GK Runderings

I wasn’t actually supposed to be doing Race to the Stones. Last year I’d attempted Race to the Castle, organised by the same bunch, as my first attempt at 100km, and it had gone rather pear-shaped. Northumberland decided to have a sulk in the middle of June, and threw north winds and driving rain at us all day- and I simply hadn’t prepared properly. RTTC ended for me at pitstop 5 64km in, wearing everything I was carrying and still so chilled through that it took me 10 minutes to complete the last few hundred metres to the feedstation, where Paul picked up the pieces. Somewhat disliking having not got over the line, I re-entered Race to the Castle for 2022 as soon as entries opened. Unfortunately, then Northumberland pulled its second trick, and we got the winter storms that decimated the Kielder forests through which the first half of the RTTC route goes. Unfortunately, the Forestry Commission could give Threshold Trail no guarantees that the paths would be clear by June - and without...

We have family who are members of Gosport Road Runners, who organise the Gosport Half Marathon every year in November. They have been bugging us to come down and run it for a few years now - Andy did get down to the race in 2022, but had some dubious excuse last year about waiting until her foot was attached properly to her ankle again. So this was the first year we had both managed to make it down. Although a week ago I was far from sure it was a good idea. The previous year's event had been held in pouring rain, and the Great South Run across in Portsmouth a few weeks ago had actually been cancelled due to the weather - apparently the insurers were less than keen to allow the event to go ahead when the wind was gusting up to 50 mph. So this area doesn't have a particularly good reputation for weather in the autumn, at least with me. And as of last Sunday, the forecast for the event was heavy rain  showers and 20mph winds for the entire period of the event. However...