NI parkruns: Strathclyde parkathon

Posted on June 22, 2014 by lindaharley

I’m blogging my own journey around NI’s parkruns, but I had to record a sepcial entry for a group of awesome parkrunners from Strathclyde, who have run all 18 in One Weekend!

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I joined them at 8 am on Saturday at my home run of Wallace, Lisburn. They were wreathed in smiles, sporting tartan skirts, and a truly awesome array of red 50 and black 100 Tshirts.

 

Red and Black Tshirts

Red and Black Tshirts

The early morning rain ceased, and it stayed dry for their trip around our course, famous for its three visits to the duckpond, and the not-so-welcome hill at the car-park.

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We’d loved them to have stayed for tea and a biscuit, but they were dashing off to do their offical parkrun at Citypark, Craigavon, The proferred Haribos were well recieved, though, with the opportunity to joke about having the fried egg for breakfast.

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They had special hats and Tshirts, and a very well-organised schedule, backed up with a sat-nav and a luggage carrying-van.

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I can honestly say it was an inspiration to meet them, I’m delighted that they completed their challenge succesfully, and that they got to see some of Norn Irn in good weather. I look forward to running some of Scotland’s parkruns in the future.  Well done guys!

Filed under: Lisburn, Parkrun, running, travel | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

NI Parkruns: Portrush

Posted on May 14, 2014 by lindaharley

The parkrun at Portrush, on NI’s north coast, is surely one of the most stunningly beautiful courses anywhere.  It’s also one of the toughest.portrush parkrun 007

Access:  
The run starts at 9:30, on the East Strand.  Travelling from Belfast, I like to approach Portrush along the coast road, past the white rocks beach, the Skerries sitting out on the sparkling grey waves, past what I still refer to as Kelly’s nightclub, and the Royal Portrush Golf Club, two very different sorts of entertainment venue facing each other across the road.  There is ample car-parking at the start of the course, with a good vantage point for any non-running observers to watch.

Course:
The course is an out-an-back one, run mostly on the sand.  Running on hard sand is very pleasant, but you have to cross a patch of soft sand in order to get there.  Even worse, you have to re-cross the soft sand on your return leg, at which stage your muscles are aching.  In the winter, when the wind is howling and the tide is high, sometimes even the hard sand peters out, and your choice is to clamber over rocks, or get your feet wet.  It’s certainly a character bulding experience!

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Gear:
 I’ve run this course twice, once in May, and once in January, during a really unpleasant spell of weather.  I’d taken my rain jacket off while running, and the rain soaked my T shirt, causing it to stick to my skin.  Not pleasant.  In the colder months, gloves and a buff or headband are highly recommended.

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Crowd:  
The turnout varies depending on the time of year.  During the balmy July holidays it can attract over 100, while in the winter the hardy regulars number around 50.  Many of them are very keen sporty types, who can often be found hanging 10 on their surf boards, over on Portrush’s other beach, the West Strand.  There’s a warm welcome to visitors, and as a tourist destination, these are in regular supply over the summer months.  My first run there had been on May 4th, Star Wars day, and there was someone in full Darth Vader get-up to celebrate.  That had also been my nephew’s first parkrun, which he managed in a very creditable 25 minutes, inspiring him to run the Belfast Marathon the following year.

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Strangely Appropriate Song on my Shuffle:
 I was hearing the strains of Vangelis and “Chariots of Fire” recreating that moment where the Olympic hopefuls are training on the beach.  But this is definitely one for Daft Punk’s “Harder, Faster, Stronger”.

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Time:  You’re unlikely to get a PB here, even though it’s flat.  When I first ran it in May, I was still trying to break the 30 minute barrier.  And I failed.  When I ran it again, 6 months later, regularly sub-30-ing, I though I could at least better my previous time.  And didn’t even manage that, having lost valuable seconds scrambling over the rocks.

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

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NI Parkruns: Citypark Craigavon

Posted on May 11, 2014 by lindaharley

“Citypark” is a rather misleading name for this one, as it’s nowhere near a city! It is in the vicinity of Craigavon, though, with its many roundabouts to negotiate, and I was glad I had written out the directions on a piece of paper, and was travelling with a running companion to help me navigate.

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Access:

It’s not too far off junction 10 of the M1, but check their web page for detailed instructions.  The course is one single lap around a pair of lakes next to the Watersports centre and civic centre.

