Denholme Doddle, 21 miles, 23.07.2022

An adventure with my Mum and Andrew!

A 21 mile loop (plus an extra bonus mile and a bit) starting and finishing in Denholme in West Yorkshire. 

It was atmospheric drive over!

Arrived in plenty of time, so time for coffee and biscuits at the start. At 08.30 we set off.

 From Denholme the first section headed up over the moors.....

...... down into a lush green valley, and up (a recurring theme) to the moors again...

CP1 was at the windfarm at Withens Inn. All the CPs were great, with bananas, crisps, sweet, bars, and water. And lovely marshals!

The next section included the simultaneously steepest and jungleiest path I've ever been up, which was quite exciting in it's own way.

But after a long hard climb  it made for great views at the top!

We carried on over the moors and by High Brown knoll trig point.

And then down to Hebden Road CP2, where in addition to the normal CP fare, they also had my favourite cake bars! The lady manning the CP was very lovely indeed, and we had a nice chat, and I will look out for her at Kew Gardens!

From here, we headed down the moor, and then down further, descending a steep and slippery cobblestone path to Lumb Bridge (past the elves).

Back up on to moors.

And then down to Walshaw Dean reservoirs and CP3.

From here, the next section went along the Pennine Way for a while past Top Withens (which is said to be the inspiration for Wuthering Heights)....

Then down to Bronte Falls Bridge, and up a steep hidden path through the ferns with the Falls splashing away down to the left.

Once at the top, it was a long trek along a track to CP4 at Oxenhope, where I accidently hit the cute little dog helping to man the CP on the nose with the water bottle top, which upset both of us quite severely.

The last section was full of surprises! We crossed the Keighley and Worth Valley Steam Railway, and saw two steam engines go by!

And then we saw chickens!

Some pretty miles through some heather....

Before climbing the most stylish of styles.....

To collect a rude sign photo, which is obligatory on any adventure.

And arrived back at the finish for cups of tea and a yummy meal!

What a great event! Thanks Brian and the Denholme Doddle Team. All the marshals were so friendly, and it was a beautiful route! Will definitely be back. There is a 17 mile, 21 mile and 27mile options, runners and walkers are welcome, and it's a fabulous event.

 

And thanks to Mum and Andrew for a great adventure! 

Saturn Running: a four day running weekend (3 x 50 kms + 1 x marathon)

It's the Saturn Ladybird 10 in 10 on at the moment, and I joined in for the first four days.

Day 1: Friday 15.07.2022, 50 km, 5:47

Due to the heatwave later in the week, the events were having earlier starts than normal. But today the temperature wasn't too bad, so I had quite a normal start at 08.00 after travelling down on the train.

It was the Runnymead route which is 4.4 miles per lap. I did 50 km, so 7 laps and a little bit. I love this route! 

Ran with Stephen for two laps, which flew by really quickly - many thanks Stephen! We discussed, amongst other things, the acceptable number of presents to have in a party bag for a first birthday party, paddling pools, and high heel injuries. 

A bit later I caught up with Kat, where we discussed how many events we were each doing.....

Kat: I'm doing all 10. 

Me: I'm doing the first 4.

Kat: Well, we know what happened last time you said that!

Me: Yes! But I have to go back to work on Tuesday (makes a sad face)

Kat: "insert swear word" work!!

Lady walking past: Yes! "insert swear word" work!

All: laughs

Feeling inspired by this exchange, I picked up my pace probably a bit more than I should have done, and I was soon feeling tired and was getting too hot. But then I bumped into Lisa and Marie, and having a nice catch up took my mind of things, as we discussed favourite cake varieties. Marie also somehow managed to have ice pops that were still frozen! 

Ran the last lap chatting with Lisa, which took my mind of being tired and hot, and soon enough we were finished and all sat down under the trees at the finish drinking cold drinks and catching up with everyone.

