Race Unfit

L says we must do a veggie night once a week and I’m happy to oblige. The only problem is I’m a bit predictable and it’s almost always going to be Tarka Dhal with Bombay Potatoes.

As regards the ongoing pandemic we were originally told to ‘stay at home’ which was simple, straightforward, and actually quite easy. Now they say we can mingle a little and have a ‘gathering’ of up to six people. As long as it’s outside and only two families.

Then later in the week the powers that be announce that you can have a ‘support bubble’ indoors with one relative but not two. The problem with all this is that yet again the Government is several weeks behind what the public are already doing. Just as they have been with the virus.

In addition you can now visit car showrooms and garden centres. Sadly, these are again place like Idea and McDonalds that I don’t frequent.

There are rumours that they’ll reopen the pubs next month which would be nice. I'm sure they’re mostly worried about what we all might all get up to instead if they don't. The advance notice is good as breweries will need three to four weeks to brew any real ale.

Meanwhile the entire Race for Life series has been cancelled, which has surprised me because it’s not actually a ‘race’ and I would have thought would be one of the easier ones to do socially distant. That doesn’t bode well for any other races going ahead.

That said, Race For Life say they were expecting to raise £30M this year for charity but now with no races their fundraising with be 20-25% down... so still well over £20M then. That’s not bad and makes you wonder why they bother with the actual races at all. Perhaps they won't any more..

I sell the Astra for £135, having decided it’s not worth getting the timing belt fixed and on Friday I manage to hobble round 6k, dog free. I’m not exactly race fit even if there was one a race around to run.

(Friday 12^th June)

Pandemic

Daughter is clearly on a roll. After passing her driving test last week, today she is told she’s passed her police interview. So she's now on to the next stage of this interminable process. All she has to do now is pass the fitness test, a medical, an eye test and a drugs test.

The Government moves the country into its ‘delay’ phase of its four stage strategy to combat the coronavirus. Last week’s ‘contain’ approach seems to have be binned rather quickly. Meanwhile, with several countries in lockdown mode, the county itself has gone into full blown panic mode and has started stock piling toilet paper. Stock piling something you can’t eat isn’t really a strategy I can understand.

Many supermarkets are limiting ‘key’ items to just FIVE each e.g. loo roll, tissues, anti-bacterial gel, dried pasta, tinned vegetables and UHT milk. Why would you want FIVE of any of them and none of them are on my shopping list at Sainsbury’s on Monday. Perhaps I’m just not getting it.

On Tuesday I run a fast-ish 8k and then bike on Wednesday as I taper before Ashby on Sunday. L goes over to Daughter's gym in Sherwood for a weights session before returning home with squirty mustard and prawn crackers. These were two items I couldn’t get from Sainsburys on Monday but not, I don’t think, due to others manic stockpiling. So, we’re all sorted for a wild night in if they quarantine us.

I meet my now retired ex-colleague for pizza at the Yard on Wednesday where they tell us that the 2-for-1 pizza offer is now only available from 5pm-7pm, which is no use to us. They assure us it has nothing to do with anyone stockpiling pizzas. Later L goes to PT and I go dogging.

The World Health Organisation declares the virus outbreak a pandemic and by Thursday Madrid marathon is cancelled, L’s sister cancels her 25th Wedding Anniversary in Cork, Nottingham Forest’s owner declares he has the virus, as does Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta and the new Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announces a £12bn package of emergency support to help the country cope with what is coming. It’s getting serious.

UK races start to be cancelled including some local ones like the Kilburn 10K. My fingers and toes are crossed for Ashby, who still seem very bullish about going ahead.

(Thursday 12^th March)

Pandemic

We let everyone else get on with the business of competing with their dogs this morning and head over to Adel, ten miles or so away for the Eccup 10 mile race. I had always intended to sit this one out but after my cycling mishap it’s looking an even better decision. Anyway, I love a bit of supporting.



After the race has started, I have time to grab a welcome coffee or two, even more welcome seeing as we forgot out own coffee supplies and I was stuck drinking tea all day yesterday. There is only so much tea I can take. Then I use the runners changing facilities to grab a shower, as the dog show has neglected to provide such basic facilities.

I get back to the start/finish area just in time to see the winner cross the line five minutes ahead of the field and, checking my watch, in roughly 55 minutes. I think that’s impressive until I get nearer to the finish, see the electronic clock and realise that the race was almost near five minutes late starting. His time was actually 0:51:18, very very impressive and a new course record.



I’d have been over 20 minutes behind him. L will be a bit longer than that, time for another coffee I think and to watch a bit of cricket. There’s a junior game going on next to the finish area. A bit too close to the finish area really, which is really the only organisational failure of the race because all the runners end up walking on the cricket pitch. I don't think this would have been allowed to happen had it been an adult cricket match.



L comes in, in another good time, but in not quite her quickest 10 miles of the year. The race memento they dish out here varies every year. In 2007 it was a kit bag, in 2008 a mug (glad we missed that one, we have plenty of mugs), 2009 it was a rucksack and last year, they gave out a technical t-shirt. L chooses to enter in the year they decide to give out a paperweight... Not just any old paperweight but exactly the same paperweight we have already received from several other races. The Yorkshire crowd seemed pleased with this, it was something different for them, not realising that there’s a pandemic of these things in the Midlands at the moment and it’s clearly now spreading northwards.

We head back to camp, via Sunday lunch in a pub in North Rigton, which again sells exactly the same three beers as the other two pubs. It's just like the bad old days of the 70’s and 80’s when a few breweries had monopolies on the pubs only these beers are supplied by three separate independent breweries.

After taking the tent down we head home and find the house exactly as we left it. How many years has it been since that has happened? No dirty pots piled in the sink, no discarded socks down the back of the settee, the bathroom floor isn't underwater and there are even towels hanging up in there etc etc, I could go on. Utopia.

Then I settle down to watch the Tour de France and that horrifying accident caused by the press car.

(Sunday 10th July)