Sheep

Had a day out in Peebles yesterday for the Manor Water Hill Race. A 10 miler up a 2200ft climb. Just about the distance I have been doing on my mid week runs up Arthur's Seat recently so I was confident I would be able to finish it. Also I was attracted to this run as it was part of the Manor Valley Sheep Dog Trials. I've never seen sheep dog trials live...only on One Man and His Dog. There were lots of ruddy faced farmers around and Sheep Dog Trials is really an excuse to get the beer tent out and have a skinful. The raffle was well worth entering as 3rd prize was a black faced sheep. I so wanted to come home with it in the back of the Zafira but sadly my number never came up. I didn't even win the 4th prize of 2 dozen eggs! Lots of sarnies and cakes were on offer from the local ladies and a great atmosphere. Photo: One of these lucky fella's was 3rd prize. The other was 2nd...a meal for 2!

The race itself was also quirky. Registration in the back of a horse box and a bottle of stout for every runner and only £4 to enter!

This was my first hill race in a long time so I was a bit nervous, and listening in to conversations in the queue was no help. Last years winner was telling his pal how he had run & bagged 94 Munro's last year. Others just look like they have actually lived in the hills as hermits, sporting ridiculous beards and weathered leathery faces. The race started and it was pretty much a relentless uphill climb for 5 miles. I impressed myself by running a fair bit of it and keeping the walking to a minimum. I got caught in a battle to the top with some guy who I passed, then he passed me and so on for most of the race. I beat him to the top and after that I just put him behind me. The course was wet and the path was a sheep trail in the heather and bracken. To narrow for my size 12's so footing was tricky. With 2 miles to go I was passed by a runner who politely tried to encourage me by saying it was down hill all the way. Now I really hate being passed so late on and so I thanked him for his tip and then stepped up a gear and broke away from him again and beat him. I was 1 second away from catching another too, which made for an exciting sprint finish. 28th over all and happy with that. Back to the sheep. I was googling sheep dogs and here's a site that some might use to buy ingredients for a Nigella Lawson meal. Let's just say it does exactly what the label says! http://www.come-bye.com/index.php

Week 6: Holiday Clubbing

The grand finale of the summer for Dunbar Churches was the annual holiday club, which had an Olympic theme under the title 'On Your Marks'. Getting a group of people from different churches to work together is surprisingly difficult, but the holiday clubs model how it should be. A generous mix of talent, personalities and ages thrown together for the common good of kids. Great again to have some teenagers involved as they have an irreverent humour that is lost on the kids but keeps me on my toes as they push the limits. And it was also great to see an increase of kids attending. We must be doing something right. Personal highlights: Well so many to choose from but one was seeing an elderly woman who has mentored a young lad for 2 years now on a project I run, finally meeting his mum and family. Somehow they had never met and when they did it was like long lost friends reunited. Generally it was all a good laugh at 'OYM'. I enjoyed my daily appearance as an olympian...although I need to work on the skin tones for my Usain gig.

I was very pleased with my Jess Ennis outfit with an inspired washboard stomach from Isabelle.

In the evenings we did out 'yoof' programme. It was very chilled out and we got the masks out for our photo challenge. Here's Lady Gaga and Beyonce down at the Meths...the oldest Methodist Church in Scotland.

Final night had to be a bonfire down the beach. Pure magic to end off a busy summer!

Week 5: Scoughall Camp

This was 3rd or 4th year helping out on the SU Camp over in Scoughall. Although it is less than 8 miles away, it is so secluded that you feel like you really are away from it all. And yet 1000's of people know it all too well and make that journey back. The camps have been running there for over 50 years and have had an impact on so many people who now have fond memories of it. I was moved this summer to see an old Scoughall'er reunited with his old tent leader. I was out taking some snaps by the Peffer Burn next to the camp when I bumped into a couple of blokes who were chatting about the "God songs' they used to sing by the burn. I introduced myself and it turned out one of the men came to Scoughall between 1981-83. I realised he was in a bit of mess. Drugged up to the eyeballs and incredibly vulnerable. The man with him turned out to be a Salvation Army support worker who had brought him to Scoughall that day because he was so upbeat about it. As we chatted he recalled his memories of Scoughall and some of the people. It was a long shot but I suspected one of our more senior team members Gary Pews would have been at that camp. Sure enough he was and Gary came over to chat. My guess is that this guy was on a downer and things in his life had not turned out well. But he remembered Gary and was so excited to see Gary. "I bet you won't remember me' he said to Gary in a sort of defeated tone. But it was a moment of brilliance as Gary remembered this mans name and not only that, where he was from and where he moved to. Tears filled up in this guys eyes as a place that had meant so much was again delivering the goods. He had been noticed and remembered. Sadly we had to leave him, so I don't know what came of him. It was a great reminder of how important it is to take time out for the individuals on these camps. Photo: Scoughall's luxury accommodation

