That was better. We had a half formed plan to go and do the Lammermuirs 22 miler today but when we saw the weather forecast with 50 mph gusts at sea level I took a pragmatic stance. Also I was tired from the week and didn't want any kind of complicated plan. I decided to just roll out the door and all the way down the road, once again, with the wind behind, to North Berwick. I wasn't asking for an enjoyable run. Just to get it done. Peter's friend Angus F of Speed of Light fame was in touch last night looking for a running friend and a plan, so Peter was going to meet up with him and we would run pretty much the same route and perhaps meet and perhaps not meet.
I stopped early in my run at Portobello to take a picture of an elaborate piece of beach sculpture which I suspect might have been made by my friend Paul. While I was squatting down to take a picture a boxerish dog called Sally came bounding up. I'm a bit nervous of dogs but it quickly became clear she wanted me to throw her ball for her. Her owner came up and hurried her away but then when I squatted down again she came bounding back. She was pretty nice. I gave her ball a hopeless girl kick which scootered for about 15 feet and stopped. Shame really. I can do better.
It must have been around this time that Peter and Angus got ahead unseen. They had run down the road that branches off London Road to Portobello and joined the Prom at King St. All the way along I kind of thought they were behind but wasn't sure. I had a few stops. I stopped to chat to fellow Porty Eric who is trying (and nearly there) to do 60 marathons for his 60th birthday. He's doing the Meadow's Marathon tomorrow. 14 laps of the park and a wee bit extra. Not as crazy as the Marathon in the Borders tomorrow - Lindsays Borders Marathon - but close. I think it is a 23 lap marathon. I actually thought about doing one or other of them, because it really could be fun, but then if you were feeling bad it could be truly awful and you wouldn't be able to get away from people. That's what put me off.
Anyway, I made good progress down the road and I was feeling pretty chipper. I got a toot from Neil Jones going in the opposite direction just before Aberlady. At Aberlady I had a planned stop and texted Peter. He turned out to be a mile ahead up the road. We agreed we'd meet up in North Berwick somewhere. I had a Twix and a sit down.
The forecast had looked pretty awful but it was actually very nice. It was a warm wind and loads of flowers were out. The sun came out and suddenly I was too warm. At Aberlady bay I stripped down to a vest causing a passer-by to exclaim "Good Lord!" Then she said "I suppose you've been running. Well done!" We both laughed.
My legs were starting to ache a bit by this point.
At 16 and a half miles or so Neil Jones turned up ready to run with Harry the dog, so I had company for the final 6. I forgot about my legs and the miles flew by and before I knew it we were entering North Berwick. As we did so 2 police cars and an ambulance whizzed by. Neil's a local doctor so he was concerned about what was going on. Actually three cars had been involved in a minor bump. You heard it first here.
Peter and Angus got tired waiting for me, so took a train. But they got seduced by a pub so I made it home first. I think that means I won. Just over 50 miles for the week and I'm happy with that.
Now it's the usual things...the tower of unwashed dishes, the brimming laundry baskets, the cavernous emptiness of the fridge. If only someone would look after me and Peter, life would be good.
Oh and p.s. our friend Ben seems to be doing much better; conscious, off the ventilator but with a breathing tube and using a bit of oxygen last time we heard. He wrote to Alison (couldn't talk) I am FRUSTRATED!! I'll bet he is.
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