Where I run no. 3 - The Phoenix Trail

There used to be a railway connection between Princes Risborough and Thame and this line carried on to Oxford decades ago.


The SUSTRANS initiative has resulted in this being converted into a countryside cycleway, providing ideal even terrain for a runner (and his dog). It is called the Phoenix Trail.

I usually pick up the trail at Towersey, for a 5 or 7 mile out and back run.


It is gun-barrel straight most of the way, although it does occasionally cross a minor road.


The level crossings have been removed of course. Perfect for speedwork, if one were so inclined.....My halfway point on the five miler is at a tempting group of seats!


There are some weird statues and signs along the way, as well as the occasional tribute to old railway signals.
No doubt they have some sort of mystical significance.

If I want I can integrate it inot a long run as there is a link to the Ridgeway path, close to Princes Risborough in a village called Horsenden.
Another area to run where the short car ride is well worth it be able to do plenty of miles without the traffic.

Where I run no. 2 - Wendover Woods

Jumping in the car for the 20 minute drive over to Wendover Woods is always worth the effort. When the weather is bad, there is a primeval nature to the trails and they are just about firm enough underneath to create a good surface in the wettest weather. In hot weather it can be blissfully cool under the forest canopy as well. As it is a Forestry Commission site, the trails are well marked and maintained and being near to the top of the Chiltern Hills, there are plenty of gradients to negotiate on what is basically a flint surface. No potholes of deep mud but slightly uneven most of the time.

I always tend to start over away from the main visitor centre along a path leading into the woods that allows me to let the dog off the lead straight away. This gives the benefit of a long slow incline to get warmed up for the steeper stuff ahead.

Once the trail opens out, you can see the ridge ahead and the ground begins to rise steadily. Side trails branch off all the time and once you get a feel for the place, it's possible to run loops for a couple of hours, without repeating the same piece of ground. Some of the side trails are extremely steep and can be testing in muddy conditions, but the main trails still present quite a challenge.


I've got to admit that I tend to let the dog choose his route at the crossroads and then go the other way. Al least it means I can occasionally get in front of him!



There's no way out of here without getting the heart pumping, but once near the top the views get quite spectacular, over the Chilterns to one side of the ridge and over the whole of the Vale of Aylesbury and beyond to the north.

There's even some provision for the "lightweights" who've driven up to the visitor centre on the top.......
..but Bertie and I prefer the hard and steep route to the Chilterns highest point!

It is then quite easy to find a long cruise through the trees on the way down, and you can start to forget how your thighs were burning on the way up.

And someone has been watching me run here before I think!

The home straight approaches - now for that cool drink back in the car.

Five miles in the woods reduces you to this type of state, but it's always inspiring to be running in such wonderful countryside and the dog certainly seems to enjoy it.

All work and no play....

Probably the slackest month of running since I started this blog!
October 2006 doesn't count really - the circumstances were a bit different and although I was itching to get out, divorce may have followed.
And it all started so well - I signed up for the Motavation 4 mile summer series with Kidlington Road Runners and on a clear thursday evening in early May I headed off for Charlton-on-Otmoor.
I'd not raced anything this "sharp" for years and years, and with absolutely no speed training for ages and even no hill/strength ork since early Feb, I could have no real expectations of a decent time.
The race field was made up of around 400 or so local club runners, mostly competing in the keenly fought local clubs competition spread over the 5 monthly events, so I knew a "fun run" type high placing was out of the question. I love these low key club events and this one reminded me of a southern-softie version of the Ravenstonedale 10k that I ran oop north in November with James.
One big figure 8 round a sleepy Oxfordshire "moorland" village is remarkably dissimilar to one big figure 8 in the Howgill Fells, though, and this one was virtually dead flat. Surprisingly I felt fairly sharp on the night and managed to dip under 30 minutes for the 4.1 mile course. Even better the lovely missus had brought me to the race and the evening ended with pub fish 'n' chips and a couple of pints. I resolved to try to do better at the June event in Bletchingdon, but as this date approaches, I have to confess to only having run three times since.
I have to confess that this month's work demands have got on top of me. Towing a mobile coffee bar around the country to outdoor events has been supplemented by a joint venture in superior outdoor food from the Hambleden Estate and the combined demands of the two this month have sapped my desire to get out on the roads. Three big weekends on the trot have made me a little cautious.
Last night I went for a nice easy one hour run around the village and across the fields and in the glorious late spring sunshine, I realised I had been a bit daft. I miss my running and it has a way of de-clogging the body after a period of intense work. Ok - so I can't run on "show days" but I can on every other day - so get to it! Even if it's only for 30 minutes.
I joined a club finally at the start of this month, UKNETRUNNER, the country's virtual running club which numbers around 60 members and is affiliated to the Midlands AAA. I now have a club vest to compete in - a little small maybe but we'll see what can be done about that!