2 days to go...

2 more days of school, 2 more days of sorrow! 2 more days at work and then the big run starts.....

I'm simultaneously excited and scared about this run. We've not prepared longer than a 2 day run - what do normal ultramarathoners do? Just keep running, I expect.

My favourite method of mental prep has been looking through all the photos and the blogs and remembering every good bit, every funny bit, every silly bit, every bit where Lee needs a jelly baby and Dave makes a stupid joke and Dan falls over. I'm so excited about seeing the whole path again. Some bits of the Greensand Way near Godalming, we've not seen in MONTHS. They'll be like old friends.

My major worry is the fact that it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt. Fortunately I've been given some sage advice by my physio (that's just...ice it). And the boys are going to be running mummified in KT Tape! I think the fact that when we're on day 3 - uncharted territory in terms of length of running, we'll be on the home stretch. Day 4 I imagine will be a massive blur, but it'll end in Haslemere and so will we.

Fundraising update:
The fundraising has been going amazingly so far. Thank you to everyone who's been so generous and helped to spread the word too. I'm going to try not to cry thinking about it. We smashed through the £2000 mark and are now at £2339.77. Thanks to the Guildford Hash House Harriers for giving us their spare change last night - you raised £96.50. Thank you thank you thank you.


Last night at the Guildford Hash House Harriers AGM, Lee and I were fortunate enough to be welcomed into the GH3 Mismanagement as Social Media secs - aka "Twit Twats". So in conjunction with the work that Ponce has done on the GH3 Facebook we'll be setting up a GH3 Twitter and blog for the hash notes to continue on.

Thank you to everyone who's been reading our silly notes and looking at our funny pictures and donating to our cause at www.charitygiving.co.uk/greensandway2012.
Please keep supporting us if you can - tell your friends, text or tweet radio stations, shout it out your windows!


And don't forget we are having a post-run party - to which you are all invited.
It's on the 9th June at the Royal Oak, Guildford (GU1 3RR)
The theme is "Red Carpet Runners" - Posh Frocks & High-Tops, Compression Wear & Cummerbunds, Trainers & Tuxes
The Charley Farley Sunday Four (www.cfs4.com) will be playing some of their unique skiffle pop as part of the celebration and to get you in the party mood.
And there will be a raffle with some staggeringly huge prizes too!

You can RSVP here https://www.facebook.com/events/459022650790130/ or just turn up! We'd love to see you there.

PS if you know anyone who can help with raffle prizes, please do let us know - we'd love to offer even more prizes!

On on,

Scrum Muffin/Claire

Hash, Live Fartlicking, Ewok Village and Taking a Holiday from the Greensand Way

In the utterly delightful romantic comedy 'The Holiday' the characters 'swap' familiar places to experience a refreshing change in a new location, meet new people, hilarious japes, romance and blah blah blah .

 I'm a BIG FAN of this film as I was doing my business banking once in Bramley and saw Cameron Diaz filming in a Red Mini. I also Like Wreck Diving and as we all know Kate Winslet is one of the last surviving passengers of the Titanic.

The Holiday Movie shot in Shere and Godalming oh..and Los Angeles

There comes a time in any runners relationship when the combination of hash and darkness cause you to stray from the familiar relationship with The Greensand Way and you find yourself inadvertantly dabbling with another runners well known trail.

This new and interesting location can lead to meeting new people, hilarious japes, romance and blah blah blah

 In this case Scrum Muffin and I got a chance to 'have a go' on the North Downs way on Monday thanks to the Guildford Hash House Harriers . As far as we know Jude Law and Kate Winslet didnt go hashing on the Greensand Way that same evening. 

We were supposed to go hashing in Portsmouth with the Portsmouth Hash House Harriers to introduce Dave and Dan to hashing but last minute Dave found a split end in his hairdo and had to be rushed for an emergency Cut , Perm Set and Blow. So Scrum Muffin and I went to the Guildford hash instead.

The North Downs way is a similar age to The Greensand Way and is longer at 156 miles running from Farnham to Canterbury (with a loop round Dover).

North Downs Way sign near Shere

The hash that evening started in the light! This was a welcome change. It was also a 'live hash' where the hare (this week Fartlick) sets off shortly before we do and lays the trail just ahead of us. Well, thats the theory anyway.Given the chaos of a 'normal' hash I could see this could end in some major oopsiwahli.

Popeye was here

Under Developed started us off in the wrong direction and we then got into our stride. It would seem that chaotic runners and a chaotic live hash actually do not combine to end in disaster but actually cancel each other out to produce a hash that 'sort of works'

 After a short bit of running I was very pleased to recognise another Type 22 Bunker marking the GHQ defence line too. My innner running nerd was happy.

