Just packed my bag for an overnight stay in Harrogate while attending an 80th birthday party. They certainly know how to charge in Harrogate!
And due to an unscheduled head cold I’ve had to stop running for a couple of days.
Since the New Year I’ve tried running every day - all my running career I’ve always run every other day, but I guess running every day has lowered my resistance to infection. Think I’ll go back to tried and tested methods. I can’t remember when I had the last cold! A few Brandy’s should sort it out.
Having just driven across 50 miles of a waterlogged Yorkshire – following a Tractor at twenty miles an hour for most of it, we arrive at our hotel in Harrogate. It’s the West Park Hotel, the receptionist asked if we would like to be shown to our room and be helped with the luggage, but I declined, there’s nothing better than wandering around a strange hotel clutching a suit bag and holdall. So after finding our room on the third floor early indications are that it’s rooms are to a high standard with a 40 inch flat screen TV the usual tea making facilities and a big comfy bed. On the Brightside, the view from the window is of the Multi Story car park across the road, I say Brightside because the hotel does not have its own car park so I can leave my car in the multi story where I can keep an eye on it. There are some beautiful gardens here in Harrogate and had we been stopping here for more than one night – and it wasn’t pouring down with rain, a walk around them would have been an ideal way to kill an hour or two until the start of the eightieth birthday party which is our reason for this visit to Harrogate. So unable to take advantage of the gardens, I’ll do the sensible thing when faced with the possibility of a late night alcohol fuelled knees up, and that is to get my head down for an hour.
Yesterday’s run seemed just like any other as I turned the corner and on to the street. A far cry from the drama of last week’s run, when a stuffy head cold made me feel so bad I had to cancel Sunday’s run in Harrogate. A night away from home in a plush hotel, I had looked forward to an early morning run in an exciting new venue, I had pondered over maps laid out on the dining room table looking for an interesting route, but it was not to be, I had to admit defeat on the day.
I did manage to struggle round a three mile course on Tuesday but it seemed to do more harm than good with the rest of the day spent sprawled out on the sofa catching up with some recorded programmes off the TV. Thursday’s run started off enjoyable but after three miles the legs had gone and I only just managed to keep running down the lane on the last two. Again, I was wiped out for the rest of the day.
But today seemed different somehow, the spring had returned to my stride and the cool air rushed past my face. As legs grew tired I reduced the pace only to find a new surge of energy and an increase in speed once more. It carried on like this all the way home and as I entered my drive and stopped the watch I was surprised to find a record breaking time for the three miles.
Bridlington was bathed in sunshine as I drove round the outskirts and into the car park of a new Garden Centre I’d found on the internet earlier. Another oasis of good food I can add to the ever growing list. Both me and the O/H had been mauled by the head cold over the last week and we had decided to let the sea air blow some new life into our ravaged bodies. Friday turned out to be the best weather of the week and it felt good to be out as we parked at the extreme North End of Bridlington and walked as far South as we could before the path ran out just beyond the Park & Ride and an extremely large Chalet Site.
The tide was fully out as we walked along the newly refurbished Marine Drive and with the sun in our faces it was a pity I had not brought my shorts to take advantage of the unseasonably warm sunshine. The odd dog walkers were scattered along the large expanse of beach but very few people otherwise. We turned and retraced our steps, first past the Spa and the amusement arcades – where much cleaning and painting was taking place in time for the approaching new season, then past the large sporting complex that was undergoing a complete facelift. And finally the hotels and flats stretched out along the North Marine Drive.
Memories come flooding back on that Block Paved North Marine Drive. Memories of seven successful attempts at the Bridlington Half Marathon. The last two miles of which came off road and wound its way through Sewerby Park and on to the windswept cliff tops, finally sprinting along the North Marine Drive to finish under the banner close to the WC’s.
My best time was run in October 1996 and was a creditable 1 hour 30 minutes 31 secs.
