Thoughts from the Wild

 I finished the Big Wales Thing some months ago, and have ever since felt a bit guilty and frustrated that I haven't really written anything about it. I know that I could write a day by day account of my 225 mile, 15 day journey through Wales, or extract some practical lessons for others that might want to do the same thing. Or maybe write some reviews of the kit that I used and the food that I ate.
But somewhere inside me those don't feel right. They might be useful or interesting in their own way, but they wouldn't express the real deep feeling that came from my journey, the complicated and mixed emotions.

Clarendon Marathon - We Did It!

Pete and I at about 18 miles!

A few years ago, looking at my OMM training schedule, I had spotted the Clarendon Half Marathon as a potential training event, but after a little pondering had dismissed it as being a too close to the OMM three weeks later, worried that I wouldn't recover from the 13.1 miles in time for our annual wander round the mountains.

I thought of that and how much my fitness must have changed yesterday as I was in the middle of the full Clarendon Marathon, a whole 26.2 miles of hilly paths winding from Salisbury to Winchester.

Keep on Running

It's been a while since I have posted about running.

The Big Wales Thing was a big run for me, and a culmination of a lot of training runs to get ready. After it was all over I didn't feel I had a huge reason to keep going out at the frequency I had been, or run those distances.  And I certainly didn't want to put a rucksack back on!

Big Wales Thing - Food

Cooking Supper in the Wild

You can't do a 200 mile journey without sorting out the food! So here are a few thoughts on what I ate and what I learned along the way.

Jiva Coffee Cubes

I love good coffee. I normally start the day with a couple of cups of freshly brewed strong coffee, and one of the things I miss when out hiking is a decent cup of coffee to get me going in the morning. Sometimes I take a small stovetop espresso pot, but there was no way that I had space or weight for that on the Big Wales Thing trip. I know there are the real coffee pouch/sachets that you add water to, but they were just too bulky and expensive. What I needed was some sort of instant coffee that had the taste and kick of the real thing.

So I was very interested when I came across a review of Jiva Cubes in an outdoor blog. Good tasting instant coffee cubes?  Sounds perfect!

Big Wales Thing - I did it!

224 miles and 15 days of running and walking and the Big Wales Thing was all over. I stood on the cliff edge by the lighthouse on Great Orme on the North Wales coast, grinning at the blue sky and sea, and I had completed my journey on foot from one end of Wales to another.

I'm Off!

I think I am ready to go.

Food selected and packed.

Bag packed. (Too heavy. Repacked. Too heavy. Threw out a few things. Repacked. Still too heavy. Too late!)

Off to get the train in a bit. Overnight with a friend in Cardiff and then starting at 0700 tomorrow.

Weather looks good :-)

Updates via Twitter (@jell and #BigWalesThing) and Facebook (jellellis)

Wish me luck!

Jell

Quick Microadventure and Kit Check

A magic snatched night on Dartmoor.

New Route Maps

BWT Route Map

You can see the detailed route and associated information as a kml file here.  

Big Wales Thing - Clothing

I have pondered long and hard on what to wear and take on the Big Wales Thing, trading off weight, protection, safety, comfort and general smelliness. I also only want to take tried and tested kit, as I have discovered how something comfortable for 10 miles can decide to rub after 15 miles in the wet.  I think I have just about decided what to take now...

Minitarpology

I've been playing in the garden with my Alpkit Rig 3.5 Tarp in preparation for the Big Wales Thing.

Getting there....

The big day is getting closer, and I am going through a final burst of training to get me ready, before I ease off for a couple of weeks to be ready for the big day itself.

Big Wales Thing Kit

I have pretty well decided on the kit that I am taking on the Big Wales Thing. In fact I already had most things that I need, and so most of it is well proven and familiar. I’m sure I could have shaved off a few more grams by buying lots of new ultralightweight stuff, but as I use a lot of this stuff on mountain marathons, it is pretty light already.

Reviewing this post, I realise how much of my gear comes from Alpkit and BackpackingLight . They have provided me with so much good quality, lightweight kit over the years, along with Marco at As Tucas who made my new quilt.  Thanks guys!

