A new Route

 

 

 

Taken from Devils Dyke car park towads Truliegh Hill

 

                                                         The Radio Mast at Truliegh Hill

                                                Looking back to Devils Dyke from Truliegh Hill

I decided on a new route, which was a good idea because it added a level of interest and helped towards the motivation that I needed. The South Downs National Park backs neatly onto Brighton and Hove and there is several options for starting points. I drove to a local beauty spot called 'Devils Dyke' It is just a 5 minute drive from my home and is normally discounted by me because it is the closest to the city and therefore the busiest. I often run up here from home and the starting point of today's run is more likely to be my turn around point.
Today though I parked up and jogged out towards the radio masts at Truliegh Hill. My pace started slowly and just as I was getting up to a comfortable rhythm, I slipped on the wet ground and fell on my fat arse. Obviously a treat to entertain the several dog walkers in the vicinity. Just after the tumble, within the first mile I got chased down by a small dog that was keen to try biting my ankles, my reasons for skipping this area were starting to be confirmed. However once I was a mile or more from the car park I enjoyed the trail to myself on a beautiful day. I am pleased that I had overcome my lethargy and although I am a long way from being addicted to running, this was an important step to keep me going out and towards the goal of reaching the belt hole of champions.

Energy v Lethargy

Some people say that running can be addictive. I personally really like to go for a run and if you go regularly you do start to scratch at the door like a dog the minute time allows and when time does not allow, you look sadly out of the window wishing you could go. Strange though this addiction because if you stop going for just a week of two, you honestly can't be bothered if you ever run again. Lethargy starts to win over exercise quite quickly. This is certainly my personal experience.

Today the sky was clear, I had time and this morning I found myself procrastinating over a cup of coffee in my local coffee house. I was composing a list of tasks that I need to achieve before going back to work in a few weeks time and at the top of my list for today was, 'go for a run'

I knew from experience that I needed to try and go out for a bit of a run today because deep down I can still feel the rumblings of the need and passion for the open trail and can remember how good it makes me feel. If I do not go it will get harder and harder to get back out there and my belt hole will slowly slip out a notch or two and I will eventually feel slow and fat.

I resolved that I must go and so today energy has won over lethargy.

The Olympic White Water course

photo by Paula Sibley

 

My hands were cold, very very cold. My lightweight gloves offering little protection against the biting cold wind and rain. It is after all, February in the UK..

There was some momentum gathering amongst members of the Martlet Kayak Club. Quite a few folks had already booked a slot and the date being talked about was free on my family calender, so when I clicked on the mouse in the comfort of my home some weeks ago, a surge of excitement had gone through me and with the anticipation of running the legacy course at the Lee Valley White Water Centre, a firm smile had appeared on my face. Lee Valley was the venue for the 2012 Olympic white water kayaking events. This was going to be a fun day out with friends and a huge test of my rusty kayaking skills. In the excitement I had not considered how cold it might be on the date we had chosen!

Before being let loose on the course you have to complete a one hour practical assessment. This visit for me would entail completing the assessment and assuming a successful pass, another hour on the course. Out of ten plus members of our club that travelled to Lee Valley, there was three of us booked on the noon assessment with the others having already passed. Gathered nervously in the cold, our little group listened to the instructor and without much hesitation or delay we were soon on the water. The way my hands were feeling was convincing me to do everything in my power to avoid a swim in this frigid water.

There is a travellater that takes paddlers, while still sat in their boat from the small lake at the bottom, to the top of the rapid. As soon as my bow left the travellater, I was off, no time to consider options,. there was only one option available. I had committed to my first descent of the rapid at the beginning of the moving ramp and no one had told me. Straight away a continuous series of drops and fast flowing water had me on edge but I was mostly enjoying it. The art of kayaking on moving water is not to just shoot the rapid but to break out of the flow and to re enter, enjoying the features, drops and eddies. It is generally this messing about that causes the trouble and for me, with my lack of recent practise things went pear shaped reasonably quickly.

In most sports there is a point where you cross a skill threshold that takes you to the next level. With water sports and kayaking in particular, it is the self recovery from a capsize, that once mastered enables the paddler to take on more difficult challenges. There are two ways to recover from a capsize. Option one, complete an Eskimo roll, this requires the upturned paddler to relax for a second or two while he or she is submerged in what seems like a demented washing machine, that is stuck on a high speed, ice wash cycle, gather your thoughts, reposition your paddle and make a simple sweep, that combined with a flick of the hips should regain an upright position and once again allow normal breathing. Option two, is to try the above but realise quickly that fresh air is required urgently, the human brain then prioritises breathing above having another go at the roll and you end up swimming the rest of the rapid. Annoyed to miss the roll but thrilled to be able to breath again you manage to forget how cold it is for a minute or two but soon it does catch up to you and the misery is complete.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day out at Lee Valley, running the legacy course in my small green boat. I take off my hat to the 'legacy program' and am pleased that we have the opportunity to swim down the course dragging my kayak. One day I hope that I gain enough skill to paddle or swim down the actual Olympic course.

