Happy, Happy Easter from gloriously sunny Yorkshire! Time to get the bright clothes out and have some fun!
I know Easter is nearly over……………..I’m a bit late with my best wishes……………..but better late than never. Just like the Pope I have some words of wisdom for you………………….you can always rely on me for these!😂 My Easter message is:
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”” – Hunter S. Thompson
So that’s what I’ve been trying to uphold. I’m fresh back from an amazing week long adventure abroad on a very delayed flight which saw me get home at 5am on Friday morning so I’m a little bit tired. I’ll tell you all about that when I’ve had chance to sort all my photographs and tales over the next few weeks.
But this morning I’ve been on a little Yorkshire adventure because I’ve done something a little bit silly so I thought I’d share some lovely photos from home and tell you what I’ve done.
I got home from holiday to a house full of men. Both boys home, along with friends from their University days who have come to stay for 4 days. Of course they did not announce this before arriving (why would they!?🤣) Now don’t get me wrong, I love a a house full of their friends, but it’s been a bit of a hectic house full of testosterone. Far too many male hormones, so today I’ve escaped them for a few hours and they’ve had to look after themselves!
It just so happens that while I was on holiday I got a notification from a friend about a local race in two weeks time called the ‘Cake Race’. Well, as you can imagine my eyes lit up because I have eyes bigger than my belly don’t I? Especially where cake is involved.
It is a fantastic concept! The advert said £10 entry, reduced to £5 if you bring a home baked cake, and EAT AS MUCH CAKE AS YOU CAN AT THE END!!!!!!!! I didn’t even get to the end of the advert……………..I entered and pledged a cake! Now I’m not going to lie to you…………the clue is in the race name, and I have entered this race entirely for the eat as much as you can cake…………….no other reason whatsoever.🤣I’ve just got to get to the end and finish.
After clicking the payment button I thought…………………………hmmm…………………….maybe I ought to look at some details as to how far it is. Well, panic not……………it’s a 10 mile / 16.1km fell race with 500 metres of ascent………………..it’s just about doable with my dodgy knee. So today I thought I’d escape the men and go on a route recce on the moors on my own.
It was bliss. This is a gorgeous route. Enjoy the pictures of glorious Yorkshire on a sunny day. However, there is a lot of up and an awful lot of steps……………………too many steps for my liking up and down the many reservoir dam heads and paved flagged stairs onto the moor. It took me a long time…………………2 hours and 10 minutes. Not ideal.
I’ve had a look at last year’s results and I’m a little perplexed…………………….this is a very serious race……………….it looks like people may not have entered for the cake like me………………….it’s a very young and fast competitive field of athletes! The organisers have no idea how much cake I can eat after 10 miles. However, today’s performance last year would have put me in 170th place out of 200. So I’m starting to worry that there might not be that much cake left by the time I get back! 🤣 What a disaster that would be!
I have a plan though! I may have just talked a fast friend from running club into entering the race too. They will be at least 40 minutes in front of me. How wrong would it be to give them my cake shopping list prior to the start gun and getting them to save my cake wishlist for my return? 🤭 I’m sort of thinking that that would be quite acceptable.
I’m sure on the day I’ll be a little quicker as knowing there is cake at the end I’m sure I’ll find a little spurt in my step. When the going gets tough and my knee hurts I find that chanting something over and over again can help take my mind off things. Try it, it can be anything! If my knee hurts a lot sometimes it’s a swear word so I have to chant it sliently in my head. 😂 Today it wasn’t too bad and I have made the discovery that chanting “Victoria Sponge” worked perfectly. I don’t know whether it’s the number of syllables at 5 or what………….my cadence was maintained at a nice smooth 175 per minute. “Chocolate Cake” and “Lemon Drizzle” did not work quite as well.
So if you spot someone running up and down for 10 miles over Wessenden and Marsden Moors two weeks today chanting “Victoria Sponge” it will be me!
I’m having a pretty restful Easter Monday after today’s escapade……………………..I’ve had a little trip to the garden centre yesterday. Always a mistake as I can’t resist plants. I don’t have room for any more but I bought them anyway so tomorrow I have to dig a small amount of my lawn up to make my perennial border wider so I can fit the plants in! 😂 Where there’s a will there’s a way.
But this evening I am eating Easter Cornflake and Chocolate Nests with Cadbury Mini Eggs that I’ve rustled up for the guests. I’m eating as many as I like because if you are going to do a race recce properly you have to do it ‘exactly’ as it will be on the day. The deal was…………………run 10 miles and eat as much cake as you want. I’ve run 10 miles so here goes!🤣😍😍
Happy Easter!