Lots to smile about

Juneathon day 10. 

Lots to smile about today. After not driving for about 5 years and never enjoying it, Moving house in March has forced me back to it. Yesterday I managed single track country roads with wicked hills and bends. Today I managed more nasty hills going to Otley and even came home from Otley on the A1 and it was getting dark. Now that may not seem much to those of you who are natural drivers, but for me it was a massive deal?

Why was I going to Otley? To race of course. The Otley 10 is 10 miles of Tarmac with 2 wicked hills. I have completed it twice before. Tonight I was very pleased with a 9.23 minute per mile average pace getting me my 2 nd fastest time on the course.

Also I can finally smile again without a huge gap in my teeth. Many years ago a dentist removed a tooth but did not offer any thing to fill the gap, then Last year I was hit on the head with a gazebo and lost another tooth, so after many dentist visits I have a plate with 2 teeth on.

All Pals together

Tonight after running with the juniors I headed off to the other side of Masham where the rest of the club were meeting for a social run. We met at the Bivouac  and split into groups, I ran with the middle group and soon started to wonder if Id bitten off more than I could chew, we ran through fields down and  down we went, then a a short up onto a road. We turned onto Breary Bank  a climb I have done before on the Burn Valley half marathon, a race which sadly no longer exists though there is talk about brining it back. I hope so it was one of my favourites.

We regrouped at the Leeds Pals memorial for a brief history lesson http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/the-young-leeds-pals-who-died-in-a-moment-1-623455

This memorial is to those young men of Leeds who had trained here in the Yorkshire dales before dying in the Battle of the Somme.

We carried on over hill and dale and I seemed to just feel stronger. Back to the Bivouac for food and drink. 

It was a lovely evening and with 333 metres of elevation over 1.4 miles, I reckon it's good training for Otley 10 mile tomorrow, and Swaledale Marathon on Saturday, either that or I won't be able to walk tomorrow.