Social distancing may have put an end to organised running but I'm determined to try and keep my "Marathon a Month" attempt alive. To that end, Saturday morning saw me lined up at our back door for the Second Basingstoke Socially Distanced Trail Marathon. Participants - Me (again). After the success of Aprils endeavours I'd lined up what I hoped would be a nice route, heading south out of town to pick up the Oxdrove Way before looping across and picking up the Wayfarers walk for part of the return leg. When you see 26 miles marked out an a map it's surprising how much distance you actually cover and this weeks route took me a fair way from home. "A faint heart never won a fair lady" though. So, pack a couple of Marmalade sandwiches for sustenance (no high performance gels today thank you), plenty of water in the camel back and out the house before 07:30 to make the most of the early morning peace and quiet. With a good 20 of the 26 miles off road, I wasn't expecting a fast run, more an enjoyable day out in the Hampshire countryside and to be honest I wasn't disappointed. With plenty of hills to provide those far reaching views over lush green countryside, mixed in with tight trails through wooded tracts, sunlit glades still loaded with Bluebells and a few long steady climbs thrown in for good measure there was more than enough variety to keep things interesting. Steady progress along deserted trails and minor country roads saw the half marathon mark come and go in under 2 hours, along with the lowest point on the route. Knowing that the majority of the next 10 miles is up hill is never a good feeling when you've already got 13 miles in your legs, but by breaking it down into smaller chunks it always seems a bit easier. Get to the top of this hill and we'll have a sandwich. Get to 20 miles and we pick up the road for a few miles, that's easier running. Get to 23 miles and it's all down hill to home. Throw in a bit of daydreaming, a bit of scheming and project planning, a bit of sightseeing and before you know it your back home with your feet up having a brew. Under 4 hours for the distance, a time I'm more than happy with and an enjoyable morning out. There's no doubt I could run the distance faster but where's the fun in that? It's not all about going balls out, sometimes it's nice to just watch the world go by, pause and watch the deer running or the Kites circling on the look out for lunch. There will be plenty of time for pushing the pace a bit once we get back to organised running, but until then, I'm making the most of what I've got and I've got a lot! Interestingly, despite the mapping software predicting the distance as being closer to 27 miles, it came out at bang on 26.2 miles from back door to back door, its almost as if it was meant to be! After Saturday's adventures it took me a while to get myself motivated Sunday morning, although "The Emma" was on an early shift so I was still up and about well before most people are even considering opening their eye's to make the most of the morning.
Once I finally got going, amid a few protestations from my legs, I thought I'd best make the most of the early morning sunshine and persuaded my tired old legs that whilst being a bit stiff, there was really nothing wrong with them that a few bike miles wouldn't sort out; And you know what I was right! The sun was shining, the roads were quiet (although we are definitely getting back towards normal traffic levels again) and it was good to get out and blow the cobwebs away. I didn't go far, just a cheeky 45 miles loop around the outlaying villages and was back home well in time for second breakfast. The early start left plenty of time for amusing myself with other jobs in the afternoon and whilst of no real interest, it's quite surprising how many little jobs you can get through, so in no particular order. On Sunday afternoon I:
Maybe it's not surprising that I tend to sleep quite well and find it hard to keep my eyes open after about 22:00!
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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
March 2024
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