The New Forest Half Marathon (2016)

Start Point: The Showground, New Park, Brockenhurst
Distance: 21.1 km (13.1 mi)
Difficulty Level: Moderate
My Time: 01:54:18 (Pace: 05:25/km or 08:43/mi)


Set in the stunning New Forest, a natural beauty on the border of Hampshire and Dorset, the New Forest Marathon is an event which gained a refresh for 2016. I took part, and as I was so impressed with the route I thought I'd blog it so anyone can have a go whenever they feel the need for a cross-country half marathon!


The route starts in New Park, just north of Brockenhurst, heading directly into one of the most picture-perfect regions of the impressive New Forest National Park. It meanders through popular cycle and walking paths, along the awe-inspiring Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, and finishes back in New Park. There are a numerous elements to the route, so bare with me here, there's a lot to describe!

Leaving the popular show site (location for The New Forest Show and the New Forest Christmas Market, among many other events) you head in towards the forest, taking a right as soon as you get to the end of the first T-intersection - about 1km into the run. From here you follow the path around an anti-clockwise loop keeping left at the first intersection, and taking a right at the next and a right again at the 3km mark. The next stretch is a long, open path, so stick to the main path (if it looks small and windy, you're on the wrong path) through an open area leading up to the crossroads intersection. At the crossroads,  take a hard left towards the Flechs Water ford - there's a sign here noting that the ford can be impassable after heavy rainfall, so take note - where you can decide to either wet your feet in the river or pass over on the bridge.

Keep on the path until you reach Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, taking a right and heading towards Rhinefield House Hotel. Pass the hotel on your left, and keep on the road until you reach the Blackwater Woods carpark on your right, where you take the first path on the right and head back into the forest, back towards the crossroads you earlier swung left at. Again, you'll hang left at the crossroads, this time leading back through another fairly open area, and back out onto Rhinefield Ornamental Drive again, just before the 10km mark, and head back along the road towards Blackwater Woods carpark. Along this stretch of Ornamental Drive you pass under the tallest trees in Hampshire, and possibly in the UK. Some of these giant Redwoods are even taller than Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben)!

When you reach the carpark again, look for a path to the Blackwater Arboretum, to the right, opposite the carpark, which runs in a long straight line directly into the forest. At the crossroads at the end of this long straight (about 600m worth) hang a hard left and head up the gentle hill into an area that looks quite a lot more forest-like than the well-groomed cycle paths and roads you've just been pacing along for the last hour. Continue following this path for about 1.6km (1mi), hanging left at the intersection, and back towards Rhinefield House Hotel.

Arriving on Rhinefield Ornamental Drive again, turn right and continue on past the hotel, this time passing the hotel on your right as you sweep around the corner. Follow the road as the forest opens up into a sparse heathland, passing several carparks on the right and left as you go. This is often the area for spotting the wild locals grazing in the sunlight, trying to avoid the tourists!

Just as the road appears to start entering the forest again, you'll see a carpark/road on the left, where you'll head down the hill and follow the road all the way until it ends and becomes another well-groomed cycle path. Follow this all the way through the forest again, arriving in the back of New Park, for a quick lap of the fields to complete a scenic, flat, and rewarding half marathon!

I'd love to hear from anyone who took part in the event or who has completed this route for fun, so drop a comment below if you have!

End Point: Where you started!

Terrain: a combination of cycle paths and quiet rural roads

The Highs: feeling tiny amongst the giants of the forest, pacing along the roads surrounded by New Forest ponies

The Lows: running out of energy after 90 minutes

Hints: try the route on a bicycle first to get your bearings, unless you know the area well, and don't try this at night...

Conclusion: A mostly-flat route set in some of the most picturesque areas of the New Forest, taking in big open cycle paths, the tallest trees in the UK, open country roads, and wildlife. 

The New Forest Marathon, 2016

Photo courtesy: New Forest Marathon 2016

I recently had the opportunity to have a go at a competitive half marathon in the New Forest Marathon 2016. It was an absolutely brilliant event with great weather on a magnificent route around some of the best parts of the New Forest. I even managed to set a PB - an added bonus - of 1:54:18.

The course was centered around New Park, just north of Brockenhurst village in the heart of the New Forest, in Hampshire, UK. On offer were 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, and Marathon distances. The organisers planned a stunning route through one of the most picturesque areas in the forest: Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and it's surrounding areas. The terrain was a balanced mix of gravel cycle paths and closed tarmac roads, and provided a welcome change from some of the all-tarmac events most of us are used to.

I'll be putting a more comprehensive course post up shortly, so keep an eye out for that.

