Well its taken many times to write and rewrite this, but here’s another go at it.
Things have been a bit wild and all over the place trying to get things in place and working more in my favour, between socials and work. Adjusting the depression and anxiety has been hard and finding the right coping strategies to go along with it.
This is now going to become more of a journaling page and externalising ideas and thought processes so a few things happen. 1) I actually start producing regular content on here and 2) a place where I can have an active tract of planes, ideas and designs and se what happens.
So what happens when four friends jokingly discuss holidays on a chilled weekday evening playing pool, they end up going a bit wild and booking it there and then.
At this point none of us actually had the time booked off work to go so first thing the following morning we all booked it off, it was all approved by lunchtime and bam we were heading of to the emerald isle. Safe to say we were all pretty excited (me most of all just to enjoy some proper Guinness)
After collecting everyone we were off to Cardiff airport were we left the car and we were free to enjoy the joys of travelling and because we were off to the land of Guinness, leprechauns and all things Irish first thing for me was a pint in the airport. Even though it was 6 am I still got some judgemental looks, but I didn’t care because holiday mode was in full swing.
Obviously I had to get a pre sample of the goods before I taste the proper stuff, being a lover of Guinness on a good day anyway this was going to be a good trip. (Side note this is not one mans quest for proper Guinness,even though that is the way its looking so far) After landing in Dublin Ireland we soon found our bearings of where we roughly had to go, so as the rules of travelling in the unknown local transport always over getting a taxi because why be boring and do it that way.
After we found our way to the general area we were staying we decided to do a bit of exploring and see whats about, to be fair I was loving the Irish sense of humour.
Once we got back to our apartment that was when the “fun” began, checked in all ok, everything seemed good with the place standard two doubles in a cosy apartment and then the problems hit. The heating in the bedroom didn’t work so we all ended up bunking together in the same room. Moving the mattress onto the floor so its like we were having a high school sleepover kind of set up, oh and the wifi didn’t work at all but that wasn’t the be end as we was out 90% of the time.
Seen as well day one of the rip was just meant to be get an idea of the area we were staying an what was good and what pubs were around for us to get some grub and see some of the sights.
But I kind of booked us all on for the Guinness Storehouse Factory tour so I can taste the good stuff straight from the source.
Walking up to those beautiful gates, well lets just say it gave me goosebumps of excitement to a whole new level and I for one seriously had no complaints. As we followed the signage to get into THE greatest brewery tour I’ve been on to date, it just kept getting more impressive the attention to detail they put into it.
Then we got in and thankfully I booked it all correctly, we were like 20 or so minutes early for the tour but because I pre booked the lovely women checking tickets said we can go in earlier than the actual time we selected.
Safe to say I was loving life and we were only at the main entrance area, the more we explore and followed the tour around the storehouse the information and history of the process for the Guinness made me appreciate it even more.
Following it, the more I looked around the extra little details you see dotted around, from how it use to be transported to the original styles of the bottles up to the modern style was bonkers on how much it changed.
As the tour continued we came up to the tasting room where I got really excited for actually having a pint of Guinness but it was just the sample room where you get given a mini pint. Just to sample the flavours and to give you a bit more of an experience. Sadly we couldn’t keep the mini pint (literal shot sized glassed) as a souvenir.
Then we hit it the holy grail of the tour the tasting of a FULL pint of Guinness straight from the source itself. No word of a lie it tasted phenomenal. I’ve never tasted such a fresh pint in all my life the flavours were bursting through without being overpowering.
After the Guinness factory tour I was more than happy enough to go with the flow with what everyone else wanted to do. What was on everyone’s mind food so we wandered around and found somewhere to eat, it was general pub grubby food so nothing to rave about but it was filling.
Once food was consumed we explored the shopping centre (Jarvis) just to kill a bit of time. As we exited the shopping centre we clocked a museum of sorts, The Irish Leprechaun museum and what sold it for us was the ticket attendant on the door, he gave us a loose explanation of what its about. Then once he finished he said “Don`t come back here to moan at me if its shite now”.
To say it had us all in stitches would be an understatement. We were definitely sold on it now, so we payed out entry fee and was ready for this experience we were abut to undertake.
