Serendipity and a hangover from Ghent

Gibside Great Run Local 24 May 2015

I finally get to grips with technology in the form of GPS watch, Garmin Forerunner and Great Run Wristband

Serendipity is defined as a fortunate happenstance, or pleasant surprise and that was certainly the case when we visited Ghent a few days ago to find that the local football team were playing a championship decider that very night. Yes, the game against Standard Liege had brought lots of fans into the centre of this medieval city to either go to the match or watch it live on TV in the Irish pub attached to our hotel. How about that for a fortunate happenstance?
I joined these happy and oh, so civilised football supporters in their moment of triumph and they could not have been better hosts. The bar was absolutely packed, but supporters and bar staff were just so happy and polite, I was quickly adopted as a new fan and whilst I could not join their chants in Dutch ( the local language), at the end of the game when the hundreds of fans in the pub launched into Queen's 'We are the champions' , I sang along with them.
So what is this to do with my twelth race in my 65 race challenge? Well that's where the hangover in the title above comes in to this blog, for I had to sample some of those famous Belgian beers, didn't I?
Roll on to today and I lined up at Gibside for the Great Run Local 5K feeling a bit off form, all those Belgian waffles, of course. In the event I didn't do too badly finishing this very hilly course in 24.30 mins, only two seconds down on my first run here last month.
Now I go into a busy period of races in my challenge, George Ogle 6 mile on Wednesday 27 May 2015, followed by the Allendale 8 mile on Saturday 30 May 2015. Then another mid week race next week and a longer run that weekend, followed three days later by one of my favourites The Blaydon Race. That's the one I will really be going for, against a field of over 4,000!


 Ghent end 115 year wait for Belgian Title