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Monday, 19 March 2012

Our First Foursome

you pick up this blog where the last one left off on our epic 2 day training weekend run of 55 miles from Limpsfield to Haslemere, the previous two blogs told about day 1 and our overnight stay.........


And then there were three


Morning on the Greensand Way near Tillingbourne Waterfall


After our restful nights sleep Claire and I woke up naturally and refreshed around 8am. I began putting on damp cold running gear because I was stupid enough to leave my gear in my bag in the 'porch'. Claire kept her running gear in a bag inside the tent meaning it was warm to put on. As a guider I should have learnt more from her experience camping.

I munched a whole nut chocolate bar as I packed up my thermarest and sleeping bag and broke down the camp whilst Claire got dressed and ready. I had left Dave a virtual hash trail via text message to lead him to our camp from the Wooton Hatch Car Park, but we hadnt heard from him that morning so I was surprised when he ran straight past the area of woodlands we were in. With a shout and a wave he saw us. It was lucky I was looking out towards the path as he was running past.

And then we were three.


Dave joins us on the Greensand Way for our second marathon in 2 days

We set off only ten minutes behind schedule due mainly to the fact that all my gear seemed to have doubled in size and we had trouble getting my rucksack shut. We started a steady run in great spirits towards Tillingbourne Waterfall about a mile down the path. We were a little bit stiff in our legs but really not too bad at all.


A massive beautiful cascade of Daves hair at Tillingbourne Waterfall on the Greensand Way

After tillingbourne waterfall we started the rather long but gentle ascent to the top of Leith Hill. This takes about 2.5 miles at a gentle uphill during which Dave had to stop to adjust his Knee ITB support strap.

Dave 'making an adjustment' on the Greensand Way at Snake Hill


Breakfast and Union Jack Bums


We got to Leith Hill Tower shortly after and enjoyed a well deserved breakfast of coffee and flapjacks at 30p per square. We also met a group of mountain bikers and a runner and chatted about our training.


Breakfast at Leith Hill Tower on the Greensand Way

We also met an amazing guy with super tight Union Jack running shorts. With a wolf whistle from Claire we got the pic with him we wanted. He organises a Greensand Way Marathon every year.

'Bize' Smiling with your bum on The Greensand Way at Leith Hill



Smotching on Holmbury Hill


We ran on over Leith Hill and down the other side to begin the next climb up to Holmbury Hill. We use the plinth there to strike some FIERCE america next top model poses. Dave won with an amazingly hoochie 'Smotch' (smile with his crotch).

Dave 'Smotching' at Holmbury Hill on the Greensand Way

Scoring a Try , More Trig Planking,Topless Photoshoots and Pitch Hill TWICE !

We ran down off Holmbury Hill and through the Duke of Kent School where Claire took the opportunity to run the rugby pitch and score a Greensand Way Try.


Claire scores a Try at the Duke of Kent School on the Greensand Way

We then ascended the steep path to Pitch hill. Here we got the chance to get a pic of dave planking on the trig point and two excellent topless photos of Claire and Dave on the now legendary 'topless pitch hill green bench' .


Topless Dave at the Viewpoint at Pitch Hill on the Greensand Way


Topless Claire at the Pitch Hill Viewpoint on the Greensand Way


Navigation Boo Boo

As a pilot I am trained to never admit when I am lost. At worst pilots are 'uncertain of our exact location' As we ran off the summit we shouted hello to a group of 4 mountain bikers taking a rest as we ran past them coming off the summit. We told them we were running to Haslemere as we went past, so it was slightly embarrassing 10 minutes later running past them again in the other direction when I realised I had headed off Pitch hill the wrong way and we had to run back up the last part again.  This was I think my 5th navigational error of the weekend.


