Fetcheveryone Member of the Month

RFP asks: Do you think it is humanly possible to run round Hell Runner without a) laughing or b) swearing? Congratulations on MOTM by the way.

fleecy says: Possibly, but you'd be missing the whole point

.B. asks: Congratulations Fleecy! MOTM makes you an even shinier Fetchie than before, you are going to be in demand. How will you handle this new found celebrity status and which 3 fetchies are you really keen to add to your sticker book?

fleecy says: *polishes self* I'm going to let my agent handle all requests, it'll be fine. Er, you do realise you snuck in two questions there?! And the last one is tricky...I would like to meet Jenelopy, SmileyBob and Phoenix Lesley. If someone would like to pay the air fares for me to go and visit. And hotel expenses

Ocelot Spleens asks: Well done! Do you think it's about time you changed your pants? Also, secondly, if I may be so cheeky, just how strongly do you recommend Furman?

fleecy says: I think the first question was the cheeky one! I change them daily or after exercise, which means sometimes I have to change them 2 or 3 times a day. Because as we all know, running commando is Just Wrong. Furman, hmm. It suits me, it's good discipline but lets me fit in the cross training which I love as well. Horses for courses I reckon.

LazyDaisy asks: Well *&!@ me! Many congrats on MOTM. Do you think you'll ever run a marathon? If not why not?

fleecy says: Thank you Latterly No. I CBA. After 2 hours of running I like to sit down and have a cup of tea. Or glass of wine. Besides which, I know too many people who trained for marathons and learnt to hate running. I love running too much to risk it!

Winded asks: Congratulations on MOTM. Where is your favourite place/route for going for a run?

fleecy says: Thanks Winded! Oh that's tricky...I love running along the Blackwater and Wey rivers. And the Basingstoke Canal. Off-road is so much nicer than road running!

Angus Clydesdale asks: Cool! Huge congrats. Now that you have joined the ranks of Fetch royalty, will you be tempted to (ab)use your position with Lord Fetch to get your old name back and have the filthy usurper cast into the dungeon?

fleecy says: Thanks AC! I like to change my name with the seasons. Or once a week. It's good to keep people on their toes

Nelski asks: Well done you! Why mud?

fleecy says: Ta Nelski! Mud I really don't know. It's so therapeutic! I actually used to be one of those people who ran round the edge of puddles till the 700 thread dragged me into doing Hell Runner. After swimming through the Bog of Doom it's hard to run round puddles!

Ninky Nonk asks: Congratulations! What's the best fetch Christmas name you've seen?

fleecy says: Thanks, Ninkington! I really liked RevB's name, what was it? Something like 'More mulled wine vicar' I think it was, it just seemed subversive!

Jinksy asks: Very well done Fleecy, much deserved, but you need to change your name again now! What made you want to start running?

fleecy says: Thanks Pinklou, I just realised I didn't add your sticker! *rushes off to rectify* Why take up running, mmm. I've always done lots of classes, but when I started my MSc when the kids were still little I knew I'd struggle to fit any in, so I took up running as a way of squeezing exercise round my family, I suppose. And it's partly Mr fleecy's fault, he signed me up for Basingstoke half and I did it and hated it and wanted to show myself I could do better with training. So, perversity, in a word!

Johnny Blaze asks: Congratulations and long overdue! What exactly is that thing on your head in your pic? And why?

fleecy says: Thank you JB It's a pair of pants, you dimboid. They were Jubilee pants from M and S, back when everything was Jubilee branded!

Autumnleaves asks: Many congratulations what is your main running goal for 2015?

fleecy says: Ta very much, AL! Do you know, I haven't actually set any goals yet? I'm aiming for a PB at Fleet half, and as many socials as I can fit in. And to not drown in the Bog of Doom

HappyG(rrr) asks: Many congratulations - always great blogs, a brilliant mixture of intelligent analysis and irreverent wit. Love 'em! My question is: can we have some more goal setting tips please? And then can we put the blog into an article (Wiki), so that we can find it again in the future?! Congrats again! G

fleecy says: Aww, shucks, thanks HappyG(rr)! You've been a lovely support on the Furman thread, even though you are intimidatingly excellent a runner. I would be honoured to write something about goal setting, I'll have a think about what I haven't covered before

