Using Garmin and club prize giving

We were taken out for a meal last night by some very dear friends of ours and had a lovely time.  It's so nice to be grown up for a while and relax with friends.  We went to a place not far from here and enjoyed the evening very much - lots of good conversation and a good number of laughs.  Thank you very much (hope you are reading this!!!)
I went out for a run this morning.  It was a really cold crisp day and was a little bit slippy underfoot.  I did 3.5 miles and used my Garmin for the first time.  It was stunning running through the hotel grounds with the view over the fields and hills where every blade of grass seemed to sparkle in the winter sun.  My time was slow as usual but it was a great thing to do on a Saturday morning.  We had a quick turn around then as we were heading out for the running club end of season run and prize giving.  13yos and 11yod had left their things by the front door and headed up to swimming club and Rick was cycling the 10 miles to the event with a friend.  I had cream to whip to go with the scones I made yesterday plus prizes and dogs and changes of clothes to load into the van.  Managed it all and we arrived in good time.  I chickened out of the adults run as it was a steady 4.5 mile climb (hence I did my own run early on) and decided to run with 11yod as running isn't her favourite thing to do at all!  It was really cold and crisp but great that it was dry after all the rain.  The adults left first on a handicap so 25 minutes from first one leaving to last one.  The border collie ran off with Rick and then the children and I left - 3 of them doing two laps of a one mile route and the rest doing one lap.

The photo above is some of us waiting for the run to start.  7yos wasn't allowed to run as he was unwell yesterday with a temperature.

The above picture is of some of the adults waiting around for their handicap time to come up.  Rick has the blue buff on his head.

Photo above is Rick just about to start off.  The children did really well on their run.  13yos did the two laps and was a little disappointed with his time but he had swum a lot this morning and has a cough so there were reasons for his slower time.  11yod and I ran/walked the mile and she did really well to keep pushing herself. After the children's run finished the marshals and I took the children back to the village community centre we were having food, prizegivings and quizzes in.  Then the adults followed on down in their car.
Rick got the prize for male athelete of the year (shared with an amazing chap who ran his 100th half marathon this year) and 13yos got second prize for the 5k handicap series we have had over the last year.  It was a good day with good food and good fun.  First picture is Rick and his friend who won the handicap race today.  Rick won a £10 voucher for a local outdoor pursuits shop.

The picture below is 13yos with his second prize trophy for the 5k series - he also got a box of chocolates.  He has really done well this year with getting fit and pushing himself that bit further.

It was a good day in all - lovely crisp and cold after all the heavy rain and flooding.  It was good to get back into the house this evening, put on the wood burner and relax.  Winter is well and truly here I guess.  There is also no way that I can stop running now that Rick has bought me a Garmin.................... it is the sign of a real runner and it cannot be left unused as it does not lie!!