It was the Hursley 10K today and this year the weather was a bit kinder to us. It was my turn to run in the main race and I felt pretty good as I set off out the field in second place. The guy out in front just continued to pull away and eventually finished two and a half minutes clear. I and another run exchanged places for second up until around 6k where I started to get a splitting headache. This was bad timing as I just couldn’t push myself up the hill on the gravel track. There was then a steady stream of runners passing me and I ended up finishing in 8th place. My thanks go to the runner from Lordshill who encouraged me on across the last field which meant me finishing time of 38:45 was still marginally quicker than two years ago. Still not sure what brought the headache on (it still hasn’t quite left me yet). It may have been a lack of fluids (it felt very humid and I was certainly sweating buckets at the end) or it may be the start of a cold (I’ve certainly had a sore throat the past couple of days).
Emma was entered for the fun run and was determined to run round on her own this time. However, she met a school friend when warming up on the bouncy castle (!) and they ran round together. She had a big smile on her face at the end which is the important thing.
Posted in Family, Running | Comments Off on Hursley Headache
I’ve been past it numerous times when running from Rufus Stone, including last Tuesday, but I’ve never been in to Furzey Gardens. It’s probably not the best time of year to visit plant wise but that’s not the main reason for visiting. Interest peeked by the two at the Royal Oak, Fritham, we went in search of fairy doors! I thought we were going to get round in no time at all given the small size of the site but we managed to occupy ourselves for nearly three hours (just as well given the £18 it cost us to get in). There are supposedly around 40 doors to be found. We weren’t counting but I don’t think we were anywhere near discovering them all. It was amazing how much delight both Emma and Duncan had in finding each tiny door and they also approved of the tree houses and boat in the play area. I don’t think we’ll be regular visitors but it was a fun way to spend a morning.
Our second holiday of the summer was to be a trip to France. Other than having booked a ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, we had no real plans until Christine started looking at campsites in Brittany with about a week to go. We settled on a vague plan to split the 10 days between Névez and Quiberon, both on the south-west coast either side of Lorient. With our preferred campsite in Névez only taking reservations for a week or longer, we left home without any firm bookings.
We avoided the high-speed ferry this time and, combined with a calm sea, the crossing was mercifully uneventful. The drive across to Brittany took longer than I had hoped (with bikes and a new box on the roof the 130km/h limit felt too fast) and we arrived half an hour after reception was due to have closed. Thankfully, it was open all the same and we duly booked ourselves in to a nice grassy pitch.
With the exception of the arrival of Christine’s parents in their camper van a couple of days later, each day then proceeded along much the same lines: lazy start to the day, sun shone, , beach, campsite swimming pool, children cycled around campsite, campsite playground, children collapsed in to bed shortly followed by parents. No-one showed any signs of tiring of this routine and in the end we stayed 8 days at Camping de l’Ocean. The campsite was most notable for the lack of British people (a mix of French and Germans with a few Dutch thrown in for good measure). From the sound of it, most of them were in the campsite next door! We had just two nights where it rained with a grey day in between where we headed in to Corncarneau and the children had a surprising amount of fun in the Musée de la pêche.
For the last two nights we relocated to Normandy so that we only had a short drive back to the ferry. We randomly selected Camping La Roseraie d’Omaha from a guide book (tucked away you certainly wouldn’t have found it otherwise). Unfortunately, Emma was car sick with just 15 minutes to go to the campsite. Thankfully I’d pocketed a few sick bags off the ferry! It was a short drive from the camp site to the beach where I’m afraid we studiously avoided anything WWII related (I don’t think either of the children are yet in a position to really understand the enormity of what happened there). It was a good choice in Emma’s eyes if only due to the water slide by the pool and the ice creams in the shop!
We had one further mishap on the return ferry. For some unknown reason, Duncan headed out on to deck when I had thought he was going to join Emma in the nearby play area. He then needed a wee but couldn’t find us again and was picked up by a member of the crew with rather damp shorts… We’d just spotted his absence from the play area when the announcement came over the tannoy and Christine had to pick him up from the pedestal behind the information desk where he’d been placed in full view of the queue of passengers waiting to book a cabin. Thankfully Christine had thought to pack some spare clothes for just such an eventuality.