The rest of the camp was up to it's usual high standard. I like the relaxed approach to the "God' stuff. It's more an ongoing conversation with the whole camp, which for me is better for kids who struggle with meetings. I have a role at Scoughall which is to work with comedy genius Martin Boyd to make films about the bible stories, involving the kids as much as we can. We have a right laugh doing them and surprisingly we remain fairly loyal to the original story...although I am not sure Gideon's army made their attack on Space Hoppers, or that he wore a cravat! Photo: The view of Dunbar from Scoughall. So near and yet so very far

Week 4: Manchester Olympics

We headed south for a week to catch up with the family down in Manchester. Our Sarah & Rob were about so we headed of to the local park with Thomas. I'd forgotten that 'the park' is a magnet for all walks of life and for that reason it is an interesting place to be. Stuart managed to get himself a game of footy with a load of lads & girls. It's important to note that Dunbar is almost entirely made up of white people. I think I'd be safe in saying there are less than 20 people of black origin in this town. It was great to see him part of city life, playing with kids of all sorts of ethnic backgrounds and a goalie wearing a burqa. Also funny to see all their dad's watching form the sidelines smoking something....well illegal. The afternoon got a little bit scary when Thomas was chased by a pitbull terrier belonging to a load of lads. It was friendly enough, as were they but it's not the sort of dog you really want to let loose amongst a load of kids. There were several screams from mothers telling their kids to freeze...followed by several screams of expletives directed at the shellsuited youths. Also entertained by the awful mural on the pavilion that has been painted over, probably by Community Service people who have adhered to the strict H&S rules. That means they only painted out the lower level, leaving behind a mysterious phallic looking image. See what you think!

We went out for a few drives here and there, like Marple's ROman Lakes. Nothing Roman about them but lots of savage ducks and geese terrorising kids eating sandwiches. News that the Olympic football was at Old Trafford was not new...but we hadn't realised it was actually on whilst we were there, before the official opening. So we booked tickets online and headed off to collect them the next day. There was a ridiculously long queueing area for tickets, but not a soul in it apart from some Senegal fan trying to tout tickets. It looked like it was going to be a total flop. Role on match day and we felt obliged to go over the top with Team GB support and did the whole face paint, wigs, tattoo thing. Partly to try and muster up some enthusiasm for it. It was a pleasant surprise to arrive on the bus to see thousands of fans all on good form. It being Team GB's first big event, TV crews from around the world gathered outside the Theatre of Dreams. A taste of what lay ahead of the nations Olympic fever was being savoured. As we'd made the effort, we were interviewed by The Sun, and Stuart managed to get filmed by several TV crews from around the world.

The football itself was poor, although I think most people were just there so they could be 'at the Olympics'. You got 2 games for your ticket so we enjoyed United Arab Emirate vs Uruguay and Team GB vs Senegal. UAE were the adopted team of the fans as Suarez was playing for Uruguay and got boo'ed every time he even looked at the ball. The problem with Team GB (apart from not being very good at footy) is you can't get a good chant going. 'Team GB! Team GB!' wears a bit thin after a bit. The only other downside to the evening was that they had sold out of pies before the game had even started. Now that is a disgrace.

Week 3: Alltnacriche

It was another journey up north for the 3rd week of the holidays. This time working on the SU Camp at their outdoors adventure place Alltnacriche, just down the road from Aviemore. I had the responsible job of being travel leader. This involved counting them on and off and having a list of names and emergency numbers should we drive into a ravine off the A9 and die! No such action but there was a close shave both going and returning to Aviemore. We'd pulled into a service station for a 'comfort break', and by chance an identical bus, also going to an SU camp rolled up. There was a moment of madness as kids returned to the wrong bus. On the journey back the same happened again...except it was a bus full of blokes on their way to an 80's weekend stag party. Not a pretty sight and I managed to prevent our 14 year olds being chatted up by a bloke dressed as Limahl.