Although the event is the "Ladybird 10 in 10" I'm not doing all 10, so in this case you get bee medals instead. I love bees. I have one of these medals from last year (a yellow bee) so am happy to bee able to add to my bee rainbow with Bright Coral Bee.

Day 2: Saturday 16.07.2022. 50 km, 5.56

After the fiasco a few weeks ago with the engineering works on the trains and taking over four hours to get home from the Egham run, I'd decided to stay over for the weekend in Staines, in the Travelodge. The Travelodge I suppose doesn't have the most glamorous location, with it being opposite the carparks of the giant retail park, but from the window there is a roundabout to watch all the cars getting annoyed with each other, you can see the M+S Foodhall from the window, and it's only two minutes walk to the start of the Saturn Staines route. Apart from being hot in the room and not having air con, it wasn't bad at all.

The course was the Staines route today, which is a 4.4 miles loop from Staines up to Penton Hook Lock and back. Andrew had come down to do a last minute marathon! We started at 07:00 to get most of it down before it got too hot later. We ran a couple of laps with Jonathon. Everything was going well, Andrew did a marathon and went to the pub, and I did an extra lap for my 50km......during which I fell over (thank you Chrissy for the wipes!). By the time I finished and got back to the aid station, it had been moved, as an unexploded WW1 bomb had been found in the river! Drama! Everything turned out to be OK, so the race was completed, and a few of us went to the Slug and Lettuce for catch ups and a fish finger sandwich. 

Medal today is Hot Pink Bee.

 

Day 3: Sunday 17.07.2022, 50 km, 5:51

It was the Staines course again today, and I was planning to start at 06.30. My alarm didn't go off, so I woke up just before 06.00 in a panic, and made it only a little bit late to the start.

Lovely morning by the river, watching the hundreds of swans, well, swanning around I suppose. I spent some time (well, a lot of time) looking at the lovely houses and choosing which one I would buy. But this is not as much fun on my own, as it is with my Princess Twin Sarah, who wasn't there this weekend! 

It was getting a bit hot, and I was flagging a bit if I'm honest, so thank you to Dom for a couple of laps of pulling each other around! And for pointing out the Flag House!

It was a bit too hot, but I still felt OK when I finished my marathon so carried on for a 50 km, and got Light Purple Bee.

 

Day 4: Monday, 18.07.2022, Marathon, 4:56

I was worried about today. There was a Red Weather Warning for heat, and I wasn't sure about running. The event was starting off in the early hours though, so that runners could complete and be finished before the temperatures entered the Red Zone. So I decided it was OK starting early. There was also an extra water stop being put on half way around each lap. I figured I could just go and start, and if it got too hot, I would just stop. You have to respect weather like this and be careful.

I tried to get some sleep, but it was too hot and too noisy- although it's nice almost being able to touch an M+S Foodhall from your window, idiots do wheelies around the car park roundabouts all night. Which is annoying when there is a heatwave and you need the windows open.

Got up at 03.45, and thank you to Jon for the lift to the start in Egham! 

We started around 5.15 and I ran the first half lap with Jon, which was fun, although chatting was a bit limited as we had to be super quiet so as not to wake up the people with houses by the river, or in boats.

 

It was beautiful by the river in the early morning light. And a nice temperature to start with - it was 19oC when I started and it gradually got hotter and hotter until my Garmin said it was 31oC when I finished just after 10am. I was super happy to not be running any later than this, as I was starting to wilt like a delicate flower. 

I didn't feel too great today, due to a list of varied and random things - I had sore foot from a blister I got yesterday, stomach ache, was tired from not sleeping, and just feeling a bit unenthusiastic in general. But it's always lovely to see everyone and you always feel cheered up with each wave, and smile, and chat. So big thanks everyone!

Thank you for the Refreshers dual ice pop George!

Today's medal is Pale Coral Bee.

