Today's Run
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:03 pm
Hopefully this is ok and not too far off topic? I've been running for years and notice that when I do more running it seems to help my fitness on the bike so it's sort of bikepacking related. If it's a step to far then just say. I could join a running forum but I get the feeling it wouldn't be as nice a place as here.
I know there's a fair few runners here so maybe it would be nice to share our more interesting runs in the same way as Today's Ride. It might give some inspiration for when we're allowed to travel to other areas again.
I finished work for the year last week but so far all I seem to have done is go to supermarkets, I've done the Christmas food shopping for 3 households in the last two days so I really needed to get out into the countryside and also get some proper exercise ahead of the eating competition that's the next few days. I had a rough plan of where I wanted to go but didn't actually plan a route so had no idea of the distance but as I had all day if needed I'd just take it steady and see how it went.
From mine there was a mile of road before I could get off road, so basically dry feet for the first mile
I passed through a local woods/nature reserve that I usually only go through in the dark, in the light it looks like it might be a potential bivi spot (so back on topic) but I think I'd have to be up early to avoid the dog walkers. Back on the road and then a short section of the Newport to Sandown Cycle Track. They've recently replaced a bridge further along to make it suitable for horses which increase the horse traffic. Someone has sprayed "No Horse Sh1t" on the ground in white paint... and then someone has painted over the top in yellow paint "Bike W@nkers" That escalated quickly then! It was then up to the top of Brading Down before dropping down the other side, I was looking in the trees for squirrels which are often here when I spotted this
I'm sure this was hung in the hedge at the top of the Downs in the summer so it's made it's way down the hill. Onward past the old chalk pit with this totem
There's a sad story to why this is here which I wont go in to now, but every time I go past this spot I can feel the sadness, I've been past at night and the temperature drops as you go by and there is always and eerie stillness. Once I reached Brading I had to take shelter in an audax hotel to put on my waterproof as it was raining properly now. Across the marshes was dry underfoot as the path is up on the embankment. I passed a dog walker who had that look you always get when seen running in shorts in heavy rain - part surprise and part wondering if you're all there upstairs Once out of the marches it then got very... well marshy 
The path now just across fields, some sections were ankle deep mud, some shin high water and some ankle deep mud with shin high water over the top. It's a small but steady climb up to Bembridge windmill, which I thought they might have put back into action to make emergency supplies now Dover is shut, what could be more British than a windmill 
I think it may need better sails if it's to feed the local population. From here I cut across to the coastal path and turned south to head homeward, straight into a 25mph headwind. The climb up to Culver always looks worse than it is as you can see the last steep bit, which is bare chalk, from a long way off but by the time you get to it most of the climbing is done.
You should be able to judge the gradient to this point and the weather by my expression
This is actually one of my Winter Event GRs but I'll be coming up the road which will be easier. It should have been an easy run downhill to Sandown from here but the wind made me earn every step. Once on the revetment I had thought about going along to Shanklin but as it would be exposed to the headwind all the way I headed inland to shelter. It must have been fate as on a random back street I passed this 
That's a lot of effort to make all them. It was then just a matter of cutting across the golf course, across Sandown airport and home. The airport has upgraded the runway to make the grass strip more 'all weather' and this has been achieved by the use of what looks like a sort of astro-turf. It is clearly reclaimed as it has bits of coloured line and sections of curve on it, it looks like it might have been a baseball court in a former life
So 3 hours and 17 miles after I left home I was back, I had to take my tee-shirt off in the porch to dry off my muddy feet before I could go indoors but after a summer of biving in the back garden I don't suppose the neighbors* even notice now. So where have you all been? I follow a few boners on Instagram so I know you get out running in places more inspiring than the iow.
* Rather a sad note to finish, whist I was out the woman next door had put a Christmas card through the door. There was a note to say the old lady who lives (lived) apposite me had passed away suddenly
I was thinking about her on the run as she has no family and her sister had passed away during lock-down 1 so she'd would have been all alone at Christmas. It makes you appreciate the little things all the more, like the childish pleasure of running across waterlogged fields. Far too many adults are just too grown up, perhaps that's part of the attraction of bikepacking, it feels a little bit naughty to be outside in the mud and sleeping under a tarp when the grown up thing to do would be to stay home and watch antiques roadshow on the telly
I know there's a fair few runners here so maybe it would be nice to share our more interesting runs in the same way as Today's Ride. It might give some inspiration for when we're allowed to travel to other areas again.
