Things to come…

We’re flying tomorrow morning for Edinburgh. We’re staying there till Tuesday. Fortunately enough it will be 20 degrees and sunny tomorrow! I will be packing sunglasses to go to Scotland! That sentence sounds so surreal! No offence to the Scottish people, but Edinburgh is not the sunniest place on Earth. Of course it didn’t help that the last time I went there it was October, four years ago.

Edinburgh

Our Half-Marathon is on Sunday. The weather is supposed to be amazing that day too, ideal for a race. It will be a bit cooler, 15 degrees, with a chance of rain. If it doesn’t rain too much to be slippery and dangerous, we will be fine. A nice shower to keep you cool and wet while running is fantastic. The best thing of the race is that the beginning in next to the Meadowbank sports centre, which is quite high in the city. It is all downhill from there running towards and by the seafront.

I generally find the beginning of each race the most difficult part. The first couple of miles I feel out of breath, unfocused and struggling. I’ve noticed though that when the crowds start to dissolve and I get warmer, especially after the 3rd mile I can get in a trance, lower my heart rate and concentrate on running, enjoying the route. Running downhill in that race I hope will help me to get into that state quicker.

I’ll try to get as much photos as I can, most likely at the beginning and end of the race. Especially the photos at the end will not be the most charming photos ever, but I hope to have the look of a proud man who accomplished something. It is a bit embarrassing to admit that this time I haven’t been fund raising for any charity. In the past, I’ve ran three races for ‘Cancer Research UK’. Next time I promise to run for a greater good cause…

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In another very happy note, we’ve booked our summer holidays. JJ gets his holidays at the beginning of each year. This is good because he knows when he’s off and he can plan ahead. However the system is not very flexible and changes cannot be easily arranged if something out of the blue comes along. So, this year, he has three weeks off in July. I’m not a great fan of going away in July because it is far busier, more expensive and so early. I fear that I will be sad finishing my holidays in July and having to wait till Christmas for the next ones.

We had checked various places from Cinque Terre, the south coast of France or Spain. We’ve agreed that we have a limited budget and we’d like somewhere nice with nice beaches, interesting places to visit and nice food. JJ was the one who first suggested Greece. I was reluctant a bit in the beginning since I didn’t want us to be going there every year. I don’t want him to feel obligated that we have to visit my country every year.

However, most people in Greece go on holidays on August. It is not as expensive as the Italian or French Riviera. In addition, I have people to help us with accommodation arrangements and tips on where to go and what to do. So, the plan this year is to go to my brother’s in Athens for a few days (I’d love to see the new Acropolis Museum), then for a few days in Naxos (the biggest and greenest island of Cyclades) and then for a few days in Santorini (I hope this to be the most magical destination).

Santorini

I’ve never been to Naxos or Santorini. There are so many islands in that island group. I’ve been to a few but not all of them. I hope we’ll have a nice time.

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Anyway, our summer holidays are not that close yet. For the time being I have to go eat my carbs and get ready for Sunday! Wish me luck…

I’ve been listening to this song a lot lately. I love it

Have a great Weekend!!! I’ll see you on the other side!