Journeyman

I learnt (or relearnt) a lot yesterday. About running and travelling and having a goal.

I had to go and see Mum and Dad. It was a beautiful day and I didn't relish the prospect of getting stuck in New Forest holiday traffic. So I decided to let the train, and my legs, take the strain. My plan was to take the train to Brockenhurst and run the 10 miles to Mum and Dad's from there. Then in the evening, run the 7 miles back to Lymington to get the train home.

Resting and PBs

Last week I was worrying that I was training too hard, and the the endless daily runs inspired by 5x50 were getting to me and slowing me down.  It looks like I was right!

As Tucas Sestrals Quilt - First Review

I got the chance at the weekend to test my new As Tucas quilt, and it was good!

I promised in a previous post that I would let you know how I got on with my my new As Tucas quilt, and at the weekend I had a chance to try it out while camping on Exmoor as part of a Duke of Edinburgh Award training weekend. Here are my first thoughts.

Ups and downs of training

It's been a mixed week for training.  Some nice runs, but I am feeling weary. Running too much without enough rest?

Why?

It's a good question. Why? 

Why, in my mid 50s, have I decided to do something as silly, foolish, impossible, difficult, hard, pointless (pick your own adjective) as running over 200 miles through the length of Wales over all the largest mountain ranges? It's a question that a few people have asked me, and I haven't really had a good answer. So while out running today I had a good think about how I came to be here with this bizarre plan laid out before me....

Back to the Pack

I knew that putting my pack back on after a break of a couple of weeks would be hard... but not this hard!

Distance Check

It's been a good weekend for the Big Wales Thing, passing a critical running milestone that tells me that maybe, just maybe, I have a chance of covering the distance.

This weekend I set out to run 20 miles each day, with a reasonable weight (6kg) pack. I know that routes around here aren't going to be as hilly as I can expect on my run, but all the same, I have never run that far in a day before, let alone two days in a row!

I didn't quite make it, but I came close enough! 20 miles on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. Enough to make is feel that, with a bit more training, I can manage the 18 mile a day average that I am looking for.

The Big Wales Thing

It is time to come clean. I have been planning and pondering a long hilly run for months. Longer than 13.1 miles. Longer than 26.2 miles. In fact 212 miles! But although I was thinking about it a lot, I wasn't sure if I could actually do it, so was hesitating about turning the plans into reality. Well I still don't know if I can do it, but my running over the last few weeks has convinced me to get off the fence and just go for it!

In my mind it has become The Big Wales Thing, and, as you might guess from the logo, it is a run of the length of Wales.

I plan to run from the South Coast (Breaksea Point, near Cardiff) to Great Orme, running off-road wherever I can and taking in all the major mountain ranges (Pen y Fan (Brecons), Pumlumon, Cadair Idris, Y Llethr (Rhinogau), Snowdon Horseshoe, Glyderau, Carneddau). That's some 40,000 feet of ascent (and of descent).

Tarpology Exploration

Tarping under the only tree on Exmoor

I've had a tarp for a while. I love the idea of a tarp, the simplicity, the natural feeling, the closeness to the outside world.  I love looking at the stars and the moon from my bed. Being half indoors and half outdoors as I make the first brew of the day, still snuggled in a sleeping bag and bivvy bag. 

Quilts (again!)

I wrote a few months ago about my desire for a quilt, and the lovely version that As Tucas make.  Well that led to an extended email discussion with Marco from As Tucas about how warm their quilts were and how heavy and how small they packed.

The outcome is that I have ordered a custom quit from Marco, with thinner insulation on the underside/wings to keep the weight and size down. I hope it will be perfect for the long trip I am pondering and plotting for the summer.

Marco and As Tucas have been a great company to work with, with personal service and a willingness to discuss requirements in detail and come up with the right kit for the job.  Thanks Marco!

I'll post some more when the quilt arrives in a few weeks.

Blustery New Year!

A wet, windy and blustery start to the New Year! We'd planned a long walk on the downs but as we got to the car park we found that our intended route was underwater! A quick look at the map produced a shorter route, better suited to the weather, and we clambered out of the car into the wind and rain and set off.