Anyway I can't really say too much about the camp itself other than it was maybe a little bit to rigid/tame given that we were in the highlands where adrenaline junkies thrive. That said the lads I took from Dunbar loved it and found the mix of physical challenges combined with the spiritual dimension of the camp a welcome change. Great location and I did a bit of exploring when I could. I went out for a couple of runs up a hill on an old track called the Burma Road. It was used as a key route for the Jacobites. On the last full day I did the same route but took a detour into the bracken and rocky outcrops. Careful navigation of the floor required total concentration. I like that kind of challenge, but it does have risks. For a split second I lost focus as I saw the road was close. In that time I managed to wedge my left ankle and right shin under a boulder as I travelled forwards at great pace. I found myself lying in a ditch with both legs and ankles in agony. I really thought one was going to be facing the wrong way, but it was just severe bruising and a gash. It stopped me running for 3 weeks though. One unexpected highlight for me was going to church at Inch Parish Church. Located high up overlooking the loch, this was a special place. Chatting to people there I discovered that there had been a church on the site for 700 years. They knew this because they have a bell that had come with the first missionaries and has stayed there as long as there has been Christian worship on the site. I couldn't help wonder what it was like for them and what their hopes and dreams were for their church back then. I love that sense of history to a place and that it involved people with pioneering spirits. The church stood on the footprint of the saints

All in all it was a good week, although the midges were appalling and at times I looked like an acne infested teenager. There were lots of them too and some even more annoying!

Summer 2012 Weeks 1-2

Okay so I am about 10 months behind with things so no time like the present to catch up with a review of the summer. The school holidays are notably different now my kids can fend for themselves a lot more. They still need feeding from time to time but mostly they do their own thing. Stuart needs reeling in from time to time as he would play out for ever. Al 3 of them think I am a human wallet and fleece me daily. Week 1: Not on holiday as Isabelle managed to wangle a placement at the hospital with a heart and lung surgeon. Not brewing up for him or licking envelopes as many work experience rookies do, but actually watching him work. Day 1 involved seeing a lung being removed and as the week passed by she rounded it off with 4 hours of open heart surgery...on a patient not herself. Quite a cool way to spend your holidays.

Meanwhile I spent some time in the office sorting out a years worth of clutter and preparing for the holiday clubs that awaited after my own holiday. Week 2: The Highlands We were gifted a break in a colleagues house near Plockton up north, whilst he went to Peru! We set off on the wettest day ever and the Edinburgh bypass was closed, forcing traffic on to narrow B roads where they soon became as clogged as a Glaswegians artery's. It took 3 hours to travel 32 miles but despite the set back we plodded on to Plockton via Glencoe. Glad we did as this is a stunner of a route. What really lifted me was that the kids actually noticed that too and were keen to have a look around at the next break. On arrival at the house, which was quite secluded we had been told to let ourselves in as the door wouldn't be locked. I edged my way through the front door calling out in case this was the wrong house. After looking at a few family photo's I realised I was in the right place. Inside we were all amused to see how alike our houses and possessions were. They even had the same slippers! Outside were some chickens that we were to look after. We did that and the kids enjoyed the routine of nicking their eggs and wombling around in there. They also had a trampoline which added to the fun.Down the road/glen were some donkeys that also entertained us in our chilled out week.

There was a lot to do but we opted for doing a bit of this and that. On the Sunday I went for a run and discovered all the marked paths were fiercely overrun by bracken and nettles. To complete my run I needed to get along the Loch and the only option was the single track railway line. I wrongly thought it would be quiet on a Sunday so chanced it. I'd not planned for the 11.01am from Kyle of Lochalsh and got quite a shock when it blew its horn at me. Worse still as I wandered down the track I realised I was 50 meters away from the station, where the train had now stopped and where 'rail official looking' people were stood. It was a case of hiding in the bushes until the coast was clear. We went to Plockton to do a bit of sea kayaking. The local health visitor multi tasked hiring them out from her cottage. Lovely little coves and islands to visit by boat and stuff like that We did a fishing trip which was good fun and caught loads of stuff. Gutting them was equally entertaining. The highlight of the week had to be the Misty Isles Boat trip to Loch Coruisk from Elgol on Skye. Just mind blowing scenery and a sense of escape. After the boat trip to the loch, which sits at the foot of the Cuillin's, there's time for a walk...or a swim! Yes we decided to go for it and glad i did. There's photo of Stuart on this link that made it to the BBC website. I can't recall all the things we did, but I must return, especially to Skye's west coast.