Zehnderboy asks: Well done Fleecy whatever your name is at the moment. What is the best treat to eat after running a PB?

fleecy says: *waves to ZB* I struggle to remember my own name sometimes! Um, anything cooked by someone else, preferably involving lots of veg and carbs. The last few times I've done Fleet Mr fleecy made me very nice pasta dishes with lots of bread

Carpathius asks: Hurrah! About time you won. Right then, you don't do marathons but if you had to choose your last ever race and the options were either a gloriously muddy, hilariously splashy marathon or a nice half mara on super-squeaky-clean roads, which would you choose and why?

fleecy says: It's all your bloody fault Carp, you kept nominating me! Thanks, I guess Ooh, now that's hard, it'd have to be the marathon as long as I could maybe have a little nap halfway through. And lots of cake. And possibly a beer.

ChrisHB asks: It seems to be a long time since you got lost... Do you have plans to get lost again, and how about being lost after dark?

fleecy says: I know, there's been far too little exploration lately We can't all be experts like you! I do hope to get lost sometime soon, and since I have a head torch and I love it, being dark would be no problem

fraggle asks: Dear Fleecy what's the best ever swear word you've (a) used, and (b) heard ?

fleecy says: You are very naughty, frags, I'm trying to keep it clean here, look all respectable and salvage my reputation Most disgusting word heard would have to be 'Farage', it makes my skin crawl just typing it. Used, you'll have to go read my blog on how to invent new swear words, there were some good uns on there

Little Nemo asks: Congratulations! What do you grow on your allotment?

fleecy says: Oh thanks Leems! Mostly fruit as it's requires sod-all work. Raspberries are my favourite, nothing like a raspberry warm from the sun and straight into your mouth And currants and gooseberries and tayberries and strawberries and apples. And usually peas, beans, courgettes which turn into marrows, and potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes. And weeds. And enemies.

Fat Dave asks: Did you wash the pants before putting them on your head?

fleecy says: They were fresh out of the packet, you'll be relieved to hear

Iron_Mum asks: Congratulations you gorgeous mentalist Can you explain your irrational fear of deer??

fleecy says: Thank you, you gorgeous mentalist yourself. Well, once upon a time, there was a timid little girl called fleecy. And some big bad girls called Iron Mum and RuthB2 dragged her off into the woods and chased after her, and as they did so a huge deer leapt out of some bushes and frightened the crap out of them all, so then they became friends and then RuthB2 did a wee in a field and a farmer said Get off moi land. Which is what happens when you go running with fetchies

HermanBloom asks: Congratulations, well deserved! Which fetch member would you want if stuck on a desert island (running suitability not yet determined)

fleecy says: Gosh, tricky question HB! If it were possible to get off the island I would put myself in the capable hands of Pimps (Pompey Paul), as he's an International Man of Mystery and very good at organising things so he would rustle up a rescue chopper no doubt. If that was against the rules then I would have to take Bint as she is s good cook, very resourceful, would have a supply of books about her person and though she be but little she be fierce, so she would scare away any dangerous animals with her tiger claws. And if she was too busy running ultras to join me then I would choose Linds because she is a great running buddy

Lip Gloss asks: Congratulations on winning MOTM, my question is to iron or not to iron?? X

fleecy says: You're a slow learner, LG. Go practise that song I made you!

Night-owl asks: If you were to design a new pair of knickers what would they look like

fleecy says: Well, Owlie, in honour of you they would have cute little owls on them. In fact, I have a pair of socks like that so I could be matchy-matchy

GimmeMedals asks: This is really very well deserved as I think you have had quite an impact on Fetch (the website, not the man) I have met you on more than one occasion in real life and yet I have never heard you swear. Why is this?

fleecy says: Thank you, lovely GM Er, were your ears full of mud during Hell Up North, or had they frozen shut? Cos I swore like a trooper, specially when I kept sliding down that bank of mud!

RRR-CAZ 🇬🇧 asks: Congratulations your royalfleecyhighness

What is your favourite race/Distance and why?

fleecy says: Thanks, your royalcazness! Maybe 10 miles, because the last 3 miles of a half marathon are properly ugly if you're going for a time, but you miss that bit in a 10 miler. Plus they're quite rare!

