Usually I run the roads round here. I like tarmac, what can I say! However, I am fortunate to live very close to Rutland Water, which apart from being one of the largest water reservoirs is also home to one of the most important wildfowl sanctuaries in Great Britain.
Built in the 1970s to supply water to the East Midlands, and originally named ‘Empingham reservoir’, Rutland Water is now Rutland’s most popular tourist attraction.
The 3,100 acre reservoir has an international reputation for providing a balance of sport, leisure and wildlife conservation and offers everyone the opportunity to try something new. You can have a go at windsurfing, rock-climbing or canoeing, hire a dinghy, bicycle or fishing boat, visit the Egleton and Lyndon nature reserves, or just relax by the water and watch the action around the 25 mile shoreline.
I thought I should take advantage of living so close to the Rutland Water Marathon Route (which I shall be running on November 7th 2010) and use the Hamb
leton Penninsula for a spot of training… but I’d forgotton how hard those hills can be!
I decided to use my Nokia N97 cell phone to track my mileage and to take some photos of this stunning bit of English countryside to share with you. Although running and taking photos don’t usually mix very well I think my N97 handled the challenge admirably. What do you think?
The only downside is the number of cattle grids which are actually used to keep the numerous sheep at bay .. can’t think of a worse pacebreaker (The sheep weren’t overly keen on being photographed!) I’m sure there’s an easier way of tip-toeing over them – cattle grids, not the sheep, that would be silly! – but for now I either use the gates at the side of the grids or I do a balancing act down the centre. Either way, it certainly slows me down.
It is a beautifully varied pathway around Hambleton and certainly on a warm summer day is a delight to run. My concern is, I wonder what it will be like in the chill and often wet November weather we experience here
?
Find out more about the Rutland Water Marathon and view details of the Rutland Water Marathon Route
Thanks for sharing this place with me today I can’t wait to get my passport so I can visit this place. I’m too out of shape to run but I love to power walk and fish and do camping. Was wondering since this is a nature reserve if humans are allowed to campout there.
Sincerely
Monty Ferbert
The Garden Blog
Hi Monty,
It really is well worth visiting and the trout fishing is excellent here!! You raise an interesting question about camping, although I have to say I don’t think you’re allowed to camp overnight at Rutland Water – understandably they worry about camp fires and the effect of humans on the nature reserve. But there are great places to stay and the area is known for excellent pubs and wonderful food. I’m sure you’d have a great time.
Best wishes
Joanna
I too am entered in this race, my first ever. I took a drive over yesterday and there was an Half iron man comp’ on. They propped open the gates around the cattle grids. I only had time tp take in the area between the church and the boating club and that was mostly flat. Hope it goes well.
kind regards
John
Fabulous to hear from you John. Just had a look at your blog – very good! Looking forward to hearing more about your progress. Have a great week.
Joanna
Hi Joanna,
Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures. After looking through your site. I can really sense your passion for running.
Keep inspiring,
Rafael
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Hi Joanna,
Thanks for your kind words. The training is going ok, ran yesterday for 16 fairly hilly miles (two laps of eight). Thought the two laps might be useful. Hope you are well and all is going to plan. Your site is extremely impressive.
best wishes
John
Hi John
Great to hear from you. I’m a little behind in training at the moment but feeling confident of catching up. Your 2 laps of 8 sounds a good idea. I’m glad you like it here and you’re always welcome. Would love to know how your training progresses..stay in touch!
Best wishes
Joanna
Joanna…what a beautiful place. I so appreciate your passion for running and your sharing of these marvelous photos and the commentary here. Thank you! It was a delight to be here. I will come back and look around more when I have more leisure time.
Many blessings!
Bruce
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It’s getting close now, hope your training is going well. Got the info pack concerned about opening gates etc. All the long runs seem to have made me one paced and the standard worries seem to be going round my head on a regular basis. Best wishes.
Great to hear from you!! Did 22.6 mile run round Rutland Water on Sunday. It was ffffffrreeeeeeezing! Wasn’t wearing the right gear and got very, very cold! I’ve been trying to get used to going across the cattle grids rather than going through the gates .. tricky! I’m very slow but I’ll settle for just finishing this one in one piece! Got my race number but no timing chip yet.. have only got instructions for it.
Stay in Touch!
Best wishes
Joanna
hiya Jo,
How did it go? I had an absolute nightmare-walked/ran from 11 miles and finished in a very disappointing 5.36. The course was lovely but in my opinion was never undulating-perhaps I’m just bitter and twisted. Ran today in a 10k got back to some form and feel better about it all. Hope you’re well.
kind regards
John
Hi John,
Despite everything I’m actually thinking of having another stab at it next year…never like being defeated!! Glad the 10k helped get your head back in the game…what’s next?
Super to hear from you .. well, you did better than me! I had a big fat DNF .. got injured and had excruciating ITB so felt just awful. Totally agree with you re the course…no way is that undulating, it’s really hard graft and proper trail-y…so no, you’re not bitter and twisted!
