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.

Spring Is Sprung (Again)

by Russell Turner - 16:23 on 18 March 2026

Spring has returned, confirmed by a short cat-accompanied ramble around the garden where clumps of primula surround our gnarled willow tree and the first daffodils have appeared in the wilderness at the far end of The Rural Retreat’s broad acres. Mowing and general tidying will have to begin soon. Such is life.

There was still some wind for today’s athletic excursion but, if the forecast is to be believed, it will be the last for a while. Even so, it was the first T-shirt run of the year. The prospects for the Wakefield 10k on Sunday are good: sunny, dry, mild and no wind to speak of, so I’ll have no excuse for a poor finish.

A PB is unlikely – anything under 60mins will do me fine – however, I did reach one notable milestone yesterday: the Garmin badge for the Appalachian Trail, 2,175 miles in 23 months. There’s just one distance badge to go – a mere 870 miles – and I’ll have the set. 

There are also a bunch of height badges on offer, although they’re beyond the recording capabilities of my modest Garmin Forerunner 235 which doesn’t have all the bells and whistles to be found on big money wristwear. In particular, it lacks the barometer necessary to register changes in air pressure as runners toil up and down hills and mountains. It takes all sorts.

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