Despite the stupid weather I still managed to get out and about this weekend. Saturday was the Chiltern Grit 200Km Audax. A nice little winter ride from Ayelsbury, down to the edge of Reading and back, before finishing off with a few loops of the Ayelsbury area. I took the van up after tea on Friday night to save the early start in the morning, and, despite being in a sheltered spot, still awoke a couple of times to the sound of the wind and rain rocking the van. Not the ideal sound when your about to set off on a 130 mile ride. Not to be deterred, I set off with the 50 or so other hardy souls into a screaming head wind, which, just in case things weren't hard enough already, was soon joined by rain. 30 miles down to the first control with the rain being thrown into your face by a 30mph head wind is certainly character building! It's pretty soon forgotten though, when you turn around and the winds on your back. Back to the outskirts of Ayelsbury, having finally dried out, and the half way control point. A quick brew and a Chelsea bun the size of my head at Hartwell Nurseries Cafe more than made up for getting rained on (highly recommended if your ever up that way). There has to be some perks to all this stupidity, and little places like this, with cake to die for are certainly one of them. Somehow, the wind managed to get even stronger as the day progressed and the next leg was seemingly spent alternating between slogging into it and flying along wind assisted. The rain stayed off though and despite the wind it was a pleasantly warm day for the time of year. A final quick stop at Stoney Stratford and onto the last leg, and boy what a leg it was. The final ten or so miles seemed to be all straight into the wind. Not what you need when you've already done 120 miles! I'm quite happy to admit that I had a few "what the hell am I doing here" moments in those last few miles. Slog on I did though, cursing every wind God I could imagine and wishing a painful death on each and every bump and pot hole, until, eventually that most blessed of sights, the final control hove into view. A couple of brew's, some beans on toast, a chat with the fellow lunatics, and the wind, rain and toil is soon forgotten, to be replaced with the deep seated satisfaction of a job well done. In hindsight it was a brilliant day out in testing conditions, and those little moments when your sense of humour desert you, they just make it all the better! After Saturdays fun an easy day was called for on Sunday. So, taking advantage of being up that way, I moved the van down to Watlington Saturday night and after an early night managed 10 easy miles along the Ridgeway Path Sunday morning.
The wind hadn't got any better overnight, but the rain stayed away and it was still surprisingly warm. It wasn't the most exciting of runs, it was hard going into wind and my legs certainly weren't thanking me after Saturdays efforts. But, as always, it was nice to be out, and it's always nice to run somewhere different. An afternoon pottering around at home; Van washed, a few more seeds planted on the allotment, a coat of paint on the Rocket Stove I was tinkering with last weekend, all wrapped up with a pie, accompanied by lashings of allotment veg with the lovely Emma for tea, saw another winter weekend wrapped up. Oh, and I think you'll find, weather Gods, that that's two - nil to me this weekend, or 5-1 on aggregate. I'm definitely winning now!
