Despite being up before the crack of dawn yesterday, I was once again up and out the door before the sun was up, this time on another fundraising mission via a car boot. Tricia was able to help me out a little later, but I was already doing a roaring trade when she arrived. Having tried out the rotary washing line last time, we decided just to 'dump' everything on blankets and let people rummage away. It had rained overnight so the ground was a little muddy and there were very quickly quite a few clothes in need of a turn in the washing machine!
We decided that the objective was to sell as much as possible so everything was priced at 50p. It soon caught on and we had lots of customers grabbed armfuls of stuff! We had also had a load of classical cd's given to us by John's dad and Jill and despite thinking that there was no way we would get rid of those, we were delighted by the way these were snatched up : one guy bought 60 for £15! Virtually all the shoes went, loads of clothes, a portable TV and a picnic table, all for 50p each.
We started to pack up at 11.15 as the weather was started to look a bit dodgy and it wasn't long before everyone was frantically packing things away as the rain started to fall. We managed to get everything back into the 3 big laundry bags plus 2 bin liners, definitely way less than I had unpacked but still enough left for at least one more boot sale before the end of the year.
Once again we did well on the cash front : £115.50 and as we didn't take less than 50p for any single item, meant we had dispatched around 230 pieces of 'stuff'. A very good mornings work!
Sunday 28 October 2012
Marathon # 15 - Beachy Head
Saturday 27 October : OMG! What has happened to the weather - we have suddenly been transported to the Arctic. Ferocious northerly biting wind that didn't seem to want to blow just in one direction but would whip up and hit me from all sides. An early start to boot - picked Pat up at the unearthly hour of 5 am in pitch darkness (and it would remain dark for the majority of our journey) and headed off towards Eastbourne. Luckily the traffic was very light (well, what do you expect at that time....sensible people are still tucked up in bed, in nice warm houses) and we arrived just before 7.45 am. Numbers and timing chips duly collected, we rushed back to the warmth of the car for a last bit of breakfast before trying to decide what on earth to wear : I was already donning long winter sleeves and my charity vest but I could still feel the cold so decided to wear another long sleeved winter running top underneath my vest and topped it off with a buff covering my ears and a pair of gloves. I've never run a marathon in so many layers and at no time during the race did I have any inclination to remove any either!
It was so cold that we went from one loo queue to another and we were still in the queue when the 9 am start time elapsed...there were so many people milling around that we thought they must have decided to delay the gun. Nope...we got outside to find everyone streaming up the steep hill and we were left to join the walkers! Wasn't long though after crossing the start line before we were walking - 50 metres max! I'm not sure of the incline of the first hill but it looked at least 45 degrees! I ran with Pat for the first couple of miles as we traversed the edge of Warren Hill, where a lone bag pipper was playing the Highland Fling and headed towards the top of Willingdon Hill. The views over to Eastbourne to the right were stunning, if you could make anything out through streaming eyes : the wind was extremely strong and blustery from the word go, trying (and succeeding) to push you off the track.
After running downhill to Jevington, and the first refreshment station, it was then a lovely run through Friston Forest. The colours of the trees were spectacular, with the sun streaming down from a perfect blue sky causing dappled light effects.
It was then out into the open fields, to run around the edge of Windover Hill, two steep 3 sided valleys heading off on our left making for stunning views. Shortly after this it was a long, long downhill run in a deep trenched, chalky track to CP2 and more squash and Mars bars...unfortunately I was finding that whilst I was enjoying the latter, I couldn't run and chew them at the same time so had to walk a little bit before being able to break into a run again! The downhill gully continued amongst trees, before emerging in the bottom of the valley in Alfriston. After running along the side of water meadows, I then passed through the village but unfortunately got caught up behind a huge hay turning machine with the driver deciding that he was going to drive very slowly up a narrow side street - exactly the street we were running up! I had to revert back to walking until he picked up a bit of speed (he was a lot bigger than me and he had lots of spiky things hanging off the back of the tractor so elected to give him right of way!). After losing the village, it was then a steep climb uphill and once again into open fields. And this was where the Arctic blasts really hit home. It was so difficult to walk, let alone run and people were battling to stay on their feet. Plus it was virtually all uphill to Bostal Hill. It really was hard work and a bit soul destroying that you couldn't really run for more than a few steps without becoming absolutely exhausted. Lots of people around me were losing feeling in limbs by this time!
