Training our way to Stockholm – and back!
After our jaunt to the Southern Ocean at the turn of the year, for us, 2024 has been occupied with catching up on neglected chores in London and La Coste: pay-back time for our care-free travels around the world in 2023. Not just the grounds in France, where everything has grown out of control, but all sorts of repairs, large and small, awaited our attention.
After flooding at our London flat, Peter has spent more time in London over the summer months monitoring builders than he has in France. So it is great to take this break together.
We decided early in the year that we would take a break from chores and slow the pace, by catching up with friends in Europe (long overdue) and taking a long train journey to Stockholm. Feeling the need to regain our fitness, we had registered for the Stockholm Half-Marathon, the focal point of this trip.
Main course Dessert
There we will be joined by Chris who hasn’t had as much time to train as we have, but may very well catch a chill waiting, way ahead of us, at the finish line.
Peter has done all the scheduling of transport and accommodation, which has been complicated by on-going disruption and infrastructure work on the railway approaching Bielefeld in Germany. This has involved our friend Uli visiting said station, as the information on-line has been unreliable and frequently changing. We wait to see how this pans out!
Lynne thinks that Peter is missing the excitement of our World Trip and thus has relished the planning. He even brought his rucksack from London to recreate the feeling of Wunderlust!
When he expressed surprise at how heavy his rucksack felt, despite weighing less than last year, Lynne was reminded of how she struggled to run on a day following a travel day, because of the weight of her rucksack. Since our half marathon training involves runs in Paris, Copenhagen and Stockholm before the actual race, Lynne decided to use a small wheelie bag and light backpack instead.
It’s been very hot in the South of France which has presented its challenges in knowing what to pack. We have lived in shorts, t-shirts, vests and flip-flops for months. But on the other hand, we won’t have to wake up so early for our training runs, before the heat of the day makes it difficult.
We are looking forward to travelling at a leisurely pace, ensuring we don’t compromise our race-readiness en-route. We are both hoping for some cooler weather as we head north.
Navigating the blog
Click on the ‘left’ or ‘right’ arrow at the bottom of each blog.
You’re both mad !!