Now What?

Eleven months and 13.1 miles after waking up on one of those birthdays requiring a towering inferno of candles on the cake and deciding to run a half marathon, I crossed the ‘finish’ line and stopped. Someone draped me in a space blanket, someone else gave me a medal, a third person handed me a goodie bag and then, in the middle of that noise and excitement, I was suddenly quite overcome. I thought of Dad, who hadn’t been there to see me, and Tom and Lily, somewhere in the crowd, who were and got a bit emotional. By the time Lily found me (they’d lost track of me once I was wrapped in foil and looked like a drumstick, like everyone else!) I was a gibbering heap which set Lily off too.
‘Never, ever let me do that ever again!’ I blubbed.
‘No, all right, Mum,’ said Lily, texting Tom to say where we were.
Once Lily had fished out my free sample of energy drink and got it down me I started to cheer up a bit. I felt even better once I’d had a soak in Lily’s bath with some of her Champney’s Orientale bath stuff, (highly recommended. And, yes, I know you’re not supposed to use heat on exhausted muscles but I was waaaaay past caring). But run a half marathon again? No, never! The trouble was I had time to think on the drive home. Okay, I managed a reasonable time, fifty-fourth out of ninety-nine women in my age group. But maybe I could improve? Oh, what the heck? I got in and signed up for the Llanelli half in March – well, I’ve got to have something to aim for. Here’s a few weird things about the race and then I will shut up about running.

• Out of the six thousand or so runners that day, I met two runners I knew in the crowd.
• I passed a bloke looking mighty uncomfortable in a mankini … tried not to think about where he might be sore.
• I ate three of my Jelly Babies but the last one disappeared without a trace… where did it go? I did see someone else’s dead one on the pavement and was quite tempted to pick it up but decided that would be a bit gross.

Hurray! One of Tom’s paintings was selected for the 6th Tenby Open Art Competition. My selection this week was rejected but it happens to be my favourite of the bunch so you’ve got it too. Anyway, judging takes place on Saturday and if Tom’s placed we’ll both keel over as his work tends to be big and bold and outside a lot of folk’s comfort zone but you never know…

And finally…
I’ve had a thoroughly lazy week doing lots of lolling around with good books. It’s been useful time for percolating writing ideas. FTT is flirting with a potential suitor but it’s time to stop worrying about that and get on with the next book. I’ve also thought of this week as time spent recharging my batteries… next week Mil and Dil descend on Hotel H!!

Paiting is 'Cranes - Port Talbot - Rain' by Tom Tomos