As we entered our tour guide explained more in depth explanation of whats about to happen, then the laughs continued throughout. If you want a good laugh I would definitely recommend giving it a look in if you have a spare hour or so too kill around Dublin centre.
After all the fun and games were done, we headed back to the apartment and we ordered some food in and then started getting ourselves ready for wild night out in Dublin. There`s me thinking it would be a quick hour turn around and then we would be back out in Dublin exploring the pubs and clubs that were open on a Monday evening. Sadly we were in the apartment for a few hours getting things in order before we went out.
Surprisingly there was quite a few pubs and clubs open when we looked into it while in the apartment. Once food and a few pre-drinks were consumed we all started to get ready to go out.
So we were ready to hit Dublin town and experience what the nightlife a Monday night in Dublin can bring. The first pub we entered was a proper Irish craft pub and turns out its part of a chain of pubs called the Galway Pubs, so we started in the beer market and found out they have a “pub crawl” of sorts challenge where if you drink a pint in every single one of the pubs you can either get a free pint or t-shirt. Starting at 4 in the afternoon we thought it could be a good laugh to do as it will show us the main drinking areas in Dublin.
As we started on the venture of a pub crawl, in the third pub we started talking to some of the locals, they were really nice and friendly and we asked them where around Dublin is good for a night out and straight off the bat they a great list of places to visit for a good night out.
After having a couple of games with pool with them, a few of them said they were actually out tonight and we should all meet up again for a few more drinks. So we exchanged numbers and details so we could meet up again.
As we continued around our pub crawl we headed in the general direction of where the people earlier mentioned is good on a Monday night out. Low and behold we arrived at one of the clubs they mentioned and right off the bat the music was hitting all the right notes for all of us. Straight in we went and it was Abba playing at the time when we went in, after that it was tune after tune throughout the night.
We all decided well probably stay here for the rest of the night and enjoy ourselves, we dropped a message to the people we meet in one off the earlier pubs where we ended up for the night and they all came over and met back up with us and it was a great vibe for the rest of the night.
To say we partied the rest of the night there in style would be a very true statement. We were all having such a good time in there none of us realised what the time was when we had to leave. Somehow we managed to stay until basically kicking out time which was 4am.
Whats a night out with out a silly posed photo or two. Seen as well at the start of the night we had no idea where to go or if any clubs would be open, then turned into a pretty hilarious and entertaining night out.
The following day which sadly was the last, some of us feeling a little bit worse for wear after the crazy night out we decided to take it at a more chilled pace so the hangovers wouldn’t hit us all too hard. We started of with grabbing a little bit of breakfast. Once that was done we went to the EPIC museum , which is all about the history of Ireland and the heritage that goes alongside it.
Some of the history of how Ireland formed and some of the famous people that came from the country really blew me away with the sort of information that came along with it.
After we took in all of the exhibits they had in place in the museum, we were ready for a bit of lunch and seen as well we had one pub left on the “pub crawl” we thought may as well have a bit of lunch there.
Safe to say we enjoyed the food but we enjoyed the fact we completed the pub crawl on the last day and surprising or not we all ended up going for the t-shirt, extra souvenir. After this all that was left to is go back to the apartment pack all our bits up and make our way to the airport.
Dublin was one hell of an experience and is definitely on the cards for another visit, hmm I wonder what its like when the rugby is on, but these are just ideas for the future.
To think ive been running less than five years, it kinda boggles my mind how much ive achieved because of it. The people ive met and the new life long friends that have come along with it.
Going back to when I started running back in 2015 I literally hated it, I could barely run for 10 minutes without feeling like I wanted to give up and completely walk away from it all and forget about it, but being in the situation I was in. I stuck at it and carried on.
Looking back now of where I was with running to where I am now its astonishing going from a guy who could barely run a 5K to successfully running several half marathons (as my last post shows). With all the training Im doing these days, Im seeing improvement after improvement.
A 5k or Park Run (which is the same distance) Is an absolute cruise now, I can get around at a comfortable pace and what I would class as a pretty decent time. For those who are unaware what park run is, Its a free local organised weekly timed run that is completely free, the joys of it is that it doesn’t matter if you a seasoned runner or a complete newbie. The people who do it on a regular will help you get around with amazing enthusiasm if you go to a busy park run.