If you want to know a little more about the event, check out http://www.newforestmarathon.co.uk/, and have a look at http://www.newforestmarathon.co.uk/media-releases/ for some imagery of the event's media coverage. A great run which I'm looking forward to taking part in again in 2017!

Baby, it's cold outside...

Winter training is tough. It's cold. It's wet. It's dark. It's windy. If you're in the UK, no doubt you've noticed the constant storms we've been having recently, just to add fuel to the inner fire compelling you to wrap up warm and shelter indoors, away from the adversities outside!


But it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. There are a number of different ways to approach winter training to either avoid the conditions or to utilize them as a training tool.

Hibernation.

The first option most people choose over the cold winter months is to keep themselves indoors, warm and dry. If you've opted for "comfort", you've got a few choices to keep your training up whilst avoiding the world outside: join (or use) a gym or fitness centre, create your own home training regime, or lounge around and prepare to start again when the winter is done!

If you're a member of a gym or fitness centre, make sure you're using it and your membership isn't merely burning a hole in your pocket. Jump on the treadmill and get in casual 30-minute jog, hop in the pool and swim a km or two, and don't forget that all-important strength training!

If you're fortunate enough to have space for a home gym, try get your hands on a treadmill and a few key pieces of gym equipment (yoga mat, dumbells, kettle bells, etc.) and begin a home training regime. A good mix of cardio and strength training is essential, and regularity is the key to making the exercise effective.

 Embracing the Elements.

For those who prefer to stay away from the gym, the only real option is to get out and run, no matter the weather. You'll need to invest in some reasonably warm running gear (running base layers are essentials, and a good high-viz jacket is always a good idea) and keep an eye on the weather forecasts to find optimal windows of opportunity. You'll also want to think carefully about your running routes, as many back-roads and country walkways are transformed into muddy bogs this time of year.

But all of the this can be used to great effect to enhance your training experience. Sure, you're likely to get wet, a little cold, and there's the chance of a slip or two, but your body will welcome the cooler conditions to train in - unless it's truly freezing outside - and you'll find you can run faster for longer without overheating the way you would at the height of summer. Add to this that the winter can create some of the most stunning natural scenery around, and you've got even more of a reason to be out amongst it, taking in all the beauty this world provides us.

Some of you might be thinking of competing in an event such as Tough Mudder or various cross-country runs. This is a great time for you to get out and push yourself through some muddy, boggy, wet, slippery trails, preparing yourself for whatever your upcoming event might have in store for you. I'd recommend investing in a decent pair of trail running shoes if you haven't already, some gaiters to keep your ankles and shins from taking too much of a beating and to keep the majority of the stones and mud out of your shoes, and a hydration pack if you're going to be away from civilization for extended periods of time.

Be sure to include an element of regular strength training into your winter training, and you're away, ready to handle anything Mother Nature feels like throwing at you!

Be Safe Out There. 

Personal safety is always a key concern when outdoors in the winter, and your training needs to keep that in mind. So make sure follow a few of the guidelines below:


  • Be seen: wear high-viz or at least brightly coloured clothing, be it a jacket, gloves, or shoes.
  • Watch where you're going: during the darker hours, either run in well-lit streets or training areas, or use a head torch to see what's ahead. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself on unseen terrain. 
  • Keep warm and dry: invest in decent base layers, get a brightly coloured running jacket, and try to run when it's dry if possible. No one wants pneumonia this winter.
  • Get to know the weather forecasts: pick your weather windows to run when it is most suitable (but don't use that as an excuse to stay indoors all winter!).
  • Choose your routes carefully: map out your runs to avoid low-lying, easily flooded areas, and be prepared for muddy pathways if you choose to run away from brightly-lit urban streets. 


Training in winter can be a lot of fun, so don't be a buzzkill and spend your winter lounging around thinking you "should be training" - just get out and do it!

The Derelict Airfield: Beaulieu, New Forest

Start Point: Carparks either off the B3054 or B3055
Distance: 5.1 km (3.1 mi)
Difficulty Level: Easy
My Time: 00:29:12 HRC* (Pace: 05:43/km or 09:12/mi)


RAF Beaulieu was once a hub of aircraft activity, between 1942 and 1959 being used for bombers and fighter jets heading out on wartime missions. These days, it's a peaceful site surrounded by a 5 km loop of flat tarmac and gravel trails, often visited by walkers, cyclists, and the New Forest's most notable residents, horses.


The run can be started either off the B3054 (if you're heading towards Beaulieu from Lymington) or off the B3055 (if you're coming from either Brockenhurst or Beaulieu).