Swings and Roundamills

As we ran across and down Pitch Hill we got the chance to have a photo opportunity on a rope swing hanging from a tree. It was at this stage that twitter went bonkers for us and all our friends started tweeting messages of support and pledging money for the charity giving site. www.charitygiving.co.uk/greensandway2012 Claires phone beeped regularly as the amount raised went up and we all felt really really excited and spurred on.  We got to the Windmill at Ewhurst and decided to push through our planned stop to make up for lost time as we had fallen behind on our planned schedule.


Lee on a Rope Swing on Pitch Hill on the Greensand Way


Jesus Igloo, a major Reh Reh Reh  and a Hot Beef Sammich (fnar)

As we ran down off 'Little Switzerland' as it is hilariously known I started getting the symptoms of a major Reh. Low blood sugar and low glycogen stores are always a battle with long distance running. I crammed jelly babies where I could and also ran along shamelessly with a massive bag of doritos which I shovelled into my face (and all round my face). We were under a time constraint as we planned to meet people in the pub at 7pm so we pushed hard and took less time on breaks to make up the time we were behind by.


Claires version of the Easter Resurrection at Wintershall on the Greensand Way

We ran through the farm in Wintershall  where they do massive open air plays from stories in the Bible. We got a photo or two at the 'igloo' they use for the easter resurrection play.
Dave enjoys a Hot Beef Sammich at the Merry Harriers on the Greensand Way

Id like to then tell you how I hit the wall hard and how it felt. The reality was I zoned in and went very much 'internal' and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. It wasnt aches and pains it was just.....nothing left......at all.  The miles leading up to the Merry Harriers are a blur but we got there and after a lie down on a bench and a drink and sandwich and a brief but effective doody stop I was amazingly better, re energised and lighter and ready for the last ten miles. For the second day running I had left it to the 19th mile for lunch and it had nearly made me pass out.  This is one of the most valuable lessons of the weekend for me. I also elected to save weight and only put 1 litre of water in my camelback instead of 2 even thought Claire told me otherwise. On this I was also wrong and ran out of water 4 miles or more from the end of the run.


And then there were 4 !

We finally met up with Dan at the pub and left in high spirits about 4pm (an hour behind schedule)


Dan does exist! at the Merry Harriers Pub in Hambledon near the Greensand Way

We quickly got a pic of Dan as he joined the Greensand Way for the first time and chuckled that he seemed to be running in casual clothes. He was also using Dave as a sherpa and had him carrying all his stuff.


Dan loses his Greensand Way cherry in Hambledon


 We then began the familiar 7 mile route towards Gibbet Hill in Hindhead. On the way we saw a lot of Hot Air Balloons near Brook and many were landing near the A3. During this part of the run Dave achieved his first marathon which we acknowledged with a little cheer (we didnt have much energy for anything more).


Hot Air Balloon Landing by the A3 on the Greensand Way

We took a whole five minute rest by the underpass that goes under the A3. At this stage Claire and I were very tired but in high spirits but running much slower than Dan and Dave.


Lee taking a rest by the A3 underpass on the Greensand Way

The ascent up Gibbet Hill is similar to Leith Hill in that its reasonably steep but very long and drawn out. We started the ascent as the sun began to set.

Dave and Dan running up Gibbett Hill on the Greensand Way

We didnt reach the summit before sunset as i would have liked but were treated to a superb sunset over the Devils Punchbowl.


Greensand Way Sunset on the Devils Punchbowl

When we reached the summit we introduced Dan to planking on trig points.

Dan does his first plank on a trig point at Gibbet Hill on the Greensand Way

The last three miles were mainly downhill and werent too bad. It was very dark and neither Dave nor Dan had torches but they were utterly fearless and ran on in the dark.


Dave after 32 miles and Dan after 10 miles on the Greensand Way in Haslemere

We finished the run at about 7pm and got pics taken of us at the last sign on the route as it hits the high street in Haslemere almost opposite the Museum.

Lee and |Claire after running 55 miles each on the Greensand Way in Haslemere
We then met up with friends in the Swan Inn pub in Haslemere for a well deserved Sports Drink and a meal.


