Back into the hills - for real this time

With the clocks changed, the evenings are light long enough for us to run properly in the hills. The previews week we hadn't really done that for reasons of an upcoming wedding, but this week we could! We would start in Llanberis as usual.

I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it, what with the dissertation presentations and all. But I did! When my session was finished, I could do some small tasks that needed doing, and then I changed into my running kit. I got to the meeting point in good time.

We started quite traditional: through the fields, onto the old road to Bwlch y Groes, then right and onto the spoil heaps. And then I lost track a bit. We headed quite far in the direction of Waunfawr! And we were all very impressed by the views everywhere along the way. We knew the weather wasn't going to stay like this, so we were all keen to enjoy it while we could.

Early on

Further out

On the way back, I think everybody lost track a bit. The path vanished, and we ended up sploshing through a boggy patch. But then we found a path again. And got back through the Glynrhonwy area. Very scenic!

Running into the sunset

Colourful people in slate quarrying area

Back by the lake a bit late

It had started out quite warm, but we weren’t back until 8:30, and by that time it had cooled down a lot. I was glad I could put on another layer. Altogether we had done 13.4 km, with 470 m of ascent. That's a decent evening run! And it was exactly what I needed after the (almost) week I’d had!

Nominated for a teaching award

This never happens. I have been teaching here for donkey’s years, and every year there are teaching awards, but I never get nominated for anything. And this year an email pinged into my inbox with the nominations. I had a little look, and the usual suspects popped up. But entirely at the bottom of the list, there was my name. What? 

The categories are: teacher of the year, student voice, dissertation supervisor, support staff member, outstanding pastoral care, unsung hero, and digital innovation. Guess which category I was in? No you guessed wrong. It was digital innovation! I have no idea what that refers to. Me, being great at digital innovation? I am a clanging troglodyte! 

I suppose at some point I will find out on what basis I got this nomination. I am really curious. And I think this also means I am expected to show up at the dinner for nominees. I have obviously never been. It could be good fun! And then I will not win that prize. It would be ludicrous if I did.

It is nice to get recognition, but it is really baffling if you haven't got a start of an idea of what inspired it. I will report back…

Actual dissertation presentations

When the preparation is over, the actual dissertation presentations tend not to be particularly onerous. And that was true this time. And this time was unusual: we have been doing this in Reichel Hall in the past years, but that had been booked out. This time, we just did it on the Ocean Sciences campus. We have two big and one small lecture room there, and a huge teaching lab, and several rooms for master students. One of the big lecture rooms, and the teaching lab, can be split in two with a temporary wall, so these both count as two rooms. So even without using the masters rooms I already had six spaces at my disposal. In Reichel I only get three! And I managed making a schedule without getting in the way of the master students. 

The day before, I had already put the documentation in the various rooms. Everything was ready to roll! And my own session was in the afternoon, but Jaco and Martin had a session in the morning, and Jaco had had to abruptly go to the Netherlands for a family matter. So I stepped in. For most of the session, Jaco was there via Teams, but with me there the full session was covered, and I think it was good to have a person physically present.

There was plenty of time for lunch between the morning and afternoon sessions. And then I had my own session. All of my students except one showed up. The one who didn't got in touch the day after, to say they were in the process of suspending their studies. So in a way, I was complete! And I was doing the session with my colleague Mollie, and all her students showed up. A successful session.

The next day I didn't have to be in any of the sessions. My work was mainly making sure that in the lunch break, I updated the documentation in every room. And I still fielded some questions from staff and students. And at the end of the day, I made sure that the teaching lab was in pristine condition again. That wasn't much work; staff and students had left it quite tidy, and the technical staff was also keeping an eye on things. Over the weekend there would be an Open Day, so it had to look spic and span! But at 5 pm, all that was done, and I could take my tired body home. It's done for another year! 

Afternoon documentation ready for distribution 

The next big job now, of course, is the actual dissertations. That is just the students uploading their documents, but there is a fair amount of herding cats involved, to make sure all staff mark the work on time and in the right way. And document what they have done. 

I personally think it was quite nice to do it on our own campus. I will see if School management is OK with me keeping that set-up. I also suspect that next year we might have so many students we would have to hire Reichel Hall for three days if we want to fit all the presentations in. I struggle to imagine the School would look forward to the cost!

Pre-dissertation conference guest

My conservatory is full of Martin’s plants. Martin has now moved away from the area, and it will be after Easter that he can move back up. But that also means that if he has to come into the office, he has a very long commute.

He had to be there for the dissertation presentations. And it is not feasible for him to travel in on the day, so I had told him he can spend the night at my place if he wants. And he took me up on that.

