Christmas was hectic, but completely lovely. Getting to
Winchester on the train was a stormy adventure, involving fallen trees on train
lines and ale to the rescue on the train, whilst being stuck at Basingstoke
station for quite some time.
Once at our destination for Christmas, a wonderful time was
had by all. Christmas morning was glorious, with a beautiful sunrise and crisp
morning air.
Me and George ran across fields and through picturesque villages.
Christmas was also spent making mince pies (they turned out pretty amazing,
much to my surprise), walking in forests and around gorgeous countryside and drinking
mulled wine and cider.
For New Years, it was back to London. The fireworks near the
London Eye were absolutely amazing, but shortly after making our way home
through the crowds of people and partygoers, me and George got separated and we
got lost, with no phone battery left. Ultimately I found my way back via tube,
but it is still scary. That same instinctual feeling of helplessness overwhelms
you, like when you were a child and got separated from your parents in a crowd.
All came good in the end. That is the main thing.
So, I’ve really been trying to seek out some good races and
events for this year. I’ve got the Brathay Windermere Marathon in May and GUCR
145 miler a week later...I did this combination last year, so rest and ice bath-ness
is the key to recovery with this one. I’ve also been making enquiries about the
Liverpool to Leeds 130 mile-ish race. However, in the meantime I’m trying to up
my mileage, whilst upping the speed. I’ve also been doing weights like crazy
and have bought a weighted vest. We’re going hard-core this year :-)
