Out on my new Decathlon Kalenji Run Actives

Having done probably over 1000km and more likely 2000km on my old Kalenji trail runners, and my New Balance road shoes, I finally decided to get a new pair of running shoes.

It wasn't the distance they'd done that bothered me, rather 1) The smell and 2) That I've worn through the toes on both pairs.

The toe thing brings me on to one reason I'm a fan of Decathlon stuff - their £12.99 black trail running shoes enabled me to run my first marathon - off road at that - AND it took me longer to go through the toes on these than any other running shoe I've owned. It was therefore not much of a stretch to go for Decathlon shoes again.

I tend to think that a lot of sports gear is fetishised, that only really expensive kit is any good and "You get what you pay for" blah blah. Well, my commuting bike is a secondhand Decathlon Rockrider 5.1 from 2007 that cost me £45, my running stuff is mostly Decathlon kit, and I dress in Primark.

I am all the style! I am also pretty poor.

Basically I chose these Kalenji Run Active Grip Shoes because I figured as a road / trail hybrid they'd do for my main running routes, which are a mix of road and light trail in the main, until winter.

I've now taken them out on a mixture of terrain - road, dirt, gravel and farmland, and they are very comfortable - despite me only taking a 9 in normal shoes and 10 in trainers usually,  the 10.5 is fine for my running in although I find the fact that due to the company's continental origins, I presume, they only do UK half sizes! But the extra 0.5 gives you a margin for heat and swelling.

I even had a bit of wet and snow to test them out in as well. But not enough to test the waterproofing, which I'm guessing is pretty minimal.

Although the sole is not as hard as the Kalenji full on trail runners, it is still quite stiff, and the one problem I seemed to have that on wet tarmac, this leads to them feeling a little bit slippery. I wonder if that will ease as the "newness" of the sole is worn away.

They look pretty good, but they aren't going to win any prizes for styling.

At £23.99 they aren't as good value as the amazing Kalenji Ekiden Run One trail shoes (Amazing for £12.99) which now seem to be sold at £19.99 in a newer model, but they are still cheap for a shoe I suspect you could do a marathon in. They seem to have better laces than the Run Ones as well, which often struggled to stay done up for more than a mile without quadruple knotting them!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.04.17 and these opinions are my own. Decathlon haven't supplied me anything, although I wish they bloody well would. Rucksack? Bike? Come on guys!

Just a Gentle Trot Through Thick Mud

Cameras are a bugger. When you are a runner and cyclist, you like to have them with you, but sometimes having the case and the strap on you, jiggling around, bumping your thighs, is too much of a pain.

I took the camera to the park at lunchtime, and found absolutely nothing of interest whatsoever, despite the searing bright blue sky that lit up the world as has not been known for a while. However, as soon as I took off running with only my mobile phone at 345pm in the beginning of twilight, it all kicked off.

For on London Road Pond, across the other side, were a beautiful pair of goosander, glossing about the surface like the handsome birds they are.

BUT NO CAMERA!!! Especially I've been commenting on all your own blogs how I was hoping to get a shot soon.

Then I ran across to Beacon Hill Park, and  saton the builder's fence guarding the ugly new builds was a buzzard the size of a turkey. A magnificent raptor, enjoying the the last of the light as it looked over the farmland for prey. Not at all perturbed by my presence either.

BUT NO CAMERA!!!

What I have managed to get shots of, is all the thick, gloopy, mud I had to run through on the trails this evening. It was hard as hell to keep upright, and sometimes hard to maintain possession of one's running shoes. But it was lovely evening, cool yes, but peaceful and refreshing. 10km was no bother at all.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 10.01.16

Clay Lane mud

Beacon Hill mud

Hill mud

The sacred tree space

Sunset

Spot the buzzard if you can!

Night falls at the Barge pub

The Unseasonal Season

If you look at my blog entries from exactly 12 months ago, you will see photographs of glittering snowfields and closeups of ice crystals looking like jewels.

This winter has been characterised by howling winds, driving rain, and T-Shirt temperatures. Everything is fooled. Crocuses are now appearing to go with the snowdrops, and daffodils are spearing out of the sodden ground, yellow trumpets not yet ready to unfurl.

The ground has no winter crispness about it a frost brings. Everything is muddy, thank heaven for my excellent £12 Decathlon trail runners but even they don't prevent your feet getting soaked when you suddenly find yourself in an ankle deep puddle.

The main blessing of this winter has been the fact that might cycle commutes to work have not yet been made hazardous by ice and snow.

Si

All yext and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 31.12.15

Cemetery crocuses

Snowdrops too

Bracket fungi

Not sure what this is, but it's out!

Magnolia flowers budding

Also nettles flowering

River Devon just starting to flood

Trent nearly over at the lock

Muddy running

Even muddier running

Muddy owl land

The Marathon Man Returneth

Well, that was hell, although it could have been worse.

There's nothing wrong with my puff, never felt even remotely out of breath and indeed kept chuntering along talking to Radio 4, until the advent of Any Questions, as I've mentioned before, meant I turned the radio onto 6 Music rather than thrown it into the Trent.

It was a tough, tough course, which would have been tough this time of year in the dry, let along after a wet November. I would say that 80% of the route was off road, and an awful lot of that off road was through mud!

The first lap went fine, and although tucked towards the back of the field, I kept in touch with a group of runners and kept myself going by nibbling jelly babies and carob energy bars given to me by the enthusiastic, if no doubt shivering wet and cold marshalls. But my various muscular niggles and sciatica began kicking in after about 7 miles and towards the end of the second loop of the muddiest, grimmest section of the route I was nearly bent double and so tempted to bale after the first lap - which would have been a half marathon - I had to all but yell at myself to keep going.

But after necking many pills on the curious 100 metre section the council insisted we had to walk on, I began to forget my back a little and keep on trotting in, slower and slower, but still running. And that's how I carried on, for the next two hours, eating sweeties and drinking energy drinks, but it was by now a very lonely run; indeed by the time I got on to the final loop of mud, I could see that I was a kilometre behind those ahead, and a kilometre ahead of those behind.

At one point I thought I'd just make 5 hours, but in the end I couldn't give a damn and just trotted round to get 5 hours 14. It'll do nicely, but I wouldn't recommend a rookie like me to run on that course, it is very very tough and more of a cross country trail run than a road race.

So, some pictures.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.11.15

Gathering for 10am start. It was freezing

Bar 9 gave out loads of these carob bars. Rather nice too.

Race control

Huddling for warmth

Milk bottle legs

I am indeed a number.

11km fun run start.

Off they go

Marathon start

An idea of the mud most of the way round

Medal