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2024
March's Journal
17/04/2024
So yes, April. Half way through the month and I've got lots to tell you
already. So let's get to it.
After driving to Skipton train station on the Sunday we then pulled on our
running kit, and having packed very lightly, left the car in the station car
park and ran along the Dales Highway to Settle/Giggleswick over the course of
the day. We arrived, bemoaning just how wet the country still is, tired, but
feeling proud of ourselves at the pub we were going to eat and sleep at before
the weather got too cold, and the light too dim. After some good food, and a
decent night's sleep, and then breakfast (very important), we headed out to run
on to Ribblehead. This took us over some extremely exposed dales, through some
moderately poor weather (wind, light rain whipped up to high speeds), and up
and down some rather steep contours. This was all part of a recce for Rel to
run a race called the Dales Highway later in the year. I don't envy her doing
it all in one go. Especially as we only did about 35 miles, and the full thing
is close to 90 miles. We got to Ribblehead (a train station in the middle of
nowhere) and took an extremely packed post-Easter train back to Skipton to
collect the car and drive home. After we both collapsed at home for the night
Rel then drove us both back to my house as we were going to use the car the
following weekend. We arrived in time to do a Tesco shop, and then an afternoon
of work, which was handy. The rest of the week passed in a blur, frankly.
Suddenly it was the first weekend of April and we were driving to the Malverns
to visit our friend Fi and her two dogs (Nora and Elly). That was tons of fun,
even if the walks we went on were a bit more tiring than I was expecting or
ready for after the previous weekend. Everything in the Malverns appears to be
up from everywhere else. The only other place I've ever found that was
Edinburgh. But this time we were on grass, rather than pavement. We had a
smashing time there, and really enjoyed being laid on by both dogs, as well as
some nice food, drink, and conversation with Fi.
Back home again it was my birthday week. On the Tuesday there was a social
gathering which nearly coincided with my birthday, so although Rel was still in
London by the evening, I went out with everyone else and had a lovely time
(although it was nice to get home after a loud evening and sit in the quiet
with Rel). More patching, more running, and then the second weekend of the
month and Rel off to run the South Downs Way 50 mile race on the Saturday. I
did parkrun and other things in the morning and then dot-watched her tracker
for the remainder of the day. She did really well in conditions that I would
have had issues with (got hotter throughout the day). I, however, was saving
myself for the Northstowe Half Marathon on the Sunday. Another fairly easy
race to get to, and quite small, as events go. The course was dry, but a
mix of terrains. I'd like to say that's why I didn't break 1h30m again (and in
fact was slower than some of my other half marathons this year), but I think it
was a combination of going off a little too fast, and maybe just being a bit
older and less able to keep going at the pace that that time requires.
Anyway, that's another race done and another one to look forward to in May.
That'll be the Great Manchester Run, which I'll combine with a visit to see my
parents again. Although I am off to see them this weekend too. Between now
and the coming weekend it's the migration of the Finance system's live service
to the new servers and new SAN, and I'm involved both at the periphery and in
the middle of things, depending on the stage (and what goes wrong). More on
how that goes either in another entry this month, or in May's.
For now though I'm off to be rested for the remainder of the week, and to hope
that the changeable weather doesn't affect my travel to work tomorrow (office
day) and on the weekend...