Hawker Challenge Charity Run (marathon) 29.01.23
A bit of a grey day in terms of weather down by the River, but big celebrations for Annabel's 200th Half-Marathon! Congratulations to you, lovely Annabel!
Sarah and I somehow managed to get each other around 8 laps, probably mostly by chatting enough so that our legs didn't get a word in, and employing the shrimp/ pretzel/ Freddo strategy. Thank you Sarah for making a tough run still feel fun!
The Phoenix runs last weekend were all in aid of raising money for the Rays Of Sunshine charity , which works to make wishes come true for seriously ill children 💛💛💛
Old Skool Fridays (32.8 miles) 03.02.23
Train strikes mean getting around is a bit of a hassle. Ended up staying over in Walton-on-Thames on Thursday night, and it was strange coming down in the commuting rush on Thursday evening, instead of the usual empty early morning train. I think the change in routine upset my delicate balance. I had an M+S picnic when I got there, which was of course very nice. I have this strange thing (which I think is my Dad's fault, as he sneezes a lot), where whenever I eat, I straight after feel really very sick, and then I sneeze, and I feel fine again. It's weird, I know. This time, the feeling of needing to sneeze was so intense, much worse than normal, but I couldn't sneeze. Then I started coughing, and I got into such a state with it all, that I was sick! I'm never sick, hardly ever. It was all very awful, for about 10 minutes, and then all of a sudden, it passed as soon as it came, and I was fine again.
So, although I was sorry to miss a pub session with Craig, it was lucky I was in bed, where I recovered and watched the Hairy Bikers (who were in Elmbridge, doing Meals on Wheels!) and read a book, and went to sleep to forget the whole episode.
In the morning, I seemed to have no ill effects, and met Craig for the walk to the start. When when Sarah arrived, we were treated to a Lovelock Lap, when after charming us and doing some bucket list progression work, Lovelock ran off in to the distance.
It was the most beautiful sunny day on the Thames, and it felt like spring was coming. We were in much better spirits than last week, and the laps went by quickly. We did 10 laps, which is 32.8 miles, for Sarah's 99th ultra-marathon. Congratulations Sarah!
We talked about reconstructive surgery and having parts of you replaced, the oldest embryos to be adopted and born (30 years after being made), the world's oldest dog (also 30), strange exhibitions on in London, bruises, shrimps and coconuts, the obligatory lap to talk about work, Brazil/Seville, inspected Sarah's 300th medal at one point (beautiful!) and discussed the outfit co-ordination and nails that will be required for the big day, what to eat the day after 100 miles, and canal boats and rescuing cows from canals. We also shared some miles with Dr Rob.
The journey home was "interesting". After quick power walk to make the 14:10 train which said it was running, we did a final sprint to the station, only for the train to pull out as we approached (you try sprinting after 33 miles and with one of Rik's giant Remembrance medals in your backpack). All the next trains were cancelled! We put into action Plan B - "The Buses". We hopped on the 458, which had the biggest bus tickets I've ever seen, and after initially going in the wrong direction, eventually took us to Kingston. Here, Sarah went on a shopping expedition, and I got on the number 57 bus to Wimbledon. It was all going well, spare for a few traffic jams, until it turned out it was school time, and 100 school kids all piled on. Reaching Wimbledon, a little frazzled by the experience, I found some coffee to regain some energy/ enthusiasm, and jumped on the District Line. At Earls Court, I realised at the last moment I was on the wrong branch of the District Line, and did another jump off that tube and onto the right one. From here it was all plain sailing, to Whitechapel, to catch the Overground to Hoxton.
Thank you Rik and Phoenix Team for a fun couple of days on the towpath! Well done to everyone, and especially to everyone reaching milestones!
No comments:
Post a Comment