Well, what can I say? Utterly bonkers....with road works and the car park called the M25 a four and a half journey took six and goodness, my satnav didn't have a clue where the front of the train station was but eventually there she was 😁 my good running friend Mudita11 , a few more wrong turns and we found our little air BnB.
Later in the evening cheekychipmunks joined us for dinner and so lovely to meet her at last.....we catered and chatted and it was soon rather late so we parted with a plan to meet at 8.30 the next morning for Eastville parkrun,
Id known nothing about a compass challenge but ran Southampton with Mudita, and in the depths of winter she came to mine and we tailwalked Lowestoft so next on the list had to be east.
Cheeky talked about the B course and a long hill.....she was not wrong, off we went after the introduction talk and some clapping.
I plodded along hoping I wouldn't hold the tailwalker up too much then down we ran, oooo and I ran, faster than for well over a year, fast enought to get stitch....but was soon at the bottom and before I knew it it was slogging up the hill that's not that steep but goes on and on and on some more, a little trotting happened but mostly walking.....round the top then down again and we did it twice more. One lovely marshall said well done, she volunteers but has never attempted running it.
The marshalls were very encouraging and towards the end the tailwalker caught me up and chatted, then just as the end was in sight he said....off you go sprint home....well there's a video of that bit and what felt like a sprint looked more like a hobble and what was a big grin looked like a painful grimace....but I was so happy to have got all the way round and not had to give up.....
Lovely breakfast and then back in the car and home.....almost five hours later I climbed out the car and my quads cried but they are fine this morning.
In this last year I've lost my dignity in hospital and lost a lot of my hair through the treatment that allows me to be ok but I've gained good running friends 😁
Thank you Mudita11 for doing this with me, for sitting on a train and being such a lovely friend and thank you cheekychipmunks for showing us where to go and making it such fun.....can't wait to see you both at Great Yarmouth North Beach 🤣
Words you don’t want to hear at parkrun and a note to tailwalkers!! 
3km and reps up hill
VRB’s Meet Up At Marple