Big thanks to Team Saturn for a most excellent weekend and for looking after us all in the heat! Well done to everyone, and especially the epic TiTs! Enjoy the next six days! And take care in the heat. 

Phoenix Fridays, Summer Friday - 29.5 miles, 01.07.2022

A sneaky run squeezed in before going off on holidays!

Phoenix Fridays, down along by the River Thames. Sarah and I had two weeks worth of chats to catch up on, so we had to do an ultra marathon to fit it all in. 

It was a nice day to be down by the river, and it was a lovely day for running, not too hot and not too cold. A bit breezy in the "danger zone" by the rowing club, and under Walton Bridge (new name - Wendy Walton), and about lunch time the sky went dark and it looked like it was going to bucket it down, but it stayed dry all day! 

There was almost a disaster after lap 1, when it was discovered there were no shrimps on the aid station, and I thought we were going to have to call it a day then and there. But behold! Percy Pigs and red squishy hearts saved the day. And the pretzels were a new pot just opened, and had a good snap to them. And the lemon squash was just the right degree of lemony. And we finished in time to liberate the aid station of the last two cupcakes! 

It was a lot of fun today, even if our legs were inexplicably feeling a bit tired, and many chats and smiles were had on the way round. Good to see lots of friends out today. Well done to you all!

Even if you run somewhere a lot, there's always something different to notice. The swans moving from the Swan Spa to be nearer the pub, which is fair enough I suppose. And the display outside the flower shop always changing, to be topical.  The light on the water and through the trees is always changing, and some moments are so peaceful. All the different dogs pottering around (and new ones - lovely Lando!), and the friendly robin hopping around the aid station. 

Thanks Sarah for another lovely time, and for always making me smile. And for our discovery trip to the worlds most pleasant post office! 

29.5 miles of running (9 laps), and 5 miles of walking there and back = is hopefully enough to stop my Garmin being so critical all the time.... It won't be, but all you can do is try your best I suppose. 

Big thanks to Rik and Phoenix for a Fabulous Friday, the buff, and the Blue Bridge medal! One day, I'm going to add up how many times I have run over the Blue Bridge! 

Centaur 100 Miles, with Phoenix Running, 18.06.2022

I can't believe it's a year since this event last year! I absolutely loved it last year, but I was a bit apprehensive about this one and wasn't sure how it would go - I did my last 100 miler 2 weeks ago, and a marathon last weekend, and I have never done 100s so close together before, so I was a bit unsure how it would go, or if I could do it. But I figured, turn up, try your best, and most important - remember to have fun!

The Centaur 100 was part of the Denbies Festival of Running weekend - where there were lots of different events on; a half marathon, marathon, the Minotaur 50 miles, Centaur 100 miles, or the P12 and P24 (where runners run a mile on the hour, every hour). Everyone was doing different things, and some people were doing multiple events. Which is always fun, I like it when people are all doing all sorts of different things! There were so many running friends around, it was brilliant to see everyone, and to make new friends too!

The course was a one mile loop around the triangle shaped field and the bottom part of Denbies Wine Estate. Compared to the rest of Denbies, it is relatively flat, although it doe s have some slopes! I love this loop - it's all through the vines and is surrounded by beautiful views, and it is easy to break it up into the different sections, and I find the loops go by so quickly. The greens of the vines, and the trees and the hills were just beautiful! These are some of the sections of the course:

Box Hill and then end of our "Pacer Section" with little Max (thank you, Max!)

Box Hill through the vines

 

"Green Carpet Hill" (start of walking bit)

 

"Nice Downhill" before "Wendy Hill"

Remember to Have Fun!

Heard it on the grape vine! (vines on the left were where we had to get to before we were allowed to walk)

How can you ever get tired of this view? The greens! So beautiful!