Finally, once reaching the tumuli of Bostal Hill, it was then a short downhill section to CP3 where we turned left and at long last, had the wind behind us...and boy did that make a difference! I was fairly racing along the grassy tracks, running freely for what felt like the first time. The track went on for at least 3 miles before eventually we emerged from a small wood to cross the road at Cradle Hill and CP4. I had to stop and take in the views from here, over the Cuckmere River as they were absolutely stunning...a real WOW moment. Steep downhill towards the river where we ran along the bank until crossing via a small wooden bridge and skirting the village of Litlington and CP5 where they were offering hot tea and coffee and hot cross buns! I elected to take half of the latter as my stomach was grumbling by this time (it had been hours since I'd eaten breakfast at home!) and ate this as I started to head into the hilliest part of the run (as if we hadn't done hills up till now!). After crossing a few open fields, we entered the west flank of Friston Forest, having to negotiate a couple of long flights of uneven steps. Before emerging at the top of the woods, the bag pipper was back! I've worked out that wherever the bag pipper is...there are hills! Over a stone stile and another WOW moment...this time the view over the estuary meandering down to Cuckmere Haven which signaled the start of the Seven Sisters Country Park. If we'd done hills already, then the mountains were coming up!
Up, down, up, down...get the picture!? I was actually able to run up two of the sisters (very slowly with tiny little steps, but I was most definitely running!) but the others were way to steep and long to get very far at that pace. I challenged myself to see how many people I could catch and overtake before the finish, trying to keep my mind occupied!
At Birling Gap and the last CP, we left the main South Downs Way footpath that went over the top of the cliffs and beside Belle Tout lighthouse, and instead headed around the bottom of an old fort settlement and through a quiet wood before picking up the coastal path again to run up and over Beachy Head itself. The wind came roaring back with a very mean streak at the top, straight in our faces or trying to knock us over with a side blow : it really was extremely difficult to move forward and even more difficult to do it in a straight line!. After another mile or so of buffeting, it was a real relief to then drop down onto a well worn path where we were relatively sheltered from the wind by a steep wooded bank. This path then met up with the very steep hill we had run up at the start so it was more than a welcome sight to see the finish banner just ahead.
I'd overtaken an amazing 54 people since setting myself that mini-challenge at the start of the Seven Sisters.
I also finished in a very good time of 4.22.35, 246th place overall out of more than 2,000 starters and 25th female so was very, very pleased with myself.
I didn't have too much in the way of warm clothing to put on afterwards, as I'd worn most of it during the race! So, I waited for Pat in the warmer area of the gym : she finished around 5.25 and had unfortunately been caught in a rain / sleet shower nearer the finish but she ran extremely well too, bearing in mind the atrocious conditions.
We decided not to join the long queue for free hot food, instead headed back to the car for some heater warmth to thaw us out. We stopped off for a meal at the first service station we came to, just outside Chichester, only to be joined by Ade, Paulo and Phil from Littledown Harriers and proceeded to recount stories of our marathon adventures!
It was so cold that we went from one loo queue to another and we were still in the queue when the 9 am start time elapsed...there were so many people milling around that we thought they must have decided to delay the gun. Nope...we got outside to find everyone streaming up the steep hill and we were left to join the walkers! Wasn't long though after crossing the start line before we were walking - 50 metres max! I'm not sure of the incline of the first hill but it looked at least 45 degrees! I ran with Pat for the first couple of miles as we traversed the edge of Warren Hill, where a lone bag pipper was playing the Highland Fling and headed towards the top of Willingdon Hill. The views over to Eastbourne to the right were stunning, if you could make anything out through streaming eyes : the wind was extremely strong and blustery from the word go, trying (and succeeding) to push you off the track.
