April - A new perspective?

Hello,

April was a funny month for me training wise. On the downside I didn't get as many training runs in as I would like, but on the plus side I developed a more relaxed attitude towards the stats element of my training. As I became more relaxed, it allowed me to be much more adventurous in the runs I tried, as it didn't bother me if I couldn't get an accurate estimate of the distance covered on every run. This change of attitude and the excellent weather we experienced in April allowed me plenty of opportunity to run across the public footpaths of Stockport and I found it much more enjoyable than my standard runs and I discovered places I'd never been to in my local area! I also went on a holiday to the Czech Republic and thought it was a wonderful place. Cesky Krumlov (pictured left) was a particularly striking town which somehow has survived the conflicts over the centruies remarkebly well. When I'm travelling round Europe, I always compare the UK to whatever country I'm visiting, and it goes without saying that my thoughts are based on personal preference, but I do feel that the UK is overpopulated. A train ride in all of the European countries I've been to tends to have endless fields and contryside, with the odd town. The UK is not really the same, and it's only certain area's of the UK (less so in Scotland) that there is not normally a town in sight at some point over a 5 minute window on a train journey.

Hydration pack
The link above takes you to the hydration pack I bought this month. After my first off road run I quickly realised that I'd need to find someway of drinking water on my longer runs. Being somewhat independent minded, I preferred the option of carrying my own rather than buying it at shops on route. The more fashionable (in running circles) camel pak ones come recommended, but these are vastly more then what I paid for my unknown brand which so far has served me very well.

12km Home 2 Home detour
01/04 - 58:57 - Not the best of runs really, the bit cutting through from Poynton to Jacksons lane is actually quiet dangerous as the visibility is obstructed by numerous turns and there are sections without footpaths putting you at risk of being run over

Exploring Woodbank and Vernon Parks
14/04 - 44:36 - Couldn't even begin to map this, just got a feel for the two parks and running on trails. I suppose this was the day that really inspired me into trail running. I reckon if I was to have a guesstimate it was probably around 8km I ran, but it is hard to tell off road as your pace varies much more

Offerton and back
15/04 - 1:00:10 - This was basically following the Fred Perry way from Woodbank to Offerton Marple crossroads in the big dip. This run ended up with me getting slightly lost off road and running through some couples garden! After much apologising, I was put on the correct route. In my defence, the sign for the public footpath was only pointing in the minutest of angle different to where I was running, and the garden was overgrown. Thankfully the chap wasn't to angry and more bemused then anything else!

10km
17/04 - 46:33 - NP (No Prisoners!) - I was determined that this run would be the fastest for this year, and I took just over 3 minutes off my time. It did hurt though, and it wasn't as good as last years time at this stage, but then last year all I had was a 10k run to train for, whilst this year I've had to get myself up to half marathon standard.

16km Round Marple and Back (1)
21/04 - 1:48:26 - A cracking run down the FPW (Fred Perry Way), up through Kirk Wood (worst climb I've experienced to date, very steep and brought me to a crawl, makes Jacksons Lane look like a flat!), onto the towpaths through to Marple and then roughly following the road till Oferton Community farm where I pick up the FPW again. Getting back onto the FPW at Offerton Community farm proved a bit difficult this first time as the public foot path is a bit hidden, but once you've cracked it, it's a clear trail through to Woodbank.

6.2km
25/04 - 28:50

16km Round Marple and Back (1)
28/04 - 1:43:25 - The quicker time doesn't mean a lot here as the first time you run a new trail route, a fair bit of time can be wasted working out which direction to run.