Bethesda Map Run

I had decided to try the Wednesday running training, and skip the Thursday Hill session. I was thinking of what the running coach had said. My body sometimes needs a break! 

One of the Thursday runners, Geoff, had mentioned a ‘map run’ in Bethesda on the Thursday. I wasn’t sure what he meant. But Fliss, the lady leading the Wednesday training, mentioned it as well, and she gave a bit more detail. It was basically orienteering in a built-up area. And it sounded fun! And when I googled it I noticed that race headquarters were the pub just around the corner, less than 100m from my house. How could I resist a race like that? So I registered. And they gave you two options of doing it: with technology, or with pen and paper. And I opted for pen and paper.

On the day I got an email: the pen and paper option was not available. Everyone would have to log their checkpoints with technology. So I downloaded the app, downloaded another app you need for getting the app also on your watch, then put it on my watch, and uploaded the data of this specific race. I wasn't quite sure what's next but I figured I could ask at registration.

I went early, and indeed had both chaps of the organisation to myself. So they could talk me through how it all worked. And it turned out I seemed to have correctly installed the software, and the only thing I needed to do was start it when the race started. I was impressed with myself. But when other runners started to appear I briefly went home for a last cup of tea and toilet visit. Then I got back. I had a bit of a chat with the other competitors, including Geoff and his friend Josh. 

After a while we were asked to go outside, where we would get our maps and could start the software. Our watches or phones would register if we would reach a checkpoint. So after the countdown I opened my map. There was quite a wide variety of places you could go! I decided to head east. Why not? And I figured the first checkpoint I could take was near the church. My watch didn't seem to be responding to anything. So I continued. But at the next checkpoint, still nothing happened. By then I was fairly certain my watch wasn't registering anything at all. Oh well! I could just do this for shits and giggles.

I continued on my way. A few more checkpoints in I had to negotiate a flirtatious pug. That was quite sweet. And I got to some checkpoints in the Braichmelyn area. Then I crossed the road and the river and tried to get all of them on the other side. I did make an unnecessary loop, but I did get them. And then I figured I still had time to hoover a few up in the direction of Tan y Foel. And then I only had five minutes left, and had to leg it back down to the finish. I was back almost on time!

It looked like I had indeed not registered anything. That's fine. At least I had started to log the run on Strava after the second or third checkpoint, so at least I had a record of where I had been. I could check how many points I would have had had the technology worked. I think it was 480, but I came in a few minutes late so I would probably have been docked 60 points (the going rate is 20 points per minute). If that is true I would just have managed to outperform Geoff! Unlikely, but not impossible. For context, the overall winner had 810. And the next time (if there is a next time) I will not leave the start until the technology works. I'm sure the people starting you off should be able to help with that. I'm sure it is more satisfying if you actively log something!

After the race I had a small beer with Geoff and Josh, and then we went home. A bit of a weird introduction to orienteering, but at least it had been enjoyable!

Interval training

Now that spring is upon us, the club is launching more training opportunities. There suddenly is Monday training and Wednesday training. There already was something going on on Monday, but that was not an official club activity. And there are Tuesday track sessions, also not a club thing, but then I have Welsh class. And our Thursday sessions are also not a club thing. But these trainings are.

I was keen to try one. And if not now then when? So I signed up. And drove to Llanberis on a Wednesday. 

I found the lady who organises the sessions, and a bloke. He introduced himself as Levi. Would that be it? Just two of us running? But then a lady called Gwen appeared. And that was indeed it.

We first did a six minute warm up, on the bicycle path next to the lake, and then we did, I think, five minutes at 10k pace. And then three minutes at 5k pace, twice. And then some even shorter intervals where you were supposed to go even faster. And in between increasingly short intervals recovery jogging. All of it on the path.

The 10k pace went well. I know very well what my 10k pace is. And my watch can tell me if I am running that. But I have a lot less routine with the shorter distances. What even is my 5k pace? I ran my PB in the 5k during the most recent 5m race. So I suppose I would be a bit faster if I really was only running 5k. I aimed at 4 minute kms. That was okay. Just.

I really have no idea what my 1k pace is, but I suppose that didn't matter. I just ran the short intervals at whatever speed I could muster. I don't think it was very fast! And my breathing was terribly laboured. But that is a sign that I am giving it what I have. I suppose the idea of interval training is that you leave something for the end. Maybe I should have been a bit more restrained in the beginning. But hey, I had never done this before. And I don't think my body really knows how to run distances shorter than 5k. 

It was over before I knew it! It took us less than an hour. And we had covered almost 9 km in that time. 

I don't think I will make a habit of this; I have a fitness tracker, so I could just plan a session like this myself. And then I can just keep going to the Thursday Hill sessions without being away running two evenings in a row. I can just do an interval session in a weekend. So I don't think I'll be back, but I'm glad I did this! And it was good fun!

Group selfie

Plant guests

Martin is in the process of moving house, but he’ll be ‘between houses’ for a bit. He’ll be fine! He’ll work something out for himself. He has rented storage space for his stuff. But he also has plants. These would die in storage. He also spoke of a tree he wanted to dig out, and replant in the garden of the new place. 