I achieved my first off road marathon and off road ultra marathon that weekend. So did Claire and Dave. It was a weekend of firsts. We proved concept with obtaining the food and water we would need and remaining self sufficient. There are lessons for me in water and food and that I need more of both.

I learnt that I must eat lunch around the 15 mile mark, that a 2 Litre camelback will not be enough at any given time, that I need ear plugs and a less active imagination to sleep in the woods. I learnt I am a boring plane spotter and that with a lot of support from friends you can achieve way more than you think is possible. We got the fundraising total to a brilliant £603 that weekend and were massively spurred on by the online support on the Sunday. Thankyou to everyone that donated at

www.charitygiving.co.uk/greensandway2012


All 4 of the 108 club on the Greensand Way near Hambledon
I cant wait to do the 55 mile two day Kent training run in April.


















Sunday, 18 March 2012

A Sports Drink Float, A Quick Recharge,The Blair Witch Project and our first Overnight Stay on the Greensand Way


The Wooton Hatch is very close to the Greensand Way. It was our evening meal destination and we were delighted with the absolutely lovely reception we got when we arrived. We both headed straight for the toilets for a 'clean up'.


The Wotton Hatch Pub


With all shame gone and tiredness kicking in I simply stripped down in the main part of the mens toilets and had an all over 'wash n wipe' with baby wet wipes we brought with us......

........It was bliss

I was standing naked in the middle of the toilet area (not a cubicle)  hoping that a local wouldnt just amble in and find a hobbit washing his little pecker with a mad expression on his face, and I was lucky that no-one interrupted my evening 'shower'. I even washed my hair in the sink and dried my hair by crouching under the hand dryer, one of the advantages of being short. I donned my 'shatner trousers' and walked stiffly into the bar like a zombie with thermal booties on.

We had 2 pizzas for £10 ! some recovery shakes and some Sports Drink and sat warm and fuzzy in comfy clothes whilst all around us the well dressed Surrey clientele stared on in disbelief. It was great. The service was brilliant and they even found us a table where we could charge our phones from sockets nearby.

Whilst claire cleverly poured the recovery shake powder in a little at a time and stirred I dumped the whole lot in one go and had to deal with a floating battleship of powder that wouldnt mix in. I basically half inhaled and half drank mine.

drinking a well earned Sports Drink at the end of our first Greensand Way marathon training day
After about an hour and a half we had eaten enough, drank enough and got enough charge into our phones to get ready to head for bed. We planned to camp slightly further along the Greensand Way towards Tillingbourne Waterfall.

It was time for Claires campcraft experience to kick in (she is an ace guide leader)  and my furtive imagination to begin dreaming up every possible way I was going to be eaten/beaten/murdered/killed during the night by some strange woodland creature/monster/alien/axemurderer


The Spacious and Comfortable Vango Banshee 200 on the Greensand Way

When Claire thinks of camping she sees it as non stop fun and japes rather like this

 Carry on Camping
Scary Movie 4 Brokeback Scene
Austin Powers Camping


When I think of camping I start to imagine which woodland critter will get to me first in my tent, like maybe this guy  big foot

We settled for an area of woodland on the Greensand Way just off the path that wasnt in a private field or area. We were amazingly warm inside the spacious tent. We actually had to keep the zip door open for about 30 mins to cool the tent down.



The spacious interior of the Vango Banshee 200 Tent on the Greensand Way
As I shut my eyes and settled down I expected to drift off into a peaceful post marathon slumber with the cool silence only the countryside can bring.


I was wrong

The woods at night are a noisy place to be, The pheasants squawk and the foxes yowl.....

..........all night.

Badgers drives quadbikes, Deer wear big army boots, all the birds fire shotguns, squirrels clear woodland with chainsaws and the bunnies have illegal raves until 6 or 7am. The Owls have band practice and the mice eat crisps loudly.

