All Bases Covered

L recommends the Fractured Marathon at Calke Abbey, that I’ve not heard of before. It sounds interesting and thankfully it’s not ‘fractured’ as in ankle although it is all off road . It’s called fractured because each of the 10 x 2.6 mile laps start on the half hour. So it’s not a continuous marathon, assuming you can do a lap in less than half an hour. It also starts at 7pm, which means the last lap starts at midnight.

Another race that is in the diary is the Peterborough Marathon, which I had considered doing as a warmup race for the Brighton Marathon but it appears there were only 170 in it last year. Which isn’t quite what I was looking for but then if everyone thinks that they’ll never get the numbers up.

On Monday we all head over to L’s folks to shift some things downstairs for them which means the boys get a walk around Mickleover. It’s already dropping colder and by the next morning it’s very icy underfoot. I fall over twice while walking the dogs, who barely notice. I do manage to make it to the bus and therefore to work without any further falls but that’s probably helped by not having a dog in each hand.

Later L fails to talk herself out of run club while I fail to persuade the Lad out of wanting to go Dog Training.

On Wednesday I am summoned to the Yard for pizza by my now retired ex-colleague. The only probably is that I am down to run 10 miles tonight and now I’m full of pizza. Somehow I get through it.

Thursday see L heading over to her running club again where they have introduced a longer 6 mile run but she is having what she calls ‘massive nerve attacks’ about it, what I call ‘adrenaline’. This is because it's only fast fellas that have posted on Facebook to say they are going. 

I’m sure she’ll be fine. I pop both a 0% Leffe and a 9% Leffe in the fridge, so that all bases are covered for when she returns.

(Thursday 23rd January)

Another Nearly Day

I’m at a dog show somewhere near Rugby today and I wonder if MD will start off in style like he did last time out. Nope. The little sod completely skipped his dog walk contact but (and it’s a big but) I suppose otherwise it was a good first run. However we still went straight on to the practice ring where he managed eight perfect dog walk contacts in a row. As I said, little sod.

L parkruns and then spends two hours rolling around on the floor at Pilates before heading off to meet her sister who is in town visiting their brother.

Meanwhile MD has a good run in Jumping but demolishes a jump. I give him a bit of a talking to/pep talk and then head off for a brief lunchtime run to try to loosen my tight calf.

We do at least go clear on the afternoon's Jumping course but it’s very scrappy and only good enough for 11^th place. He also gets all his contacts in the Agility but again has a pole down. We find out that we got a rosette for 13^th in this morning’s first run despite our 5 faults. So it was very much a ‘nearly’ day.

L and I are both doing the Calke Abbey 10k tomorrow so it’s pasta, AF and a night in tonight. So with no pub it’s a case of make your own entertainment. You can never have too many Fridays.

(Saturday 17^th September)

The Thrill Of The Chase

We do the separate dog walking again this morning and I am pleased to find that my legs are still working.  I am enthused and clearly L is too as she lets me enter us both in the Calke Abbey 10k which is in two weeks’ time.

Daughter rings and I think pays us a compliment by lamenting her father for not, among other things, being as affectionate with own partner as L and I are with each other. She points to the fact that we are always licking each other’s faces. Erm, I think she’s gets us confused with the dogs there.

I spend £90.39 in Sainsbury's. Get in. After not shopping for two weeks the chance of hitting the magic £90 target for triple Nectar points was on but obviously the trick is to not go too far over and save some of your firepower for future offers.

Although as triple points is worth a mere 90p it’s not really about the money it’s all about the thrill of the chase.

Dogging is surprisingly on. Which gives L chance to nip home for a secret liaison with the hoover while the dogs and I are out of the way. No doubt the pair of them will be cavorting in the bedroom again. 

(Monday 5^th September)