As if by magic we lost an hour in bed, but we've gained an hours useable daylight at the end of the day. Well I say useable, I was using the hour in the mornings! But apparently normal people don't get up early enough to see that, so we've got to move it to the other end of the day. Personally, I think they're missing a trick, because the early mornings, when everyone else is still in bed, is the best bit of the day, but what do I know?
Either way, the clocks have changed, so we had better make use of that extra hour of daylight and what better way to do that, than a day out on the bike? To be a bit more precise, Sunday morning saw me up bright and early, ready for the Start Of Summer 200Km Audax. Now, I've done this ride a couple of times before (it also runs as the End of Summer, when the clocks go the other way) and I've never really got on with it before. Due to the time of year, (there's more chance of snow in March than there is in December) the route follows some major B roads which should be passable whatever the weather decides to do. Roads, which due to their location around the Goodwood race track and through the South Downs, seem to attract a certain type of motorist. Now I've got no problem with people tearing around the countryside like some sort of over age boy racer, but it does detract from the cycling fun somewhat! This time though, was the first time I'd done the route round the other way, by which I mean we did the South Downs / Goodwood loop first, (L/H loop on the map) and what a difference it made. It would appear that the race car fans don't get up early and getting the hilly bits out of the way on fresh legs certainly makes a difference too. Such a simple change made a massive difference in my opinion and took the ride from not particularly enjoyable, to "when can I do that again".
A cold a frosty start, soon gave way to a beautiful morning, with the sun gently warming the air, whilst the climb up towards the first major checkpoint at Petersfield, did the same for my legs. Making good time, I was soon on my way towards the coast and the next checkpoint at Chichester. A good "sweat on" up the killer climb at Harting Down, then get my jacket zipped up again for the long gradual downhill, loosing all that hard earned height in exchange for a few easy minutes and some much needed speed.
It can't be all downhill though and it's not long untill that drop in height comes back to haunt me on the long drag back across the South Downs towards an early lunch stop back at the start at Petworth. It's more than worth it though for the warm welcome, hot brew and Beans on Toast on offer from the ever cheerful team manning the control and with just over 50 miles already done the chance of a quick stretch, before heading out for the afternoons loop.
By early afternoon the day was really warming up and it wasn't long before I had to stop to loose more layers. A wise decision in the morning had seen me replace the planned long leggings with shorts and leg warmers, a decision which paid dividends as the afternoon wore on and I got the chance to feel the cool March air on my legs. Legs which had been hidden away all winter finally released, although not for long I'd wager, there's still time for snow yet this year!
I'll admit that shorts with winter cycling boots and rolled down socks isn't the best look, and I'm sure that the fashion police were hot on my tail for crimes against fashion, but I was happy, and as far as I'm concerned that's all that matters! Down to Shoreham, then North, into the wind for the run up to the next checkpoint at Pease Pottage services and the chance to grab some water and a bite to eat before heading back towards the start and an eventual finish. Not the most exciting route, or the most challenging, but a great day out none the less. Made even better by the home made cake on offer at the finish. A fitting reward to the end of a day out in the spring sunshine, and all finished off with an outstanding sunset as I made my way home, tired but satisfied and already looking forward to the next one!