UPDATE: It now starts and finishes at the newly built South Lakes Leisure Centre, where there are loos and a fabulous cafe.

There’s a good car park, and shelter/ loos in the watersports building, where coats, keys and barcodes can be left during the run.  It’s a pretty route through lots of trees, and while there a few ups and downs, there are no killer hills.

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Gear:

It was raining when I visited, but not heavily, and I opted for my short sleeved Jog Lisburn T shirt, with long trousers.  MapMyRun seemed to be working fine, but it told me I’d completed the 5k when I was still 400m from the finish, which threw my pacing calculations off slightly. I had my waistband pouch to hold poo bags, dog treats etc, my sweat-wristband which is useful for the runny nose I always get when running, and I utilise the white headband from last year’s colour run to act as a brake under my armband phone holder. Our Jog Lisburn T-shirts provided a conversation starter, and we were able to do our ambassadorial bit for the club.

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Crowd:

It usually has in the region of 100 runners, with quite a few females taking part – I finished as 12th woman.  Mini was the only dog running, and as usual had a crowd of admirers coming to say hello. There’s tea, coffee, and water available afterwards, to enjoy over the post-run banter and comparing of performances.

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Strangely Appropriate Song provided by shuffle:

With all the pacing calculations going on in my head, it had to be Stevie Wonder going “five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes!” from Seasons of Love.

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Time:

Having PBed the previous week with 26:19, I was hoping that this less-hilly route would help me get under 26.  That meant pacing between 5 and 5:12 per km.  My plan was to run the first half as fast as I could, and I kept my pace around 5:03.  For the back stretch, I was aiming to hold position.  As I started the last km I was pretty sure I’d get a solid time, but then MapMyRun told me I’d completed the 5 when I was still some way off the finish.  So I wasn’t too sure of my actual finish time until the official text and email results came it, and was delighted to have broken into the 25s with a 25:57.

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: Dogs, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

NI ParkRuns: Falls

Posted on April 26, 2014 by lindaharley

I’ve set myself a challenge of running at each of the ParkRuns in Northern Ireland, and then blogging my experience.

Today’s venue: Falls, Belfast

Hi-Ho, lets go

Hi-Ho, lets go

Access is fairly easy, not far off the M1, and there’s parking near the bowling green, where the group meets at the start. Toilet facilities are available here, which is always welcome.

Gear:

The weather forecast had been for rain, so I wore my yellow running jacket. As it turned out, the sun shone, and I was too warm during the run itself.

Tree-mendous

Tree-mendous

Course:

It has a reputation as a hilly one, but I was pleasantly surprised that they weren’t as bad as I’d imagined. As usual, I was ably assisted by my squirrel-propelled four-pawed companion, and Mini got lots of attention from the other runners. The park itself is very pretty, and the course consits of one small lap, followed by 2 larger laps. There are markings on the footpath at any of the turns, and at the end.

Grrrrrrrl power

Grrrrrrrl power

Crowd:

The usual turnout is about 60, so I was able to record my best overall position to date (28) here. There’s also quite a few slower runners, so it’s not too intimidating for beginners. They’re a nice friendly bunch, and the cup of tea afterwards was appreciated.

The End is nigh

The End is nigh

Apt/ inspiring song:

There’s always one track on my playlist which is strangely appropriate or inspiring, and today it was Biffy Clyro’s “I am a Mountain” .

Time:

My target was to do a sub-30, given the hills and the lack of training I’ve done recently. And my MapMyRun feedback was occasionally telling me my pace was a touch over 6 mins per km, but I managed to get a head of steam going for the final stretch, and came in at 27:44. I drove home with a huge smile on my face!

List of all the parkruns I’ve completed.

Filed under: Parkrun, running | 2 Comments »

Saving seconds, 5:36

Posted on October 26, 2013 by lindaharley

I’ve been ParkRunning for most of this year now – did my 24th today, in fact! My Personal Best time (PB) had been 28:16, which I’d recorded back in June, when I was in serious training for the Lisburn half-marathon. But ever since then my times had got worse.

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So in an attempt to stem this downward tide, I joined Jog Lisburn. These fabulous folk were following the Couch to 5K programme, as the vast majority of them were getting ready for their first ever 5k run. Training was 2 nights a week, rain or shine, and even on dark nights we found routes in Wallace Park which still had some illumination. That, coupled with ensuring I didn’t overdo the booze on a Friday night, brought about some improvement. And I knew I was fast last week, but it wasn’t until the official results were published that I discovered I’d only been ONE second off my PB. One miserable second!!!

