23 May 2017
Hate is an ugly thing. It begets ugly things. The hate fuelled act that tore into the heart of Manchester last night could have happened anywhere in the world. It wasn’t the first such cowardly, senseless act and, sadly, it won’t be the last. This time it happened in Manchester. My heart goes out to this wonderful city and the people who live there. Continue reading Manchester
Commando had finished the Manchester Marathon before the forecast rain started to fall. Of course, once the rain began it didn’t stop, not that we’d have gone out anywhere anyway. Commando was tired and I was pretty exhausted from all that worrying to be honest. We went back to our hotel room and hardly emerged until we had to check out and head for Manchester Piccadilly station for our journey home. It turned out to be rather more eventful than I’d have liked. Continue reading Homeward bound – first published 6 April 2014
While Commando was running the Manchester Marathon, I’d been enjoying a spectacularly beautiful walk around the hidden gems of Manchester with my friend Yas. All morning there’d been a little nagging worry in the back of my mind. Race days are always a little like this. I go off for a walk but, no matter how lovely the setting, I can’t quite stop worrying about Commando and how he’s doing. There are so many things that can go wrong. I’ve seen the runners collapsed at the side of the road being treated by paramedics, or limping along with injuries. Then there’s the worry about time. Commando always sets off with a target time, if he doesn’t make it he’s not a happy bunny. With a marathon the possibilities for disaster are magnified. These are the trails and tribulations of a marathon runner’s wife. Continue reading The trials and tribulations of a marathon runner’s wife – first published 6 April 2014
Once Commando had set off on the Manchester Marathon I rang my friend Yas. She said she was only a few minutes away so I passed the time watching the runners setting off and checking the clever tracking app I’d downloaded. This was supposed to work with the timing chip on Commando’s race number and tell me where he was on the course. It would be a boon on our walk, letting me know when we had to start making for the finish line. It showed he’d passed the start mat so I was fairly confident it was doing its job. I wasn’t quite as confident about meeting Yas. We know each other through WLR but had never actually met, would we recognise each other in the flesh? Continue reading the hidden side of Manchester – first published 6 April 2014
In April 2014 Commando was running his second marathon, in Manchester. We’d travelled up on the train the day before and checked into the Premier Inn at Deansgate Lock, an area bursting with bars and nightlife on the surface with the Rochdale Canal hidden away below street level. After a little rest we went out to stretch our legs and have a look around. Continue reading The Manchester Marathon – first published 6 April 2014
April 5 2014 and we left home in fine drizzle, although the morning had started with a promising sunrise. The taxi, driving as close to my river route as a car can, took us past a park shrouded by thick fog. The windscreen wipers slap, slap, slap as we passed through Woodmill then Wessex Lane close to the green bridge, blue bridge path and I could just make out the shapes of half bare trees through the gloom. We were bound for Manchester. Normally we’d leave from Southampton Central Station but weekend track repairs meant we were starting off at Parkway, next to the airport. It might have been easier to catch a plane. Continue reading Manchester bound – first published 5 April 2014
After a light lunch and a rest Commando declared he felt up to a little more gentle walking and suggested we have a look at the canals. This sounded a lot more like it as far as I was concerned, although I knew he wouldn’t be anywhere near up to the walk I had originally planned, so off we went. Continue reading Avoiding the marathon
10 April 2016
Marathon morning dawned and it wasn’t quite the day either of us had expected. We were both awake early but Commando didn’t want to go down to breakfast until he was sure all the other marathon runners had left the hotel so we sat in our room watching rubbish on TV. Still it was better than watching excited runners getting ready. That would have been more than Commando could bear. Continue reading Not running a marathon
9 April 2016
As I stood at the side of the canal watching a barge slowly make its way under the railway bridge I smiled. What a relief. Commando’s ankle was feeling ok, if not perfect, and the marathon was back on. All those months of training hadn’t been wasted, even if he was unlikely to get a PB. All my walk planning hadn’t been wasted either and I was looking forward to exploring the canals further. Suddenly the day felt better and I began to really enjoy the walk, although it was half over. Continue reading Canals and bad news
9 April 2016
Despite my misgivings about flying on small planes it wasn’t too bad once we were in the air. In fact we had seats right next to the engine nascelle on the port side of the plane so Commando was able to admire his handwork throughout the flight. Thankfully the little door that opens to let the landing gear out, also built by Commando, did open and we landead safely. By the time we’d walked to the train station, caught a train and got to our hotel it was late afternoon. A bit of unpacking, some freshening up and a refamiliaristional walk around Deansgate was about as much as we had time for before we had to find somewhere to eat. At least it wasn’t raining and Commando’s ankle was feeling pretty good. It looked as if the marathon might be on after all, even if a PB was a bit of a stretch. Continue reading Castle hunting in Manchester