Corrah asks: Many congratulations As I have read some seriously top class rants from you, what is the thing that gets on your nerves the most?

fleecy says: Ta, Corrah, oooh where to start? The other day I went downstairs and found a sock in the front hallway, a sock in the dining room, a sock in the kitchen and a sock in the bathroom. And they were all dirty and Smelt of Teen Boy. I have a suspicion that my kids are conducting psychological experiments on me...

RichHL asks: Woohoo! :-D

Are those your pants? I ask only because putting someone else's pants on your head would mean you'd have to change your name to KinkyOfDoom.

(There was a tradition in our family that all pants received as presents at Christmas or for birthdays had to be worn at least momentarily on your head in front of everyone. I should re-institute it.)

fleecy says: You should definitely re-institute it My kids used to put lots of pants on their heads, I have a photo somewhere of the little one wearing about 20 pairs, his head is the size of a football!

Bintmcskint asks: About time too
What is the absolute best thing about being you and why?

fleecy says: Where do I start? I lead a charmed life, I am very lucky. I would say the best thing about being me is my inquisitive mind, it might lead me astray and make me do ditzy things sometimes, but I am never, ever bored in my own head.

medalslut asks: Kiss, shag, kill: Mo Farah, Bradley Wiggins, George Clooney?

fleecy says: George: shag, cos well, you would, wouldn't you? And because Wiggo's testicles are probably the size of peas after all that cycling, and you wouldn't kiss him because the sideburns would be in your eyeline the whole time and would prove most distracting. So sorry Wiggo (and Sharkie), you're toast!

Duchess asks: Which can you do for longer: rant without repeating yourself, or run through mud and puddles?

fleecy says: Given I tend to rant about the same old things, I'll plump for the mud thank you!

Mushroom asks: Congratulations o spotty headed one! What question wouldn't you like some one to ask you, and what would your answer be?

fleecy says: Thank you o spotty mushroomed one! I see what you did there, very cunning I'd tell you but I'd have to kill you. A does not reveal her secrets...

Sombrero asks: Would you lick a frog every day for a week, in exchange for new running shoes?

fleecy says: I'm frightened of frogs so I'd have to run barefoot. But I'd probably just order some shoes from sportshoes.com. You should try it sometime, whoever told you about the frog thing was pulling your leg, mate!

FML asks: Just want to say well done, well deserved after some fabulous running in 2014. Good Luck for 2015 x

fleecy says: Awww, thanks FML, you lovely man. You had a great year in 2014, I hope 2015 will be equally good x

Lalli asks: Congratulations F*****y! What are your fave pre and post-race/run foods? And what is your favourite tipple?

fleecy says: Thanks, Lalls I think I did post-race already, though I forgot to say that a Mars Bar in a goody bag is the food of the gods. Pre-race has to be porridge for brekkie and maybe a banana before a long race. Tipple: a nice pint of bitter, glass of wine (any colour), gin, cocktail, you name it really. Oh god, that makes me sound a total lush! I'm not fussy, anything really

DoricQuine asks: Congratulation Fleecy Tell me just why do you love mud so much?

fleecy says: It's squelchy, it's squishy, it's slippery and it makes you focus absolutely on running. It's good for pies and face packs, too!

McGoohan asks: Well done missus! What question were you most afraid of being asked and what's your answer to it?

fleecy says: Ta, mister You just asked it, eek! And the answer is I don't know

pedroscalls asks: Well done Fleecy. If you could run anywhere in the world not necessarily a race where would you like to run?

fleecy says: Great question, pedro! Tricky, I've already run in so many beautiful places. I'm going to say Prince Edward Island because Anne of Green Gables was one of my favourite books and her description of the place was amazing. Otherwise, maybe somewhere like Vermont in the autumn to see some leaves would be lovely, and it wouldn't be too warm, it's nice to run in the cool. I think I'm going to write a blog on this question so I can ask everyone else what their answers would be!

Nadders (aka monsenb1) asks: Well done Fleecy, richly deserved, now what what be your choice of Fetchland's Jantastic team next year?

fleecy says: I have no idea! I think it was Greppers who came up with this year's team name. Hmm, how about Nellers' Nutters?

Tuppence asks: Tell us the secret of your general fabulousness please!

fleecy says: Every morning I drink a glass of freshly squeezed fabulousness juice to keep my levels topped up. Sometimes I put a shot of general excellence in there too, particularly if my amazing reading is a bit low.

