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.

All Change – Again

by Russell Turner - 21:12 on 20 December 2020

Life is change, although there’s been very little of it in the last few weeks – and there’ll be even less when the Highlands is dragged from Tier 1 to Tier 4 on Boxing Day. Most unfair, especially as most delivery companies won’t treat us as part of the mainland. Maybe we should barricade the Black Isle and declare ourselves a Tier 3 island.

The only major recent change is that training for the solo Hogmanay Half Marathon was halted after five weeks by an ankle niggle. I don’t know what the problem was but there seemed no reason to take chances so I took a week’s break.

Activity resumed today, after seven days, with a reasonably cautious three miles in which I took particular care with my form. That’s what happens when you read too many of Matchgirl’s running books. The results were fine: no niggles and I’m ready for further training for what will now be a Hogmanay 10k. Or 5k. Or mile.

Planning of 2021’s race calendar has begun, which mainly involves noting the dates of events rescheduled from this year, the most immediately prominent being the Edinburgh Marathon on May 30, two weeks after the Inverness Half Marathon. Training begins on February 8. Whether there’ll be proper races before that remains to be seen – maybe April if we’re lucky.

The first 2021 City Limits gig cancellation has happened, although that’s no big surprise as it was to be in February. Weddings in January (one) and March (two) don’t look promising either. Normally pubs and clubs would have finalised next year’s gigs by now, but nothing yet. It will be a quiet start to the year.

At least Bill Bailey won Strictly, so 2020 ended well. What a star.

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