This annoyed me. I started trying to work out how I could monitor my speed and pace while I was actually running.  Could I create a playlist that lasted 7 minutes per lap, maybe? I wasn’t keen on a watch type device – I already run with a dog which occupies one hand. So I explored what functionality there might be on MapMyRun. And I found Voice Feedback.

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I set it to report every 0.25km, and tell me total time, average pace, average speed, and current pace. I tried it out walking the dogs, and again at Wednesday night’s training.  I was really keen to do well this week, as I’ll miss the next two Saturdays, and the one after that is scheduled to be the mass Jog Lisburn event.

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I got a good night’s sleep (though I still get a real adrenalin rush of nerves before an important run), and had a superfood breakfast of Berry Bircher.  That’s overnight oats with flaxseed, goji berries, raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate seeds, cinnamon and manuka honey. Yummy carbohydrates!

The weather forecast had been ominous, with yellow warnings of rain and strong winds, but it turned out to be dry, cold, and just a bit breezy.  I had no excuses.

I did my warm-up lap, and my stretches, peeled off my outer jacket, wrapped my headband under the iPhone holder so it wouldn’t be slipping down my arm, selected my jogging playlist, waited for the whistle…..and pressed START.

I’d worried that the frequency of the voice-in-my-ear I’d chosen would be too much, but actually it was just about right.  It’s obviously relying on a GPS fix for distance and hence speed, so these aren’t error-free, but the elapsed time is bang on, and I knew I was aiming for a 6 minute first (short) lap, and 7 minutes for the 3 longer laps.  To acheive a new PB, I’d need an average pace of under 5:36.

I flung myself down the hills, remembered to keep my knees up, stretched my stride, glided in between each footfall, and didn’t fight the hills.  The marshalls, many of whom are fellow Jog Lisburners, cheered me on at every corner.  About half way through the last lap, I knew I was going to do it, and do it well.  Knowledge is power.  I sprinted up to the finish line and crossed it in 27:25.

One of the great things about ParkRun is all the statistics that it holds.  This brilliant PB moved me from #499 to #465 in the Best 500 Times table, and from 245 to 202 on the age graded table.  Best of all, I’m number one on the female points table!

You want to see the mile-wide smile on my face……..

Filed under: Lisburn, running | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

A GR8 run – Should I? Could I?

Posted on September 22, 2013 by lindaharley

We took the dogs for a walk at Dundrum yesterday – what a gorgeous place, the views across Murlough Bay to the mountains of Mourne are nothing less than spectacular. And while there, I saw a notice for the GR8 Dundrum Road Run, to be held on my birthday next month. A quick google (actually quite bit of Googling – I must suggest to them that their links could be more user-friendly) revealed that it’s an 8-mile cross-country race, partly on roads, partly on hills, and partly on the beach (cue Chariots of Fire music).

So I’m very tempted to sign up for this one, if only so that when people ask me what I did on my birthday I can honestly answer “I had a GR8 run!”.  The things I’ll do for a good pun!  So it’ll be a pun-run, if you will.

The thing is, I haven’t run for ages, and I’m really out of practice.  I did my first Parkrun in 6 weeks yesterday, and didn’t even manage to get a sub 30 minute time, and my legs are aching today.  Plus this is cross country, with hills and similar obstacles, possibly even wild sheep. And it’s only 3 weeks away!  Does that give me enough time to train?  But I’m clearly not built for speed, so I’m drawn to other sorts of interesting races.

Luckily for me, there’s lots of hills nearby, so I took Max out for a rather enjoyable Sunday morning run today.  I was wearing a new performance top that I bought in Lidl yesterday – a bargain at only £7.99!

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Good points – it’s warm, which will be important as te temperature falls into Autumn.  It’s long enough to cover tum and bum and not ride up.

Bad points – it’s warm.  The material is quite slippy, meaning my arm-phone-holder slides down towards my elbow.  Any suggestions? How do other runners deal with this?

I’m tempted to make a small hole at the shoulder seam so that I can thread my headphones through and stop them getting in my way as I run.  But I’m a bit wary of making holes in things.

