Fetch Five - Christmas Bird

Sun December 25 2005
Listed by fetcheveryone
Entrants (31) Club PB SB Pred Time WAVA
AddledAdder PLAN: May take two miles of time out of the chevin chase on boxing day. Don't know what the contingency is for carrying quarter of a monster turkey around in the gut for a guestimate timing as never run a) at Christmas before and b) off road. Any luck and it'll be so icy that I'll hit the hill and slide right down into Otley. No good for the race, but accelerating at 10m/s/s must break the record for two miles. I guess intentionally setting out with skates leads to disqualification? Could spend Christmas Day sorting out Santa's Camelpak (here's wishing at least!) so that it sends ginisotonic (gin, ice & tonic) en route... RESULT. Well Garmin had one if its poorer showings. So I've taken mile two and three (the only ones with complete tracklogs) out of the Chevin Chase (and anyone who knows the course will confirm that there is a net gain of 50 metres AT LEAST, so I'm not cheating! - splits of 7:12 and 5:43) to come up with this result. Terrain was a mixture of liquids, varying from mud through to very dilute mud. Someone said the weather was showery, but I didn't notice from all the puddles and perspiration of the run, but at least it wasn't frozen ( the soft dairy fields are always treacherous when the cattle footprints are as hard as - well - ice). The hill from the White House to the Royalty (you have to run PAST a pub - what torture is that!) induces a feeling of complete nausea, but I didn't include this in the time (luckily under tree cover, so Garmin was OOS). Unaffiliated 13:16 14:00 12:55 63.04
Agent Orange I've persuaded my son (?Agent Satsuma?) to do this with me. He did our two mile local fun run in 20.11 in the summer so we'll rerun the course and try to get below 20 mins. ... Well, in the end we jog/walked it a bit and without the adrenaline of racing against his mates we were a bit slower than in the summer. In the light of this result, I've decided to review my plans for 2006 of becoming international coach and motivational guru. Unaffiliated 19:59 21:02 39.58
anthony a Early morning Xmas day run (flat) - clocked using Garmin 201 Bournville Harriers 18:00 16:52 50.10
Applecross Was hoping to be able to run this one in my lovely new Christmas kit - a pair of tights and a cosy thermal top; however, Santa (bless his cotton socks) seems to think my legs are three inches longer and my chest two inches smaller than they are in real life. Forged on through Linn Park trails, regardless of the scarlet knees and ground that was the perfect mix of slushy mud and frozen leaves to send anyone foolhardy enough to run across it wearing road shoes crashing to their bum. Now steadily working through leftover Christmas booze to gain compensatory blubber layer till arrival of better-fitting winter kit :-) Unaffiliated 16:04 55.84
ATOM. It's Christmas Day, there's no need to be afraid, On Christmas Day, we let in food and let out our belts, And in our world of plenty, we can spread a smile of joy Throwing up the Christmas Pud on Christmas day, But say a prayer, pray for the running ones, On Christmas day it's hard but when you're having fun There's a nutter outside your window, and he's swamped with sweat from beer and the only things that's flowing, is the flailing of his arms, and the Christmas bells that ring out, are from the ambulance following behind, Well, thank god it's not a fetch 5, it's only 2. And there won't be snow in Aylesbury this Christmas, the greatest gift I got this your was oxygen (ooooh) At last the gates insight, and I collapse at the front door, Do they know it's the Christmas Bird at all......... Pirate Ship Of Fools, Zoom Tri Club 19:31 42.03
ceri Did this as part of a 4mile run which took 35mins in total -slowed down a lot after the first 2 miles!! Inspired by the picture, I stuck 2 fingers up after every hill or mild incline - what a buzz!! Unaffiliated 16:21 56.55
Cliffy tc Slapped a santa hat on the missus and done the xmas bird. I might go for a run now!! Unaffiliated 16:25 16:25 16:25 48.96
Colinzealuk Ok... the report's a bit late, but you never know.With this being the... er... Barnet & District AC, Watford Harriers AC 13:21 59.16
