Racing and more racing..
How nice it will be having all my weekends free from now on - no more being crossed off people's lists of names to invite to social gatherings (I hope).
However I've no doubt some weekends will still be dull and uneventful - unlike this one (1st/2nd October). On the Saturday I tried my hand (for the first time) at Go-Karting. Thankfully I managed to catch a lift off Phil Cogan - otherwise I'd never have found the place in a million years. It was basically a disused air shelter or something, not signposted at all, on the outskirts of Wroughton. The other great thing about getting a ride with Phil is that whilst I was in fear of my life all the time in the car at least I know what a good driver I am by comparison - sorry Phil!!
And so to the karting - there were about 20 of us taking part, in 2 groups of 10. Most of my buddies from spinning and body pump at the gym, plus the instructors, Alex, Ali and Paul. Nicole, at just 19 the baby in our gang, brought four mates along with her. Nicole - if you're reading this sweetheart, next time bring girls who are cute but haven't got boyfriends and who are crap at karting, ok?? :)
Anyway, before we were let loose we had a 5 minute lecture which was basically all about what the various flags meant if they were waved at us. No use to man nor beast really - what I could have done with was some tips on how to drive those bloody things and how best to take the corners. I was useless at it. For the life of me I couldn't get the hang of how best to control the things and get round the corners (of which there were too many).
But hey, who really cares?? We had a great day out - I've been going to various gyms and exercise classes ever since I left Uni and gave up Karate and I've never met such a good bunch of friends as these guys anywhere else. This year we've been to the cinema, been to parties at each other's houses, been out for meals, had nights out etc etc. Special thanks to Maxine who seems to end up organising most of these.
After the karting we stopped at The Sun at Coate water for liquid refreshment. Unfortunately I was unable to partake of any alcohol as I had a different sort of racing to do in the morning - another 10k run at Cricklade. Still, we all had a good time and I managed to get some good tips on running and training from Gerry, who started running a year ago and this year has managed two marathons.
No company at the Cricklade 10k unfortunately - Anthony was unable to make it on this occasion. Still, it was probably about time I did one on my own, and in the end I wasn't fazed by it. I found the place ok and had a good run. It was a much flatter course than the two I had done previously and while I'm not sure of my exact time I think it was about 55-56 minutes - a personal best for me, but one I hope to improve on considerably.
I let Anthony know about this by text and true to form he congratulated me and reminded me to enjoy a few beers today. At the time of writing I had a couple of beers with my tea (after going to the cinema to see Red Eye - recommended) and plan to have a glass or two of wine before retiring. First day at my new job tomorrow so can't afford to be too hung over.
I've been thinking all day about how I'll feel two weeks from now, when, all being well, I'll have finished my first half marathon (Swindon). As long as I can still walk I'll be going on holiday the next day so I doubt I'll be too worried about the hangover then. To coin a phrase, I dare say I'll be well and truly "freddied" before the night is over.
However I've no doubt some weekends will still be dull and uneventful - unlike this one (1st/2nd October). On the Saturday I tried my hand (for the first time) at Go-Karting. Thankfully I managed to catch a lift off Phil Cogan - otherwise I'd never have found the place in a million years. It was basically a disused air shelter or something, not signposted at all, on the outskirts of Wroughton. The other great thing about getting a ride with Phil is that whilst I was in fear of my life all the time in the car at least I know what a good driver I am by comparison - sorry Phil!!
And so to the karting - there were about 20 of us taking part, in 2 groups of 10. Most of my buddies from spinning and body pump at the gym, plus the instructors, Alex, Ali and Paul. Nicole, at just 19 the baby in our gang, brought four mates along with her. Nicole - if you're reading this sweetheart, next time bring girls who are cute but haven't got boyfriends and who are crap at karting, ok?? :)
Anyway, before we were let loose we had a 5 minute lecture which was basically all about what the various flags meant if they were waved at us. No use to man nor beast really - what I could have done with was some tips on how to drive those bloody things and how best to take the corners. I was useless at it. For the life of me I couldn't get the hang of how best to control the things and get round the corners (of which there were too many).
But hey, who really cares?? We had a great day out - I've been going to various gyms and exercise classes ever since I left Uni and gave up Karate and I've never met such a good bunch of friends as these guys anywhere else. This year we've been to the cinema, been to parties at each other's houses, been out for meals, had nights out etc etc. Special thanks to Maxine who seems to end up organising most of these.
After the karting we stopped at The Sun at Coate water for liquid refreshment. Unfortunately I was unable to partake of any alcohol as I had a different sort of racing to do in the morning - another 10k run at Cricklade. Still, we all had a good time and I managed to get some good tips on running and training from Gerry, who started running a year ago and this year has managed two marathons.
No company at the Cricklade 10k unfortunately - Anthony was unable to make it on this occasion. Still, it was probably about time I did one on my own, and in the end I wasn't fazed by it. I found the place ok and had a good run. It was a much flatter course than the two I had done previously and while I'm not sure of my exact time I think it was about 55-56 minutes - a personal best for me, but one I hope to improve on considerably.
I let Anthony know about this by text and true to form he congratulated me and reminded me to enjoy a few beers today. At the time of writing I had a couple of beers with my tea (after going to the cinema to see Red Eye - recommended) and plan to have a glass or two of wine before retiring. First day at my new job tomorrow so can't afford to be too hung over.
I've been thinking all day about how I'll feel two weeks from now, when, all being well, I'll have finished my first half marathon (Swindon). As long as I can still walk I'll be going on holiday the next day so I doubt I'll be too worried about the hangover then. To coin a phrase, I dare say I'll be well and truly "freddied" before the night is over.
posted by Jon | 7:58 pm
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