So.  Here goes.  Be ready for lots of MapMyRun status updates and blogs about Max tangling his lead around my legs….

Filed under: Lisburn, running | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Running gadgets

Posted on July 17, 2013 by lindaharley

One of my best buds when I was training for the half-marathon was my iPod shuffle. Tiny little silver matchbox, with a huge capacity for storing music, able to skip, pause, and control volume from the control on the lead. I’d had it for years – only replaced the headphones for the first time about 4 weeks ago.  And they no longer make this model – the newer shuffle is a small square shape which has all its controls actually on eh device, not the leads.

I would carry it with me in a little black velvet bag.  I usually took it when travelling, or even on daily commutes if going by train.  So I took it with me to Paris last month.  And now I can’t find it.  It may well turn up in some forgotten corner of a suitcase, but meanwhile I’m using the music on my iPhone.  To do this more comfortably, I bought some new bits and bobs.

Flexible Arm-holder/ reflective armband

glossyboxjuly 012Unless you want to run carrying your phone in your hand, some sort of holder is essential.  I was previously using a pocket that clipped around my waist, but it was awkward to get the phone in and out, and consequently not great for making any adjustment en route.  I chose the black stretchy version as it would be easier to keep clean than the white leather one.  It was £7.99 in TKMaxx.  It’s hard to get the fit just right – my arm muscles aren’t very bulky, and the holder is inclined to slide down the arm and under my triceps after a while.  I also had to make an additional hole for the headphone socket on my iPhone 4.   But it’s pretty simple to operate through the plastic screen, which will speed up the time it takes me to get my music running, find MapMyRun and press Start, which usually costs me a few seconds at the start of Park Runs. And feeding the wires out the side of my top rather than down my front seems to prevent some tugging and pulling.   It also has a reflective strip, which isn’t so important in this sunshine, but will be a bonus on gloomy winter mornings.  I’d give it 3/5 for looks, and the same for performance.

Sharper Image Ear-clip Headphones

I loved the look of these, with the very sleek green/gold and black.  I was seduced by the word “sport” on the packaging, and intrigued by the shape, promising a better fit in my darned odd-shaped ears. At £5.99 from TKMaxx, they were worth a trial.

glossyboxjuly 010 I found it surprisingly easy to get these to fit snugly into my ears, and I admired them in the mirror before setting out on a run.  Sadly, about 2 miles in, they were slipping out of place, and I spent the rest of my run fiddling and adjusting them.  So, 5/5 for looks, but only 2/5 for performance.

Gummy Plus headphones, in white

As my husband pointed out, these were the only items on the rail in the shop with security tags, and indication that they must be attractive to shoplifters.  I’d also seen them recommended on MyFitnessPal and other running forums.  At £9.99 they weren’t the cheapest headphones by any means, but I liked the fact that they came with different sizes of ear-bud covers.  On a hot morning run, they stayed in place brilliantly with the smallest covers on, and they have the same pause/ next track functionality that I find essential. 3/5 for looks – boring white headphones – but 4.5/5 for performance.

Wristband

Running in warm weather, this is one  bit of kit I wont leave home without.  It’s very easy to wipe sweaty brows and upper lips while moving, and it also has a handy hidden inner for keys/poo bags/ emergency jelly beans.


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Coconut Water

This claims to be a great rehydrator, as well as containing essential electrolytes.  It’s quite pricey, but tastes good, not too sweet, and only 25 calories for a 330 ml carton.  I would buy this again, especially if the hot weather looks set to continue.

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Sun-block

Sadly, I managed to get badly sunburned at the weekend sitting in a friend’s garden.  I HAD put sun cream on the back of my neck, but obviously couldn’t reach down far enough (obvious now….).  So I now take no chances, and make sure I have  factor 50 slathered over my bare shoulders.

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What are your best tips for running in the heat?  And what are your favourite gadgets?

Filed under: gadgets, running | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

12 Down: The Race is One!

Posted on June 22, 2013 by lindaharley

Race week had come around at last! I did a short run on Monday, bringing in the last tricky (ie hilly) section of the course.

