Week Beginning December 14th.
Note to self, seven nights out in a row is not big, neither is it clever. Perhaps I’m just a glutton for punishment.
NXT Nottingham
Monday night was meant to be an overnighter. Drive to Nottingham, catch the NXT show with James, bar hop a bit, crash at a hotel & be driving back nice & early for work on Tuesday morning.
Still recovering from a weekend away, I packed my bags but decided when I arrived in Nottingham that a late night journey home would be less stressful than trying to commute in the morning. The NXT show was lively, a precursor to the Japan tour. When you consider NXT is meant to be a developmental wrestling brand, seeing the reaction at a near sold out arena is really impressive.
parkrun Drinks
More driving on Tuesday night as I was back in Stortford for some drinks with our parkrunners. I’d seen other events organise socials & with close to 40 people in attendance at the Cambio Lounge, we were pretty happy with the turn out.
It was good to see everyone outside of the usual forest setting, sometimes the conversation even veered away from running! There also appeared to be a smashing blouse competition from within our team of Run Directors. Steve certainly gave me a run for my money! The whole parkrun experience has been a positive one & to spend an evening with people that have also enjoyed the event was a nice way to see in Christmas.
As we made it to last orders, I was pleased to have taken Wednesday as annual leave. Common sense had prevailed & although I was originally going to work from home, getting a day of downtime was much needed, even if my head was a little fuzzy to start with!
BSRC Tinsel Run
Chairman Phil had discovered his penchant for fancy dress as nearly 7 feet of death at the Halloween parkrun. He’d mentioned the tinsel run was something it would be worth me coming back from MK for. The entire club runs together for a short 5km around the town, led home by the ladies at the end of the run.
I made the podium with my interpretation of a Christmas Tree. I suspect giving most around me tinnitus due to the bauble bells jingling away throughout the run. Within one kilometre I’d annoyed myself & was thankful when some of the baubles perished along the way! I believe there were 52 of us, bedecked in various festive outfits & we proved quite a sight for the residents of Bishop’s Stortford!
Lunchtime Run
Having discovered over our Xmas party run that we were well matched in terms of pace, I asked Scott if he fancied a lunchtime run having mentioned a 5 mile route around the lake near our office.
It seemed bizarre to be heading out of the office in short sleeves a week before Xmas, but we weren’t complaining at the pleasant conditions. My hope of memorising the route we’re wishful thinking, a few too many turns around housing estates for me to keep track, but the 45 minutes spent out of the office certainly cleared the mind for an afternoon of work.
As I’m yet to learn many routes around MK I can see more lunchtime running taking place. It fits nicely with my early starts at the office & with quite a few colleagues interested in the team relay aspect of the MK Marathon, they’ll be plenty of company.
Track Night
Normally when I head back for a bit of a social with the BSRC guys on a Friday we end up in one of the pubs around Bishop’s Stortford. Feeling festive, this time we opted for a track session at Mark Hall in Harlow. Many were interested, though in the end just three of us stepped onto the track due to work commitments, traffic issues, work drinks etc.
Georgia was happy to do her own thing, so Ellen & I attempted three repetitions of suicide laps. Oh how I’ve missed the 11/10 laps that bring each set to completion!!!
It was interested to see just how much speed I’d lost since my last evening on track in September. Granted, running into the wind for the final 100m wasn’t going to help my times, but I found myself a good 5-10 seconds slower. I’ve definitely lost some speed post Berlin. Whilst stamina hasn’t escaped me, I’m a little bit slower, understandably so.
I’m looking forward to getting back to track on a regular basis in the new year & have already marked my calendar with the Redway Runners monthly sessions as a good way to make improvements through speed work.
Panto parkrun
It was quite a sight, an eight person fancy dress outfit. Not only Snow White but seven dwarves resplendent in their beards & hats.
Alas it wasn’t to be. Organising a group costume was always going to be tough & I took my eye of the ball until it was too late. I ended up going for a Santa hat, some tinsel on my legs & a parkrun 50 t-shirt to at least be red.
For once, the fancy dress lunacy came from elsewhere in the core team. Karl, my co-Event Director had decided to re-purpose a large box & had wrapped himself up as a present! I ran with him so that assistance was on hand were he to get stuck or fall over during the 5k.
Nothing quite gives you a kick up the arse like a man in a box trying to out sprint you!!! The result was nothing to write home about, but I had a lot of fun. I passed my baubles from the tinsel run to Georgia & had mentioned they were a tad annoying. I was told at the end in no uncertain terms just how annoying it is to run with half a dozen bells jangling away all the time!
We were also joined at the forest by Michael, a friend from the Berlin Marathon, who was visiting having been hosted by one of our regular runners James. It is always good to bump into a running buddy, especially when it is unexpected & the online community of runners I’m a part of is something I really like, it is like a virtual running club.
The Eat
Saturday evening was spent in Brighton. As much as I needed rest, my uncle had called a fortnight prior & his message was reasonably clear, Grandma isn’t in a great state, to the point that Xmas presents hadn’t been purchased.
We made a weekend of it, venturing into Eastbourne as I popped to the care home to see Grandma. Of course by the time I’d got there she had made a stunning recovery. From refusing to leave her bed, to chatting away in a conversation that went in any direction, had I not known she’d be in a bad state I’d have never known. Whatever kryptonite / indecent photos she has on the grim reaper, it appears to be working, I’ve lost count of the occasions over the past 20 years where she’s come back from the brink. I reassured her that I had definitely finished university & said my goodbyes, in awe as ever at the incredible capacity she has at 100 years old.
On our journey across to Brighton a bar table at the finest Japanese restaurant had been booked. By the time I’d had a minor temper tantrum attempting to find a parking space, we decided to park the idea of walking a mile for dinner, opting to cancel the table & instead wandered locally.
We found a delightful Tapas restaurant a minute from our B&B & had an excellent meal. If you’re in Brighton then I’d recommend La Vendimia, well worth a visit for good Tapas. Having slept until nearly 10am I can also recommend the Lime House B&B, by far the best night of sleep I’ve had in a long time, albeit by then I was running on fumes so crashing into a long sleep was predictable!
The Music
For years I’ve gigged with Sean. I’ve dragged him to all kinds of concerts, the majority were good, some were duds. One subject has never been far from Sean’s lips, The Darkness. For years I’ve said no to joining him. With 2015 being the year of why not, when an email came through from the Roundhouse at the start of the summer, I asked Sean if he still wanted to see them.
Of course Sean was game & although it led to a hectic day for me having started on the south coast, I was glad I made it along. The Darkness are definitely an act that know what they are. The gig was really enjoyable, a lot of fun, even if I didn’t really know many of the songs.
The Conclusion
A stupidly hectic week. Is it any wonder that the running plan hasn’t quite been followed? By the end of the week I was well & truly knackered, running on fumes. I’d managed to see my own bed a couple of times more than expected, mainly by driving back late at night. Doing so allowed me to at least get to spinning class at least once or have the nous to get my running kit together.
At the moment I can’t wait for some normality. Christmas time is a bit special in that everyone tries to meet up & do things. I can’t wait for January & maybe having a few evenings at home! For the next marathon to be a success, I need to look after myself away from running. In December, this week in particular, that simply hasn’t happened. I’ve enjoyed it, but I need some rest!
Run for the Eat 