Well where have the first three month’s of the year gone, I feel like I am in a complete spin & to cap that Dorina & I will be moving back to my old house near Dolgellau next week. Despite a year of stability by living above the cafe it’ll be our seventh move in the last 2 years & hopefully the last for quite a while! Despite everything I have somehow muddled together an agenda of Outdoor goals this year & will aim to update you on my preparation & progress on each one as the month’s slip by. So here goes a bit more meat on my plans from last month’s blog:-

April – Moelwyn Race, feels like a local race to me as I’ve had an office in Blaenau for nearly 10 years, It’ll be my third year running (you get what I mean), providing the snow clears I’ll be aiming to beat 2 Hours – tough race with lots of ups & downs.

April – Snowdonia Half Marathon, this year starts & ends at Llanwrst, I’ve now managed one training run up that Geirionyd Hill & had to break into a walk, that said I had run over to it from Capel so there’s a bit more hope for me on race day.

May – My ML Assessment with Rob Johnson, I just don’t feel ready despite proving my Nav. & Map Skills to Tim Blakemore in Nepal. Recent training has been hit by the wind, rain, snow & wind, please arrive Spring & encourage me to get out on those Night Camps & Micro Navs. not to mention tricky descents & rope techniques. My First Aid Training went well & was really great fun so together with trips to Scotland & The Lakes at least I’ve ticked some boxes.

May – Sadly will be missing the Cader Idris Race because Fraser & I will be giving our third Nepal Presentation at the Keswick Mountain Festival. Cader was my first ever Fell race back in May 2010 so I really will miss it, was up there in the snow last Saturday, great conditions.

May – With me missing Cader Fraser has agreed that we stay in The Lakes for a couple of days so that I can take part in one of the Borrowdale races being run on Sunday 19th. Depending on how many Sneck Lifters (an infamous Beer that he’s telling me about) I have, it could be the 10K or the 16K.

June – Welsh 1,000m walking race over the original course. Took part in horrendous conditions last year which led to an altered course, won the over 40’s category by default so aiming for an overall win this year (well I can dream & often do) but with the snow hanging around it isn’t doing my prep. much good.

June – Coed y Brenin Trail Marathon – Last year was it’s inaugural year & with it being just a mile up the road from my house & the birth place of my running spirit (at the age of 44) I just had to take part albeit in the Half Marathon only. With the Marathon route also being altered due to bad weather I remember climbing the final hill & thinking those poor Marathon runners who had to go out & do it all over again. There must be some similarity between Child Birth & Fell/Trail running as two weeks later I’d entered the 2013 Marathon! Might be over stating it girls but you know what I mean. It’ll be my First Marathon so I really do need to focus on it, training runs are regularly hitting 10/16 miles, but another 10 seems a big step up at this point.

July – Again missing a favourite, The Moel Siabod Fell race. As previously mentioned Ross has handed over the organising to me. Hope to do it justice.

July – Gran Paradisio & Mont Blanc with Fraser. Tim Blakemore is again leading us. I’m a bit scared thinking about it so try not to. Georg doing his best to scare me into a comfort zone on our Welsh snow, keep it up Georg.

August – The Oggi 8 Challenge, still putting together a team ‘Siabod’ so anyone out there who wants to sign up you know where I am.

October – The London Royal Parks Half Marathon for the fourth year running. 1:49 year 1 became 1:40 year 2 & then 1:36 year 3. Do I have sub. 1:30 in me, only one way to find out & probably only 2 to 3 years to get there before times start going the other way.

There are others that may be slotted in like The Cnicht race that I missed last year by choosing to knock myself out on The Carneddau instead & the Peris Horseshoe as well as trying to get my mate Chris ready for his first assault on the Weslh 3,000’s, Fraser may yet be tagging along for his second go at it too. I also have thoughts lurking in deep recesses of either a two day assault on The Paddy Buckley (one day? how do they do that) or likewise on the West Highland Way.

Will it all happen, only one way to find out, now I’m off for a run hope to see some like minded people out there but not too many please.