He asked if I would be willing to host them. I was happy to! I would turn into a repository of other people’s creatures; after all I have a cat who also started out as a guest for someone who was between houses. And some of my plants are inherited from my former office mate who left for Cornwall. I think unlike these examples, these plants will actually go back to Martin, though. 

One Monday evening he and his partner drove up and delivered the lot. Most went into the conservatory! That’s a place in flux anyway. And it has sunlight. It looks quite nice in there now. There was no tree. Maybe they had underestimated how much work all this would be without digging out a tree. I could imagine.

I hope Martin can put his roots down soon! Being in between houses is tiresome. And I’ll do my best to make sure he has all his plants back in good condition when he gets to that stage… 

Roadworks on the bicycle path

Last autumn, a part of the bicycle path I use most days to get to work closed. There was an announcement on a board at both sides of where it would be closed, and it all looked very serious. But the actual work only took a day or two. It actually improved the drainage of the path! I was quite happy with that; the initial situation was rather bleak, which meant that in autumn you were often riding through a puddle, and in winter that pubble was at risk of turning to ice. I think it will be better now! And it came soon after different repairs. The route was getting loads of TLC! 

Then winter came, and then spring. And suddenly, a fence appeared again. And also a sign. That part of the path will be closed for 12 weeks! This might be the actual big work. The other work might just have been some impromptu add-on.

None shall pass

So what does this mean? For as long as this work continues, cyclists will have little choice but to ride on the road. And quite some riders will be commuters, so they ride during rush hour. I could imagine that this will cause some friction between car drivers and cyclists. The car drivers will be annoyed at the increased number of cyclists on the road; it is not an unusually wide road, so if there is traffic coming the other way, you cannot overtake a bike. And I would imagine that quite many drivers wouldn't know the cyclists currently don't have a choice. And the cyclists might feel a bit vulnerable with all that traffic so close by.

If you are willing to make a detour, you can avoid this situation altogether, of course. The most reasonable option would be a detour of half a mile and some more uphill. That would be a bit inconvenient, but I think it will be worth it for reasons of safety. I hope this period will pass without any unpleasant incidents! Only time will tell…

Intention to leave cave rescue

When the schism happened between the Thursdaynighters and me, on the basis of a difference in opinion of how to deal with misogyny in the mine exploration community, I didn't stop going underground. I did, however, cut it down considerably. Obviously! I had been going every week, and if I wasn't digging with Miles I was with the Thursdaynighters. The dig already died a silent death before things went wrong, for reasons of Miles being too busy with other things. So from the falling-out onwards, there were some ad hoc trips, and then the rescue trainings and callouts. That's not much. In 5 years, I went underground 22 times outside a rescue context. 

The people I went underground with since then were a bit of a mix. There are Kate and Lydia, who have both since moved to England. There is Sharon, who still sometimes drops me a line to see if I am available. There is Miles, who most of the time has more urgent things to do. Then there are the visitors from elsewhere, like the Cornish, the Devonian and the Yorkshire bunch. But these only come up once a year. So I clearly had no regular crew, and no regular habit. And I was starting to feel very much out of it.

If we had a training I often wondered what I would have forgotten. I lost my routine in packing my kit! And I had to really think about rigging. And I probably can barely remember the venue, because I haven’t been in it for years.

Another thing is my kit. You should regularly replace everything except the metalware (and also the metalware if it wears out), like helmets and harnesses. My gear is very old by now! And that could get me (and others) in trouble, in case we ever have to deal with insurers. And I am not keen on spending a lot on kit I rarely need. I am also not keen on trouble with insurers, for either myself or others. And I’m not keen on being personally liable (which I am, as a committee member) for actions by a team I am partly a member of because I don’t trust it. There’s Thursdaynighters in there, after all. 

They won’t be keen to lose a committee member. More people are interested in doing the glamorous work of actually rescuing people than in doing the behind-the-scene admin. But they could have tried harder to keep me. The committee knows about the Thursdaynighter debacle, and that the TN’s approach to that is ostracism. They also think that the team works better if there is no animosity between the members. And it has the power to make both parties sit together and work things out, but never used that power. So no start was ever made at rebuilding trust. And that’s not inspiring me very much to stay. 

So this is the end of an era. I was in Cave Rescue in Devon between April 2010 and May 2013. And then here in Wales since May 2015 again. Thirteen years! In the greater scheme of things, not much. Our team is considering awards for people who have been serving in the team for 40 years or more. But still considerable I would say! But everything ends somewhere. And this will end this June, at our AGM.

