There was a 10km (1lap), half mara (2 laps), full mara (4 laps) and ultra (5 laps) at Brightlingsea Nature Reserve this morning.
Excellent low key, grass roots event. Really friendly. Mr Spike won the half mara. My time made him look really good. I smiled all the way - even when I realised I had missed 2 signs and went off route to add on a bonus half km.
snazzy medal. I recommend Hare and Tortoise events if you live within striking distance of Essex
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I ran the OMM trail marathon yesterday. 42km, 800mtrs elevation. Managed a 4hr11min, 5th overall, 3rd male and 1st over 40yrs.
Won £70 off OMM vouchers 
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Wow! Good work, FP
Thanks LM. Sounds like you guys had a great race as well. Good to see you back here
Ace work Fat Pom! Love a bit of silverware/voucher action!!!
received 
Thanks GB and Jorgan. It was really hard but due to the length of some of the hills, you could get a clear view of who was running them and who was not. At one point I was coming 9th and I made up all of the places by ‘power walking’ the hills and reeling those that had run up them back in.
Unfortunately no silverware (no finisher’s medals either) but I’ll take the voucher booty instead.
More unfortunately, that tumble I took at Easter has done my left knee no favours at all, so I’ve had 3 days of zero activity 
Well done FP 
Spend your prize wisely !
I had a good race at the Devil’s Challenge, main goal was to recce the South Downs Way and to make it to the finish in good shape, both of which I managed comfortably to give me a nice confidence boost for the SDW100.
(would link to Strava but I am not allowed !)
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Day 1:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2341405307
Day 2:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2344091079
Day 3:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2346428318
Brilliant stuff Doug. I was keen to do Day 1 of that but couldn’t get back from Elstead.
How did you find the event overall?
I’ve done several XNRG events before and they are all well organised with well stocked aid stations. Parked at the finish in Eastbourne and got the minibus to the start. Very easy to follow along the main SDW path, a few supplemental signs added here and there where it wasn’t obvious or it deviated from the trail (finish of each day was at a village hall or school off trail). Evening and breakfast were decent, accomodation was find yourself a space on a school gym floor, that was my only downside as I didn’t sleep well either night. For the Pilgrim Challenge I booked the nearby Travelodge, if I was to do this again I’d try to find somewhere close.
Well recommend if you can get the logistics to work.
So FP, I don’t want to tempt fate, but is this a bit of a renaissance?
Don’t really know what it is mate. I shouldn’t be running at all really but had a good year last year with a 2nd in AG at a duathlon (fastest bike split, wohoo) and some good 10k results but it was as a build toward IM Wales.
After that, I swore I was taking a couple of years out and doing something different endurance wise. The idea was to ‘just get through’ the running last year and then do some endurance mtb stuff (new for me).
So I bought an XC mtb (love it) but I kept on running, then I thought about trail. Then the ‘stupid button’ got pressed in my head as it often does and I thought about UTMB. (CCC), so I’m trying to qualify for that this year.
My plan was for ‘long and slow’ but on the road I’m better at short and fast (relatively). I’m still learning about trail running. I still love TTing but two things are getting in the way, work on the house and this nagging feeling that whist I love riding, do I really need to be out on the road if there is an alternative. (Zwift or mtb).
I think time wise, running is the easiest thing to focus on. Health wise, it’s probably the thing I should be avoiding and I’m pushing my luck. I know I’ve gotten to a point now where it’s easier for to dig deep running than it is to dig for that top 10% layer on the TT bike. That makes me a bit sad.
I’ve kind of lost my way a bit and have spread myself too thin. I still like to surf whenever I can. I can’t fit it all in and I can’t give up any of it either but running seems to be floating to the top at the moment.
Mrs FP says I have a sickness that compels me to always do something to the extreme. ha, what does she know!
FP, I think a few of us have the same sickness.
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I really wish we had more off-road around here, but it’s all farming land with the odd bridleway. Forest of Dean is the closest decent venue for gravel/MTB; but that’s an hour each way in the car.
We are fortunate around Winchester way. I did a 88km XC ride with a mate and we hardly touched a road (ended up around Salisbury and a place called Pallestine!) What he is brilliant at though, is reading OS maps, as it’s really baffling where these trails actually are sometimes.
Yes, around here you have to sit down with an OS map just to figure out a route that will string a few Bridleway sectors together.
I was fortunate growing-up on the edge of Plymouth, where we were 10 minutes riding from NT and Forestry Commission land; perfect in the 80s when MTBs came onto the scene here 
Thames Path 100 - last weekend - 24hrs and 6 mins ffs - cocked up the timing and should have been sub 24. Was so very cold at night. Otherwise was relatively pleased with how it went.
SDW100 in 30 days or so but seem to have recovered reasonably well so far.
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Great work Tunster. Can’t even comprehend a 100miler!
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Well done tunster, but those 6mins must hurt a bit.
See you at the SDW100
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