Edinburgh Nights (and Sunday afternoons)

Photo: Arthur's Seat. Not a bad little location for running.
One significant event that took place this summer was that Andrew finally left his local team Dunbar Colts. Whilst the pull of playing footy with his pals was strong, he had to accept that some of his mates are not all good at footy. In order to progress he had to move on to a team of better players. Our gratitude goes out to the Dunbar coaches who kindly gave up so many hours to train the lads and see them gradually progress to the 2nd Division, where they are doing okay.
After searching for a new club, and being scouted for others, he decided to go with Calvary Park. They are based in Edinburgh and so the tedious car journeys back and forth have begun. Fortunately they play right next to Arthur's Seat and close to the city centre. I have just enough time to go out and run it before kick off (well I miss the first 10 minutes so I must go quicker). My challenge is to do a lap of the big hill and run to the top without a stop. I am so far about 100 meters short of the top, but I do save a little sprint to reach the trig point and impress the numerous tourists who are up there. I am keeping a note of their nationalities as they usually like to have a natter. Germans, Americans, French, Indian and Japanese. I've ended up taking a few photos of them. i don't mind as it gives me time to take in the fantastic views. With the dark nights drawing in, I'd better get some new batteries for my head torch.
Running in Dunbar is a solitary experience usually. I like that as it gives me space to think and do my own thing. Arthur's Seat is in contrast full of runners. It gives me someone to chase, and today I was particularly pleased to get into a challenge with a cyclist going up hill, who I eventually passed. Also up there is an old railway and long tunnel going under the hill called the Innocence rail Way. I followed it and ended up in places around Edinburgh that I did not know existed. Here's a link Innocence railway
As for the football? It's not a bad team and we are seeing the best and worst of Scottish football with mainly wins. The travel is a pain but that is one of the few downsides of living out on a limb. The up side is running around one of Edinburgh's more scenic spots. If you ever visit I'd recommend the hike up.

Who knows where the time goes?

It's September and a whole summer has passed without posting an update on what exciting things have been happening. Rater than bore you all with one long post, I will try and stick a few different things up. Basically the last 2 and a bit months have been taken up by 1) holidays 2) Work 3) Very little running.

The summer has been a good one with plenty packed into it. It started off with a 2 week trip to Spain. So that's a good place to start. Now whilst there I did manage to get myself to one of the 2 10km races I'd planned to do. I did try and go to the other but ended up in a village of the same name, but was lacking the 'montana' for the mountain race. Bemused bathers at the local pool looked on in wonder as I asked where the race was. But I did make it to the other race and here's the first of my summer reports.

Spanish Running Festival

I'll tell you about the rest of the holiday later.

A Night out in Bamburgh

Had a nice trip over to Bamburgh the other night to see our Sarah and co who were staying there with the Woodcocks. Woody is getting ordained next week so it was nice to have time to catch up before he does the dirty deed of kissing the bishops ring. Bamburgh is less than an hour away and is very nice. I can see a camping trip there coming off some time. We headed for the beach as it was a warm evening. Whilst there we had (as Woody described it) 'man fun'. Beer (for non drivers), footy and dune diving. There were some cracking dunes and diving off them had to be done, despite it being slightly high and causing an involuntary wink of the old rusty bullet hole! Anna & Woody haven't changed much since they were teenagers back at Criccieth. Well Woody has gone a bit grey (better than being ginge I say) and both are wearing well now they have the additional bundles of joy of twins. It was a brief encounter but one to cherish. Sadly we will miss the ordination and after service bbq at the Fox. I feel Anna's pain as they move from York to a place that is one vowel away from Hell. All in the call of duty I suppose!