There was one complication with this arrangement! It basically meant I had to be ready with all preparations by the time he would show up. I wanted to be able to just put my feet up with a beer once he got there. But I managed it! And that did involve me, other staff, and students finding mistakes in my preparatory work, but so be it. All the work I was doing was not about making the dissertation presentations possible; that was already done. What I was doing now was make them run smoothly. And well, the occasional small bump is acceptable. 

I was knackered when I left the office. On the way home I popped by the shop for emergency Martin supplies. I live on instant coffee and oat milk, and he sure doesn’t! The real products were required. And when I got home I had time for a shower. And only minutes later he appeared. 

His suggestion had been that he would just get us a curry. I figured he saw it coming that I wasn't going to be home early, and that I would be tired, so that not having to cook would be a blessing. And he appeared with beer and snacks. So we first ordered some takeaway on his laptop, and then retreated into the garden with the beer and the snacks. And then we went to get the food.

It's actually really nice to round off a lot of hectic work with sitting in the garden with a beer and a friend, and have lovely food afterwards. And we made it even better still. Martin had basically spent all day sitting on his bum; initially, in trains that would get him from the Southeast to Blaenau Ffestiniog (don't ask), and then in his car, his office, and his car again, respectively. So he was really keen on stretching his legs. We did a nice Moel Faban loop, the latter part thereof in moonlight. Lovely! 

Watching the sunset from the flanks of Pen-y-Gaer

 

After the stroll I needed tea, of course. But then it was bedtime. And it was also time for an experiment. I had noticed that my cat really likes him. She rather insultingly sat on his lap before she ever sat on mine. So I figured if she would ever have the opportunity of sleeping with him, she totally would. So I suggest he leave the bedroom door open so we would find out. He was willing to do that.

When I went to bed there was no cat to be seen. She later showed up, but I noticed she was coming from inside the house; not through the cat flap. Suspicious!

The next morning I got up before Martin, and made sure I got ready for everything: make my packed lunch, get my running kit ready, buy breakfast from the cornershop (a guest merits fancy breakfast). It was nice to have an opportunity to have a fancy breakfast! And I found out that indeed, as soon as he had gone to bed, the cat had been with him. But she has strong opinions of what behaviour is acceptable at night, and he had moved too much; hence that she had decamped to me. She has trained me better!

After breakfast we headed for the office. There were presentations to attend…

Preparing the dissertation presentations

It's the last big task before the Easter break! The dissertation presentations are always a lot of work for me, given that I have to organise them, but this year they fall in the last two days before Easter.

The first thing I need to do is find out what the availability of the staff is. Then I need to sort out a schedule with that information. I need to book the venue, order catering, collate all abstract into conference booklets, and print these. I also make sure all presentations are ready in folders on OneDrive, and give the required people access. I also print marking sheets and feedback forms and make sure these are available in every room. It's a lot of work!

One of the rooms (nr 3, obviously) we used

I can't really complain; the second semester so far hasn't been overly busy. That is quite weird! So that I am working frenetically now is not a big problem. Although making the booklets is heavy on my (RSI-affected) arms. And that is something I do take seriously.

I hope it will go well this year. I will report back soon!

Last Borders League race

I had really enjoyed my first Borders League race, so I was looking forward to the next, and last, one. I didn’t think I would perform as well; it would be my third race that week! But well, I might be needed to make up the numbers.

On the day I drove to Llanfairfechan, where I would pick up Sam (who I had given a lift home last time) and Anna. I got there at 8AM. It was an early start! But that was ok. Together we drove to Conwy where we picked up another passenger: Helen, our XC officer. And then we proceeded to Mold. The host was the Buckley Runners, but they clearly didn’t prefer Buckley as a venue. 

We parked up, went to the loo, got what we figured we’d want at start and finish, and went to the start. There we gave our jumpers and recovery drinks and bananas and whatnot to the Eryri supporters, and got ready. And then we were off!

At the start, with fellow Harriers Tony, Helen and Steve

Looking relaxed shortly after the start 

In the beginning, the field is always crowded, so you just run in whatever tempo everybody else is running. But it spreads out fairly soon.

I was feeling good! Better than expected with all that running in the past few days. I will slowly overtaking people. And I try to keep an eye on my watch, which gave my speed, but that was complicated by the fact that it was a bright day. If we were running with the sun in our face I was wearing my sunglasses, but these are prescription glasses, so if I wear those I can't read my watch. But we were running a loop, so sometimes I didn't need the glasses. And if I didn't, I could see I was on schedule. 

