One man's adventure in life!

Birthday run

Forty-four today. As is my custom since moving back from the States (and my annual leave therefore increasing), I'm taking the day off. In the before-times pre-COVID, I liked to pop into town, mooch around and find a quiet pub to have an interesting beer or two and contemplate the world. A few years ago I even got a small tattoo on my birthday (a maple leaf just above and behind by my inside right ankle, matching my Canadian wife's one). This year I pulled on my trainers and went for a run for the first time in six months.

The weather was cold, with my breath frosting the air, but the ground was ice-free. I put on one of the latest “Runcasts” from KEXP and set out towards Roath Lake. About halfway around my planned 5k route, I could feel my left knee and right hip niggling so I called it a day after looping the lake. 3.7 km (2.3 miles) – not bad for a first run in ages! It's always good to see the lake (it had been awhile), and including it in the run made a satisfying link up to the runs and walks I used to do from our last place.

When I look back a year ago, I was part way through a Couch-to-5k and I'd started losing weight. A year later, the weight has stayed off and my fitness is still higher than it was back then. Running fell by the wayside in the preparation and aftermath of our big move over the summer, so it's nice to finally get into it again. If I do keep going and tick off a few more runs in the near future, I may look into buying new running shoes. I've had these since the US so am past due another pair – they may even be contributing to the niggles I felt today.

What to do for the rest of the day? After lunch I quite fancy putting on some music and doing some writing. There's also a 2017 Maiden Anniversary Barleywine from Siren Craft Brewery sitting in the garage that I've had for nearly a year and a half – time to open it methinks! Then a takeaway tonight after picking up the little monster from nursery.

Happy Birthday to me!


Entry 97 of my participation in the “100 Days to Offload” challenge – find out more and join in!

2022-01-17 #100DaysToOffload #birthday #running #beer

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