Heading South for the Winter

Tuesday 24th February

I was on annual leave again today, so after breakfast I walked Oliver to school in the sunshine. Yes, sunshine! It was a glorious winters (nearly Spring) morning, a bit cool but no wind or rain for a change. After Id dropped a very chatty and talkative Oliver off, I came home and went for a gentle run. I got home and Joanne was still asleep in bed.

She has been in a lot of pain recently and even the smallest activity is leaving her exhausted and crippled in pain. I didnt want to disturb her so I sat on the settee for a while, freezing cold after my run. I pulled the throw over me and woke an hour later! I made some lunch and jumped into a hot bath before going to get my boy from school. I loved listening to him chatter on the way home, telling me about his day. Im so proud of him.

That evening we had a parents evening so I managed to get Joanne up and ready to go. Oliver went to my Sisters while we went to his school (only 100 yards from my sisters). Oliver had done really well in his tests / sats or whatever they are! and was hitting most of his targets. Even though he'd had a few "blips" before half term his report was excellent and I will say it again, he inspires me every day. The way he deals with his Autism is amazing and he tries really hard and I love him to bits for it!
After parents evening Joanne went straight to bed and I played with Oliver for a while before bed. In the night, Joanne was in a lot of pain and I think she cant have got more than an hours sleep through the night. We've managed to get a chiropractor to see her and he seems really confident he can relieve some of her pain. Lets hope!

Running: 9.54 miles / 11.20min mile avg / 1hr 48 min

I set off feeling quite low. Joannes health just isn't getting any better and I'm totally lost as to what to do with her. The ME seems to have really taken root and is exhausting her 24/7. I'm really struggling to motivate her lately and I know shes really depressed. Its not good.
I think all I can do is be there for her for now and keep trying - I wont quit and I'm not willing to give up on her.

Anyway, I was a bit stiff from yesterdays impromptu speedy run so I decided I just needed to get out in the sun for a while. I found my way down to Biggar Bank and decided to go South for a change. I ran along the beach path for a while then joined a small path through the shale and shingle which lead towards the heavily eroded sandy cliffs.

Costa Del Walney

This section of Walney is being driven back by the relentless tide, wind and rain that batters the coast. I hope one day they put some defenses down here to protect it or we will end up with two islands!

Erosion at work

I made my way slowly around the headland and the path wound its way up to the top of the "cliff". I say cliff but its only about 15ft high and not a particularly steep drop down. The view from the top was extremely clear, giving me views of the West Lancashire coastline across Morecambe Bay.The famous Blackpool tower jutted out from the horizon as clear as Ive ever seen it before. I skirted the tops for as long as I could and eventually dropped back onto the shore, running along over the pebbles.

Beachcomber!

 The tide was nearly in and the waves lapped up on the stones, foaming up the surf  and creating that incredible salty smell. I found a rock and sat for a while listening to the roar of the ocean, breaking on the smooth pebbles. It was so calming sat there, the sun on my face and my feet in the tide. It was good to be alone for with my thoughts for a while. I breathed the sea air in with deep slow breaths, calming me into an almost meditative state, relaxing my body and my mind.  I cleared out all of the thoughts, jobs that needed doing, my stresses, my worries and just listened to the tide. It was so cleansing.

It was meant to be a run, not a swim!

A few minutes later the tide was splashing my legs which signaled it was time to move on. I made my way along the beach and spotted what i think is an old breaker. It rose from the depths like a spine of a giant fish, and I remembered seeing it previously by the South Walney Caravan Park. I turned inland and ran around the circumference of the park.

Snow capped mountains in the distance

There was still a few more miles of Walney left but I didn't have any provisions with me and Id already been out over an hour so I headed home along the east coast of the island. The views I was greeted with were some of the most amazing I've ever seen from here. Because of the bright sun and the clear, crisp sky, I could see all the way into the southern lake district. The snow capped peaks looked like they were directly behind our Town Hall and not some 30 miles away. I wished I had a better camera with me as it would make an unbelievable shot. I just couldn't take my eyes off the view and I kept glancing over at the incredible vista. It was so uplifting and stunning. This inland side of Walney is covered in salt flats and marshland and is home to a whole host of sea birds and plants, its always vibrant and full of life. It truly is an amazing place to run.

I continued on the shoreline for a while and came across some bizarre formations. The marsh grasses had been washed over the round pebbles and reminded me of a classic comb over on a bald man. I chuckled to myself and it reminded me of the old Hamlet advert (you will have to be over 40 to remember a time when the used to advertise cigarettes and cigars on the TV!) with the Rab C Nesbitt actor Ian McColl in a photo booth trying to cover his bald head with two strands of hair! Ive found his picture:

"Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet"

Its a bit of a random memory but I found it amusing! (what is really weird and it shows how our brains are wired up, as Im writing this I could smell my Granddads Hamlet smoke! He died over 20 years ago but they say smells can trigger memories and visa versa - spooky or what! Nice to remember you though Granddad!)

However, the rock comb overs turned out to be death traps and slippy as hell so I moved onto the road which ran alongside them and continued on towards home. I was out for quite a while but thoroughly enjoyed my run out in the winter sun.

Food Diary:

Breakfast: 
Post run nutribullet protein shake - Banana, Pineapple, coconut milk, lime, almonds

Lunch:
Nothing - I was full from my smoothie!

Mid afternoon - Oatcakes with Hummous

Dinner:
BBQ bacon chicken with rice and roasted veg

Chicken wrapped in bacon, served with rice and roasted veg
with a drizzle of Levi Roots Carribean BBQ sauce. mmmm