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Juneathon 13/30 – the hills are alive

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After the ups and downs of the Badger 10k I decided that I need to do some hill training. Admittedly I had the same thought after the Bolton 10k. And the Folkestone half. And the Pennington Flash Parkrun. And in fact I have this thought any time that I am faced with anything steeper than say, the Norfolk Broads. This rarely turns into actual hill training though. I say rarely, what I actually mean is never.

Badger 10k elevation – it felt worse than this looks. Especially at the end.

This time I stalled for as long as I could (by reading Everything You Need to Know About Hill Training) but realised that thinking had to turn into doing at some point. Even though I could have already ticked @torsparkle’s suggestion of hill off my treasure list, I’ve been saving it in the knowledge that I will have to do some early morning runs and these would be made easier with some convenient treasure.

Luckily we’re spoilt for choice with hills round here. I had a gentle pootle down to one of my nemesis hills (there has just been the once where I’ve managed to run the whole way up it) and did a set of five 30 second repeats up the hill, aiming at around my 5k race pace as fast as my little legs could carry me. I might have done more, but my early morning insides hadn’t got the memo and a run/walk home was called for…

I’m not quite sure where to go from here, either increasing the number of reps that I do or the length of each interval, especially as this article suggests that a short, sharp 10 second burst can be really effective in improving strength and speed (incidentially, The Guardian recently reported how High-intensity Interval Training helps all sorts of people, but we take that sort of article with a pinch of salt don’t we?). In the meantime, I shall go to yoga, work on my core strength and emerge with a bikini body – results not actually guaranteed.

Juneathon 12/30 – to wallaby or not to wallaby

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We had high hopes for tonight’s expedition – a canal run along a stretch where we had previously spotted both a goat and an exotic animal (in the form of a wallaby). There’s every chance that we were previously mistaken about the wallaby, but whatever it was, it was certainly bigger than a squirrel.

Unfortunately, the wallaby was no more and there were no goats to be seen either. I’m slightly miffed by this as it seems like every man and his dog had a goat last year, but now we are goatless. Someone has indeed got my goat.

However, all was not lost and we did see a bit of traditional canal art in the form of roses and castles (another suggestion from the prolific Morning of Magicians).

King of the castle

We also say a conifer that looked a bit like a molar – does this count as an interesting tree @torsparkles?

It looks like more like a tooth in real life. Maybe you had to be there.

For the return leg, we ventured off the towpath and onto the main road where eagle eyed Ginge (I might start calling him that all of the time) spotted an orchid (although I am still hoping to see a real one on my travels Jo!)

An unexpected orchid

Tomorrow night is yoga night, so it’s an early hunt in the morning – unless downward facing cat will count as treasure?

My Juneathon Treasure Hunt List – An update

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Seeing as we’re over a third of the way in now, here’s an updated list of what’s been spotted:

  1. Creature
  2. Glitter
  3. Cake
  4. Cat
  5. Sheep
  6. Motorbike
  7. Hill
  8. Viewpoint
  9. An interesting tree
  10. An exotic animal
  11. Road kill
  12. A geocache
  13. Goat
  14. A roadside egg stall
  15. A view through an arch
  16. A pebble
  17. Something orange
  18. 39 steps
  19. Trig point
  20. A red door
  21. A blue fence
  22. The ark of the covenant
  23. A tree with someone’s name carved in
  24. An orchid
  25. A piece of grass longer than 50 cms
  26. A cloud that looks like someone/ something (preferably a crocodile)
  27. Rhino
  28. Llama
  29. Pub
  30. Milestone
  31. Pothole
  32. Feather
  33. Parkrun t-shirt
  34. Union Jack
  35. Local ale
  36. Manchester tart
  37. Post van
  38. Cyclist
  39. Fire engine
  40. Unicorn
  41. Penguin
  42. Kiwi
  43. A dignified pigeon.
  44. A piece of street furniture that looks like a face.
  45. The meaning of life.
  46. An ice cream cornet without the ice cream
  47. A shell
  48. A penny
  49. Unusual bit of rubbish
  50. A Lego mini figure
  51. A dragon
  52. A badger
  53. A pirate
  54. A stick shaped like a letter (but not an I or an L)
  55. A giant rabbit (preferably wearing a bow tie and/or a top hat)
  56. Dr Who with an iguana
  57. A half eaten Greggs
  58. A Kentish Orchard
  59. Teaspoon
  60. Teabag
  61. Dice
  62. A pink car
  63. A chalk drawing on the pavement
  64. Treasure (money)
  65. A baby swan
  66. Run an errand i.e. run home with a 2kg bag of potatoes
  67. Climb a tree en route
  68. An interesting plaque
  69. Pretty bunting
  70. Beach
  71. Pier
  72. Olympic torch relay
  73. Supermarket
  74. Ducks
  75. Riverboats
  76. Castle
  77. Motorway
  78. Thunderstorm
  79. A proper Cornish pasty
  80. …