Pond Life

I got a message on Facebook asking me if I wanted a pond. Seemingly someone was chucking theirs out (minus the water and carp) and was going to become landfill the next day if it wasn't claimed. The photo made it look quite small so I took the car around and realised it was approximately 6ft long, 4ft wide and 1.5ft deep. Fortunately I managed to squeeze it into the boot so it was wedged in place. Then after a careful journey up the high street over the cobbles I got it into the back garden. So the with pick axe in hand the bank holiday was taken up digging a big hole in the garden, assisted by Andrew. It needs a bit of landscaping still but before I do that I have got to sift through all the spoil looking for gold! Yes my wedding ring came off and somewhere in the hole is my ring. Not happy at all and I feel naked without it. People will be talking thinking I've done a Giggsy or something. I had some great holidays there and i do miss Wales, but not in a Giggsy sort of way.

Back to the pond, Despite coming with an expensive filter and other pond gadgetry, this one is going to be a wild one and I will let mother nature manage it. Failing that I am sticking a heater in it and we're having a hot tub. Bets are on as to which child is going to be the first one to fall in.

Penicuik 10km

The multi choice Saturday came to be and I opted for the 10km race. STV was not showing the FA Cup Final. Instead they were showing the Alan Titchmarsh Show and Midsommer Murders. The race was not in Pencaitland as I carelessly put on the previous post, but in the town of Penicuik. A lovely backdrop to this race is the Pentland Hills and the course itself is rather hilly too. So much so that the talk in the post race feed & chit chat was it adds around 60-90 seconds to most people's runs.

188 runners set off, narrowly avoiding the huge archery tournament that was going on next to us. I felt sorry for any Mods passing through Penicuik today! Anyway the course takes you immediately up a hill. The well wishing marshall lied and said it leveled out...but not for a long way was the bit they forgot to add. It's been about 3-4 years since I ran a 10km so I couldn't decide how to pace it. I decided on trying to keep up or even pass those in front. It worked mostly but after 5km I realised that the more experienced racers of this distance use their first 5km to warm up and then step up a gear or two for the last 5. This meant a number of runners passed me but I was confident I would be in the top 20. I could hear the snort of a runner behind me for ages. As supporters kept saying 'keep going Adele' I realised a woman was on my tail. I held her back for most of it which was a nice downhill stretch, but in the last 800 meters my lungs were making some strange noises, my spirit was dim and then I got a fly in my eye and I lost the edge. Still happy enough with 17th place and 5th in my age, but I was not happy with my 39:12....but if I take 60-90 seconds off it gives me an idea of how I'd do on a flat course. I am after anything near 36. I'll try and find some more to do and see what I can get. I have also spotted a couple of 10km in Barcelona that are on when we head there for our holidays. I would like to give them a go.

Decisions Decisions

What a day we have coming up on Saturday. So much to choose from.
- Pipe Band Day: Not very nice on the old earole's but a good old community gathering. from 8am onwards we will be able to enjoy the drone of the devils instrument.
- The Dunbar Regatta. The first in decades and a few friends taking part down at the harbour. Hats off to those who have built their own boat and are now ready to race it. I am tempted to join them but like football, it is in conflict with my running which is far more enjoyable.
- The FA Cup Final. Okay, not until 3pm which for me is late in the day, but worth a watch. I have grown to dislike City more and more, although I do like the loyalty of their fans. I can't put my finger on why but I will be pleased to see the cup head to Stoke rather than Manchester. I had a nasty boss who was a city fan, along with his miserable wife, and the thought of any kind of suffering being inflicted on them is to be relished.
- Pencaitland 10km. Looking like the favourite simply because it is a race not on a Sunday and I have not done a 10km for years now. I did a 3km on the track the other day and sort of enjoyed it. This ones got a hill so it should split the pack up a bit. I like hills!
- Loch Leven Half Marathon. Less likely because a) I hate the last 4 miles of running into the wind and b) a touch of the old cantbearseditis kicking in.
- Douglas's full immersion baptism in the swimming pool. This could be interesting and we are all hoping they will make use of the big slide before turning on the wave machine. I've reminded the minister no mooning is allowed, or peeing off the diving board.

Alternatively the garden/bed/beach beckon my attention. have a nice weekend.

