Fetcheveryone Member of the Month

Interview with LindsD

Mandymoo asks: Well done Linds and so deserved. How did you come to find Fetcheveryone and what keeps you here?

LindsD says: Thank you
I came across Fetch in an article in Runner's World in about 2011, I think. It was an article about stats and mentioned 'our sister website FetchEveryone...'. I was intrigued and took a look. I didn't start regularly logging training here until much later, though, but I did hang around the forum a bit.

What keeps me here? The people, of course Without Fetch I wouldn't have done so many things I have done. The forums and the support and fun here keep me running and trying new things.

DocM asks: Congratulations 😀. Imagine for some reason you are running a race in a costume or fancy dress, what are you dressed as ?

LindsD says: Thanks! This was actually the last question I answered, as I found it so hard
The only fancy dress run I ever do is Hell Down South, although we do wear Christmas hats for Christmas Day parkrun. My favourite fancy dress for HDS was my first year, I think, which was Hawaiian. The skirts were a nightmare in the loo, and in the bog
I'm a big Dr Who fan, though, so I think I'd have to run as a Dalek and shout 'exterminate' as I ran.

GimmeMedals asks: Congratulations LindsD. Which has been your favourite Fetchie event that you have participated in and why?

LindsD says: Although I really enjoyed the Bupa 10k where I met tons of Fetchies, and both the TBCs I have done, I think it will have to be my first Hell Down South. It was January, thick ice on the plentiful puddles, but the best day's running ever. Fancy dress, no one gets left behind, and swimming in the Bog of Doom to top it off. I was on a high for days.

pedroscalls asks: Congratulations Linds. My question is if time and money were no object what race or route would you want to do?

LindsD says: If time and money were no object, I would like to train for a marathon. I'd really like to do 'just one'. I think the one I would like to do the most is Berlin. I've heard it's a great race, and I love the city. I feel like that's a bit lacking in imagination, but it's my question, so that's it

westmoors asks: Congratulations LindsD. If you could meet anyone, past or present, who would it be and why?

LindsD says: Gosh, that's a hard one. I have met a couple of people I admire, and to be completely honest, I behaved like a total tit mostly. I would like to meet Douglas Adams. I love his writing, and I'd be interested in what sort of a person he was face-to-face.

philip_m_jones asks: How much ice-cream can you get in those cones?

LindsD says: Well, it depends on the flavour. They do not accept mint choc chip (bleurgh), but they can hold limitless coffee ice cream, which is my favourite.

Diogenes asks: What’s your favourite park run volunteering role?

LindsD says: Timer. I love cheering in all the finishers. I really enjoy being RD, too.

halfpint asks: Congrats Linds- couldn’t be more chuffed for you! If you were stranded on a desert island which 3 fetchies would you choose to be stranded with and why?

LindsD says: Thank you! This is so difficult. It's like being asked to choose your favourite child

I would have to take the whole 700 thread, including lurkers. Sorry. I know that's breaking the rules.

Helegant asks: Congratulations LindsD. Are there times when you struggle to run, and if so, what motivates you to get out of the door?

LindsD says: Yes! Quite frequently, actually. If I feel guilty about the time I'm taking to run it's hard to get out of the door. Also, if I haven't run for a couple of days I feel like I won't be able to do it. What motivates me is my friends on the 700 thread and my target to run 700 miles before the end of the year. Plus sometimes I can remember how much better I'll feel afterwards.

Dr PhFleecyD asks: Congratulations lovely Linds I know you’re into OW swimming, what would be your advice to someone wanting to start doing it?

LindsD says: Thank you! Pretty similar to running, really. Go with a friend or a group of friends. Go to a proper swimming lake (obvs). Unless it's boiling outside, hire a wetsuit, and take it SLOWLY. Don't expect too much of yourself. Acclimatise slowly. If you are worried, ask the safety kayak to go with you. At 'our' lake, they will happily do that for you, even put out an additional boat to accompany you. Head-up breaststroke is fine to start off with, but will hurt your back eventually. Don't think about the things that worry you but enjoy the surroundings. Go back regularly!

