Marathon 41 of 60

Here I go again, heading off to another of Traviss's events, the Martello marathon, this time at Sandgate a bit further along the Kent coast from the last one I did in Dymchurch, last December.

My route took me along the coastal road past this array of wind turbines on Romney Marsh. They started operating in 2009 amidst much controversy and you can see more images here. I thought they looked particularly striking as dawn was breaking so I stopped to take some photos.

It was a 2 day event but I only signed up for the 2nd day. Thank goodness for that as on the 1st day there was a really strong wind with heavy rain with a bit of hail thrown in for good measure.

When I found the car park near the start (after a bit of a detour and having enlisted the help of a Council worker in his clean-up lorry to put me back on the right track!) the sun was just peeping over the horizon. I leapt out of the car to try and capture the moment before I phoned Mike to let him know I'd arrived in one piece. I always find Dawn and Sunset magical moments.

Then it was off to register and collect my number before heading back to the car to get my bits and bobs together. You can see Elanor, Traviss's daughter, standing at the aid station but I wish I'd taken a close-up of her hat, scarf and mittens as they had a fab design of owls on them!

People arrived in dribs and drabs, some familiar faces, some new ones. The first people I met were Carolyn & Bonnie together with her friend Rob, seen here with Bonnie. Bonnie always gets lots of attention because she is such a gorgeous and friendly dog and she always looks so happy running along with Carolyn! 

Traviss held a race briefing at the start and although it was still windy we were assured it was nowhere near as bad and that if we complained then we'd probably get a slap from those people who'd run it the previous day!

There was a welcome back to Paul aka Darth Vader who was making his comeback having taken a nasty tumble in December in which he tried to remodel his face and jaw and got rid of a few teeth into the bargain (ouch!) and celebrations of 50 & 100 marathons & 52 marathons in a year for other runners. He also made a presentation to Ruth for whom I made Happy the Hippo to celebrate her 300th marathon. Although her 300th was last year she hadn't submitted her marathon sheets for approval so hadn't received her special medal. Btw, she's now run 352 marathons and is on target to get to 400 by the end of this year.

Rachel, Traviss and Ruth

Not the prettiest funicular railway but you can get a feel for how steep the cliff is from this photo - more info here

The route was out and back along the seafront which was 4 loops of 6.55 miles going from Sandgate towards Hythe. I don't think I've ever been to Sandgate before and all I knew about it was that H G Wells lived there for a while. Apparently we ran past one of his houses.

I won't do a blow by blow account but just show some photos taken en-route. I've had to be selective in what I show because I took 71 photos, many of which were because I liked the patterns or texture of something (to include in my mood boards for craft projects)!

The first short bit from the start took us to this turnaround point - glamourous hey! Then we headed along the sea wall towards the 2 Martello Towers, which we didn't actually pass which surprised me. There's a bit of information about Martello Towers here. Some Martello Towers have been turned into holiday homes.

This  building looked distinctly nautical

There weren't many people about first thing as it was scold and windy. On the outward section we were running right into the wind and it really slowed me down but then of course the way back felt much easier. En-route I chatted with several different runners, one of whom was Brian who I first met last year at Karen's double-marathon in Dover. He was heading towards his 1000th marathon which he 

passed ages ago and is now on 1032 (I think). Amazing.

I'm not sure that this structure is but it was next to lots of colourful beach huts (sadly my photos of them were blurry and not worth showing)

From a distance I thought I was approaching a Martello Tower when I saw this building, seen in the next 3 photos, but it is in fact Sandgate Castle which was built in 1539.

I loved the design of these apartments with the little sail on the side

There had been a high tide which had washed lots of gravel and stone onto the footpath so it was a bit difficult in parts. Not too bad though.

When we started out there were several fishermen setting up tents. They just seemed to sit in them for a few hours until the tide started to come in and then it was action stations as they all took their rods down to start fishing!

 Apparently, when the tide comes right in they stand up on the path we were running alongside which would have made it even more crowded.

Here's Mandy going for an 8 mile training run. She's training for her first marathon in May but was there to support her partner Gary who was running the 2 marathons. Look how quiet the path is - it got really crowded later on with dog walkers (dogs mostly off the lead) runners (not part of the marathon), cyclists (who hurtled along the path) and people just out for a stroll.

