One month to go!

One month to go until our first race...May 7th and we will be trudging our way across the Ridgeway, from Overton Hill in Wiltshire, to Streatley in Berkshire....40 miles across windswept, rugged terrain, open to the elements.....better get training then -

Saturday, 7am, met SS at the top of the road, and our feet found their way to Greenham Common. In fact, our feet very gingerly found their way around the common as we were on 'adder alert'! Every stick or twig we saw looked like a possible suspect, so we did walk a lot quicker than our normal pace.
One circuit later and we were in Costas, were the wildlife was definately tamer (or at least not poisonous!), having breakfast stop one!

After refuelling, back to the common  for circuit two, and we headed towards the gate at Thornford Park end, dropping down through the farmyard at Crookham and onto the canal, heading towards Thatcham Lakes and Newbury.
The weather started to brighten up and became increasingly warmer as the morning progressed, a lovely spring morning, and the conversation turned to 'spring' and the lack of 'spring signs'. We had spent several hours walking around lakes, and along the canal, and although we had seen swans and ducks, we had seen no ducklings whatsoever....this then led back to adders...and whether they ate ducklings??? answers on postcards please!

After eighteen miles we hit Starbucks in Newbury so had breakfast stop two/lunch one or we could just say brunch, before deciding where to go next...we thought, ideally we ought to get about 30 miles in this week....it's a little difficult knowing how much to train for in one go...the experts/books advise not more than 40 miles in one go for training (whatever your ultramarathon distance) as you can damage muscle etc....and we now do that on a regular basis with minimal recovery time....but don't want to push it!
10 miles doesn't seem worth it, 20 miles is a little easy, 30 is a good round number so that's what we try and aim for, or at least 20+...if it's 20+ you can justify two cake stops!!

After deciding on our mileage, we decided on the route, and headed back to the canal, but this time in the opposite direction! We walked along as far as Enbourne Lock, and then cut across the fields heading up to Speen church. Through the graveyard, dodged some traffic, and then found a bridleway and footpath which took us onto Donnington Golf course.

This was extremely busy, and not all of it is open to the public, so we had to navigate up, and around it, avoiding buggys and balls, in order to finf the bridleway which led over the A34 and up onto Snelsmore Common. We followed one of SS's 'shortcuts' - which, surprisingly, had a hill in, and wasn't short.....and then we were onto Snelsmore....where there was a sign telling us that Snelsmore was home  to not only normal adders but 'hunting adders'  - woop woop!

We did a circiut of the common, very jumpy as every twig seemed to have zigzag markings, and then by the gate at the exit, we bothed jumped a mile and did (hate to admit it) girly screams as there was a MASSIVE slow worm (could have been a python, size of it!!) which we thought was gonna eat us!
The route back took us via Donnington Castle, and through Donnington Village, into the top end of Newbury, to finish our expedition with a cake from Kings Coffee House Bakery, and to also give us the energy to walk home!
Home was via town and Newtown Road...SS heading along Monks Lane and Elizabeth Avenue...and me heading BACK down Newtown Road with 2 dogs desperate to have a run around City Park and a stroll up Wendon and Chandos Road;.
So, all in all a good training day..lots of nice sunshine...nice cakes and approx 32 miles.