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We're going to start this week with a Why? Or more accurately two Why's. The first ones easy, the second one's just been bugging me all week and I'm failing to understand the logic behind it, but lets start with the easy one first. Why, have I just filed the van up with supermarket fuel on my way to this weeks adventure, at the exorbitant price of £1.53 a litre, and then driven round the corner to find 3 more supermarkets at £1.51 a litre? It's only 2p a litre but that's still nearly £2 I've just wasted. But that's not the point, I mean, how the hell am I supposed to fund my adventures when that happens. Hurrumph! Right, now I've got that off my chest, how about this for a why? I ran into work on Thursday morning and it was pretty grim, in fact I actually got wet on my commute for the first time this year. But that's not the problem, a bit of rains an adventure and a test of character, certainly not worthy of half a page of waffle. What is worthy of the waffle though is the driver that thought it acceptable to come screaming past me, on a narrow country lane, in the half light and rain, but then 2 seconds later slammed on their brakes and came to a stop for a pheasant that was stood in the road! Now, that little act raised a few questions in my mind. Firstly did they not see me, but spotted the pheasant and acted? Was it easier to spot a little pheasant than me, a 6 foot man, with a flashing red light on my back, a reflective jacket, a high viz belt and a head torch? If that's the case, then I'll happily ditch all the high viz and lights and just stick a few feathers in my cap. Think of the money I'll save, there's loads of old feathers knocking around the roadsides, I'll just grab a few next time I'm out and I'll be invincible. Or, and this ones more likely. They saw me, but decided that I wasn't worth slowing down for! I'm only a runner after all. I'm predictable, I'll stay out of their way and it's my problem not to get run over, not theirs to take any action, or give me a bit of space to make my journey safer. The Pheasant on the other hand, is unpredictable, and cuddly, it will probably run in their way and make a mess of their nice shiny car, so it's worth braking for! And that my friends is what's been bothering me for the last few days. Is my life really worth less than that of a pheasant in the eyes of that motorist (and I'll tell you right now, that this sort of things not a one off). Have we really got to the point where we see people as so predictable that they're not worth worrying about, or just shouldn't be there in the first place? Well, if that's the case, then roll on greater automation and self driving cars. Let's take the arrogance, self importance and speeding out of the hands of people who clearly aren't capable of making sensible, rational decisions, and put those decisions into the hands of technology that can be programmed to make the correct decision and act accordingly. I think as a pedestrian, cyclist and runner, that I'd feel a lot safer knowing exactly how a vehicle's going to react to any situation, than the current situation where you've got no idea and take your life in your own hands the second you step out the front door!
Right, now I've got that off my chest, what have I been up too this week? Well for a starters, Saturday saw a bit of Audax fun, in the shape of the Chiltern Grit 200K. Another cheeky wee jaunt, starting from Aylesbury and heading down, on an out and back loop, towards Caversham (Reading), before heading off for a lovely afternoon taking in the sights of Buckinghamshire.
A drive up to Aylesbury after tea on Friday and a cosy night in the van, meant I was perfectly placed for an early start Saturday morning and was stood champing at the bit on the start line for an 07:15 start. Alright, maybe not champing at the bit, maybe, shivering and clapping my hands together on what was a cold, clear and frosty morning, with plenty of promise for a glorious day to come, but you get the idea.
With no wind this early in the morning, the low winter sun warming the fields alongside the route and the birds doing their best to break the silence, the run down to the outskirts of Reading and back was fast, and with only the briefest of stops for a proof of passage receipt I was back at the first checkpoint at Hartwell nurseries café, with 56 miles under my wheels just after 11:00.
Still too early for lunch, although the pies, cakes and sausage rolls looked divine, I opted to push on, making my way steadily across the lumpy terrain to first Winchendon and then Marsh Gibbon (who wouldn't want to live there) for the intermediate checkpoints. As the morning rolled into afternoon so the wind started picking up, and working my way up though the never ending building site that is HS2, there was quite a breeze blowing. Not a problem at this stage with it on my back, but that can't last forever and at some point I knew I was going to have to turn into it.
That point came only too soon, when after the Stony Stratford checkpoint the inevitable happened and I met the full force of the wind head on. Now I'll happily admit that I'm not built for ploughing into the wind. Going uphill, fine, into wind, no! I'm a skinny little runt and I've just not got the strength or power to plod interminably onwards against mother nature, as such it quickly becomes a suffer fest, with today being no exception.
Within 30 minutes I was starting to struggle, and soon after I could feel my desire to continue waning. Slogging on, with the impending sense of doom that no matter how hard I push, I can't get enough speed to make any decent forward progress is soul destroying and it's easy to slip into the black pit of frustration and despair. Sometimes, it's pointless fighting it and spotting a sheltered little spot I stopped, cracked open the biscuits, had a good stretch and a few minutes off the bike, in an attempt to restore my sanity. Stood out of the wind, with the sun warming my back, the birds singing their hearts out all around, and a chocolate biscuit in hand, it was hard to imagine that 2 seconds before I was on the verge of cracking. But that's the whole point of these adventures, pushing yourself until you find the limit, dealing with it and cracking on! What's the saying, "Without struggle, there is no strength".
