May. No... will.

[marathondan]

Not too much to report, but I am now getting out at least weekly, and very much enjoying it when I do.

At the end of June, the family had a week in the Isle of Wight. I quickly discovered a pleasant half-hour out-and-back from our holiday park to the Bembridge lifeboat station. The weather was generally drizzly, but always seemed to clear in the evenings, making the route all the more enjoyable.

At the half-way point, it was impossible not to stop - part panting, part gawping - to enjoy the view across the Solent, lights glowing in the grey distance, as cross-channel ferries tanked past on their way to France.

This experience has reminded me how nice it is to run in the countryside - I'm normally a surburban tarmac-hound - so I'm now diverting my regular runs into some leafy lanes.

This weekend we're off to Center Parcs in Suffolk, so I should find the time for some decent plods in pleasant surroundings.

And I've just entered the Burham Beeches half - 4 weeks away - so I need to get in at least a 60-90 minute run weekly, plus a midweek loosener. I'll be in no real shape for the race, but it should be a nice outing and will hopefully keep the motivation bubbling.

Generally, I think I'm coming to terms with the fact that I don't have time for serious running at the moment. Conclusion: enjoy what I can, and don't pine too much for the days when the kids will be old enough to amuse themselves - that will come all to quickly.

Which reminds me - I took Luke (4) for his first few training runs recently. We'd had a family outing to Apex Sports to replace my FLM05-vintage Asics (don't worry - they hadn't seen much action since then - but after about 700 miles I was starting to get back pain, and the time was obviously right), and what better way to road-test them than next to Luke's £1.99 plimsolls?

We've been out for a few outings, of a bit under a mile, and he takes the run / walk philosophy to new extremes - also throwing in skipping, whooping, arm-waving, and stopping to stroke cats.

As he himself would say: fablious.