Ultra: Medina to Marina via the Arena

Extra special effort from our runners today, some of whom had the idea of recording their routes using Strava.

Both Tracey and Gwyn strayed from their usual running area to take in some signs; Medina Close, Augusta Place, La Marina, Lon Adda and Nant Adda.

Pauline started in her garden, full of paraphernalia, which she has made into memorabilia...initially to prevent lockdown hysteria, but now turned into crafting-mania. Her route took her via her favourite area where the air was filled with the aroma of various flora; fuchsia, magnolia, rhododendra, petunia and hydrangea, some of them were a beautiful magenta. And the fauna that which she could catch on camera, all added to a stunning vista, across the hills and river. She also spied a surprise Santa... Another surprise was Gwyn’s friend Fiona hiding in the shrubbery! Elizabeth did quite a lot of scouting for a pagoda around the gardens of Camden, but sadly they all seemed to be in hiding, too.

Gwyn and Tracey also spotted flora; hydrangea, and wisteria respectively, whilst Katherine saw an altogether more impressive wisteria, along with lobelia and yucca. Additionally, she spotted several car models, and took snaps of three of them. Peter also faithfully carried on his car theme from previous weeks with a Skoda, Elizabeth found a licence plate ending in A and Pauline found an impressive array of vehicular-related insignia and models; Honda, Skoda, Kia, Toyota, Dacia, Mazda, Monza, Europa, Arriva, Valetta, Carrera, Ibiza, Alhambra, Astra, Insignia, Brera, Corsa, Fiesta, Kuga, Micra, Corolla, Fabia, Octavia, Fiesta. If any of them had been moving, Peter’s speed camera may have been useful, or perhaps they were stationary, having stopped at Elizabeth’s zebra crossing. Gwyn’s vehicle was a boat, Altea, in the marina, as he’s lucky enough to live by the sea.

And about as far away from the sea as you can get was the mecca of Tracey’s trip, a bit of proxy-parkrun tourism from her usual route, to take in Derby Arena. She took a selfie outside, but committed a fashion offence by having her bra strap on display (blue, with a stripe of aqua). Her route also took in the local YMCA charity shop.

Pauline eloquently describes the final leg of her run…

Heading back, my asthma caused me to pause, allowing me to admire the sandstone strata. On the home run; a reservoir of aqua, a Victorian villa, house numbers ending in a, pizza parlour sign, speed camera, Runcorn Fire Brigade and Royal insignia and a rather unusual doorstep gangsta.

That was a ‘spectacula’ collection of observations from our A team, and all achieved without the aid of an encyclopaedia!