The Inside Track - Santa Special

My running highlight was the Severn Bridge night race. The atmosphere was brilliant with face paints, music and a lovely feel at the start line under the bridge and then the most delicious huge Victoria sponge a the finish line. I was also really pleased with my finish time of 50 mins as haven't run that much this year and was pleased to know I could still achieve a 10mm in a race if I really try. Not forgetting 4th ladies team .. luckily there were only 4 EGRC ladies and having Em and Wend in the front and me and Ruth managed to get our team in the results page

My favourite race this year was Chippenham half marathon because I did it pain-free and just really enjoyed being out in the countryside at a friendly event

My running event highlight for 2019, among many, was the Newport marathon. To notch up a marathon PB at age 47 was something I never expected. Outside of this, Dirty Weekend (20 miles, 200 obstacles and a team of 7 from EGRC) was great fun; Jon Doyle and I are headed back in 2020 for the Dirty Double.

My running highlight was obviously the New York marathon! It was just WOW!!! The crowds, the iconic sights, the camaraderie between all of the runners was just like nothing I've ever experienced before! And it was brilliant bumping into Anne and Steve along the route!

My highlight of the year is always the Conti Thunder Run. It was particularly great being there with so many EGRC runners. There was a torrential downpour in the middle of my first lap. I was just beginning to think being blinded by the rain was a bit too much when my crazy son Noah appeared from the woods and ran it with me! Getting a PB at Stroud Half was a very close second!

I've had a very enjoyable running year, my first year with a club. EGRC has got me back into races and boosted my performance and is a great social base too. I enjoyed the mud and thigh-deep river of the Keynsham Dandy much more than I expected, but my personal high has to be overcoming the shock of turning 50 by beating my half marathon PB at Sroud six days later, the previous one having been set nearly half a life time ago in 1996!

I think my running highlight of the year aside from making it through the mud and hills of the Cheddar Half was running two park runs in Russia. A very different country with a very different history, is still full of friendly, welcoming, collaborative runners (who also make cakes). It just shows the global, unifying power of running. Plus … no hills!

I think my race highlight this year was the Bristol 10K mainly because I achieved a big PB but also I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Another favourite was the Dark Valley 10k, had a brilliant time running with some of my EGRC buddies plus there was a party tent half way round and a fabulous medal!

I'd say my 2019 running highlights were running my first ever marathon in May, the Women Can trail marathon in South Devon, which was far harder than expected and involved more walking than I'd planned. Then signing up to do a more runnable second marathon in Barnstaple in September which led to a never to be repeated hour and a half being knocked off my PB! The first event had a cream tea at the end and the second a glass of prosecco - I tell you Devon marathon organisers have it sorted!