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Monday 30 January 2012

An excellent week


The Clarendon sign in a snowy Hebden - last winter
    For everyone involved with the organization of Hebden's annual Sports Day that takes place on August Bank Holiday Monday, a sumptuous dinner was held at the Clarendon Hotel last Wednesday night, courtesy of our genial hosts, Ashley and Hayley Crampton. This popular Yorkshire Dales hostelry has an excellent reputation for the quality and perfection of its fine menus and traditional well kept ales.  I'm afraid to say, I availed myself somewhat greedily of both and retired to bed rather late in the evening feeling considerably heavier than when I set out!
Dam on Grassington Moor with snow clouds in the distance
    I'd like to say I went for a 'run' round Grassington Moor the following morning, but that would be gross exaggeration. Floundering would be a better word. I'd made sure I took my camera to have lots of excuses for numerous stops - when I seemed to take longer than usual to focus and arrange my shots. Most of them turned out to be a load of rubbish! My six mile jaunt lasted nearly one and a half hours but I really enjoyed the laid back pace, the solitude under a dramatic sky with snow clouds in the distance, the company of ubiquitous grouse, whistling teal and the wind whispering through the rushes by the dam.
Time to stand and stare - waterfall in Hebden Ghyll
    All in all, I ran a respectable 27 miles last week, by snowy hills and slushy lanes, along sunny riverbanks and past glittering waterfalls - all at a comfortable pace with lots of time to stand and stare. After all, running is supposed to be enjoyable. The other day I came across a wonderful quote by Lucy Smith. She said:
'To be a lifelong athlete you have to, at some point, get over the need to win every race and learn to accept that the journey is the goal'. I'm beginning to understand the logic of that as I grow older.
Linton Church and sunny riverbank - Saturday's run
    Inevitably, since the introduction of a deep fat frier (or chip machine, as I prefer to call it) and breadmaker to my list of kitchen utensils, my weight has risen by nearly 4 lbs to 143.6.  Even as I type, my breadmaker is switched on and churning out another delectable wholemeal loaf. I can hardly wait to cut off its warm crust and smother it with butter and honey. At this time of year I'm not worried about being a few pounds heavier. My old bones need a little extra lagging. I feel stronger for it. And so long as my body fat percentage stays within normal limits (it's currently 17.3) I reckon there's nothing to worry about. I'm not fanatical about being as lean as possible to be able to run faster. I'm not training for the Olympics - though I wish I was.
    This coming week, chip machine, breadmaker and weather permitting, I'll drop the mileage and concentrate on a couple of quality speed sessions with a view to easing back into racing in the not too distant future. Bring it on.

10 comments:

  1. Sounded like a lovely evening followed by a lovely run! Nothing run w/ a leisurely run, especially in such beautiful surroundings!

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  2. I'm always amazed at the difference in the weather between our countries - close and all as they are. Not a bit of snow here and the weather has been almost spring like this past week (though that is about to change!). I love that quote about the journey - that's my whole philosophy!

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    1. The Pennines hills stick their heads in the air and catch all the rain and snow clouds - worse luck!

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  3. Bring it on!

    Racing weight not necessary :)

    So, the bread sounds lovely. And the running too. The quote reminds me much of Jeff Galloway's perspective these days. He says he pays no attention to his own pace any more. He just runs to enjoy the running. Hard to imagine anyone so formerly competitive ever feeling that way.

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    1. Yes, I was fiercely competitive too, but mellowing in my dotage.

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  4. I can smell your bread... and would love a piece , still warm with jam.

    I understand what you say about enjoy the journey, but while the legs still listen to my head I love the chase. It least I don't need to win the training runs any more!!!

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  5. The journey is a goal! I like that, thanks for the inspirational thought. It's sometimes easy to get wrapped up in stuff/training and focus on times too much. There is so much enjoyment to be discovered in the training process.

    I like how you took your camera with you and did a leisurely fun run with photo breaks, I did that when I was in San Francisco. It's a great way to tour a new place!

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    1. I take my camera on most runs, ostensibly to take pictures for my Blog, but in reality so I can take rest stops!

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  6. Is this Lucy Smith from Victoria? I see her on the trails around here all the time and that woman is FAST! She's a great motivational speaker, too. The little I know of her I really like. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures.

    Barbara
    My Running Shortz

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  7. Ooo, you devil!! A chip machine as well as a bread machine!? I love fresh bread and butter - its the food of the gods.. but not so great for racing weight. I've been indulging a little too much myself but reckon I like your lagging analogy. Hope to see you for some summer racing. RB.

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