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Eat, cheer, run……..the thrill of the seaside

By justinesq on July 13, 2015 • ( 0 )

So it’s a weekend of sun, sand and cheerleading as we make our annual pilgrimage to the cheer event of the year at Bournemouth, this year with an extra cheerleader in tow ( first cheer season for my younger daughter).

Ready to cheer ( wish I was that flexible !)

It’s cheer season 3 for me, so I now know my way round Bournemouth and as it’s also gay pride weekend, it’s definitely not all about old people. In fact it’s been funny listening to the girls keep nudging me and saying “OMG that’s a man !” , “yup” I reply, “it’s gay pride parade day and no woman ever looks that good in a sequinned tube dress!” It’s the whole , lack of hips thing!

Bournemouth has got one of the best beaches I’ve seen in the UK and it’s attached to a proper town, not a cheesey or chavvy resort, we really like it.

We’ve moved up from a couple of dubious B&Bs to the Best Western hotel, but it’s mainly location that’s key. Parking is impossible on cheer weekend so I like to park Friday and not touch the car until Monday. Our Cheer team venue of choice is a Haven caravan park 9 miles away but when parking is impossible and not free, I don’t get why, I’d rather be in Bournemouth. The girls are used to the outdoor pool and spa at David Lloyd so a Haven pool doesn’t interest them (spoiled, I know!) so we stay in the thick of the action, shops and restaurants without the drive 9 miles in and out. Seaside accommodation comedy feature ( there’s always one), the position of the dressing table mirror, perfect for doing hair and make up

Yes, my hand is above my head and I’m quite tall !!

I was so excited to get up early for a run by the sea, I swear I’d be out every day if I lived by the sea. It’s a novelty when you live in the most landlocked county of the UK. Major trauma, I forgot my running shoes, having forgotten my garmin for London, my destination running plans clearly need some more effort. As I have two daughters with the same size feet, the beautiful blue Nikes I recently bought my daughter came to the rescue. It was dry so I promised not to muck them up and I think they enjoyed it. Nike spend millions promoting their sporting credentials and getting the world class sporting elite to promote their footwear and yet the average teenager wears them purely as a fashion accessory, no sport required. I actually saw a lady come to the running club with a pair of Nike Roshe Runs to actually run in them ! Not sure if my daughters Nikes are running shoes but they’re pretty new so I figured one short run would be harmless in them, it was that or flip flops.

I ran 3 miles along the beach from the Bournemouth to the Poole beaches and back again. It was sunny and lovely, just runners and dog walkers around. Must admit the runners weren’t the friendly sort, only one ‘morning’ was returned ! The dog walkers were noticeable though, they wore an impressive selection of sports gear, odd as I don’t class dog walking as a sport. Clearly it’s exercise, better than staying in bed but I’m not sure it required the impressive selection of sports gear I saw. Had they walked from Sandbanks?

Early morning on Bournemouth beach

I passed a lady wandering along, I think she classed it as exercise, she did have trainers and iPod but on the other hand, I felt stopping for a bottle of coke and a fag might be doing more harm than the gentle amble! Maybe I’m being harsh and it was her first morning. I always want to stop and say ‘effort gets results’ , if you don’t break a sweat you might as well not bother. Harsh but true.

The end of the run was a tough one, you have to get back from the beach to the hotel on the cliff …oooo that’s a steep path, but I ran it. Probably like some kind of slow motion run, it felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere but somehow I did climb the cliff. Passing a lot of huffers and puffers struggling to walk up makes you really appreciate your fitness and reminds me not to take it for granted.

Piece of cake !

I will need a few extra miles this week to counteract naughty weekend munching. Double creamy ice creams on the beach, Zizzi’s, La Tasca, Pringles and a family pack of Revels all for me at the cinema…..oh yes, the cinema, that might have been an epic failing in parental judgement. We rocked up to the Bournemouth Odeon to be presented with a choice of two films, Minions and Magic Mike. Now my little angels are 14 and 15 and I know they like Channing Tatum and I know their dad wants to see Minions. The reality was that Magic Mike was dull dull dull for the first 45 minutes, Minions would have been so much more entertaining! It’s no secret Channing Tatum has the personality of a plank of wood in real life ( please also see the internet album of 13 potatoes that look like Channing Tatam….yes really….and they do ! ) given a script he’s ok, easy on the eye of course.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/potatoes-that-look-like-channing-tatum#.utVMRvXzk

The remaining film was a bump and grind fest of a highly inappropriate nature….of course it was, it’s about male strippers for gods sake. The ladies in the film are all fully clothed of course but I feel my daughters sex ed lessons have been suitably or unsuitably enhanced !! Of course their expectations are now raised, I don’t feel they’ll settle for anything less than an eye watering set of abdominals and judging by the number of OMGs I don’t think they’ll ever be in Bournemouth for gay pride !! They might have to tell their dad they watched Minions and keep me out of trouble! I really needed a compromise….

The cheerleading went well, EMCA Magic came second and did Nottingham proud at the event of the year. I’m going to be promoting the This Girl Can campaign, more about that next blog. The cheerleaders definitely can, they tumble, they stunt , they dance and they’re sassy. Cheerleaders are athletes with attitude. Go girls……