I liked the design of this cycle route signpost. It's in the shape of a mermaid's tail as this area is known as Mermaid Beach (or is it 'Bay'?). There was a cafe named the Mermaid Bar but it didn't look very inviting! I was on the lookout for mermaids after that but I only spotted one in a garden - see below.

We ran past a rowing club and I liked that they'd used an old rowing boat as a planter alongside the road.

These apartments were built on a slant so that everyone has a balcony without restricting the light for those beneath

This little fellow was standing guard atop his wall playing at 'King of the Castle'! His master was busy in the garden and we had a little chat at one stage.

I'm collecting seahorse designs for a project at the moment so was delighted to find these 2 houses close by

Seagulls having a morning nap

Another Beacon - I've spotted a lot of these recently

I was taking a photo of this house because I loved the design of the porch with the small windows in its roof to allow light in. Then I spotted the stone mermaid which was a bonus

So how was my run? I was trying out my new Hokas which I'd worn in by using them on shorter distances for about 120 miles. The verdict? Very comfortable with no rubbing and I didn't feel the concrete sections that had aggravated my arthritis so much during my previous 2 marathons. Excellent.

I felt strong throughout and just enjoyed the experience, stopping to take photos and chatting to passers-by who were interested in what we were all doing running backwards and forwards. An elderly gentleman even gave me £1 for my charity which was very sweet of him.

There was such a friendly and supportive atmosphere amongst the runners and the lovely people at the aid station who stood around for hours getting blown about. It's the camaraderie that I enjoyed most of all and it's so nice to watch the speedier runners zooming past.

Here's my lovely medal. If you look closely at the badge on the ribbon you'll see that I've reached 100 miles in Traviss's events as this is my 4th marathon with him. Bring on the next one, that's what I say.

Oops, I nearly forgot to mention my time - 5:00:15. The 15 seconds caused me to utter an expletive (well, I uttered it 3 times actually!!!). How annoying to be just over the 5 hour mark by so little. But then, if I will stop to take photos etc. what do I expect.

Thanks to everyone involved for yet another great event. I'll leave you with this lovely photo of Carolyn and Bonnie. Awwh!

Shocked and saddened

I know I don't usually write about things like this but watching the events in Paris unfold over the last few days has been so awful that I feel compelled to try and find the right words. Those poor people at Charlie Hebdo and in the supermarket. The scene of the aftermath is unimaginable. Husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons gunned down in cold blood. So very sad.

Out of the horror of gunmen, the mass slaughter of innocent people, fear and terror, came some amazing acts of bravery and solidarity.

My heart goes out to everyone in France for this vicious attack on their core values. Watching the images of people coming together to grieve and standing firm gives hope. If only we could all be more tolerant of one another and allow each person to have their own beliefs without trying destroy those who do not agree with them.

Tomorrow I shall be running the Martello marathon and and I shall be thinking of those who lost their lives. One of my friends sent me a link to this cartoon of Imagine by John Lennon.

New Focus

So what did I do over the Christmas break? Lots!

There was baking, running, thinking, moving things around, de-cluttering and planning for 2015. I don't make resolutions but I do like to evaluate things and try to make changes where I deem necessary.

On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day I donned my Ms Santa outfit for my run. It always makes people smile. This year I was especially pleased with the red/white striped tights together with black/white socks which clashed nicely with my new mauve-coloured shoes. Classy hey?!

On NYD last year I went off to run a 10k race in atrocious weather conditions but this year I decided against it and went for a glorious run in the sunshine through muddy fields. What kept catching my eye were the bare branches of the trees against the beautiful blue sky.

I went out just as the sun was rising

The twigs reminded me of upward-pointing tree roots (see the next photo)!

These tree roots became exposed when the tree was blown down last Spring. Although these roots are now dried up and dead, the tree still has enough roots below ground to enable it to re-grow.

I loved the light catching the top of this beautiful Silver Birch

At one point I ran through a wooded area and took this shot of the dark tree trunks with the light peeping through.

