Our third and final week on the Isle of Wight and the rain is never-ending. Typical English summer! But we are still having a great time despite the weather, enjoying outdoor swimming, walks, hot-tub, archery, trampolining, music, games, and… waffles! (Alvin’s Waffle House in Shanklin has become our second home - absolutely delicious!)
This week has also been busy: I have hosted a Facebook Workshop for the other guests, which was great fun; I have had time to try out sheet music on my iPad, playing the lovely piano at East Dene; and then there has been the marathon of trying to pack up a seemingly infinite amount of STUFF that was needed for our 3 week stay (Zac alone gets through at least 3 changes of clothes per day, then there’s his wheelchair, nappies, all kinds of equipment, plus all the baby supplies for Lily-Rose, etc, etc.)
But, somehow, I managed to find space for two runs this week (but really would have liked to have done three):
Monday 23rd August
An unbelievably windy day, but the rain seems to be easing off a little so I venture out for a 5 mile run along the coastal path starting at Bonchurch. The wind is coming at me sideways, directly off the sea, and at times it is a battle to stay upright. At best it is slowing me down, and I feel like I’m running in slow-motion. In addition, the sea is flinging spray at me the whole time and (just wearing shorts and a little vest) my skin is soon covered in salt, sand, grit and probably a whole marine micro-ecosystem!
It is tempting to give up and turn back but something (pride? insanity?) keeps me going and I manage the 5 miles in 51 minutes 25 seconds. Could be worse.
Never has a hot shower been more welcome than after this run!
Wednesday 25th August
It has been raining ALL day and now, at 8pm, the sky is dark and the wind has picked up, and the rain looks like it’s here to stay for the night. This is the last possible chance I will get to run on this holiday, and I just don’t want to do it.
But all the excuses I make to myself (too cold, too wet, too dark, too tired, etc) sound pretty lame, so I pull on my only waterproof item (a high viz Karrimor running jacket I picked up in the sales 2 days ago for £7!) over my shorts and vest, and head out into the darkness.
Just the walk down the hill through the trees to the coastal path is hazardous as I can hardly see my feet, and the ground is full of tree-roots, stones and rocks. But once I get to the path and the open sea, there is a little light leftover from the fading sunset, and I set off, aiming for 5 miles again.
There is absolutely no-one around.
The rain is torrential, the wind just as strong as before, and as far as my running shoes are concerned, I quickly discover that “breathable” also means “not waterproof” – my feet are soaked within seconds! However, my high viz jacket is warm and dry and I think to myself that if I collapse in a heap somewhere, I will at least be easy to spot!
The last of the light is fading rapidly and after 2 miles I realise that I will soon be running in complete and utter darkness and it just doesn’t feel safe, especially with the sheer drop from the path down to the rocks and the sea. I loop round and call it a day at 2.5 miles. I suppose it was better than nothing, but I can’t help feeling a little disappointed that I never got to do a final long run on my holiday. And that I have only run 7.5 miles this week. I will definitely have to make up for it next week.
Distance run (in miles): Monday 5, Wednesday 2.5
Total mileage this week: 7.5
Total mileage for August: 55.2
Total since starting blog (21/6/10): 187.3
This week has also been busy: I have hosted a Facebook Workshop for the other guests, which was great fun; I have had time to try out sheet music on my iPad, playing the lovely piano at East Dene; and then there has been the marathon of trying to pack up a seemingly infinite amount of STUFF that was needed for our 3 week stay (Zac alone gets through at least 3 changes of clothes per day, then there’s his wheelchair, nappies, all kinds of equipment, plus all the baby supplies for Lily-Rose, etc, etc.)
But, somehow, I managed to find space for two runs this week (but really would have liked to have done three):
Monday 23rd August
An unbelievably windy day, but the rain seems to be easing off a little so I venture out for a 5 mile run along the coastal path starting at Bonchurch. The wind is coming at me sideways, directly off the sea, and at times it is a battle to stay upright. At best it is slowing me down, and I feel like I’m running in slow-motion. In addition, the sea is flinging spray at me the whole time and (just wearing shorts and a little vest) my skin is soon covered in salt, sand, grit and probably a whole marine micro-ecosystem!It is tempting to give up and turn back but something (pride? insanity?) keeps me going and I manage the 5 miles in 51 minutes 25 seconds. Could be worse.
Never has a hot shower been more welcome than after this run!
Wednesday 25th August
It has been raining ALL day and now, at 8pm, the sky is dark and the wind has picked up, and the rain looks like it’s here to stay for the night. This is the last possible chance I will get to run on this holiday, and I just don’t want to do it.
But all the excuses I make to myself (too cold, too wet, too dark, too tired, etc) sound pretty lame, so I pull on my only waterproof item (a high viz Karrimor running jacket I picked up in the sales 2 days ago for £7!) over my shorts and vest, and head out into the darkness.
Just the walk down the hill through the trees to the coastal path is hazardous as I can hardly see my feet, and the ground is full of tree-roots, stones and rocks. But once I get to the path and the open sea, there is a little light leftover from the fading sunset, and I set off, aiming for 5 miles again.
There is absolutely no-one around.
The rain is torrential, the wind just as strong as before, and as far as my running shoes are concerned, I quickly discover that “breathable” also means “not waterproof” – my feet are soaked within seconds! However, my high viz jacket is warm and dry and I think to myself that if I collapse in a heap somewhere, I will at least be easy to spot!
The last of the light is fading rapidly and after 2 miles I realise that I will soon be running in complete and utter darkness and it just doesn’t feel safe, especially with the sheer drop from the path down to the rocks and the sea. I loop round and call it a day at 2.5 miles. I suppose it was better than nothing, but I can’t help feeling a little disappointed that I never got to do a final long run on my holiday. And that I have only run 7.5 miles this week. I will definitely have to make up for it next week.
Distance run (in miles): Monday 5, Wednesday 2.5
Total mileage this week: 7.5
Total mileage for August: 55.2
Total since starting blog (21/6/10): 187.3
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