Although I will never achieve those times again, I still cultivate the dream that once again I will jog to the finish down that Block Paved highway, perhaps this is the year.
I once managed to drive from Doncaster to Bridlington in one hour with a car full of work colleagues on our way to watch Thin Lizzy live at the Spa, that was in the seventies, it would be impossible these days with all the speed restrictions in the villages en route and the high volumes of traffic. The concert was brilliant but would be impossible to repeat today due to the unfortunate death in 1986 of the 36 year old lead singer Phil Lynott who was rushed into Salisbury Hospital where he later died of heart failure following a drink and drugs binge on Christmas Day.
There’s some good news, and some bad news… I had an excellent five mile run this morning after the disappointing run on Tuesday. The usual muddy lane was dry and firm and although cold the sun was just rising in a cloudless sky and I could feel it’s warmth on my back.
The bad news is:- I bought a Dash Cam on Monday and connected it to my Netbook to try it out. On the second attempt windows seven loaded the drivers and it seemed okay. However, next morning as I tried to peruse Over50’s Forum, everything had gone slow, in fact I had to abandon my session. It’s still painfully slow trying to navigate around on this computer and if I try to follow a link it takes forever and I have to shutdown in the end. Something is going on in the background taking away all of my speed, must have been something I downloaded.
So I might not be able to contribute to the forum until I can sort it out.
If anyone has any suggestions they would be appreciated…
I hope you can sort it out Bob, can’t have you taking unauthorised holidays can we now.;-)
Managed to sort out my netbook and Bob’s back in business. Thanks Jem, I bet nobody even knew I’d gone. I did have to use the Samsung recovery system which restored all the factory settings, so I’ve had to re-install Microsoft Excel (good job I had a disc) and ‘Paint Shop Pro’ an extremely useful paint and drawing package - It might be a bit old fashioned now, but I know it inside out and can produce stuff fast.
Might be a good idea to buy an external hard drive for backup so I don’t have to go through it all again.
In other news:- I’ve just completed fitting out the summer house with carpet tiles; I really hate those clunky wooden floors and music sounds crap while it’s bouncing around off hard surfaces.
After having a few bad runs I’ve decided to go a bit slower and enjoy them a bit more, it’s not like I’ll be racing again any time soon will it - If wife had her way, I wouldn’t even be running at all.
Although we had a bit of snow earlier it soon disappeared, so tomorrows six miler will go ahead as usual. (but slower)
What the hell happened to ‘Leisurely Scribbles’ I seem to have lost Jem, Pug, Emjay and Robert Junior, not to mention Gumbud.
It was a good job that I don’t run on Wednesday’s as the rain came pouring down until late this afternoon, the Tesco car park was flooded. I did manage to make some beneficial changes to this computer though. I tried once again to view some movies that had been recorded on my new Dash Cam, the results were catastrophic! So I have had to run a recovery program to restore it back to normal. After deleting some programs that were taking up space it seems to have started working twice as fast as before.
Rain or not, It will be a six mile run first thing tomorrow, but it will be a road circuit, there’s no way I’m going to tackle the lane after all the rain…Thigh deep mud…
[CENTER]My Friend the Squirrel.
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Today’s run is number 56 since New Years Day, and after Sunday’s struggler of an eight mile run I decided to take it a little more leisurely this morning. Nothing much wrong with Sundays run, in fact, I even ran the fastest time this year over eight miles (Only the eighth time this year on that course) but I was hangin’ on at the end and it wasn’t my most enjoyable outing. Chasing my arse just doesn’t cut it with me anymore.
So, an overcast sky but not too cold as I jogged past the school through an empty village – I try to time my runs to avoid the rush of 4X4’s dropping all the little Harry and Sophie’s off at the school gates but with the Easter holidays it was deserted this morning. I was soon out into open country and not feeling too bad. A little mound in the road caught my attention and as I approached I saw it was a Squirrel laying quite motionless. He had obviously failed to make a successful crossing of the road and been taken out by a vehicle. I stopped to move him on to the verge out of harms way, it was the least I could do, and I noticed he was still breathing.
