Roman road

We had a walk on the Roman road today with Tuss plus a couple from the village who also have a vizsla.  It was a perfect autumn afternoon for a walk

The Beer Engine

We missed Wednesday night's club run but I managed to get over for a quick pint to the Beer Engine in Skipton. The Engine has been dubbed Skipton's first micro-pub and I was very impressed with the friendly welcome we received, the great selection of beer on offer and the quality of the beer. Highly recommended! 

Bands of Gold

We managed a run along the river yesterday afternoon. I guess we were out an hour or so all told. Just about long enough to get some mud on the box-fresh pair of Walshes I've had for months but never worn. Kingfisher, heron, goosander, wren, long tailed tit and a treecreeper were spotted during the run

Part of the reason we didn't get out running until the afternoon was we'd been to Skipton to buy wedding rings earlier. Stef's didn't take too much sorting but I was frustrated because our chosen shop had samples which were too small for my (I thought very average size) fingers

I had a very clear picture in my mind of what I wanted: 'gold' gold (not white), decent band width and a curved top, not flat i.e. something very traditional. Eventually after around half an hour and with an increasingly sore ring finger we found what I'd had in mind since my proposal back in October 

We'd been served by a lovely guy who I'd guess was in his 50's (a gentle man, Stef said later), but I asked one of the younger women working in the shop what she thought to my choice, 'does this look like the sort of ring your dad, uncle, elder brother or grandad would wear?'. 'Yes', she said, 'and the kind of thing I hope one day my husband would wear'. A perfect reply I thought

Skipton Parkrun # 1

Skipton Parkrun started four weeks ago and I've fancied nipping over for a run out one weekend but we've been busy, or away. However, with Stef being in the Lakes for the Rab MM I had an ideal opportunity this weekend

My first problem was finding the park. I thought I knew where it was but I've never actually been to the car-park there, only ever having run through the park before. This wasn't a problem after a couple of laps of Skipton and I had loads of time still to spare. Thankfully no sooner had I arrived than I saw my friend Matty, who not only told me how it all worked, but jogged round a lap with me (the run is three laps). This recce lap enabled me to see that (1) the course wasn't all tarmac, but much more 'multi-terrain' in nature, and (2) the hill near the start was brutal (not by fell running terms, but certainly so if you've got to do it three times in twenty odd minutes)

I'd never done a 5K before and not done a shortish race since May so pacing was always going to be interesting. As it was I think I got it about right and finished 25th out of I'm guessing 95 entrants. I only felt sick for ten minutes or so afterwards and was back home well before 10am

As I was getting ready this morning I was thinking there must be thousands of folk all over the country doing this just now. The event was really inclusive with childeren running plus whole familes trotting round together. I've no idea who started the whole parkrun 'movement' but they were super smart because it is great and what's not to like?