As years go 2020 was a funny one, we had some amazing weather, especially in the spring and we had some down right dismal, rainy days. But, hanging over everything like a big brooding cloud, just waiting to dump it's load of misery on us all, was the Covid situation. We had Lockdowns, we had relaxations, we had restrictions, but most of all we had, who knows what! Are we allowed out, can we go running further than round the block, can we go cycling? Whilst the answer to all of the above was yes, the rules didn't seem to take into consideration the tiny minority of the population that think 4 hours of running or 200 miles on their bike is a sensible day out. I wonder why!
As such the start of the year was certainly curtailed on the adventure front, as it was for everyone. However as things settled down and we started to live happily under the new restrictions I did manage to get out and about on a regular basis. Maybe not quite as much as I would have liked, although worked played more of a part in that than the Covid palaver.
The adventures I did manage were more local than exotic and more solo than sociable, not that I'm going to complain about either of those things. I discovered local routes and hideaways that I never knew existed, explored my own backyard and camped out in the garden when I couldn't get away, and you know what, I had a great time doing it. Who needs abroad when we've got some amazing scenery, some great paths and trails and some beautiful weather right here. Certainly not me.
So what did I get up too in 2020 then? We'll put the kettle on, pull up a pew, and lets take a little look down memory lane.
January. There's only one way to start the year and why should 2020 have been any different. January the first is Knacker Cracker day. The best running event in the calendar as far as I'm concerned. Hills, mud, steps, the National Anthem, Pipers, Tomato soup, more hills, steps, fancy dress and still more hills and mud. What's not to like about that? And as a special bonus for 2020 a start from the bottom of the hill instead of the top for extra hills and mud. Bloody brilliant!
The main event in January was to more exotic climes than Box hill though, with a 3 week work trip to Brunei and Singapore for a bit of winter sun. Well, I say winter sun, 30 odd degrees with 90% plus humidity comes as a bit of a shocker in the middle of a British winter and it took a few days of acclimatisation before I managed to get much running in.
Acclimatise I did though and by the time I moved onto SingaporeI certainly managed to make the most of it, with a couple of spectacular early morning runs, taking in the sights of this fantastic city whilst most people slumbered on.
I didn't get back from Singapore until the 29th and was cutting things fine for getting in my planned marathon before the end of the month, luckily our friends at Saturn Running had identified the ideal niche in the market and were putting on a Friday Marathon. So the 31st saw me lined up at the start for the start of marathon number 1 for 2020.
A time of 3:52 along a pan flat River Thames tow path course was nothing to write home about, but I got my excuses in early (I've only just got off an 17 hour flight for gods sake). And most importantly it got the Marathon a Month Madness off to a start!
February seemed to be dominated by some bad weather, we had at least 3 named storms on consecutive weekends. Obviously the weekdays were wall to wall sunshine and summer temperatures, but the weekends, that was different matter. Oh, ok the weekdays weren't all that either, but you know how it feels when your in work all week.
Despite the weather I made some good progress on the Winter project(Allotment fruit cage) amongst other things and February saw the start of the new growing season with some early seed sowing by the middle of the month. I always look forward to sowing the first seeds of a new year, it's that sense of hope and excitement for what's to come that makes the long, cold, wet and miserable days bearable!
Mid month should have seen me lining up for the start of the Devils Punchbowl Ultra marathon,however, storm Dennis put pay to that plan. Not to be beaten by the weather, 3 loops of one of my local off road loops, in atrocious weather saw the same distance and unbeknown to me at the time set the scene for what was to come. 30 Miles through flooded lanes, in 5:16, not fast by any stretch of the imagination but hard enough in the weather conditions to test anyone's resolve!
A winter Audax and the Chlitern Grit200Km wrapped up the month nicely. Continuing Februarys theme it wasn't the best weather for a 200 with strong winds and rain most of the day, but it's character building stuff and the harder it gets, the more fun it is (allegedly).
March started as February finished with another weekend of strong winds and rain. With the Steyning Stinger trail Marathon scheduled for the First Sunday in the month I took the van down on the Friday night, got a few wet bike miles in on the Saturday morning, followed by a visit to “The Old Cheese” in the afternoon then hunkered down to ride out storm Bob or whatever it was called.
After a very wet and windy night the morning of the Stinger dawned clear and bright and not at all what the forecasters had warned about. Obviously the storm had blown itself out overnight and despite a short shower not long after the start it was a great, if somewhat muddy day out. A downhill sprint for the line bought me home in 3:58:13 for 29th place from the 221 marathon starters (7th in my age category). 10 minutes slower than last year, but a time I was happy with, none the less.
A change of pace for the middle weekends saw me getting some bigger bike miles in with overnight trips to both Devises and Fontwell on alternate weekends. The getaway Saturday afternoon, ride into the evening, before a few hours at a cheap hotel and doing the same back the next morning works really well in the winter, leaving plenty of allotment and pottering time.