When I knew we were not far from the finish site try to overtake one last woman; again, from Chester Triathlon Club. It worked! And then we turned the corner finish in front of the school. I had kept a bit of an eye on the Chester lady; I wanted to keep her behind me. But then I saw a whole bunch of Chester runners roar in enthusiasm. She was probably throwing it all out in the sprint trying to get past after all! I sped up as well. But I was too late. She stormed past right at the finish. Bummer for me, but deserved for her. I was a bit miffed, though, when she ignored my congratulation.

Sprint finish

I got my token, I went to see the other Eryri Harriers who had already finished. And cheered on those who were still coming in behind me. And then we were all there, we did a group pic. And then we went back to the cars.

The group pic

There is a final event; a relay where all runners only run 1 mile. But that’s at the same time as a rather attractive race, so I don’t intend to go. So that’s it for this season! 

When the results came in I saw I had actually run faster than the previous time. And done better compared to the other women running. I was chuffed with that! The only time I had ever managed to run this fast was during the Bangor 10k, and that is a flatter course with only 2/3 of the ascent of this race. I had been going like a rocket! 

Next year I suppose I will go more often. As it so happens, we the Eryri women will be promoted to the first division. But in the first division, you need six women in order to not get penalty points. In our current division, it is only four. So there will be more demand for Eryri women in this league. I think I can hear that call!

Ras Moel Wnion

Last year I had noticed a bit later there was a race on Moel Wnion. That's my back garden! I regretted that I hadn't run it, even though the weather had been pretty bleak. But now that I am an Eryri Harrier, I find out about these things. But it is a fell run; I am rubbish at those. So I decided to do the decent thing and offer my services as a marshal to Ross, who organises it. Ross is not only a Thursday runner, but also my former classmate in Cymraeg +. 

To my surprise, he didn't need my services. And then I thought I might as well run the thing. I like running in that area! And I would be able to bike to the start in about 10 minutes. That is a luxury. I felt a little bit guilty about it, given that the day after I would run the last Borders League. And you're supposed to take it easy (or "taper") in the days before a serious race. I'm not sure if a race with 476 m ascent counts as taking it easy. But I couldn't resist!

In the blazing sun I biked to the school where registration was. That was a quick process! I also saw that there was a route map. There had been none on social media. But I knew what the route map had been a few years ago. I thought I recognised the route as starting like one of my weekend runs. And I thought I saw where the start was. I clearly should have looked a bit longer! 

I biked to where I thought the start was, and saw only one other person. He said that the start was further back on a small asphalt road. That would be close to where the start had been these years ago. I went there. And indeed! There was a sign saying "Start”. But there were only some three other runners there. I clearly wasn't the only one who was a bit confused. I locked my bike and got ready.

More people then turned up. It was going to be okay! And then we started. Initially, it was quite busy, but the field spread out quite quickly.

Start of the ascent

After a while everyone suddenly headed right. What was that? Weren't we going to go straight ahead? There was no marshal. Normally I just run after everybody else, but this time I decided against it. It's a fell run, after all! If you just hit the checkpoints it doesn't really matter what you're doing in between. I went straight ahead. And that changed everything.

I had the hill to myself. Which is nice, but not what I had expected. I just pootled on. The route was even marked! But maybe that had been for the juniors? And this time, I headed straight up the hill to the summit of Moel Wnion. If I just run that as a leisure run, I run over the big path to the pass and then take another big path to the summit. But this was a fell race. So I just picked some sort of line over the slope. And eventually reunited with all the other runners. I had clearly not been very efficient! But that's okay. I wasn't here to do well. 

Looking at y Gyrn from the flank of Moel Wnion 

From the summit of Moel Wnion we headed to the summit of y Gyrn. That is something I never do! There is a block field there and I avoid it. But not today. Then from there we went over y Llefn, down Bwlch ym Mhwll Lle, and then up Moel Faban. And obviously The uncomfortable way down. The finish was right at the bottom of the incline. That thing is too steep for me to run down at any speed whatsoever. I don't normally get to finish with so much breath to spare! Even last Tuesday they had been so polite as to make the finish uphill. Not here.

Approaching the finish 

The finish

Looking back at the incline

I cheered on some more runners and then went to go and get my bike. Then I went to registration; there I handed my number back in, and got me some soup with bread. And then it was time to go home again. And that was all downhill!

The day after, the logistics would not be anywhere near that convenient! But the race would be on the road. So then I would be sure to reach the finish satisfyingly out of breath…

Spring

The clocks have changed! The sun is out! The trees are getting leaves! It is clearly spring. 

I personally really like bare trees, so I suppose I like spring a bit less than most people. But I really enjoy the longer evenings. I can already see Jenny, my Welsh tutor, on Friday after work, and then still bike home without needing bicycle lights. You can do evening runs again without needing a head torch.

