Wendy Woods at Wendover Woods?

Our local parkrun turns up some strange stats and strange participants. Yes Wendy Woods turned up at this week's event. She had travelled some distance with what must have been, an awful drive in appalling weather, just to run her 50th milestone at a place that sounded like her name! On a good day Wendover Woods are delightful, even 'The Hill' can be ok, but in the rain, mist and dim light, it can be quite daunting to say the least. It still amazes me how many turn up despite all of this and say they really enjoyed it. Oh I almost forgot to mention the 9am TV slot for the Rugby World Cup semi-final in Japan where England were bidding to get through to the final, only if they overhaul the favourites, New Zealand. Ten million watched the game and just think what the viewing figures would have been if they had played the game 2 hours later and look what they missed in the woods

Will it ever stop raining?

It's not every day but just seems like it. Rivers and streams are swollen and Autumn is definitely here. As if by magic,  on the day when no rain and just gentle breezes were required, that is just what we got!

Portsmouth, home to the Victory, the Spinacre Tower and the annual 10 mile Great South Run, was looking resplendent in the early morning sunshine. Some 20,000 + were gathered for the phased starts and the 'green wave' today were doing their usual pre-run photos, joining the loo-queues and general rounds of words of encouragement before the official warm-up.  Lesley was looking forward, and has been for several months, to this fith time run, of this event. 

Leaving the harbour for a mile walk to the meet up area where the early (and quicker) runners were to take their places in the the orange and white waves to do the loud disco-like warm-up. Being bag-man again I chose to offer  my encouragement at 3 spots around the 10 miles circuit so this involved a fair bit of in between walking from 1mile, 5 mile and 9 mile!

The app for GSR showed me exactly when Lesley was  approaching.  At 1 mile it was handing out a banana,  at 5 miles a picture 

and at 9 miles,  just encouragement!

All her team at OTR Aylesbury finished and team photos and beer were taken on Southsea Pier. An excellent result with a PB of 1hour 47 minutes put Lesley into good spirits and reward for all of her training.