McGoohan asks: Dio meaqnt to ask a corollorollorary question. It is this:
"You are putting together a dream-team of Fetchies to run the ultimate event. Who do you choose and what are their roles? (Doesn’t have to be a park run, could be a multi-day trans-continental mountainous tough-mudder, or a mimble to the pub.)"
My earthshaking question.... which is the best Arcade Fire album and why?

LindsD says: I actually wanted to answer the first question - maybe I'll write an answering blog. The best Arcade Fire album is quite a hard one. I think Reflektor, for purely personal reasons. It was the one that really got me into them, after sort-of thinking they were quite good for some years but not really engaging.

snayak asks: Congratulations Linds! Post-parkrun breakfast - sweet or savoury?

LindsD says: Directly after parkrun in the cafe, definitely sweet - either cake or ice cream. Once we get home, usually savoury, and often egg-based.

Pompey Paul asks: Congratulations Linds So my question is what is going to be your first Ultra Marathon?

LindsD says: Ha! I would like to do a marathon, but don't think I have the time to put in the training. Ultras do appeal - I think I'm more about stamina than anything else. Not going to be doing one any time soon, though.

TRO Saracen asks: Would you rather have hiccups for the rest of your life, or feel like you want to/are just about to sneeze but are unable to for the rest of your life?

LindsD says: Hiccups, definitely. That sneeze thing is bloody awful.

Dooogs asks: Congrats, Linds - chuffed to see this. Non-running question: what"s your ideal day-job and how big is the gap between that and actual w**k?

LindsD says: Thanks. Good question. I actually really like my job, but it's never-ending and there's too much of it. So my ideal day job is my actual job, just half of it. I don't really mind which half. I could do with a better boss, too.

Little Nemo asks: Congratulations! If you had all the time to fit in the training what would your dream OW race be?

LindsD says: That's a great question. I always used to have a hankering to swim the channel, but now I think it would be pretty scary with the big ships and the jellyfish and the cold and the loooooong way.

I liked Katie's account of the Swoosh, so maybe that. Or one of those races in the Lake District. It would have to be a race where I wouldn't be worried about being last, and I'm pretty slow. I really enjoyed Endure 24 and I know there are swimming races where you swim laps as part of a team and it's about total distance, so maybe one of those.

Kingsholm asks: Congrats to being the member of the month, my question is Where did you get that hat from?

LindsD says:

My sister knitted it for me. When I left my last job, my colleagues bought me a lovely scarf which is that colour, cream and orange. It didn't go with my red and black dalek hat, so she knitted that one for me.

KatieB asks: You are swimming A to B, where is A and where is B?

LindsD says: I've thought about this one a lot.

Swimming around Heron Lake on a warm sunny evening is pretty good. But as this is fantasy, I think I'd like my swim to be somewhere warm, where I can see fish and other creatures. I would definitely not want to be thinking about getting in the way of boats, so maybe in a lake, although I love the sea. A and B wouldn't really matter so much as long as there was a cup of tea and some cake at the end, and some nice friends, and maybe a fire.

RRR-CAZ 🇬🇧 asks: Congratulations well deserved Q. If you had a golden ticket to any sporting event what would you choose to see

LindsD says: Ooh, what a great idea. I like to watch quite a lot of live sport - rowing, cycling, athletics (of course), football, tennis but I think the sport that I most like to watch is rugby union, so I'd like the best seats in the house for the Rugby World Cup final, please.

swittle asks: A worthy MotM What are: 1) your most read book? 2) Most watched film; and 3) favourite play?

LindsD says: This is hard! I think my most read book is probably The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Most watched film is a really hard one. Probably Pulp Fiction, but that's a bit of a cheat as I do it with my students. Alternatively Star Wars. Favourite play is really tough. If I have to pick one, I know I've seen Hysteria by Terry Johnson twice on the stage. I'll pick that.

TeeBee asks: Congratulations Linds. This is soooo overdue, you do so much for the Fetch community. My question stems from this - how do you find the time for everything you do on top of a demanding full time job?