Every rustle nearby set me on edge and although I was very comfy and warm I was very much 'one eye open'.  Claire was used to camping this way and spent a long time reassuring me that I was an idiot.

As the night wore on and I spent every effort I had to not think about the Blair Witch Project my tiredness took over and I slept in 30 minute bursts.


A misty Greensand Way sunrise

As the dawn chorus started and the light returned I could have slept for a few more hours but 8am arrived and it was time to get up for our second marathon in two days.

I probably only needed another 7 or 8 hours sleep to be on top form.

Day 2 would be a doddle.............






Saturday, 17 March 2012

Clues, blues, booze - the risky business of the Greensand Way


We ran our first 2 day 55-miler on 10th-11th March 2012. Here’s the story of all the blood, sweat and tears from the first day…
Before I begin, may I remind you of our donations page? It’s just a click away…. www.charitygiving.co.uk/greensandway2012

With classic timing, we’d organised a training weekend after a hectic night gigging at the fabulous UkeJam’s first ever Friday Night Live at the Royal Oak in Guildford. Genevieve and the Zut Alors (critically endorsed by John-Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin) kicked off the night, followed by UkeJam sets led stunningly by Adam and Penny, with our percussive guest Al Murray keeping the beat. Charlie Khan and the Bullfrog Chorus also wowed the pub. It was a brilliant night and I was buzzing when I got home, which had implications on the amount of sleep I had…

Bright and early the next day, Lee and Dr G picked me up and we were smuggled over the border into Kent by the mystery machine, Genevieve.

Lee got excited about the border crossing out of Surrey and had to get a snapshot.

I don't think we're in Surrey any more, Toto...

At Limpsfield we picked up the trail and some conflicting clues as to which way to run…
Orienteering 101 - If in doubt, head West on the Greensand Way

After a couple of minutes we found the hallowed midway sign and passed undetected across the border into Surrey again.
It's like straddling the Greenwich Meridian, only classier

A mile or so further in and we happily ran down a beautiful grassy hill, pointed in that direction by a new wooden sign.  At the bottom of the hill things became less clear and so we looked to Science to check our positioning. Science indicated our positioning as being way off track. Swearing and cursing our stupidity so soon into the run, we slogged it back uphill to the last Greensand Way signpost.

It turns out that the signpost was somewhat “Directional-Accuracy” challenged, and requires some improvement. Of course this could have been a set-up to destroy our mission… it worked, albeit only briefly.

The overcast sky held promise of a breakthrough of sun later on, and we ran along some exposed hill ridges and across farmland in deliciously warm 16C weather.

Of course we’d not completed a Risk Assessment of this part of the Greensand Way so were careful to take notes of dangers as we passed them.
DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGE! on the Greensand Way

As you may be aware from the previous blog post, we have developed our own Greensand Way language or “secret code”. Some of these may be difficult to decipher (who would think “Nothing at all” or “Shatners” would refer to items of clothing?), which is why we’ve provided a guide. However when an opportunity to coin a new phrase arises, the quickest of thoughts is needed to find a fitting word or phrase. While running down a muddy, rocky and steep-sided bridleway, Lee was about 50m ahead of me taking a photo when I heard the urgent shouted call “GALLOPING HORSE!!!!”.

What could this mean, this new coinage?
Could it be rhyming slang, meaning mind the course?
Maybe Lee was playing make believe?

The clatter of hooves on rock aided the realisation at what Lee’s coded message meant; it turns out there was actually a galloping horse travelling at breakneck speed towards us, followed by an irate farmer.

The horse did eventually slow down, and the rider apologised and atoned for her sins towards the understandably narked farmer whose field she’d trespassed in, and the drama subsided enough for us to continue on – feeling a little bit like we’d been in a cliffhanger episode of The Archers.

What would happen next?!

Little Pecker happened across a Big (Pea)Cock..
Come on now dude, that's just showing off.

