2 posts from July 2009

Memorial, College Valley

It was about time I got on my mountain bike again, so to break myself in gently I cycled from Wooler to Hethpool and along the College Valley. Not exactly off-road, but a delight to be peddling on peaceful lanes past hedgerows bright with scarlet poppies. The route up the valley is undulating and quietly challenging, I thought about the account I had read by Margaret Dag of her childhood at Dunsdale in the 1940's. If they needed anything from Wooler, she and her sister would cycle the 13 miles there and 13 miles back sharing the one bike (no doubt not one with18 gears and without the benefit of padded shorts)....they must have been made of stern stuff those country girls.

As I approached the Cuddy Stone Hall I stopped at the Memorial which commemorates the airmen lost in plane crashes in the Cheviots. There was a tell-tale plume of blue smoke rising from inside the stell and indeed when I entered the enclosure Old Geordie Rumfella of the College Valley was seated on one of the benches puffing on his pipe and gazing up at the dark bulk of Cheviot. I sat next to him thinking about the broken carcasses of aircraft I had seen on the Cheviot plateau and the gravestones of young airmen at Kirknewton. " Just think those peaceful hills  causing death" I mused. Old Geordie shook his head " Its not the hills, Bonny Lass, its us and our wars. You think we would've learnt by now, and yet its still happening today." I glanced across at him as a tear trickled down his wrinkled weather-beaten cheek, I lightly touched the rough cloth of his sleeve and left. There was a brisk breeze blowing from Mounthooley, stinging my eyes, I wiped them and turned my bike towards Southern Knowe.

Following the Lambden Burn up to Goldscleugh, glad to feel my legs working and the sun on my back, glad to be alive. Along the flank of Cheviot below Bizzle Crags. Off road at last, ascending track and path between Preston Hill and Broadhope. Cursing to myself about my lack of expertise as I skidded and wobbled on rough ground, giggling wildly as I catapaulted myself over the handle bars, luckily into soft bog. Easier stretch homeward from Broadstruther with only Hells Path as a wee sting in the tail. Not sure I'll ever get the hang of this biking lark....

Woolhope Crag

Nathalie on Humbledon

The trouble with Adam running so quickly is that he finishes a race and has time to jog back and take unflattering photos of the rest of us....slow down mate!

Actually Adam has been sharing some of the secrets of his running success with us, he turned up at the Coastal Run last weekend in very fetching knee-length black socks. These were not just a fashion statement, but special "compression socks" designed to redistribute body fluids from the calves to other places. We were all worried that contact with sea water might cause the fibres in the socks to contract causing a increase in Adam's torso size and an imbalance in his gait, thankfully this was not the case and he ran a brilliant race. Compression socks now on order...

I was also interested to read Adam's race plan which involved dividing the race into twelths and pre-planning a time for each section. I realise this is a strategy I won't be able to use as I struggle with any fraction smaller than a quarter that doesn't involve cake and my temporal dyslexia means that clocks are also troublesome. I have developed my own technique which I call "Running how you Feel" it involves no mathematical ability or technical gadgets. Basically you start running and then if you feel good you run faster. The slight disadvantage at the Coastal run was the presence of holiday makers relaxing on the beach, as I felt like stopping and sitting down in a deckchair with a bottle of beer. Perhaps my technique is flawed after all.

There was a great turn from Wooler Running Club, the green and purple vests adding a touch of class to the colourful field at the start on Beadnell beach. Super performances especially on post-Chevy legs for some. The most impressive runner of the day was Nathalie taking part in her first ever 14 mile race. She was quite worried about it beforehand, but was quietly determined to finish in two and a half hours. Nathalie coasted in comfortably in 2 hours 20, brilliant!