After running downhill to Jevington, and the first refreshment station, it was then a lovely run through Friston Forest. The colours of the trees were spectacular, with the sun streaming down from a perfect blue sky causing dappled light effects.
It was then out into the open fields, to run around the edge of Windover Hill, two steep 3 sided valleys heading off on our left making for stunning views. Shortly after this it was a long, long downhill run in a deep trenched, chalky track to CP2 and more squash and Mars bars...unfortunately I was finding that whilst I was enjoying the latter, I couldn't run and chew them at the same time so had to walk a little bit before being able to break into a run again! The downhill gully continued amongst trees, before emerging in the bottom of the valley in Alfriston. After running along the side of water meadows, I then passed through the village but unfortunately got caught up behind a huge hay turning machine with the driver deciding that he was going to drive very slowly up a narrow side street - exactly the street we were running up! I had to revert back to walking until he picked up a bit of speed (he was a lot bigger than me and he had lots of spiky things hanging off the back of the tractor so elected to give him right of way!). After losing the village, it was then a steep climb uphill and once again into open fields. And this was where the Arctic blasts really hit home. It was so difficult to walk, let alone run and people were battling to stay on their feet. Plus it was virtually all uphill to Bostal Hill. It really was hard work and a bit soul destroying that you couldn't really run for more than a few steps without becoming absolutely exhausted. Lots of people around me were losing feeling in limbs by this time!
Finally, once reaching the tumuli of Bostal Hill, it was then a short downhill section to CP3 where we turned left and at long last, had the wind behind us...and boy did that make a difference! I was fairly racing along the grassy tracks, running freely for what felt like the first time. The track went on for at least 3 miles before eventually we emerged from a small wood to cross the road at Cradle Hill and CP4. I had to stop and take in the views from here, over the Cuckmere River as they were absolutely stunning...a real WOW moment. Steep downhill towards the river where we ran along the bank until crossing via a small wooden bridge and skirting the village of Litlington and CP5 where they were offering hot tea and coffee and hot cross buns! I elected to take half of the latter as my stomach was grumbling by this time (it had been hours since I'd eaten breakfast at home!) and ate this as I started to head into the hilliest part of the run (as if we hadn't done hills up till now!). After crossing a few open fields, we entered the west flank of Friston Forest, having to negotiate a couple of long flights of uneven steps. Before emerging at the top of the woods, the bag pipper was back! I've worked out that wherever the bag pipper is...there are hills! Over a stone stile and another WOW moment...this time the view over the estuary meandering down to Cuckmere Haven which signaled the start of the Seven Sisters Country Park. If we'd done hills already, then the mountains were coming up!
Up, down, up, down...get the picture!? I was actually able to run up two of the sisters (very slowly with tiny little steps, but I was most definitely running!) but the others were way to steep and long to get very far at that pace. I challenged myself to see how many people I could catch and overtake before the finish, trying to keep my mind occupied!
At Birling Gap and the last CP, we left the main South Downs Way footpath that went over the top of the cliffs and beside Belle Tout lighthouse, and instead headed around the bottom of an old fort settlement and through a quiet wood before picking up the coastal path again to run up and over Beachy Head itself. The wind came roaring back with a very mean streak at the top, straight in our faces or trying to knock us over with a side blow : it really was extremely difficult to move forward and even more difficult to do it in a straight line!. After another mile or so of buffeting, it was a real relief to then drop down onto a well worn path where we were relatively sheltered from the wind by a steep wooded bank. This path then met up with the very steep hill we had run up at the start so it was more than a welcome sight to see the finish banner just ahead.
