Happy New Cow

I was a little worried this morning - running with the Cows again for the first time in six weeks, and they've all got faster and fitter in the meantime.  Gulp.

However, there was hope on the horizon - Quick Ceri had been given New Shoes recently and I was clinging on to the vain hope that she might wear them to run in.  Well, she did wear them for twelve hours at the recent Machen Jubilee Fete...  And they're GORGEOUS - look at these...

They're by Irregular Choice and I have shoe envy...

Sadly she didn't run in them and when I drove into the parlour car park (I would have cycled up but I had TWO flat tyres this morning, fixed now - no fingernails left, but I have replaced two inner tubes, with the help of the Melodeon Master) she was running up and down the road, having run from home before we even started.  Gulp.

No Ice Cream Sian with us today - she's still not well (Sickly Cow) and we all banned her from running on the basis that she needs to Get Well Soon.  And then a new Cow turned up - Calm Ceri, who Ice Cream Sian and I know already!  Calm Ceri has also previously won the local award for Most Impressive Person In A Rabbit Costume She Couldn't See Out Of At An Ice Cream Parlour Opening Party - she gave it her everything and the kids mobbed her for the chocolate eggs she had in a basket.  And even after all that she remained completely unfazed...  I strive to be so elegant under pressure.  One can only dream...

In view of my dodgy knees we did a very slow, very gentle 5k.  Although we did run up the Ski Field - so called because it's steep enough to ski down.  If one had skis.  And snow.  And was going down...

Nearing our return to the parlour I took us on a slight detour just so that we'd get to 5k.  Otherwise it would have been something like 4.4k which isn't really a distance worth running.  The detour was up a small wooded path, round a tree and back down the path.  Only Calm Ceri followed me round the tree, the others just did a U turn.  That's because they're Cows, not sheep...

I missed my bike, if I'm honest.  Or, more accurately, I missed the helmet hiding my hair.  I had done something of an arrangement with hair clips which Beagle Nik said was 'cute'.  Or was it 'sweet'?  Whatever, I'm FIFTY TWO.  I really shouldn't be doing either 'cute' or 'sweet'.  However, the alternative is, well, you know already...

Eat your hearts out, Jedward!

By the way, look VERY closely at the spare tyre on the blue jeep thingy behind my left shoulder.  Beagle Nic's not called Beagle Nik for nothing...

So I'm back running again (hooray) and hopefully next weekend we might have the full herd out running.  Only three weeks until the Mud Runner Dirty Weekend (two Oblivions in two days) and we've not run together in ages.  We're getting fitter, and faster (well, some of them are) but at least I kept going and ran the whole way.  Including up the Ski Field.

Yes, I did notice everyone else walked....