I already have meals in the garden. And I suppose the first barbecue of the season can't be very far off now. And the cat and me are often found in the conservatory. I like winter; I love sitting snugly by the fire with a pot of tea. But this might actually be even better!

Thursday Night Hen

The clocks had changed, and we would finally do our ThursdayNight Hill sessions on the trails again! Not that we necessarily were kept away from these in the dark, but now we could finally do a trail session in comfort. But as lovely as it was, that was not the emphasis of the night. One of our regular runners, Lucy, was about to get married, so this was a bit of a hen night run. 

On the parking lot where we gather she was given a veil, an ‘L’ plate (this is a British tradition), a ‘bride to be’ tiara and a sequinned clutch. And then we set off. We went north of the lake. And the second time we stopped to regroup, Lucy was told to open the clutch and get a piece of paper out. They all had tasks on them. This task was column run backwards for one minute. So she did! Which turned out to be surprisingly tiring.

Hen having to run backwards 

I think we improvised the route a bit. We had to see how much time would be taken up by the tasks, and we had to be back by eight as we would go for a pizza afterwards, and had a reservation. So we just ran around in the vicinity of the quarry. It's beautiful there!

Steep bit

Lucy got a lot more tasks. Such as high-fiving everyone, do squats or push-ups, dance for one minute to "Dancing Queen", et cetera. It was good fun!

Low sun

Even lower sun

Then we got back to the parking lot. Some people went home, but we had to tables’ worth of pizza eaters. I don't really like eating this late, but I had been strong-armed into joining by some of the runners who had been there on Tuesday. And it is nice to spend time with lovely people.

I hope Lucy will have a lovely wedding. At least she seemed quite chuffed with her hen night run!

First race of the Tuesday Night Series

I hadn't really been thinking about the Tuesday night series when I signed up to Welsh class. On Tuesday night. To be honest, I also hadn't quite been thinking about cave rescue, which also does its activities mainly on Tuesday night. I clearly wasn't thinking very much at all!

When the Tuesday Night Series came up I got a little bit too tempted. The first race is around y Fron, and that area is very beautiful. It also didn't look like one of those over the top fell races where are you are almost always on a slope that is so steep you can neither run up nor down. And if you show up for one of the first races, you can pay for the whole series and be done with it. Then you can just show up and run. 

I also knew what the course material for that evening's Welsh class would be, and I figured it was a part that I could catch up on myself. Also, it was stunning weather. So I decided to go!

I drove up to  y Fron I barely recognised the place. It was absolutely clogged with cars. It is normally rather sleepy village, but not now! I found a little corner to squeeze my car into and headed for registration. I was starting to already see familiar faces around me. I am getting to know an increasing number of people in the local running scene. 

Y Fron, but different 

Registration was quick. And I found Geoff and Josh, who had already seen the start. It was close to where we had parked. So we headed that way, and I dropped off my bag and jacket in the car. I was ready to run!

At the start I saw many more people I knew: Thursday runners, Eryri Harriers, Eryri Orienteers, and even an evolutionary biologist. It was nice! And I made sure I wasn't too close to the front when we were lined up for the start. This was a fell race, after all. I am rubbish at those!

We set off, and in the beginning it was very crowded, but that sorted itself out. It was a beautiful run! The area is so gorgeous, and it was all bathed in beautiful evening light. We ran among quarrying remains. And at some particularly steep bit of a spoil heap there was a bit of a queue, but I didn't mind. Later my shoelace came undone. That was a bit annoying, but also not a big deal.

Pic by Thomas Owen

Pic by Thomas Owen

The race ended in a descent on a tiny little path, where I took it easy, and then the last bit on a gravel road. I am more at home there! I managed to overtake some people in the last few hundred metres. I didn't run a particularly good time, but I had immensely enjoyed it. And I was cheered over the finish by a clump of Thursday runners. That was lovely!

The finish

There was a bit of catching up at the finish, which included some Thursday runners trying to persuade me to go for pizza after the next Thursday run. I think they were successful. Stay tuned! But then I figured I should go back to my car. It was a bit exposed at the finish, and I was in my sweaty running shirt. So I jogged back, and drove back while the sun was beautifully setting in the sea. Next week I will be a good girl and be in Welsh class. But I hope I can do a few of these races! They are fun!

Last geology field trip of the academic year

We have six trips in the geological module, and we now have got to number five. I have a timetable clash for the sixth one, so this was my last. But it was a good one to end with.

This was the trip to Rhosneigr, with a little bonus of blueschists with the Marquess of Anglesey (or more accurately, a statue of him) on top. The blueschists are a clear indicator of subduction. And it’s pretty as well!