Pic from a training in 2023

Date update

I mentioned in February I had been on a few dates again. That has become a fair few more by now. Unfortunately, enough of them for the decision to have been made this isn’t going to lead to a relationship. But at least we got to that point in a mutually respectful way. And given that we really did vibe, albeit not in the intended ways, it is thinkable we might occasionally still meet up, as walking mates or suchlike. Not the outcome I had hoped, but it could be a lot worse. Now it’s clearly back to square one again…

A picture taken on one of our dates

Dinner with friends before big changes

I was hoping we could do another dinner with the usual suspects again! I had had a lot of teaching around noon time, so I hadn't had lunch with Martin and Susan very much. And Martin was busy with all the things that that come with moving house, so even if I was having lunch, he often wasn't there. So I had the feeling I hadn't seen my friends much recently. And then it turned out they were all available the very next weekend. Excellent!

It became clear that this was not a minute too soon. Martin has sold his house, and was getting ready to move out. But their new house was not available yet for them to move into. So he will temporarily move south. Now at least we would have an evening or we could talk before he would vanish off the radar for a bit.

With everybody being available it did mean I would have to fit seven people in my house. I had never done that before! And it's not a small house, but the rooms are small. I had already found five a bit of a challenge. And I’m not even sure I’d ever done six. Let's see if we could make seven happen.

The others did offered to help out, and that resulted in Susan bringing dessert and Martin bringing salad. I was making a big tray bake, and garlic bread with tapenade. I had made sure to put the bread machine in the conservatory for the garlic bread, as otherwise my whole house would be filled with an impenetrable cloud of garlic smell.

It worked out! We all managed to fit both in the living room and in the kitchen. And it was a lovely night. The cat also gave acre de présence. She even walked around on Tom's lap! I consider it a success. Let’s hope we can soon do a version in Martin and Sarah’s new place! 

 

Cwm Idwal 2025

I would think that this year’s trip to Cwm Idwal (sibling of the Red Wharf Bay trip) went well! The weather was quite nice. It was too cold to not wear a jacket, but it was almost entirely dry, and we had a bit of sun. I had a nice group of students. And nothing went wrong! There's not much more that you could wish for.

I think I have one more trip into the field with the students to go, in the geology module. And then we're done with field trips for this academic year!

Bra saga continues

Days after my bra fitting I received my new acquisition in the post! That was exciting. I tried it on and booked another fitting, as they recommend.

When I tried it on, the first thing I noticed is that the underband is quite tight. I really had to put it on the loosest setting! But the next thing I noticed was that I had absolutely no bounce anymore. Amazing! I was starting to understand what people had been talking about when they say a good sports bra is a game changer. I really wanted to try this one out now, but I had to await the fitting. If it wasn't good anyway; maybe I needed it an underband that was one inch bigger? I would have to send it back, but then you can't have sweated in them.

Me trying on the new bra

Then the fitting happened. I mentioned the tight underband, but the lady said that that was how it should be. Maybe a bit like a caving harness when you are about to prussick up a rope. You're not supposed to be comfortable unless you are actually prussicking. And I wasn't running. But she did say that she thought I needed one cup size up. That it was feeling a bit tight was because my actual breasts were taking up more space than that bra was meant for. That was a bit unfortunate! I had been looking forward to taking this bra for a run that very day. But I wanted to get this right. So I resigned myself to sending this one back, and ordering the next size up.

Organising the sending back was not difficult. Buying the next one up was! They had run out of that size. That was a real bummer. And there was no indication of when they would be in stock again. There was also no way of registering an interest, so you would get an email when the item was available again. What to do?

I pondered this for a while. I really wasn't keen to go back to my old sports bras. And in the end I decided to just order what I knew to be the correct size from one of their rivals. And wait for theirs to come back on the website. The rival I picked was a brand that Kate had recommended. I don't like the idea of having one brand do the work and then giving my money to another one, but hey, if they don't stock what I need then I have no choice. And I will wait for their restock to buy a second one. One good sports bra is not enough. So they will still get my money! And now I just hope that the other bra comes soon, and that it indeed fits like a glove, and is as solid (or at least close) to the Maaree Solidarity. And that the latter becomes available soon. Stay tuned for more…

Teaching tailing off

I am doing most of my second semester teaching on two modules: the 1st year one about almost everything, and the 3rd/4th year one about climate. And that is winding down now. At the time of writing, I have done my last lecture in the climate module. Now the only thing still to do is a set of poster presentations. 

An image I used in my lecture: all the orange areas have a climate comparable to the Pliocene in the year given. Form Burke et al., 2018

 

For the 1st year module I have one more traditional lecture, and one revision slot. And that's it!

From now on I suppose most of my energy will be put in presentations: we first have the presentations of the second years to go, but at least I don't have to organise the whole event; not much later, we will have the dissertation presentations, which are always a big thing for me. Because then I certainly am organising the whole event. But with all the lecturing out of the way that should be okay. Don't these semesters go fast!

Screening result

 I had started to wonder when I would hear the outcome of my first breast cancer screening. And exactly a month after having my anatomy squished, a letter fell on the doormat. All is well! So that means I’m off the hook for three years now. I’m sure these years will fly by. Let’s hope the outcome is the same next time…

Weighted squats

Normally, my running training consists of either running or cycling. And that worked fine! Until it didn’t. And I got injuries. And some of that might have to do with me not having given my body enough breaks, and potentially also with my gait, but also, everywhere I looked for information, and everyone I talked to, said that if you are my age and you want to keep running, you have to do strength training. And that might be true. And as well; a bit of strength training is not going to have any disadvantages. So I might as well give it a go!