I'd overtaken an amazing 54 people since setting myself that mini-challenge at the start of the Seven Sisters.
I also finished in a very good time of 4.22.35, 246th place overall out of more than 2,000 starters and 25th female so was very, very pleased with myself.
I didn't have too much in the way of warm clothing to put on afterwards, as I'd worn most of it during the race! So, I waited for Pat in the warmer area of the gym : she finished around 5.25 and had unfortunately been caught in a rain / sleet shower nearer the finish but she ran extremely well too, bearing in mind the atrocious conditions.
We decided not to join the long queue for free hot food, instead headed back to the car for some heater warmth to thaw us out. We stopped off for a meal at the first service station we came to, just outside Chichester, only to be joined by Ade, Paulo and Phil from Littledown Harriers and proceeded to recount stories of our marathon adventures!
Friday 19 October 2012
Marathon # 14 - Atlantic Coast Challenge (part III) AKA to hell and back!
41st overall and 7th female in 7.21.31
Marathon # 12 - Atlantic Coast Challenge (part I)
OK, so I'm a little late to update my latest little adventures but the wait will be worth it!
Thursday 20 September saw me set off once again to tackle the next VoTWO Challenge Event, this time along the Atlantic side of the South West Coast Path from a point just west of Padstow, all the way to Lands End, hopefully a distance a bit closer to the total 78.6 than the earlier Anglesey Coast Challenge! This time the event HQ was based in a holiday park near St Ives although I went one roundabout to far and struggled a little bit to find the darn thing! But find it I did and wasn't long before I'd met up with a few recognised faces from the last couple of events : I was becoming quite a bit of a celebrity with people coming up to ask what 'number' I was up to!
Accommodation was in little self-contained chalets complete with TV! It was actually a tad on the chilly side so on went the heating! Unlike the Angelsey, food was all arranged by VoTWO so I indulged in a 3 course meal with a few of the others who were had already arrived but crept back for an early night in front of the TV.
Saturday dawned dry and sunny for a pleasant change and after a hearty breakfast, registered and received all the maps covering the 3 days....there were 4 for each day this time so it would require a bit of juggling to ensure that the current map was in my map case. Good to see that Michele Grainger was back for this challenge (if you remember, I'd met up with her on the Jurassic challenge back in March) as was Max from Anglesey! After kit check and safety briefing we piled into the mini-buses and set off in a long convoy (unlike Anglesey there were almost 200 mad adventurers!) to the start at Mackerel Cove where again, after the necessary 'loo' stop at the start (which was comical as all the blokes stood in a single line on the top of the ridge seemingly looking out to sea, whereas all the girlies were heading off towards all the dips and hollows as there was a distinct lack of bushes!), it was a very relaxed start with a simple 'dib' out and off...
Within the first mile we were plugging across sand which would become a very familiar feature over the next 3 days. I would spend most of today's run with Michele : it's really good having company as you keep each other going through the bad bits (of which there are quite a few!).
Check point 1 was at Mawgan Porth before we ran along the undulating clifftop above the very long Watergate Bay before hitting the outskirts of Newquay and CP2. Now it got busy, weaving down the narrow streets of Newquay trying to avoid tourists, dog leads and surfer dudes. We had to reach a huge turreted hotel high up on Towan Head before dropping back down to the National Surfing Centre at Fistral Beach where the surf was packed with people catching the waves. At the end of the next headland there was an amazing view back across towards Towan Head.
