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We have always been great believers in that old saying, "Don't run before you can walk".... so our training, just currently, consists of making sure we can actually cover 13.5 miles at a walking pace, before we even consider how much of it we will try to run. But don't be fooled into thinking that it will be just a walk in the park. So to speak. For a start it will be along the tow path, not in a park, but I digress.
Colin imagines what running might be like
We have had two training "runs" so far (even I can't bring myself to call them training walks. Maybe training hikes, yes I think that's better even if still a little bit generous...) and already we have both sustained injuries (Simon, big toe, left hand side. Colin, hip, right hand side) that could put a severe dampener on our season. Thank goodness that, not unlike a Grand National racehorse, we are preparing specifically for The One Big Event Of The Year and won't have to turn out, in peak fitness week in, week out.
In week 1 we covered 7.5 miles - All good, our only mistake was choosing a route across water meadows.Very picturesque in the summer but by October they resemble a peat bog in Ireland. Still, a bit of mud can't harm anyone.
Week 2 we decided to take it easy (!) with a six mile route along the Basingstoke Canal. An incongruous juxtaposition of rural idyll and urban decay. Ducks, moorhens and swans glided serenely alongside bottles, beer cans, and plastic bags. The shady tow path, dappled in autumn sunshine was punctuated by graffiti-covered concrete bridges. We marvelled at what looked like a water vole playing amongst the reeds. Two hours later, having seen lots of cute little "voles" scurrying along the path we concluded that they were probably rats.
Sweet little vole or nasty dirty rat?
Now, I am not trying to say that a training hike along the Baskingstoke Canal is necessarily life threatening, but there are hazards at every turn, I kid you not. As if to bear testament to this, the turning point of this week's session was Brookwood, home of Brookwood Hospital, AKA The Surrey Lunatic Asylum, once the largest lunatic asylum in Britain and of Brookwood Cemetery, once the largest grave yard in Europe. It doesn't take a genius to work out that spending too much time around here could be seriously bad for your health.
On our return, as we emerged from one of those dark graffiti daubed tunnels we encountered a group of suspicious looking men, whose speech was so incoherent I couldn't even guess what language they were speaking. The alcohol fumes nearly knocked us over. Then one of them lurched forward, flung his arms around a sign post and grinned as he tried, and failed to maintain an upright position.
Bucolic idyll, or urban nightmare?
One thing's for sure, the canal tow path is the last place I would stagger if simply standing up was too difficult. There's rats in that there canal, and where there's rats there could be Weil's disease, and Weil's disease is very nasty and that is just another hazard we faced in our arduous training regime.
A quick detour through Woking town centre (sainsbury's to be precise, we had nothing for supper) proved equally dangerous. We narrowly avoided being abducted by aliens, only to be buzzed by a fighter jet as we made a quick getaway down a side street. I swear, you couldn't make it up.
You'd be amazed what you can bump into in Woking....
...and the hazards come at you from all angles!
And if you want to join us or do something to raise money on December 3rd just e mail me at simonhare73@btinternet.com
I've asked Bridget, who is the project director at Grace House to send us some content for this blog too - there is only so much material you can find walking around Woking. So here is her first entry.
A week in the life of Grace House, Kor Kranh, near Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia
About a month ago, villagers near Grace House asked Bridget Cordory, Grace House's Director, to pay a visit to Srey Nan*, an elderly widow in one of the villages Grace House serves near Siem Reap, Cambodia. This is Bridget’s account of Srey Nan’s story:
“Grace House Community Centre became involved with Srey Nan during the last 3 weeks of her tragic life.
She had seen much suffering during her 72 years of life. In her 30’s she was made to work with her three children for the Khmer Rouge in the rice fields. Her husband had disappeared, and after months of starvation and hard labour one by one her children died.
After the Pol Pot years Cambodia
After the unrest, along with other Cambodians she was awarded a small plot of land. The land was just big enough to build a small palm leaf house on stilts, not a mansion but it was home. Now in her late 60’s Srey Nan became ill. Medical facilities were almost non-existent so she had to sell her home to pay for medical care.
Typical village houses, near Siem Reap
Over the next 8 years she rented a space in a neighbour’s home until in early 2010 she moved into the pagoda (a working Buddhist temple). Older widows often choose to end their years in the pagoda, praying and supporting the monks. Her health deteriorated further until she required personal care. Because monks are forbidden to touch women, Srey Nan had to leave her home yet again.
When she left the pagoda the villagers found her a wooden platform to sleep on. Sleeping on wooden floors is not uncommon amongst the rural poor in Cambodia
When I first visited, at the request of the village elder, the villagers were working a round the clock rota providing personal care. Srey Nan had just been discharged from hospital, which had been paid for by the villagers, and returned ‘home’ to die. She was unable to swallow and was doubly incontinent. All I could do was provide her carers with surgical gloves and masks. For Srey Nan it was too late for us to provide any further help
Last Friday afternoon, a villager called into Grace House and informed me that Srey Nan had just died and would I like to visit her. I sat on the slatted platform, just feet from her shrouded body. A monk was chanting, villagers called in to pay their last respects, to prepare the feast and to celebrate her life. We gave a donation to the celebrations. There was nothing else we could do."
(*Name changed)
Once again if you'd like to sponsor us to help people like Srey Nan, please go to:
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