Hat Hanging

Today is the Leicester 10k, two laps of Abbey Park and advertised as (but aren’t they all) fast and flat. Shoot me now.

Actually, it’s not that bad. A bit twisty at first, so certainly not fast but there are some nice straight road sections as well. Although both these sections are up slight but constant inclines, so not flat either. None of it is on grit paths as I expected and I even quite enjoy myself. Nothing twangs, snaps or breaks. I take it easy for the first 2k, saying to myself that any pace will do but what I actually do, 4:45 per km isn’t bad.

Then I try to hang my hat on 4:30 for the rest of the way round and nearly nail it finishing in 46:28. It’s my fastest for a year. Not that I’ve done many. Meanwhile L is again getting all flirtatious with the hour and one day soon they will have an emotional coming together. She comes home today in 62 minutes.

Then we head south to Papworth Hospital where L’s brother is, aiming to get there for visiting time at 2:15. The boys are with us as usual, jet setting around the country. One minute they are weeing up a tree in Leicestershire, the next it’s up the duck pond in Cambridgeshire.

We head into town for Sunday lunch at the Hand and Heart, a first visit to the under new management Borlase (now run by Lincoln Green) before finally a gorgeous Chocolate Gorilla in the Blue Monkey pub.

(Sunday 17^th May)

The Olympic Mood

I have time to just slot in one bike ride before we go off jet setting tomorrow. Sadly it was drizzling more heavily than I thought so it’s not a very dry one. Opportunities for dry cycling have been few and far between in the last few months.

In Sochi the skiers are now doing the same Slopestyle course as the snowboarders did the other day. It’s absolute carnage, bodies everywhere. They stretchered one girl off, hope she’s ok.

Our girl fell on her first run, did much better on the second one but put her hand down and finished 7th.

Suddenly it’s snowing like mad here, just to get us in the Olympic mood. Doesn’t last long though and then it’s soon back to being wet.

Packing for tomorrow is rather hurried as I’m required at dog training tonight as we launch a new training night and enrol 12 new beginners.

(Tuesday 11^th February)

Voyage Of Discovery

L’s off jet setting again. This time on a voyage of discovery by bus to Mansfield. It’ll be interesting to see if she discovers anything there.

I’m on the park, trying to teach MD to carry his ball in a straight line, preferably a sort of forwards direction, to save myself some shoe leather. I’m supposed to be exercising him, not the other way around. I’m not sure I have much success.

Then I’m off to watch the flypast and perhaps some of the match. As Derby lose 2-0 to Hull, the flypast is obviously the highlight. This is the flypast trailing the ‘We only had ten men’ banner that many fans have clubbed together to raise money for.

It refers to when we beat Forest last month 2-1 after being a goal down and a man down from the 3rd minute. It flies over the City Ground before circling Pride Park at around 3:15.

It’s good to see that the Forest fans haven’t trumped us and clubbed together for an anti-aircraft gun.

We stay in, bloody half marathon tomorrow.

(Saturday 19th November)