Wild Trails, Wacky Tales, and a Missing Mojo

Finally, after what felt like a minor quest, my copy of Dub Trio’s “Exploring the Dangers Of” landed on my doorstep—on glorious vinyl, no less! Spinning that first track as the needle dropped felt like the week’s true starting gun, the basslines rolling out a soundtrack for all the mayhem to come.

My new kicks had their debut run around the Uppy-Downey where I played with spotting deer in the corn. I spotted two deer right at the start of the run and, as I finished, those same two heads popped up again—I’m pretty sure it was the same pair giving me a nod of approval. Later in the week, Phantom and I went on a great cycling adventure, sticking mostly to trails (just a little road in between) on our mountain bikes. We followed some new paths I’d found during last week’s run and a trail Ron had discovered in the Woods of Doom. We must have covered about 30k, which took forever on these heavy bikes, but it was worth every pedal stroke. We wrapped up by cycling over the new (and probably temporary, since it looks like it’s being built) bridge in Studley, which felt like the perfect end to our adventure.

On another run, Ernie and I headed up to Coughton Court where he got a little mischievous. He stole the tug-of-war rope and shook it like crazy before dashing off with a Coughton Court frisbee meant for their frisbee-golf game, looking hilariously menacing as he ran. Another cycling trip with Phantom ended early when his tubeless tyre punctured. We had planned to finish TROAD with some tweaks, but that plan got scrapped, and we cycled home instead. Back home, I swapped bikes and took my fixie out for a spin, exploring unfamiliar roads around Woodrow.

My training was going okay this past week, though I cut my longer cycle a bit short (menace happens), and by Sunday, I lost motivation for my long run. Maybe the missing mojo was because I partied a little too hard at Bretforton Proms the night before. Still, it was amazing seeing Eleanor play, and it was the first family trip with Spoons’ first boyfriend, so definitely a weekend to remember.

Can you spot Eleanor?