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.

Manchester No More

by Russell Turner - 16:14 on 02 February 2026

The decision has been made; my Manchester Marathon entry has been withdrawn. Although I’ll lose the £90 entry fee I’ll save £330 for two nights in a Premier Inn, so I can say I’ve come out ahead. I’d hoped to feel a huge relief after all the cancellations, to confirm I’d made the right decision, but there was neither euphoria nor gloom. At least I’ve learned not to enter a big race unless it’s something, or in a place, that really excites me. Middlesbrough may not fall into either category, but a half marathon is low stakes enough for me not to worry about it.

Training will continue until HM Day on March 1st, though in a less structured, ad hoc manner, then again until the Black Isle A-Z, which will be more of a mini ultra than a marathon (unless I add a few miles to make it a real ultra). After that I’m at a bit of a loss, having no race longer than 10k in the diary for the rest of the year. This could be my first autumn without a big race; let’s hope something turns up in the gaps between gigs. I have a couple of HMs pencilled in but the band comes first.

That said, I’ve booked off Yorkshire Marathon weekend next year. Maybe if I begin training now I could get round in a decent time in 2027.

I may have chosen a good time to cut back on training. After calm, sub-zero days, which were quite pleasant, we’ve now entered some damp, cold, breezy ones. Much less fun.

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