Tinder For Tennis

I’m on the bike on Wednesday and, after its service, it’s like having a new bike.

L has half a day at work before heading off home to meet the various men she’s got booked. One chap to cut our tree and one to measure for the new carpet. The tree man is very quick or should that be efficient. I hope we haven’t overpaid him.

L has been looking for a tennis buddy to have a game with but, in the absence of a Tinder For Tennis app, she’s managed to pair up with somebody from her Thursday group for a game. I imagine it’s potentially open to misinterpretation anyway if you Tinder for a ‘knock up’. Her Thursday coach is looking to set up their own WhatsApp group which sounds much safer. Meanwhile the boys and I are dogging.

On Thursday we have the fourth and final race in the Embankment 5k Winter Series and I nearly don’t make it after getting stuck on the bus, in traffic, on the A52. Make it though I do, for what is a windy run. So there are concerns about getting blown into the river and not just tripping in the dark and falling in to the river which has been a concern of mine all series. Thankfully my cunning plan of hurling myself into one of the many large piles of leaves on the footpath, when this happens, has never been used and a good job too, as the wind has now dispensed with those piles.

Last week I showed L an article about ‘the rise of the superfit oldies’ e.g. those of more advanced years. Which simply confirms that no matter how old I get I will never win my age category. At least L is already winning hers which she does again tonight and I coerce L into a celebratory half in the Dispensary afterwards. 

(Thursday 7^th February)

We Have A Winner

Back at work and on the bike, riding still on my old pedals. The boys and I have scheduled changing to my Christmas pedals for this evening. I’m sure the Lad will be fascinated and very helpful... L gets well out of the way and goes over to visit her folks.

We have discovered that the Lad doesn’t like oranges. I suppose there had to be something. In fact in the photo that L took after she retrieved the stolen orange off him he looks petrified of them. Either that or it’s L’s telling off that’s scared him.

On Thursday, I’m on the bus and due to the light traffic I'm on time for work for once. There’s no squash this week because it’s Race Three of 5k Winter Series but also apparently not next week either as he says he went on the scales this morning and didn’t like what he saw. He should have spent all Christmas running like we did.

That Christmas running must have paid off as I’m quicker again, clocking 21:53 and that was without a dog. L is quick too, so quick in fact that she wins her age category. We don’t find this out until later though and leave before the presentation. Her friend has picked up the bottle of cheap plonk on L’s behalf. I don’t reckon we’ll be leaving the next one early.

I do even more running on Friday. I run from work to the centre of Long Eaton a distance of 14.5km and then get the bus the rest of the way. I meet L at Hillside where she’s been walking the boys round the University.

(Friday 4^th January)

Hardcore, Softcore

L rather morbidly lets me know her funeral music. In no particular order these are Elizabethan Serenade by Ronald Binge, Plainsong by The Cure and Sunday Night Just Keeps On Rolling by Múm. Interesting choices but nothing totally depressing like mine probably would be.

The weather isn’t looking particularly palatable and given that we were basically skating around in the mud last week it’s no surprise that there is no dog training on Monday.

Tuesday's goes ahead though and L cadges a lift. Mainly because we have some old computer bits to pick up from her parents’ place that they want us to dump rather than a desire to meet me in the pub for the first time in ages. Which we do and I manage not to be too ridiculously late this time.

The weather hasn’t improved by Wednesday and is actually far worse. Yet L and Daughter still go for a run in the rain. That’s hardcore. I take the bus to work and pop briefly in the gym. That’s softcore.

Thursday I subject my ageing bones to not only a bike ride to work but also the second Winter 5k on the Embankment. Given the fact that last time it was darker on the course than we all expected, L brings a head torch while Daughter opts to stay at home.

Given the extra leg work with my cycling today I am not surprised to be nine places further back on the results but oddly ten seconds quicker. So not quite past it yet then but I am upstaged by L who comes 3rd in her age category. Get her!

She says she looks forward to moving up to the next age category because the winner of that was behind her and also someone she knows. I try not to point out that the two who beat her today may move up at the same time...

(Thursday 6^th December)