Refreshed and reinvigorated that's just what I did. Coming up to the next Info Control I caught up with a fellow rider and we spent a while swapping positions on the road, suffering together, without words, as we slogged into that cold winter wind, making slow but steady progress towards the next checkpoint, where miraculously, another turn took us back out of the killing headwind and bought an instant return to normality.
It's amazing how quickly the suffering is forgotten. As soon as the speed picks back up towards the magic 15mph mark, the bumps and road vibrations are reduced as your wheels skip over the ruts and rough tarmac, instead of falling into every little hole and shaking your entire being to bits. And at the same time, with the increased speed it's easier to maintain that speed, it's a win all round and within seconds the previous pain and suffering is forgotten, the smile's back on your face and your having fun again! And fun it still was, the sun was still shining, the miles rapidly ticked down and before I knew it I was back at the start. 126 miles, 9 hours, plenty of highs and a few lows. But most importantly a brilliant day out, along a great route, with plenty to see to keep the mind occupied and more than enough challenges to make it a rewarding day out. What's not to like about that, and all organised by a great bunch of volunteers who gave up their Saturday so I could have fun, great people, great fun and a great day out. Roll on the next one is all I can add to that, although you can keep the wind!
Always keen to take advantage of any opportunity, I took the van back to Hartley Wintney after my Audax fun on Saturday night, ready to take advantage of a bit of running. My plan being to try and have a look at the last (or maybe first) leg of the Brenda Parker Way, ahead of my planned attempt at the whole length in a couple of weeks.
The only fly in the ointment of my brilliant plan was one of my own making and more of a disappointment than a disaster. Before I left Friday night, I'd looked in the freezer and spotting what I thought was a tub of Chilli, grabbed it thinking "Chilli for tea Saturday night in the van". Now I'm really partial to a good Chilli and I'd been looking forward to this all day. In fact I'd almost say that it was the thought of my Chilli for tea that had driven me on against that brutal headwind. Imagine my disappointment then when I tipped my Chilli out into the saucepan to warm up on Saturday night, only to discover that it was in fact Chicken and Pumpkin Curry! I can't really complain, because it was still delicious and filled a massive hole rather well, but it just wasn't what Id been looking forward too. Oh well, that will teach me not to label things!
Anyway, I digress as usual, although to be honest there's not a great deal to be said about Sundays run. I didn't get all the way to Aldershot, but got as far as the Basingstoke Canal, which was the aim of the day and covers the bit of route which I was unfamiliar with.
I'll also confess that it was pretty slow going on legs that were still tired from Saturdays efforts. But with a cloudless blue sky, a heavy frost still on the fields when I set off and some new and exciting paths to go down, it was easy to put the aches to the back of my mind and just enjoy the freedom of the miles passing under my feet.
8 Miles out and 8 back again, put another 16 miles into my legs and keeps the yearly total steadily rising. I've not done too bad this month either, specially when you consider that it's a short month. I've racked up 201 running miles in total, including 2 Ultra Marathons (Darkstar and Punchbowl) and done another 2 x 1/2 marathon distance runs on the other weekends (14 and 16 miles respectively).
That's not bad going for an old fellow, although sitting here typing this today, my legs and ankles are certainly feeling it. Oh well, what's the saying "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger"?
The only other point of interest from the weekend (as if I need more) is a few hours on the allotment Sunday afternoon. With my seed order having arrived safely and the greenhouse feeling pleasantly warm in the afternoon sunshine I guess it's about time we got growing.
To that end, that's the first sowing of Broad Beans in, and the Sweet Peas too. I guess they will either grow, or more likely the temperature will drop off again and they'll rot, but there's not a lot to loose either way, and at the end of the day it's only a couple of quids worth of seeds whatever happens. There's plenty of growing going on elsewhere too with the first of the Daffodils proudly showing off their trumpets in the gardens and the Rose bushes and Clematis showing the first signs of new growth. Things are certainly looking up, best we prepare for snow! Annoyingly, having written a post about the Start of Summer Audax to fill in this gap, it promptly disappeared when I posted it, never to be seen again. Not to fear though, I will rewrite it, it might just take a while. However, hopefully this will act as a reminder and eventually I'll get round to it.