It seems that the default exercise for leg strength training is the squat. And I had been doing squats for years, as my previous physio had told me to do them for my ankle. It never really felt like it was doing much. Maybe I should make them a bit harder? I wondered if I should buy weights to make it more intense. But I do have my little 2 kg weights. So I might as well have a start with those.

Given that I sometimes seem to overtrain, am I shooting myself in the foot now? I don't think so! But I must admit that if I get another knee problem, it will be difficult figure out if it would be because of running or because of strength training. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

I think my morning routine is already quite extensive, but if it needs to be even more extensive in order to let me continue running, then so be it. So I've started doing (slightly) weighted squats now. And I really hope this means that this year I can do another half marathon without my knees falling off! Stay tuned!

Early morning weighted squats (although this one is a bit fake as one of the weights is a phone)

Bra fitting

I run quite a lot. And I won’t run without a solid sports bra. It's not easy to find a good one! They need to provide sufficient support, and that doesn't seem to be easy to achieve. And they also dearly shouldn't rub. And if you find one that is more or less doing the job, you'll probably wear it out sooner than you'd want.

A sports bra that has seen too many kms 

When I went to the women in sport event someone actually mentioned this issue. Professional sports women seem to have the exact same problem! And there was mention of a Welsh startup that does sports bras well. That got my attention. And a bit later, I googled them. It turned out that what they had been talking about was Maaree sports bras. 

I had a look. It looked promising, but now I needed to find the right size. That is not trivial! I found my measuring tape and looked for the size guide, but then noticed they do free online fittings. Brilliant! I immediately booked myself a slot.

The idea is that a lady sees you, in a bra in front of the camera, and asks you to measure your rib cage. The rib cage gives them the circumference, and just eyeing you up gives them the cup size. So in minutes I had my size, and advice on which bra would be best for what I do. And the idea is that you can book them again once you have the bra, to see if it fits correctly. If it does not, you can still send it back and get a different size. Perfect. I look forward to receiving it, and I hope it indeed fits. And then I can run more happily than before! And immediately buy a second one, so I can still run in comfort when one of them is in the laundry…

Borders League: Ellesmere Port

I wasn’t quite sure what a Borders League was, but I saw mention of it at the various places where the Eryri Harriers put their information. The races tend to be quite far away! But also, it became clear it was a club thing, and I tend to be attracted to competing for something that is bigger than me. I hoped to do the first one of 2025, which was conveniently nearby, but it got cancelled because of awful weather. So then it would be the second, in the metropole of Capenhurst, near Ellesmere Port, just over an hour away. 

I had asked on the appropriate website whether anyone wanted to car share, but I only got a request for a ride back from the race. There were 13 Harriers signed up! So that response was not much. But more than nothing. I drove up alone and marvelled at the crowds of runners already flocking to race HQ. There were so many! Even though this was only open to clubs! 

I parked up and started walking to HQ. Along the way I met Anna, who was the club contact person for this race, and Sam, who would be my passenger on the way back. At HQ I first went to the loo, and then socialised a bit with the other Harriers. I found out a bit more how it all works. And I stripped down to shorts and my club vest. It was too warm to wear more! And soon after that we all went to the start. 

Blurry club pic

With this stellar turnout I was not going to start at the front. So when the starting signal was given, I was in a crowd. That was okay! It wasn't a slow crowd. And I quickly could go at my own pace. And I had imagined things to be very competitive, but, of course, like everywhere else you end up running with people who run at the same speed as you. It's just that everybody is wearing a club shirt!

The first lap went quite fast. And when I got to the last 2 miles I was wondering who I could still overtake. There were women in sight! And I managed to get past several of them. When I got quite close to the finish I overtook a lady from Chester Triathlon Club. And then saw a Deeside lady I might just about pass before the path would get narrow near the finish. And I did get past her as well! But while I was doing that, the Chester lady came sprinting past. She left us in her dust. And that is how we finished.

Entering the second lap

I seem to have a canine admirer

Approaching the finish just ahead of the Deeside lady

I got my finishing token, and had a small chat with other finishers. Then I went to have my results documented. And did a bit more chatting with fellow Harriers. And then it was time to put on another layer and head home. Sam agreed. 

We chatted the whole way to Llanfairfechan. And then I was almost home. 

I had enjoyed that! And I had met my expectations. I had figured I’d need 35 minutes, and that was indeed the case. And my Strava said I had set a new PB on the 5K of 21:14. I clearly hadn’t done a Parkrun in years! But I had to wait for the official results to know more. I had done 34:39, and finished as 38th woman out of 125. Not bad! And the Eryri Women had a chance of promotion; had we got closer to that? I think so! Our result had been the best of the season. And I figured I should do the next Borders League race as well…

Another promo event on the Thursday Night

One of my first Thursday Night Hill trainings was a Hoka promo event. We got to try out some Hoka’s on the local trails. I quite liked them! And I have a pair now myself. And there would be another event like that; this time with both trail shoes (from Altra) and head torches (from Silva), again in Crib Goch in Llanberis. 

