It was my day off on Friday, it was a lovely day, I’m back running so I thought I would make the most of it and set off for one of my favourite places to run, Castle Eden Dene.
I’m still recovering from my operation, but the rate of my recovery has been rapid and I feel noticeably better every time I go for a run. However up until Friday I have still felt a pulling and stretching in and around the operation scar. I’ve opened my legs and done a few easy strides and gentle efforts. Every time I go a little faster, I stretch a little more, but once I’ve gone through that it feels like another leap forward.
I’m still recovering from my operation, but the rate of my recovery has been rapid and I feel noticeably better every time I go for a run. However up until Friday I have still felt a pulling and stretching in and around the operation scar. I’ve opened my legs and done a few easy strides and gentle efforts. Every time I go a little faster, I stretch a little more, but once I’ve gone through that it feels like another leap forward.
Friday morning I took Clare into work, had a haircut then set off for Castle Eden Dene. I first found the Dene about five years ago. I had just moved to Durham and was exploring the area, I bought a map of the area and spotted it, a thin strip of woodland, so I went down with my trail shoes and had an adventure. I ran up and down the valley walls, weaving through the trees and splashing through streams, it was a fantastic run.
I run because I love it, I race because I have a competitive nature, I’m sure at some point my competitive nature will either burn out or I’ll reach the point where I decide that the results I’m getting aren’t worth the effort that I’m putting in. When this happens I’m sure that I will still want to go out and just run for the love of it, at this point I’ll do a lot more of running like this.
I parked my car and set off along the top path. The top path winds its way through the trees along the top of the gorge with a golf course on the left (at times) and a very steep drop to the right. This run certainly isn’t for vertigo sufferers. As you get towards the most easterly part of the Dene you can start to hear the traffic from the A19, at this point there is a very well hidden path that leads down to the base of this limestone gorge. The path is really narrow and steep with some steps towards the bottom.
I run because I love it, I race because I have a competitive nature, I’m sure at some point my competitive nature will either burn out or I’ll reach the point where I decide that the results I’m getting aren’t worth the effort that I’m putting in. When this happens I’m sure that I will still want to go out and just run for the love of it, at this point I’ll do a lot more of running like this.
I parked my car and set off along the top path. The top path winds its way through the trees along the top of the gorge with a golf course on the left (at times) and a very steep drop to the right. This run certainly isn’t for vertigo sufferers. As you get towards the most easterly part of the Dene you can start to hear the traffic from the A19, at this point there is a very well hidden path that leads down to the base of this limestone gorge. The path is really narrow and steep with some steps towards the bottom.
Video to follow
The bottom path is flat and fast, you can run nice and free, without ducking and dodging branches and brambles. I can’t believe how I feel today, this is my first run in about six months without pain, I was getting giddy.
Just before the next climb is a little footbridge, but I had some new trail shoes on. I was sent the shoes from my friends at Adidas before I got injured, I’m part of their test team and occasionally get shoes to trial. So rather than take the footbridge I ran through the stream.
The shoes I’m testing is a pair of Adizero XT 4. They have Continental rubber on the sole and are supposed to be 30% stickier in the wet than any other shoe is in the dry, so! Time to test them out!!
The path was now climbing up the walls of the Dene, getting steeper and narrower again, I passed the bridge spanning the gorge with the waterfall down below, I went straight past and made my way to my old training ground.
Just before the next climb is a little footbridge, but I had some new trail shoes on. I was sent the shoes from my friends at Adidas before I got injured, I’m part of their test team and occasionally get shoes to trial. So rather than take the footbridge I ran through the stream.
The shoes I’m testing is a pair of Adizero XT 4. They have Continental rubber on the sole and are supposed to be 30% stickier in the wet than any other shoe is in the dry, so! Time to test them out!!
The path was now climbing up the walls of the Dene, getting steeper and narrower again, I passed the bridge spanning the gorge with the waterfall down below, I went straight past and made my way to my old training ground.
Today I’m descending the hill, it’s the steepest hill in the dene and I used to use it to do reps on during my fell running days. It’s so steep that I have to zig zag to take the strain off my quads. Half way down is a fallen tree which you have to duck under, this isn’t a problem while descending but coming up is a different story. Bending over while climbing breaks your stride and seems to squeeze the air out of you.
I’m still running well and pain free, I’m now getting giddy and excited. How long have I waited for this? Pain free running in one of my favorite places on a sunny winters day, perfect.
I continued along the valley bottom, passing washed away bridges, more river crossings and good running on established paths. I reached the path I had intended to take back to the car, but it came too soon, stuff it! I continued on.
Next was another monster climb, the last.
While injured I did a lot of cycling to keep fit. One of the things that cycling does to help with running is hill climbing, well so I thought. As I climbed and made my way up the hairpins, my legs were burning and I could hear my pulse in my ears. What a feeling.
I was heading back to the car now, but I made the most of it and lapped up every second of it.
I’m still running well and pain free, I’m now getting giddy and excited. How long have I waited for this? Pain free running in one of my favorite places on a sunny winters day, perfect.
I continued along the valley bottom, passing washed away bridges, more river crossings and good running on established paths. I reached the path I had intended to take back to the car, but it came too soon, stuff it! I continued on.
Next was another monster climb, the last.
While injured I did a lot of cycling to keep fit. One of the things that cycling does to help with running is hill climbing, well so I thought. As I climbed and made my way up the hairpins, my legs were burning and I could hear my pulse in my ears. What a feeling.
I was heading back to the car now, but I made the most of it and lapped up every second of it.
Fridays run was my first pain free run in a long time and I loved every minute of it, I’ve had a few days of running since and I’m not totally over my recovery yet and I still have a few niggles going on, but at least my run on Friday has shown me that I’m well on my way to recovery.
P.S. The shoes were fantastic, a cross between a fell shoe and a trail shoe, good grip, close to the ground so very stable and well cushioned.
P.S. The shoes were fantastic, a cross between a fell shoe and a trail shoe, good grip, close to the ground so very stable and well cushioned.