LindsD says: Thank you. The negative answer is that I don't do anything very well. I don't train well, I'm a distracted and lazy parent, my house is a tip and falling apart, and I'm constantly sleep-deprived. The positive answer is that I like to be busy, I don't really watch TV, my OH cooks, and I don't like missing out on things. Take your pick!

DoricQuine asks: Well done Linds. If money was no object, what would be your ideal holiday and who would you spend it with?

LindsD says: Ooh. I love to travel. I would definitely spend it with OH, although my sister would be a close second. I like the idea of taking a year (or more :)) off and just going where I fancy, but that's not going to happen. I've always wanted to go to India, so perhaps there. I'd also like to see more of South America. It would have to be somewhere I could swim and run regularly.

Autumnleaves asks: Huge congratulations Linds My question is, what made you take up running?

LindsD says: It's a common tale: I started running originally in my late 20s. I'd lost a lot of weight and wanted to keep it off. I started going to the gym and they put a 20 min run in my programme. I discovered that I enjoyed it and started going running outside every Saturday as well as running in the gym. Then my job changed and I got busy and gradually stopped running. In my late 30s, the same story. After two children I'd lost a lot of weight and wanted to keep it off but this time I knew I only needed a pair of trainers

run free asks: Congratulations. Which is your favourite Doctor and why?

LindsD says: Thank you. 'My' doctor was Jon Pertwee, although I really got into the series during Tom Baker. Of the new doctors, I think Christopher Ecclestone is my favourite, but I do like David Tennant also. The story arc with him and Rose was really well done and the scene where they say goodbye always makes me cry.

Serendippily asks: So pleased you won when did you first start defining yourself as a runner?

LindsD says: I think it was when I started hanging around the 700 thread. I posted something self deprecating about not being a proper runner and was promptly corrected by Bint, Fleecy, Rosehip, .B. etc. Some days I don't feel like a proper runner even now, but the feeling usually disappears when I get out the door.

ITG asks: Pick only ONE of the following:

1) run a 2.30 marathon;
2) be financially independent and never have to work again;
3) be able to eat whatever you want, whenever you want yet remain lean and athletic;

4) have superb sex on demand with the man/woman of your dreams for the rest of your life.

Give reasons for your answer.

LindsD says: I think my answer makes me quite shallow but it would have to be 3) eat and remain lean. I actually quite like most aspects of my job, so wouldn't want to not work, but I eating and food, and have very little self-discipline, so being able to eat yummy food and still run decent times and have clothes that fit would make me happy.

chunkywizard asks: Congrats! If you could change one thing about parkrun to make it better, what would it be?

LindsD says: Again, this is hard, and a really good question. I think I would like to stop the utterances from HQ that make me cringe. For 'our' parkrun, I'd like to be able to manage with less volunteers, or have more offers every week so that we weren't having to beg.

.B. asks: Congrats Linds If you could see any musician/band live, who would it be and why?

LindsD says: This is a great question! I would have liked to have seen The Jam, who were the first band I was really into, but I have seen Paul Weller many times, and also seen From The Jam, which is the other two. I would also have liked to have seen The Smiths, but again I've seen Morrissey and Marr loads of times. So I think it will have to be David Bowie.

Night-owl asks: Congratulations very much well deserved. Has to be about bridges which one is your favourite and why

LindsD says: Thanks. What a brilliant question. My favourite bridge is Hungerford Bridge because it affords me my favourite view of London. I like to cross on the old footbridge and look east, but the view to the west is pretty special, too.

Bintmcskint asks: Yay, yay and yay again! Well done! SO well deserved. You are stranded on a desert island. You can take one type of food, one book and one Fetchie. What and who do you take and why?

LindsD says: Hm. Food is easy - chocolate. It's my absolute favourite thing to eat.

Book I've thought about quite a lot and I think it would be Goethe's Faust. It's long and has a lot to go at, and I wrote my Master's dissertation on it, so it would keep me busy for a long time.
Fetchie - too hard! OH has a Fetch log-in, so I'd like to have him there. If not, I think I would have to say Sharkie. Whenever we meet we never have time to talk about all the things we want to talk about, so a desert island would give us chance to finish all our conversations.