In the shop we got our shoes and torches. They both felt good. And then we were off. We hadn’t been on the trails for ages! But I had opted for the brighter of the two torches on offer, so I could see where I was going really well. And since Moel Eilio and its aftermath I was a bit apprehensive about nighttime trail running, but we headed for pretty decent trails, north of the lake.

It was a stunning evening! We first had some last twilight, and later on an almost-full moon. And the trails were beautiful. 

My snazzy shoes

Purple evening light

Last twilight

The moon (and my Silva) taking over 

Night over Llanberis 

Moon has the hills to itself 

We didn’t run anywhere as far as we normally do, but that was ok. We got some good ascent in for an only 8km run! And then we went back to the shop. And there were even pizza’s and drinks waiting for us. I didn't have a drink, as the beer had alcohol in it and I wasn't up for a sugary soft drink, but I did help myself to some pizza. It was quite nice!

So what did I think of shoes and torch? The shoes were alright, but I am probably not due another pair in years. And the torch was lovely, but also cost an arm and a leg. So if I would make running in the dark a serious hobby I would probably go for it, but for now I pretty much only run in the dark on the Thursday night. And the head torches I already have will do for that. But it was a nice night!

Another BU IWD event - this time with Ukrainians

The week before, there had been an International Women's Day event at the university about women in sports. But there was another one, about resilience in wartime. I read the program. It was a bit of a hotchpotch! There would be a delegation from a Ukrainian university we seem to have some sort of connection with, and one of the guys in natural sciences would talk of having spent a week in Ukraine taking soil samples. And then things would turn Welsh, and there would be several speakers talking about a lady who had instigated a big petition for peace in Wales in the 1920s, and whose portrait would be revealed. And there would be Ukrainian refreshments.

I decided to go. I sat down in a room that wasn't very busy. After a while I saw a lady from the school of Computer Science and Engineering come in. I beckoned her and she sat with me. We know each other from lots of online meetings. I think this was the first time we spoke in person!

Then it started. Again, Morag opened the proceedings. And the first speaker was the VC of Khmelnytskyi University. He spoke in Ukrainian! And his colleague was translating. If he didn't speak English then I suppose this whole event must have been very dull for him. He just gave some facts about the university. The next speaker was the translating lady, who spoke about all sorts of things: what the state of the gender gap in higher education in Ukraine was like, what sort of EDI policies the government had issued, what the extent was of the damage to particular universities in the country, how various female VCs had dealt with this, and more. It was a whole lot! And it was very interesting. 

The VC of the Ukrainian university doing his thing

The next speaker was local: Christian Dunn, the bloke of the soil samples. He knows how to tell a story. And I was glad to hear that his preliminary conclusion was that the amount of pollution all the bombardments had caused was not so much you couldn't do agriculture there anymore. But he stressed he needs to do more work before he has robust findings.

Then we made the switch to Charlotte Price White. She was a leading suffragist, a local counsellor, and one of the members of the Women's Institute from the very beginning. And she was one of the people who organised the big peace petition by the women of Wales. They gathered almost 400,000 signatures, in 1923! The population wasn't even that much smaller back then, but it was a lot of work to get the signatures. The women gathering them generally would just walk from door to door.

The pro-VC spoke of his initiative to try to get more diversity in the university portraits, and there were several recent additions on display. And then Charlotte Price White was revealed. She looked good!

The new painting being revealed by the painter herself, watched by the pro-VC

There was also a short lecture in Welsh from a lady from the National archive in Aberystwyth about this peace petition. And then the event was over. There was 25 minutes to spare.

The peace petition talk

The next things should have been Welsh and Ukrainian refreshments, but these had been booked for the official end of the event, so we weren't there yet. I decided to leave. It had been a bit of a confusing event with 2.5 hours of talking without a break, and with wildly differing topics, although war was in all of them. So a bit weird, but well worth it!

Red Wharf Bay with new crew

We go to Red Wharf Bay every year. It is routine! But this year would be a bit different. Katrien had let me know she couldn’t make it this time, so I recruited Kate instead. Later, Lynda said she was unavailable as well. This was an exodus! But I managed to also recruit Finley. And we would have Mike, who is increasing his teaching load. It would only be Jaco and me as the regulars! 

The weather was sunny but cold. Good enough! And whether it was the cold or not, when our first coach arrived, the student s immediately started boarding it. Works for me! I had told everyone to be there 15 minutes beforehand, so when all were inside 5 minutes before scheduled departure, I thought we could go. In just one coach! The 72-seater fitted everyone. Then a flustered-looking student appeared by the door, and we let him in too. Then we were off! 

The coach didn’t bring us all the way, as it might not be able to turn in the cramped parking lot, but it’s not a far walk. By the sea front we met the staff that had travelled directly. And then we could divide into groups and go. 