Haven’t posted much here recently as I’ve done Dave Clamp’s site for him and I’m up to my ears in techy stuff. http://www.daveclamp.com An amazing and inspirational race .. feel a bit of a fraud for whingeing about an injury on a marathon when Dave’s doing a Deca Ironman – and in the lead!!!!!!
Stay in touch.
Best wishes
Joanna
Sorry to hear about the dnf-it’s really frustrating when you get injured after so much effort. There a good many dnf given the quited finishers. I think you’re brave to have another go at it-I’ve pencilled myself in for the Stratford Marathon after I’ve done the Silverstone half. Will have a look at the Dave Clamp site in a moment. What’s on for you next? All the best and once again thanks for the kind words.
I had a feeling that there would be a lot of DNF and more than just a few grumbles..just didn’t think one would be me. However, I’ve done 22 miles of that course so it would be a shame to let it defeat me! Just starting to think of what to do next. Always open to suggestions
So kind of you to stop by and keep in touch – very much appreciated. Joanna 
Hi Joanna
Just found your blog and am planning on running round Rutland Water this week as my last long run before London. Which Car Park would you recommened, and which starting point and direction ? Also for the 22.6 miles, does that include the Hambleton loop ? Might stop off for afternoon tea !! Thanks for your help. Deb from Leics.
Hi Deb,
Great to hear from you and glad to hear that training is all on track for your last long run before London.
I like parking up at Normanton car park and running off towards the Dam at Empingham (anti-clockwise). The car park has plenty of spaces and there’s a cafe when you get back too. Have you run any parts of Rutland Water before? The 22.6 miles that I’ve done includes the Hambleton Penninsula. I don’t know what standard of runner you are but be warned Rutland Water can be very cold and windy and the terrain is more than a little ‘undulating’. It’s really a part ‘trail-y’ run but having said that, if you breeze round Rutland Water, you’ll have no problem doing London which is very flat by comparison.
On the upside, the scenery is stunning and especially now that we’ve had some warmer sunnier days. Watch out for the sheep and the cattle grids though!
There are some nice places to stop for refreshments ‘The Horse & Jockey’ is a nice pub that you run past at Manton, there’s ‘The Wheatsheaf’ at Edith Weston, the ‘White Horse’ at Empingham and ‘The Finch’s Arms’ at Hambleton. Suggest you ‘Google’ them to see which are most convenient for you and friends/family to gather.
I’d love to hear how you get on at Rutland Water, so please stop by the blog and let me know when you have a minute.
All the very best of luck for the London Marathon, I’m sure you’ll do fabulously well with such great preparation.
Best wishes
Joanna
Hi Joanna
Thanks very much for this. I had planned to park at Whitwell and go clockwise (get the Dam over and done with) but I’ll take your advice and park at Normanton. I am a plodder looking to pace at 9m30sec miles then see how I feel at 17 miles. Thank you for the info on the Hambleton peninsula – I wasn’t sure of the distances with or without Hambleton.
I recently did the Kilomathon around Derby (dire!)
I have cycled around Rutland with my daughters before – but I think this will be a challenge (!)
Thanks for your help
Deb
Hi Deb,
By going from Normanton and out to the Dam first, I think it gives you some time to ‘find’ your legs. Hope that makes sense?! It’s a bit exposed to start with and can be quite windy but the scenery is great and it’s on the flat. I rather like the Dam .. go run across in Summer as the sun begins to set – Spectacular! If you’ve cycled, you’ll know where some of the hills are once past the Dam. Don’t be too hard on yourself and I wouldn’t be scared of pace or terrain – I think you’ll do just fine .. remember this is still training and you want some ‘gas in the tank’ for the big day!
I’d love to know more of your Kilomathon experience and whether you’d recommend it to others.
Take care and keep in touch
Best wishes
Joanna
Hi Joanna
Thank you for your invaluable advice that I bore in mind on my way round today. Needless to say, I was off my pace after 10 miles. The wind was relentless and I hadn’t appreciated there were so many hills from a cyclists point of view !!
Beautiful scenery, loads of fishermen being very supportive and at no point was I going to give up. As you rightly say “it’s gas in the tank” for two weeks time.
My Kilomathon experience was very bad and I would NOT recommend it. Bad organisation – had to wait 50 minutes for a bus to take us to the start, and the organisers knew how many tickets they had sold. Just got to Baggage in time but no time for the Loos. First 4 miles were up and down housing estates around Derby and not very inspiring scenery. I also ran it last year and although the organisation was bad, the scenery was nice (Elvaston Country Park).
Thank you again for your support and advice – an invaluable experience today !!
Best wishes
Deb
Fantastic to hear from you Deb and I’m so pleased you accomplished what you set out to do. You should have a big grin and know that you did a splendid job – people don’t realise how hard that run round Rutland Water is. Well done you! You’ll really enjoy the London Marathon now.