From your start point, head away from the road and choose your direction as you reach the T-junction ahead: being a pentagonal loop, you have the choice of going clockwise or anti-clockwise. Follow the course around it's perimeter, taking in the multiple surfaces - tarmac on the northeast stretch and loose gravel on the southwest - and the wildlife which you will inevitably spot on your way around. This course is dead flat, so just keep heading around the course until you get back to your start point, where you can either call it a day or throw in another lap.

The best part of this route is the fact you can easily do multiple laps in either direction, knowing that it's roughly four laps for a half marathon, or eight for a full. Additionally, this loop can be used for interval training, running individual stretches of the route at target pace to help improve overall performance.

I would recommend avoiding this trail in the midst of a wet winter or immediately after a big downpour - unless you enjoy mud.

If you've had a go at this route, drop a comment below and let me know how you got on!

End Point: Where you started.

Terrain: a mixture of tarmac and loose gravel trails

The Highs: quiet, undisturbed pathway surrounded by New Forest ponies, cows and donkeys.

The Lows: negotiating the sometimes unavoidable puddles.

Hints: Use the downwind legs for pace and the headwind legs for resistance training.

Conclusion: An easy loop around a disused piece of history, surrounded by wildlife and peaceful heathland. 

*HRC = Heart Rate Control. Run at a slow pace to improve aerobic capacity.

Hurst Spit: The Marine to Hurst Castle, And Back.

Start Point: The Marine Restaurant, Milford on Sea, Hampshire
Distance: 5.2 km (3.2 mi)
Difficulty Level: Tough
My Time: 00:31:41 (Pace: 06:07/km or 09:49/mi)


Running on loose stone and gravel is a brilliant way to build strength in your calf muscles and improve the strength in stabilisers around your ankles and thighs, and this route in Milford On Sea in Hampshire is a brilliant test bed. With the added benefit of stunning views of The Solent and the Isle of Wight, as well as a decent restaurant at the start and end of the run, the Hurst Spit run is an almost completely dead flat run which will test both your calf muscles and your physical stamina.


Start from the gate directly outside The Marine Restaurant and head out towards Hurst Castle by choosing either the high or the low road. The high road is up a short rise to the right of the gate, climbing quickly then levelling out. As soon as you're up on top of the built-up sea wall, you've got stunning views out across The Solent towards the Isle of Wight, The Needles out to the right, and behind you is the view over to Bournemouth. Also up here, you have the added advantage of being able to use the prevailing winds to help push you along and hopefully reduce some of the effort needed to navigate this tricky path. If you're out on day where the wind isn't very influential, you might prefer to go for the low road, which has the advantage of being a more solid surface and a little less used by the families and couples out for casual walks along Hurst Spit.

Navigate either the high or the low road for the first few hundred metres until you have no choice but to soldier along the primary footpath out to Hurst Castle. The loose stone surface is testing at times where it can be quite deep, so you might find yourself dancing from side to side, finding the areas where the stone has been compacted more and trodden into an easier path to take.

On your left as you head out towards the castle is the harbour outside of Keyhaven, with small yachts moored along the river. You'll often see people using these shallow, protected waters to sail their dinghies or go kite-surfing.

There aren't many waypoints on this run, but you'll eventually reach Hurst Castle, a big concrete-clad fortification built in 1541 for Henry VIII to defend the approach to Southampton, an important naval city, from the invasion of the French. I like to make sure I run to the first gun tower (directly ahead as you approach the castle) and turn as I reach the concrete wall. Those feeling adventurous can carry on around the side of the castle to loop back around, but it does turn into a bit of an obstacle course on the far side of the castle.

From here, you'll have to return along the same stony track all the way back to The Marine. The tough bit here (unless you're lucky enough to find a wind-free day to run this) is the often breezy headwind you'll probably encounter when you switch direction. So make sure you save some decent energy reserves for the return trip, as this is where the real test quite often begins.

When you get back to your start point, you'll have completed a good test of your muscle strength and your stamina. If you're keen enough to give this a go, let me know how you got on in the comments below.

End Point: The Marine Restaurant, Milford on Sea, Hampshire

Terrain: loose gravel and stone.

 The Highs: the coastal scenery.

The Lows: navigating the sometimes deep loose stone and the headwind on the return trip.

Hints: use the low road to your advantage on either the out or return trip, depending on the weather and your confidence on loose stone.

Alternatives: for a real test, head further down towards the water's edge and really push hard through constantly changing camber and deeper, looser stone.

Conclusion: A tough route designed to test calf strength and improve the effectiveness of your stabilisers, with the added bonus of stunning coastal scenery.

Movement. Motivation. Music.

