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Showing posts with the label road running

Kiev Marathon at 19 Weeks Pregnant

When the superspeed duo of Ally and Norm sent through their list of 2018 marathon locations, Kiev seemed a no-brainer. I mean, who hasn't wanted to visit the Ukraine? I cannot remember if I was pregnant before or after entering but I clearly thought it would be fine regardless. Unfortunately, I didn't exactly glow during pregnancy and I dragged my feet out on two runs a week, one short and one long. Given that I wasn't particularly fit before pregnancy, building up those long runs felt pretty awful. On one occasion, Scott had to sprint home to get the car during a two mile run while I disposed of my stomach contents on the side of a country road.  On arrival, we paid some extra money at registration for some running travel insurance scam. I'm pretty sure that is what it was! Then I risked the life of my unborn child by taking a Ukrainian taxi through some back alleys. We went to dinner and there were guns on the walls. Some local youths then set the hotel bathrooms on...

Loch Ness Marathon 2017

Nessie on her home turf   For millions of years I have lurked peacefully in my home Loch of Ness. There was a brief period when my home was subjected to inspection from nosy tourists but they do not cause me too much bother. However, since 2002, there is one day a year when some non-swimming folk pound the ground next to my Loch of Ness. I poked my head up a few times to check out the action and fortunately no one spotted me. They were too busy staring at the neon shoes of the runner in front. There is quite a number of these folk. So, I have decided to give the event a go myself.    Today I have donned a kilt and Scottish bonnet in an attempt to fit in with the running creatures. I even stayed in accommodation with three older blokes and took a wheeled machine with the ordinary humans to the start line. The boys got quite the surprise when I walked out of the bedroom in the morning. Fortunately, my wheeled machine had a toilet but I must say that the enterin...

Torshavn Marathon, Faroe Islands

Truth be told, Scott busted me booking this trip for myself two weeks before the marathon. I read about it and couldn't get over it, so decided to go. Scott decided to come too and participate in the half marathon. It was our wedding anniversary after all. So we booked the only accommodation left (a lovely top storey flat overlooking the water) and excitedly packed outdoor clothing. What is in the Faroe Islands? Hills, waterfalls, puffins, geese, ducks and sheep. The animals are inbred so they are now special to the Faroe Islands.   A few other interesting snippets of information; in December, the Faroes get an average of six sunshine hours for the whole month the Gulf Stream prevents the Faroes from getting crazy cold, although it is still cold the average high in summer is about 12 degrees Celsius there are far more men than women so there are a number of brides from Thailand and Indonesia they are part of the Kingdom of Denmark the Faroe...

London Marathon 2017

  Creating a Road Runner     Ohh, you like running?! Have you done London? Anyone who partakes in the one-foot-in-front-of-the-other sport called running knows the London question. For the record; the London Marathon is not actually any longer than any other marathon. Statistically, by average running times, London is probably the slowest flat marathon in the world. I have a Statistics degree so I am sure I could jiggle some numbers around to make that true. So I was never that interested in entering until I got sold on how many people would be out cheering. I love a good cheer. And the good for age time requirement for women is considerably more lenient than the men's so I got an automatic place and did not have to go through the ballot tragedy. I could have gone for a championship place but you had to be a member of a club and you could not run in costume. They were two sacrifices that I was not willing to make. Then came the costume dram...