Sorry!
To say it's been a bit breezy for the last few days is probably a bit of an understatement, although I don't think it's been any worse than the storms we get every year and certainly not up to the end of the world predictions that the media have been on about. Even so, Fridays breeze caused me a bit of a change of plan, which luckily I was well prepared for.
Looking at the weather forecast on Thursday evening I'd said to "The Emma", "I think I'll take my running stuff in to work tomorrow, at least that way if the end of the world does happen, I can leave my bike in work and run home, which might be a bit safer". Good planning hey, and just goes to prove that I'm not a complete chancer and do occasionally think about things. It's probably a good job I did too, as by "POETS" time, that's "P**s off early tomorrows Saturday" for the uninitiated, it was blowing quite a hooley! Certainly not cataclysmic, but strong enough to almost bring progress to a halt when the wind caught you straight on, and definitely strong enough to shake all the loose branches out of the trees and whirl the loose leaves around your feet. There's something oddly satisfying and exhilarating about being out when the weathers doing it's best to stop you though, and I couldn't help but smile as I made my way home. It wasn't my plan for the day, but it puts another 10 miles into my legs and adds 10 more to the years total, so what's not to like about that? Oh, and it means that I'm going to have to get up early to run back to work on Monday too as my bikes now in the wrong place. Double bonus miles!
With no other real plans for the weekend, (we were supposed to be going into London Saturday for a few beers with friends, which the weather eventually put paid to) I grabbed the opportunity to take the Van down to St Mary Bourne on Friday night. With the plan being to get a few early miles in as part of my ongoing reconnoitring of the Brenda Parker Way and still be home in time to catch the lunchtime train into London.
After the strong winds during the day, by early evening all was still and the sky's had cleared, revealing a plethora of stars and an almost full moon, accompanied by a rapid drop in temperatures. Nothing to cause any problems in the well insulated van, with the heater gently warming my toes, but enough to leave a good coating of ice on the sides and door rails when I ventured out for my run at first light. I guess the fact that the van sides were still frozen solid, it shows how well the insulation does it's job, as it was toasty warm inside.
With the sun shining in the cold still air, it was a real contrast to Fridays wind and a real pleasure to be out. There was a few fallen trees blocking the route and plenty of loose branches laying about, but nothing else to suggest the gales of the day before had ever occurred. The birds were singing, the squirrels busy in amongst the trees and I spent a few minutes watching a small herd of deer making their way sedately across the fields without a care in the world.
With 13 miles for the morning, I was back at the van in time from my morning porridge and a brew, before heading for home, and still back in time for the lunchtime train. Or I would have been if it hadn't been cancelled due to more inclement weather! It's quite amazing how things can change in a couple of hours. I'm sat here now, typing this up (Saturday afternoon) and it's lashing it down, with the wind whistling round the chimney pots, what a contrast to first thing this morning. I've said it before, the mornings the best bit of the day, and today certainly proved that to be true!
I mentioned last week that my thoughts are starting to turn to the allotment, with the promise of better days to come. To that end I had an hour sat in the van with a brew last weekend working out what we are going to be eating this year, and I ordered all my seeds one evening in the week. Hopefully they will get here this week ready to start sowing towards the middle of March, but before than there's plenty of jobs to be getting on with, not least cutting back the hedges that border my plot.
There's no doubt that this isn't my favourite job, not only are the thorns incredibly sharp, and also seem to make any splinter go scabby instantly, but when I do trim them back I've then got a massive pile of trimmings to try to get rid of. The hedges do have their benefits though, not only do they provide housing for the little birds that do so much good, which is why they need cutting now, before they start nesting. But the hedge makes a great windbreak too, on a day like today, most of the plots get a real battering, but mine, tucked in the lee of the hedge is a real oasis of calm. A real benefit, that just about makes up for scabby splinters! A couple of hours Sunday morning saw all the hedges freshly shaved ready for Spring, I'm not sure how much longer the hedge cutters are going to last though. I had to stop a couple of times to strip and rebuild the gearbox, when the cutter bar gets jammed up the drive cog jumps off of the bar. I'm guessing that it's supposed to be a weak point to prevent real damage, but either way it's now in the workshop waiting for the time to strip it down properly and see if I can come up with a better fix before I need it again.