I think it went well! I had a responsive group. And we got through the trip smoothly. So smoothly, even, that my group had a bit of time to spare. And there is a cafe in the bay. Five students joined me there for a hot chocolate. That was nice! 

Sunny beach

Then it was time to get everyone on the coach again, and go home. Finley travelled on the coach as well; all the others were using their own transport. So I didn't really get to do a debriefing with anybody other than her. She felt she had been thrown in the deep end but she had come out on top! And I think in general it had been a success. And the next week we were scheduled to do the other trip. I hope that goes equally well!

No job losses in SOS

Bangor university, like many universities, is in financial trouble, and I feared a rerun of the financial trouble caused by the pandemic. Then we had to fight to keep our jobs! But this time there wasn’t an invitation to an ominous meeting. The talk going around was less pessimistic. And then one day, The Dean of the College came over to present the situation to us with the Head of School.

In the meeting, they explained that we as a School were doing so well we should have more staff, not less. And the university wasn't going to salami-slice all the schools this time. The big cuts were going to fall elsewhere, for instance in the School of Psychology and Sports Science. That is really bad news for them, but it really looks like this time, SOS is escaping the guillotine. So quite unexpectedly, I am not fearing for my job.

It is difficult to see where this is going in a larger context. Not a day goes by or another university is in the news, announcing job cuts. And the government doesn't have any money either, so they won't support us. This could be quite a pivotal time for universities in the UK! We'll see what the situation is 10 years for now. But probably, Ocean Sciences will still exist…

Colwyn Bay 10 mile

10 Miles used to be my favourite distance! Back in the days. It's long enough to really give you an idea you've done something, but it's not quite as demanding as a half marathon. So when there was a 10 mile race on offer, I registered for it. And I was lucky; this should have been the Rhyl 10 mile, but there seems to be a problem with the route in Rhyl so the race has moved to Colwyn Bay, which is nicer, and also closer by.

I also thought it would be a nice way of testing out my knees! Normally it is either the 10k, which my knees don't have a problem with, or the half marathon, which has led to me desperately needing knee supports at my last two attempts last year. So a 16k route might be an excellent way of testing the water. Could the physiotherapy I still do, plus the advice from my impromptu running coach, keep me going this time?

Marjan would come and support me, so slightly too early we met up so we could drive to the venue together. There was still be plenty of parking space! And plenty of time to go to the loo, and then get my race number. And then go to the loo again. And some 10 minutes before the start I made sure to be somewhere near the front. There were three distances: 5, 10 and 20 miles, and everybody started at the same time. Some 600 runners in all!

At the start. Pic by Run Wales

It was an absolutely gorgeous day! It was sunny, and there wasn't much wind. We would run East from the start, so I made sure to wear my sunglasses. I was wearing a T-shirt under my club shirt. And I had two knee supports in my running vest. I was hoping I would not need them! 

At the start I made sure to run at a decent base, but not too fast. I wasn't chasing anything. This was guaranteed to be a PB on the distance, given that I hadn't done a 10 miler since 2012, and these had been off-road. And it was a big race; I didn't expect to have a chance of having a podium position anyway. So I could just run in ways that I thought it would be good for my knees.

The route was straightforward: just follow the coastline until the turnaround point, and then follow the coastline back. And it was nice! People were in a good mood. I had a nice chat with several other competitors along the way.

I fairly soon realised I was wearing a bit much. Maybe these people in tank tops were on to something! But too late now.

My knees were feeling OK. I was trying to do everything my coach had suggested today. And it seemed to work! When I hit 10k, I knew there was only 6k left, and these knee problems arise slowly. No sign of them yet! And 11k was still good, as was 12 and 13. It was going to be fine!

When I knew there was only 5k left to go I wondered if I could still overtake any women, but I didn't see any that seemed within reach. But in the last mile I spotted one. I thought I could take her on! I had no idea if she was running the 10 mile or 20 miles; those doing the latter were just doing the course of the former twice. But it was worth a try. And I managed! I still had fuel in the tank and got past her. And from the colour of her race number I saw she was indeed also doing 10 miles.

My estimate for my time had been 75 minutes (well, rounded off from 79). I wasn't far off! I was just over 76. Well within the error margin. And behind the finish I spotted Marjan again. 

At the finish. Pic by Marjan

Afterwards

I drank some water, got my medal and T-shirt, and asked how I had done. I had come second in my category. So no additional medals. Fair enough! The winning lady in my category had only needed 69 minutes. Not something I could do. 

I should stick with my coach’s advice as it seems to pay off, so Marjan and I went back to the car, where I drank my recovery shake. And then we went for a coffee at the seafront. A nice way of finishing things off!

In the end it became clear I had done it in 1:16:13 and come in as 7th woman (of 101), 36th person overall (of 206). Excellent results! And what was more important: I had faith I might be able to do a half marathon again…

Dual chairs

I like comfortable chairs. Who doesn’t? The cat does too. But I especially like comfortable chairs that fit through my narrow doors. 

