An Embarrassing Moment

Checking this year’s Thunder Run results ‘our’ team of five seems to have gone ahead with only four of them and they did 14 laps. There was a big gap in the middle overnight where I assume no one went round. I think we were well out of that.

On Tuesday, L is working in London where there are so many police around. She seems quite pleased to have been searched by a very cute police dog. I assume they were checking she wasn’t off to bomb Boris.

It’s very hot and sweaty on the bike when I cycle in to work. It’s also very embarrassing on the way home when I couldn’t unclip my foot from my pedal at QMC Island and had to opt to topple sideways onto the grass verge. It seems one of the bolts securing the cleat to my shoe has come out meaning the cleat now just spins, leaving my shoe stuck on the pedal.

It was a right pain to prize it off the pedal when I get home but I manage it eventually without damaging anything.

I am then off work for the rest of the week and spend the whole of Wednesday at Locko Park, getting sunburnt and insect bitten, where we setting up for our dog show this weekend.

I manage to get away early evening because L and Daughter have talked me into doing

‘The Run’ with them. We have done this several times before. Four years in a row in fact from 2008 to 2011 but not since. It starts from the Navigation Inn in Breaston and is a 4 mile run.

We used to get a mug for doing it, in the first three years, and it still seems a rather retro venture by only having a postal entry form. Which they seem to have photocopied and uploaded upside down.

Unfortunately L can barely walk so doesn’t run and Daughter is injured too, so I end up doing a run I was only doing this because those two were but I enjoy it. At 29:32 I was only a minute slower than my 2011 time when I recall I was injured, although a full four minutes slower than my best in 2010.

(Wednesday 24^th July)

Free To A Good Home

Monday it’s our Committee Meeting and again the Navigation Inn isn’t open. It’s in the process of being converted to a Tapas Bar but I though that was all done now. It probably wouldn’t be that welcoming for us anyway so perhaps its better that we’re now back in the Dog and Duck.

Tuesday, I’m on the bike and it’s a bit blustery which always gives the legs a good workout. Not that it’s really what I want with my calf still bad. Meanwhile L takes the dogs on the park carrying a placard saying ‘free to a good home’.

I’ve just sat down with my breakfast and started recovering from my bike ride, when the nagging emails start arriving. Sometimes it’s African Princes wanting to relocate their millions to the UK, sometime it’s your partner wanting to know if we’re going to the Faroes and Jersey Boys. Yes to both, I suppose.

Tuesday night is dogging and then on Wednesday I’m back in London for a meeting.

Thursday, I’m back on the bike and really regretting forgetting my shades. What nice weather we’re having, if you like that sort of thing. L is out in Derby in the evening and we meet her off bus because squash is off again. I would have had a problem getting there anyway. L did mention that Daughter thought the car was ‘hissing’ last night. This probably explains the flat tyre. So I have a spot of wheel changing to do.

Friday, I’m on the bike again. Ta da, three in a week. It's almost like the old days when I was young and fit. I think I may have had a bit of a powernap half way through it though. 

(Friday 20^th April)

Cocktails

I bike, L swims. I hope she didn’t take the wrong kit like I did last night.

We seem to have blocked pipes and the normal unblock stuff from Sainsbury’s doesn't shift it. L’s googling recommends a cocktail of bicarbonate soda, vinegar and hot water. Which is probably only a couple of ingredients short of bomb making. I give her permission to pinch my wine vinegar.

The bathroom people ring and tell me that despite the fact we ordered it back in early July, and paid a 20% deposit, the toilet we chose is now out of stock. So we can either choose another one or stick with ours until they can get one sent to us at end of October. FFS springs to mind. I think somebody doesn’t understand the accepted use of the word ‘deposit’.

L meets Daughter at the train station. She's back in Nottingham yet again, sadly this time it is for the occasion of L’s brother funeral tomorrow. They both join us in the Navigation pub where we go after squash.

I lose 4-1 but I was just about to make it 4-2 because I was 9-3 up when the next pair of players knocked on the door. I'm sure I saw money change hands.

(Tuesday 4^th October)

That Was A Different Life

Having not injured myself in Friday’s 10k, I opt to have another go in tonight’s Notts 5 which starts and finishes on the Embankment.

I still opt to cycle to and from work though, which gets the legs going.

L nips home at lunchtime to meet a man who is coming to start taking apart the house prior to the new insulation and rendering being fitted next week. He doesn’t finish the job and someone else has to come back tomorrow.

We head down to the Notts 5 where L won’t be wearing the new running shoes I got her for her birthday. They are too squeaky but having spoken to the brilliant Wiggle they have confirmed that they have a manufacturing defect and a replacement pair are already on their way to us. Wow.

I run a decent 36.10 five miler. Which is faster than both 2013 and 2014 but some way short of 2011. Like two and a half minutes short. Then there was 2007 but that was a different life.

This year’s time was helped by racing against a girlie who clearly had no intention of letting me beat her and obviously I had no intention of not beating her. We ran the second of the two laps side by side and both sprinted for the line before collapsing in separate heaps after a brief friendly handshake of course. I won by the way, just. When I come round, I am yet again handed a bottle of beer, I could get to like this new trend.

I crawl to the car, get the boys and then we all cheer L across the line before going for a recovery drink in the Navigation.

(Wednesday 22^nd July)