Fleming Fun

March 24th, 2013

Emma before Eastleigh 2K Fun RunToday was the day of the Eastleigh 10K and Fun Run. As the latter wasn’t until the afternoon, I went over on my own in the morning. It wasn’t exactly ideal conditions with the temperature hovering just above zero and even that was until you took the biting cold in to account. At least it was dry though! I had put 36 minutes down as my target time and, having never done a 10K on the (reasonably) flat before, I wasn’t really sure how realistic this was. (My PB is, I believe, 35:36 at the undulating Brading 10K back in 2004).

The race started fairly well and I made it round the first half in 17:45. Unfortunately, although my legs felt fine, my stomach wasn’t happy . I was wretching at 9k and finally parted company with the contents of my stomach just after I crossed the finish line in 36:32. I’m not sure if I hadn’t left enough time after breakfast (I’ve got too used to going running on a Tuesday evening straight after dinner, forgetting what a difference it makes when you’re really trying!) or whether it was the slightly out-of-date gel I had in the half an hour before the start. Either way, it’s not a bad time but I’m left wondering what it could have been…

I returned home to pick up the rest of the family so that Emma could run the 2K fun run. Her only other race was in the pouring rain at the Hursley 10K last year so this may have seemed like a distinct improvement. She did, however, start off in all of the clothes you see in the photo, only discarding the coat because it was getting in the way a bit! She insisted on going round on her own (probably off the back of last week’s string course). I’ve no idea how long she took (probably something around 10 minutes if the timestamps on the photos I took afterwards are to be believed) but most importantly she was still smiling at the end. Then only one more trip to Fleming Park for swimming lessons later in the day!

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Gutter in full flow

March 20th, 2013

We had a busy weekend just gone. On Saturday, Christine was at a first aid course and I amused the children by taking them in to the Science Day at the University. Duncan was a bit bemused by it all but Emma got in to the swing of things. Those manning the stands were very good at talking to her rather than me although that sometimes meant the science got a bit lost. Indeed, afterwards, Emma claimed that she hadn’t learnt anything! Whatever the truth, she did get a good haul of freebies.

On Sunday, we went to the SOC event at a very damp Kings Garn Gutter in the pouring rain. I had first run. I had a relatively clean run, only missing number 16 which, as you can see from Route Gadget, I think was in the wrong place. The fact that the controller spent 15 minutes checking it was in the right place just makes me all the more doubtful. More of a problem was obviously my speed as, when the results came out, I was over 10 minutes down on the youngsters.

Emma was delighted with finally getting to an event with a string course. She went round three times including twice on her own. Duncan wasn’t in such a good mood as all the large puddles meant that he repeatedly got wet socks!

The event also saw a presentation to club stalwart Jean Velecky on occasion of her reaching W90. There are a few photos here.

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Half Term fun

February 20th, 2013

Emma at Farley MountI was on parenting duty for the first day of half term. After a leisurely start to the day we headed out to the newsagents to buy the obligatory holiday magazines. Emma had been given five pounds (or five hundred pounds as she likes to think of it) and, whilst quick to alight on Sparkle World magazine at £2.99, then demonstrated a complete lack of mathematical ability in determining how much change she would get from £3! Both children went on their scooters. Duncan would have preferred his bike but was refusing to wear a helmet. He then wanted to head out the driveway in the wrong direction. He then wanted his bike instead. Suffice is to say, he cheered up once we’d watered the bushes outside school! We also stopped at the playground on the way home.

Duncan at Farley MountAs the sun was shining, I also managed to persuade the children that we should go out again after lunch – this time to Farley Mount. This time both children wanted bikes. Duncan demonstrated that, although still on a balance bikes, he could still do with brakes going down a steep hill! (It was bath time when Christine pointed out the black eye that had resulted from the impact with the end of his handlebars!) Both children seemed to think that, if they kept their helmets on they had license to throw themselves off all of the play equipment so that wasn’t the only bruise in evidence. There were lots of children out and about and Duncan was quite literally spurred on to new heights (climbing to the top of the pyramid on his own).

Needless to say, I was glad to return to work the following day to get some rest!

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Orienteering at the Beach

February 20th, 2013

Duncan at Knoll Beach

When we said ‘yes’ to running at Sunday’s CompassSport Cup qualifier I hadn’t quite realised where Agglestone was. It is the heathland that rises up behind the Sandbanks peninsula just over the border in Dorset. We were parked in one of the National Trust car parks on the seashore which meant that, whilst Christine went for her run, the rest of us headed to the beach. As you can probably tell from the photo, although sunny, there was a stiff breeze coming from the sea so nobody was going to be stripping off to run in to the sea but the children certainly enjoyed playing in the sand.

I had started to shed clothes as the scheduled time for our handover approached and was freezing when Christine eventually appeared. I couldn’t believe it when she said I didn’t need a hellie but it was a good call – in land and out of the breeze it was quite warm.

I can’t claim to have had a good run. At the fourth control I lost around three minutes as I just couldn’t get the flat terrain on the map to match the hill on the ground! Looking at my GPS trace, I think the control was also further north than mapped which didn’t help. Some judicious use of form lines on the map would have helped greatly as would more care over the mapping of the gorse and the inclusion of all of the major paths! It’s fair to say that I wasn’t the only one grumbling about the map back in the car park. I finished eighth, over eight minutes down on the winner. The club also came second by some margin to Bristol which means that we don’t progress to the final in the Forest of Dean.

