Swim, Run and Stroppy Swans

 

Steve is still suffering with his Man-Flu thing and so was not in the water this morning swimming with his group that he manages to coach, as well as get a swim himself. What this meant though was that he was cracking to whip the whole time and not missing a thing. I swim just outside his animal’s lane with a friend of mine, where we manage to get a good working set going in a half a lane width where we have a simple rule between us that the swimmer going toward the deep end gives way to the other one, who has made the turn. Steve was watching every move we made too, as well as an old friend who is slowly feeling his way back into training after a spell of worrying health issues. Before we leave for the pool for the 6.30 start I will have typed out the schedules for both swim sets. This is a bit of a pain but Steve never gets time to write them until late evening and once I have turned off the computer that is it. Relax mode is not to be disturbed.

After swimming Steve drove me the couple of miles inland; or up to another point on the river, Arundel, which ever way you think of it, and there we usually do one of our two midweek 5km runs. Since Steve is still under the weather he walked me once around the small block at the bottom of the pretty old High Street and having placed his tracker on the right wrist walked me to the start point at the door of the post office where he said, “Achtung, Fertig, Loss”, sending me off on my merry way along Mill Lane. 

 The pair of swans along there, who think they own the narrow path, were wide awake this morning after being fast asleep on Wednesday when I did the last run. I always wish then ‘Good Day’ which they usually, rather rudely if you ask me, ignore completely. They do not turn a feather as you run right past them, not a hint of movement. Today, the male was pruning the feathers right in the centre of his back and I looked in complete wonder at the reach of his handsome neck. As per bloomin’ usual, I said ‘Good Morning’, as he flicked feathers all around to which he looked at me as if I was a rancid plate of maggots and arching his neck back as if he had forgotten his distance glasses and belched loudly as I ran past. I said a quite loud ‘Sorry pardon’? But his head was turned back in that, take no notice and she’ll go away manner that they offer those who dare to travel on THEIR path.  

On my return to the post office, Steve was waiting to stop my tracker and was and was not pleased with my run time. He was pleased that I had run the whole route without walking any of the steep chalk hill on the route but then was not sure if he was pleased or not that it was 40 seconds faster than the last time we ran the course together. 

Ho Hum!