I'm not a good passenger.
I flinch and flutter and have to sit on my hands to disguise my unease at the other driver's manoeuvres. I read the road and have braked before they brake. The red brake lights in front of us flash 'danger' and I'm adrenalined up, ready for flight or fight, which is not a good feeling in a confined space (the passenger seat) and may result in a few squeaks or eeks from me when the driver responds to prevailing conditions a smidge later than I would.
Or rather they appear to respond to the situation later than I would have because they are usually driving at a speed higher than I would choose to travel at, so in effect they arrive at the situation sooner than I would have if I were driving. I drive more slowly, cautiously, to give myself a safety cushion, and I'm not at all comfortable when I'm not in charge. Apologies to all concerned.
I've done my share of driving this weekend, and we've covered a good distance. Firstly on Friday night a quick trip up the M40, M42, M6 & M54 to visit friends just outside of Shrewsbury. On Saturday we then left Shrewsbury to head to Tywyn in Wales for the annual Race the Train event which my husband has been running in for the last 15 years, and this year celebrated its' 30th anniversary.
Here's the train..
You can check out the website here: http://www.racethetrain.com/event-description.html
The runners have heard the legend and run to try to beat the train back to Tywyn - two main distances, 10k and 20k (7 miles and 14 miles - just over a half-marathon). The key seems to be that you're racing the train, and not the other runners, which gives this race its unique atmosphere. Also, the terrain is a challenge in itself, (think Welsh valleys and hillside sheep), and this year the weather did its utmost to throw a spanner in it.
So, here's an idea of terrain...
And then the weather set in...
It's quite difficult to get good shots from a moving train carriage.
The passengers are very vocal in their encouragement of the runners, and the runners mostly respond positively to the cheery banter, but there are some of them for whom the race is just too much...
Whilst it's fun to ride the train and come up with witty lines such as 'not far now', or 'nearly there' and 'run faster', the drawback to having a husband who is experienced in the event and pretty quick is that we don't actually see him.... Never mind, his time this year 1:47:00. The train came in 1:48:15. He beat it. Positioned around 175 out of 935 who completed the course. And that's not bad, well done him.
Needless to say we're all a bit tired and emotional from the weekend, so I'll stop here and try to write more during the week.
TTFN! Kat :)
I flinch and flutter and have to sit on my hands to disguise my unease at the other driver's manoeuvres. I read the road and have braked before they brake. The red brake lights in front of us flash 'danger' and I'm adrenalined up, ready for flight or fight, which is not a good feeling in a confined space (the passenger seat) and may result in a few squeaks or eeks from me when the driver responds to prevailing conditions a smidge later than I would.
Or rather they appear to respond to the situation later than I would have because they are usually driving at a speed higher than I would choose to travel at, so in effect they arrive at the situation sooner than I would have if I were driving. I drive more slowly, cautiously, to give myself a safety cushion, and I'm not at all comfortable when I'm not in charge. Apologies to all concerned.
I've done my share of driving this weekend, and we've covered a good distance. Firstly on Friday night a quick trip up the M40, M42, M6 & M54 to visit friends just outside of Shrewsbury. On Saturday we then left Shrewsbury to head to Tywyn in Wales for the annual Race the Train event which my husband has been running in for the last 15 years, and this year celebrated its' 30th anniversary.
Here's the train..
 |
| 2nd train on Rotary Race on Talyllyn line |
The runners have heard the legend and run to try to beat the train back to Tywyn - two main distances, 10k and 20k (7 miles and 14 miles - just over a half-marathon). The key seems to be that you're racing the train, and not the other runners, which gives this race its unique atmosphere. Also, the terrain is a challenge in itself, (think Welsh valleys and hillside sheep), and this year the weather did its utmost to throw a spanner in it.
So, here's an idea of terrain...
 |
| sheep running alongside the moving train - runners in the bottom of the field |
 |
| back in town/Tywyn the race traditionally starts with a toot from the engine... |
It's quite difficult to get good shots from a moving train carriage.
The passengers are very vocal in their encouragement of the runners, and the runners mostly respond positively to the cheery banter, but there are some of them for whom the race is just too much...
 |
| this is how close you can get to the train before it leaves you behind to re-evaluate your fitness levels/tactics/shoe choice |
Whilst it's fun to ride the train and come up with witty lines such as 'not far now', or 'nearly there' and 'run faster', the drawback to having a husband who is experienced in the event and pretty quick is that we don't actually see him.... Never mind, his time this year 1:47:00. The train came in 1:48:15. He beat it. Positioned around 175 out of 935 who completed the course. And that's not bad, well done him.
Needless to say we're all a bit tired and emotional from the weekend, so I'll stop here and try to write more during the week.
TTFN! Kat :)
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