So after 6 months of feeling comfortable with running now, my friend suggest that we enter in for an OCR. Having never heard of an OCR I was confused thinking it was another standard running race but oh boy was I so wrong, for those who are unaware an OCR is and obstacle course race. Which when I found that out I was sold on it. The OCR race was over 10k with 20 odd different obstacles to overcome which was a great laugh.
Clearly enjoyed the slide a bit too much
After the several OCR’s I ended up doing it was time for the next big challenge when It came to running. It was time to build up to a half marathon level of running, seen as well this was a huge challenge where the longest distance I ever ran was 8 Miles the thought of running 13.1 filled me with dread and excitement. As this was such a huge challenge for me I decide to do it in the aid of charity and the charity was Motor Neuron Disease Association. On race day to say nerves were in full swing would be an understatement, but somehow I managed to get around and the relief of getting around the entire course I was overwhelmed with joy, knowing that I was officially a half marathon runner and doing for such a worthy cause as well.
Fast forward to 2019 where I was full into the swing of things with running as my last post showed off. I joined a running club which is something I never really considered. The type of person I am, you could im not the most sociable when it comes to running. It use to be turn up get the run done and go, but this time joining a running club it forced me to get out of my bubble and actually meet new people in the running world and looking back literally no regrets about it.
Well with the Cardiff Half Marathon with the Big Moose running club being my last race of 2019 and nothing really planned for 2020 challenge wise, one of my friends I met through running jokingly suggested that we sign up for a full marathon I laughed it off because hes a bit of a joker with stuff like that, at least I wish was joking this time. In fact he was being deadly serious so we both put out names in for the London marathon ballot but with how hard it is to get into that one these days we both looked into alternative marathons around the same time of the year(Didn’t get in for the London marathon ballot). Shock horror he found one that is literally the weekend before the London marathon. So on April 19th 2020 I will be officially running the Brighton Marathon, all 26.2 miles and not going to lie to you im really nervous about it, is an understatement. Coming up to just under half way through my training plan where the long runs are getting long to the point of some of them in a couple of weeks will hit 20 miles, luckily for me that is the maximum distance in the plan.
So pray for me as over the next 11 weeks I will pushing myself distance wise further then I ever thought possible, but its all in the aid of completing a marathon.
This will help me then complete one of my bucket list items, since I started enjoyed running, its always been a thought/hope on mine to run a marathon before im 30 and fingers crossed being 26 as im writing this im feeling ready as ill ever be for it.
Starting 2019 I would deem myself as causal running where I would normally attend a park run or two and a few small races but this was the year of running , well the running calendar shot into overdrive. Where id normally book on for a few races here and there by the end of January I already booked myself onto six races spanning over the course of the year.
The thing is as my overall goal was to build up my training over the course of the year so in my head i was physically and mentally prepared for the gruelling task of running a marathon at some point. At this stage I had not firm intentions of running a marathon I just wanted to make it through the race year.
So with the first race coming around quicker than I realised, RACE 1 Cardiff 10k Winter Warmer Run Which was completed on Feb 3rd 2019, not being a stranger to running 10k, I thought it would literally be a nice easy run around a park.
As the title of the race implies a warm up was defiantly require as I think on the day it was about 4 degrees and there was so much frost on the ground it was uncomfortably cold. So getting started and finished as quick as possible as the area of Cardiff it was being help I already had in my head that it would be a bit of a lap circuit course. For a 10k around my local running area there was surprisingly a great atmosphere and, bam before i knew it it was done and dusted.
With finishing off my first 10k race of the year with a sweet sub hour time of 56:47, which I was happy with seen as well it was the first race of the year.
With less that one month later was my next race which for some reason I thought was a good idea I signed up to the Newport Half Marathon. With all the training I built up for the previous 10k race I felt confident I could finish this half with ease. Being a new half marathon I never thought about doing, I thought new course brings new challenges to undertake.