On the ferry on the way back I asked Emma whether she’d prefer a beach or a string course at every event. The power of sweets is remarkable: she opted for the string course!

20130217 Agglestone GPX

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Start of the Rainbow

January 13th, 2013

Emma in Rainbows regaliaYesterday saw Emma in her new Rainbows uniform for the first time. She’d been to a trial session last year and wouldn’t stop talking about it when she got back. She doesn’t start in earnest until this coming week but she had an invite to their annual ‘fun day’ in Eastleigh. Christine went along as well as she has been roped in to helping on a regular basis. Emma certainly had fun as it sounded like one big party. There was even a bag of goodies to bring home at the end! I’m not so sure about Christine’s feeling on spending the day with 300 six year old girls!

And, in case anyone asks: why Rainbows not Beavers? Well, partly because Christine thinks the boys should be allowed to play on their own once in a while, but mainly because we were far too late in enquiring about Beavers! Duncan is now on the waiting list…

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Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud

January 6th, 2013

Hampshire Cross Country ChampsYesterday was the Hampshire Cross-Country Champs, handily taking place at nearby Fleming Park. Christine had been let off marshalling duties so we didn’t have to be there until after midday. I took the children to the playground whilst Christine prepared, returning in time to cheer her in to the home straight. She finished a respectable 31st and 4th W35. I was a bit concerned as to quite how many laps of the old golf course my 12km race might entail but it was sufficiently convoluted that we only had to go round the three times. Although muddy, none of the course was under standing water as it has been on previous visits!

After a fairly fast first lap I concluded that I wasn’t going to finish at that pace and slowed for the second. Perhaps because of this (or could it even be the semi-regular training that I’ve managed for the past month?!) I actually felt fairly good on the last lap. I even managed a bit of overtaking in the final mile although was gutted to lose out on yet another sprint for the line (to the sideburns in the accompanying picture!). I came 41st in the results which equated to 33rd in the senior men (unlike the women, the men have to wait to 40 for the next category) in a time of 45:48 which, although some six minutes slower than the winner, I was pretty pleased with. To put it in perspective, my 10k time was 39:09 over an undulating and muddy course. Perhaps I’ll even try my hand at a 10k on the road this year…

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New Year Score

January 1st, 2013

Balancing at QECPAfter a dry night (no bed wetting for Duncan but lots of toilet trips) we had to drag ourselves out of bed this morning (I even found Emma getting the cereals out of the cupboard when I got down). It was well worth it though as there were clear blue skies as we set off for the New Year’s Day score event at Queen Elizabeth Country Park. I got to run the 45 minute score while Christine went round with the children. I felt a bit sluggish to start with heading up the first hill to a 50 pointer which is perhaps why only half way up I realised I should have just run along the road to get another control first! Other than that, I had a enjoyable run. I could have scored a little higher if I had realised earlier that I wasn’t going to get all of the controls but I got back with just a second to spare (by my watch – the results are a little more generous) and appear at the top of the results.

After lunch by the cafe, we drove up to the top of the hill and Christine had a run whilst the children went round the play equipment (or is it a fitness trail, I’m never too sure!), played in the dens and rode around on their bikes. I then made the mistake of suggesting we pop in to Cotswolds on the way home tp see of there was anything good in their sale. After the day’s exertions, Emma went in to meltdown when they didn’t have a pair of pink moon boots in her size! It was still a good day on which to end my holiday – back to work tomorrow!

20130101 Queen Elizabeth Country Park Score

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Fountains and Pirates

January 1st, 2013

The last day of 2012 got off to a bad start: there was a bit of a clunk as I flushed the toilet for Duncan but it was only whilst washing his hands that I noticed the fountain of water coming out of the toilet cistern! As I couldn’t immediately see what the problem was so I raced downstairs to turn off the water only to be greeted by the sight of water pouring through the kitchen ceiling. After 30 seconds of scrabbling around under the kitchen sink to no effect (I was turning off the outside tap!) I ran back upstairs and lifted the ballcock in the cistern to cut off the water. It then became apparent what had happened. The outlet on the valve had come off leaving the mains pressure water free to spout upwards. The cistern is boxed in so the top corner is cut away to allow access. The water was therefore shooting up and then, hitting the lid of the box, coming back down again outside the cistern. Thankfully the water didn’t have to travel far from there before it found the hole for the kitchen light fitting (and the lights were off)!

A bit of shouting finally roused Christine and I could tie off the ballcock whilst I found the correct tap for the mains. After a bit of fishing around in the cistern I could finally replace the outlet (tying it in place this time as obviously the normal scheme wasn’t sufficient) which just left the clean up operation downstairs.

There was plenty of water to be found outside as well in the shape of rain so it was good that, in the afternoon, we were off to see Treasure Island at the Nuffield Theatre. It was very well done. Doctor Livesey kept protesting that it was not a pantomime and that it was a traditional family Christmas entertainment but he wasn’t fooling anyone. There was certainly plenty to laugh at for both adults and children with the occasional bit of audience participation thrown in for good measure. Despite Emma’s reply in the interval that the best part so far was the ice cream she was tucking in to, she certainly enjoyed the production. Hard to say what Duncan made of it all – he was certainly transfixed through to the end though! The run continues until 13 January so well worth a ticket if you’re in the area.

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