Spring Again

The cows are back on the Moors in Newcastle. For those of you who don't know, Newcastle has large Moors in the middle of this City. The Town Moor (the largest)which separates the City Centre from Gosforth and parts of Jesmond, and Nuns Moor which provides a gap between Fenham and the town.Traditionally the Freemen of the City (a mysterious bunch) have the right to graze cattle on these Moors. It is weird to be walking less than a mile from the City Centre across a vast open space with herds of cows and bullocks grazing around you. At this time of year its charming, the young cows are frisky and charge about the place, by the end of the summer you are cursing the cowpats and the smell.

Bobby , our dog, first notices them. He stands stiff left paw held up, sniffing the air, you can see his brain thinking "They're back!". When he was younger he would chase them, now he mostly ignores them on our walks around Nuns Moor.

The return of the cows means its running time again for me. This year its my 10Th Great North Run- the half marathon between Newcastle and South Shields that takes place each Autumn here.I have been running again for a week, just 20 minutes each run. I will build it up gradually until the end of June when I will start my "proper" 12 weeks of half marathon training.I joined a gym in the week after last year's GNR to try and maintain my Winter fitness. I was only partially successful, but did find out that I hate gyms. The gym I became a member of was Greens, part of the DeVere chain. Couldn't fault the facilities and the amount of equipment and machines available was astonisihing. I just found it a bit boring to be in a room full of people running, cross training, stepping to the sound of MTV.

I love running though. To run all you need is some shorts a T shirt a good pair of running socks and decent trainers. I prefer New Balance trainers, mostly because they are made in England (in the Lake District)so not by small children chained to radiators and beaten with sticks for a penny a pair.

They have great shops in Keswick and Shap both of which are only a couple of hours drive from here. Apart from the humanitarian concern, they are damn fine trainers.I have tried others but always come back to them.

Anyway, must go as my son has arrived back from his American Football tournament in Amsterdam,so have to go and pick him up from North Shields Ferry Terminal.
The sun is shining again (three days in a row at Easter - its akin to a miracle)Its good to be alive!