Round the Island run

Well the event was my Father's 70th birthday and what an awesome weekend he had. Presents galore, more whisky than you could shake a stick at and a good bit of weather too.

After some sustenance from Lil' Bro we had a few beverages and a good night's sleep helped along by the sea air.

 

Then it was down to morning running business and for the first time this year, after a 2 degree start, the temperature rose to a glorious 7 degrees and it was off around the Island. Mrs UB is as readers know, training for the Virgin London Marathon and with some cunning switchbacks and sheep-dogs, i could get a decent run in too.

The wind has been bellowing in the opposite direction for 2 weeks but the first 30 mins was as calm as a millpond.

We then ran along the beach for a few miles. I've probably run around the Island about 30 times now and each time is different. This morning the tide was further out than I have ever experienced. I know now that the spring tide and the Equinox combined for this today and rather than a hundred metres or so, the tide ripped out to probably in excess of a kilometre. Readings from my Garmin suggest that most of my expoits out onto the shingle banks were negative to sea level.......which I expect is like running with a Garmin in Holland.

As we got round to West....St Peter's Church came into view....a place I should have been the previous week at the end of the 45 miler. Having said, it was great to see it across the water....but not as awesome as my wife running past a plethora of pastel coloured beach huts in the sun. Amazing.

And then it was off to my favourite part of Mersea Island and that which shall be know as the DARK SIDE or alternatively, East Mersea.

Bleak. Desolate. Tourist free. Awesome.

vast expanses of sky and beach wall and nothingness........................

and the tide further out than we have ever seen on a run before......

.....then it was back past the Oyster Fishery and that always signals 1 mile from my parents house. A nice run. 15.2 miles for me (13.5 for Mrs UB) as I had some switchbacks and mini-adventures along the way. After a hearty 41 servings of Dim Sum for my dad's 70th birthday lunch, it was home to London and chance to stretch the legs for a 5 mile run.......2 miles of "ow I've been running on a coastal incline for 15 miles and then 86 miles in the car" and then I unleashed 3 miles of 7s and sub 7s crazy pent up dim sum energy that I didn't know I had. 20 for the day. The best of which was with the amazing Mrs UB, albeit at her speed, which she admits wants working on.........well......we have all week!