The Marquess

The blueschists, looking green because of algae growing on top of them. Am I pointing at two pillows from pillow lava? 

We had some slight trouble with the vehicle we were using; more often than not it was claiming that there was a door open, and still claiming that if we had slammed all of them shut with really more force than needed to get them properly closed. We are not quite sure what that was about.  

In the Rhosneigr area we first look at some contact metamorphism; there is a (Precambrian) granitic intrusion in that area, and there are also some rocks exposed to that have been baked by this. So we look at both. And then we make a bit of a jump. From there we go straight to Ordovician sandstones and conglomerate. That is something where Jaco go out with sediment dynamics. 

Llyn Maelog 

Talking about rocks with a lot of disruption 

We finish it off on the beach, where there are more sedimentary rocks, but with these we focus on the deformation. It's mudstone with interbedded turbidites, and these are beautifully deformed. 

Beautifully deformed rock

It was stunning weather for this trip! That did have the unwanted effect, though, that it was fine weather for flying around, and the location is really close to a military airport. Propeller airplanes flying overhead makes it impossible to make yourself heard, but a fighter jet flying overhead actually hurts your ears.

I think it was a good trip. And then next week the two gentlemen round things off without me. And then we'll do it all again next year! 

Back to Llyn Alwen with Kate and Bryn

The best thing you can have when your heart is a bit bruised is friends. And if they have pets that’s a nice bonus! So after my last romantic dead end I checked if Kate was around over the weekend. And she was! I suggested we might just walk the dog together, and Kate suggested a rerun of our Llyn Alwen walk from some 15 months ago. That sounded good. 

It was a gorgeous day! Maybe a little bit more wind than would have been ideal, but sunny. It was good to catch up. And Bryn was his usual funny but obnoxious self. It was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon! 

The dam

The lake

First selfie attempt: dog not in view

Dog in view now: he’s sneaking in a kiss while Kate is distracted by taking the picture 

First longish leisure run in a while

Since recovering from my ankle injury, I had not done any long runs that weren’t races. But I had an empty weekend ahead, so I figured it was time! And I decided to do an old favourite: around Moel Wnion. And I went after breakfast, as it would be raining in the afternoon.

It was dry, but it was windier than I had anticipated. But initially I had the wind in the back. I went anticlockwise this time.

Between Moel Wnion and y Drosgl

It was nice to run into the hills again! I hadn't done much of that recently. And I don't get beyond y Gyrn much. 

When I got to Ffridd Ddu the sun came out. But it still was very windy! I started to get tired of the endless noise in my ears. And there pretty much was no shelter at all along the way. I just plodded on.

Sea views from the other side of Ffridd Ddu 

Over the stepping stones through the boggy terrain

Where the path curves into Bwlch ym Mhwll Lle there was shelter. It was lovely! So quiet. But also very brief.

Close to the village I bumped into walking ladies, one of which was Sara, the first person I followed on Bluesky. And then I was home.

It has been a veritable plod! But it seems to be good for you to sometimes do that. Not everything has to be high intensity. And the views had been great! And with it being spring now, I might do this more often. In winter I often end up on the roads because the hills are just too soggy. But this is a lot nicer!

Stem cell donor

I routinely donate blood. I am also a registered organ donor. I am too old to be an egg donor. And my hair is too grey and too dreadlocked to be eligible for donation for wigs. So I thought that was it. But then I got a message from Miles in which he mentioned stem cell donation. I didn't know that was a thing! But it clearly is. And it sounds like such a good thing to do. The very next day I googled it, and signed up. It's not like blood donation; they don't just take your stem cells and assume they will find someone who can use them. You just end up in a database, and they might never find a match, so you might never actively donate. But if they do, you can really make a difference in someone's life. It will probably be a bit of a hassle as you probably have to get to England have your stem cells harvested, but I will cross that bridge when I get there.

I got my test kit! It's a swab test like a Covid test. Very easy to do. It's now on its way to be analysed. I will get a confirmation when they get it. And then time will tell if they ever identify me as a match…

Sport Science research seminar

I was just running the Thursday Hills when one of my fellow runners, Geoff from Sports Science, mentioned that the following week, the Sports Science talk would actually involve marine science. Maybe I was interested? It involved diving seals. It sounded interesting so I said I'd mail him to remind him to give me the details. And I turned out to be available that day.

On the day I biked to Normal Site, an obscure part of the university between Ocean Sciences and main campus. Apparently, that is where sports science is. I got to the correct building, and to my surprise, my key card gave access to it. I quickly found Geoff, the seminar organiser, and Josh, one of the speakers, who had also been in the previous night’s race.