We ran near Redhill Aerodrome and saw loads of little planes. I was treated to a detailed description of each one:
“This one here, the Atari 150, was the first plane to be made entirely of marshmallow”
 “That’s a Zoolander 34B, it can only turn right”
“Oh that one they call the FlyMo, it’s basically a lawnmower with wings”

To which I paid avid attention, honest. This helped to pass the time. By that point the clouds had broken and we had gorgeous sunshine to keep us going.

After diligently stopping every 6 miles or so to ingest sugar, we made it under the M23 and found this fabulous bit of farming equipment that we immediately christened the DoodyMaster 3000 – spreads your doody 3 times faster than the DoodyMaster 1000!
BIG DOODY SPREADER!

All this new territory was very exciting and I nearly weed myself when we ran past South Nutfield Scout Hut – it was like a nod to what we were doing and why we were doing it. Seeing Guide and Scout related things everywhere you go is like being part of a (not very) secret society, where everyone will help you out. It’s a great feeling to run past a random hut and feel like you belong there.

We ventured hungrily through Redhill and towards Reigate. We were near on 18 miles by this point and the time had reached about 2.30pm, with no lunchtime meal as yet.
Our stages of hunger started looking like the stages of grief - there was denial ("we'll find somewhere soon, we don't need to eat just yet. Just a couple more miles...", followed by anger ("I can't believe there's NOWHERE for us to get food, what kind of town is this?!") followed by bargaining ("OK, if we don't find anywhere in the next 20 minutes then I'll call Dominos and we'll get a pizza delivered")...

Some dodgy decision making occurred (Lee got Boots-queue rage while buying talc – do NOT anger a chafing man!) and we ended up in the only place that would let us sit down, charge phones and eat while not being dressed smart-casually… Morrison’s café.

The food was school-dinner standard, the welcome was conflicting, the service was strange but we got some food in us! Lee had an impromptu shower while attempting to fill his Camelbak from a bottle of water and had to re-talc, and we restocked our sugar supplies. An email popped onto my phone to let me know that we'd received a fantastic £108 donation which lifted us no end. 

While digesting our burger and chips, we waddled across the lovely Reigate Heath towards the Windmill to start the last 10 miles of the day. The terrain got friendlier because we’d already run it twice before.

We tried to maintain our hydration levels as best we could going through Brockham:
Pump it up louder

It’s a funny thing to describe again where we’ve run before. The familiarity of running through an area is somewhat of a comfort, and knowing what’s around the corner can really help to spur you on.

Because it’s March, we were looking at a 6pm sunset and try as we did, our day had lagged by about an hour behind our estimations (the constant need to check whereabouts, eat jelly babies, talk to strangers and drink cans of Red Bull take their toll)
Red Bull - gives your blisters wings

But the positive spin on this is that we got to see the sun set while were at the top of Deepdene Terrace, which is a fabulous viewpoint just outside of Dorking:
Deepdene Terrace Sunset on the Greensand Way

Running through Dorking and up the Nower was a piece of cake in the dark (if you ignore the bit where we got slightly track-misaligned*) especially because we'd already had practice running that bit in the snow with Guildford H3. It also marked the completion of our first training marathon (and my FIRST EVER marathon!) which was pretty awesome.
*lost

We made it through Westcott and finally made it down to the Wotton Hatch pub for some much needed sports drink, where I believe Lee will pick up the story. It'll start off sounding like a bit of a joke "Two sweaty smelly runners walked into a pub, ordered some pizza, and started baby-wiping" but it was a brilliant evening and an... interesting night. 

We raised our total by £138 on Saturday March 10th and we received some much-needed support via Twitter, Facebook and text. Thank you everyone who donated and kept us going - and look out for the next blogs about the weekend, coming VERY SOON.

                www.twitter.com/claz0r 
                www.twitter.com/leestuartevans 

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

The Greensand Way Phrasebook and Dictionary

As our training has progressed so has our own language. We thought it might be useful to translate what we are talking about. Our next few blogs will cover our 55 mile weekend so we thought this would be a good time to explain some of the words and phrases we have started using when running. As we have run the Surrey section of The Greensand Way in a strange order we have also put this phrasebook in a non alphabetical order too.

