Looking back

A bit of nostalgia on this dreich Sunday. It’s exactly 10 years since F, J and I ran the Dublin Marathon. October 25 in 2010 was a Monday, Ireland has a Bank Holiday the last Monday in October. Running has never been sweeter. We had a glorious day sunny and frosty – St Steven’s Green was silvery white (around miles 5/6). I had trained assiduously mainly on the Kintyre hills and more often than not in a stiff breeze. The stillness and levelness of Dublin made the challenge very doable and we all exceeded our estimated times with J qualifying for the Boston Marathon which she did a couple of years later. In those days when the local running club was in its infancy it was quite a thing to complete a marathon, and we all quietly revelled in the attention, and the response it drew to the small local charities on whose behalf we were running. These days when I have more time and fewer excuses, I think I’m doing well if I manage 5k. While I enjoy walking on my own I prefer, and to some extent need the company of others when I’m running. Although looking back most of my marathon training runs, and all the long ones where solo – J and F ran 8 minute miles, I was nearer 10.
My time by the way was quite a few minutes faster than the clock.
Today’s success was a lemon drizzle cake, from a recipe sourced on the Archers website – one of Jill’s. The success was probably due the high butter content and four eggs. We sampled a couple of slices and I took the rest round to the Young Ones.
The RC Bishop of Paisley has opined that there should be a ‘Covid Christmas truce’. His dangerous naivety beggars belief.