On Tuesday, I started to worry – I hadn’t received my pack with my number and time chip, nor an email telling me where to collect it. My husband worried me even more by asking if I was sure I’d actually registered.  I flicked back through my emails, back to January, where this had been a New Year’s resolution.  The sign-up email said that pack collection details were on the website.  The website gave me the collecting times from the leisure centre.  A quick check of my watch confirmed that I could go and get it right now, so off I sped.  Notices on the way into the pack collecting room advised you to have your registration number handy.  I tried to bring up my emails again on my phone, but to no avail.  I asked the assistant if my name would be sufficient, as I couldn’t remember my registration number.  She easily found me on the list, and announced:

“You’re number one!”

I laughed, and joked that it would probably be the only time you’d see that number next to my name, but it did feel special pinning it onto my running vest.  I made sure I had everything ready for the race on Wednesday evening, fixed the time chip to my shoe-lace, and went to bed content that I had done all I could.

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Wednesday dawned sunny, and just got warmer and warmer as the day wore on.  I took my dogs to the agility-fun park in the afternoon, mainly to take my mind off the race, and I ate fairly carby things during the day – overnight oats with berries for breakfast, cheese and crackers for lunch, some nuts a couple of hours before the race.  And lots of water.

At about 6, we drove as close to the leisure centre as we could – there was also a 10k and a fun run being held, so parking was scarce.  I went inside to join the queues of final-pee-ers, and didn’t have too long to wait before lining up with the other 975 half-marathoners.  I positioned myself near the “2 hrs 15” corral, though having done a mere 12 miles in 2 hrs 18 last week, that was an ambitious placing.

A cheer went up, and off we went, all the time chips clicking as the runners’ feet crossed the mat.  I pressed START on Mapmyrun, screwed my earphones in place, adjusted my Oakleys against the sun, now lower in the sky, and told myself “Let’s run this mother”.  I’m so glad I’d run about 80% of the route during training runs – there’s nothing quite so reassuring as turning a corner and going – Oh I know this road, I know where the hills are, I know what’s round the corner….I can do this.  Running is mental, and the more confidence boosts you can add the better.

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By contrast, we got to the one bit of the route I was unfamiliar with, as it’s on a dual carriageway.  It doesn’t seem that steep when you’re driving it in the car, but it was a killer to run.  The “Mile 6” marker was half-way up it, and I slowed to a walk and fished out my energy-jelly, nibbling it as I marched to the top of the hill.

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It was really warm, but I was struggling to take on water at the stations.  I tried once, and then felt very uncomfortable, almost nauseous afterwards.  I’d never used water during training runs, and it’s maybe something I’m going to have to look into further.  By the time I got to about Mile 12, I was feeling a bit light-headed, due to the heat and the dehydration.  But I knew this last part well, onlookers were great at clapping and cheering, and the iron-on letters of my name which Clic Sargent had provided meant I was getting personalized shouts of support!  I was feeling a surge of emotion building up through me, and I consciously had to tell myself not to cry until I was over the line.

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As I turned into the finishing stretch, I could see the elapsed time just passing the 2 hours and 30 minutes mark, and for a moment I was disappointed that I hadn’t broken it.  Then I remembered my chip time would be a good 20 seconds off this – and indeed it was: 2 hours 29 minutes and 21 seconds!

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My legs were in agony, and the first bottle of water barely touched the sides.

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But I did it.  I run this mother.  Or rather, One runs this mother.  And I got a medal to prove it.

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Filed under: half-marathon, Lisburn, running | Leave a comment »

11 down – here we go!

Posted on June 17, 2013 by lindaharley

11 weeks of training over – this week it’s the big race!

Running in Rain

It’s taper week, so no big long runs this week.  On Wednesday, exactly a week before the race, I chose to run late in the afternoon, as the race is in the evening.  I picked the final section of the race route – a not terribly attractive section through an industrial estate.  And it was raining – but then, it might well be raining during tehr ace, so its best to train in all sorts of conditions.  Actually, I don’t mind running in a fine mizzle – it’s almost nicer than running in blazing sunshine.

Running in Rings

I was heading to France for the weekend, but manage to sneak a quick run in on Friday morning before I left for the airport.  I took Max with me – he’s pretty good MOST of the time, but if he sees a bicycle he’s inclined to get over-excited, and start running behind my legs, then in front of me, and as soon as I switch the lead over to my other hand, he’ll run behind my legs again.  Daft mutt!

Running in Reims

After a lovely weekend with friends in Reims, I kept to my training schedule and found a wonderful space to do my Sunday morning run.

