By Stephie, on Monday 14th November, 2011 at 03:18 am
Saturday 12th November 2011. Long run week 2: Wheal Coates towards Portreath on the North Coast of Cornwall. Approximately 11 miles out and back. Slow, but more confident on the climbs than ever before. Strong winds on the return. Back at the car at dusk.
 Porthtowan  Looking up: the climb  Looking down: the descent  Seeing out  New flavours
It would be criminal to run along such spectacular coastline and not drink in the view, not to feel the burn in my legs to make me feel alive. 2 hours of running on narrow paths that change under foot from mud to stone to sand, and filling my lungs with the cold November air, heavy with salt – it was the best end to the week I could think of.
But these training runs aren’t just about the landscape, they’re about learning about myself and Saturday was another lesson in nutrition on the run. Instead of water or a ready made sports drink I filled my bottle with a drink you make up by adding water to a powder. I’d got this sample free after a race, lemon and lime flavour. It has a sort of sticky texture, but the flavour wasn’t bad and I think it kept me feeling more stable through the run – less fatigued (or maybe that’s the new resistance work?!). I had a gel about half way through, apparently tropical flavour but you could have fooled me! It sat on my stomach much like the last one, but I didn’t get the immediate buzz that I did then – I put that down to the continued intake of the drink. It definitely gave me a boost though and I wasn’t half as exhausted going back up those steps as I thought I’d be. On performance I think it was pretty darn good, the drink gets a good vote too, but although the gel seems to work effectively I’m not happy with the way it unsettles my stomach – even if I can stomach the flavour! Hmm, next week should I go for another flavour or another brand altogether? Decisions, decisions…
Stephie
By Stephie, on Saturday 1st January, 2011 at 23:58 pm
If I can type quickly enough, I should just about get this posted before the 7th day of Christmas!! You remember this – the Fairisle hat with flaps that I made for Kim this Christmas?
 The reindeers are off for a walk! I think I promised you a picture of him wearing it, if he’d put it on his head!
 Kim and his daddy on Boxing Day This is the first time he wore it, on a Boxing Day walk along the cliffs from Porthtowan to Chapel Porth. He’s worn it every time he’s been out since. I am a happy mummy! There’s nothing like the pleasure you get from seeing people enjoy something you’ve made especially for them; it’s a real buzz and makes all the effort so worthwhile  What did you make that someone else will love? (‘A mess’ is not the right answer!)
 Porthtowan
By Stephie, on Monday 29th March, 2010 at 13:31 pm
I think I may have sorted out the upside down picture problem for the time being. Well, I say that. I think iPhoto is the problem, it’s only allowing me to upload the original photo and not the ‘corrected’ versions (ie the ones where I’ve turned the pictures up the right way). That’s what I think. At the moment. The other irritating thing is that I can’t find a way of viewing the actual images, rather than just a list with the names. So annoying because all the files are numerical rather than descriptive and therefore it takes an inordinate amount of time to find the right one. Well, I’m sure you don’t want to hear me waffling on about software do you? I know I would have found something else to read by now!
Let’s have a look at some pretty pictures instead shall we?! It was Mother’s Day recently, a couple of weeks ago now wasn’t it? Well, I made this, not for me, but for my mum. She knits a fair amount and I thought a big bright bag to keep her projects in would be fun. I made up the design myself. Actually I just made it up as I went along, didn’t make a pattern first or anything. Didn’t even use a tape measure! I used 2 coordinating fabrics from Amy Butler’s new Love range and added a large pattern and needle pocket inside and a smaller pocket on the outside for bits and pieces like pencils.
 Mother's day present for my mum!  Rowan in the bag, of course!  Yep, I went a bit dotty with the polka dot theme! My mum seemed to like it. She said I was very clever, which made me smile like the cheshire cat (age 10). I don’t think she’s ever called me that before. Usually the complete opposite. So, things are looking up!!!
What did you do for Mother’s Day, anything nice? I hope all you mummies received something lovely, or put your feet up and were waited on for the day Well, we can live in hope! I was taken for a picnic on the cliffs at Chapel Porth, make hay whilst the sun shines as they say! It was such a beautiful day.
 Mother's Day picnic spot I was also very fortunate to receive a lovely book along with a box of Thornton’s Turkish Delight – which Kim said he’d been waiting all week for me to open, ha, ha!!!!! But I am a good mummy and I did share them! Here’s the book I was given: (click on the image to take you to the Amazon page).