After a brief interlude back home for a spot of lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon in the drizzle emptying out one of the compost bins and spreading it across the plot to make room for the new hedge trimmings. They're mostly green and leafy and whilst it does take a while they do rot down eventually and I'd rather spread the goodness back into my plot than take it to the tip.
And that was about it for the day really, I did think that it was getting a bit dark as a I wandered home, with a bucket full of leeks and parsnips for tea, but wasn't prepared for the fact that is was 17:30. Not only does that prove the old adage that "time flies when your having fun" but it shows that the days are rapidly drawing out too. More signs that better days are on their way.
Here we go again then, another weekend and another adventure to be had. The weekends seem to be coming round quickly at the moment. Not as quickly as Monday morning does mind you. But if the weekends are coming round quick, it must mean that the week days are passing even quicker, which when your stuck in the office all week must be a good thing.
What have I been up to this week then? Well for a starters there's the small matter of another Marathon, more of which later, but lets start with Saturday and a little bit of bike fun. As I mentioned last weekend, if I'm travelling for a run on Sunday then I'm determined to try and make the most of the trip, and with things still quiet on the allotment front, there's probably no better time for a weekend away than now. A bit of tea with "The Emma" Friday evening and then off to find a little hideaway at this weekends location of choice (Tilford in Surrey), for what should have been a nice quiet night in the van. You'll note that I said "Should" there, because my solitude was somewhat interrupted in the middle of the night by the local youths picking the same remote spot for an impromptu argument. I suppose it could have been worse, it could have been a Rave, but I ask you, who drives miles out of their way, in multiple cars to stop and have a barney? The youth of today, hey. When I was that age I'd have still been in the pub, incapable of having a row, let alone driving! Anyway, by the time the sun came up to reveal one of those overcast but dry February days, where there's a vicious cold wind blowing, but the sun makes the occasional appearance to brighten your spirits, I was up and ready to go, with a cheeky little 60 mile loop through the gorgeous Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex countryside lined up. Just what's required to warm up my legs ahead of Sundays main event.
And warm my legs up nicely it did too. As I've already mentioned, the sun made plenty of appearances to raise my spirits, although the wind was particularly chilly, with a nasty edge to it. Not enough to spoil the first signs of Spring that are starting to appear here and there though.
There's plenty of Snowdrops in the hedgerows and verges, adding a splash of gorgeous white to the otherwise brown landscape. There's Catkins in the trees aplenty and the first of the Daffodils and Pussy Willow wont be far away. The Blackbirds are singing their hearts out and the Goldfinches and little Tits are busy out foraging for supplies to see them through the cold days that are still to come, but better days are certainly on their way. To be honest there's not a great deal else to say about Saturday. Unlike last weekend when everything was a struggle, the miles just rolled along, whilst I happily watched the world go past. Lost in my own little world, thinking about everything and nothing, and to me it doesn't get much better than that. And here I am now, back in the van, safe from the biting wind, with the heating gently warming my little safe haven, kettle on, ready for a brew before tea (soup with crusty bread if your interested) ready for an early night before tomorrows next round of fun. But before then, I'm going to spend an hour or so with my brew, planning what I'm going to grow on the allotment this year and what flowers we are going to have in the gardens, ready to get my seed order in next week. Because, by my reckoning, its only few more weeks until the sowing season begins and I'd hate to get left behind!
You'll have to forgive me the fact that there's a bit of a shortage of pictures this week, that's mainly due to the weather for Sundays running fun.