Forest Runner I had intended to do this on Christmas day after an hour long warm up on my exercise bike. Watched by my wife with her new digital camera in hand, I started up the treadmill and put it up to the maximum (far too slow) 7.5mph. This was the first time I've actually had a chance to try out the treadmill. The belt felt as if it was slipping and behaving erratically before the treadmill cut out after a very short distance. Undeterred, I reset the treadmill and started again. Put the speed up to 7.5mph again and within a few seconds, the belt felt as if it was slipping again and then something hard hit me on the back of the left heel. I stopped the treadmill and found that a table top that had been behind the treadmill had fallen towards me. I moved that out of the way, and without even thinking why the table top had fallen, I started out for a third time, beginning to get a bit apprehensive. Again, when I got up to 7.5mph, the belt felt as if it was slipping and I was beginning to curse the treadmill for being a dud. The treadmill cut out again, but then I realised the whole treadmill was about two feet further back than it was when I started the first attempt. The treadmill had been slipping on the tiles on the conservatory floor. I tried various methods of stopping the treadmill slipping, including putting it on top of thick exercise mats, but instead the mats slipped on the floor. Frustrated by all this, I decided that I would do the Christmas bird on boxing day,using the first 2 of 18 miles run on the day. No more space for my boxing day run report!!! Bracknell Forest Runners 17:00 16:00 55.77
fraggle Did the Christmas Bird at the end of my run today. Weather was good for running - cool and fresh with a hint of rain in the air. After a slow start (not as over my snuffly cold as I though I was) I was losing the will to live by the time I'd climbed up to Emmer Green, then it flattened out before the start of the race. The race started to the sound of 'duel of the fates' from star wars and I was off. Green Day saw me storming down hill to the bottom of the course, then the turn back towards the finish. The wind raged down the road and it felt like I was running through treacle. A burst of Fad Gadget playing an electric drill and I was at the finish in 18.38, which considering my laboured breathing and tired legs was not bad. Unaffiliated 18:38 49.62
Gobi We move meat, we moved spuds, we move fat, we moved like a giant elephant having consumed too much Christmas food Stunningly I broke 12 mins Found a 5K race and these were the first 2 miles 5:47 6:05 DID I WIN ? Unaffiliated 12:00 11:52 67.74
Gokeith Kilmarnock Harriers & AC, Loudoun Runners AC 10:47
Hanneke I never really run faster than 8 min miles, so expected to run this Christmas bird in the same time. I had chosen the mile from my house to the village of Clodock. This is a fairly steep downhill, and turn back on myself down the bottom, running steeply uphill. Wanted to run this on the 30th, as a tune up for the Hereford 10k roadrace on the 1st. I normally dont even get warmed up until 3 miles into a run, so it was a real challenge... only, it never happened! Too many parties and late nights and a snowstorm the night before on my way back from a party stopped me from running. I live on a hill... and I was out in the normal car, not the 4x4, so I had a hard enough time driving back home after my party. It was late, it was dark, it was cold and there was a snowstorm blowing! I started up the long steep hill a few miles from my house in 2nd gear, then I had to go into 1st gear and try and keep the revs even. When I was halfway up the hill I was only eaking forward by the inch and the car was sliding from side to side, almost touching the hedgerows. I started to fear I was not going to make it. By this time I was about to loose my calm, thinking about having to slide back down this hill if I would not make it to the top, abandon the car down the bottom and walk several miles home, in unsuitable party footwear in several inches of snow! Eventually I managed to reach the top at a maximum speed of 1 mile an hour I reckon... so when I eventually reached my bed I loved it too much to get out in the morning for the Fetch Five Xmas bird... the party was great though! FELL PONIES, Black Mountains MBO 16:00