Geoff introducing the first speaker

The first speaker, the one who was talking about seals, spoke online from St Andrews. He talked of the relationship between heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and suchlike, in diving creatures. His facility had a license for capturing seals, involving them in their research for a while, and then releasing them back into the wild. So they sometimes had seals do some swimming underwater with a sensor on their heads that would measure the parameters they were interested in. And he did say something about that they can just turn their heart rate down to as low as 3 bpm if they anticipate that they will be underwater for a while.

He also mentioned that it is a lot of faff to have to catch a wild seal, anaesthetise it so you can fit it with instrumentation, and then have it dive around in your pool for a while. It was a lot easier to work with humans. You can just politely ask if they are willing to have instrumentation on their heads, and then do a dive. And humans are pretty rubbish divers in comparison to seals, but they could work with that.

He had also done research on people with a freediving habit, such as some Korean women who dive for mollusks and suchlike. Their physiology seem to be amazing.

I was wondering a bit how talented seals are in guessing how long their next dive is going to be. If you misjudged it, you can get into trouble. But then he also showed the graph of the diving behaviour of an elephant seal over a few days, and there was a very clear pattern in that. It really looked like these marine mammals know, and plan, what they're doing. I still wondered, though, if you could take advantage of it. If you see a seal do shallow dives, and you are a clever predator, you might be able to disrupt its surfacing, and know that they would be in distress pretty quickly because their heart rate is too high.

The next speaker was Josh, talking about chimpanzees. He was interested in cardiovascular disease, and chimpanzees just don't get that. It doesn't matter how old they get. And he said that if you have a captive chimpanzee and you give it junk food, they still don't get the diseases we get. I'm not sure how anyone would get ethical clearance for this, but it might have been an experiment done decades ago.

Josh with his research questions 

He showed us the heartbeat pattern of a healthy chimp, and that of a healthy human. It was indeed quite different! He said that the chimps’ pattern looks like that of a human in heat stress, or just after exercising. And he said it doesn't respond much to changes in temperature or activity levels and things like that. And it seems that our circulation seems to be tailored to excellent heat regulation. We seem to do that a lot better than chimpanzees! But that comes with the problem that we don't seem to have the robustness that they have. But I suppose that means the chimp has to stay in the forest. They might need the shadow!

He also said that chimpanzees still live in the habitat they evolved for. We don't. We evolved for being on the move. Where chimpanzees and humans started to separately descend from our common ancestor, savannahs had just come into fashion, and the chimps weren't interested, but the humans went there, and started to chase after prey. And that's tiring! So we learned to conserve energy. But now we get our food from the supermarket, which we may very well drive too, and we still want to conserve energy. And that goes wrong. And because we know spent most of our time indoors, we don't really need that thermal regulation so much anymore. But we have it, with all its drawbacks.

He had not only studied chimpanzee; like the previous speaker, he had also studied humans. And he was interested in subsistence farmers, because although they are not hunter-gatherers anymore, they are still quite close to but we are humans are supposed to be. And he was measuring things such as their activity levels and blood pressure overtime. And he compared that to people from a subsistence farming background who had fairly recently (In the last decades) moved into cities, and to people of European descent (the research had been known in Mexico) who had been living in cities for generations. No prizes for guessing who had the best cardiovascular health.

I found it quite funny that this guy is clearly quite an enthusiastic runner. He stays close to his roots! He might not frequent the African savannah, but he stays on the move. He knows what's good for him!

At the end of the talk we chatted a bit more. Some of it about running! He and Geoff were going to do a fell race the next day, and do the first Tuesday Night Fell Race the week after. But then it was time to leave. I took home some of the leftover brownies; there hadn’t been much of a turnout, so there were many of them. In spite of both Ocean Sciences and Natural Sciences having been invited! And then I got onto my bike. I had plenty to think about. I love sometimes going to seminars that have nothing to do with my own field of expertise. You always learn something new!

Bethesda Map Run

I had decided to try the Wednesday running training, and skip the Thursday Hill session. I was thinking of what the running coach had said. My body sometimes needs a break! 

One of the Thursday runners, Geoff, had mentioned a ‘map run’ in Bethesda on the Thursday. I wasn’t sure what he meant. But Fliss, the lady leading the Wednesday training, mentioned it as well, and she gave a bit more detail. It was basically orienteering in a built-up area. And it sounded fun! And when I googled it I noticed that race headquarters were the pub just around the corner, less than 100m from my house. How could I resist a race like that? So I registered. And they gave you two options of doing it: with technology, or with pen and paper. And I opted for pen and paper.

On the day I got an email: the pen and paper option was not available. Everyone would have to log their checkpoints with technology. So I downloaded the app, downloaded another app you need for getting the app also on your watch, then put it on my watch, and uploaded the data of this specific race. I wasn't quite sure what's next but I figured I could ask at registration.