Having been keenly watching the forecast for the latter part of the week. It looked like the run of dry weather was about to come to an abrupt end, right about Marathon O'clock. Typical! So, bearing that in mind and with the updated forecast still showing a band of heavy rain due to arrive by lunchtime, I'd taken all the normal precautions. Wrapping my phone in numerous plastic bags and burying it safely in the middle of my pack, just to be on the safe side. I mean, what would be the chances of the heavy rain arriving bang on time? Fully prepared for every eventuality, I'd checked in with the lovely people from the Surrey LDWA group who were kindly organising this weekends fun, aiming for as late a start time as possible within the allocated window. Now, there's a bit of a problem with LDWA's event's, namely that they are designed for walkers and not idiots that think it's a good idea to run around the countryside at the weekends. As such the checkpoint opening times are set for fast walkers and slower runners and if I'm not careful (and I get lucky) I can just about get ahead of the checkpoint opening times. The simple solution to which, is to start at the latest possible time, whilst taking it slow and enjoying the route for what it is, a great day out through some stunning scenery.
Although this was to be the 51st running of the Punchbowl Marathon, today's route was somewhat different from previous years, with not only a new start location, but a new route too, taking in Frensham Ponds and staying North of the A3 for a change. In keeping with all LDWA events though, within 50 yards of the start at Tilford village hall we were off the beaten track and onto the footpath network, where, apart from a few small road sections, we stayed for the next 30 miles.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Frensham Ponds, complete with early morning swimmers and geese aplenty, came and went within the first few miles, accompanied by a surprise checkpoint, specially set to catch out anyone thinking that they'd save themselves a few miles. From there, it's just a short jaunt across the sandy soil towards Rushmore and the first checkpoint proper, where a quick time check showed that I was making good time, a touch too good in fact. The dry sandy soil in this area coupled with the recent lack of rain, meant the ground was dry and firm and the initial miles were passing easily at a steady pace. The long slog of a climb up to the Devils Punch Bowl slowed things down a bit, but even this didn't seem to present much of a challenge today and being in the lee of the hill provided a modicum of shelter from the howling gale that was blowing steadily on the more exposed parts of the course. With the rain holding off the view from the top was as majestic as ever (you'll just have to take my word for that) and it wasn't long before I was enjoying some easy downhill running, as I dropped back down towards the next checkpoint. ______________________________________________________________
Checking my watch again as I arrived at checkpoint 2 I realised that my initial fears had come true and I was 20 minutes ahead of the opening time. Not a problem, today's not a race, just a great day out and being ahead of time gave me ample opportunity to get some fluids on board and partake of the biscuit selection on offer, whilst having a chat with both the lovely people manning the checkpoint and the few other runners who started to arrive shortly after and also found themselves in the same situation. The only downside to this terrible predicament, being that by the time I came to set off again, not only was I pretty cold, but I was also stuffed full of biscuits and a lie down would have been preferable to running another 16 miles!
Moaning about being full of biscuits isn't going to get me to the end though, so push on and try to stay ahead of the rain. That plan lasted for about another hour, and just as I passed through the third and final checkpoint the rain started. A few gentle spots to start, followed minutes later, as I crested a hill, by the full force of the wind throwing bucketful's of freezing rain straight into my face. Nice! Back in the trees I persevered for a few miles, hoping that it might stop again, but eventually sense prevailed and I stopped to pull on my waterproof jacket and hat. Having the right kit makes any weather bearable and now correctly attired I pushed on for the last few miles, steadily ticking them off as the rain dripped incessantly from my hat, before running down the back of my neck in time with my foot fall. And that was that, as they say. Surprisingly quickly I found myself back at the start, with another 30 miles under my now waterlogged feet. And a wonderful 30 miles it was too, high points, sandy commons, ponds, rivers and a plethora of wildlife, all accompanied by my fellow adventurers out for a great weekends fun. And most surprisingly I got round in exactly 5 hours, including the 20 minutes I spent stopped at checkpoint 2, now what's the chances of that, 5 hours dead? Sometimes I sit down with my laptop in front of me and the words just flow. Other times, I sit here staring at the screen and there's just nothing to say. It's not that I've been doing nothing. I'm always up to something, it