Wednesday - Are You Sitting Comfortably....?? OK - Here goes ;o)

Do you know - sometimes life is pretty fantastic. It has it's peaks and troughs of course, but sometimes you can just take half a step back and see just how great it is.
I'm in that place this morning.
And it's so true that you get out of life what you put in.. only sometimes you seem to get back even more, if you can just open your eyes and actually see it.

I have had simply the best few days..

After the most wonderful week with my children - whose insights and honesty have been a revelation!! - I went up to Glasgow for the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon. Amazing city Glasgow.. I had NO idea!
When I was at school, a history teacher of mine took the class up to town (Old Victorian town in Mid Wales). Took us in to the main street and asked us what we could see..
Usual answers followed -

errr.. the Bank.. Boots.. The Post Office.. The road.. Parked cars.. and so on......

OK he said - what else.....?????
Much shrugging of shoulders and confused faces....
Then he said something that had a profound effect on the way I look at many things in life...

Two words..


"Look UP"


So we did - and I was floored by what I saw - the history of the town in its architecture - the soul of the place if you like....
and I had never seen it before -
because I hadn't known to look.
The value of looking beyond facade and the obvious was imprinted on me that day.... most of my school friends really didn't get it.... but I did.

Walking all around the City with my lovely 'K' was truly amazing..
The beauty and serenity of it was awe-inspiring.
It was about being in a place that gives clarity and direction... and a quiet confidence that you are in precisely the place that you should be.. and that pretty much everything is possible..
..and considering where I HAVE been over the last year.........

You KNOW what I mean..!!!!

Meeting with a bunch of the native Forumites (Oh and three of us who were from 'South of the Border!!!) to 'carb-load' in the evening was fantastic!!!!

RACE DAY

"It was hot..... damn hot.." ( to quote Robin Williams)
A gorgeous sunny day - a little bit of breeze..
So hydration was the order of the day pre-race!!!!!!!
Orange juice - definitely the hydration fluid of choice for me!!!!!

anyway we met the forum guys near the start near the start about half an hour before the off.. and the tone for the day was set - it was friendly - unhurrried..

The pulsed start worked well, and the race - although pretty crowded the whole way round - seemed to run really smoothly..
I was hoping to run around a 1:40 for this - so I set a target pace of 7:30m/m

I decided to set off at a gentle (ish) pace and see how it went - I didn't want to get the pacing wrong in that heat - so I thought - just run comfortably for the first half and see how you are feeling. So that's what I did, and by about mile 5 - where I came upon Swiss Bobby who was struggling with the conditions.. so I ran with him for a short while - I had realised that I was running easily and that I would be able hold the pace I was at and perhaps push on a bit too..

In races I often focus on the back of someone ahead of me and set them as a goal to pass at some point.. and here I found myself chasing a lady runner who was always that little way ahead of me - running at a great pace - and really evenly.
So for the best part of 8 miles I used her as a target - and my Garmin kept telling me to slow down!!!!!

Shortly after Mile 11 I finally caught and went past her, then heard her pull back alongside me
So - we had a chat - as you do!!!!
I told her that I'd been trying to catch her for about 8 miles,
and she said - when I went past she thought she should stick with me
So I said - tell you what - we'll finish this off together - what do you think...??
So an accord was reached.
She started to tire in the last 3/4 of a mile or so and told me to run on - and I said no - because she had unwittingly paced me through so much of the race - the least I could do was return the favour in the last bit!!!
So that's what happened...
and the final mile and a bit split was the fastest of the day!!!!!!!!!

I have no idea who she was...
Not even her name...

she was after a 1:40 - which she obliterated
and she thanked me for keeping her going from the point at which I caught her.....

What a race....

Ok here are the numbers

Distance:- 13.1 miles
Time:- 1:35:46
Pace:- 7:13 min/mile
AvHR:- 187bpm

Mile	Pace	AvHR	Time
1	7:55	175	7:55
2	7:05	175	15:05
3	7:18	182	22:22
4	7:32	182	29:52
5	7:21	184	37:14
6	7:16	187	44:30
7	7:18	189	51:44
8	7:03	189	58:47
9	7:03	193	1:05:51
10	7:11	194	1:13:02
11	7:02	193	1:20:04
12	7:03	194	1:27:12
13.1	6:51/6:33	196	1:35:46
Race	7:13	187	1:35:46

Not bad eh.??


My gorgeous lady had to work the next day - so I spent most of the day talking, walking and eating with one of my great friends. A superb day for so many reasons - mostly for the simple gift of friendship, and the value that it holds for me
You know - there are defining moments in all of our lives...
..occasions when you REALLY know who you are and where you are in life..