Home Thoughts Weekly

Newhaven Harbour, Edinburgh So, the initial pla n is that we’ll have a four night city break in Edinburgh to celebrate our sixteenth wedding anniversary, with a short pause on the return journey to visit Tom’s aunt in Harrogate. Then Tom’s PhD work creates a couple of extra stops; a meeting in Sheffield and a course at the OU in Milton Keynes. Once we take travel time and costs into consideration, we decide to book a couple of extra nights in Premier Inns along the way rather than dashing backwards and forwards then we’ll come home reasonably refreshed… won’t we? Well, Edinburgh’s terrific and the Premier Inn’s in a great spot at Newhaven Harbour. We have sea views from our room and an excellent Loch Fyne restaurant right on the doorstep. There’s so much to see in this wonderful city and we make the most of every minute covering mile after mile until our feet can’t walk any further. Proving we've yet to master the 'selfie' After whistle-stop visits to ...

Lining up for the Llanelli Waterside Half Marathon , I have a strong sense of déjà vu. It’s another cold, grey, murky Sunday morning - just like last year - but with added wind and rain to ring the changes. I’m drenched and freezing cold before I even cross the start line, but it really warms my heart to see Ma and Tom there cheering me on. And we’re off! I love this course – an 'out and back' along the stunning coastline – but, my goodness, the horizontal rain, gusty winds and mixed terrain certainly make for challenging conditions. Even more so for the marshals who stand at their posts for hours and do such a magnificent job - although I can’t resist throwing a few names at the guy who cheerfully quips as we pass, ‘see, if you had run a bit faster, you could be home by now!’. Nevertheless, I dig in and feel… well, not too bad considering! Fuelled by hearing Ma and Tom cheering as I reach the home stretch, I’m delighted to cross the finish line with a course PB...

One of the down sides of living on the coast of west Wales – and there are plenty of up sides – is that we spend a lot of time on the road just travelling from 'A' to 'B'. This month looks especially busy but with lots to look forwards to. Still, one week at a time.  First on the agenda , we’re collecting Ma so she’s here for her birthday on Friday and, all being well, to see me finish the Llanelli Half Marathon on Sunday. My dear friend, Ann, got me into running when she introduced me to Epsom Allsorts, an all-women’s group with formidable skills in talking and laughing whilst running. The club highlight was the dreaded Hogsmill Run and one year I enlisted my parents for a bit of additional support for the final stretch. All I could hear as I headed for the finish line was Ma bellowing, ‘COME ON CHRISTINE!!’ so I’m hoping that her presence will give my feet a little extra lift on Sunday. Taking those first steps with a club introduced me to racing, gave me ...