The weekend any dreams of Modern Pentathlon went out the window

This weekend we were away on our Youth Fellowship Weekend in Castelwellan. Our YF weekend has been in Castlwellan since time immemorial. My first one there was in Form 2 and I know there has been one around this time of year ever since. Of course I haven't been on them all. The first one I missed was to go to my first Autumn Soul in 1999, and then you might be aware that I lived abroad a couple of years (or have I not mentioned on here?) So with that and Castlwellan Holiday Week that makes a whole truck load of time (I may have made up that collective noun) I have spent there. Yet this year was the very first time I have ever been around the lake. I don't know why I've never walked around it before. But nope, never, not once.

When I started running at the end of the summer, I thought it might be a nice goal to try to kill two birds with one stone and run it sometime over our weekend there. I checked with Patrick N as to how long it was (knowing he runs it in the mornings at CHW sometimes). He said it was about 2.5 miles which is about what I usually run so I knew I wasn't setting myself an impossible goal or anything. And even though I was very late packing on Friday night (6.10pm when I had to be in the church carpark at 6.30pm) I made sure I had all my running stuff - iPod, earphones, track bottoms, trainers, etc. Of course in the packing (and subsequent visits to the house before leaving the 'head, I totally neglected to bring any other socks than the ones I was wearing and the ones for running. Mmmn mmmn.

It would have made much more sense to run on Sunday morning. Way more sense. The clocks went back on Saturday night so Sunday morning would be brighter and I would have had more sleep with the extra time in bed and the forecast was marginally better for Sunday morning. But I think I was scared of missing my chance or something. So when the alarm went off at 7.15am on Saturday I got up, got ready and thought nothing of the dark, cold and rain that would meet me when I got outside.

Safety first I texted an other leader when I left (and when I got back) and I even took my phone with me, which I never really do at home and off I set. Had I heard the rain in my room when the alarm went I might not have gone, but standing on the door step at 7.30am fully dressed and ready for a run, I pressed on ahead.

Now, like I said, I've never been around the lake before so I really didn't have a clue how I was doing. This didn't really matter because aside from the slight suggestion of the path, I couldn't really see anything. I kept waiting for the path to curve and it doesn't, not until the very end. As lakes go, this one is quite thin and narrow. You will probably know this already though. When I got up to the top end I was quite chuffed as it didn't really seem to take a whole lot out of me. I knew that, barring any accidents, I would make it all the way around. I took my phone out and took a quick photo.

Its likeness to Angkor Wat is uncanny.

The second side of the lake, I honestly felt like I was walking. It didn't feel hard at all. That must mean I'm getting good right?! I passed a sign pointing back the way I'd run saying 3km and I had to check Nike+ because I didn't believe it! I knew I'd start to see familiar things when I was getting close, goodness knows I wasn't going to see the Castle on a morning like that until I was about to fall into it. And sure enough, a few minutes of running later there was the hill that the water slide used to be on when the proper hill is closed off. I had such a smile of my face because I knew I had done it, even though there was a bit more to do to get back to the start.

This is me at the end. It was hard to get me and the Castle in the shot, plus it was raining. But I hope you will take this as proof that I did indeed do it.

The rest of the weekend went very well. The 'spiritual' parts of the weekend were good. We looked at having passion and not just going through the motions. And things seems to click with some people. Plus it's always nice to take a group away and become a little bit closer and get to know everyone a little bit better.

We were a pleased with our alternate Saturday plans. Normally we'd go into Newcastle and doss around in the afternoon but everyone was growing to hate Newcastle. So this year we went to do some adventure activities like laser clay pigeon shooting and archery.

It all looks so promising.

It was a good job I had got my sportiness in for the day already because I suck at hand-eye coordination. In archery we had five arrows to shoot. Yeah, so I got two on target for the massive score of 13. One of the other leaders told me the lowest, yes lowest score in his group was 28! In laser clay pigeon shooting, I hit one clay pigeon. One. I don't care, I'm good at other stuff. Plus by some sort of fluke, in the arrow off at the end of the archery, somehow my arrow managed to hit the target and be closest to the Fredo bar, so I won! Yee ha!

And a good time was had by all.