How rude!

It has been a while since I have blogged - summer holidays are a busy time, and while I keep thinking of things to say here I don't seem to get enough time on the computer to actually type anything out. I need to make some more time at the computer so that I can actually start planning some lessons for the term that starts in two and a half weeks.

Running has been going well, I've been doing Parkrun every week and am beginning to get to know the faces (and names) of some of the regulars. It makes a difference to be able to chat to people before and after the run. Still struggling to beat my PB, but never mind! I've been upping the length of my Sunday run in preparation for the Royal Parks Half Marathon. Last Sunday I got to 12 miles in about 1hr 50mins, which sounds OK, but was in fact possibly the most miserable 1hr 50mins of my life! At about 8 miles (and therefore 4 miles from home) I really wanted to stop running, but had no other way of getting home, no available shortcuts and so had to carry on plodding on. Despite feeling awful when I got home it didn't take me long to recover and I was just about fit enough to endure Horrid Henry: The Movie with my two youngest children later in the afternoon.

I ran on Monday, rather than resting, just to check that my legs still worked! They did, just about. I ran a bit further on Tuesday and then ran two short (2miles and 2.7miles) runs today. This brings me to the title of this blog post.

It was raining today. When running in the rain there are more hazards to consider. The road surface can be slippery, there are puddles and people with umbrellas to avoid. Overhanging trees are a wee bit lower due to the weight of the water on the leaves and are prone to dumping a load of water on the unsuspecting runner underneath them. It is harder to see - especially if one is wearing glasses. I was happily running along, dodging puddles, ladies with umbrellas and low hanging branches when three 'yoofs' on their came towards me on the pavement and shouted 'Get out of the way old lady!' I replied that they should get off the pavement and was told to 'F*ck off and get a life!' These boys were all in their mid teens and seemed oblivious of the perfectly serviceable cycle lane right next to the pavement. I don't doubt that the cyclists were safer on the pavement, especially as none of them were wearing helmets, but forcing pedestrians into the cycle lane is really not on!

Gosh, I sound like a middle aged Daily Mail reader.....

In other news... Husbando has decided that he can't run Paris-Versailles due to his knee injury. I emailed the race organiser and easily transferred his entry to a friend of mine who lives in Paris. The race is on! Last person to finish buys the other lunch! It is a shame that the Great North Run organisers cannot do the same. I can't do this race as I have far too much on, but the organisers will not allow me to transfer my race entry to someone else. Thousands of people were disappointed not to get a place in this race, and I have a place going begging. Dire consequences are threatened for giving away places, and the race number has my name in BIG bold letters on the front to discourage this. What a waste! I don't suppose there is anyone out there with my first name who wants to run the Great North in about 2 hours? I guess if the person didn't collapse/need medical attention/turn out to be speedier than a speedy thing from speedy land and finish in the first 3 then no one would ever know, but I'd be really worried that something might happen to them and the bib number would have all the wrong information!