In the world we live in music is now more accessible than ever. Gone are the days of lugging around big heavy objects carrying cassettes and CDs. With our obsession with technology, we have MP3's and streaming services readily available almost anywhere, any time, with almost any song imaginable at our fingertips.
Add to this the fact that music has an almost unmatched ability to get people moving, and tell me why you wouldn't want to run with music?

Simply load up your smartphone, MP3 player, or whatever device you have at your disposal, throw on some sports headphones, and get out and run. Load up a bunch of motivational tracks which energise you, keep you moving, keep you focused and alert, and, most importantly, do not annoy or aggravate you. Make sure your playlist or music collection is long enough to last at least as long as your longest runs, or be prepared to listen to your songs on repeat - then again, they'll all be tracks you love and energise you, so no real loss there.

If you're a Premium subscriber of a streaming service like Spotify or Deezer, you'll have unlimited access to tonnes of pre-loaded running playlists, or make your own, and access your music while you're out and about. If you're an urban runner you might be lucky enough to stream while you're out on your run.

I tend to choose songs which have a big, repetitive beat at a high bpm - for example drum and bass, electro, and rock. Monotonous down-tempo songs and acoustic ballads I've found to be the most detrimental to my flow and have me reaching for that device to skip to whatever is up next. However, everyone is different and has different motivations, so find the music that works best for you.

Equipment selection is also crucial - no one wants to take their 10" tablet out for a run - so choose something small and light (the iPod Shuffle is possibly the best device for runners) and pick some in-ear headphones which are comfortable and made for sports, and you'll have the best experience you can. I've had numerous phones fall through my short pockets on a run, and can advise not to try over-ear headphones unless you keep your head pretty still on a run. If you find the cable getting in the way, either run the cable underneath your top or invest in some decent bluetooth headphones, to minimise the intrusive nature of a wandering cable when on a sprint.

By being smart about your music selection, you'll find extra motivation in those times you really need it, when you're digging in deep and pushing through in those last few miles or going for a personal best. I'm not saying this is the only way to get out and motivate yourself out there, but you've really got nothing to lose here, so, what are you waiting for?

A Coastal Path and a bit of Coffee: Milford on Sea to Barton on Sea

Start Point: Needles Eye Cafe, Milford on Sea, Hampshire

 Distance: 5.70 km (3.54 mi)
Difficulty Level: Easy
My Time: 00:35:55 HRC* (Pace: 06:17/km or 10:07/mi)



In the quiet coastal villages of Milford on Sea and Barton on Sea, in Hampshire, are two quaint coffee shops, conveniently connected by a cliff-top coastal trail.


Starting at the Needles Eye Cafe in Milford on Sea, you head due west, along the paved coastal pathway which meanders gently along the cliff tops, with the stunning sights of the English Channel on your left, the Isle of Wight over your left shoulder. The first few hundred metres are dead flat, with a little drop as you pass the white walled housing complex on your right.

As you start to climb the hill, passing the multi-million-quid luxury beach homes and storm-ravaged beach huts, you start to gain elevation and you'll see Bournemouth in the distance on a good day.Carry on along the paved walkway until it abruptly comes to an end and turns into a dirt path , careful not to crash into the bushes on the left as you squeeze past them. The path that carves through the countryside over the cliff tops is tricky, so keep an eye on the changing terrain, and try not to fall off the where the storms of February 2013 annihilated the coastline and washed away huge portions of the cliffs.

Follow the path as it gently falls and rises, passing the golf course and starts to descend into a gorse-lined path, keeping left as the path forks a couple of times. You'll start rising up a gentle but tricky hill straight after the gorse forest - be careful here as this is a prime spot to roll your ankle if you're not paying attention, but if you keep to the left or the right of the grassy area you'll minimise the risk of any injuries. 

The final section of this route is a flat stretch of Marine Drive East to the Beachcomber Cafe, where this route either ends, or starts again. If the weather is nice, why not take a moment to sit outside and enjoy a warm drink in the sun and soak up some of the South Coast's finest rays. before turning back and doing it all over again!

End Point: Beachcomber Cafe, Barton On Sea, Hampshire

Terrain: a mixture of paved walkways, worn-down paths, and grassy hills.

The Highs: the calmness in the middle, the coffee at the end.

The Lows: the tricky ascent immediately after the gorse forest.

Hints: best times to run this are early morning or around sunset, when the walkways are less populated and the sunlight turns the scenery into a photograph.

Alternatives: if this is too short, turn around and try it again. If you're looking for even more of a challenge, start at Barton on Sea, run over to Milford on Sea, throw in the Hurst Spit route, then head back to Barton on Sea!


Conclusion: A scenic coastal trail with it's fair share of challenges and rewards.

*HRC = Heart Rate Control. Run at a slow pace to improve aerobic capacity.
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