Popping my head out of our tent I found the sun rising creating a contrast between the deep grey ridgeline of Cader Idris and the golden sky above it.

As tranquil as that might sounds it was gone 8am and I was suppose to be joining Ryan’s family on a Park Run in Dolgellau at 9. My bed head was out of control and if there was going to be any hope of me completing this run…my brain was requiring coffee. Especially with the sub-25 minute time I’d been given to beat over a distance of 3.15 miles. With this requiring me to run a minute faster per mile than normal I needed all the help I could get..

But enough with the numbers…this isn’t suppose to sound like a Maths lesson.

Miraculously I was on the start line at 9am with Ryan’s family having no clue on what would happen on this run. It’s not suppose to be a race, but my competitive side came out. Only a little bit….ok a lot!

Realising half way round the first lap I needed to do a second I began to figure out when to start upping my effort. When did I become good at pacing myself on a run again?

Seeing Ryan’s 6 year old brother running round with his Mum and the biggest grin on his face… it made me push that little bit harder!

For the last leg I placed myself behind a group running at a similar pace to me only to find some energy to up my pace to the finish. Having not run like that since Sport’s Day, which is a few years ago now, I’d somehow managed a time of 24:48 with a 7:37 mile in there somewhere.

I was genuinely perplexed as to where that had exactly come from.

I still have no idea.

I thought that was me done for the day too! But no, there was a walk around a lake to be done too! The Precipice Walk to be exact. With plenty of views not even photos can give justice to. As it followed the edge of a fishing lake only to turn right and up around a hillside I struggle to put my camera away!