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La Coulee Verte is a streims 021retch of pathway beside the canal, and it was full of runners, rollerbladers, dog walkers, cyclists.  The canal itself had many ducks, houseboats, fishermen, kayaks,as well as some locks to run past.  The path was pretty flat, no hills to contend with, and absolutely beautiful, with fields of poppies, cherry gardens and ranks of tall trees to admire.

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Running to Raise…

I’m doing this to raise money for Clic Sargent – thank you to those who’ve given so generously, still time to make a donation!

http://www.justgiving.com/Linda-HarleyGillespie

Filed under: half-marathon, Lisburn, running | Leave a comment »

10 down, 2 to go

Posted on June 9, 2013 by lindaharley

This was the week of The Big One – the longest run in my training Plan. After this we’re into a taper period to ensure legs and feet are in tip top condition.

For my Tuesday run, I did my consecutive-dog trick again.  This means I can exercise both dogs, one after the other, and still get my requisite half an hour in.  The weather was glorious – almost too hot – and I think the dogs enjoyed it as much as I did.

I was planning another run on Thursday evening, but my stomach had reacted badly to something I’d eaten, and I spent the evening just curled on the sofa.  I felt very guilty about missing a run, but it’s better to err on the side of caution.

Saturday’s ParkRun was bathed in that elusive sunshine, but sadly I discovered as I was leaving the house that my iPod was flat.  So I had to run without music.  This would be a good test – does music help me run faster or not?  I found the sounds interesting as I ran – Mini’s wheezing as she galloped along beside me, my own odd 2 in-3 out breathing rhythm, the slap-slap of my trainers. But what I discovered was that the real benefit of music is that it drowns out the negative voice in your head – I was still battling with the urge to stop, give up, just quit.  I tried giving my brain something else to do, so I started composing rhymes for my fellow runners;

Girl in purple, girl in blue, How to catch them, what to do?

Two young lads all dressed in white, Look like they could run all night

Passed by bloke all clad in yellow, He’s a very speedy fellow!

And the result?  28:44.  So I didn’t beat last week’s PB of 28:16, but I wasn’t far off!  To me, a sub-30 run is still a good result.

 

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/wallace/news/

So Sunday dawned, still sunny.  I wanted to get out early in the day before the heat built up, and I was aiming to run 12 miles.  This was the longest of the training runs, and it would be my lifetime longest run.  I’d carb-loaded with spelt pasta the night before, spelt toast for breakfast, and ensured I’d been to the bathroom before leaving.  No dogs, and in the clothes I was intending to run in.  I started off running to the leisure centre, where the race will begin.  I followed the 10k course, keeping the Sprucefield ariel in my sights.  I’ve loved the way my runs have always been in the shadow of this iconic landmark – when I lived abroad, and was flying home via Dublin, passing the Sprucefield mast was always a sign that I was nearly home.  My charged-up shuffle was in good form, and gave me the beautiful 100 years by Five For Fighting, which reminded me of my old room-mate Anne-Marie, and made me smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR-qQcNT_fY

Running along Blaris Rd, I felt the need for a bathroom, so I took a small detour off my planned route to McDonalds to use the facilities.  Better that than trying to carry on for the rest of the run in discomfort.  A short sharp uphill section on Ravernet Road, to omit the race section on the dual carriageway, and I was back at Waterloo Road.  This is a bit of a slog, but I’ve run it 4 or 5 times now, and I know where the tricky hills are.  Some fabulous views, though!   From there, it’s a lovely long downhill stretch of Ballynahinch Road, and other small hill at Altona Industrial Estate, and from there I just ran home.  Just under 12 miles, in 2 hrs 18 mins.

My new KSwiss trainers are pretty good – I’ve had no shin splints since I changed to them.  But they have a velcro-like attraction to bits of gravel, so I had to stop now and then to hoke these out of my soles.  And I was glad I was dog-less – there were lots of bikes about, Max’s nemesis, and more than a few runners, no doubt like me doing their long run before the race.

When I got home, I found that my lovely husband had posted a link on Facebook to my Fundraising page.  I want to publicly say how much his support has meant to me – he’s never complained about the time I spend running, or how the dairy changes to accommodate my runs, and he’s always keen to hear about my pace, and concerned about my safety when I run.  Had a great week fundraising, and a huge thank-you to my Scottish Dancing class who donated over £100.  The grand total is now around £300.

http://www.justgiving.com/Linda-HarleyGillespie

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