Technically three runs this week - though one of them was a feeble effort after cycling back the longer way from work. Not having taken part in a triathlon before, I have not appreciated the learning curve when you do what is called a 'brick' session ie leaping straight off the bike and going for a run. The legs just do not work! I felt like I was starting to get back into the swing of things, though my Sunday run was not up to par. Perhaps it was just 'one of those weeks'. Delighted to have booked my first race since the Marathon - the Hursley 10k. I ran this a couple of years ago, as a preparation for the Clarendon half. It is a treat of an event. The atmosphere is great, as it is organised as fundraiser for the village school in Hursley. The course is trail/woodland/track, taking in parts of the IBM Hursley estate , which is off limits other than this one day a year. The great thing about running on trails is that you get a bit less worried about exact times and PB chasing. Hursley is also well known for the variety of chimneys on old estate houses - all a bit different.
This is my last week in my current role - 4 years in Operations is plenty of time to gain sufficient experience. I am returning to a role not a million miles away from the one I left in Supply Chain - a development role. I'm looking forward to getting back into the project world, and, quite honestly, something I understand. There's an element of safety, for sure, and right now I need that. What comes after that is still to be seen!
Wine of the week is an absolute belter - a SuperTuscan called Flaccianello della Pieve 2001 by Fontodi. This wine is from the heart of the Chianti region, but, as it is pure Sangiovese - yes, the Italian's own grape - it cannot be called Chianti! The regulations insist on blending, and yet do not insist on blending with other Italian grapes - so you can have a Chianti with a healthy dollop of the French grape merlot, but a pure Italian wine has to take a more lowly classification of IGT. Mad rules, mad Italians, don't you just love them!
Anyway, back to the wine, which had an intense, pure blackberry nose, and on the palate, oh my Lord, soft tannins, succulent acidity and cherry and herb flavours. Everything was clean, well integrated and juicy, and with undercurrents of smoky ash, plums and orange peel. This is a lovely wine. Not a massive length, but good enough. Not cheap either - around £50 a bottle for the 2001, £40 for the current 2005 vintage. The bottle suggested a 2 hour decant, which makes real sense. I was delighted with this wine, as I bought it some years ago on its reputation, and was therefore more disappointed to try the 2007 at a recent tasting - really let me down. Clearly it is a wine which repays cellaring. And, for once, a big name that deserves its reputation. My faith is restored.
Happy days.
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