Run review: Swinsty and Fewston reservoirs

This Sunday I woke up with nothing to do and all day to do it, so what better, I thought, than deciding on somewhere epic to run, rather than setting off down the canal again for the Nth time. Don't get me wrong, the Leeds-Liverpool canal can be really lovely, but in winter, with all the litter exposed in the bushes by the lack of foliage, it loses some of its romance. Call me crazy, but semi-submerged traffic cones and shopping trollies don't do it for me either. Surely, living in one of the more beautiful parts of the world I could find somewhere better.

I've walked around Swinsty and Fewston reservoirs a long while ago and mainly in the dark, so I didn't remember them well. Looking them up though, it seemed like it might be a nice place to run with a path that seemed fool-proof to a navigation-phobe like myself.
Then came the kit decision, would it be freezing cold? Would it be muddy? Would it rain?
I climbed in to the car with a giant, stuffed-full carrier bag, looking like I was off to Oxfam to donate 10 year's worth of clothing. On arrival I would be able to kit myself out for any conditions ranging from Saharan Africa to the Antarctic.

As it turned out, it was a slightly chilly day, so a long sleeved top and t shirt sufficed, the hat, gloves and buff stayed in the car. I looked slightly less silly and wimpy than usual, tights aside.
The trainer choice was more tricky. Would I need the trail runners or would my normal running shoes do? And if I chose the bright orange trail runners, would it ruin the look of my outfit?
I took a gamble on the normal runners - the paths looked well kept that I could see.

I have to say, this was one of the more pleasant runs I've ever done, oblivious dog-walkers excepted.
The paths are incredibly well maintained, in fact I'd go as far as to say they are the best I have ever been on. The scenery around the reservoirs is really lovely and it keeps close to the water as you go around.
I lapped each reservoir, crossing over between them to form a figure-eight.
Here's the route (Ignore the slight spiky detour at the bottom of Swinsty, that was a teeny error)

My fears of a wind and rain swept run didn't materialise and I managed not to trip over any dogs OR punch any oblivious owners.  The path gently undulated providing a good challenge without being too much for a lazy Sunday afternoon bimble.

So my conclusion is: If you want a pleasant, easy, Sunday afternoon run in lovely surroundings, with perfect paths and no navigation, and running up embankments occasionally to avoid the odd canine doesn't bother you, then look no further. I have to admit though, I don't think I would attempt this on a weekend in summer. The battle through the crowds would probably be too much.
And park in the northern car park- there's an ice cream van in there!

Snow running

No, I'm not sure what's going on with maniacal smile either

I am very used to being called a nutter, strange, mad and all the rest for being a runner, but this is usually from non-runners. Last week, however, I experienced the odd experience of having fellow runners call me similar names. Why? Snow running!

Leeds experienced some bizarre weather on Wednesday. I woke up at 11am (I'd done a night shift, before you judge/feel jealous) to see the beginning of a snow storm. There was a very light dusting of snow on the pavements outside. By the time I left for work 3 hours later, there was around 4 inches of snow on the ground. An hour after that and one abandoned car, I trudged in to work 40 minutes late. By the time it stopped snowing that evening something like 6 inches had fallen.
One can tell when one has become an adult when one sees snow and doesn't think "Yay!!" but instead, "Oh dear, that'll cause some traffic problems" and also, when one starts referring to oneself as "one".
The only upside for me, was that I would be able to go for a run in the snow later. When my friends found out about this, I got the usual incredulity from the non-runners, but I also got it from the runners too!

A walker on Skiddaw in the lake district a couple of years ago

I arrived home from work and excitedly pulled on my bright orange trail runners. I have become a huge wimp when it comes to running in cold weather these days, so I also pulled on a long-sleeved compression top, a t-shirt, a soft shell jacket, full length tights, hat, buff and gloves too.  And off I set. Once again I quickly returned to the sense of childhood joy as the snow squeezed and squelched under my feet making wonderful crunching and flatulence noises depending on whether I was hitting hard snow or the rapidly thawing stuff. I felt the trail runners gripping in and enjoyed the extra challenge of controlling the reduced friction under my feet.

The trail runners, in warmer times

So why do most runners have such a fear of running in the snow? They think they're going to slip and fall. Pretty simple really. Same adult voice that warns them about the traffic chaos coming because of the snow.
The fact is though, most runners have never tried running in the snow. Fear stops them, but is it really so hard?
Well.....no, it's not.

In fact, I run on ice too. I used to do it before I had fancy, extra grippy trail running shoes too. So here's my theory:
You hit the snow/ice much harder when running than you do when walking, thus the ice/snow that you struggle to walk on, can be run on. Sure, your feet skid a little from under you, but it's more than doable. Don't try to stop or change direction or stop too quickly though, obv, for that way lieth disaster.