Arriving for Race 2 Newport Half Marathon on March 3rd I had a loose idea of where to go to park at least, but getting to the bag drop and the start line was another issue in itself. So on race day if in doubt follow the heard of runners. Which luckily it lead us exactly to where we needed to go, so after dropping the bags off and getting race ready
So when I took on this race it was great to start off with but as soon as you got out of the main area of the city the crowds didn’t half thin out which didn’t help with the continued motivation to keep going, this is where the mental battle kicks in, the drive to continue to the finish.
Finish I did and to say the course route was interesting was kind words to put on it, but the bloody hills were one of the worst part of it, in typical Welsh fashion the weather was not the best. at the end of the marathon I managed to complete the entire 13.1 miles in a sweet time of 2hr 10m 21s. To say I looked in a bad way at the end would be and understatement. Thank God they were giving out the foil blankets.
The following race was set back on home turf back in Cardiff, it was the first ever 10k race i ever took part in, but this time I was set on breaking through the sub 55 minute marker.
This was the Race 3 Cardiff Bay 10k March 31st being back on a course I knew I felt confident with what was ahead of me. Lining up on the start area well with how many people actually turned up for the race, it must of took a good ten minutes to actually cross the start line and bam we were off.
Shock horror I made the rookie mistake of not going to toilet before I set off on the race, because I knew the course I had a rough Idea where there would be toilets along the course so I could nip off and go. After getting 5k in the feeling went away so I ended up just pushing on through to the end of the race. Smashing the 10k in a time of bang on 53m, which I was over the moon with.
Photo Courtesy of Threewaters Photography (IG:threewaters_photography)
On to the the next race of the year, Race 4/5 Newport 10k & Whitchurch Race For Victory May 5th, so this was the day of dread as instead of being sensible and signing up for a single race on this day i signed up for two, a 10k in the morning and a 5k in the evening.
Starting of with the 10k around Newport I had a much better bearings now of where I was going now after the half marathon that was completed the other month. After getting to the start line it was a smooth curse to the finish on a relatively flat course and managed to blast round in a time of 52m 50s, which is 10 seconds quicker, a PB is still a PB.
Now I thought the hard one was out of the way, I had a solid six hours to kill until the next race and trying to keep yourself going after a 10k race can be quite difficult I tried everything I could think of to try and keep me ticking over, but two hours into the six I was done so I deiced to take a nap, so I was hopefully a little more refreshed for the evening race.
Lets just say that didn’t go 100% to plan managed about half an hour at most, then of to Whitchurch to get this 5k done. A 5k run is normally really easy but on this day no chance after the 10k in the morning my legs were heavy and tired so first k was just waking them back up again. Manged to get around and finish this race in a time of 25m 13s so less that 14 seconds to break through to the sub 25 for a 5k.
Race 6 Caerphilly 10k
As one of my good running friends is from Caerphilly area she kept bugging the group that we need to come up and to the 10k, so off to Caerphilly I went to take on yet another race on the 19th May. So driving through Caerphilly a few times i had a loose idea of how bad this one was going to be but the hills were horrendous and lets not even mention the heat that came along with it.
Well as far as a standard 10k race goes this felt like it was a lot longer than that because of the hills that came along with it. but surprisingly with that added challenge I still managed to get around in a time of 1hr 02m. With the heat and the hills I was quite happy to get around in one piece and enjoy the just rewards of finishing a race and heading to the pub for a swift pint.
Race 7 Cardiff Pizza Run
With the next race I made the fateful mistake of being convinced to sign up for a race on a night out, thank god it was only a 5k race though and it had the added benefit of getting pizza when you finished, which is an absolute win if i ever saw one.
With this race set on 9th June and basically being set back on home turf back in Cardiff where I normally do park run, I knew that this route would be suitably flat and easy going but sods law the British summer was in full swing and it was absolutely boiling. So I managed to blast the 5k out in a sweet 30m on the dot. One annoying thing was the pizza slice medals didn’t align up, which is when they dropped the bombshell that to complete the full medal you gotta come back for the next events the following years.
Race 8 Swansea Half Marathon
When I signed up for all the races to start off with I didn’t expect it to be such a busy year of running but new races keep popping up/ being suggested and I sign up because why not.