All in all, with the help of some fantastic weather, it was a very relaxing holiday. Christine and I have both had the luxury of a one day working week but next week sees a return to normality with school restarting on Tuesday.
Posted in Family, Travel | Comments Off on Camping en Bretagne
We headed along to the SOC event at Knightwood Oak today which was doubling up as the club’s picnic. I had an enjoyable run round the green course although there’s no denying that the head high bracken impinged on the runability. More so for the children! Having decided the yellow was a little long for them on top of the walk to the start, Christine opted for the score. There was apparently still a fair amount of grumbling from Emma and Duncan. As you can see, Emma had chosen an outfit that wasn’t entirely appropriate for fighting through the undergrowth. Sadly we didn’t get to stay for the picnic either as we’d left ours on the kitchen table! It did mean we had a little more time to pack for our holiday though.
Today we headed over to Finkley Down Farm courtesy of a pass we won in the school raffle. In common with other ‘farms’, there was the usual mix of animals and indoor/outdoor play which certainly kept our two amused for the day. Duncan was his usual reluctant self when it came to getting up close to the animals but Emma enjoyed her pony ride, rabbit and chick petting, and the sheep racing! When it came to play equipment, her favourite had to be the ‘drop slide’ which, as the name suggests, starts with a ~2m vertical drop. No problem with heights there then!
This year’s Scottish 6-Days was around the Moray Firth and, after much juggling of options, we eventually decided to fly up from Luton (near my parents) to Glasgow. This meant that Duncan would finally get to experience flying without the pain of long haul! It also meant we could take in some Scottish scenery, stopping in Stirling on route to our caravan site on the outskirts of Nairn. Christine’s cousin and family were staying in the adjacent caravan so the children would often disappear next door during the week. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we did really get to make the most of the nice sandy beach just 50 metres from the door.
Day 1: I had a reasonable start to the week finishing in 12th in the coastal dunes at Lossie. RouteGadget shows my main blunder was at the 8th control where, having just nipped off the path for each of the earlier controls, I actually had to do some fine navigation. A few smaller blunders towards the end at 16 and 17 where I had fallen in with Roger Goddard (interestingly, RouteGadget seems to show that he slowed down to my pace rather than my gaining from running with him!). It was pretty wet and, post run, I just sat in the car with the children waiting for a decidedly damp Christine to return.
Day 2: This time we headed west along the coast to Carse of Ardersier. I had a good run if a little lonely. Once again, RouteGadget shows a small miss at six and again at 21 although my route choice to 26 left a little to be desired as everyone else I spoke to had spurned the heather in favour of legging it round the path.
Day 3: Another nearby coastal location, this time Culbin. This was my best run of the week with a 5th place and, perhaps not coincidentally, was my first late start. This meant I got to take the children round an excellent string course which had activities at each control (bean bags in the bucket, blowing bubbles etc.). RouteGadget shows a pretty steady run except for an overshoot at the fourth control.
Rest Day: We spurned all of the orienteering activities and went just up the road to Fort George where the children enjoyed the talk by a redcoat, displays, and just generally running around a working army base (complete with ‘armies’ as Duncan likes to call soldiers). We then had a fun afternoon at a JOK birthday bash.
Day 4: Loch of Boath was billed as ‘classic Highland forest’ which is always a bad sign in my books, particular when combined with another early start. RouteGadget really just shows too many fumbles to highlight any in particular and I came tumbling down to 17th place.
Day 5: Today there was the excitement of parking on a taxiway of what was once RAF Kinloss (now Kinloss Barracks) and I got to partake in another fantastic string course with aeroplane related characters at every control in a fantastically runnable piece of mossy forest. Unfortunately this was the high point of the day at Roseisle as I had a terrible run. Thankfully I forgot my GPS so you can’t see the point at which I found control 14 when I was looking for 9 where I realised I hadn’t been to 8! That cost me around five minutes and there was more time lost just a control later. On top of which, the Inov8s that I had bought to replace my (dis)Integrators left me with a massive blister on my heel. At least things improved again with a trip to the beach at Findhorn.
