be getting iradicated tonight and will have a second zapping in a weeks time. So that is getting sorted.

Today was another day of mud, mud, glorious mud. Several of our club members are running the infamous Grizzly race in the next couple of months, hence the regular mud runs taking precedence now. They are slowly increasing in mileage for all those doing Grizzly. I decided to take myself on the mud run today as I am really enjoying being out on the softer ground and the camaraderie is wonderful. There are all levels of runners doing these runs so it is a fantastic way to run with people you don't always often see in the normal Tuesday and Thursday night club runs.

Today, we met at the viewpoint at Millook. Millook is a 1 in 3 hill which is hard enough to get your car up let alone run!! This is also part of the route for the Cornwall Tor in April, which Mr T (@TrewinDesign) did last year and has entered again this year. Just this section of road leaves me breathless, he then takes on a further 99 miles of elevations on top of this one - so proud of him.

Back to our run, we started our descent from Millook weaving our way through valleys and tracks towards Crackington Haven. There were plenty of vantage points for me to stop - only to take photos you realise - and I made the most of those points. Mrs F who organises these runs always carries enough sweets for everyone and we have various points within the run where there is a natural sweet stop! Now you are getting more of an idea as to why I LOVE these runs! ;) No speed records were broken today but there were plenty of laughs and the sun shone, yippeeeee!!

Overlooking coast line

Millook Haven

The result!

There must have been about 12 of us out and about on the coast paths and trails today and it really makes you appreciate what we have on our doorstep. I know that if you had told me 3 years ago that I would be doing this I would have told you that you had mistaken me for someone else. Today I even surprised myself with how much I was looking forward to this run, it also helps that Mrs D, Avril (@eightsmd) and Janine (@landscapinglife) were there ensuring a great time was had by all.

To top it all off I have been reliably informed that we did around 8 miles instead of my Garmin's total of 6, I did forget to switch it back on at various points along the route where we stopped and waited, enjoyed a jelly sweet or just generally nattered. Hoorah, I did even more than I logged. That will account for the legs feeling somewhat tired tonight, sleep will come easily this evening I think zzzzzzzzzzz

JANATHON DAY 2 - REGRESSION SESSION

The magnificent Cornish coastline

An earlier start this morning (7.30am pick up) enabled me to make sure I focused on my run the night before. Getting my kit ready so as not to have to fumble around for various pieces in the darkness. Head torch, gloves (to ensure minimal freaky fingers!),carry pack (jelly babies, iTouch, etc) then the basics - L/S top, capris, Skins calf support socks. I was ready for the next instalment.
Mrs D, she becomes a regular feature here me thinks, had text me with a route the night before. Needless to say it was a muddy affair!!! The route took in the most wonderful part of our coast line as well as some wooded trails which we did in semi darkness - a little spooky but we are big girls now so we were cool.

I must just explain the freaky fingers reference. I suffer with raynaud's syndrome, finding an extreme in temperatures especially warm to cold, renders my fingers numb, tingly and "freakishly" white - enhance the freaky fingers reference. I digressed.
At more than a few points on our initial 2.5 miles we were unable to run in places due to the sheer lack of grip we were having on the ground, this enabled many chances for me to use my new gadget ( my iTouch) to capture some of the snapshots from the run.

Once we hit Woodford we became slightly more unsure of our route, even though I had actually run this section in our club's relay run in the autumn, I had clearly not taken enough notice of stiles and exits within fields to help us navigate to an exact location. Hence we made up a few extra miles by detouring ever so slightly in places!!! Adds to the fun.
At one point Mrs D commented on the fact that she would never have done anything like this in her 20's, I agreed. This is still a fairly new pursuit for me ( 3 years of consistent weekly running) with off road running being an even more recent acquisition to my running repertoire, I am still a novice when it comes to downhill running on slippy, muddy paths.
I am sure at points I am regressing! It may be something in my subconscious to do with a big birthday ahead or it may just mean that running and doing so with a like minded group of individuals helps you to shake off some inhibitions and let's you enjoy the activity to it's fullest.

Mrs www.thedaytodavis.co.uk

Another fantastic run, no mud fights but plenty of mud. Sunshine and beautiful skies alongside bleakness and a short, sharp hailstorm. The best part as always is the company and the friendship I share with Mrs D and the ability to feel so much excitement from such a primeval activity.
Definition of psychological regression: Reversion to an earlier or less mature pattern of feeling or behaviour.
For those who may have witnessed us on our recent mud runs, they would not hesitate to agree with the above statement from the dictionary.

And so it goes on............

JOLLY START TO JANATHON

DrDoo - Google images

Well here we are, the beginning of a new year and the beginning of Janathon. Jog & blog each day in January, day 1, done.
What a wonderfully, exhilarating, muddy, hilarious run I had. For starters I had the best running buddy next to me www.thedaytodavis.co.uk who takes to mud like a pig in... well you know what! Only 400m into the run she jumped straight into a puddle of oozy (love that word) mud in order to plaster me in the stuff. The bar was raised and I knew I would take my revenge.
We weaved our way through wooded paths, streams and took on particularly slippy, muddy hills. Many stiles and gates later we came upon an area of path that was covered in the brown stuff with numerous puddles - well, as detailed previously Mrs D can't resist it, so again I am plastered but this time I failed to close my mouth in time for the soaking. Yes, mud straight in my moosh, I'm ashamed to say, inevitably a mud fight ensued. We were in stitches and managed to run the remaining mile and half looking less than desirable.

The run itself was only 4.3 miles but felt a whole heap longer, at points we were unable to run sections as they were too slippy to gain any footing on. My average pace per mile took a drastic tumble but my spirits were sky high.
If you ever need to ask me why I love running, just read this post, come for a mud run with me and then you will have your answer.

Running has been part of my life for the last 3 years and runs like these help to keep it fresh and exciting. Thank you Mrs D, thank you janathon and thank you to my body for enabling me to do this.

I'll see you tomorrow........

The mud runner Mrs D.