IBB,MBGOG Unaffiliated
Jelly Legs There once was a Fetcher called Jelly Who spent Christmas stuffing her belly She went for a run To workout her bum And escape all the crap on the telly Unaffiliated 18:48 48.36
KatieB 27th Dec...deepest Suffolk Katieb:Shall I *do* the Christmas bird? Mrb:Yes, please do but can you stop the innuendos now... Katieb:Will you be entering?And will you find it *hard*? Mrb: Oh for heavens sake...the sooner you get back to the thread the better. Katieb:fnar. And so, with half a mind to pushing me into the sea, Mrb gave in and we set off down to the seawall, to run the 2 miles in the most extreme conditions we could find. Extreme direction:most easterly point in britain, extreme weather:blizzardy, extreme hair:forgot to take hairbands to the seaside. It was supposed to be a mile into the wind and a mile back but the seawall wasn't long enough and it was more like 60/40, with the 60 into the wind. It was all very, very difficult. And did I mention extreme? I think my time speaks volumes. And Mr Bedford Harriers AC 16:00 56.83
Longlegs Did the fetch five 2 miler on 30th December in the morning. Not feeling to good at the moment have been suffering with a little bit of a chest infection. Swanley & District AC 12:30 62.95
loobyloo New Year's Eve so last chance to do the Fetch five.. When I started running this summer I mapped out a one mile loop near my home - it took me six weeks to be able to get round the whole loop without walking. What a great way to end the year by bombing round (?!?) my loop twice and still having enough puff left for a sprint finish! Off to celebrate now with a New Year drink (or two...) Unaffiliated 21:00 44.03
Lorraine Happy Boxing Day.That is yesterdays over indulgence gone now I can start todays!!!!!!!!!!! Running 4 Women Club 18:35 49.76
Marshy Unaffiliated
MartinCunningham Despite a couple of attempts at self harm over Christmas - fell down the stairs in Waterstones and with scissors - I have been able to complete the Fetch Five - held today 1.1.06 as part of an 8mile long run - last two miles include a very steep run up Summer Hill. Unaffiliated 13:00 16:06 52.89
MB99 Unaffiliated
McGoohan I always like to end the year with an injury, and this year is no exception. Coming down the stairs carrying armfuls of stuff, I missed the bottom step and landed awkwardly on my right ankle. Then I sort of twisted the left one a bit too. Neither one feels so great. So.... being unwilling to injure myself further by Fetch Fiving it, I went for a nice walk instead. I went for a promenade around Epsom racecourse among the snow and frost. It was lovely. I Garmined my two miles as 35:00 but did 4 miles overall. Now I will, quite literally, put my feet up for the rest of the festive season ;) FERC, LDWA 14:36 2:10:00 35:00 24.33
mikeharrison Miles one and two of a three mile run. Being new to the game haven't run in conditions as cold as this before. I sure i started hallucinating and imagined I was being chased by penguins and polar bears. Whatever... it worked, by far my best run outside. Unaffiliated 17:30 17:05 46.80
oldbirdhead Had a few glasses of wine in the afternoon ..then went for a run ..was like rocket fuel! Best time I've recorded for 2 miles so I think I'll do this more often! Winchester & District AC 14:00 12:06 65.54
Pov Ran this as first 2 miles of 6.5mile run out.From Whitley Wood up the hill to Shire Hall then a steady trot into Lower Earley,struggle is the word to sum it up,must have been that all day breakfast at lunchtime. Unaffiliated 16:09 51.94
racheybabes A festive 2 miler with a god awful hangover!! Really enjoyed it but felt sick!! Unaffiliated
RG Postie (RGP) It's christmas day ! what was I thinking , and because of the over indulgance the night before, it was the longest 16 mins of my life , anyway Merry Christmas all Reading Roadrunners 13:29 16:00 15:53 50.61
Slow Going My Christmas bird was of the vegetarian variety, this is the last 2 miles of todays recovery run. The first mile of todays run hurt (a lot) as recovery runs tend to, but the following UKnetrunner 17:20 46.13
SVrunner Running Colchester 16:14 52.06
The Shadow Now time to enjoy a few jars. Unaffiliated 15:40 52.75
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