Stability Through Motion

Just piecing together more bits and pieces from various gadgets – here’s a clip from Aber Falls

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Wow! What a run – truly fantastic. Even my blisters survived, though my thighs are burning a bit today after that 1 mile plunge downhill to the finishing point.

The gory details: Since I ended up running on my own this time, I slightly re-jigged the route, shortening it a bit to 17 miles but including a steep ascent at the start, some of which I tried to run

Thereafter it was a cool down on an amazing ridge run for 6 miles or so before hitting the mist in the heights. Down steeply from Twmpa to the Gospel Pass road (which goes from Abergavenny via Llanthony Priory to Hay on Wye) and up again to Hay Bluff and back into the mist.

The path here joins the Offa’s Dyke route for another 5 miles or so, which I foolishly thought would make for a better surface but it turned out to be a nightmare of stone slabs over peat and loose rocks. If you loose concentration here for a minute you’ll twist your ankle. Lots more walkers here (none of the first ridge at all) all offering their useful advice – “you’re late” and “speed up!“. Thanks guys. Finally spotted a discrete wooden sign for Llanthony and plunged headlong 1,000 ft downhill to the Priory, showers and coffee in Abergavenny. Next time I really will stop at the Priory for a pint.

Today I have a new word for you: DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. This is a result of the downhill plunge and is what I was aiming at on Tuesday with the downhill training, but just couldn’t achieve on the feeble Oxford hills.

Just a reminder that there’s always another level to this running idea: it seems I’ve just run the very very final part of the complete South Wales Traverse: 72 miles and 17,000 feet of ascent in 24 hours.

Oh, and the shoes? The same guilty culprits from Tuesday’s blister event – the Wave Harrier’s – but no escalation from the blisters, and really nice light grippy things they are too.