Fenland Flier asks: Congrats, why running and no other form of physical abuse?

fleecy says: Thanks, FF! I actually do lots of classes too, my favourites are Body Combat and Urban Rebound. Classes are fantastic fun, and they help keep exercise varied, I'm not sure I would do well with just running and nothing else.

Diogenes asks: Well in, Fleecy. Just wondered, have you every done a run that made you feel miserable?

fleecy says: Oh god, yeah, all the time! Maybe 1 in 20? Tempos make me miserable, they are hideous! And the odd run which is rubbish for no good reason. But you ALWAYS feel better afterwards, no matter how bad the run. Even though you struggle to remember that sometimes, it's important to tell yourself that before every run otherwise you'd never get out the door

Sharkie asks: Have you always been bossy (with added swearing) or is it just your online persona?
Congratulations, young Fleecio!

fleecy says: I'm Australian. They're kind of national characteristics. And I prefer 'forthright'

J*C asks: Do you have different pants to wear I'm your head depending on your mood? What would be your PB PANTS

fleecy says: well what a silly question, J*C! They would have go faster stripes on them, of course!

LindsD asks: Squeeeeeee! Congratulations! I've been thinking for ages about what to ask, and after much deliberation, I'd like to know.... sausage and mash or fish and chips?

fleecy says: Fish and chips, without hesitation!

ITG 🇮🇸 asks: When did you last reduce someone to tears with your biting wit?

fleecy says: Um, never! The thread is called 'Things you want to say but can't' because you CAN'T say them! It's nice to let off some steam sometimes though

Dooogs asks: Hurrah - about time too. If you were offered a professorship in one of a) Psychology, b) Applied Running Studies or c) Advanced Swearology, which chair would you accept?

fleecy says: Thanks Dooooooooooooooogs! I'd probably have to plump for a) because then you could also research b) and c). Though someone has already beaten me to c)!

Nellers asks: Pants. Head. Why? Or perhaps why not?

fleecy says: Why not. Exactly. Life's too short not to be silly occasionally, and behaving like a grown up is over-rated

Alice the Camel asks: What's your guilty pleasure? A fav tipple perhaps? Or donuts? Are you a secret chocoholic? And question 2 - is there a country other than UK or

NZ you'd rather live in?

fleecy says: Jaffa cakes perhaps, not sure I feel guilty about eating them really though. And a glass or two of Riesling but again no guilt. Guilt isn't a very productive emotion I was going to say no to the second question, but actually I think I would quite like to live in Denmark or Sweden and commute by bike on their wonderful cycle lanes wearing furry boots and purple gloves and a bright red coat. And go running in forests and round fjords. Just for a little while though, I quite like it here...

northernslowcoach asks: Congratulations
Do you have a pair of go faster pants?

fleecy says: Pay attention at the back there, coachie! Yes, the stripey ones.

swittle asks: How's your Fetch sticker book coming along? You're a Fetchie whom I feel I've met - but of course, I haven't - yet!

fleecy says: Sticker book is looking good, thanks switts! I know, I nearly ticked you off on mine and then realised we've never met. Spooky

halfpint asks: Congratulations! Kids, psychology, swearing, running.....how do you fit it all in? And if you had to give up one, what would it be?

fleecy says: Well, I cunningly managed to do a psychology study involving running so that was very time efficient! I usually run during the day so it doesn't get in the way of family stuff, otherwise I sometimes do it while the kids are doing their sports, their need for exercise sometimes motivates me out the door more than my own Swearing is more of a constant background activity, I suppose if a choice was required then that would have to go, but I love swearing so I wouldn't be happy about it...

Jenelopy asks: Congratulations. What would be your idea of perfect run (either a training run or race), distance, location, company, terrain, weather etc

fleecy says: Um, I really don't know. Sometimes the most mundane run can be completely magnificent, and sometimes running in amazing places can feel like very hard work due to heat or hilliness, so not that fun. Weather would have to be on the cooler side, distance would be maybe 5-10 miles, location would be somewhere beautiful, probably involving water, terrain would have to be off-road for sure, and company: probably by myself actually. I love running with other people but it's only really by myself that I get that fantastic sense of flow. And there would be music. A good run needs a good soundtrack