Boxing Day Run 2012
Now in its 37th year, the Boxing Day Run in Saltwood attracts over 600 mad people that think running around a three mile hilly bog is a good plan the day after Xmas. Some do it for charity, some do it for a giggle, some do it because they have a point to prove to themselves. This year, after watching this run many times, I decided to do it. On Boxing Day 2011, I stood watching the madness as usual, dreaming that I could shift enough weight to give it a go. Well, after dropping seven stone this year it was definitely worth a shot. I was accompanied on this by some friends from work…
Three weeks of heavy rain made this the wettest and muddiest year for a long time and, having never run on anything other than a treadmill or road, I had no idea what to expect. Mud. Lots of mud. Some poo. Lots of poo actually. And water. A river at one point where there used to be a path.
Despite the conditions, this was the most enjoyable run I have done. The atmosphere was great all the way around the course. The decent run-time I hoped for went right out of the window as I had no tactics whatsoever and failed to realise there would be bottlenecks at every gate and stile. Note to self: next year, go off quick and avoid the herd. However, 37:17 with about 8 minutes of stopping in a mud-bath aint too bad for my first attempt at off-road running.
That aside, this was a personal battle for me – to be able to get myself into a decent enough state to do this run and not actually feel tired at the end is very satisfying. To do this as a Vegan makes it even more pleasing. My Dad said he felt very emotional as I ran past towards the finish line, so you can’t ask for more than that… This marked the end of a great year’s transformation in both my body and soul.
Lucky No: 504
A few weeks ago, I joined a running club… This was my first opportunity to wear the Vegan Runners vest! They are Vegan and they run. Perfect.
Even dogs can’t resist watching…
Me, Stano, Sebmeister and Cat – a mixture of nervous tension and the desire to go back to bed.
Countdown began…
And we were off…
Dad, waiting expectantly at the finish…
Almost there…
Far less muddy than expected, mainly due to the torrents of water that helped clean me on the way around.
Cat and Sebmeister approaching the finish, after (at least) 3 falls, a shoe-retrieval and a toilet break.
Medal time!
Four very proud people… and no broken legs!
Time to go shower and eat.
Ok, I may have been a bit muddier than previously mentioned.
More stuff for the running scrapbook.
Looking forward to next year already!
(Photos by my Dad, Wife and Me)
Xmas Day 2012
For the first time in 45 years, Mum didn’t cook a Xmas dinner on the 25th. Instead, the parents came to ours and ate Vegan. Here is a snapshot of the day… It has all the necessary stuff… family, presents, food and a cat.
So this is Christmas | And what have you done? | Another year over | And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas | I hope you have fun | The near and the dear one | The old and the young
The ‘under tree’ collection this year features a Bride, Groom and Cat.
Not to be left out, the boy had a play, then slept most of the day.
Vegan Roast – the best kind.
Present opening on the new sofa.
Snoozy time in the new arm chairs.
Sneaky bit of The Polar Express…
A science theme to my book presents this year..
Amazingly cool cufflinks!
The bag says it all…
And so does the shirt…
The Big Bang Theory made an appearance too…
And a funky new wallet from Dynomighty…
Merry Xmas!
Vegan Xmas Roast
If I had a pound for every time I get asked ‘What do you eat as a Vegan?’ Fools. Roast potatoes, roast parsnips, roast carrots, roast onions, peas, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, Vegusto roast with No Moo cheese, Redwood Turkey-style roast, meat-free sausage balls, sage & onion stuffing balls, cranberry jelly and roasted onion gravy. Followed this up with Co-Op’s Xmas Pudding and Alpro Soya custard… So, erm, yea, you don’t have to kill animals to have a gorgeous Xmas meal.
Beatbox by Dr Dre
What do Gadget Geeks buy with their wedding gift money? Well, sofas first, but with the leftovers they buy gadgets! We have wanted something to play music on in the living room for a while now as my Marantz amp is getting old and the speakers are just too big for the space. So, after testing nearly every decent iPod dock out there, there was a clear winner… The Beatbox by Dr Dre. It sounds amazing. The bass is truly earth shattering for a non-hifi system. Chillin’ to the Prodigy whilst I write this post. It will do nicely. Sexola to look at too…
If you need an iPod dock, this is the current (sub £500) king.
Vegan Party!
One week after the wedding we held a party to further the celebrations… It was the perfect excuse for Nic to wear her dress again and for me to get suited and booted… Not forgetting of course, another chance to wear a carrot. It was a cracking night and we were so pleased with the turnout! A MASSIVE thanks for all the donations to our wishing well – thank you cards are in progress – we humbly apologise for the delay…
We had loads of positive feedback (also about the all-Vegan buffet provided by The Hutch - big thanks to Nick and Andrew for the amazing food!), so we reckon most people had a good time and you can’t ask for more than that. The cookies went down well – big thanks to Beanos for those and the cake… We ate almost all of that between the two of us. Naughty, but ever so nice. Anyway, here is a snapshot of the festivities.
The Children’s Photo Challenge!
One of the ways we thought it might be cool to keep the children amused was to hold a photo treasure hunt. Here are the participants’ efforts in alphabetical order. The list of photographs to capture was as follows:
LADY IN A BIG DRESS – MAN WITH A CARROT ON HIS JACKET – MAN DANCING WEARING AN ORANGE TIE – SOMEONE ELSE TAKING A PHOTO – SOMEONE PULLING A FUNNY FACE – PEOPLE KISSING – SOMEONE EATING – PEOPLE DANCING – PEOPLE TALKING – SOMETHING MADE FROM PLAY-DOH – FOOD ON THE TABLE – BALLOONS
Despite the dodgy performance of the flash on the disposable cameras, there were some funky photos produced!
The winner would be the photographer that successfully captured the most photos on the list above and is announced at the bottom of this post…
Photos by Ben
Photos by Cam
Photos by J
Photos (mainly) by Lorelei
Photos by Seb
Photos by Tom
Photos by Ved & Ananya
And the winner is…
We have a tie!
Successfully capturing 11 out of the 12 photos are Ben and Seb!
Congratulations to you both – a prize each is heading your way soon.
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