Tow path 8 Dec 2011

[manuel6b]

A wild night ahead. The McMullans are keen!

[mtec45]

With strong winds blowing all day and the forecast of stronger winds in the early evening only the real hardcore and macho types were going to make an appearance tonight.

So it was just the Losers and Wesley for the run with Martin and many others chickening out.

The weather had actually calmed down a lot with only a few strong gusts now and again, but it was still very cold at around 3-4c.

The four of us headed as usual at a good pace with the wind on our back, “Martins little helper” and Wez pushing up to the front, keen as ever. The talk on the way down was a straight run to the weir and back but this was immediately shot down by “Martins Little helper”. We promised him a big group hug when we got the weir and painted the romantic picture of the beautiful reflections on the water and the exquisite smell of food from the restaurants. In the end we just had to bully him into it with threats violence if he did not go.

So straight to the weir with the odd strong gust of the wind slowing the pace a little. When we got to Belfast one of the Bike Dock Belles was spotted out jogging, no doubt training for the Weekend Trail Quest.

Our route had to be altered a little with workman’s fencing blocking the path forcing us to double back on ourselves. The wind got real strong in some areas here and it was like someone putting the brakes on slowing us from 15mph to 5mph in an instant.

Straight run back with no dramas, the pace getting fast again as “Martins little Helper” muscled his way to the front only to up the pace towards the finish.

A really great fast run with some good intervals threw in, around 27 miles on the clock and a break from the norm to our usual run.

Stewart