He didn’t struggle as I carefully placed him in the grass and left him with a caress of his head.
I thought it would be his final resting place and I ran on, saddened by the situation.
It turned out to be a more enjoyable run than Sunday’s after selecting a more sensible pace, but as I passed the spot where I had laid the Squirrel almost an hour ago, he was sat up and having a wash at the side of the road. He made an effort to scuttle away but then stopped for a moment to watch me run past, I’d like to think that he had recognised me and realised that no harm would come to him from me…Its left me with a good feeling and a happy ending.
[CENTER][/CENTER]WHERE WERE WE?
I usually reserve ‘Bob’s Bits’ to running progress or expeditions into the wild unknown (Hull for example) but running’s jogging along as usual thank you, and unless I’m doing an event – which are rare these days – what can you say about pulling on a pair of shorts and Tee shirt and nipping out into the country, which is something I’ve done every other day for the last 40 years.
Apart from saving the life of a grateful Squirrel, and the occasional Heart Attack, which has happened in the past.
This week on the Forum I enquired about ‘friendship’ and was chuffed to have a few respondee’s, I’m not sure what to do with them now but I’m glad to see them and presume that at least four people read my bits. So it’s not all been a waste of time.
I believe that coming out of the EU is the right thing to do and have been posting on the subject throughout the week. I even suggested that something terrible would happen to help the undecided to vote to stay in. I now believe that it’s a foregone conclusion that the ‘in’ voters will win. I don’t generally believe in ‘Conspiracy Theories’ but you have to have an open mind and examine all of the possibilities and a False Flag Event would be quite plausible given the fact that it will be the biggest decision that the British people will make since deciding who will come out of the jungle on ‘Get Me Out Of Here’
Unlike another poster on the Forum I believe the Brussels attacks will make great deal of difference to the outcome of the referendum because most people believe what they see on the telly (and other news sources) they will not question who, and why this has happened they will just be swept along in the media frenzy to stick together in times of trouble and be wary of anybody in a burka. (forgive the spelling if it’s wrong but you don’t come across many in a South Yorkshire Pit Village… Yet.)
I also believe that the first people that the recent events in Brussels will make up their mind to vote ‘IN’ will be the people who believe in Ghosts and the religious. They will believe anything you throw at them without question. Some of the greatest illusionists in the world have been showing folks just how gullible they are. It’s not the fact that people believe this stuff, in fact, the conspiracy theories I have mentioned here might be a load of baloney but you must open your minds to consider ALL possibilities and ask yourself ‘What If’
Nothing is as it seems. There is a member of this forum (the official secrets act forbids me to name them) who is about to be called up for special duties serving her majesties government… Really! He’s probably a hospital porter who likes nothing better than to while away the hours on a riverbank fishing and reading Michael Crichton novels. Remember the bit I said about Great Illusionists?
Well, nobody actually reads this page do they…
I always read Your blogs Bob,but Todays certainly made Me guffaw loudly…10 out of 10 for doing so on this dull bleak Scottish Morn’ 
Well I read your blog … even though I didn’t send you a friend request 
I don’t trust magicians and illusionists 
That’s praise indeed coming from you May 
You’re still my friend Myrtle even though you don’t appear in my gallery of mugshots…:hug:
Yes but magicians and illusionists don’t ever pretend to anything else that entertainers…
I read all posts, including yours Bob … which leaves me little time to reply. I will say though, I find your blogs very interesting and I like your humour
Please don’t stop them! 
Thanks Mags, good to know you are following my adventures. I will do my best to keep you interested in my blogs and comments, and try to mix in a bit of humour occasionally.
Cheers OGF … and … 
Oooooo! I’m going to start reading this from now on! It’s all happening here!
You’re very welcome Tessa, good to have you aboard. 
Good post OGF.imo.