My good friend Dai made an amuzing video http://vimeo.com/59838243

'Hangouts'

I have been lucky enough to sail around the world on various yachts and boats and explored different places. Everywhere I go, I am always on the lookout for the refuge of a coffee shop or bar where I can sit alone or with a few friends to enjoy an hour or two away from work.The places I choose are selected by no specific criteria, they don't need to have special culinary excellence or sell the best coffee or make the best cocktails, they just have to suit me and I will have enjoyed the atmosphere and then filed the place away in my small brain for future reference or when I may one day, by hook or by crook return again.

As I discover more or return to my favourite 'hangouts' I will share them here and post a few pics.

Last week I took my family to one of my favourite Caribbean 'hangouts' The Jambe de Bois on Pigeon Island, St Lucia. This is a classic with rustic furniture on a deck overlooking the water. Plants and flowers crawling up the walls, a definite winner for lunch or a sun downer. The food was not excellent but the atmosphere was still as I remembered and what a setting! Lovely to share with my family.

Holiday Reading Material

A genre of reading material that is in a very narrow band, is those books which I have read purely because they were written by someone I know. For some reason I know 3 published authors, probably more. (Please let me know)

This was the reason that I was reading a book called, 'The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club' on my holiday. I worked with the author Duncan while I was in Savannah and I really enjoyed the book dispite the fact that I wouldn't have chosen it off the shelf. When reading a book written by a friend you can't help yourself trying to find a hint of their personality between the lines. In this book Duncan's twisted sense of humour was easily spotted.

The other authors, Orson Wedgwood the auther I know the best, wrote Deadly Medicine. Again not a book I would have seeked out but a very good read non the less. Roustabout by Michelle Chalfoun was a harrowing tale. I sailed with her for just a few weeks, she jumped ship in New York because she had gained the publishing deal. She seemed like such a sweet girl, I knew that she had spent time with a travelling circus but I was slightly disturbed, not so much at the book but because I hoped for her that this was a work of pure fiction. I have never seen her again to ask..

Lacking the necessary skills

We have returned from our family holiday in St Lucia which was both relaxing and beautiful, apart from the flights which proved to be a a huge challenge for our small boy child, who found sitting still and sleeping on demand were things properly outside of his skill set. To be honest it may be some years before he develops those particular skills as his father still has some trouble with them himself.

Sand Sculptures

 

On our family holidays to the beach at Margate, my dad always used to make me and my brothers a sand sculpted boat that we could play in on the beach. His were precise and neatly sculpted in perfect proportion. The boats I am now crafting in the sand are small and roughly made but it is difficult not to want to try and recreate happy memories from my youth when playing with my own son on the beach. He does seem to enjoy the boats I have made but my sculptures are having to evolve with demands for such delights as teletubbies and robots. I wonder what he will end up building for his kids..

Family Caribbean adventure

On the eve of or family holiday to the Caribbean our over privileged 2 year old has know idea how lucky he is, or how the military precision of his mothers planning is wearing a bit thin on his more laid back father. Of course she is right, gone are the days of throwing a few pairs of shorts into a bag and heading of with wild abandon. The boy child does require quite a bit more consideration.
I have very few expectations for our family holiday and expect that the dress code will switch between the two pairs of swim shorts that I have packed and that we will have long days exploring and playing.
St Lucia was the first sight of land for me when I completed my first ever transatlantic sailing voyage on board, Tenacious as a keen bosun back on 2004. The sight of land so sweet after 3 weeks at sea. It was wonderful that a local photographer (above pic) thought that we were a pretty sight as well.
I know that this visit to the island will be very different to my previous visit but I am still thrilled and excited, looking forward to sharing the sights and sounds with my wife and son and hoping to feel the sun on my back at the same time.

"I Build ladders"

As I have begun to write here again, I went to my profile to see if it needed updating. It was my friend Dai who set me up with the Blog site and made up the profile, some years ago and on the day he did it, he visited me at my flat in Burgess Hill. He found me there with a pile of wood, contemplating the design of a ladder that I was about to build. I was really just drinking cups of tea and giving it a jolly good looking at. This week, by chance, the week of starting to write again, the flat was empty and I was up there doing some work ready for the new tenants to move in.
I am very pleased with my ladder that is still standing proud and ageing well. I might change my profile here to read , "I Built a ladder!"

Another week has slipped by quickly. Britain has been frozen and everyone is surprised at endless transport confusion and delay, as per every time it has snowed in Britain, for as many years I can remember. This Mayhem during snow days is as British as the Queen. It is part of our personality that we obviously like. We seem wholeheartedly unwilling to change our attitude or prepare in any way and everyone seems to enjoy a jolly good moan about it..

The misery of this cold Monday morning was lost on me as I ran through Hove park and out of the town, heading for the open countryside. My feet making fresh tracks in the ankle deep snow and my breaths freezing and hanging in the air as I went happily on my way. I am still not as fit or as slim as I would like but I am very happy when out for a long run. I am training for another event that will take place in the Lake district this July. More about that later.