On 23rd June I took me down to Swansea for another half marathon, luckily I knew this course as I ran it last year but compared to last year it wasn’t half as hot, which I was over the moon with. With the clouds drawing in it was still a little humid because still being in summer its only natural. Overall the course was pretty decent apart from the odd bits through the town centre it was an out and back course which is quite refreshing until you see the pack in literal first place coming back down while im only just hitting 6 miles is a little deflating.
But none the less still pushed on to get around the course in a solid time for a half marathon of 2hr 07m 10s which I was quite happy with, but running a half marathon don’t half take it out of you a bit, luckily some of my friends were there for support. (Don’t worry I was fine we just thought it would make for a funny picture)
Race 9 Porthcawl 10k
With the 9th race on the cards this one led us to Porthcawl on 7th July, this was definitely the year for new races that I haven’t done before. Lets just say the travel down to Porthcawl wasn’t exactly the smoothest because travel sickness kicked in big fashion I had to bail out of my friends car for 5 minutes before I was ill. So this bodes well for how the rest of the day is going to go.
After getting over the travel sickness and arriving in Porthcawl, the stage was all set ready for the next race. The course for the race was surprisingly deceptive, driving in it looked like quite a flat route. Once I was actually running the route the hills even though they didn’t last that long they were still a pain in my backside. Somehow with the travel sickness and the hills that presented itself I managed to smash a new personal best for a 10k race which was 50m 39s, so close to hitting that sub 50 minutes bracket but a new personal best is still a definite win.
Race 10 Barry Island 10k
With this race it marks the double figures for races for 2019, this one would lead me to Barry Island for another 10k, having been to Barry island quite a few times before I had an incline this one would be the hilliest race of the year and bloody hell I was not wrong, constantly felt like I was always constantly going up or down on the course, as it wrapped up the last kilometre was up hill and it wrapped up around the bay and I knew that area well enough to know that the finishing 200 metres was on a slight downhill gradient, with that I managed to get around in a time of 56m 51s.
Race 11 Cardiff 10k
Back on home turf for race 11 on 1st September I was taking on the Cardiff 10k possibly one of my favourite 10k’s I’ve done this year because I’ve done this race quite a few times before I knew exactly what to expect so mentally I was amped up and ready to take this one on. This is one of the flatter races of the year and didn’t I just fly around on the course on this day with a sweet time of 51m 02s.
Race 12 Great North Run
With the one I did something I wouldn’t normally do, I went on a massive road trip from Cardiff to Newcastle to do a half marathon on 8th September, which was the longest road trip I have ever done in the UK. The vibes when we got up to Newcastle was buzzing. After getting our bearings to find out where the actual hell we had to go in the morning. We decided to head out for a bit of food and take it nice and chilled, If I remember correctly we were back in the hotel by 10 o’clock just to make sure that we were up and fresh in the morning for the race.
Well that was the plan until we had a very rude awaking at 3 o’clock in the morning because some kids thought it would be funny to mess around with the smoke alarms so we all had to evacuate the building and wait for the all clear, and even better when we eventually got back into our rooms the police turned up to sort the kids out.
So it was safe to say coffee was definitely needed first thing in the morning just to perk us up a bit ready for the race. Having sorted all our kit out the night before it was a case of getting change and grabbing breakfast on the go.
The closer we got the the start area the more it showed how big of an event it was there was thousands of people there. So going totally into the unknown with this race, I did look at the route for the race but having never been here before I thought bugga it just wing it.
On a race I have never seen so many supporters come out to cheer everyone on, it was a brilliant atmosphere the entire way around. Lets just say it was understandable why its such a hard to get into this race.
The actual course itself was quite hilly but the encouragement from the crowds definitely was a major booster when it got hard, because of the crowds cheering on on a really warm day they were handing out sweets and ice lollies which helped a tonne with getting around the final bits of the course. The end straight was amazing bit of a climb of a hill but then the last mile was down hill and the crowds energy kept getting bigger and bigger closer to the finish I got. I managed to get around the course in a pretty decent time of 2hr 6m 54s. As usual finishing the race in typical style.
