Sub-Eight

It was eight weeks to go until our wedding on Saturday. Most of the bigger things (church, dress, rings, hotels, my cuff-links) are sorted now and we're largely down to fine-tuning and sorting our wedding day race

We spent the weekend in Devon and should have been running the Grizzly yesterday. Around the middle of last week we decided we are in no kind of shape to do a mostly runnable 20 miler so we spent the day with Stef's lads instead

I'm running out of time to lose some weight and my training is still all over the place with decent weeks logged then weeks when I get out once at best. Last week was a 'one runner', albeit a very enjoyable Wednesday head-torcher

Too fat, too long

I've been fat and lazy all winter. Wedding planning has been a convenient excuse for not running, but wasn't really ever all invasive time-wise, and is coming along well now with around nine weeks to go before our big day. Therefore my pre-wedding streak started on Monday. I have long enough to (a) shift some lard and (b) beat my previous longest effort. Two short road runs have been done and my Hope is fully charged for tonight's headtorcher. Streak on!

Bands of Gold

We managed a run along the river yesterday afternoon. I guess we were out an hour or so all told. Just about long enough to get some mud on the box-fresh pair of Walshes I've had for months but never worn. Kingfisher, heron, goosander, wren, long tailed tit and a treecreeper were spotted during the run

Part of the reason we didn't get out running until the afternoon was we'd been to Skipton to buy wedding rings earlier. Stef's didn't take too much sorting but I was frustrated because our chosen shop had samples which were too small for my (I thought very average size) fingers

I had a very clear picture in my mind of what I wanted: 'gold' gold (not white), decent band width and a curved top, not flat i.e. something very traditional. Eventually after around half an hour and with an increasingly sore ring finger we found what I'd had in mind since my proposal back in October 

We'd been served by a lovely guy who I'd guess was in his 50's (a gentle man, Stef said later), but I asked one of the younger women working in the shop what she thought to my choice, 'does this look like the sort of ring your dad, uncle, elder brother or grandad would wear?'. 'Yes', she said, 'and the kind of thing I hope one day my husband would wear'. A perfect reply I thought

Sunday lunch

We went for lunch today with my twin brother Michael and his partner Deb. Michael invited us out as part of our (ongoing) engagement celebrations and I suggested we go to the Devonshire Arms In spite of living a few minutes up the road I'd never set foot in the pub in all the time I've been in Wharfedale

Every thing about the meal was great: lovely food, perfect service and a nice relaxed atmosphere in the brasserie. I also got to wear my new tweed jacket (Abraham Moon cloth from Guisley). Tweed seems to be my latest obsession after me spending hours recently scouring menswear blogs looking for a something to wear for our wedding. I doubt it will be another nine years before Stef and I return to the Devonshire  

Properly engaged

Ten days ago I bought Stef an engagement ring. A very good friend (who's been married for four years and now has two super young children) said buying an engagement ring felt a very 'grown-up' thing to do and he was absolutely correct, as is often the case

Last night after work I collected the ring and nipped into Costa for a quick coffee. I was going to go for a pint but was still feeling grown-up so came home. The ring fitted perfectly (it'd been off to a retired jeweller appropriately on the edge of the Lake District for adjustment and a 'clean and polish'). Stef, who's been right off it with a bug for two days, perked up amazingly on recieving it!

In the evening we had a lovely dinner at home plus a bottle of wine and I decided my streak (59 days at that point) had come to an end. Around 10.15 we were off to bed and as I was undressing found myself pulling running kit on almost without realising what I was doing. Stef said you'd best go out and do your run and away I went. I felt dreadful (it was probably the rich food and wine) but I managed a loop of the village and my streak lives on

Let me in your life

Update

I'm still running every day and did my 55th consecutive run today. Life is very hectic at the moment with our wedding to plan. We've settled on the Satuday of May Day Bank Holiday weekend (May 3) next year and have actually made a huge amount of progress with the church, fell race(!), reception etc already booked or organised

Stef is away this weekend and I am going to the Swan beer festival tonight and meeting my old pals Dave and Sara tomorrow evening for a Strictly Come Dancing night. A run up Dave's local hill (Pin Haw) is planned in the afternoon and I hope the weather is better than it was earlier tonight when I got half drowned on my Friday evening 'saver'. A saver is a short run done to 'save' the streak and everyone has their own rules as to what constitutes a minimum run; typically a mile or 15 minutes etc. My rule is if I get my kit on and stay out long enough to break sweat then it's very much game still on

Wedding proposal accepted!

Stef got her certificate (#1804 on the list) last night at the Bob Graham club dinner, which she was expecting. What she wasn't expecting was a wedding proposal from me! I'd spoken to Selwyn and Morgan, who were MC'ing the certificate presentations and told them of my intention and I proposed in front of around 250 fellrunners and friends, many of whom we know. Stef said yes so now we have a wedding to plan for next summer. It was quite a memorable night!

Chapel of love