Of all the basic mistakes to make, not tying my shoelaces properly before a race is probably the most basic of all. The laces on these shoes are a bit slippy and overly long, so I end up double knotting and then doing another bow (exceedingly long laces). They possibly would have held my foot in, but the second bow had not been tied tightly and was about to start flapping…
I should be talking about the actual running that I did today, all the way down in ‘Ynys Môn’ which the English call Anglesey. I should talk about my running generally which seems to be winding down for Christmas. But instead, I witter about shoelaces. Sometimes though, those small details are where the problems lie. Like the small detail of finding my club vest at the very bottom of the laundry basket this morning. Like small detail of not being able to find my Pink Brooks Hyperions this morning which are as close as I get to ‘racing flats’ and having to take my Yellow Puma Velocity Nitro 3s (not a super shoe and heavier than my Brooks).
The really small detail in all this is that I didn’t prepare the day before. The vest could have dried overnight instead of potentially ponging my running compatriots. The shoes would eventually have been located so that I wouldn’t have had the shoelace malfunction and possibly ran a bit faster. Lesson absorbed. Lesson learnt?
So aside from that, how was the run today, Rita?
Overall? For me it was fair to middling. Yes, the weather was lot better than it had been three years ago when we last came here. A light drizzle and occasional gusts instead of horizontal hailstones and a proper gale. Yes, I improved by a little over a minute to that last time, so I’m not yet slowing down. But I couldn’t feel any rhythm in my breathing, possibly because I set off a bit too fast, and I lost my mojo a couple of times when some people who I’d passed earlier on, passed me. My head was having mini tants when those folk (who obviously didn’t set off too fast) eased pass me in the final kilometres, and I had nothing to respond with. Lesson absorbed. Lesson learnt?
Generally, though, I’m got one eye on Christmas and one eye on the Four Villages (Helsby Half) in January. For the past two weeks I’ve got one ninety-minute run in, and one speed session. Yesterday I should have run on the grass for at least forty minutes and instead I got busy putting the baubles and tinsel up. There is lots to prepare for the holiday period so I’m okay with that.
My book has currently got past the second draft (first edit stage) and has been flung off my shoulders and onto some friends’ to read. It needs a couple more chapters, it needs things moving around but I want to find out if it is at least not too dull. And worth carrying on with. I’m trying not to think about it.
Focussing instead on rookie mistakes like shoelace tying is where I’ll keep my head.
theleadlesspencil 
I’ll pretend not to be jealous of the Puma Velocity Nitro 3s (having not got beyond the ‘2’ version). Good job with the running and decorating (and writing – it won’t be dull, I’m sure).
They are very comfy.