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Sunday should have been the Devils Punchbowl Marathon, but unfortunately, storm Dennis or whatever we're calling this weeks bit of wind and rain put a stop to that. Annoyingly, I'd really been looking forward to this one, it seemed right up my street, a small event, all off road, hilly, non marked course, likely to be wet and muddy, right up my street. I can understand it being cancelled though, anyone that organises these sort of events is taking on a pretty big responsibility. In this day and age, where everything has to be someones fault, if something does go wrong then your in the firing line. I see that this weekends Bramley 20 was cancelled due to flooding and predicted weather conditions too, and that's all on road! Anyhow, if the weather was going to stop plan A, then time to put plan B into action. Like all great plans, Plan B involved getting the train to Woking and running back home along the canal, if we remember back to last week, the canals great for bad weather running. Except a quick look at the train times revealed a distinct lack of trains. Engineering works at Basingstoke = No trains for me. So that's plan B out the window too! Right, if plan A and B are out it will have to be Plan C. Unfortunately I didn't have a Plan C, even I'm not that well organised, so opted for a couple of laps of one of my local 10 mile off road loops instead. Now, before anyone feels the need to point out that the Met office think no one should go out because it's a bit wet and breezy, I'd just like to highlight that: A) Work never seem to say "have a day off as it's a bit damp out", and I'm sure that if I can go to work I can manage to go out to play. B) I spend a lot of time making sure everything I'm doing is as safe as can be. I choose my routes to suit the conditions, I always carry a first aid kit and space blanket, I always carry a fully charged phone. If I'm not 100% sure of the route or location, I carry a standalone GPS with full set of maps and spare set of batteries in addition to my phone. I pack a warm jacket and spare cloths if I'm likely to get wet or cold, all packed into in a waterproof bag, and always carry sufficient food and drink for the full day. As I said, I always try to make anything I do as safe as possible, whether that's running, cycling, walking or just pottering around in the shed. And in this instance, due to the weather, I'd elected to do loops of a well known route, so I'd be back at the van every 10 miles and could easily cut things short at numerous points if it all got a bit too much. As I sat having a brew and bit of breakfast, listening to the rain lash the windows and the wind howling around the chimney I almost had second thoughts, but, by the time I'd sorted my life out and the day had begun, the rain had eased off a bit, so out I went. There was a lot of big old puddles and a few fences down, on my short drive up to the start point, but things didn't look as bad as expected and the van temperature gauge was showing 10.5 degrees, so not all bad news. Van parked, shoes and backpack on and away I went. Whilst it was very wet underfoot from the off, I managed to stay reasonably dry for the first 1/2 mile, before I finally realised that if I tried to pick my way around the puddles and avoid the worst of the mud I was never going to get anywhere. Once that decision was made things got a bit easier, look at the way ahead, if the puddle or mud didn't look too deep then straight through, if it looked too deep then try and find a way around, or just man up and get in there! Some bits were undoubtedly worse than others, the footpath became a full blown stream for 1/2 mile or so down to a road crossing at about the 5 mile mark, but most of it was run-able. Once your wet your wet though, and the biggest problem becomes seeing where your feet are going when the surface is under water. It only needs a little slip to end up on your backside in the water, or worse still, twist or break an ankle. As such constant vigilance is required, each step needs thinking about, and a little run becomes a full body workout as you constantly change your route, alter your stride length or have to catch your balance to avoid a slip. The first 10 mile loop took 1:45, which when you consider I can easily cover that distance in under 1:20 on a normal day gives you an idea of how difficult the conditions were. I'm not stopping yet though, so, grab a quick butty from the van on my way past (Chocolate spread filled hot dog roll if your interested, carbs, sugar and a real morale booster, the ideal treat for any wet idiot) and around again. During the second loop the rain returned with a vengeance, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped quite considerably. By the time I got back to the van for the second time (20 miles done) I was wet through and starting to get cold. A quick 60 second stop at the van to grab a thicker jacket and a dry hat (that will please "The Emma" two wet jackets and hats to wash) and after a brief struggle to get the zip done up with cold, wet fingers, off again for a third loop. 5 1/4 hours after setting off I finally got back to the van for the third time, with 30 miles under my by now very wet feet. My leg's still felt surprisingly fresh considering the distance and conditions, but the cold was starting to get to me and it was definitely time to stop. I was cold, I was wet, I was muddy. I'd worn a hole in a brand new pair of socks, I was hungry and I was gagging for a brew. But you know what, I'd spent the morning out in the fresh air, I'd worked out muscles I didn't know I had. I'd beaten the weather, both physically and mentally. I'd run further than most people ever do, in conditions most people won't even go out in. I'd only seen one other person (a lady walking her dogs) in over 5 hours, and I hadn't stopped smiling the whole time! I'll let Storm Dennis or whatever it's called have yesterday, but today I definitely won. So that's one all this weekend, or 2-1 to me on aggregate if we include last weekends little breeze. I'm not going to jinx things by saying it takes more than a bit of weather to keep me down, but I'm certainly winning at the moment!