A Type 22 Bunker near the North Downs Way in Shere

Running a lot in woods also means you get to run past signs for places that always have humorous names.  Shag Wood , Dogging Copse, Sexy Time Forest are all places we havent come across (fnar) yet but on this run we we did find Combe Bottom.

Claires Bottom on Coombe Bottom

We ran uphill and managed to catch some amazing views from the top just as the light was starting to fade.

Claire catching the last of the sunlight from an amazing view near Shere

Shere Sunset

As the woods got dark everything always seems larger to me. We came across a massive long stack of freshly cut logs which I couldnt resist doing some 'Smogging' in front of . I bet in daylight it looks like a pile of twigs by the path.

Lee does 'Smogging' Smile with your logs in near Shere on the North Downs Way

We also ran past a massive log cabin in the air which we can only assume was some kind of Deer Shooting hide but to me looked like the entire Ewok Village from Star Wars.

Proof the Ewoks live in Shere

The North Downs Way gets the seal of approval from Scrum Muffin

After more running in the dark (somehow we were near the back) we found the 'On Inn' sign which meant the chaos was coming to close.

End of Hash in Shere

We finished the evening by going to the White Horse in Shere. A pub made famous for having had scenes from the film 'The Holiday' filmed in it. I was very keen to place my bum where Jude Laws had been as I am a massive fan of his broad range of artistic and critically acclaimed work.
The pub also has the previous pair of Scrum Muffins running trainers mounted on the wall near the bar.

Scrum Muffins last pair of running trainers in the bar at The White Horse in Shere.

As I munched wasabi peanuts and supped my sports drink I thought about  that triumph of a movie .....Next time I'm on holiday abroad I'm going to look up the nearest Hash House Harriers club and show them how us Brits do it, I bet I meet some new people , get into hilarious japes, blah blah blah .......you get the idea.

But more worryingly I also found myself thinking about a blog called NorthDownsWay2013 .

Hash, Flour Power, Bunny Costumes and My Little Pecker

Monday night this week was the first time I got to lead the Hash with the Guildford Hash House Harriers. As the 'Hare' I got to pick my own route for the run. I chose the woods nearest to me because I know them so well.

I set off at 5pm from my house with 6kgs of flour in my rucksack and ran from my house to Hydons Ball where the route i was planning would run.

laying a circle in flour means runners must seek out the correct path from this point

I ran up Hydons Ball with flour in hand getting funny looks from people as I laid small piles of flour at convenient spaces all along my intended route.

As well as laying marks for the route you lay circles at various crossings of paths with multiple options. In doing this the front running bastards (fast runners) have to run down all of the possible routes for a distance until they find the next flour marker and shout 'On On' ! This also gives the knitting circle (slow runners) the chance to catch up so the group as a whole stays fairly close together during the run.

X marks the spot where youve been stitched up

You can also be a sadistic Hare and run people up a very steep hill only to find and X at the top denoting a false trail. This means they have to run all the way back and try again.....and yes....I did this.




Smearsing (smiling with my ears)


The sun set while I laid the trail which totalled 4.5 miles which is the recommended distance for a hash. I had my headphones in and had a great time running out the trail. When I finished back where I started at the car park at Hydons Ball I ran down to the Merry Harriers Pub in Hambledon where all the hashers would be meeting at 7.30 pm. I had 45 minutes spare when I got there so in true hashing spirit I relaxed with a nice Pint of Pilgrim and chatted to the locals with a pink bunny tail pinned on my bum and bunny ears on my head.

The Merry Harriers is a really lovely, friendly country pub in Hambledon and well worth a visit. Its a rare gem that balances good beer and great food but avoids the 'Surrey prices' . Its also got its portrait in the Tate Gallery in London! They are quiet on a Monday and usually take the chance for a well earned rest and shut early but they were willing to stay open just for us.

The Hash went well and I couldnt resist making part of the route along the Greensand Way . Scrum Muffin (Claire) and I got a great pic of us at one of the Greensand Way Markers .

Greensand Way Night Hashing

As the run came to the end and we got back near the pub the traditional 'On Inn' mark I had left near the pub had been butchered by Popeye. This seems to happen on a lot on hashes. Although the hash went well and no one got killed/lost/injured I learnt that I needed to leave longer gaps from the circles so that it took more time for the front running bastards to find stuff so that the group stayed together more. In total I had run 11 miles setting the trail , running the hash and running from my house.

As I had my suspicions about a potential naming ceremony I made sure I dumped ALL of my flour before I finished.