After hitting the road through Pentire (I so nearly tripped up along here as I was trying to read the map whilst running on the road and talking to the others and hit a sleeping policeman!), it was then a drop back down to cross a small footbridge in the middle of a tidal estuary : luckily for us the tide was out otherwise it would have been quite a wading job as the bridge certainly wasn't very high above the tidal channel! At this point Michele started to head off to the right towards a little gully leading up into the fields but our attention was immediately drawn to 4 or 5 blokes running across the top of the fields yelling at us 'that's not the way, keep going straight ahead'. Michele was convinced she was right as she had taken that route the previous year but the blokes were very insistent. Eventually we pulled Michele away from her route and continued straight on, which seemed to go on for ever before we eventually turned the corner and ended up running across the fields where we had seen the blokes earlier...Michele's route would definitely have been the wrong way but there were plenty of people who were taking that route which was a tad annoying...."Carole, remember, this is a challenge event not a race!!" Just afterwards we hit CP3 where I stocked up on marmite sandwiches, jelly beans and coke.
Just after this we hit sand dunes and there were loads of little paths you could take through them : I picked the wrong one and ended up heading towards the beach so had to back-track and catch the others up again (who had all stuck together like sheep and taken the correct route!). The undulations started to get a little bit more unkind from here on in but I was feeling pretty good and kicked on (probably regret that later). At Holywell Beach we hit amazingly high (and very soft) sand dunes and whilst it was nigh-on impossible to run up them, I loved the downhill bit, even providing vocal sound effects "wheeeeeeee" in the process! After a pull up and around Penhale Point, Perran Sands came into view....and stretched way, way, way into the distance and yes, there were little specs representing runners and walkers stretching into that distance too! So, there was no getting away from it. I dropped down the steep (painful by this point) concrete slope onto the sands and started the slog for home. I caught and passed a number of people and committed myself not to drop to a walk, however slowly I was travelling. Over a mile long that beach was! At last the end came into sight but not before the event photographer made an appearance so I put on my bestest show for the camera before eventually reached tarmac again. But then, cruel, cruel organisers had slipped a last steep hill in before the finish line : this I did walk up, at least for most of the way, before seeing Max standing near the top spurring me on. There was also the added concern that there was someone behind me, running up the hill that I had passed earlier on the beach and I was determined he wasn't going to pass me back! Dibbed in and finished! Phew! Bit on the tired and achy side but the feeling of finishing is really, really good.
Michele didn't finish long after me and after a lovely cup of their famous soup, we piled back into the meat wagons to take us back 'home'. Once there, I decided to go for a swim (not in the sea....way too cold!) in the pool, which predictably was way down at the other end of the park...still, the walk would do me good. By the time I got there, it was only 15 mins to closing so it really was only time for a few short 'laps' and then a walk back to the chalet before another 3 course meal and bed! And we get to do it all over again tomorrow!
When the results were posted, I'd finished in 22nd place overall and 4th female in a time of 4.47.35
Thursday 20 September saw me set off once again to tackle the next VoTWO Challenge Event, this time along the Atlantic side of the South West Coast Path from a point just west of Padstow, all the way to Lands End, hopefully a distance a bit closer to the total 78.6 than the earlier Anglesey Coast Challenge! This time the event HQ was based in a holiday park near St Ives although I went one roundabout to far and struggled a little bit to find the darn thing! But find it I did and wasn't long before I'd met up with a few recognised faces from the last couple of events : I was becoming quite a bit of a celebrity with people coming up to ask what 'number' I was up to!
Accommodation was in little self-contained chalets complete with TV! It was actually a tad on the chilly side so on went the heating! Unlike the Angelsey, food was all arranged by VoTWO so I indulged in a 3 course meal with a few of the others who were had already arrived but crept back for an early night in front of the TV.
Saturday dawned dry and sunny for a pleasant change and after a hearty breakfast, registered and received all the maps covering the 3 days....there were 4 for each day this time so it would require a bit of juggling to ensure that the current map was in my map case. Good to see that Michele Grainger was back for this challenge (if you remember, I'd met up with her on the Jurassic challenge back in March) as was Max from Anglesey! After kit check and safety briefing we piled into the mini-buses and set off in a long convoy (unlike Anglesey there were almost 200 mad adventurers!) to the start at Mackerel Cove where again, after the necessary 'loo' stop at the start (which was comical as all the blokes stood in a single line on the top of the ridge seemingly looking out to sea, whereas all the girlies were heading off towards all the dips and hollows as there was a distinct lack of bushes!), it was a very relaxed start with a simple 'dib' out and off...
