Swansea Harriers Seaside 5K Series - Race 2

Morning

Not sorry I am missing the Cardiff Half. Not done it for years now. Looks cold out there this morning but at least it is not raining.

Snowdon should be good but really the amount of training you have to do to get really good at running 26 miles is way too much for anyone with anything else to do in their lives. (Bear in mind that as much as I have recorded some tidy mara times I have never been really good at the distance.)

Oh, and a mate of mine is doing the Endura Gower Coastal Marathon. He told me about the course the other day and I believe that it is actually ridiculously hard. So heard in fact that I reckon you could do yourself some long term physical damage trying to run it.

Moorning

...so when are you planning on doing the Endura Gower Coastal marathon then Alex?

Dim berries yesterday - after starting out nice the weather did turn out rather wet here. Much nicer today

We had six chicks hatched overnight, which will go some way to replacing the cockerel which a fox had earlier in the week. At least one of the hatchlings was from that cockerel - so he lives on!

afternoon 

Sorry to see that lovely looking bird succumb Boff - nature eh?

Cardiff was good, ideal weather - although a bit cold to start with. Thanks to Tracey for driving and supporting . I think they may actually have the course sorted after all these years! They did sling in a few cheeky unadvertised hills this time! But nothing like you would expect in Snowdon.

Well done Sue!

Evening all

Well done Sue. Great running.  What's happening with your car?

Boffin - sorry to see the prize cockerel go but at least you have the chicks.  I don't think I could be a farmer somehow...

Gorgeous day today.

Evening all its not that bad Alex we ran 23 miles of the course today and I felt pretty good at the end so it can't be that bad the biggest danger seems to be from stampeding cows

I'll grant you its pretty hilly and I'm likely to take the best part of 5 hours to finish but I can see it becoming my favourite race

Morning all

Jones - sounds good.  When is it?

Monday again - where did the weekend go?

Morning  its on the 10th of November so its a birthday present for me on the 13th    it is a tough course and if the weather is bad it will be horrible but if its a day like yesterday it will be lovely

The only annoying thing is that you have to carry a first aid kit, 750ml of water, a hat  a whistle and a foil blanket so I think they must be expexting the worst  

I was looking at that last night .coincidence.they do the ultra as well as shorter distances.i quite fancy the half if it is sunny.

Good running Jones.

Managed a plod this morning as I'm working from home - t'was nippy out at 7:30!

Morning

Nice you enjoyed the half Sue and some serious run there Jones - you coul have one of those hats with the bottles attached!

Sad about the cockerel; but that is just nature - as a species, we do far worse. On the up side, we had seven chicks hatch in all, and one of them was from him. This chick is easily identified as it is white like it's dad - all the other eggs were fertilised by the other, dark red cockerel. It is convenient the chck came out white as colour cannot be gauranteed with our stock - Sweetie new which egg was his and watched the chick hatch.

No plod for me - cut two more ram lambs from the brambles - does that count?

Ram a lamb a ding dong again...

Cardiff half most enjoyable yesterday, it has improved significantly since I stopped running it and started spectating.

No cycling or swimming for me today and I must confess, I feel significantly less tired than usual. I used the time in a boring but profitable way (sorting three weeks worth of clean washing), sometimes I wonder about all this exercise stuff - if I don't do it I get miserable, if I do it I get knackered...

Evenings!

It was super lovely to see Tracey and Sue at the half yesterday.  I've not done it for years either, Alex, but I was after a PB having done some good training this year and this was the only opportunity I had.  Sadly the issues I've had with my left leg and left buttock prevented me from pushing myself too hard in the latter part of the race and the first five (yes FIVE) miles were so congested I had no hope.  I was only just outside the PB time so I will get it soon.  Today my buttock really aches!

It's hard to decide if it's just too big now or not.  I think if I could have started a bit further forward I would have had a better race so I guess I shouldn't complain too much about congestion.  It's not as flat as it was though.

The thing about that Gower marathon isn't the course, as much as the price,  if it's the same one as I think it is, it's very, very expensive.

So, I'm off to try and loosen my arse (ahem!) on the turbo.  If that fails, I'm going to have to sit on a tennis ball.

Evening all

Sounds like Cardiff half was a success all round.  Great to hear from you Mouse.

Exercise is like that Tracey.  Hard work but even harder without it. 

Boffin - sheep and brambles...!

Jones - good luck to you both.  One hell of a way to celebrate your birthday.

I ran my first FLM on my 31st birthday.  A long time ago now!!

I wish I could say I am looking forward to Snowdon.  Two weeks time....

Morning

Morning all  bit windy out there this morning, just off for a slow 6 mile run

You know you'll love it once your up in the mountains with the gales, hail, rain and snow Clare

I am doing snowdon for the first time...so it will be dry and sunny

Yay for dry and sunny. It is often dry and sunny in Snowdonia at the end of October isn't it? Oh wait, no that's Morocco.

Mouse - it was great to see you, and looking good too. Am loving the fact that you finished one paragraph above with "Today my buttock really aches!" and then started the next with "It's hard to decide if it's just too big now or not"... had images of one of your buttocks, out of control and enormous, terrorising the neighbourhood!

The size of mass participation events is a thorny issue. A big event is a spectacle and lots of people get involved in sport who otherwise wouldn't get the chance. But it's SO much nicer and I think closer to sport for sport's sake to witness what goes on at smaller events - exhibit A. London v. Llanelli marathon.

Morning

Hiya Mouse.... good to hear from you again

Cardiff half is a thorny issue to be sure... lots of moan potential and missed opportunities - but hey, it is a Capital City that still has a major running event, so I guess it should be a carnival and a feel good spectator event...

...should still be a marathon distance though - maybe one day it will be again.