Sunshine On Neath

My heart was broken
My heart was broken
You saw it, you claimed it
You touched it, you saved it

While I’m worth
My room on this Earth
I will be with you
While the Chief
Puts sunshine on Neath

The Proclaimers 1988

Travelling to Plymouth for the Ocean City Half Marathon was fraught with difficulties due to the rail strike so the journey to Swansea for the half should be a doddle, or so I thought 🤔

Race place and hotel booked. I booked early to avoid last year’s chaos. I had booked a cheap place to stay little knowing it was a bare room intended as student accommodation and therefore spent hours trying to get in somewhere else. The Dragon was one hotel we tried and failed to get in. It looked good and central with easy access to the start so I booked there. Just the train tickets to get. I booked these quite late and even with our rail card it was still over £70 for Sue and myself. A few days before our departure l noticed that due to a vehicle shortage the Bristol to Cardiff section of the journey there would be a bus replacement service. Gawd, not again. Panic again as on the morning of our trip I received a message saying that our train from Taunton to Cardiff had been cancelled 😡 . Quick get on the Trainline app. and I found an alternative. Phew!

I’ve been suffering from Ilio Tibial Band Syndrome on and off throughout my running days. IT band is a thickening length of tissue on the outside of the leg running from the hip to the knee. This stabilises the knee. The band can become inflamed and be a source of pain at the knee. Over the last week of training this had happened but caused pain at my hip as well. I was seriously wonder about not competing but the weekend was costing us a lot of money. I concentrated my running to slow beach runs but of course sand is unstable and I tried to run on the firm sections.

My race nerves are getting worse the older I get. I can never eat beforehand, only take Imodium™️ after my bowel cancer difficulties and with this ITB syndrome I was concerned. Sunday morning, race day, started cloudy but warm. The temperatures over this last week have been really quite high with blazing sunshine after 5.00pm, after work. I prepared as well as I could. I scoffed an energy gel and drank plenty, but not too much, of water and whacked on Vaseline and SPF 30 in those important little places.

We all nervously got into our pens with some doing that ‘not knowing where I should be but want a quick start’ thing. I was in the blue pen, 1.45-2.00, hoping I could wing it. 9.00am and the start off towards Swansea University along the Mumbles road, a loop of part of the city and at around 5 miles back towards the Mumbles along the dual carriageway. At this time my knee was starting to hurt. I wore an open patella knee brace hoping I’d be fine. Having seen visually impaired runners and wheelchair athletes using conventional wheelchairs I thought my ailment to be very slight and as I was was running well at a constant pace, with some discomfort, I should count my blessings and have a go.

The course continues towards the Mumbles and the last 4 miles return back to the start/finish along a cycle path by the coast with terrific views and the tide was out. We, the runners, we’re now in full view of the sun and no shade and at 9-10 miles this could be a telling part of the the run. I saw at least one runner in need of medical attention at this point. Digging in I kept up my pace, overtaking tiring runners and finished in a respectable time of 1.54, last race before becoming a over 60 vet. I met up with Sue and had lunch. But our adventure/nightmare was only beginning.

Whilst at lunch I received a message indicating that our train home had been cancelled. Pooh and, I was knackered from the race and now I had to try and find an alternative. All other options got us back home late so I made a decision to return on Monday, message my Boss to try and explain and find somewhere to stay. Chasing Booking.com and trip advisor was useless. Arctic Monkeys were playing at Swansea City’s football ground and all rooms were booked. Their first album was brilliant but I’m not so sure about the others! I managed to get a room after all the chasing around and internet sh&t. I messaged my boss. ‘Hi, it’s unlikely I’ll be in work tomorrow’. Big man not happy, called work in the morning and still not happy. F&ck, I’m not happy. Now this trip has cost me an arm and a leg and what’s left of my mental health.

Right, I wasn’t going to spend all that time looking and failing to get a train and searching for a hotel room to return to Highbridge and Burnham at stupid o’clock in the morning to frape my tired ass for 10 hours. I phoned work. Me, ‘It’ll take at least 4 hours to get from Swansea to Highbridge so I’ll take the day off’. Reply, ‘ I went to Cardiff in 1 and a half hours’. Good for you. That wasn’t Swansea and when Great Western Railways was being ‘difficult’. Severn Tunnel was down for maintenance and the the alternatives weren’t passenger friendly.

Our train was Swansea to London Paddington via Reading. The train was of 5 coaches not the normal 9 and many passengers looked like they were heading to Reading and the connection to Gatwick. The train was over subscribed with passengers standing everywhere. We were due to hit Gloucester and then change for Bristol Parkway. Now, in a moment of calm thought I considered if we got off at Newport and travelled on a Bus Replacement Service to Bristol Parkway it would be quicker. Wrong. We got off at Newport and raced to an already full bus and had to wait for another. Now I was losing any patience I had left. It’s just impossible. Even with mobile apps and the internet you’re always at least two steps behind. We eventually reached Bristol Temple Meads after changing at Bristol Parkway but I forgot to take our case off the train. By now I was at the end of my rope. I’d gladly throw myself under a train to end my miserable day. My head was a mess. I was thinking for two and I couldn’t get a chance to sit silently and collect my thoughts. We got our suitcase back and continued our journey home in just under 6 hours.

Cardiff in 1.5 hours, phish, you’re lucky to see me again.

I love Swansea, I love the people and their hospitality, I love the race and I love the Arctic Monkeys first LP but I have an uneasy feeling about GWR and their customers services.