Within the first mile we were plugging across sand which would become a very familiar feature over the next 3 days. I would spend most of today's run with Michele : it's really good having company as you keep each other going through the bad bits (of which there are quite a few!).
Check point 1 was at Mawgan Porth before we ran along the undulating clifftop above the very long Watergate Bay before hitting the outskirts of Newquay and CP2. Now it got busy, weaving down the narrow streets of Newquay trying to avoid tourists, dog leads and surfer dudes. We had to reach a huge turreted hotel high up on Towan Head before dropping back down to the National Surfing Centre at Fistral Beach where the surf was packed with people catching the waves. At the end of the next headland there was an amazing view back across towards Towan Head.
After hitting the road through Pentire (I so nearly tripped up along here as I was trying to read the map whilst running on the road and talking to the others and hit a sleeping policeman!), it was then a drop back down to cross a small footbridge in the middle of a tidal estuary : luckily for us the tide was out otherwise it would have been quite a wading job as the bridge certainly wasn't very high above the tidal channel! At this point Michele started to head off to the right towards a little gully leading up into the fields but our attention was immediately drawn to 4 or 5 blokes running across the top of the fields yelling at us 'that's not the way, keep going straight ahead'. Michele was convinced she was right as she had taken that route the previous year but the blokes were very insistent. Eventually we pulled Michele away from her route and continued straight on, which seemed to go on for ever before we eventually turned the corner and ended up running across the fields where we had seen the blokes earlier...Michele's route would definitely have been the wrong way but there were plenty of people who were taking that route which was a tad annoying...."Carole, remember, this is a challenge event not a race!!" Just afterwards we hit CP3 where I stocked up on marmite sandwiches, jelly beans and coke.
Just after this we hit sand dunes and there were loads of little paths you could take through them : I picked the wrong one and ended up heading towards the beach so had to back-track and catch the others up again (who had all stuck together like sheep and taken the correct route!). The undulations started to get a little bit more unkind from here on in but I was feeling pretty good and kicked on (probably regret that later). At Holywell Beach we hit amazingly high (and very soft) sand dunes and whilst it was nigh-on impossible to run up them, I loved the downhill bit, even providing vocal sound effects "wheeeeeeee" in the process! After a pull up and around Penhale Point, Perran Sands came into view....and stretched way, way, way into the distance and yes, there were little specs representing runners and walkers stretching into that distance too! So, there was no getting away from it. I dropped down the steep (painful by this point) concrete slope onto the sands and started the slog for home. I caught and passed a number of people and committed myself not to drop to a walk, however slowly I was travelling. Over a mile long that beach was! At last the end came into sight but not before the event photographer made an appearance so I put on my bestest show for the camera before eventually reached tarmac again. But then, cruel, cruel organisers had slipped a last steep hill in before the finish line : this I did walk up, at least for most of the way, before seeing Max standing near the top spurring me on. There was also the added concern that there was someone behind me, running up the hill that I had passed earlier on the beach and I was determined he wasn't going to pass me back! Dibbed in and finished! Phew! Bit on the tired and achy side but the feeling of finishing is really, really good.
Michele didn't finish long after me and after a lovely cup of their famous soup, we piled back into the meat wagons to take us back 'home'. Once there, I decided to go for a swim (not in the sea....way too cold!) in the pool, which predictably was way down at the other end of the park...still, the walk would do me good. By the time I got there, it was only 15 mins to closing so it really was only time for a few short 'laps' and then a walk back to the chalet before another 3 course meal and bed! And we get to do it all over again tomorrow!
When the results were posted, I'd finished in 22nd place overall and 4th female in a time of 4.47.35
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)