just seems like I don't know what to write about. I suppose that's a bit like motivation, some day's I get up raring to go and can't wait to get out of the door on my next adventure. Other days, "Meh"!, let's just have another brew and see what happens. Saturday was a bit like that. I've been out in the van all weekend, not that I had much reason to be out on Friday night except for the small matter of a Marathon on Sunday, but as far as I'm concerned, if your traveling for a Marathon on Sunday then you might as well make a weekend of it, pack the bike too and get a bit of riding in somewhere new to make the trip worthwhile. If I can self propel myself for more miles than I drive this year, then I'll be a pretty happy man. Although that's going to be a pretty big ask as I do seem to get around a bit! So I'm taking every advantage I can to get out and about. Anyway, digressions aside, after a good nights sleep Friday night, Saturday dawned frosty, cold and clear, perfect cycling weather, despite the chilly fingers. But you know, I just wasn't feeling it. From the off I was clock watching, ticking down the time and miles, missing out on the world passing under my wheels and the beauty all around me. Just going through the motions. I still tapped out 45 miles, which I guess is 45 miles more than most of the population. I still travelled down a few roads that I'd never been down before, saw a few places that I wouldn't have been to otherwise, and held my breath waiting for my impending death, when some dozy driver decided that my life was less important than their coffee or whatever they were doing, which meant they weren't looking where they were going, ending in a screech of tyres as they slammed their brakes on to avoid going into the back of me when they finally looked up! But I wasn't having fun, so I slunk back to the van for a brew and some soup for lunch and re-evaluated my options. It was still far to early to just sit around, so I dug my walking boots out, pulled on some warmer clothes and went for a mooch around. And you know what. Despite the chilling wind that had picked up during the morning, I had a really good afternoon. I plodded sedately up the river bank with the incoming tide, I stopped and looked at an old railway bridge and admired the skill that went into it's construction (all riveted, none of that welding lark), I watched some birds going about their business, I said hello to some cows and sheep braving the growing gale, and I spent an interesting hour investigating some castle ruins and looking around a church yard. Nothing exciting, nothing particularly taxing or exhilarating, but a great afternoon out in the fresh air. And as I set off later, for the final few miles down to my night stop, I did so feeling refreshed, content and happy. I've said it before, but I don't know why I don't do more walking. The slower pace is good for the sole, you see things that you miss on the bike, or running, where it's head down, must get to my destination. But more importantly, it gives you time to think. And as I'd been plodding along on Saturday afternoon, I'd spent a bit of time pondering what's become a bit of a reoccurring theme for me at the moment; "If you miss things when your running and cycling because the pace is to fast to take it all in. What on earth do we miss, when were tearing around in our tin cans"? Someone asked me the other day at work, what I got out of cycling or running to work in the cold and the dark. Arriving with fingers that are so cold I can't get the door unlocked, or feet that hurt from the 10 mile run in, and having to get up at stupid O'clock to do so. Having thought about it for a few seconds, I thought of the beautiful sunrises on the cold clear mornings, I thought about the temperature changes that you feel on your face, as your climb and descend along the country lanes. I thought about the Snowdrops pushing their heads through the still frozen ground to bring the first signs of spring, along with the Catkins in the trees. I thought about the Owl, gliding silently alongside, caught momentarily in the glint of my head torch and the Deer returning from their nights foraging in the early morning summer dawn. I thought about the time to reflect on the day and the chance to clear my head of everything work related before I get home that those precious hours on the bike, or foot, give me every day. And I thought about the sense of satisfaction that just being able to do so brings me, knowing that no matter what happens, I can probably get by and survive. Unrelated to the original question, I thought of the Robin and Blackbird, waiting patiently for the grubs to be turned up when digging on the allotment, the taste of freshly picked tomatoes and the dollop of home made jam that goes into my porridge every day. I thought of the sense of freedom and satisfaction that comes with sitting in the van, listening to the rain on the roof and the wind lashing the sides, safe in the knowledge that "I made this". I thought about coming home, cold, wet, tired, or all 3, and "The Emma" putting the kettle on, whilst watching patiently as I try to get my muddy shoes off with frozen fingers, all the time dripping muddy water onto the clean kitchen floor. And I thought about my