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It’s 2008 it’s not a report - it’s a
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Sandwiched between
the end of my day shifts and starting my night shifts I must do lots of miles. Monday, early doors, it’s time for
badminton with Stephania - round 46
and a knockout for the man in the blue corner. Monday afternoon the first run of the week and it’s with the lovely
Louise. It’s the turn to meet at her house and her decision on the route and
mileage. Louise picks the river so it’s a steady run up to Thornton Lodge then down to the path that
skirts the high tide mark of the River
Wyre. The path was very muddy but it was a beautiful day, ideal for
running. Tuesday - round 47. If you only played backhand and I was a foot
shorter I would be a beaten man but I’m 6.2 with a sweet forehand, the blue
corner takes the prize.
After last Wednesday’s long run disaster I am totally prepared this week -
well almost. I have hidden a bottle of water near Stanley Park Sports Centre after finishing badders on the Tuesday. I have everything ready for the
run the night before. I have put in brand new batteries in the Garmain GPS; I am taking no chances. I
arrive a few minutes early at Caroline’s
and turn the watch on; it usually takes a couple of minutes to home in on the
satellites. Some 5 minutes later I am still stood waiting for the signal;
finally it shows then, with my patience already worn, I can’t reset the
distance. It is then thrown into the boot and we will rely on the one Caroline has borrowed from Bev Wright. I carry a small bottle of
water Caroline has her Camel rucksack with a full supply of
water!
Like Monday it is perfect running weather.
The miles fly by and at the end of every mile the GPS watch lets us know by a short audible alarm. There are many
times in a long run when you struggle slightly that’s why not running on your
own is a great help. The chat helps take your mind off the running for large
parts of the miles. Very soon we are circling Stanley Park and setting off back to Fleetwood. This week it was Caroline’s
turn to feel tired but we had already discussed her winning the cross country
at Hyndburn, her long run with Bev the following day, then her speed
session the previous night. Unlike ‘wimpo’ the previous week she suffered in
silence and plugged on all the way back to the house. Bev’s watch stopped at 13 miles which is 13 more than mine so we
still don’t know the exact distance. The guess is that it’s nearer to 18 miles
than 17 as it took 2hours and 6 minutes to finish. I always think the hour’s
badminton with never give up Steff is the equivalent of running 6 miles so I
ran 12 miles with Steff and 8 with Louise then 18 with Caroline. So 44 miles in 3 days not
bad eh?
I attempted a
double lap of Stanley Park on Thursday morning but my legs where
still suffering from Wednesdays 18.
I managed just a lap then back in for a sauna. Friday was our third badminton match of the week and I managed my
hat trick but it is never one sided. Saturday
and it’s the Parbold Hill race at
I picked up Sarah at 
starts with the lap of a field then
it’s onto the road that leads us up to the start of the Harrock Hill race. That tough hill never gets any easier - it seems
to go on for ever. I find these races great but it is very difficult to get
going with the conditions underfoot and the many stiles you have to go over. I
always have a target and ‘he’ set off a lot quicker than me but he was always
in my sights. At 5 miles I heard the familiar sound of Dave coming up behind me. He had already said he was not at his
best before the race so he was not exaggerating. Dave’s presence spurred me on to keep ahead of him but half a mile
later he passed. With a mile to go I passed my target. Dave was still in sight but at least 100 metres ahead. I tried but I never got any closer. I
finished in 52.18 some 22 seconds behind a ‘not at his best’ Dave!
Sarah had a brilliant run though she badly jarred her back
going over one of the many obstacles. Though disappointed, she knocked over 2
minutes of her last year’s time. Chris
had a fantastic run considering it’s only his second race in over a year (the
first was last week). Graham, Nigel and Kath all ran well. The question for Chris and I was: “Why where Kath’s legs not covered in mud like
the rest of us?” Trevor from
I have had a very Girlie week; a week with no male
training; but at the moment everyone has their training routine to fit in.
Written by: George Kennedy
Submitted: 17th February 2008
Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Editor