Race 13 Cardiff Half Marathon
For the final race of the year it was ending on the very first half marathon I ever did on 6th October I took on the Cardiff Half Marathon and was it a questionable one for me what started off as a great race quickly fell apart around mile 11. Going in at a comfortable pace and then bam it hit me my calve went so tight it as physically painful, so at this point I had to drop down to a walk and stretch it out to try and get me over the last 2.1 miles of the race. Crossing that finish line was absolute bliss because it felt like my leg was done for now in the terms of racing so i decided to take a rest after this for a month or so to let things settle back into place. I managed to finish the Cardiff Half Marathon in 2hr 8m 11s which I was ok with but my next major goal is to try and brake through the sub 2hr for a half marathon.
IG:@Bigmoosecoffeeco
A massive shout out to the Bigmoose Running club as the motivation and inspiration they have from the first training day to the Cardiff half has made all the races and difficult training sessions such an enjoyable experience.
Coming from Wales Rugby is always a huge part of the lifestyle, so when the opportunity to go abroad for one of the matches coming up, you know for a dead certain I jumped at the chance to go.
So the match and the travel date was set (Fri Feb 9th 2019), but on this occasion it would not be alone I’d be going with quite a few members of my family, Lets just say this made for a very interesting trip, didn’t help the fact we had to suffer a 3 hour coach ride just to actually get to the airport we were flying from.
With that as the standard trips abroad dictates when going abroad on tour pints are essential part of the experience so as soon as we all arrived got through security with no dramas whatsoever and straight to the pub to get the pints in!
Then with a smooth calm flight from Gatwick all the way to Rome, as the first wave of Welsh fans were begging to invade. After arriving In Rome we quickly found our way to the hotel where we were staying and after dropping off all of our stuff in our rooms we quickly ventured around the local area to see whats still open because food time was calling,
As per the cause whenever travelling always eat in a local independent places as they are normally much more personal and inviting. The place we ended up going into was about 10 minutes from closing, we were prepared to go elsewhere for food out of respect for that they were about to close up for the night, But they insisted we come in and instantly they made us feel right at home, sharing laughs and drinks with us.
Within half hour of entering the place no only were we looking after so kindly they even ask where about in the area we were staying, as a few of us were planning on going out to some of the local bars to keep the night going, before we left they gave ups some parting gifts, yes they may have only been small bits and bobs but its the gesture they made that made it so worthwhile going into the place.
After finishing up at the amazing restaurant we parted ways but not for the last time as we will back back. Half of us ended up going back to the hotel to get some sleep in ready for game day, but the few of us that ended up staying out were dropped of by the amazing team at the restaurant at the nearest pub and chilled and and a few drinks and then called it a night.
GAME DAY!
With the main lot of the group feeling fresh on the Sat (Match Day) we decided to take in some of the sites and get our barrings of where we based in relation to all of the sites we wanted to take in, As we ventured around Rome by accident we found the Colosseum and bloody hell was it a site to see, at this point a few of us wanted to get a coffee so we found a cafe located around the corner, Lets just say i’ve had coffee with worse views to look at.
Be a better view it wasn’t for lamppost, dam those eye sores, but after the coffee was consumed we ventured on further down the road and was greeted with the Altar of the Fatherland and the scale of the structure was immense in all aspects of the word.
As the day continued you could tell more and more Welsh fans were arriving to Rome as it went from a variety of colours across the area,then you start to see a sea of red start to appear across Rome. To say the atmosphere was starting to get a buzz would be an understatement. It was getting to that point of the day where we needed to start making our way over to the stadium ready for the match.
Even though we were early for the match by a few hours The Stadio Olimpico put on one hell of a fan with more than enough to keep us occupied until the match began. Plus bumping to all the other Welsh fans that were now arriving in their full force. As we entered the stadium it was easy enough to find where we were sitting and fair play the seats were in a decent position directly behind one of the posts.
It came to the national anthems time and by god did we all sing our hearts out, as it bellowed around the stadium, it was like electricity the atmosphere. The match itself was very touch and go throughout but the Welsh lads pulled though in the end for us. With a cracking score of Italy 15 – 26 Wales.
The ride back after the match was phenomenal to say the least the tram me and my family managed to get on was full of welsh fans, as it goes as soon as there’s a crowd my cousin has to get them going with the singing with all of the welsh anthems (Delilah, Green Green Grass of Home, Can’t take my eyes off of you, Men of Harlech, Sosban Fach, Bread of heaven, Calon Lan and so many more to be listed).