diary, with most weekends filled with some outing, bike ride or run, taking me to pastures new, for new experiences and adventures. But when all you ever do is drive from door to door and moan that you can't park right out side the office, your not likely to understand any of that. So I just shrugged, said "I enjoy it" and walked away. At the end of the day, you either get it, or you don't. And as someone else once said "If you've got to ask the question, then you probably wont understand the answer"! Hmmm, maybe I did have something to talk about this weekend after all. It's surprising what comes out when you get started isn't it! Having rambled on enough already, I suppose I had better get onto the weekends main event and the whole purpose of being out in the first place, the Dark Star River Marathon. A 28 mile, out and back course along the banks of the River Adur and parts of the Downs Link Path. Billed as normally being a mud fest, but this year we've not had any real rain for all of January, so to make up for a lack of mud, the weather gods helpfully provided a full on gale and some interesting rain to make up for it. After weeks of still calm conditions the forecast had looked increasingly worse as the week had gone on, although when I looked mid week it looked like being windy with a band of rain moving through overnight, but dry during the day. As per usual though, by the time I looked again as I went to bed on Saturday night, the expected rain had slipped to 09:00, right in line with our start time! Oh well, they're not always right, are they? Well, in this case it turns out they were, as when I got up, not only was it blowing a real hooly, but the sky's were dark and menacing and by the time I lined up with the hundred or so other brave souls at the start line, we were struggling to stand up in the wind and looked certain of a good drenching. And we weren't to be disappointed, as within 10 minutes of setting off the rain was being thrown horizontally with some force into the side of my face. Nice! Following a river makes for some flat, fast running, and despite the wind doing it's best to push us back into the sea, today was no exception, with a small group quickly forming off the front at a blistering pace, whilst us mere mortals, struggled on behind, fighting the wind at every step. luckily though the rain didn't linger too long and by the time I'd got to the 7 mile point it had petered out, just leaving the wind to deal with. A slippery, muddy section between miles 8/9 made things a bit more interesting for a while as we progressed up river, but posed no real problems and it wasn't long until we picked up the dry gravel bed of the Downs Link path for the final few miles to the 14 mile checkpoint and the turnaround point. Being an out and back course gave me the chance to see where I was in the field and the lead runners came past in the other direction a good mile or so in front of me. Surprisingly though there were less people on front of me than I'd thought, which is always good for morale. Having planned a quick stop at the turn to take my rain jacket off and catch my breath, I quickly revaluated that to "keep pushing and loose the jacket on the run", there's no point in loosing time and places just for the sake of it. Heading back the other way, gave me the chance to see those behind and offer a few words of encouragement as we passed too. That's the other beauty of an out and back, you get to see those working hard behind you, something that you miss out on when your doing a loop. Coming South the wind was brutal at times, almost stopping you dead in your tracks when it was face on, and doing it's best to trip you, incessantly blowing your feet into each other when it was from the side. Staying upright the miles continued to pass though, constantly accompanied by the roar of the wind in my ears. At mile 18 I caught the runner in front, giving the first signs that whilst I was starting to feel the miles so to was everyone else. Pushing on, I could see the next man in front and slowly, almost imperceptibly, the gap was closing. Each time I looked up he was slightly closer, until eventually at mile 21 I finally caught him and slowly inched out a small gap. A gap which continued to slowly grow, and I came into the final checkpoint sufficiently ahead that I'd left before he arrived. Just 5 more long miles to go then, and although I could see the runners in front, there was no way that I was going to be able to close the gap to them too. A quick glance behind at a bend in the river showed that my chaser wasn't in sight, so no real worries there, just settle down, hold a steady pace for the last few miles and push it home.
A last slippery, muddy stretch and then onto the concrete path for the final mile, and across the line in 3:53:02. That's not bad going for 28 off road miles into a howling gale I don't think. In fact it was good enough for a top ten finish, so not bad at all. Certainly not my favourite route, I think a hiller course suits me better, but fun none the less and another great day out to add to the memory banks. Made all the better in my opinion by the interesting weather! |
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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