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2024
July's Journal
August's Journal
31/07/2024
July! It came and went in a flash. It started as June ended, with a trip to
Cornwall to do some walking on the South West Coastal path. The weather was
excellent (perhaps a little too hot and sunny some days), and we got some good
distances in and saw some really lovely coastline. However, as soon as we got
home I had a day (and Rel had less) to get turned around so as to get to the
Dales. Rel's A-race for the year, the Dales Highway. Ninety-odd miles of
really rugged terrain to get done in one go. Her furthest race distance to
date. For my part I spent most of the time she was racing on trains to get to
Dent so that I could join her for the overnight part of the race. We met
(after I'd arrived, watched a few football matches in the one pub doing food)
at around 22:30 at night as the darkness was properly starting to fall. From
there it was thirty-odd miles over the Howgills and more to get to Appleby.
I'm please to say that other than a few minor directional issues in the cloud
and darkness we made it to the finish line in what I think is a pretty stunning
time. I'd had the foresight to book accommodation for the Sunday night roughly
50m from the finish line, so once we'd stopped we were able to get ourselves
together, then eat in the accommodation (a pub), put our bags in the room, have
a shower, and then relax until dinner (also in the same accommodation). We
slept very well, then had breakfast (ditto) before wandering around Appleby
for the morning before our trains to our respective homes. And that was the
end of Monday!
The rest of the month was considerable more tame. Well, it wasn't really as it
was time for my yearly chance to jump into a rowing eight and do some races.
My crew was much the same as in previous years, and we managed to do the
business three times out of four, which isn't bad for older rowers (which is
what I guess I am now). The weekend following that there was a Diamond League
athletics meet at the London Olympic stadium that Rel had got tickets for, so
we headed there and had a great afternoon watching people tune up for Paris.
Between weekend of excitement were the weekdays of work. We're into Q3
patching period now, so Tuesday and Thursday VP (vulnerability periods) were
all fully utilised. That meant some earlier than normal mornings. Work
otherwise has been lots of the same old stuff. Nothing stands out to mention
really.
The last weekend of July was my July half marathon, and Rel had found me one
in Saltaire, which was pretty cool. Admittedly along a tow path it still had
some wicked, short, sharp ascents and descents where the series' of locks
were. Not hugely attended I _think_ I was first male and second overall, but
the competition wasn't really there!
Then, with a last gasp of the month remaining I neaded to see my parents for
the month, actually taking some time off mid-week to be able to go with them to
one of their favourite RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) properties, do all the
things on their list that a dutiful son is needed for, and watch some of the
Olympics.