To say the tram was bouncing with energy not just off of the amazing win for Wales but the friendly sign songs going on it was a sight to beheld.
Then that was the continuous theme for the remainder of the night a lot of signing and drinking and just having a merry old time.
Day After The Match
Well with a few sore heads the morning after, the ones that were up for going for a wonder to take in the other sites were off. First stop was hitting a shop for a few hangover supplies to keep us all ticking over so we could enjoy the experience of the sights and first stop was the Trevi Fountain and the photos of the place do not do it justice in any way of the phrase.
After we took in the awe of the fountain it was onto the next stop of being a tourist around Rome, as we had a few hours before we had planned on meeting up with everyone else me and one of my cousin’s decide to take in Vatican City. Take the joys of being able to cross two new places off in one trip which is always a major win.
After taking in the impressive sites of The Vatican (pictures seriously don’t do it justice), it was then onto meeting up with the rest of the family, where we all took a chilled few hours watching the other matches that were on.
Once the matches were finished and we had some food we progressed to make our way back from one side of Rome back towards our hotel so we could get changed and them go out for a few drinks. On the way back it was starting to get dark so we stopped to get some of to get a few souvenirs, and when in Rome gelato has gotta be tried.
As we wondered back we hit up the Pantheon and with the night sky as the backdrop it made it look even more impressive. the same can be said for the Trevi fountain.
As we were about to make it back to the hotel we had a text from everyone else saying that they were in a pub that was on the way and to come in before we go back to the hotel. Lets just say the pub was bouncing with welsh fans singing and dancing the night away. So we stayed there for a few hours and enjoyed the festivities and a few more drinks.
As a few of us were getting to that point where we were all getting quite hungry we decided to call it a night and head back to the amazing restaurant we visited on the first night, low and behold the people working in there remembered us and welcomed us back with the same enthusiasm they did on the first night. Seen as well they looked after us so well the few times we came and visited we decided to give them a gift from our group, so we all signed a Welsh jersey and gave it to them on the last night as a parting gift.
Safe to say that the morning after that crazy night some were a bit worse for wear than others, but sadly all good things must come to an end and en route back to the airport because this trip to Rome for the rugby has sadly come to an end till next time, did someone say repeat 2021!
Over the past couple of months things have kicked off in a positive way with work I’m getting more responsibilities. Which is crazy in itself as I’m still an apprentice for just over one more year. But at least that’s a positive sign that they see that I have some form of potential there.
On the training front that has kicked into overdrive. The amount of running that I have completed has scaled up from a casual 5k park run on Saturday mornings, up to training three times a week. Mondays is normally a hard 40 minutes speed session, then onto Thursday when I do anywhere from 10k of running up to 20k distances which is crazy in itself as normally 10k kills me but progress is progress.
Well over the next couple of months the training will be kicking into overdrive as in the beginning of October I will be attempting to complete the Cardiff Half Marathon, which is a staggering 13.1 miles which is going to be anything but a small challenge.
Over the next couple of months I will be attempting to keep with the updates of the training side of things and the crazy adventuresthat happen along the way.
With the end of my time in New Zealand come and gone its time to go back to a some what a normal life back in Wales. So after the surprisingly easy flights consisting of 12 hours a piece, I wasn’t half as bad this time as I had a plan. I made myself somehow stay awake as much as I could on the first flight from Auckland to Hong Kong part of me regretted doing this when we landed but the coffee somehow kept me ticking over.
Then as it was something like 24+ hours I had been awake for I was starting to get a bit groggy, but literally the moment I got on the second plane, I was out for it. By the time I actually woke up it was about 4 hours until we were due to land which was awesome.
The it was just the case of collecting my luggage and then it was a 3 hour drive back to my home in the lovely land of Wales. Luckily the time we drove back it was just before all the traffic so it was a smooth ride back.
In the evening even though I was still a bit groggy it was time to meet up with all my family it was a nice get together, great chance to catch up with everyone see what they all have been up to, and to tell them all about my crazy adventures around New Zealand.