Oh and in case your wondering, the van temperature gauge on the way home said 5 degrees, down from 10.5 at 07:45 and I'd spent the last 20 minutes running in sleet. Obviously, by the time I'd got home and had a shower the sun had come out, bloody typical! What's going on, 2 weekends and 2 named storms! Mind you I don't know why we now think we need to name storms, we managed perfectly well for the first 2 millennia just saying "it's going to be a bit windy and wet", so why does it suddenly need a name? Anyway I digress, the stupid weathers put a stop to playing bikes and when you can't play out, you have to find something else to do. So, as Monty Python used to say; Now for something completely different. And what do we end up with apart from a mess? One Rocket Stove, I'll give it a lick of paint if it ever stops raining and then give it a proper try out. Like most things that come out of my shed, if it works it's a bonus, and if it doesn't, I'm not bothered. I've had more fun making it than you should ever get from a big bit of metal tube and I've learned a fair bit in the process. Plus it's kept me amused for a couple of wet afternoons and that's a result in my book. In between sticking bits of metal together, dodging showers and trying to avoid getting blown away I've managed a couple of hours on the allotment. I've managed to get a bit more done on the fruit cage, including fitting the gravel boards around the base and adding some cross bracing wires, which has had the desired effect and stiffened things up a treat.
I've had a sort out in the greenhouse and planted the first of the summer seeds (Sweet peas, Spring Cabbage, Onions, Leeks, and an assortment of Flowers). It's probably a bit early really but they'll either grow or they wont so there's not much to loose. And most satisfyingly I've finally managed to get rid of all the pesky hedge trimmings that have been getting in the way and taking up loads of space. All in all things are looking much better. Another few weeks and hopefully the weather will have cheered up a bit and we will be all systems grow! When you wake up and the winds blowing so hard on the windows that you can't even open them, the rains being blown in through the letterbox, it's still pitch dark and it sounds like the roofs about to come off, there's only one thing any sensible person would do............ That's right. Get up, have some breakfast, get your running kit on and head for the Canal. Well you didn't honestly think I was going to say turn over, pull the duvet up and go back to sleep did you? The joy of the Canal is it's low lying (it is a canal after all) and it's tree lined, so it's quite sheltered. It's also got a well drained path running alongside, so even after heavy rain, it tends to be fairly dry underfoot. As such it makes a good option for a bit of a run when the weathers really bad. It's pretty much bang on 7 miles from Odiham Wharf to Fleet Wharf and whilst it's not the most inspiring run, being pan flat, with no views to speak of, at 14 miles for the round trip it's far enough to give the legs a bit of a workout, and there's plenty to keep your mind occupied. Being a man made obstacle, following a natural break in the landscape, it's an easily defended position and as such formed part of the GHQ stop Line during the Second World War. Which, in the event of invasion, would have been used to slow and hopefully stop any invading forces and as such there is quite a bit of military architecture (pill box's, anti tank obstacles, etc) to keep you busy, in addition to the normal canal side architecture and wildlife (when it's not being blown away). A good couple of hours exploring then, combined with a bit of running, and despite the weather's best efforts, I didn't get blown away and stayed reasonably dry. I must confess though that there were a few moments when I nearly ground to a halt with the wind in my face and it's not very often you see waves on the canal! It's surprising the difference a day makes, or so the saying goes, and the difference between Saturday and Sunday couldn't have been more marked. For Sundays wind and rain, Saturday was still and fair, ideal weather for getting a few bike miles in.