London Sight Seeing Trip - The VLM 2011

The climax of my racing calender has been reached (groans & moans included)! Sunday was the London Marathon and both me & Emma joined 360000 others for great day out. Whilst the novelty value has slightly gone doing it a second time, the experience is still quite unique and should be marked as one of those significant moments in our lives. Just the size of it and the mass of support and the sense of occasion make this an event you should try to be part of some time.

Pre race we headed off to the Expo to collect our numbers and check out the running stuff. We had the kids with us and they had a ball running around getting free food and drink, playing on XBoxes and alike and joining in with the festival of running. We took the opportunity to meet the Adidas sports scientists and get our gait analysis done on their computer gadgets. Emma has the weirdest gait ever so it produced some useful information to apply after the marathon. Mine showed my right leg to be near perfect, but my left verging on severe over pronation. Further on, Emma and her cousin Rhona were sold some running socks by some more scientist types. I am not sure what they were supposed to add to their running but as both of them went on to get slower than usual times they can blame the socks! I opted for a high viz vest so I don't end up as roadkill whilst training in the summer. We also got our goody bag which includes a tempting can of beer.

Other race prep included wandering up Oxford Street where the kids were in shopping heaven and I was in hell, especially in that Hamley's Toy Shop which was overpriced and full of little brats and custody dads of the high income variety. I did enjoy the Nike Town store. It's beautifully laid out, almost like an art gallery but well stocked with everything Nike. So I tried on a pair of racing flats in size 12 as they are not readily available on the high street in that size. In fact they were too small and magnified my pronation issue severely. Whilst in there we bumped into some of the Ethiopian elite runners. The women were tiny. Saturday we headed to the Natural History Museum where we soon got bored and fed up of queueing, so we trekked over to the Diana Memorial Play Park at Kensington Gardens to meet out Cath and co for a picnic (Tesco's £2 meal deal).

THE RACE DAY - Having been caught in a rush last year we went down to Blackheath early on the 7.45a.m. from Charing Cross. If you can start that journey at Charing Cross then you should, as all the other stops enroute are packed and on later trains you just would not be able to get on. We arrived with over 90 minutes to spare but it was cool and dry so we just chilaxed! Eventually we went our seperate ways. Rhona to the Blue star with the Championship women, me to the Red 'Good for Age' pen and Emma to the Green Start which doubled up as the celebrity pen. Here she mingled with the stars and started her first 3 miles running with Will Young. My pen looked more like a scene from a prisoner of war camp. Lots of undernourished men caged in with hardly an ounce of fat on them. Chatting to one or two of them I realised that most were going to be sub 3 hour runners and I would be wise to stay behind them at the start. I did quite a bit of stretching here as my hamstrings were suffering from a spasm in my lower back. By the time the start came they were delicate but okay and I decided that as long as I didn't sprint they should warm up. Apart from dodging a few tossers who jumped in front of me, the start went well and over the line in 1 minute and 7.07 for the first mile. My target time was 3:05 and anything quicker would be a bonus, but the pace was quick and my first 7 miles were averaging a 3:00 pace. Then my GPS stopped working so I had to resort to the clock and my pace band which was a 3 hour pace (they didn't have a 3:05). I kept a good pace and slowed down a bit but not a lot and drank something at most of the water stops.

I was running for The Christie cancer charity and wore their vest with my name. I know some people find having their name called off putting, but I found it helpful towards the end of the race. At mile 20 I was tired and it was hot. The sun blazing made those showers a must. But as I went in, the cold/hot ccombo sent my hamstring in to a cramp. I'd been expecting it so I knew that the only thing to do is stop and stretch and go. It worked and so only 30 seconds max lost there. With 3 miles left I had not really been focussed on my pace, when I realised I was within 20 minutes of a sub 3 hour. Foolishly I decided to up it a gear and tried to crack it. Needless to say I quickly cramped up again, and again. The crowd gasped as I pulled up, but then really shout and scream encouragement to keep going, and when I did they were really giving it some. The last mile is just awful as people are collapsing all around, just minutes from finishing. I knew my family would be waiting just outside Buckingham Palace so I needed to stay in one piece to give them a wave and to look good for the finish. They were all there and it gave me a boost to finish well. 385 yards to go and the clock was turning 3:06 but with my 1 minute line crossing to factor in I was right on track for a 3:05. In fact 3:05.10 to be precise! Exactly 2 minutes off my PB.