With all the effort I’ve been putting in over New Zealand it feels like it has all just slipped away now. I think currently I am having major post travel blues. But I knew that this was coming, just need to surround myself with friends and family to help me get over it all.
I suppose that is the point of it all in away I have just finish the 6 months of my life so far and im trying not to see it as and end point but a bench mark of how good my life could be.
As excited as I am to return back to the UK and back to my family and friends there is a part of me that wishes I more time here as I feel like the bond I that has been created with the people I have the pleasure to work with is getting to the point where things are really great and the are all really amazing people it does make me sad to leave them all behind. At the end of the day I can always come back in a couple of years time and have a good old knees up with them all, As the good old say goes ” All Good Things Must Come To An End”.
The thing that makes it so hard is that this place has made me feel so good about myself and I just have that niggling thought in the back of my head saying will things ever be as good as they right now. But I think it’s just the fact that part of me is worried about what on earth I am actually going to do when im back home. At the end of the this place gave me the chance to find myself again and gave me the opportunity to start over again with a clean slate, because the person I was before I left to come here feels like a shadow compared to how I feel about myself now.
One thing one of my friends over here in the good old Fielding said to me as a heads up is just to be wary when I return with how much I have change not to be to disappointed when I see all my old friends and the fact they may not of change that much or at all. That I need to ease myself back into the swing of things. Which im really glad she mentioned that because it puts the idea in my head now to not to have the expectations that just because I have gone through a monumental change that everyone else back home has as well.
As its my final days here blog posts may be a bit more hit and miss for a while but I will sure as hell be back as soon as something cool, funny or interesting happens, but in the mean time here is a montage of my time in New Zealand.
Some how I have had this blog for a whole year which is crazy in itself as the whole point I set this all up was as a way to document all the new experiences I was going to undertake. To be brutally honest I wasn’t really sure about this blogging stuff when I started but im glad I posted as much as I have, even though it has been streaming with a lot of updates ive kind of been updating it when I feel like something cool or interesting has happened. With the help of a new strange country that never in my life I never thought it would actually visit, but not only that but experience the way I have.
The sad thing is even though im in New Zealand literally living the dream, it’s a scary thought that my time here is nearly up and ill be heading home in roughly four weeks. All I keep thinking to myself is how good the overall experience has been for me. For example before I left the UK I was the type of person who would normally just go along with the crowds and not be very vocal about what I wanted, Now though I feel like my confidence levels has improved dramatically, even though I still have my socially awkward moments where I just freeze up and have no idea what to do. At least I am having a lot less of those types of moments where I have the confidence to actually say what’s on my mind and not be so concerned about what everybody thinks.
Now that I actually think about things properly about this experience and journey I have been on since I have left the UK and the fact it’s almost time to return, people have asked my loads of question about it and one keeps cropping up in my mind which was “If you was to do it again would you change anything about it?”
My answer came straight away “Yes” at the end of the day I loved this experience but the one thing I would change is having someone here with me. Like I know I have all the other members of staff that im working with, but I can’t exactly be all casual with them like going on weekend trips with them. So in that respect if I was here with someone my own age or had someone else at the placement in the same situation as me, I genuinely think that would make this overall experience perfect but aye oh there’s always next time if and when I do this again, which in my opinion is highly likely as this has been such an eye opener/ life changing experience for me.
On the side of my writing things have started to progress really nicely I feel like it actually a strong direction to go in, which is one of the problems I struggled with but all of a sudden after 2-3 hours of brainstorming and plotting the story arc out it finally hit me, I now know exactly where I want the plot to go and what sort of direction I intend on taking it in. It surprises me how seriously I am taking this writing of my novel as I picked it back up as one of those little side projects where it was there just to kill an hour or two just as an outlet for my creativity to flow. An it hasn’t just made it flow it has sparked something inside me to make me want to complete it and not at a half asked standard but to a decent quality where if some random person were to pick up and read they wouldn’t be tut look at all these mistake and consider it a good read. I’m hoping to finish my first draft of by the end of the year hopefully fingers crossed.
My story may be short for the moment, but be sure it is just beginning.
My name is Andrew im from Cardiff. Lets see how many great adventures I can get on, and see what fun happens along the way
Lifes New Adventures 