Tag Archives: nantucket

17/08/2012

The Poo Barrier

By hairygoose

I am not talking about the sound barrier – nor am I talking about the pain barrier, although both of these can be associated with my running style.

I am talking about the poo barrier.  The point in your run when you realise that ‘yes – carry on and enjoy the run’ or ‘nope – gonna need to unload somewhere quick sharp!’

Now for me, this normally happens at around 1 mile – the mile mark is also my first pain barrier to cross (the second is at 3 miles) so at that mile marker, my discomfort can sometimes be two fold.  Take Wednesday night for instance, first night back on land and headed out for a quick 3 miler on Nantucket.  Went for a dump before I left the boat thinking this would be a good run but was foiled at the 1.02 mile mark by the high pressure build up in my butt hole.  It was so quick and intense that I knew my run was over unless I could offload – worse still, I knew I had to walk or I would be in severe trouble.  Luckily for me, there was a restaurant nearby.

I walked in, still clenching.  Asked the greeter at the door if I could use the toilet and to my joy she said yes.  Of course I made it to the ceramic god to drop my payload like a B52 in the Cold war and even managed a quick sharp turn around so that I could get running again.

There is one very huge problem with this though.  Try running a mile and then sitting down for a couple of minutes.  As I entered the restaurant, I was still looking pretty fresh, after all, a mile is easy – just a warm up right?  Then sit on the toilet for a few minutes and wait for the sweat to appear.  So, that very nice girl that greeted me in a reasonably calm and non sweaty manner, is then seeing me exit some 5 minutes later covered and dripping in sweat, in fact sweating like a rapist is a phrase that would describe it best.  Worse still, she knew I only wanted to use the toilet so what the hell had I been doing in there for 5 minutes?????

To add insult to injury, when I took a look on my Runkeeper satellite tracker, it clearly shows a spike in activity where I had to stop to use the dunny.  Click the link below and wait for it to load, scroll down below the map and look at the blue line – nice spike at my pitstop.

http://runkeeper.com/user/hairygoose/activity/110081059?&mobile=false

 

I will leave you now – I have some work to do before we take this old bus racing.

 

 

 

 

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05/07/2012

4th July Celebrations Stateside

By hairygoose

Yesterday, I was talking to a supplier trying to get some spares.  When the conversation had finished, the guy said to me ‘happy 4th of July’! I told him I was English but it appeared to be wasted on him – maybe even some of you.  4th July is the celebration of America gaining independence from the British.  So why would I be celebrating a loss ?  It went completely over his head too.

So the septics won the war of Independence – or so they think!  There are two very poignant points I am about to make that will put into question the level of independence.

1.  When I woke up today and got on deck, on 4th July, a national holiday – it rained.  Things don’t get more british than rain on national holidays.

2. This is a beauty – for all of the remaining days of the year, the septics refer to the date in this way – July 10 or September 11, but for this one day a year, a day that celebrates an alleged victory over the empire, they say it the right way around ‘the 4th of July’ – just like us brits do all year long.

I think subconsciously – we won that battle.

I will say 1 good thing about America though – they do like to fly their flags, and they fly them with pride – something the English are afraid to do for fear of being branded a racist in their own country. While we are on the subject, Spain and Portugal too – you will see flags flying everywhere, but never upside down!

Recent Jubilee celebrations in England made me realise just how many Brits have no idea which way up the Union Flag should be flown – is there any hope for a nation that cannot fly its flag correctly?

But then it all went wrong.  Fireworks to finish the day off and the septics ‘whoop whooped’ the whole way through them. I find it supremely annoying so didn’t stay on deck to watch the fireworks but beat a hasty retreat downstairs.

There is one good thing about 4th July – It’s Colin’s birthday.  Easy one to remember that, a bit like my own birthday, my mum’s birthday (2 days after mine), Jake’s birthday (born on Friday 13th), David’s birthday ( a day after Jake’s) and of course sisters birthday (August – I get in trouble if I forget that one).  The missus reminds me constantly in the weeks approaching her birthday so I don’t feel the need to remember that one.

Enough – soon we leave Nantucket and head for Maine, but in the interim, for those confused flag fliers, please see the link to the Union Flag Act of 2008 below

http://www.flaginstitute.org/index.php?location=7.3

 

 

 

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02/07/2012

Lies, Captains and Engineers. Pt II

By hairygoose

So smug was my last post that the boat decided to react to it, giving me three alarms that night that would interrupt my sleep.  I, of course managed to solve the problems and get back into bed but did lose a couple of hours.

Friday night, the crew headed out for a Ziggy Marley concert. It was alright too.  a big tent, all seated, with very over zealous security.

Sit down – no dancing in the aisle, sit down, no flash photography, don’t bring your beer in

It did kind of spoil it actually.  I stood outside of the tent with a beer in hand and an excellent view of the stage and that made it much better.  I left shortly afterwards on the back of a Taxi bike, really quite pissed!

Saturday was my watch so not much happened that day, although my new bike did have a shock absorber replaced under warranty, and I then stripped it down and put it in its bag for the trip tomorrow to Nantucket.

I missed the opportunity to beat my monthly run record.  I needed to run on either friday or saturday for around 8 miles but due to my other commitments, I missed it completely.  Maybe this month?  Either way, I am rather happy to say that my total exercise count is now 268 activities, covering 1384 miles and burning a massive 157, 546 calories and all of that since 21st October last year.

Fit as a fiddle

Enough for now, Nantucket Island tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

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