Crossing the line is surreal. The volume of noise from the crowd is loud, but as you pass through those famous red finishing funnels it suddenly stops and you are stood amongst other runners looking dazed. It's how I'd imagine the scene to be after a bomb goes off. People in shock, disorientated, some collapsed, others in tears, some with bodily functions out of control and others just glad to be alive. It took me a 4 minutes to bring myself to move, because that's when Rhona came in looking slightly fed up with here 3:09. Not that she should be because she was still 11th in her age group despite not getting a pB.

We headed to the Horse Guards Parade to meet up with the The Christies lot and everyone else. Emma was still running but soon finished with a 3:53. Slightly slower than her pB but conditions were tough. She did enjoy it though and will have to do another marathon quicker to get a guaranteed good for age place next time. Will I do it again? I hope so but there are others I'd like to try too. Meanwhile my legs are in agony and it could be a couple of weeks before I run again.

Busy month

It's silly season again. These Christian festivals certainly generate lots of work for me in the schools. This last week alone I have been working with 300+ youngsters presenting the Easter story in some fairly creative ways. Top of the list had to be today's performance where we had a clown juggling knives over our RME teacher. Had it gone wrong it would have been a perfect opportunity for him to explain the finer details of circumcision! Dunbar has a growing team of volunteers who are now helping me do this kind of stuff and I think they enjoy it too.

Over the last month I have done my annual pilgrimage to York with P5's...twice! 4 classes is too much for 1 trip so we split them up. I think this was either my 9th or 10th visit with school and I am now familiar with the local history, stories and locations of quality shops like Poundland! It was a surprise hit as the little n's spent their pennies on novelty gifts for loved ones back home. It's cheaper than those over priced gift shops, but the range of goods is quite different too. One girls dad will be delighted to open his gift of a tape measure, whilst another will be moved by the packet of dog biscuits and Brillo Pads. On trip 1 I accompanied Stuart's class and had a great time. Trip 2 a month on saw better weather and over 15 kids who got up for the 7.30am run on the race course. I managed a few extra miles myself too, keeping on top of that relentless marathon training torture. I always say it, but I thoroughly enjoy listening to Danelaw Dave the Viking re-enactment bloke tell the 60-70 minute story of Thors Hammer. Good to see the gift of story telling being used in a modern world of multi media.

The marathon is next week, and I am tapering down so enjoying some fine jogs along the beach the last couple of evenings. Spring sunsets and a warm wind make for the perfect close to the day. Our 'The Christie' vests arrived today and we have raised a small amount for them through our Just Giving page . We are not under any pressure to raise anything, but I know some of you might just want to support us or the Christie by sponsoring us. Feel free to give what you want to, I'm just happy to allow my sport be of some small benefit to others.

Talking of running, I was delighted to see our Dunbar Primary School cross country team reclaim their trophy in the East Lothian competition the other day. I'd helped train them through the winter so I was pleased for them getting such good results. The winning time on 1 mile course was 6:13...pretty quick for an 11 year old.

Other news...Emma's sister had a girl...Catriona. Much debate and discussion as to whether this is pronounced Catriona (as in C & the Waves...hairy armpitted German woman) or Cat Re:Owner. I think that's about the news for now so I shall probably next write after the marathon, as we are heading off a few days early to the Big Smoke. I saw the list of celebrities today...not impressive unless you count extras from Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and chefs of lesser know eateries as being important. There were a few I shall be looking for though. Her off the Apprentice with vinegar tits, former MUFC star and womaniser Dwight Yorke and the 2 ladies from Bucks Fizz!

Red Lace Day

The red laces arrived in the post on Monday. No, this is not some sort of coded message or medical term, it marks the arrival of our London Marathon pack...which also translates into HELP IT'S ONLY A MONTH AWAY!

The training is sort of going well. I have managed a few 20 milers now and one was slow, one was quick and then on Sunday somewhere in between. I am trying to learn from my mistakes and with just one more to go I hope i will get it right. I am not racing this year before the marathon, so I am really having to use my built in pace judgement detector on the day.