An anchor means 'Popeye Woz Ere'

In the Car Park at the end of the run we had the usual end of run 'huddle' . As various people started asking me if I had any flour left I wisely put my phone and camera in my bag and prepared myself for a 'naming'




Pancake day comes one day early

I was deeply touched that the hashers had spent so many weeks thinking about my potential name. It shows in what high regard they must hold me. Unfortunately for me they had brought plently of extra flour. Most hashing names are rude and loosely relevant to the person, for example a lady that works in customer services is called Satisfaction Guaranteed or Claires dad is a lawyer and called Loose Article.
The options considered included 'turned out nice again' because I play the banjolele and am a window cleaner, 'cock' because I keep chickens, ' Oh Bee - Have' because I keep Honeybees but based on my 'microbiology' degree (actually I am a molecular biologist!) and the fact that I keep chickens and found a parrot on a hash once they decided on my hash name as.....

LITTLE PECKER

Arise 'Little Pecker' (complete with pink bunny tail)

When naming all the women hashers get to pour beer and flour over the named persons head. I can tell you that once this 'batter' sets it takes A LOT of washes to get it out. I also had to down beer for being the Hare AND for being named. By the time I got home I was very drunk.

Battered

It was great to get named. I really feel like part of the club now, especially as I have now led a hash too. I got named at the place where I did my first ever hash run and also got to do it on a night when we ran part of the Greensand Way.

I hear Dave is joining The Hash House Harriers near him in Portsmouth soon.... Cant wait to see what name he gets !



On On !


Little Pecker

:)

I Love Hash

Its about time I explained Hash House Harriers. Claire and I are members of the Guildford Hash House Harriers . Their Website can be found here http://www.guildfordh3.org.uk/

Hashing has very few rules. Anything goes and usually does. The club meets every monday evening at 7.30pm at various off road running locations around the Guildford area. In essence a 'hare' lays a trail of flour for the rest of the pack to follow and chase over a 4-5 mile course. On the way there are usually false trails, 'checking areas' where you dont know which footpath to take and unintended chaos which all allow the slower runners in the group (the knitting circle) to catch up with the faster runners in the group (the front running bastards).  Members quickly gain a club 'name' for which they are only known when hashing. Claire is Scrum Muffin. I have yet to be named.......more about this later.

A Flour Circle denotes that all paths leading away have to be checked to see which is the correct route

Burns Night Hash

It was no surprise that a large number of us turned up to The Talbot pub in Ripley in Scottish attire.This was the nearest date to Burns Night.  Following a quick 'circle' and the usual useless brief from this weeks Hare we ran off into the darkness where Scrum Muffins dad 'Loose Article' took a rather dramatic tumble in the first few minutes and earned him self a 'tumbling tosser' (fell over) 'down down' (drink pint of beer as a punishment) at the end of the run.

Scrum Muffin cold and ready to start

The run lead us through the canal navigations and a golf course all round the Ripley area. The runs are always fun and its one of the rare times I run without listening to music. All you hear is the distant shout of 'On On' as someone spies the next mark of flour on the ground somewhere in the distance........or 'checking' as we wander aimlessly trying to find the lost path.




This Hasher has no name


After about 60-80 minutes of total chaos most of the runners make it back to the car park where they started. There seems to casual regard for injured or lost runners which I always find amusing.

At this stage a circle forms up and those 'sinners' that have done something stupid are made to have a 'down down' In the past I have been made to do a down down for having matching leggings to Claire or for shrieking like a girl when I slipped on mud.




Loose Article gets a Tumbling Tosser Down Down


This is also the time a new member gets named. This involves a rapid decision on a pun on the persons name or profession (usually as rude as possible) and then a customary soaking in beer and flour. Last night a chap called Mark who was the brother of Hasher 'Birthing Blanket' ended up with the obvious hash name 'Birth Mark'

Arise 'Birth Mark'

Runner Who?

So far i have escaped naming. This is ominous..... I am simultaneously honoured and terrified that the club feel the need to spend so much time deciding. Having already found a parrot on a hash run , been a window cleaner that also plays the uke like george formby, and various other things I would think I would be an easy target for naming........

Neeps and tatties with Haggis

For a special Burns Night treat we also had haggis, neeps and tatties at the Talbot. Usually we just have a beer or 5 and then go home tired and tipsy. Scrum Muffin lead an excellent toast to the gents and one of the hashers even reworded Hotel California on the guitar as an ode to hashing.

Scrum Muffins address to the Gents

A Drinking Club with a Running Problem

Dont worry if a lot of this doesnt make sense. Im still fairly clueless too. What I can tell you is that this a great way to do exercise in a fun way. The chanting songs , the shouting, the drinking and the camerarderie reminds me of a rugby away match. Its another interesting way to mix up your training or fitness programme, meet a load of new people and give you something other than playing ukulele on a Monday night (more on Ukes in another post). its cheaper than a gym session and ten times funnier.

go to their main website to find your local chapter http://www.hhh.org.uk/



On On !