Run for the World

Image result for london marathon 2020 original date


Sunday night and I've not written this post. Which is not a good move when I was trying to keep on top of writing daily. No excuses - I've been at the laptop most of the day researching and writing a funding application, the weather has been cloudy and I haven't had the urrge to be outside. Should have nailed the blog post by lunchtime.

 I was reminded that today was the original London Marathon date, another sporting victim of the COVID-19 situation. I received my yearly phone call from my friend who ran it with me in 1996 - the usual joke call that mentions vaseline, queueing for toilets, sprinting for the finish. Made me smile and remember the 26+ miles ran all those years ago, the training and the feeling of elation when I completed it. Infact, I was that elated that I undertook London again the following year. The only two marathons I ever attempted. Don't know whether I am up to that sort of mileage now. I am not designed for long distance running.

 I noticed the London Marathon has been rescheduled for the 4 October. I am not sure whether my early morning Government approved exercise every other day would quite make the grade as training for the 26 miles!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wild and Windy Day at the Castle

Image
The weather warning for today was for strong winds. On arrival at the Museum this morning I wondered whether I had missed the gales although I was slightly drenched from my cycle commute. After some discussion, we decided to put the Burma outdoor display up and keep an eye on the weather conditions. It didn't take long for things to deteriorate. The internal space within the Castle commands its own mini weather system. Placed quite high up on the edge of the city with commanding views across to the fells, we are used to things getting a little breezy. Preferably not during an English summer though... The display boards were laid down for safety reasons, whilst visitors zipped up their waterproof coats and put their heads down to navigate the site. Flocking into the Museum whilst the rain was horizontal, people stopped to put on their face coverings and breathe a sigh of relief that here would be some respite from the blustery conditions. No doubt the number of visitors to the site ...
Read more

Once a Guide, Always a Guide...

Image
T onight is another night out in the garden camping. Tonight we are having a Ranger Guide campout with all the girls either camping in their garden or inside their house. We have arranged a call at 7pm and may even burst into song with a virtual campfire. We have all arranged to photograph the evidence of our group sleep out and post it in our WhatsApp group. Luckily the weather is good and it is set to be a warm night so we shouldn't have many mishaps. We were due to go camping as a unit in July but this is unlikely to happen. It is good to encourage the girls to enjoy the great outdoors and camping is an excellent way to introduce them to this primitive way of living outside. I have camped since I was a Guide enjoying weekends, weeks and even longer camps all across the Country from Cornwall to Scotland, Yorkshire to Norfolk. Obviously the weather is a factor in making camp a wonderful experience but it is good to teach the girls that you can still have a great time in the wind a...
Read more

A Socially Distanced Alternative?

Matchlock Musket or Brown Bess?  As debate rages whether the Prime Minister will reduce social distancing from 2m to 1m tomorrow, I think we may have the answer for our visitors. Like many other businesses, we at the Museum have a range of posters and floor stickers in production, hazard tape at the ready and a socially 2m safe layout in the pipeline. Or  perhaps we should consider alterna tives to ensure people don't get too close... Let me introduce you to the Brown Bess, o r 'British (Long) Land Pattern Musket' to give it  it's proper name,  used between 1722  and 1838. There are plenty of variations to this flintlock weapon, but at a metre and a half long, it is well on its way to being a useful tool in social distancing. Although the len gth of the Brown Bess did decrease during its long and illustrious history. The Brown Bess was the standard musket of the British military, used in battles such as Culloden and Waterloo. It was the first mass-produced ...
Read more