It looks like London is going to be a busy place that weekend. Along with the 35000+ runners, their families and friends, there is also going to be half of the north west of England as the FA in their stupidity have put both the Man Utd v Man City, and Stoke v Bolton semi finals on at Wem-ber-ley that weekend. The FA have got their figures wrong as they are only expecting 20,000 runners. What a merry time it will be on the streets of London and even better still on the trains. Still, what dream weekend that would be a derby semi on the Saturday, marathon on Sunday. Fingers crossed!

Wild Things

It's creeping up to that time of year when everything bursts into life. I love spring for the wildlife and I went out for a 13.75 mile training run at 7.30am today and immediately encountered loads of it. First up, some visually impaired deer in the woods. I say that because I was wearing a high viz shirt and they did not notice me until I was 10ft away from them. Hovering above was the sparrow hawk. The trees were full of small birds and the noise of their bird song at that time of the day is amazing. That was my first mile! Later as i passed through the John Muir Country Park
and passed the salt marshes and estuary, herons, swans and geese were plentiful. Further on up to Law Head is a vantage point that takes in the full range of the Lammermuir Hills , which were looking very inviting. Maybe next week for my long slow run? A good run at just over 95 minutes today and feeling strong enough to enjoy the views.

Eye Eye

I went to do my embarrassing dad duties on Saturday and watched Isabelle play hockey. I arrived 5 minutes into the game only to discover Isabelle sidelined holding an ice pack on her head. Hit in the eye with a hockey ball after 3 minutes of play. Fortunately any damage is superficial and she's got a cracking black eye today.

Earlier in the week I discovered the joys of emergency dental treatment. Not for me, but for Stuart who was in a really bad way with tooth ache. On the advice of the dental nurse on the phone, we made the trip into Edinburgh to get it checked out. Needless to say there's a bit of work to be done there and biscuits are off the menu for a while.

A bit nippy

Had to visit the Dr today with my latest running acquired injury (for some people, the next few lines of this post might sound a bit sexy!). I did a long hard one the other day in the rain. My wet t-shirt was clinging to my chest and consequently a bit of friction on the nipples led to the outer skin wearing away and blood was drawn. A week later a nice big lump appeared on the left nipple which was quite sore. Was I having some sort of phantom pregnancy thing and would I find myself lactating at the sound of baby cries? Not quite, but some weird puss did ooze out when I squeezed it, but I don't think it was edible. Anyway, the doc reckons it is an infection so I'm on course of med's for a week to see if I can reduce it a cup size or two. Meanwhile I have taken to wearing blister plasters for extra protection. Not a pretty sight and one hope I don't have an accident and end up in hospital with a lot of explaining to do to the nurses. Hang on...this is the same scenario my mum used to paint when she tried to make me and our Colin wear clean undies. "If you got knocked over and taken to hospital what would they think if you had dirty undies on?" (I did get knocked over once and sent to hospital and thankfully I passed the Grubby Undies Detector test).

Meanwhile back on the nipple...I enjoyed reading this article about those London people who really are a bunch of tits.


I wonder if they do raspberry ripple?

64

It's been a long week of running for the pair of us. 63 miles between us over Saturday and Sunday, and my total miles last week went up to 64. The mileage is up but my pace is terrible so more work to be done. I don't really feel like I am reaping any benefits from all the additional training I am doing. Perhaps when this chesty cough clears up things might improve. Nothing slows you down more than a dockers omelette in your lungs first thing in the morning.

Shocking behaviour

Stuart has been up to no good again at school. Once a month they get to take an electric toy in to class for others to play with. Whilst most kids take in game consoles and fun games like Operation, Stuart went against all our orders and took with him....a taser! Well it's not quite the fully working taser that the plod use to stun felons, but it is still an alarming little device that you play with a friend. Basically it's a reactions game and the slowest one gets an electric shock....what fun! So when I went to collect him his teacher told me she'd confiscated his taser. "What taser?" "The one he said you told him he could bring in to school". After electrocuting several girls and the class hamster, the teacher wanted to find out what the fuss was about and ended up electrocuting herself. Stuart's response was "mum said I could bring it". Devious little devil. And if you are wondering which irresponsible adult bought it him....the answer is the Methodist Church who gave it him as a Christmas pressie.