Ooopsiwahli (noun) - amalgamation of stiles, signs, fences and instructions in varying directions causing direction confusion


a potential Ooopsiwahli on the Greensand Way near Limpsfield

Reh- (noun) a moment where things are not going as well as hoped.

Reh Reh Reh (noun) The moment when Lee goes very quiet as the last of his remaining glycogen is used up and he 'hits the wall'

Smize (verb) - smiling with your eyes . An America's Next Top Model phrase. The 'Sm' has been used for smiling with other body parts too in Greensand Way Photos such as 'smack' - smiling with your back and 'smotch' - Smiling with your crotch.

Science - (noun) denotes anything battery powered that is used for communication or navigation . We usually talk about 'checking science' when we are 'unsure of our exact location'. Science never works when you need it....... And is always there to berate you when you dont need it.

Sports Drink (noun) - any high calorie high alcohol beverage - perfect for carb-loading before or after any training run. Ale, lager, champagne, Jagerbombs and Cognac all fall under this category. If you don't believe us, try it! (Please carb-load responsibly)


enjoying 'Sports Drink' at the end of a marathon run on the Greensand Way at the Wotton Hatch Pub

Tumbling Tosser (noun) - hash term for a person who has temporarily horizontally repositioned their body mid-run without necessarily planning to do so.

On On - (exclamation) - a hash term, shouted when a Greensand Way sign has been seen and we are temporarily 'sure' of our position (or "on flour").


The final Greensand Way Sign at the Haslemere end

Petrol (exclamation) - a word shouted when a vehicle approaches (another hash term).

Ding Ding (exclamation) - a word shouted when a bicycle approaches.

Donny Osmond (exclamation) - a word shouted when a 'crazy horse' approaches


A crazy horse we encountered on the Greensand Way

Get me off this godforsaken hill - self explanatory.

Vango Banshee 200 - denotes any restful high quality sleeping area

Doody - verb and noun - a situation or person associated with that which is faecal

Big Doody - see doody ...only bigger. You know big doody? Yeah, you do. YOU DO KNOW BIG DOODY.
That is some Big Doody on the Greensand Way. 


Nothing at all / Shiny Bums - tight fitting lycra clothing, made by 2XU or similar. This term inspired by Stupid Sexy Flanders in the Simpsons - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsVsHu2EEfo. Usually comes with the side effect of bum-seam-split paranoia.

Walky Pills - medication that allows you to move again. After extensive clinical trials we have found Cocodamol to be the most effective walky pills available. (Don't abuse drugs, kids.)

If in doubt its always uphill / Rule 1 of the Greensand Way - Whenever 2 path options present themselves, and you aren't sure which one is correct......the correct one for the Greensand Way is always the steeper uphill one. (If it appears to be downhill, you are probably going the wrong way)

Souvenir Stitch Up - With weight at a premium, the idea is to get souvenirs for each other that are a total nightmare to carry.


Souvenir Stitch up on the greensand way ' I got you this!'

Fnar / Fnar fnar - Said at the end of any double entendre. Can be used in place of a laugh when one is just too tired, but still wish to acknowledge this double entendre.

Shatner Pants - The very high waisted jogging warm trousers Lee wears after running to stay warm, reminiscent of the truss William Shatner is alleged to have worn in the later Star Trek movies.

'Please Remove This' - Any photo that isn't as flattering as we would like. These are generally deleted off the memory card, which is then burnt, along with the camera, and any witnesses are bribed or threatened.


Front bald spots showing, manic smile, what looks like a mad blue hat. this is a classic 'please remove this' on the Greensand Way halfway point

I'm sure we will add to this list as time goes on. Be sure to refer back to this blog from time to time as we are bound to add more, and talk less and less sense as training progresses.