Having been otherwise engaged for most of January, this was the first time I'd been out on the bike for a month, and boy did my legs let me know it. You wouldn't think that a few weeks away would make much difference, but, despite being a pretty flat route, in benign weather conditions, those 80 miles felt like hard work. Despite my legs not being convinced of the benefits it was nice to be out, and there are more and more little signs that better days are on their way. Hazel trees in the sunny sheltered areas have Catkins on them, and there are plenty of Snowdrops poking their heads above ground. In the sun it was quite warm and I had to stop and take a couple of layers off as the day progressed. That's not the normal situation at this time of year, it's normally a case of having to stop to try and get the circulation and feeling back in your fingers and toes, not take stuff off. There's still plenty of time for Winter to bare it's teeth though, but that also means that there's still time to get a few more miles in and get some shape back in my old legs ready for the better weather. It was nice to be away, but it's even nicer to be back home again, the 17 odd hours of travel back from Singapore wasn't much fun, I can't normally sit still for 5 minutes, so 14 hours of enforced incarceration was never going to be pleasant. As for temperature difference, 31 degrees one minute, 3 degrees and frosty the next. It was nearly enough to make me turn around and get straight back on the plane again! Before I left for sunnier places I'd spotted that our friends at Saturn Running had put together a cheeky wee Midweek marathon, handily being run on Friday 31 Jan, and thus, perfectly timed for my arrival back home. I had a spare day's leave to use up and it seemed like an ideal opportunity to get a winter marathon on the books, start the year as we mean to go on and all that jazz. And thus it was, that I found myself, stood on the banks of the River Thames at Egham (Surrey) at 08:30, on what turned out to be an unusually warm January morning, passing the time with a handful of other like minded lunatics, waiting for the nice man to say, GO! It wasn't the most interesting course, a smidgen over 1 & 1/2 miles up the bank of the Thames towards London, turn around and back you come, repeat 8 times for a full marathon, or as many times as you can before you lose the will to live! Like I said, not the most interesting course, but easy to manage, access to drinks etc every 3 or so miles, not too muddy, no traffic, pan flat, and better than slogging along on the road. There's not really much to say about the run itself, I was a bit overdressed, having not expected it to be as warm as it was, and suffered a bit with being too hot, struggling a little towards the end, but nothing to serious, or worthy of comment. To be honest I don't really think running a Marathon off the back of a trip away and a long plane journey was my best ever idea. I'm also coming to the conclusion that these flat courses don't really suit me. I seem to do better, and enjoy myself more, on the hilly off road stuff, that most normal people avoid. Excuses made, a time of 3:52 is pretty slow by my current standard, but, among the esteemed turnout (I've never seen so many 100 marathon club members in one place) is one I'm reasonably happy with. Whilst I was off running around like an idiot the lovely Emma, took delivery of this little lot. I've mentioned before my plans to build a fruit cage over the allotment to stop those pesky Pigeons eating my tea and this little lot will form the cage itself. It's not going to be cheap, but I'm hoping that the old adage of do it properly first time, will come into play and I'll recoup my outlay in the long run. In the few years that I've had my plot, I've seen numerous attempts at wooden cages made on other plots, all of which either succumb to the wind or the posts rot away in a few years, so fingers crossed this will work out better and be cheaper in the long term. So first things first, and it's out with the angle grinder to cut some of those bits to length and drive the neighbors mad (they must really hate me when I get going on a project). The next issue was obviously how to get that little lot from the back garden to the allotment. If only some idiot hadn't converted their van into a plush camper! Not to worry, where there's a will there's a way, and a little ingenuity soon overcame the transport issue. Miraculously the whole lot found it's way to the allotment Saturday morning, courtesy of my right shoulder and a lot of humping and dumping, "free phys" as they say. A few hours hard graft, a bit of swearing, a chat with Kevin and Tom on the plot opposite, half an hour searching for the Allen key when it fell out of the drill (Cheers Tom), a couple of brew's, a cream egg courtesy of Kevin (Cheers Kevin), and what have we got? It, still needs a bit of fettling and leveling up, a door making, gravel boards around the base and a few other bit's and bob's sorting out, but not a bad days work and I'm happy with progress to date. The net won't get put on until the spring and all chance of snow has passed, it's surprising how heavy a bit of snow is, so there's no point taking any chances on that front. Oh, and I could have saved a few pounds by actually measuring things, instead I've got 20 odd meters of tube left over, now what can I use that for? I spotted these little fellows poking their heads above the parapet in the garden today when I came in at 17:00. Not only an early sign that spring is on it's way but it was still light too, it's only 5 weeks since the shortest day but things are defiantly looking up! |
Paul PerrattOld enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger. Archives
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