It'll Soon be Warm

I awoke to hear the rain battering off my window. Poor mountain marathoners! Most would be crossing Bleaklow as I was munching my muesli. It can be inhospitable with easy to lose paths and squelchy bogs even in summer. In a January storm it's damn right treacherous.

I had planned a bike but the weather was just too bad. Rather, I got my running kit on and headed into the abyss. Heading up Long Lane wasn't bad but Coombes was scary. I fell twice. I then descended into Glossop and headed to the Sports Centre to catch the end of the marathon. I missed Rosemary's friend Lucy who had finished over an hour beforehand. Other finishers were looking tired and bedraggled after a tough night on the moors. I decided to head up Doctors Gate to see what I had missed.

Ohhhh my! The path was a river, with me often running in ankle deep water. My feet were saturated. The wind was blowing, I'd guess around 60-70mph down the valley. My buff went up to my nose and the hood was pulled tight. When rain did get through, it felt as though I was being treated by a hyper acupuncturist. I turned off the main path hoping to get some shelter but it was a mud slide. I went as far as the burn before the wee hill that R and I had a snack in last year when it was very icy. By this stage, my legs were freezing and to venture any further would have been stupid.

The descent back to Glossop was crazy, with the wind pushing me down the valley faster than was sensible. Two mountain marathon helpers were taking a tent down. I was on a high by this stage, whooping "wild man.....crazy". They appeared to think I was a wild and crazy man! I ran harder thinking I would catch the next train home. I missed it by 1 minute! I was becoming so cold that Costa became a distinct possibility but the remembered the Co-Op had a cafe. What a surprise! My latte was more than passable with milk well textured at at the correct temperature. I spoke with a man that didn't look Jewish but he was wearing a Kippah. It transpired that he was in the special forces some years ago and had also lived in Edinburgh. We had a nice chat. Then another man asked about my trainers to his wife's despair. He preferred Walshes! Then the girl in the cafe started to chat, saying she was doing the Bupa 10km. Sometimes I worry about society but us humans actually are nice when we make the effort! I had to rush to catch the next train and ran a hot bath as soon as I got home.

Reaching my dotage, I put Desert Island Discs on Iplayer. It was Sir Ben Ainslie, as Kirsty Wark kept reminding us with saying his full name as is the custom on this programme. Although I liked his choice of Louis Armstrong, I wish guests on this programme would be a bit more original than wanting some middle of the road dirge or popular classical music. I would choose a Green Velvet's La La Land, Jimmi Tenor's Take me Baby, NWA's Express Yourself, Soul II Soul's Keep on Moving, MJ Cole's Be Sincere, Dillenger's Cocaine and Bob Marley's Three Little Birds.

In the evening I headed to swimming. Yay....Miss Calado gave us a freestyle set....booo, it was so hard. For Rosemary's benefit the main set was 8 x 200m off 3:45 at above race pace. I have to be out early to catch my train home so, no sooner had I touched the wall on my final effort, I had to leap out the pool, get dressed and run a fast mile! I collapsed in a heap on finding a seat on the train, satisfied that it's been a pretty good day.