I had imagined a comfortable chair in the upstairs bedroom. And one day, Neuadd Ogwen was chucking away some chairs, that looked both fairly comfortable and fairly small. I thought ‘this is a sign from providence’ and nicked one. And I temporarily put it in the conservatory. And as things happen, then I didn’t get around to moving it. 

Then we had some stunning spring days. The cat considered the conservatory again. She loves snoozing in the sun on the resident chair there! And then I realised that maybe, the new chair is exactly where it should be. She can have the original comfy chair, and then I can have the other one, and stroke her while doing whatever else it is I want to do there. Drink coffee and read the newspaper, for instance. Perfect! That chair stays…

Tiny road closure

One day the neighbour approached me, saying that a man from Scottish Power had been in our street, and told him there was some work outside the little electricity building in our street that needed doing. That means they would have to close the road. Later he told me when it would start. I didn't receive any communications from them myself. It wouldn't have been difficult to throw a note through the letterbox! But thanks to my neighbour I was informed anyway. And I made sure my car was parked elsewhere when the work was about to start.

They didn't dig up the entire road; not even half of it. That was fortunate for the owner of a black car that has been parked on the wrong side of the road closure when it started. We didn't know who it belong to. But it could clearly get out. And also back in.

Small black car blocked in? No! 

You would almost think that the roadworks were without consequence, but then you would have not taken other humans into consideration. Soon there was a big van parked right next to the hole in the tarmac! So that meant that anyone parked on our street could not get out. Aren't people lovely. They could just have parked the van beyond the hole in the road.

Small black car blocked in? Now it is…

Later a big HGV appeared, to fill the hole back in. The work was done! I had just been for a little run and had to squeeze past. But the men working it were polite and not only let me through, but also let me through in the other direction with my bike. And when I got home the road was impeccable again!

Altogether a very unspectacular story. But it was nice that they got the work done quickly. And let's not pretend inconsiderate parking is unusual in our neck of the woods! And is also emphasises the benefits of having a good neighbour…

Film: Hard Truths

I like film! But I rarely go. Neuadd Ogwen doesn’t show many, and Pontio has a rather limited offer. Additionally, it’s not just a cinema but also a work venue. It’s ok going there for a 17:30 screening, but I’m not overly attracted to going there on my day off. Sometimes I do, obviously, but I really must like the film. 

The Thursday before my race I didn't want to do the Thursday run, as it seems better to give your body rest in the days before a race. But that meant I had this Thursday evening free. And I had recently both read glowing reviews in the newspaper about the film Hard Truths, and also heard an interview with the director, Mike Leigh. He is a veritable veteran, by the way, but I had never seen any of his films. I figured this was my chance. And I asked my date if he wanted to come with me. He did!

It starts with the family life of Pansy, a thoroughly unpleasant women in a sterile house with a brow-beaten husband and adult son. Later she ventures into the world, insulting people as she goes along. Claiming at home, of course, that it is other people who are harassing her. It was a bit much! I would have preferred it if they wouldn’t have laid it on so thick. 

Later you get similar everyday shots of Chantelle, her sister, who lives with her two adult daughters in a small but snug flat full of plants and laughter. Again; the contrast was a bit hammered home. 

The anniversary of the death of their mother is coming up, and Chantelle wants Pansy to come with her to the cemetery to pay their respects. And then come back to her place, with husband and son, for some food. She begrudgingly agrees. And by her mother’s grave she confesses to being scared and lonely and traumatised. The film never does anything like flashbacks to explain any of that. Chantelle just tries to comfort her, and offer some of her family warmth. It is well meant, but too little too late. It doesn't get through.

Later, Pansy’s husband does his back in at work. His colleague delivers him back at home, and alerts her to the situation. She is clearly overwhelmed by it, and sinks down into a chair, still upstairs. The husband is downstairs, in another chair, hoping she'll come down. And then the screen goes black. From there, you have to imagine how things progress yourself.

So what did I think? I had hoped it would be a little bit more subtle. But it was still worth it. I need to discuss about. Both my date and me recognised aspects of Pansy in people we knew. Fortunately, we also know Chantelles. 

After the film we went to a little Italian restaurant I had only realised existed the day before. That was a great find! So quite a good way of spending a Thursday evening! 

Women in sport

This year, the University’s International Women’s Day events were split in two. Maybe because of the actual day falling in the weekend. The first one was about women in sport, focussing on leadership. It would be a panel discussion, chaired by former Welsh football international Laura McAllister. The panellists were Kate Hannon (Cymru Women’s Sport Board), Hannah Powell (weightlifting), Tricia Sterling (gymnastics, netball, etc), and Sophie Harrison (sports science). I went.

When I walked in I spotted Ross and Geoff from Sports Science, who also run the Thursday Night Hills. I joined them. They were mainly there for their colleague Sophie. I was glad to see attendance was better than it had been the year before.

After pro-VC Morag had opened the event, Laura McAllister started it off. She gave some statistics about how many sports government bodies have no women at all in their boards. And she said it was detrimental if all decisions about a sport are made by men only. Very true! But she also emphasised that the grass roots of sport are also important. She wanted more women doing sport in a mediocre way. Because that’s important too! 

