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Not Half Bad!

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A great run today. I signed up for the Silverstone half marathon again this year. It is a fabulous event, well organised, and highly exciting. Given the central position, and a venue that can soak up a 200,000 crowd, it deals easily with more like 20,000. It is also off road, and thus has a 12 o'clock start (well, 12.05 actually, as they held it for a bit because of queues on the going road, ironically...). And of course I am a F1 fan, so the opportunity to run on the hallowed ground is surely only akin to a football fanatic having a training session at Wembley. And, I got to see the new stand, and run on the new track and pit lane. Fab!

The morning was simply lovely. Crisp, fresh spring had properly 'sprung'. As I rounded Oxford, a couple of air balloons rose gently and majestically. I would love to have been in them - if it had not interfered with the race, of course! 

I followed the pacer for the first 3 miles, then stepped out a bit myself, and managed to hit my target pace absolutely on the nail - 6.45 milling all the way. There were a few tough moments at around mile 8-10 - the course is a bit more hilly than you might think! - so I just pushed through. My new mantra is 'Tarahumara' after finishing reading the brilliant book 'Born to Run', which I cannot recommend too highly, about why we should run and why we should probably be in lower profile shoes (if not absolutely barefoot). 

So, on to tonight's victory wine. This evening's treat is my last bottle of Ch. Tour du Mons, a cru bourgeois Margaux, from the excellent 2000 vintage. I suspect this is 50% Merlot, the rest Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc.  I had 6 of these from the Wine Society a few years ago, and they have all gone down very well indeed. The timing is perfect, I am not sure this has a lot of life left in it. Right now, this wine is a delight, elegant, a bit of blackcurrants, a hint of cedar and wood, and altogether a classic claret. Just right to go with the beef joint that is cooking away...if the bottle can last until it is ready!


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