10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The San Silvestre Chipiona 2019

1. Vaporflys

I think that I’ll have to get at least 5 pairs of these shoes. I’m thinking of putting a pair in a safe somewhere, just in case. I was so worried on Christmas Eve that someone would break into my house and steal them while I was back in Anglesboro for Christmas. I was so happy to see them when I got back.

2. Scorchio

I think that I wouldn’t have been able to take Belgooly or Clonmel this year. The week before Christmas nearly broke me. Monday and Tuesday there was deadly ice which meant running up and down the road by the train station, Wednesday there was deadly wind where I nearly got killed by a branch, Thursday brought deadly rain. By Friday I’d enough.

3. Beetroot Gazpacho

I think that beetroot gazpacho could be my favourite food ever. It’s amazing, it contains performance enhancing beetroot and it tastes amazing.

4. Aygo

I think that Spain is the only country where when renting a car you ask “have you got anything smaller?”. The Aygo is the perfect Spanish car, tiny but with all the extras like Apple Car Play. It’s absolutely terrifying on the motorway but magnificent on the cobbled streets.

5. Chipiona

I think that Chipiona is one of my favorite places in Spain. It’s so quiet, it’s like Lanzarote without the wind and the horribleness. It has a beautiful lighthouse, a spectacular church and a lovely promenade. Everything was closed along by the sea even though it was 20 degrees. Obviously way too cold.

6. I Learn it from a Book

I think that my Spanish is improving, I still can’t speak it at all but like Irish I can understand stuff quite well. At the startline there was an announcement which caused much consternation among the crowd, the course had been changed and made longer. We had to do two tiny laps and then head out along the promenade before coming back onto the old course. I was very pleased with my understanding.

7. Pinky

I think I didn’t feel so bad about wearing the Cheaterflys when I saw someone else with a pair. Lots of people had the old 4%s. The Spanish seemed to be unaware of how excellent the Vaporflys are as no one asked me about my shoes or even pointed at them.

8. Elbows

I think that it was great fun around the streets of the town elbowing and shouldering. I jumped straight to the front just like Michael did a few years ago. One guy came with me, he kept trying to cut inside me at the corners so I had to shoulder him, it might have been more to do with my atrocious cornering.

9. Irish Bar

I think that it was apt that the new course ran past the Irish Bar on the promenade. I got lots of shouts of “animo”, none of it had anything to do with being Irish as everyone thinks you’re English with the Leevale singlet. We should get an Irish flag on the front of it to make it clear.

10. Campeon

I didn’t think that I’d ever be able to win this race. Technically I had won it the last time as Michael ran under my name when he won it. I nearly ran as fast as him too which must be extremely concerning and worrying to him. I got a big trophy with a running Santa on it as my prize. The podium was excellent and outside. There was no rain, no deadly ice and no wind. It was all excellent.