No where to run

Maybe it’s because the Edinburgh Marathon is my first domestic marathon for two years, or maybe it’s because it’s the first marathon I’ve done which isn’t one of the Six Majors but it doesn’t seem like such a big deal this time round. Don’t get me wrong doing a marathon is always a big deal. I am looking forward to it as I missed my first race of the year. It’s just that for me Edinburgh is spinning the wheels ahead of doing the Tokyo Marathon next year.

My training has been going well, it did get a little flaky around the time of my London exhibition, but I’ve been managing to fit it all in. I got up at 5:20am this morning as I wouldn’t have time to punt in an hour ten run at any other time, and it felt like a treat to be running down Blackweir on a beautiful sunny morning with the Dawn chorus being almost deafening. My distances are starting to ramp up with just a over a month left before the marathon and Sunday will see the dreaded return of the post run cold bath. As I’ve shed some weight and that the Edinburgh route is a fast one, as ever I’m looking for a personal best, we’ll see.

Last Saturday saw me volunteer at the Cardiff ParkRun for the first time in over a year. Where does the time go? I was marshaling at the start/finish line. So at the start I answered a few questions then at the end I went through a sequence of shouting “Bike!”, “Keep the path clear please!” and “Well done! Keep moving.”

What did make me smile was a twelve year old crossed the line with an amazing time of 17+ minutes. He turned his watch off, and shook his head. Phil - the ParkRun organiser - wasn’t far behind him and he didn’t look pleased with his time either. Later on I saw the twelve year old with him mum.

That was a great time.” I told him, he looked glum.
“He’s not happy.”
 

We never are, are we?” I said with a smile.