Author: Black and Tabby

Badger or Beast?

So this is the photo of the paw prints I spotted today whilst out running. Quite wide, very distinctive claw marks. I was hoping it was a badger, as I’ve never found badger prints before and its years since I’ve seen a badger whilst out and about.

I was telling my son about the tracks, and he helpfully suggested it was the ‘beast’ – a wild cat which was reportedly spotted around here a good few years ago. I’ve only just got over my fear of the ‘psycho pheasant’ who attacked me along here several years ago. Now I’ve got a large (hungry?) wild cat to worry about as well!

I-Spy Animals

More snow, and a run that saw me on virgin, untouched snow. Just me and the animal tracks for company. The signpost looked like it was pointing of into the middle of nowhere.

Anyone help me identify the many animal tracks I saw? I’ll post a photo when my phone starts behaving itself. The paw prints were quite chunky, so pretty wide, with very clearly defined claw marks. Unlike earlier in my run, there were no “owner’s prints” next to these. I’m secretly hoping its a badger. Also saw some much smaller prints, obviously running, which I reckon were fox prints. Saw lots of rabbit tracks, and then a much bigger version which I presume was a hare.

Next time I run, remind me to take my animal footprint chart with me, so I can tot up my Wildlife Points as I go along.

Road to Nowhere?
Just my footprints and some animal tracks.

Dancing on Ice

Week 8 of my training schedule starts with ‘just’ an easy 3 miles today. The snow and ice of the weekend has now frozen hard, so even with my Icebiters strapped to my running shoes it felt like I was dancing on ice for parts of my run.

Important discovery made today. In the soggy field, under the snow is ice, and under the ice is mud.

Snowy Footsteps

LSR = Long Snowy Run

Didn’t make it out for my run on Friday – not only did the promised snow arrive, it also brought a blizzard and a child demanding help with building an igloo.

By Saturday, I couldn’t put my run off any longer. The snow had stopped falling, but the ground was snowy and icy.

Luckily I had my Icebiters (see below) at the ready. It was cold, but I had my new jacket on again, fleecy head band and gloves. Somewhat nervously, I set off up the lane. It was hard work, but exhilarating. The Icebiters lived up to their name, and it was reassuring to hear a faint ‘click’ noise with each step as the metal studs dug into the ice.

I wasn’t so keen on the ankle deep loose snow though, as it was very chilly on the inch gap of exposed skin between the top of my socks and the bottom of my tights.

Schedule had said 12 miles, I reckon 8 miles in those conditions counted. My legs certainly felt like they’d run 12 miles, with strange aches in my backside and the backs of my thighs.

Snowy miles run: 8
Scheduled miles : 12
Number of photos taken of me : 1
Number of bemused walkers passed : about 10
Number of walkers who told me they should have been running : 1
Hardcore points : about 1000
Smug points : about 1000

Icebiters – what a great invention

Maybe my New Best Christmas Present?

Trying to settle to sleep, wondering if the forecast blizzard is actually going to arrive in the early hours, thinking that if it does it might make my scheduled 12 miler rather tricky, I suddenly remember another of my Christmas presents, so far unopened.

They *might* just become my new, ‘best ever Christmas present’ ……

To My Husband

To the long suffering Mr B&T, I need to say a huge ‘Thank You’ for the best Christmas present of 2012. My lovely new running jacket. Its light, non-rustley, soft, warm, waterproof and such a great colour (most important!)

I was trying to *only* get the jacket in – please excuse the gormless look

Best of all, it means I can set off for runs on cold and frosty mornings (like yesterday) feeling comfortable and relaxed, rather than hunched and cold. It means if I spot the sunrise and some cold frosty sheep through the hedge, I feel like stopping and taking photographs of them rather than keeping my head down and shivering on by.

Bet the sheep wish they had a jacket like mine

So sorry, the jacket will mean more photographs of frozen fields and sunrises. Taking them makes little ‘easy’ 3 mile runs (like yesterday) feel like more of an adventure.

Just need to find my better gloves now to sort out the frozen fingers I got as a result of taking this photo. Well, it is my birthday soon.

Attempted Sabotage

Finally completed a full week of my marathon training. After running just 3 miles (in total) last week, today”s long run of 10 miles did feel hard at times, especially after runs earlier in the week of 4,5 and 3 miles.

I managed not to see the boar despite running right by where it was seen Read here if you missed my boar news . I managed to wear my lovely new running jacket, and then got too hot after just 2 miles and had to stash it in a hedge for retrieval on the way home. I managed to get all round town still feeling quite sprightly.

However, when turning for home, I found the following lying in wait on the pavement:-

Banana splits

Now I may be paranoid, but instantly I thought someone was trying to sabotage my long run. I may have watched too much slapstick slipping-on-a-banana-skin gags when I was younger. An alternative suggestion is that someone has been playing Mario Kart for real.

Whatever the reason for the bananas, I managed to avoid them and made it safely home to tick another run off my schedule.

Roll on Week 7!

Boars again – getting scary!

After a wild boar was seen near one of my usual running routes earlier in the week, I was scared to see the errant boar has struck again.

The Gazette and Herald reported it as “Wild boar charges at dog walker in Chippenham”

The good news is that the boar was further away from my running routes this time.
The bad news is that 1. it charged at a man with a dog this time, and 2. its now much closer to my children’s school.

However, every cloud has a silver whatsit, so I was amused to read that the honest dog walker confessed “It started charging towards me and I screamed like a girl.” Good man!


A wild boar on the run
A example of a running Boar – photo from the Gazette and Herald

It sounds like the boar was seen on the route the children have to go along when they’re sent out cross country running. That will make the little oiks speed up – a great threat in the tradition of releasing the school leopard, (from Ripping Yarns*)

Need to plan my 10 miler for tomorrow – maybe I’ll make sure I avoid this area.

* Google it if you don’t know the reference

Running with Boars?

“Wild boar seen near Allington triggers alarm”

Just spotted this in our local paper. This is on one of my regular running routes. It wasn’t bad enough that I had to run round that area last year passing notices about a ‘Lost Rottweiler’ whilst trying not to think of a lost (and by now quite hungry) rottie. Now I have a wild boar to worry about as well.

However, not to worry – I have just been reassured by the final sentence in the report:-

“The boar was not caught but police have not received calls about it since.”

Well that’s okay then! Maybe I’d better practice some sprinting …