If you all ask nicely enough we might do a whole blog just on 'Please Remove This' photos.... (but nobody wants to see them, right?!)












Monday, 12 March 2012

A very quick THANK YOU

Hi guys,

I just wanted to say a super-quick THANK YOU for all your texts, tweets, and messages of support over our training run this weekend! You've been absolutely brilliant and you made those 55 miles feel like.... well, they felt like 55 miles, but they were (almost all) 55 miles of smiles!

I have to mention the wonderful Dr G our getaway driver, who smuggled us over the border into Kent and picked us up again (and brought clean dry natural-fabric clothes!) in Haslemere, as well as Tim who bothered a whole bunch of people for RTs on twitter, and a whole host of friends who kept the messages coming in. You guys rock so hard.

A big big thank you as well to those kind souls who donated - it means so much that you can donate your spare cash to our cause. Each time we were notified of a donation our grins widened and our knees picked up that little bit - by the 52nd mile when we were granny-shuffling our way into Haslemere in the dark, it did wonders!

Full weekend blogs will appear soon, all the stories and the photos for your delectation and delight - we want to earn your donations, so let us know what you want to see on the blog, and leave your abuse or feedback as you see fit!

Don't forget to tell your friends, spread the word and the link - www.charitygiving.co.uk/greensandway2012

And please like us on Facebook too! www.facebook.com/greensandway2012

Claire x

Friday, 9 March 2012

Canals dont have Hills ! Jailbait and Wasabi Peanuts


It wasnt until we had finished this Monday night Hash run with the Guildford Hash House Harriers http://www.guildfordh3.org.uk/ that Scrum Muffin (Claire) realised why we had enjoyed this hash so much.......no hills.


The 'No Hill' Wey Navigation Canal by the Onslow Arms Pub in Loxwood

After so much running on the Greensand Way it was a genuine pleasure to run around the Arun and Wey Navigation around Loxwood and not spend large chunks of time 'digging in' to get to the top of a freezing windy snowy hill.


12.5 miles of 'No Hills' Guaranteed !on the Arun and Wey Canal in Loxwood


We started off as always at a pub, this time the Onslow Arms. We set off following the trail promptly at 7.30pm and ran along the canal which is clearly unused as we got further along it.

Whenever we got to a circle of flour (which means the route could go in any of a nu,ber of directions and the right path would have to be found) Scrum Muffin did some excellent Beyonce ' if you liked it ya shoulda putta ring on it' dancing.


'Beyonce dancing' at a flour ring

There was the usual chaos as the run progressed. At one stage following a flour trail I could clearly see runners lights on all 4 sides of a massive  field. Proud of my new hashing name 'Little Pecker' I am trying to learn a few hashers names each week. This week we kept seeing 'Jailbait' come crashing out of the woods perpendicular to the route (he had run out a lot of false trails and taken 'short cuts' to get back on flour') His hashing name derives from helping some young D of E kids who were lost once when he has hashing.


'On Inn' every Hashers dream

Lightbite (sporting an amazing black eye) managed to be a 'tumbling tosser' (fell over) and so I found out another hashing name. He was honourable enough to volunteer himself in the sinners circle at the end . I always qualify for the sinners circle and this week I get free extra beer for talking with Scrum Muffin all the way through the run and wearing our Greensand Way Training Rucksack for the hash.


Scrum Muffins Sports Drink

We got back to the Pub after about 4.5 miles and an hour. The Onslow Arms had a good selection of real ales and Scrum Muffin , Loose Article (father of Scrum Muffin) and I made sure we tried them all. I also had Wasabi Peanuts for the first time which are AMAZING and I MUST get them for a running snack.


Loose Article and Little Pecker rehydrate with Sports Drink

We also had the startings of an idea......what if we led a hash in Guildford that started and finished at the Royal Oak pub on a Ukejam night?.......

HASHJAM ?


watch this space........


on on

Little Pecker