I had a free day, and needed something to occupy myself with, so did a last minute entry into the Saturn Running Great British Bake Run.
Aim: to check that my body still works after last weekend.
Engineering works on, so no trains going, but I had devised a Plan B, and even a Plan C (as that's always advisable these days).
Plan B was quickly discarded, due to tube delays, so Plan C involved a 1 mile walk, 2 tubes, a bus and a 2 mile walk. It all took two and three quarter hours, and I got there by 9.30, which I didn't think was bad.
It turns out that everything is still working fine, with the exception of my legs which feel a bit heavy. I did a marathon, and enjoyed a nice potter along the Thames (from Waysbury Skiff and Punting Club House, near Egham), with lots of chatting and catch ups!
It was hot, and the river was looking lovely in the sunshine.
The Wraysbury Dragons were out training from the club house. They are such a magical sight, floating on the river that is sparkling in the sunshine! I have looked them up, as they are one of those things I always see and think, oh that's nice, and then never learn anything about them. A Dragon Boat is a 40 foot traditional Chinese boat which has a crew of 20 paddlers, a drummer and a helm, and rows along in time to the beat of the drum. The boats are beautifully painted, and have a golden dragons head at the front, and a curling tail at the back. With the beating of the drum, it is quite the spectacle!
A lovely day, thank you Saturn Running! And to everyone for the chats and good cheer! I love my medal and the little cupcake pin.
The journey home was much harder than the run.....I decided to go from Egham rather than Staines, as Google Maps said it was about the same time, and it was less walking, and I was a bit knackered by then, so it seemed the better option of some not very good options. The number 8 bus that was meant to leave the high street at 3:48 didn't come, and it was an hour until the next number 8 bus. I was not going to be stranded in Egham for an hour. I had already bought a sandwich from Waitrose, and some crisps from Tesco (Waitrose sandwiches are nicer, but crisps are just crisps after all), and it seemed I had exhausted all that Egham on a Sunday afternoon had to offer. Another Plan C was needed. I looked as if there were rail replacement buses going to Hounslow, and then the trains were running up to London from there, so bought a train ticket on my phone and headed towards the station. Then the number 8 bus drove past. I shouldn't repeat what I said to it as it drove by on it's merry way, but you can imagine. At the top of the road to the station, I ran into Bushy, who was also trying to get home on the rail replacements, and had already been to the station and been directed back to the high street to find the rail replacement bus. After realising we were actually both going in different directions, and that I was therefore at the wrong bus stop, the rail replacement bus going in my direction appeared, so I leapt across the road and was forced to do a sprint, which I felt was unfair, given I'd been running all morning. But I made it, and then it was just the bus, the train, the Overground, and a walk, and I was back home in a (long) jiffy, only 3.5 hours after leaving the run!
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