200KM!

I started the year with my usual plan of running the Reading half marathon, with half an eye on a sub 2 hour time.  As usual, the best laid plans of mice and men took priority and my traditional training schedule of a long run at the weekend with 2 sessions on the cross-trainer or doing circuits stepped into the breach.

Reading was wet; It was the type of wet which usually sees me staying firmly indoors and choosing not to go for a run. The type of wet where you're permanently in a shower and remain resolutely damp all the way round. It didn't stop the crowds and one highlight is always the steel band somewhere around the back of the Oracle. The last 3miles is always the longest, longer still when everything's soaked and your trainers have absorbed several puddles along the way. Once again, the Camel overtook me.

Later in the year saw us on holiday in Florida. This included a few days aboard the Disney Dream. I thought my main running opportunities would be in the gym on a treadmill so I took my indoor shoes: a pair of Vibram five fingers. Pip and I discovered the running deck when we were exploring the ship so, while we were moored at Nassau, I had a 4 mile run around the deck. This was followed up with the Castaway Cay 5K - I turned up bleary eyed, expecting the invitation to go for a run to be a fairly informal jog around Castaway Cay. I didn't expect to receive a running number and an exhortation to buy a pin and a t-shirt after the race; well, it's Disney, maybe I did expect the shop just by the finish line. I'm not sure if this link will work, but here goes anyway: http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/places/#/MyRoutes/26.082981037105686/-77.5450531745152/15

November saw me pull a team together for the three molehills. My original team pulled out at the last minute (something to do with being on holiday). Thanks to the power of social media, I managed to find two willing friends to join me on my visit to Denbies. Three legs, each up and down a different hill/ part of a hill on the North Downs. Box Hill was mine: over the stepping stones, up the very steep climb, a slip in the mud at the top and a long ascent down. On a clear day, the views are amazing. This wasn't a clear day...




We were in a very fast field, team Make Mine a Chardonnay, nobly finished last.




I'm not running Reading this year. I'm going to participate in the inaugural Surrey Half Marathon. Target time? I'll let you know...