I finished work for the year last week but so far all I seem to have done is go to supermarkets, I've done the Christmas food shopping for 3 households in the last two days so I really needed to get out into the countryside and also get some proper exercise ahead of the eating competition that's the next few days. I had a rough plan of where I wanted to go but didn't actually plan a route so had no idea of the distance but as I had all day if needed I'd just take it steady and see how it went.
From mine there was a mile of road before I could get off road, so basically dry feet for the first mile
I passed through a local woods/nature reserve that I usually only go through in the dark, in the light it looks like it might be a potential bivi spot (so back on topic) but I think I'd have to be up early to avoid the dog walkers. Back on the road and then a short section of the Newport to Sandown Cycle Track. They've recently replaced a bridge further along to make it suitable for horses which increase the horse traffic. Someone has sprayed "No Horse Sh1t" on the ground in white paint... and then someone has painted over the top in yellow paint "Bike W@nkers" That escalated quickly then! It was then up to the top of Brading Down before dropping down the other side, I was looking in the trees for squirrels which are often here when I spotted this I'm sure this was hung in the hedge at the top of the Downs in the summer so it's made it's way down the hill. Onward past the old chalk pit with this totem
There's a sad story to why this is here which I wont go in to now, but every time I go past this spot I can feel the sadness, I've been past at night and the temperature drops as you go by and there is always and eerie stillness. Once I reached Brading I had to take shelter in an audax hotel to put on my waterproof as it was raining properly now. Across the marshes was dry underfoot as the path is up on the embankment. I passed a dog walker who had that look you always get when seen running in shorts in heavy rain - part surprise and part wondering if you're all there upstairs
Once out of the marches it then got very... well marshy The path now just across fields, some sections were ankle deep mud, some shin high water and some ankle deep mud with shin high water over the top. It's a small but steady climb up to Bembridge windmill, which I thought they might have put back into action to make emergency supplies now Dover is shut, what could be more British than a windmill I think it may need better sails if it's to feed the local population. From here I cut across to the coastal path and turned south to head homeward, straight into a 25mph headwind. The climb up to Culver always looks worse than it is as you can see the last steep bit, which is bare chalk, from a long way off but by the time you get to it most of the climbing is done.
You should be able to judge the gradient to this point and the weather by my expression
This is actually one of my Winter Event GRs but I'll be coming up the road which will be easier. It should have been an easy run downhill to Sandown from here but the wind made me earn every step. Once on the revetment I had thought about going along to Shanklin but as it would be exposed to the headwind all the way I headed inland to shelter. It must have been fate as on a random back street I passed this That's a lot of effort to make all them. It was then just a matter of cutting across the golf course, across Sandown airport and home. The airport has upgraded the runway to make the grass strip more 'all weather' and this has been achieved by the use of what looks like a sort of astro-turf. It is clearly reclaimed as it has bits of coloured line and sections of curve on it, it looks like it might have been a baseball court in a former life
So 3 hours and 17 miles after I left home I was back, I had to take my tee-shirt off in the porch to dry off my muddy feet before I could go indoors but after a summer of biving in the back garden I don't suppose the neighbors* even notice now. So where have you all been? I follow a few boners on Instagram so I know you get out running in places more inspiring than the iow.
* Rather a sad note to finish, whist I was out the woman next door had put a Christmas card through the door. There was a note to say the old lady who lives (lived) apposite me had passed away suddenly
I was thinking about her on the run as she has no family and her sister had passed away during lock-down 1 so she'd would have been all alone at Christmas. It makes you appreciate the little things all the more, like the childish pleasure of running across waterlogged fields. Far too many adults are just too grown up, perhaps that's part of the attraction of bikepacking, it feels a little bit naughty to be outside in the mud and sleeping under a tarp when the grown up thing to do would be to stay home and watch antiques roadshow on the telly 
I was thinking about that on the way up, I'm going to say that it's one of the OS 'copyright markers' where they include deliberate things that are wrong to check for reproduction of the maps without permission. At least when I'm riding up it that's what I'm going to keep repeating to myself*
