My next installment of southern sojourns!
Friday:
A few miles walking around the Penguin Parade (much harder than it looked to find them all, and the map was most definitely not to scale....) Followed by fuelling up with Eastern European tapas with Rebecca and Adrian (including hot potatoes, similar to 100 mile potatoes, Rebecca!) And wine, which from numerous experiments, I conclude probably isn't the best hydration preparation for a marathon, but when in Rome (or the pub).....
Stayed overnight at the blue bunkhouse (Travelodge) in Walton-on-Thames, which I would like to say was relaxing, but wasn't.
Saturday
After a night of listenting to the tranquil sounds of Wetherspoons at 1am, interspersed with the heating coming on and off, which sounded like the roof was collapsing each time, it was time to leave my luxurious accommodation and do some running.
Starting at 7am, I joined Sarah, who was already blasting through her laps - and did the first two laps in the dark, which was great! I love running in the dark, and in Scotland at the moment it's dark essentially all of the time, so I felt right at home. Another 4 laps of chatathon-ing in the light, then I completed my last two laps on my own, marvelling at how mild it was, how hot it felt, and how light it was. Two people this week already have commented that I seem to have a tan, so either it really was sunburn weather, or I am just so pale since moving to the far north, that any sort of natural light perks me up now.
Afterwards, there was time for the Dave Purbecks band to reunite, and to spot my favourite robin. He has been hopping around the aid station for at least couple of years. I looked up the lifespan of a Robin, and the average is only 13 months! But this is due to high mortality in the first year, so if a robin gets to its first birthday, it can live for many years, the record is 19! So, I think it's the same one. I also leant that up to 10% of fatalities in the first year can be due to aggression between robins over territories, and so robins aren't born with their red breast, because that is a key tool in defending their territory, they get their red feathers later.
The blue bunkhouse was altogether a more relaxing place to be on Saturday night. I love a good sleep, especially when really tired from a bad sleep and a big run.
Sunday
Another 7am start, this time with the added bonus of glitter (aka rain in the headtorches) and a Christmas tree on the aid station. Hohoho!
A Christmasy day, not even dampened by the heavy rain that started at about mile 20 and soaked everyone's fine Christmas outfits. I thought the weather was meant to be better down here. Got an advent calendar though, so it was worth it (I'd run anywhere for chocolate).
Lovely catch ups afterwards, and warming up with chips and coffee.
Followed by refuelling with Turkish food with Sandeep in Wood Green (near my next blue bunkhouse, for work) and more refuelling the next day with Danielle at the Christmas Markets in Leicester Square. I think it's safe to say, refuelling is complete.
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