Trains, planes and automobiles

Well skip the planes! They wonder why people don't want to use the train service in this country. I was reliably informed by someone-who-should-know-because-they-were-his-trains-once that the journey to Liverpool should only take about 2.5 hours. Not what it says on the timetable I said, oh that'll be engineering works then..... he says. So, with the children safely collected from my care I headed north. Got to Euston with bags of time to spare, then spent 3.5 hours sudoku-ing on the train. Was met by mad people in a car, taken on a tour of Liverpool living quarters, down a motorway to be near the 10k in the morning. Aah, rest... No! Out in different vehicle to procure ice, juice and food (for me as strangely the mad people had decided curry was good pre-race nutrition and had eaten already). Aah, some hydration at last, with a service station sandwich and Smarties cookie (or two). Then more hydration and a bit more.


Suddenly, had to get back in the car, seemingly without sleep, and run a 10k!!! Much better than last week despite: it being very warm; me being slightly shall we say over-hydrated; not having had breakfast (or juice grrr) and feeling a bit weary. I think perhaps the anaesthetic I'd taken in hadn't worn off but I was even overtaking people, including on the two small unduls/drags. Birchwood is not as scenic as Blackburn but a damn sight flatter. There was some real runner up the front who finished in 29m and a few seconds (must have heard about the train service). He was being pursued by a certain person chasing his second pb in 8 days so that was probably making him push on too. And hi! to all the Gang again. That's two weekends in a row......

Back to our sleepover place (thanks!) and after some lounging about swapping amusing stories of how the excellent pre-race strategy had produced not one but two pbs (neither of them mine before you ask) we got in the third automobile and made off for lunch. Things were starting to catch up with me and I got past the point of being hungry. I'm sure the food was nice but I could have just eaten a plate of the mashed potato and done without the pie.

Returned to Lime Street after a lovely walk with my bestest friend in Croxteth Park and waited. It was one of those times where you think 'this is going to be a horrible journey' and it is. The train left 40+ minutes late because they had to get the bit of train with the engine in it from a depot. You think they'd have known they needed one.............. Train was full but not too noisy. I was starting to feel a bit more human (fnar fnar) and took out a mortgage to get a coffee and a sandwich from the 'shop'. More like money-disposal outlet. Finished off the samurai sudoku from yesterday and then made some good progress with Harry Potter.

Home at last, knackered with the thought of having to do a gym induction at 7.30am tomorrow followed by two days back in the office. However, still very smiley.