The Grinch Tree

The camping field was by the aid station, and the whole event felt like a festival really, with some running thrown in! This time, I had purchased a pop-up tent especially for the occasion, so felt like a proper camper (compared to the last time I went camping, and only took the ground sheet instead of the actual tent). It's different shades of green, and looks like a small green egg. It doesn't have a front, so Andrew says it is a fishing tent, but actually I think you'll find that it's name is actually a "beach tent" which is suitable for family camping, fishing (OK, fine, whatever), the beach, and picnics (now we're talking!). I thought, it would be perfect to pitch by the edge of the route, and arrange everything inside, so you can just grab things as you go past. Which was a great idea, apart from if it rains (see later section on The Weather)......

Another 100 miles with Sarah, and another 100 miles of chatting. This was our 6th 100 mile adventure together! We always have the best fun, genuinely, and I know it's 100 miles, and of course it is hard, but really we always do have such good fun and the miles fly by. I think, what's the point in doing these things if you won't enjoy them? People sometimes say, how can you find things to talk about for 100 miles? And I always want to be able to say something intelligent like, well, of course, for miles 0-20 we usually start by discussing the origins of the universe and any new theories we have been developing since our last run, then for miles 20-30 we move on to debating the changes in the political environment of the last week, before at mile 30 spending a few further miles contemplating quantum physics. But actually, of course, we are probably just talking rubbish, which becomes increasingly random the longer we've been running for. The tiny tiny grapes, and how they must make tiny tiny bottles of wine! The psychedelic grass pattern on the green carpet on Green Carpet Hill in the headtorches, and how this compared to green paisley carpets we may have had in our home growing up. 50 Shades of Green. If today is a good temperature for shrimps (actually, that's a rolling agenda item).  Which is just the best fun, and I do think that the more you smile, the less you can worry about what mile it is, or what time it is, or what part of your body is starting to hurt now. We didn't even officially check what lap we were on until lap 92, and then there were only 8 left to count, which was much more manageable than 100! 

It was fabulous too, to chat to and catch up with so many people during the event. And to see everyone achieve so many different things. All amazing!

Fabulous to spend the first marathon distance with Andrew - thank you! And well done on your bivvying adventure with Alan afterwards - hardcore!

Super to see Tara too - who dropped in (with cake!) after her Surrey Seven Tea Shop 27 miles (but in an impressive display of willpower, didn't go in a single tea shop). Thank you for the cake, and our unicorn biscuits!

The Weather: Oh! Must mention the weather, of course. Very hot and sunny when were started at 08:00 on Saturday, and it was very hot running around in a vineyard with no shade. In the afternoon, it started to rain (sandy rain!) and it cooled down a bit. Then the wind picked up. The combination of sandy rain and wind did not suit the fishing/picnic/beach tent at all, especially when it's open side was facing into the wind. Sarah's tiara had also blown off the top. We had a short interlude of tent rearranging, where we unpegged it, turned it round, and solved the problem, but not before everything inside had been covered in sand rain. Oh. The rain was on and off, heavy and drizzle. Soon after it got dark, there was a storm, with the most spectacular lightening show over Box Hill! Then it rained some more, got really cold overnight, and stayed that way. Lovely standard summer weather really. We did our packing on Friday, when it was 32oC, so packing gloves and extra layers seemed so unnecessary, but wow I'm glad we had them, it was chilly overnight!

It was very dusty at Denbies (no puddles like last year), and these were our legs after taking off the timing chips 😂

We finished 100 laps in 22:59:59, which is hilarious, as we had absolutely no plan about any particular time we wanted to do, and didn't know what the actual time was either, but now I am going to tell everyone we were aiming for sub-23 hours, and we nailed it by one second 😂

Huge big thank you to Phoenix Running and Rik, all the AMAZING marshals, and Timing Monkey for a brilliant event. And absolutely huge congratulations to everyone who ran - you are all brilliant and did amazing - thank you for everyone's company and support on the way around! And of course, thank you Sarah for another amazing adventure!

Saturn Running - The Great British Bake Run (marathon), 12.06.2022

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!