The next day the snow was all but gone and the traffic was moving again. Shame, I thought, I won't get to do another snow run.

I'm not saying snow/ice running is for everyone, I've got a pretty good sense of balance and my feet skidding under me doesn't faze me too much, but if you can lose your fear and go for it, then it can be a wonderful feeling.

Here's my snow running tips:

1) Run with confidence
2) Trail running shoes will help, but they're not actually essential
3) Don't panic when you feel your feet slipping a little under you, it doesn't mean they're not gripping at all
4) Give yourself extra time to stop and change direction, take extra care at road crossings
5) Buy decent cold weather running gear if you're a wimp like me - keep yourself comfy!
6) Enjoy it!

Why do you run?

I've lost count of the number of articles I've read where lyrics are waxed about why the writer runs.
So I thought I'd best give it a go.

When people ask me the eternal question "Why do you run?" I can go off in a variety of directions and I am sure none of them are anything you've not heard before. I could probably write out a list of around 10 reasons people run and 99% of runners would fit in to one or several of them.
Here's my quick list that applies to me, in no particular order:

1) The challenge
2) Fitness and health
3) It's fun
4) To keep the weight off from the beer and pizzas I consume
5) For the feeling of breaking my PB
6) It's fun
7) To see new places and experience new things
8) It's fun

Of course, none of these reasons are very romantic, apart from maybe number 7, but as with most things, there's more to it than that.
When the "Why do you run?" question is asked, more often than not there is the unspoken "because you seem like a nutter for doing it" thought behind it. Or if you have my type of friends, it isn't unspoken, it's in your face.
To begin to answer this, here's a great thought from Ann Trason, a legendary ultrarunner, as described in every runner's bible "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougal.
"Of course her friends didn't get it because they'd never broken through. For them, running was a miserable two miles motivated solely by size 6 jeans: get on the scale, get depressed, get your head phones on, and get it over with."

And this is where most of these discussions begin, with someone telling me that they're just not a runner, that they've tried, but it's just too horrible. They get too tired, too sore, they feel silly, they get such a short distance before needing to stop it's demotivating, everyone else is better than them, etc, etc ad infinitum.
I always start by telling them, that they have to push through that and get to the point where that all stops, and other motivations take over. They are the pinnacle of millions of years of evolution, what do you mean you can't run? You can, you've just forgotten how.

When I started running seriously again nearly 3 years ago, it took 4 months before I ran comfortably. Of course I started from a much different position from a lot of people who have barely moved from the sofa since school, I have a residual level of fitness from years of swimming, cycling, hiking, rugby, football and all the rest. However, I have the added psychological disadvantage of seeing myself as athletic. That means I am not really very happy to bimble around 5k with my feet not lifting from the ground; if I'm not running, running, I'm not happy. So for 4 months, I went eye-balls out each time I ran. Trying to shave seconds off my record each time.
And then one day, I didn't have a race coming up in a week or two to train for, and I just went out for a nice easy run. And what a revelation.
I eased lungfuls of fresh air in to my body instead of hungrily gasping it down. I looked around, instead of seeing through a waterfall of sweat, heard the sounds around me instead of rushing blood in my ears.

I enjoyed it.

Much has been said of how it is a return to childhood joy when running sinks in to you. I recently found the muddiest bit of one of the local country parks, a 100m quagmire under the trees. Sprinting through it I laughed and giggled like a child, my feet sinking deep in to the mud and water. The adult in me didn't remind me what I was doing to a £100 pair of trainers, or that my feet were getting soaking or that I could twist an ankle here. The adult was quiet. I like to think he looked on like a parent enjoying their child playing in the box of the expensive toy they've just been given instead of the toy. Just smiling at the sheer joy it was producing.
I can't remember the last time I had that much fun. (Well, whilst wearing shoes, anyway)

As for the rest of the reasons in my list. Health and fitness, keeping the weight off and being able to pretty much eat and drink what I like, are happy consequences, but they're not the motivation.
Running has sunken deep in to me now. Call it primeval instinct maybe. That said, on a day-by-day basis, I use the pursuit of my PB as motivation in the main. Last year was spent trying to regain my fitness after injury,  for an assault at my 10k PB. I finally achieved it at the Abbey Dash in Leeds, punching the air (I am sure to the amusement of the spectators) in a flood of relief, happiness, joy and a wonderful sense of achievement.
After a season of near misses, never-closes, horrible disasters and blood, tears, toil and sweat I took a shaky, blurry shot of my GPS watch with my time, posted it to Facebook and went for a coffee.

Target achieved.