As I ran along, the tree branches reminded me of embroidery stitches (feather stitch actually) and I realised that I'm missing needlework from my daily crafting. Knitting and crochet seem to have been dominating for a while and I think I need to get going on an embroidery project or something else involving fabric and thread. I also realised that I often forget to post photos of finished projects as I am  a true flippertigibbert and easily distracted so I must address that issue this year. Just to prove a point, that reminds me that I haven't taken a photo of Mike's cardigan!

Once I'd had that thought my mind started to mull over the idea and then on my next run I just kept seeing things that inspired me. The beauty of long-distance running is that you can let your mind wander and being immersed is nature really liberating.

What an extraordinary tree with a line of gnarly bark up its middle. It looks as if someone is diving into the ground!

I love the pattern of tractor tyres in the mud

Last years growth on a hawthorn hedge looks like a novelty yarn or modern stitchery

The wonderfully twisted branches of the remains of a hedge which must have been 'laid' in the past

Glorious patterning on these Hazel catkins reminded me of a filling stitch used in embroidery

One morning I went out and we'd had a hard frost. When I looked out of the kitchen window I noticed a strange shape emerging from the frozen water:

Closer inspection revealed this strange chunk of ice sitting on top of the frozen water. How on earth did it form like that?

The patterns within the ice were fascinating too

The next day these magnificent ice crystals had formed around the rim:

The ground is sodden at the moment and so there were lots of puddles with amazing patterns in the ice. I could imagine a mixed media interpretation of the patterns:

I have many, many more photos to inspire me but January will be spent catching up on unfinished things before I embark upon a new creative adventure.

In the meantime I have my first marathon of 2015 on Sunday and I'm hoping the weather will be kind to us as it's down on the Kent coast again!

New Year, new focus

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you enjoyed the festive season and haven't put on too much weight. I have to confess to feeling somewhat rounder after all the scrumptious Christmas food.

I can't believe it's over 2 weeks since I last updated my blog but we've just been really busy and the time has flown by. I've got my first marathon of 2015 this weekend and the weather forecast is not looking good at the moment. I'm hoping it all changes by the time we get to Sunday!

What's been happening? I'll start with a brief recap of Christmas (and I use the word "brief" loosely). There was a large jigsaw which we started after lunch on Boxing Day. It's massive and took over half of the dining table. It was a Charity Shop find which was brand new and only cost £2.

Tilly helped enormously!

Our pretty Amaryllis flowered well and is still flowering with another flower spike growing before our eyes which is an added bonus.

I should have written about my Panettone beforehand so that people could try it for themselves. For anyone who has never heard of it, Panettone is that wonderfully decadent Italian bread bejewelled with candied peel and dried fruits that you see packaged in boxes before Christmas. I've been making my own for many years now and always use a recipe by Linda Collister whose recipes are always reliably good.

Often a recipe will tell you that you need a special Panettone tin which has really high sides (and costs a lot of money) but this is what Linda Collister suggests and it works a treat. In Italy bakers take great pride in producing the tallest Panettone.

You grease the inside of a loose-based tin and then line the sides with a double layer of grease-proof paper which protrudes about 3-4" above the top of the tin.

Then you add a double layer of silver foil around the outside of the tin and  attach it to the foil with a paperclip.

When your Panettone has been proved and been shaped and placed in the tin it will be quite low down in the tin but after its final rising it will have come a long way up.

This is what it looks like when it's just come out of the oven

It's quite fragile whilst still warm and so you lay it on its side to cool and firm up.

This is what it looks like just before we attacked it. Oh my, it was gorgeous! We had it for breakfast for 3 days and then the remainder was used up in a bread pudding which was equally scrumptious - I can't think why we put on weight over Christmas!!!

Mike's given me permission to share his Christmas project on here. He decided that he wanted to do a portrait of me based on this photo of me sitting in a green chair (you need to scroll down the page a bit). He's been experimenting with oil painting for a few years now and he has a natural talent for drawing and painting and he's just getting better and better.

Here I am in a few stages. Each day he brought it into the lounge and we looked at it to see if it needed tweaking. I found it odd staring at myself but we both agreed that it's his best yet and I feel honoured to have been captured like this.

Thanks Mike xxxxx

I think that's enough for this post so in my next one I'll write about what I've been up to and my plans for 2015.