A close call, saw the end of the month come around sooner than planned. Having agreed to go back to Brunei as a last minute replacement, the end of the month saw me heading out from Heathrow just as things were starting to look a bit grim in the UK. By the time I got there, the world had gone mad and a massive panic ensued as work tried to get me home again before the whole world locked down. I escaped being stuckin Brunei by the skin of my teeth, leaving on the last flight out as everywhere locked down and arrived home to a deserted Heathrow and everyone stripping the shelves of toilet roll and pasta!
The end of March then and the dawning of a whole new world. Lockdown and the trials and tribulations of Coronavirus. Work carried on as usual, Boris said we should all go out to exercise, so my normally quiet, local running routes were over run with people wearing their old school tracksuits and 1970's sweat bands. All organised running and cycling was cancelled and confusion reigned supreme regarding how much was a normal amount of exercise.
No one can run for more than 20 minutes or cycle more than 10 miles so we'll give you an hour said the nice man at number 10! Luckily though, no one was actually counting, so running carried on as usual as far as I was concerned. Cycling, I reigned that in a bit and only stayed local for the first few short forays onto the now deserted roads.
April 2020 April saw the start of Lockdown proper, which handily coincided with the start of weeks of glorious spring sunshine, unseasonal temperatures and no going out! The roads were blissfully quiet, I'm guessing the closure of all the coffee shops meant no one had anywhere to go in their 4x4's and the nation was gripped with an exercise pandemic.
The allotment was in full swing with the greenhouse packed to the rafters with vegetable and flower seeds slowly doing their thing and I managed to get the fruit cage finished in plenty of time for the new season. The end of the month saw the inaugural Basingstoke Socially Distanced Marathon(Participants 1) as part of my Marathon A Month efforts. A cheeky wee jaunt around the local trails, fuelled by that great Easter tradition, Hot Cross Buns.
Oh, and I suppose it would be rude to omit my efforts to get down with the kids, by joining them for some back garden camping fun. If you can't get out there properly, you may as well have a night under the stars at home!
May passed in a blur of nothing. The Lockdown continued and the sun continued to shine, almost as if to taunt me! The middle of the month saw the Second Basingstoke Socially distanced Marathon, ran on a beautiful spring morning through glades of Bluebells and new spring growth. When the running's this good within a few miles of home it makes me wonder why I ever bother going further afield.
Although not mentioned in my original Blog posts, I started picking up the cycling mileage in May too, with a couple of local 100 mile jaunts out in the spring sunshine. Pushing up through the North Hampshire Downs towards Devises and Calne it was nice to start spreading the wings a bit further after 2 months on local roads.
Unable to use the Van to it's full potential I also took the opportunity to get down and dirty with the undersides and a big tin of underseal. As jobs go this ones about as messy and horrible as they get, but, if it keeps the "Tin Worms" at bay for another couple of years it will have been worth it. Click here for May 2020's Blog posts.
June 2020
June, that most glorious of months, when the hard work on the allotment starts to pay dividends, Strawberries by the bucketful, Broad beans, Spring Raspberries and Peas all cropping like mad. A time to start thinking about filling the store cupboards to see us though next winter then, (nothing like wishing your life away) and a chance to make Strawberry jam. Come January when it's grim outside a spoonful of sweet home made jam in your porridge is enough to transport you instantly back to the beautiful June sunshine!
An easing of the lockdown restrictions also saw a first overnight Bivvy for 2020, with a Friday evening jaunt on the bike down onto Salisbury plain for the night. You can't beat jumping on the bike after a stressful week at work to set off on a mini adventure. There's always something magical about seeing the sun set and rise from the saddle or the warmth of your sleeping bag and after so long in lockdown this one was extra special.
The Marathon a Month Madnesscontinued with an early morning run from Kingsclere up to Coombe Gibbet (13 miles up hill followed by 13 back down again) and a first, post lockdown, night away in the van for 2020. Things were certainly starting to look better in June! Click here for June 2020's Blog posts.
July 2020
With the Lockdown finally over and the allotment looking after itself for a few weeks July saw the opportunity for a few more overnight adventures. As per usual though the weather, which had been positively tropical up to now, saw this as it's opportunity to get in on the fun!
A hilly weekend in the Surry Hills saw, not only a hilly 70 mile's on the bike, but an equally hilly Marathon a Month Madness the next day. I'll happily admit that maybe this was touch optimistic on my part as the run was jolly hard going on tired legs. It's all good fun though and if we don't push ourselves outside of our comfort zones occasionally then we'll never know what we are capable of.
July also saw a few days off work at the start of the month and another short break towards the end of the month too. Both of which gave me the opportunity to get some decent bike miles in. An overnight Bivvy trip and 3 x 200Km Audaxstyle rides saw me clocking up some fairly impressive miles though out the month, more than making up for the lack of miles in the early part of the year.
August started with a trip down to Bristol for work, which I managed to tie in with a few cycling miles and a bit of walking. I stumbled on the Wye Valley Path at Chepstow by accident (I just happened to park the van by a big signpost) but, boy I'm glad I did. Following the Wye valley gorge out of Chepstow makes for some stunning scenery and a beautiful few miles of walking. Follow that up with a few bike miles up into the Brecon Beacons the next day in the summer sunshine and it's just what summer weekends are made for!
