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Twelve days before the Llanelli Half Marathon and two and half years since my last visit, I see my GP. The ongoing cold/cough/lurgy I’ve had since Christmas shows no sign of clearing up any time soon mainly, it turns out, because it’s a chronic sinus infection. I mention my race and receive a long, hard look in return but the GP doesn’t actually tell me not to take part. Race day arrives and the chilly conditions are perfect. I absolutely love this route which is an ‘out and back’ along the coastline beginning and ending at Parc y Scarlets . There’s a great atmosphere and the camaraderie among the runners is fantastic. For the first six and a bit miles I have an absolute blast and clock up excellent times at the 5k and 10k marks… and then, at mile seven, I feel sick and faint. For the first time ever in a race, I wonder if I should retire. A couple of sweets later and I decide I’m well enough to press on. Six miles isn’t so bad, I tell myself, it’s a distance my dear running fri...

Like my last post of 2017 , my first post of 2018 is about a birthday present and a holiday. In Rome, I open my cards to discover that my gift from Lily and Russ, Rose and Si is a four night family break in a fabulous treehouse in the Forest of Dean booked for the end of January. I love New Year and the idea of starting afresh but this year nothing seems to have gone according to plan; at Christmas, I’m struck down with what feels like a never-ending cold and cough, my beloved iMac seizes up and has to go to the MacHospital which in turn sets back the edits I’m working through for a new novella. After a deep, dark wood of a January and a few more trials and tribulations, I can’t wait to set off for our treehouse holiday! And my goodness, it’s brilliant! There’s a luxury cabin large enough to accommodate the little families, and, across a wooden bridge, there’s another small cabin for me and Tom. Oh, and there’s a hot tub! (No photos, you'll be pleased to know.) Two-...