It’s very good, even though I don’t have an allotment! I’ve been thinking about applying for one for ages – the trouble is they’re all at least a couple of miles away and I’m told that the further away they are the less likely you are to use them… Still, I’ve already got lots of tips from the book for my little salad/veg patch in the garden. I’ve been digging out there, when the weather’s been ok, and I have to say I feel that spring is definitely in the air! Well I did until I went out this morning and was almost blown over by a freezing cold wind and soaked through by pelting rain.
On that cheery note, I’m off to raid the cupboard or the fridge, or both. It’s lunchtime and I’m soooo hungry!
Catch you later.
love Stephie x
By Stephie, on Friday 5th March, 2010 at 11:43 am
Well now, this was a killer, but oh so worth the rewards. My limbs were a bit achey from Tuesday’s foray into road running, but I ignored that inconvenient truth and headed for the rocky cliffs of the north Cornwall coast in the UK. The wind was blowing an arctic gale that morning but I felt determined to brave the elements and push myself a bit. I donned my sensible running clothes (see last 2 posts!), hat and ipod and off I went.
 The first part of this 3m run is up a fairly steep cliff  I made it 1.5m to Porthtowan, but I have to admit some of the very steep parts of the cliff path became a real slog and I had to walk up those! I cursed my aching limbs. At this point I did a (planned) u-turn and ran back.  I keep forgetting to stretch after a run, so I decided to go down to Chapel Porth beach and do some stretching there, before getting in the car and heading back home (3m or so). That cliff is the first (and last) part of the run, you can see how steep it is!  But I was distracted by something that had been washed up on the beach.  It had a surreal beauty that I found completely fascinating.  I poked and prodded it  I smelt it  I inspected it  I marvelled at the structure of it  I stared in awe at the scale of it  I wished I could take something home of it.  This beautiful fin whale, 2nd largest mammal on earth, washed up on my local shore, was a wonder I would never expect to surpass on any other run. I took a day off from running yesterday, not intentional I just kind of run out of time, but I went for a good walk, which compensated a bit. My plans for today are another road run, around 3 miles or so. Taking it easy at the moment, edging myself back into it before any serious training regimes are thought about…
By Stephie, on Sunday 24th January, 2010 at 10:46 am
7.45am, Sunday 24th January 2010
Buzzards circling the crows and the black backed gulls. The lark singing. Empty. Cold rain. Incoming tide. Solitude. Isolation. Chapel Porth. Pothtowan. The Old Chapel.
 Stream  Bracken  Memorial  Ground  Skeleton  Rust  Metal
By Stephie, on Friday 30th October, 2009 at 02:52 am
I had no plan to walk today, but when I woke up and saw that the day looked mild and sometimes sunny I knew I had to head out. Actually I have Bec Thomas to thank for the idea. She’s off on a photo hike in Washington (US not Lincolnshire!) up Mt Pilchuck, and it made me very nostalgic for some mountain hiking myself. But in the absence of any mountains around here, that ain’t gonna happen in a hurry! The next best thing in this part of the world is the rocky coastline of the north Cornish coast. While snowy Mount Pilchuck may have an elevation of a fantastic 1,628m and St Agnes Beacon a paltry 192m, it still gives a breathtaking 360 degree view from the trig point on the top! Not to be sniffed at.
I started my walk near Wheal Coates (OS 104 SW703500) above Chapel Porth and headed east along the coast to St Agnes Head where I sat and sketched for a while. There were a lot of people out – something to do with the half-term holidays I guess. The next stretch was eerily quiet though, which I loved. I watched the black backed gulls and finches and listened to the waves crashing below as I marched along at a brisk pace. By the time I got to Trevaunance Cove (approx 3 miles from the start), there were a lot more people about – some nutters even surfing! From here I made my way up to St Agnes village, for the most tasty ricotta and spinach slice I’ve ever tasted, and then on up The beacon to take in the misty panorama before heading back down to the car and home. Sometimes I forget just how much of a passion for walking I have. Note to self: do more.
 Come along the path with me  and marvel at the autumn bracken.  Look over the russet fronds towards Perranporth  and take in the wow factor of lichen on the rocks at Trevaunance Cove  where we can stack it up  before we pass the ageing beauty of an old telephone box  and climb a hill to catch a last view of the Cove  We'll cross the fields to The Beacon rising on the horizon  and we'll catch our last burst of surreal colour in this muted landscape: an anonymous dahlia memorial.
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I'm running a 28 mile marathon in memory of Josie this February. Come and find out why.
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