Juneathon 11/30 – in the pink

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It’s fair to say that with a third of Juneathon done and dusted, the treasure hunting is starting to take over my brain a little bit. Tonight I contemplated running a particular route because I had passed a squashed pigeon in the middle of the road. This is not good. Incidentially, if and when I do spot some roadkill, am I expected to photograph it? I don’t want to offend the squeamish and equally, I’m not sure I want to be the sort of person who takes photos of squished wildlife.

Tonight was a simple two miles (I would’ve done a bit longer, but my tea was sitting heavy) taking in a pink car (suggested by runorgocrazy) that we had clocked earlier in the evening.

It’s not quite Lady Penelope, but never mind.

I am very pleased to have ticked this off because I was being tormented by a Barbie pink Fiat 500. I keep passing one on the road while I’m out driving, but never see it while I’m out running. If I do see it while I’m treasure hunting I will take a photo of it because it is about as pink as you can get, but at least now I can dampen down my persecutory ideas that the driving has been taunting me on purpose…

Juneathon 10/30: A walk in the park

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Today’s run was supposed to be straightforward; I would join Ginge in the gym for a bit and then run home. I got to the gym and it dawned on me that I’ve neglected the gym a bit during Juneathon. I enjoy doing my weights at the gym but can’t get past either the tedium of cardio equipment or the rubbishness of the telly that’s on.

Anyway, at the gym I managed to climb 39 steps (the first of Follystone‘s suggestions that crop up today)…

I can also offer blurry photos of 38 and 40 steps if anyone’s interested

…and did a bit on the cross trainer before I got restless. Sometimes I keep myself entertained by swearing at the adverts. No matter what channel is on, they’re always a variation of payday loans, Uniform Dating (do you fancy people who have to wear a designated outfit and a name badge?) and the Veet one with the girl who’s inordinately proud that she no longer gives herself third degree burns whilst waxing her legs. Sadly the EDF energy advert wasn’t on, which deprived me both of something orange and the opportunity to mutter darkly at what is essentially a jovial orange poo with backing dancers.

It’s called Zingy apparently

After a while I think I must have been annoying Ginge because he suggested the grand idea of me running round town looking for treasure (yes mum, there was shades of this being ‘a good job for me’).

Off I trotted, optimistically seeking a half eaten Greggs or someone’s dropped treasure, but unfortunately the locals are too frugal to waste pastry or spare change. I made my way up to the park, getting some slightly odd looks as I darted from tree to tree looking for one from my list. I didn’t quite find Jo’s a tree with someone’s name carved in, but this one did have a declaration of love so I think that counts.

Today I shall be mad woman taking photos of trees

I headed up to the lake to see if I could spy some baby swans, only to get into a conversation with a couple who were looking for exactly the same thing. Apparently, the swans have been on the nest constantly for the last week, but today both were off it and yet there was no sign of any cygnets. The nesting island was covered in ducks and gulls, which is a bit odd if there were eggs or babies on there. I am awaiting updates.

Swan: may or may not have been a neglectful parent

Even though there were no baby swans, there was this chap who, with his waterside hangout, certainly looked like a dignified pigeon (and his feet weren’t deformed or nothing). If you want to see the very definition of a dignified pigeon have a look at Deadly Knitshade, yarn bomber extraordinaire and keeper of both Cooey the Pigeon and Plarchie the Giant Squid. Her book (Stitch London) is bloody awesome.

I am a pigeon. This is my lake.

After all the socialising and pigeon paparazzi, I thought I better head back to Ginge whose eagle eyes had spotted a blue fence (another of Follystone‘s) at the railway station.

I’ve spent ages defining what is a fence and what are railings. This is most definitely a fence.

Gym graced with my presence, three miles run, four treasures spotted, not bad for a Sunday.