Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Matchgirl Triumphant
by Russell Turner - 15:13 on 26 November 2017
Plucky Matchgirl overcame the lurgi to not only finish the Florence Marathon, but in a time she’s happy to share with the world: four hours thirty-one minutes. If she’d not slowed along the way to remove an extra running top she’d have beaten 4.30. What a star.
She also had to overcome some terrible weather: rain lashed the course for much of the morning and the background noise was that of ambulances ferrying hypothermic athletes to hospital. Even some of the elite runners dropped out.
As an incentive towards achieving my own marathon ambitions it left a lot to be desired, yet Matchgirl returned to the hotel buzzing with excitement, happy as a six-year-old who’s spent all day in a puppy playroom. She’s now the proud possessor of a substantial race medal and an eye-watering fluorescent yellow Florence Marathon running shirt. She’s also walking like John Wayne.
“You’ve all this to look forward to,” she warned me.
At the same time I walked my own, unintentional, marathon when I set out for the finish line to applaud the heroine when she crossed it. This didn’t happen. A misleading map caused me to turn left when I left the Mediterraneo, not right. An hour and three or four miles later I was back at the hotel and preparing to try again now I knew which way to go. Fortunately she returned just before I set off.
I’d expected some chastisement, or at least a stony stare, but her mood was so jolly I could have got away with anything.
The group celebration meal, in a posh restaurant, is tonight. If it’s like last night’s in the hotel, talk with revolve around training, times and gels. And shoes.
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