Day 6: The last day was always going to be a disaster at the point at which we decided that, rather than having a late start, I should use my punching start to get out early so we could make a quick getaway. Coulmony was another ‘classic’ forest with a mix of bilberry, marsh and head high bracken. Interestingly, although RouteGadget shows some noticeable blunders, SplitsBrowser appears to show a pretty straight line so I must have been uniformly bad throughout! The only remarkable thing is that, despite taking 10 mins/k, I still had a 14th place to count towards my best four of the week and a 14th place overall.
Despite having already confirmed her 3rd place on W35L, Christine still managed to pull out a win on the final day! We didn’t stay for the prize giving though, instead setting off West to head down towards Glasgow via Loch Ness, Fort William and Glencoe. Unfortunately the rain had returned in force and we only stopped for a couple of short leg stretches on the way to our B&B. The return flight from Glasgow the following day was pretty uneventful, Emma being engrossed in the in-flight magazine for most of the journey!
All in all, it was a good week with enough sunshine to make you forget the rain and (some) excellent areas. Most importantly, the children enjoyed themselves!
It was the last event of SOC’s Summer Series today, taking place at Royal Victoria Country Park. The temperature was still soaring but there was a pleasant breeze today, amplified by the proximity to the water. Christine went out first and I went round the yellow with the children which was mercifully short and I managed to get Emma and Duncan round without any bribery! At one point we dispatched Emma round one route whilst Duncan and I went the other. Needless to say, when we reached the control, there was no Emma. She’d found yet another of the many paths that don’t appear on the map and, after calling to her, she reappeared rather tearful. We quickly agreed to stay together for the rest of the course, arriving back at the finish at the same time as Christine.
I didn’t have a great run, starting with a poor route to the first control. I’ve had a lingering headache for the past couple of days but thankfully it actually seems to feel better after running. I certainly felt better than the guy I came across lying on the ground groaning. He claimed to be okay but, as I took the wrong road at the next junction, I happened to pass by registration and dispatched someone in his direction. At one point, I nearly repeated an error from a previous event here: running off the map. I just stayed on but did spend a while wading around in a marsh that I needn’t have done! I just about managed to top the results but less than a minute ahead of Christine.
There was a club BBQ afterwards along with the prize giving for the summer series. Despite not having done the requisite five out of eight events the children received certificates and medals which was a nice touch. Kevin seemed keen that no-one should go home empty handed and Christine and I were also awarded medals for some reasons made up on the spur of the moment which I now forget! We then made the most of the venue, doing a tour of the crazy golf (more like hockey when Emma and Duncan are playing), beach and ice cream van. Perhaps not unsurprising that Duncan was asleep before we got home.
Posted in Family, Orienteering | Comments Off on Sizzling end to Summer Series
I made it along to Emma’s sports day this year. After a selection of non-competitive activities we got to the main events of the day: the running race, the egg and spoon race, and the bean bag race. Emma seemed particularly aware of the other competitors in her races i.e. she spent more effort looking around than moving forwards! This didn’t stop her loitering after the finish line in the hope of picking up a sticker even if she had been well and truly been beaten out of the top three. She did scrape a bronze in the egg and spoon race having launched her egg over the line!
Posted in Family, Sport | Comments Off on Sports Day
It was the Hursley 10K today and this year the weather was a bit kinder to us. It was my turn to run in the main race and I felt pretty good as I set off out the field in second place. The guy out in front just continued to pull away and eventually finished two and a half minutes clear. I and another run exchanged places for second up until around 6k where I started to get a splitting headache. This was bad timing as I just couldn’t push myself up the hill on the gravel track. There was then a steady stream of runners passing me and I ended up finishing in 8th place. My thanks go to the runner from Lordshill who encouraged me on across the last field which meant me finishing time of 38:45 was still marginally quicker than two years ago. Still not sure what brought the headache on (it still hasn’t quite left me yet). It may have been a lack of fluids (it felt very humid and I was certainly sweating buckets at the end) or it may be the start of a cold (I’ve certainly had a sore throat the past couple of days).
Emma was entered for the fun run and was determined to run round on her own this time. However, she met a school friend when warming up on the bouncy castle (!) and they ran round together. She had a big smile on her face at the end which is the important thing.
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