Global Sport Stories

*I appeared to get swept up into all the seasonal festivities earlier than expected, therefore, this issue is in fact half written after Christmas. New Year’s Resolution = stick to my deadlines!*

Fresh from a busy week just passed and the festive period fast approaching, this week marked a quieter week before heading back home to Worcestershire for some family time. An expired gym membership also meant a slightly different view on activities as the shoe string budget does not approve of paying another £28 for the month when I won’t use it for at least half of that period. 

As I may have stated previously, I had found myself running less. Be it through lack of enjoyment or a slight feeling of plateau, I don’t know, however, this week proved a great opportunity to get some miles back into the legs. 

And that’s just what I did. Back to the old faithful route along the Tyne. This time just a run which I have dubbed the “7 Bridges Run”. You step on the quayside having descended through Ouseburn, before then passing all seven bridges present along the Tyne in the centre of the city.

Tuesday and Wednesday were great days. Why? Because they involved surfing, or more specifically, surf boards. Although not quite entering the water on Tuesday, myself and Molly travelled to just north of Sunderland to collect a 9”2 longboard brought from Facebook marketplace. It was funny, we had a list of questions to ask before purchasing the board, but only when pulling up at the house where we were buying from did I realise it didn’t really matter one bit about the answers to the questions. Although having a little bit of surf knowledge and experience, we are no experts (yet), so as long as it looked in good condition I knew we’d be returning with a new board.

And we did,  as it turns out, find a bit of a bargain. But more on that later. If the marketplace man is to be believed, the board was hand made in Brazil and shipped over to the UK. The waters were apparently too cold for the guy to use it – that bit is definitely believable. I think the fact it was from Brazil was the main factor in buying the board if I am honest!

Wednesday saw us actually take to the water again, a brilliantly blue, but brisk, morning. Conditions weren’t amazing – a little flat – however that suited us down to the ground. Although small, the waves, when they presented themselves, were clean and catchable. The real salt in the wounds was just how suited the waves would be to the longboard we had brought the day prior, sadly though, the board needed a little work to ensure it was water tight. It’s North-Sea debut would have to wait for another day.

Despite blue and sunny skies, the wind whipped spray off the top of the waves, making for frosty temperatures. This should be expected for December in Newcastle I suppose. But to make matters even colder, I was just in my wetsuit – you really think I’d have purchased some boots, gloves and a hood considering my love for the sea. That being said, I didn’t feel the effects of the lack of the gear until trekking back to the car. At this point my feet may as well have been in ice blocks, my hands were throbbing as if reacting to a deadly poison (I imagine that’s what it feels like) and basic speech was proving fairly difficult. 

There was no time for pity however, as we had a date with someone who turned out to be an absolute surf fanatic and all round cool guy. I couldn’t let the scars of the North-Sea show now. Steve, in Chester-le-Street, shapes and repairs boards for a living, so upon presenting him with the new longboard, this was the point when we discovered we had got our hands on a bargain board.

Although needing about £40 worth of repair, when a man like Steve tells you you’ve got yourself a bargain, you take that and run. So what makes Steve such a cool guy I can hear you asking? Honestly, having grown up in land-locked Worcestershire, listening to Steve describe his surfing past in such a passionate, and still novel to me, North-East accent, using all the beautiful surfing slang I have heard before but only half know what it means, it really resonated with me. I think myself and Molly both found ourselves entranced with his stories and inspired by his commitment to his work and hobby. He didn’t seem to share our excitement and enthusiasm when asking him about his van however… I think the novelty of that one may have worn off on him.

Friday, saw me back along the Tyne, this time however running towards the coast as opposed to the usual inland route. 10k was the target but, unsure whether it was due to unfamiliar surroundings or slightly more hills, my legs were feeling suspiciously heavy not long into the route. Strava, much to my dismay, told me otherwise however. A time of 48 minutes, meaning that was my second fastest 10k to date. Although not setting out with any target time in mind, to achieve the time did put me in good spirits, as it half explained why I was feeling more fatigued than usual during the run.

Fatigue. Usually the body telling you to stop, rest and recover. Did I listen though? No. Saturday morning rolled around and I was back on the Town Moor for the morning Parkrun. Fuelled by the knowledge that this was my last opportunity to exercise before the Christmas run in, I found myself in a 5km long, back and forth battle with a man dressed up as Santa Claus. I am happy to report that I left Santa in the dust during the fourth kilometre (it definitely had nothing to do with him choking on his beard as the wind blew it into his mouth). The jostle with Santa did remind me about the benefits of Parkrun though and why I got out of bed early, still achy and cold. It provides that external, of course still friendly, motivation that you simply do not get by running on your own.

And with that, I was on the Flix Bus, headed back home to Worcestershire for Christmas – probably about to undo all the good work I had done to build my fitness!