Virgin Blog and post Cardiff 10k summary.

So here we go. Sitting here at 6am watching ‘My Petsaurus’ (the worlds shortest program incidentally)  with my 3 yr old daughter and coffee in hand, what better time to start a blog.   My wife and son are yet to appear.

I’m an almost 40 yr old married dad of two, a three year old girl and a two year old boy. I have started this blog to share the trials and tribulations of being a working dad while trying to turn back the clock on my ever aging body. The hair has gone but the mind is willing even though my knees could have done with some WD40 walking down the stairs this morning.  I blame yesterdays 10km because in my mind I’m still the milky bar kid (don’t ask, my mum wanted me to audition for the adverts when I was 10).

Oh wait my son has appeared now sporting a nappy that has definitely been influenced by the weight of gravity (might need to change that)

So, the 10 km…… It never fails to amaze me how in running that fitness is not defined by body shape, it just doesn’t matter as being fit is being fit. I was aiming for a sub 40 (wishful thinking)  but I’m sure I saw an 80 year old man cruise past me possibly on stilts. I’m not entirely sure as I was anxiously listening to the noises and cramps in my stomach hoping the worst wouldn’t happen in front of Cardiff Castle over the last mile.

Enduring the cramps and saving myself the embarrassment of pulling a Paula Radcliffe I managed a little sprint and crossed the line in 41:05.

I’ve always participated in sports on some level and had a good degree of fitness for most of my life.  Although in my early twenties I went travelling through Central America and inadvertently brought home a holiday romance (she was from the states) who I then married – think Green Card without the romance! She proceeded to force feed me a US diet throughout our marriage which culminated in me looking like Boris Johnson.

To cut a long story short I married too young and the wrong person and as a result I put on weight (only the amount of another small person) and spent my latter twenties and early thirties running and learning to eat healthier in order to take control of my life.

Fast forward to the present day and I find  myself a happily married man (of course we have our moments) with two gorgeous and challenging children.

Why blog as the Welsh running dad then?

Well, I’m Welsh, I’m a dad and I love to run.  I think I can use a blog like this to inspire others. I use running and  exercise to keep me sane but to also help me endure the obstacles that life throws at me and believe me I have my demons.

Looking for inspiration, some fitness tips, some dad tips (not many on this one as still learning) then read on……