August's Marathon a Month Madness didn't go quite to plan, with a leisurely 30 mile loop around the Devils Punchbowl nearly proving my undoing. Knowing that it was going to be a hot day, I'd set off early, but maybe not early enough. As the temperature rose I really suffered and will happily admit that it was a struggle to get to the end! There's not a lot of choice when your on your own and away from the van though, so get back to the van I did. I'd like to think that I'll have learned a few lessons from that one, but lets be honest, that's unlikely.
Another overnight Bivvy on Salisbury plain and few odd jobs around the house and on the allotment, pretty much wrapped up August. Not a great deal to report for the height of summer, but, as became clear as the months wore on, work was slowly taking over my life and taking up more and more of my own time. Not an ideal situation and one that wasn't going to last for much longer! Click here for August 2020's Blog posts.
September 2020 September finally saw a return to organised running with The Fox ultra marathon. 38 miles of trail running around Guildford in the Autumn sunshine, what's not to like about that? The Fox had been delayed due to Covid from earlier in the year and I must say it was a well organised, brilliant day out, I was pretty happy with my time of 6:33 too.
There's not a lot else to add for September, a 200Km Audax style ride at the start of the month, a few nights away in the van and a start to the winter patio renewal project and that's about it. Click here for September 2020's Blog posts.
October 2020
October saw the Autumn sweep in with a vengeance, the leaves turned brown and the wind tried it's best to whip the colour from the land. Autumn always brings with it some beautiful colours, some lovely sunrises and the odd, crisp and clear stunning day. There was some beautiful early morning running to be had early in the month, making the most of the misty early mornings and, another opportunity for a bit of organised running.
Octobers Marathon a Month took the form of The Bounceathon, multiple laps of a hilly loop in Ashdown forest, home to Tigger and co (hence the catchy title). Handily the weather did it's best to make things hard, with heavy rain and strong winds hampering efforts. Not be be beaten though, a time of 4:00 saw me home in second place from a diminished field with lots of runners either completing shorter distances or wisely choosing to stay at home, eat biscuits and drink tea.
November saw some big changes at castle Perratt with work having finally got to the point of it taking over my life and stress levels rising, it was time for a change and the hunt for a new job began. Luckily I'm in a position where quitting one job, which was making my life a misery, before finding another wasn't the end of the world and gave me the the luxury of a few weeks off to start catching up on all the odd jobs which I'd been neglecting.
At the start of the month "The Emma's" shift pattern coincided with an ideal opportunity to blag an early morning lift for an attempt at running the Basignstoke Canal. An early start and a quiet, socially distanced, train journey saw me 39 miles away from home and ready to run back. Maybe Novembers not the best time for such endeavours though, as some seriously heavy rain made for hard going. 39 miles in 6:13 isn't a bad effort and rain or not I had a great day out!
A few decent bike miles at the start of the month, including a 200Km, saw me starting to make amends for Septembers pitiful efforts. Not the best weather for riding your bike, but when you do get a good day it's still great to be out.
As the month wore on my thoughts slowly started to turn towards Christmas, although I did my best to ignore it for as long as possible! "Stir it up Sunday" reminded us all that the time for Cake and pudding making was upon us and another year was slowly drawing to an end!
The final year of the month then and another year nearly gone. The start of the month saw a brief return to the joy of organised cycling with the South of Bucks Winter WarmerAudax. 200Km of cycling fun on a damp and otherwise miserable day. That was about it for the organised fun though as by the middle of the month we were well and truly back into lockdown mode with the dreaded Coronavius seemingly gripping the country again.
A final socially distanced effort around the trails of the Oxdrove Way saw me complete Marathon a Month Madness number 12, with a marathon or over distance run completed in every month of 2020. I don't think that's too bad an achievement and it's given me something to focus on during the dreary months of Lockdown. With a bit more spare time than usual, 2020 became the year of homemade gifts, with my afternoons and evenings spent beavering away in the workshop producing a variety of presents and a lot of scrap wood. An easy couple of weeks over the Christmas period, with more than a few nights sat lazily in front of the fire saw us through the shortest day and into the new year.
And so we start again. Who knows what 2021's going to bring, it's currently the start of January and we are back in full lockdown mode for the foreseeable future. No matter what happens though and what the future brings, staying positive and making the most of every days going to be important. So on that note, it's time to get off my backside, stop messing around here and go and do something productive!
2020 in Numbers
Miles Run - 1726 Runs of 26.2 miles or over - 12 Longest run - 39 miles (Basingstoke canal) Runs over 13.1 miles (Not including those counted as marathon distance) - 25 2 Pairs of running shoes worn out! Average daily running distance - (miles run /365) - 4.73 miles
Miles Cycled - 3797 miles Longest ride - A miserly 133 miles Average daily cycling distance - (miles cycled /365) - 10.4 miles