After a few days off to celebrate my birthday I started this week by getting back in the gym. Did my usual cardio session on the ergo and bike then had a swim. The weekend hadn't caught up with me too much thankfully and I got my diet back on plan. Today I did my scheduled long run from the weekend and pushed a little bit further just to get my first half marathon out of the way. It was a really great run, I left it quite late which meant that on some of the darker roads on Anglesey I could appreciate the stars and the bridges all lit up are quite something. Had a minor hitch in that I managed to not resume my workout on my Nike+ after my stretches so actually did a bit further than 13.1 miles! But I got it sorted as I got into Menai and headed off in the direction of Beaumaris. Outside of town it quickly became apparent that it was far too dark for that route as I could barely see the pavement and kept getting blinded by headlights (I was wearing my flattering fluorescent jacket for the cars to see me though Mum). The thing I like about the chip for my iPod is that it gives me more flexibility with my routes so I just turned around and headed to Llanfair... I'd chosen more of a chilled soundtrack with a producer called Owsey. There were a few really amazing moments when I just felt so alive and appreciated how beautiful Bangor and the surrounding area is. One back onto the mainland I headed along to the pier, overtaking a couple of groups of runners which was a good boost. The new shoes have definitely broken in now, my knees didn't give me any trouble at all. Things started to get tougher after I'd run along the seafront and onto the High Street and by the daunting incline of Penchwintan Road my pace had slowed right down. I was still on course for my planned time though so soldiered through and had a couple of spare miles when I got to the top so I did a loop around Ffridd and then ran down the remaining distance around the field. My legs don't feel too bad now and I've had a mountain of pasta to recover but I know that tomorrow will be painful! Still, at least I now know I can survive halfway, and in under 2 hours.

This came on on Menai Bridge and was just one of those moments where the song gave me a huge boost and I remembered why I'm doing this