Then there were some central questions for the panel, such as what their greatest frustrations were. And these indeed ranged from grass roots to international level. From a lady with no love for netball, but with a daughter who wanted to play it, who then took on a coaching role as nobody else seemed to want to do it. Netball is seen as a girls’ sport, so not very glamorous. And a 4’8” (1.42) tall weightlifter who tended to have to represent her country in kit of which the size was a man’s S, which she obviously drowned in. And the sports scientist said that as an undergraduate, you'll have to memorise the average stats of male athletes. Not of females, of course!

Obviously, menstruation also came up. It was only when I started weighing myself in the lockdown period that I realised I have a 3 kg weight cycle associated with my menstrual cycle. If I didn't know that until I was in my 40s, I'm sure many men also don't know about it. And for me it doesn't matter much, but if you are competing in a sport with weight categories, it matters an awful lot!

For the last half hour they gave the floor to the audience. I asked about how women's sport is often equated to weight loss. Did they think that got in the way of women having a healthy relationship with sport, and did they see this change in the future? 

When the last question was answered there was an opportunity for networking in the foyer, but I wanted to go home. I still had a fair bike ride to do. And I would be home relatively late the day after, and the day after that, as well. So I left the networking to others.

The week after, there will be another event, this time about resilient women in a time of war, in association with a Ukrainian university. Stay tuned!

 

Using eBay to tidy up a bit

When I decided I was happy with my new fitness tracker watch, I obviously had a now redundant old one lying around. It is absolutely no use to anyone if it lies around in my house. So I disconnected it from my phone, erased all the data, and put it on eBay. I did specify that the battery life is very short, but even so. Someone will have use for it! And that was clearly true. People were bidding on it.

That inspired me to be a bit more proactive. I have a bit of a policy that I can't increase the amount of shelf space for my books. If you move house, books are a menace! And how many of the books you have will you re-read? So I for instance put Memorial up. I didn't intend to read that again. I'm sure someone else will like it.

It's not as if I have made enormous amounts of space in my house now, but I think I have set something in motion. I think I want to keep listing things that are no longer of use to me. Let's see if they can have a new life somewhere else…

Running training going awry

I was trying to pay heed to what Dafydd (the running coach) had said. I was bringing recovery shakes to the Thursday Night Hill (TNH) sessions. I tried to mind my gait. I sometimes had rest days. Sometimes it didn’t go so well; TNH doesn’t lend itself so well to gait change, for reasons of being very steep. I did a run in such rubbish weather I was too busy staying upright to mind my gait. But one tries!

I intended to do a long flat road run in the weekend in preparation for my upcoming 10 mile race, and then ‘taper’ (basically, take it easy) in the week before the race. The second half will happen! The first half didn’t. I woke up with a cold on the Friday, so after TNH. I suspect a causal relationship; it was a lot colder than I had anticipated. I was snotty all weekend, and only did a slow plod. 

A TNH pic

Slow plod pic

That 10 miler will be my longest race since the Caernarfon half marathon ended up with both my knees in knee supports. I really hope it will go ok! But if not, the knee supports will come out again. It’s 5k shorter than a half, so it would be 5km less in supports. We’ll see! 

Well-travelled cycling maps

Last year there was another episode of the Swamphike, which involves my Dutch hiking friends coming to the UK for an off-season hike. And this year two of them will come here for a big UK tour on bike. And they will come visit! That will be fab. But while they were preparing for their adventure they realised that they couldn't get the bicycle maps they wanted to use directly delivered to their house. The company wasn’t delivering to the EU. So would I be okay to have them sent to me, so I could send them on? Of course I was.

When they arrived I basically just sent them on as they had reached me: in a little box. They had ordered quite many! And there was no way they would all fit through the letterbox.

When the maps got to their house my friends, of course, weren't home. And apparently, no note was left, so by the time they checked where their maps were they were already on their way back to me. Bummer! Fortunately, they safely arrived again, in spite of the tracking app saying they had ended up in ‘Amersfoort, UK’. I then packed them up in two separate envelopes. Each envelope should fit through the letterbox! So this time, they should just get to the intrepid cyclists. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed! It's the humans that should be well-travelled, not so much the maps, at least not unaccompanied …

New perspective on a bridge

Almost every day I bike over an old railway bridge. It’s pretty! But bridges are never the prettiest seen from above. You need to be next to them to properly appreciate them. And I had decided several weeks ago that I should one day get off my bike and check this one out. 

I finally did it! One day riding back home I decided to stop. And it is indeed a gorgeous bridge! The field I ended up in (via a public footpath) was very soggy in the lower parts, so I didn’t go there, but that left enough opportunity for admiration. And I figured I’d have to come back one day in the morning. Then the sun would be behind me, which would make things even better. And I’m sure spring will hold many sunny mornings! 

The bridge as you see it coming over

Eastern end of the bridge

Majestic oak obscuring the view 

Backlit arches