Ho! Ho! Ho!

You'd better watch out....

(what do you mean the Santa run isn't until next month?!) 

When someone you love, and you know loves you too, asks you to do something without asking any questions, do it!

Setting off to parkrun this morning without HMG felt strange! I'm so used now to leaving my ipod out for Al to bring with him, that I momentarily forgot that I was on my own this morning and had to go back for it when I remembered - I hadn't got far! A change to our normal route saw me running along the main roads to get there and under instruction to toot as he passed, I almost jumped out my skin when Al drove past me en route! It wasn't a particularly inspiring run so just took it steady especially given that I was running in the fog.

Al was chatting with one of our friends when I arrived at the park and almost immediately he started gesturing to me to wipe my chin. Ehh?! "Why?" I wanted to know. "Don't ask" came the reply. Should have listened to him...
"What is it?! Snot? Flies?" (not sure where I thought they would have come from?!) "Worse - just do it" Worse.... "Spiders?!" (again I'm not sure which web I had obliviously run through). Seeing my distress at the thought of what horrific beastie could be living on my face and now not wanting to touch it at all, Al was then left in the somewhat unenviable position of pointing out that the fog had condensed on my chin and the droplets had adhered themselves to my, obviously not quite as absent as I would like it to be, facial hair - in other words I had arrived looking a bit like Santa Claus a month early. Oh joy! (To be fair I think our friend was more shocked at Al's bravery in telling me!)

Having only run three miles to parkrun I was hopeful of a good time and dared to even think I might get close to my PB. Didn't make it, but enjoyed my run nevertheless - not least because I was running along side one of the marathon elite! Admittedly she was at least two minutes off her normal form, but for a while I allowed myself to believe that she wasn't!

Harder to catch was parkrunfastfinisher.  Having been out with Al the night before and feeling slightly worse for wear I thought I might have been in with a chance, added to which I drove into Leeds to pick him and Al up last night, so surely it was only polite to let me 'win'? To be fair he might have done if I'd been anywhere near, but there was no catching him - hungover or otherwise! The tea and toasted teacake in the café later more than made up for it though - thank you!

Already on thin ice, Al had the good grace (and sense?!) to stay behind me, not sure that was altogether out of choice, but possibly a wise move in terms of the general ambience in our house for the rest of the day!

M - 542
Brighton Half - 99
Glasgow Half - 323
Distance Covered                 6.1 miles
Total Distance covered      360.8 miles