The George comes up trumps again

A couple of visits to the George this week and I’m impressed. Their selection of bitters included Mooorhouse’s Black Cat, Hobson’s Mild and Harviestoun’s Bitter & Twisted. Hobson’s Mild at 3.2% recently won the Best Beer award at the Great British Beer Festival at Olympia. It had run out on the Thursday that I visited the Festival so I was pleased to be able to sample it. For such a weak beer it had enormous flavour – very caramelly.

Crocked again?

Well my enthusiasm might just have got the better of me. After the hash I went along to Chris’s speed session on Tuesday night. 5 or 6 x 1000mish on the roads around Sandilands. it doesn’t sound too much but at the end of the 4th Chris thought I was running unevenly. Being the hypochondriac I am I obviously now think I’m injured. Truth be told I do have some stiffnes in the right knee so am trying some ibuprofen to see how that goes. Dry Hill on Sunday isn’t looking likely.

On a separate note I’m enjoying the World Athletics Champs – especially the red button replay, as live, on the BBC. Whilst applauding our gold in the 400m I was blown away by the men’s 10,000m. Just how fast were they running and how supremely godlike is Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia. 

Strider’s innaugural Hash

When Phil & Susan decided to organise a Hash from the Bull Inn at Chelsham on Bank Holiday Monday I couldn’t not do this – the pub being a two minute jog from home. I rolled up at 11.00am to find a few Striders outside the pub – still after Phil explained the rules and we learnt the cries of ‘Check’ and ‘On On’ we set off.

Beer’s an important component of the Hash so we had only run a mile and a half or so and were greeted by Phil & Susan with a choice of a beaker of bitter, Czech lager or water. A nice spot of bitter for me. 3 or so miles later we had passed St Mary the Virgin church at Farleigh and were on the last stretch back to the Bull for a pint of Greene King IPA or Fuller’s London Pride to discuss extreme activities for the next Strider’s extra-curricular event – oh and a Strider’s ex-girlfriend in Huddersfield!

Phil, Jacqui & I then checked out the revamped Harrow Inn – OK it was revamped two months ago but I’d not been there yet. Bombardier and London Pride were sampled and P&J’s food looked decent.

Now it’s the Dry Hill 10 miler in Lingfield on September 2nd for me.

Summer Lightning

Wisely took 5 days off after Henfield. Behaved myself in the main last week but lost it at Ghostrider’s leaving do at the George. My drink of choice was Hopback’s Summer Lightning. Probably not that wise at 5.0% but as their promotional blurb says it’s a perfect summer ale.

Henfield Half Marathon

After running the hour club run on Wednesday 15th and not feeling any after effects I thought let’s go for the Henfield half. Very fortunately Chris & I managed to get a lift from Damian & Serena. Pretty perfect weather conditions greeted us for the start. Less fortunately the recent rain made the first mile or so very slippery underfoot.
I decided to let Chris go and run my own race. Half way round i was on course for 1:30 but realised I’d gone off too fast so steadied up to grit my teeth and end in 1:37:20. Good performances too especially from Damian who managed 1:26 and Chris 1:32.
I wasn’t expecting much from this but found the run quite charming and different – with the tough run along the dyke alongside the river painful but strangley rewarding.

Belgrave 5K

Sunday 12th – 19.37 and a new PB for the Belgrave triandrun 5K. Very club runnery with few fun runners but very well organised. The trick is not to go too fast up the first hill. As usual I was 20 odd seconds behind Chris who had passed on a few downhill running tips beforehand.
Another decent club turnout with a fantastic 16. something from Duncan who I’d not met before.

The aim this week is to get some more miles into the legs. I doubt I’ll take up Chris & Darren’s offer of running a half marathon with them next weekend – but you never know.

GBBF & progress last week

Sunday 5th saw my first 1.30 club run. Trying to get more miles in the legs for Nottiigham. we covered approx 10 miles so still some way to go for me.

Tuesday 7th – Speed session of 12 x 350. Good training for the Belgrave TriandRun 5k coming up on Sunday

Thursday 9th – HBB, Parson’s Choice, Gem, Deryn Du, Shefford Mild, BeWyched……then the memory get’s a bit hazy. You’ve guessed it. It was the Beer Festival at Earls Court. Usually I find this a bit too busy but it wasn’t that bad. Accompanied by that well know firm of solicitors, Wolfenden, Knight, Schroeder & Jackson much fun was had by all. My favourite was Gem from Bath Ales. Least favourite was the round we got from the Welsh Region. Jackson retaliated by buying a bottle of A over T for Tim. At 9% it wasn’t what was needed. He took it better than me.

A better week

With 7 weeks til Nottingham I realised I needed to start training more seriously.

Last Saturday I went out for 65 minutes at about 8min mile pace.

Monday was an incredibly slow 3 miles running home from Upper Warlingham station

Tuesday was the Striders 5 x 4 mins speed session with 1 min rest interval. Then a slow jog home from the station again.

Wednesday three pints of San Miguel at Bradleys with a couple of ex Virgin Net employees. A regular haunt of ours. Doug thought the pub had become more chavvy. I think it’s just because he’s moved out of town. It was always quite scuzzy but that’s why I like it.

Thursday I lost it again after a busy day. Some pints at the George before being persuaded to go to Ladies Night at the Camel. A few remnants from Goodwood in big hats, some girls dancing to Funky Town with Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (with subtitles) muted on the plasma screens. John managed to tell the DJ that the tunes he was playing were sh*t, before promptly leaving. I doubt we’ll be returning.

Friday Lunch at the Belgravia which is better than the reviews posted here. Cheap eats and Flowers & Bombardier on hand pump.

Today – Another hour around the trails near to home. Took in Selsdon Nature Reserve and passed All Saints Church, which I’d never seen before.

Damaged tree

Got up this morning, made myself a cafetiere of strong coffee and spotted this. We presume this happened while we were away but it took us three days to spot it. Lightning or rain – we don’t know what caused it.

Thinking more on this that our failure to trim the Catalpa caused the branch to snap. Very stupid of us/me.

Labenne Ocean

Well I didn’t get as much running done as I’d planned. I managed to knacker my lower back for the first ten days of the holiday. Got flipped over in the surf and my aged back gave way. Sick Mick recovered enough to run along the Boudigau and up to Labenne Ocean church. Now I’m back I need to step up the training – as it’s only 7 weeks til Nottingham.

I did enjoy lots of great Belgian & French beer. Leffe, Grimbergen, Mort Subite, Kronenbourg…..Very strong, very cheap.

Yum.