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.
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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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