I went early, and indeed had both chaps of the organisation to myself. So they could talk me through how it all worked. And it turned out I seemed to have correctly installed the software, and the only thing I needed to do was start it when the race started. I was impressed with myself. But when other runners started to appear I briefly went home for a last cup of tea and toilet visit. Then I got back. I had a bit of a chat with the other competitors, including Geoff and his friend Josh. 

After a while we were asked to go outside, where we would get our maps and could start the software. Our watches or phones would register if we would reach a checkpoint. So after the countdown I opened my map. There was quite a wide variety of places you could go! I decided to head east. Why not? And I figured the first checkpoint I could take was near the church. My watch didn't seem to be responding to anything. So I continued. But at the next checkpoint, still nothing happened. By then I was fairly certain my watch wasn't registering anything at all. Oh well! I could just do this for shits and giggles.

I continued on my way. A few more checkpoints in I had to negotiate a flirtatious pug. That was quite sweet. And I got to some checkpoints in the Braichmelyn area. Then I crossed the road and the river and tried to get all of them on the other side. I did make an unnecessary loop, but I did get them. And then I figured I still had time to hoover a few up in the direction of Tan y Foel. And then I only had five minutes left, and had to leg it back down to the finish. I was back almost on time!

It looked like I had indeed not registered anything. That's fine. At least I had started to log the run on Strava after the second or third checkpoint, so at least I had a record of where I had been. I could check how many points I would have had had the technology worked. I think it was 480, but I came in a few minutes late so I would probably have been docked 60 points (the going rate is 20 points per minute). If that is true I would just have managed to outperform Geoff! Unlikely, but not impossible. For context, the overall winner had 810. And the next time (if there is a next time) I will not leave the start until the technology works. I'm sure the people starting you off should be able to help with that. I'm sure it is more satisfying if you actively log something!

After the race I had a small beer with Geoff and Josh, and then we went home. A bit of a weird introduction to orienteering, but at least it had been enjoyable!

Interval training

Now that spring is upon us, the club is launching more training opportunities. There suddenly is Monday training and Wednesday training. There already was something going on on Monday, but that was not an official club activity. And there are Tuesday track sessions, also not a club thing, but then I have Welsh class. And our Thursday sessions are also not a club thing. But these trainings are.

I was keen to try one. And if not now then when? So I signed up. And drove to Llanberis on a Wednesday. 

I found the lady who organises the sessions, and a bloke. He introduced himself as Levi. Would that be it? Just two of us running? But then a lady called Gwen appeared. And that was indeed it.

We first did a six minute warm up, on the bicycle path next to the lake, and then we did, I think, five minutes at 10k pace. And then three minutes at 5k pace, twice. And then some even shorter intervals where you were supposed to go even faster. And in between increasingly short intervals recovery jogging. All of it on the path.

The 10k pace went well. I know very well what my 10k pace is. And my watch can tell me if I am running that. But I have a lot less routine with the shorter distances. What even is my 5k pace? I ran my PB in the 5k during the most recent 5m race. So I suppose I would be a bit faster if I really was only running 5k. I aimed at 4 minute kms. That was okay. Just.

I really have no idea what my 1k pace is, but I suppose that didn't matter. I just ran the short intervals at whatever speed I could muster. I don't think it was very fast! And my breathing was terribly laboured. But that is a sign that I am giving it what I have. I suppose the idea of interval training is that you leave something for the end. Maybe I should have been a bit more restrained in the beginning. But hey, I had never done this before. And I don't think my body really knows how to run distances shorter than 5k. 

It was over before I knew it! It took us less than an hour. And we had covered almost 9 km in that time. 

I don't think I will make a habit of this; I have a fitness tracker, so I could just plan a session like this myself. And then I can just keep going to the Thursday Hill sessions without being away running two evenings in a row. I can just do an interval session in a weekend. So I don't think I'll be back, but I'm glad I did this! And it was good fun!

Group selfie

Plant guests

Martin is in the process of moving house, but he’ll be ‘between houses’ for a bit. He’ll be fine! He’ll work something out for himself. He has rented storage space for his stuff. But he also has plants. These would die in storage. He also spoke of a tree he wanted to dig out, and replant in the garden of the new place. 

He asked if I would be willing to host them. I was happy to! I would turn into a repository of other people’s creatures; after all I have a cat who also started out as a guest for someone who was between houses. And some of my plants are inherited from my former office mate who left for Cornwall. I think unlike these examples, these plants will actually go back to Martin, though. 

