Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Fun In February
by Russell Turner - 19:53 on 15 February 2020
February began with the disappointment of a wasted trip to Glasgow, where a leaky roof meant Strictly Live was cancelled. Matchgirl and I could have had a wild night in Scotland’s biggest city but chose instead to sample the Crowne Plaza’s room service and watch TV. We know how to live.
Less of a disappointment was the laying of the new kitchen lino (by an expert, not us), which added the almost finishing touch to the latest home improvements. A few coats of paint is all that’s needed, although there might be a wait for that.
The Pride has adjusted well to its new prowling area, the only drama (apart from a panicky Matchgirl when cats leap on top of the wall cabinets or fridge-freezer) coming when an urgent scratching sound revealed that Willow had got herself shut in the big corner cupboard. She’s a little sneak.
It’s been a quiet month for City Limits (as March will be) so we took the opportunity to do some recording which, when we’ve found a suitable place to film, will be dubbed on to a video of us in action in the hope of snaring some more gigs.
More gigs are good for the pocket but a nuisance for an eager runner who’s had to scratch several possible races from the calendar, including the Loch Ness Marathon in October because a wedding couple’s booked us the night before. Plan B has come into operation, in which I return to the Yorkshire Marathon, two weeks later, hoping that it will be dry for a change, and settle for the River Ness 10k on Ness Marathon day.
February’s been a good training month, despite Storms Ciara and Dennis and general wind and rain. Last week I broke my 5k record, covering the distance in a respectable 25:36, and today I ran my longest long run before the Warwick Half Marathon in two weeks and the Inverness Half the week after. Twelve miles took a mere 2:01, which was another PB. Let’s hope I’ve not peaked early.
The final bit of excitement so far this month – and we’re only halfway through – was the news that I’ve won a place in a draw organised by the RPS for an exclusive dawn tour of Stonehenge in March. Fifteen winners and 14 guests (Matchgirl can’t make it so I’ll be alone) will get a close-up view of the stones (strictly no touching allowed). Cobwebs will have to be cleaned off the Pentax.
Fortunately, considering it’s a more than 10-hour journey from The Rural Retreat, I’ll be in the Wirral two nights before where Triathlon Cathy and UltraPaul will be my hosts for the weekend when I run the Cheshire 10k on Saturday and Wigan 10 Miles on Sunday. Then I have to be home by Friday for a gig, then away again on Saturday to Alloa, where Matchgirl and I will run the half marathon the next day.
It’s 14 weeks to the Edinburgh Marathon. I’ll be ready for a rest after that.
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