BaronessBL asks: Congratulations - who has inspired you, whether that is as a runner or in another aspect of your life?

LindsD says: Gosh, this one was really hard. People who have overcome adversity inspire me - in one of my first ever races, I had just read an article, or maybe a blog, about someone who had run some long race with some kind of broken bone, and that made me able to ignore my small discomforts and press on to a good time. I get a lot of inspiration from the runners on here and in my club/at parkrun who are older than me, yet still achieving PBs and running fast times and staying strong and fit. If they can, then I can

WA asks: Congratulations! You have unlimited funds and 24 hours. What will you do?

LindsD says: These questions have really taxed my brain! I think I would take a first-class plane to Venice, on the grounds that it's gorgeous, I haven't been there for almost 30 years, I could get there in reasonable time to have a nice time there, and get back first class. But then I could go somewhere I haven't been... Istanbul, maybe. I'd take OH and my running gear, of course.

Seratonin asks: Well done Dr Linds Why are you holding a pile of giant waffles? Seriously, what is your favourite post run drink and treat?

LindsD says: Doesn't your parkrun give you giant waffles?

Definitely a cup of Earl Grey tea, hot as possible. I can't eat straight after running, like most of us, but after a while I like something sweet, like cake.

ChrisHB asks: How many languages can you say a sentence or two in? (or a phrase).
And how many pubs does LindsCorp own or run?

LindsD says: That's a good question. English, German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Irish.

The number of LindsCorp pubs is a fluid number that depends on the need of any runners known to me for nutritious food and drinks and bag storage in a particular area or time. I don't own any that serve twigs.

Cyclone Ranger asks: Do you have any unusual phobias?

LindsD says: Great question. Bear with me. I don't like regular or irregular patterns of holes or circles, such as are made by drops of water falling from trees into snow, or some patterns on material or carpet. I also don't like vertically enclosed spaces, so cramped spaces with low ceilings or potholes or the like.

Canute asks: Congratulations, Linds; well deserved. When running do you find it more helpful to focus on the experience of running, or on something else?

LindsD says: I generally try to distract myself from my running, so I'm either thinking, or listening to music or comedy or current affairs. However, recently I've tried to concentrate a bit more on form, and that has seemed to really help when I get tired, so perhaps I need to focus more on my running whilst running. Also I have a habit of falling and turning my ankles, which means I should really focus more on what's going on for my body, I think.

Carpathius asks: Yay! You won
What is your favourite thing about Fetch?

LindsD says: Fetchies!

XB asks: Really pleased for you. If you had the chance to sing at the Albert Hall with a full orchestra and a packed audience, what song would you choose?

LindsD says: What a great question. Shame I can't sing
If I could sing, I think it would either be You'll Never Walk Alone or Yes by MacAlmont and Butler - that would be brilliant with a full string section. Or hold on. We had 'Make Your Own Kind of Music' by Mama Cass at our wedding, so perhaps that. Yes, that.

Columba asks: Congratulations, Linds. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why?

LindsD says: When Billy was little, we lived in Miami Beach for a while and it was one of the happiest times of my life, so I think I'd like to live there again. The weather is just such a massive influence on my mood, and it's almost constantly sunny with blue skies. I'd be able to sea swim every day, and run alongside the sea, and eat ice cream and pie.

Sharkie asks: Lately, did you ever feel the pain, in the morning rain, as it soaks you to the bone? More importantly will you have time to answer all these questions and still meet for coffee before the month is out? xxx

LindsD says: Well, maybe I will never be
All the things that I wanna be
Now is not the time to cry
Now's the time to find out why
I think you're the same as me
Soon to be drinking coffee
You and I are gonna live forever (chatting and drinking our coffee)

CumbrianExPat asks: Hello LindsD, I first met you on here when you posted a few pikkies of the canal... Do you still run the canals? congratulations on winning member of the month

LindsD says: That's right, and it was really nice to share 'my' canal with someone on the other side of the world. Yes, I still run along the canal, in fact I was there yesterday. I love the peace and the variety of scenery. Also it's flat