One Monday evening he and his partner drove up and delivered the lot. Most went into the conservatory! That’s a place in flux anyway. And it has sunlight. It looks quite nice in there now. There was no tree. Maybe they had underestimated how much work all this would be without digging out a tree. I could imagine.

I hope Martin can put his roots down soon! Being in between houses is tiresome. And I’ll do my best to make sure he has all his plants back in good condition when he gets to that stage… 

Roadworks on the bicycle path

Last autumn, a part of the bicycle path I use most days to get to work closed. There was an announcement on a board at both sides of where it would be closed, and it all looked very serious. But the actual work only took a day or two. It actually improved the drainage of the path! I was quite happy with that; the initial situation was rather bleak, which meant that in autumn you were often riding through a puddle, and in winter that pubble was at risk of turning to ice. I think it will be better now! And it came soon after different repairs. The route was getting loads of TLC! 

Then winter came, and then spring. And suddenly, a fence appeared again. And also a sign. That part of the path will be closed for 12 weeks! This might be the actual big work. The other work might just have been some impromptu add-on.

None shall pass

So what does this mean? For as long as this work continues, cyclists will have little choice but to ride on the road. And quite some riders will be commuters, so they ride during rush hour. I could imagine that this will cause some friction between car drivers and cyclists. The car drivers will be annoyed at the increased number of cyclists on the road; it is not an unusually wide road, so if there is traffic coming the other way, you cannot overtake a bike. And I would imagine that quite many drivers wouldn't know the cyclists currently don't have a choice. And the cyclists might feel a bit vulnerable with all that traffic so close by.

If you are willing to make a detour, you can avoid this situation altogether, of course. The most reasonable option would be a detour of half a mile and some more uphill. That would be a bit inconvenient, but I think it will be worth it for reasons of safety. I hope this period will pass without any unpleasant incidents! Only time will tell…

Intention to leave cave rescue

When the schism happened between the Thursdaynighters and me, on the basis of a difference in opinion of how to deal with misogyny in the mine exploration community, I didn't stop going underground. I did, however, cut it down considerably. Obviously! I had been going every week, and if I wasn't digging with Miles I was with the Thursdaynighters. The dig already died a silent death before things went wrong, for reasons of Miles being too busy with other things. So from the falling-out onwards, there were some ad hoc trips, and then the rescue trainings and callouts. That's not much. In 5 years, I went underground 22 times outside a rescue context. 

The people I went underground with since then were a bit of a mix. There are Kate and Lydia, who have both since moved to England. There is Sharon, who still sometimes drops me a line to see if I am available. There is Miles, who most of the time has more urgent things to do. Then there are the visitors from elsewhere, like the Cornish, the Devonian and the Yorkshire bunch. But these only come up once a year. So I clearly had no regular crew, and no regular habit. And I was starting to feel very much out of it.

If we had a training I often wondered what I would have forgotten. I lost my routine in packing my kit! And I had to really think about rigging. And I probably can barely remember the venue, because I haven’t been in it for years.

Another thing is my kit. You should regularly replace everything except the metalware (and also the metalware if it wears out), like helmets and harnesses. My gear is very old by now! And that could get me (and others) in trouble, in case we ever have to deal with insurers. And I am not keen on spending a lot on kit I rarely need. I am also not keen on trouble with insurers, for either myself or others. And I’m not keen on being personally liable (which I am, as a committee member) for actions by a team I am partly a member of because I don’t trust it. There’s Thursdaynighters in there, after all. 

They won’t be keen to lose a committee member. More people are interested in doing the glamorous work of actually rescuing people than in doing the behind-the-scene admin. But they could have tried harder to keep me. The committee knows about the Thursdaynighter debacle, and that the TN’s approach to that is ostracism. They also think that the team works better if there is no animosity between the members. And it has the power to make both parties sit together and work things out, but never used that power. So no start was ever made at rebuilding trust. And that’s not inspiring me very much to stay. 

So this is the end of an era. I was in Cave Rescue in Devon between April 2010 and May 2013. And then here in Wales since May 2015 again. Thirteen years! In the greater scheme of things, not much. Our team is considering awards for people who have been serving in the team for 40 years or more. But still considerable I would say! But everything ends somewhere. And this will end this June, at our AGM.

Pic from a training in 2023

Date update

I mentioned in February I had been on a few dates again. That has become a fair few more by now. Unfortunately, enough of them for the decision to have been made this isn’t going to lead to a relationship. But at least we got to that point in a mutually respectful way. And given that we really did vibe, albeit not in the intended ways, it is thinkable we might occasionally still meet up, as walking mates or suchlike. Not the outcome I had hoped, but it could be a lot worse. Now it’s clearly back to square one again…

A picture taken on one of our dates