Such a shame that the Kilomathon didn’t live up to your expectations. I was surprised to see that the route had changed this year. It must have been gruelling!
You clearly have guts and determination that will see you through London. I’m looking forward to hearing a great race report from you now
There are very few people who will put themselves through this sort of training and complete a marathon. Your run today will really pay off. Enjoy your taper and please, please let me know how you get on in London (what’s your number?)
Have a great weekend
Best wishes
Joanna
Hi Joanna
Well the big day has come and gone and I finished it with a time of 4:48. A bit slower than expected but I was just so thrilled to finish it in one piece and unaffected by the heat. An amazing experience and a wonderful family weekend.
The Rutland run definitely gave me confidence and am looking forward to going over to Rutland water for a family picnic over the Easter weekend.
I will definitely be doing this run again – a real “find”.
Thank you for your encouragement and support & happy running !!
Best wishes
Deb
Hi Deb,
I’m delighted to hear that all went well. What a wonderful time – it was such a warm day and there were so many who found the conditions too much. Your achievement is just wonderful .. all credit to your perseverance, strength and stamina!
It’s really great to hear from you and thank you so much for ‘reporting back’
Have a lovely family picnic, you’ve got the perfect weather for it and Rutland Water will be a superb place to celebrate your London Marathon success!
If you’d like to share any more details of your marathon journey here on Just One More Mile, let me know = there’s always room for inspiring stories from marathon runners like you.
Stay in touch!
Best wishes
Joanna
Hello Girls, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your correspondence and I’m running the Rutland on 6th Nov this yr, 2011. Sooooooooooooooooo nervous now! It could be very cold, wet and windy and those ‘undulating’ parts sound tough. Having said that, I can’t WAIT to do my first marathon, I’m 38 with two little girls and I feel this is my last chance to tick the final thing on my wish list of things to do before I die. I realised this year that the London marathon wasn’t the be all and end all, there are other marathons out there and I’m so excited. Thanks for sharing your notes for me to read, M.
Hi Melissa and Welcome
Lovely to hear from you and delighted that you’ve enjoyed the chatter here on ‘Just One More Mile’. I can understand your excitement as your first marathon approaches.. you’re going to be just fine! I went headlong into marathon running and started with the London Marathon .. my first at 42 years old! At 38 you’ve got youth on your side
Are you local enough to walk/run the course in preparation.. if you are then it will give you a good idea what to expect on the day. If not, don’t worry. The atmosphere on the day will be great as everyone will be very friendly and helpful. Are you doing any races before the Rutland Water Marathon?
Please stay in touch and let us know how training goes.
Take care
Joanna
Hi Joanna,
Great to find your site with so much useful information about the Rutland Water marathon. I’ve entered this year’s race-it will be my first but hopefully not my last! I live fairly locally so did the 17 mile circuit last week and then walked another 4/5 miles looking for my backup team (i.e. hubby and three kids on bikes), who were nowhere to be seen at any point during the run. It was all rather stressful, but we’re going to have another go on Sunday and try and add one lap of Hambleton. At 43, I’m definitely a plodder- but looking forward to accomplishing a lifetime ambition.
Best wishes and thanks again for posting the info-it’s a great motivator
Lucy
Hi Lucy,
Nothing wrong with being a plodder or 43 (we’re the same age) and I very much hope that you achieve your lifetime ambition.
Thank you so much for getting in touch, it’s great to hear from you.
Hope you have a fantastic day today and have a really good run. I shall be thinking of all the competitors today and giving you all a big cheer! I’d love to know how you got on, so please get in touch when you’ve recovered
Go Lucy Go.. run like the wind .. and Enjoy every moment!
Best wishes
Joanna
Hi Joanna,
Well I can’t quite believe what’s happened today. I tore my hamstring two weeks ago at 19.5 miles of my 20 mile training run (just in front of the Normanton church ironically). Having rested, iced, ultra-sounded and massaged for 10 days and after a test run on Friday night decided it felt too tight to complete the distance. However the thought of continuing training through Dec / Jan for the Gloucester marathon was not very appealing, and I really felt I had nothing to lose. After a lot of deliberation I decided to start and pull out if things got too painful. Well, that point didn’t come, and I ground down the race one mile at a time. I really didn’t think about finishing until I saw the crowd at Normanton. I’m so delighted to have completed my first marathon, and the fact that my time was just under 5 hours (4.56) was a real bonus! It won’t be my last, I’m sure. I can honestly say (anxiety aside), that I enjoyed every minute-the other competitors were so encouraging and I had the privilege of chatting to a couple of runners who had done it all before 90 times (truely inspirational!). Not sure I was able to run like the wind-hurrying like a gentle breeze might be more apposite. Anyway, thank you for your encouraging message. Very best wishes,
Lucy