Jeff's Taproom Special

 
photo Jeff

Saturday 30th Sept.

A busy day. First up the usual sprint round Holyrood at parkrun. The weather was pretty decent and I managed 20.16 which is better than my average and I felt okay about it. Still chasing the sub20 but not chasing it so hard I ever bother to do the requisite training between Saturdays. In many ways that was the easier part of the day done. The next bit was getting home and showered, eating breakfast, changing back into running kit and catching 2 buses across town to Nick's place in Bonnyrigg. Jeff was running a "Taproom Special", a beer based meander round cyclepaths and breweries from the outskirts of Dalkeith to Leith via Caerketton Hill in the Pentlands. 

From Nick's place it was about a mile down the road. We (around 14 mostly Carnethy runners) met at Cross Borders Brewery, a charmless brewery warehouse in an industrial estate between Dalkeith and Bonnyrigg. I wasn't sure whether a schooner of beer at 1pm improved matters. This was the problem today and possibly why I didn't thoroughly enjoy the whole day out: I am not really a beer fan. 

Now you would think I would assess this beforehand and decline an invitation to run past half a dozen breweries, but I like Jeff and forgot I don't much bother about beer. Jeff is a huge beer fan and makes his own, and plans days out like today much as an evangelist would visit churches and Holy relics. I forgot I am old and prefer lager (with a bit of lime or flavouring) or wine. I like some running, but only some. And I'd already done a parkrun. Anyway I hadn't seen Nick or Jeff in some time so it would be good to catch up. (It was.)

Second pitstop Stewarts. It was a little on the cold side to sit down outside and drink a cold beer. It didn't feel like that to start with as we were nicely warmed up from running, but by the time we all got going again things were seizing up. I enjoyed all the chat and fun but the beer did not go down well. I was glad it was ages until the next brewery. Although not very happy to hear the next part of the run route was up Caerketton. (I had been hoping the route would swing into town and I could duck out.)

photo Jeff

more running

more running

some walking

rain blows in at the top of Caerketton

jackets on!

Well at this point it all got a bit drizzly and I put the camera away. We ran down through Swanston to the Braid Burn and across town to Summerhall. Since Nick and Neil had already bought me a beer I stayed long enough to buy them a drink. I had a soda and lime and it was the worst one ever. It was too loud to stop them putting ice in the glass. Also whatever lime cordiale they used was either awful or maybe not sufficient to flavour the drink. It just tasted like a glass of dirty water. We had a photo taken then I slunk off.

photo Jeff

I headed up to Newington Road and was going to cross into Holyrood and run home but then I saw a bus coming. I hopped on the number 7 which then took about 50 minutes to get through rush-hour town centre and down the North Bridge roadworks while I sat chilling in damp clothes. I'd have been quicker running through Holyrood.

I ran most of 16 miles and enjoyed it more than it sounds here. Except for catching a dose of cold. Neil was recovering from a cold his son had passed his way and it was prob that, which made my birthday week something of a washout. Luckily I didn't have any work on so was able to languish in bed as much as required. Had to miss next Saturday's parkrun too, although the weather has been monsoon-like and so I haven't missed being out in lovely weather. Haven't run since this outing. I hope to be fixed by next week's parkrun. Mary is now full of the same cold and considering watching Paddington 2 this afternoon. That's how bad things have got! I might just join her.