Anglesey 10k

My first trip to Wales was rain-filled, but it didn't stop me from achieving a new personal best.

A rainy victor.

Why Anglesey 

When searching for runs on the Find A Race website, I read the description for the Anglesey 10k and was immediately sold. You get to run over the Menai Bridge into the Isle of Anglesey where the route takes you along the water with views Snowdonia National Park in the background.

Anglesey from Menai Bridge.

Of all the parts of that description, the thing that stuck with me most was the idea of running over a bridge. That sounded cool. And that's the reason that led to me making my first trip to Wales.

Menai Bridge ready for runners.

A request-only town

Although the run was in Anglesey, I stayed on the mainland in a town called Llanfairfechan which is edged between the Menai Strait and Snowdonia.

The train trip consisted of 3 different trains over 5-and-half hours. While switching trains is something that can make me stressed, this was not the worry I had this trip. Instead, it was conquering the unknown territory of the request-only stop. 

Llanfairfechan is one of 150ish locations in Great Britain where the train will only stop if you alert the conductor or wave the train down.

Bustling Llanfairfechan station.

When I was making the change-over at Chester to get on the train to Llanfairfechan, I did not see a conductor as I was boarding, which made me nervous. 

The first train crew member I saw was the snack trolley person, and I made it known to him I was getting off at a request-only stop. He seemed to imply he would pass on the message, but I was not convinced.

Then when the ticket checker came over, again I was like, I'm going to a request-only stop. I was still not convinced this message was going to make it to the driver, but I had told all the people I could possibly tell. I waited anxiously the rest of the journey hoping it would stop where I needed it to.

It did stop at Llanfairfechan. There were even multiple people who got off the train there. Oh, the joys of over-worrying. 

Beach walking

After settling into my Airbnb, I took advantage of the sunny weather to have a 2-hour walk along the beach. 

Pretty, pretty, pretty Llanfairfechan.

I spent the whole time grinning. The setting was breathtaking with the beach on one side and mountains on the other. It was warm enough not to wear a hat. I got to wear sunglasses. People in Wales say hello to you when you pass them.

Happy, happy, happy Lauren.

It was nice. Really, really nice. All for the affordable cost of free. 

Buddy running

I made sure to enjoy the weather Friday because I saw the weekend was going to be rain- and wind-filled. 

But that would not stop the fun because I was joined by my friend Jamie for this trip. As Jamie lives far away, I told him the only way he would be able to see me this year was if he went running with me. 

The idea was to do a run closer to where he lives, but when I told him about the Anglesey run, he was sold on it just like I was. But for him, this meant driving 4 hours on Saturday morning, running a long race Sunday morning (he ended up doing a half marathon), and driving 4 hours back Sunday afternoon. 

I thought this was absolutely insane, but he was up for it. Bless.

Rainy Snowdonia

After Jamie arrived in Llanfairfechan, we went into the town of Bangor for some lunch. We had a lot of catching up to do, and I wasn't paying the most attention to my surroundings while walking around. So much so that I may have started to cross a road when a car was coming and was totally humiliated when this car kept insisting we cross first, but I felt strongly the car should have right-of-way over my stupidity.

We made it out alive, thankfully. My original plan for us was to go on a hike or walk on some trail in Snowdonia, but the weather made us change plans, Well, that and the realization that we would be running the next day, so maybe best not to climb a mountain.

We went to check out Dolbadarn Castle at the edge of Snowdonia, which isn't much of a castle anymore. Just a round-towered keep left, but set against some stunning scenery.

Dolbadarn Castle.

Still pretty in the rain.

This excursion left us completely drenched. Nothing better than the feeling of soaking wet jeans.

I learned you let your tall friend take the selfie. 

Not wanting to deal with the weather anymore, we went back to where we were staying for a carb-filled pre-race dinner and a Netflix-athon which including everything from romcoms to introducing Jamie to Jeopardy!.

The race

The half marathon started at 9, but we set off just after 7 to avoid a parking fiasco. 

Getting there early though meant we had an empty Menai Bridge to ourselves to wander around and get in some pre-race pictures before the rain started.

I will hug you, Bridge.

After Jamie set off on the half, I waited for the 10k to start. I had said to Jamie in the morning that I was feeling good (well-rested, no body parts aching), and when the race started, my pace seemed to convey this. 

I didn't feel like I was going particularly fast, but when my 4th mile was quicker than 2 and 3, I knew I was headed for PB territory. The rest of the race I worked to keep that pace. I finished at 57:00 flat, slashing my record by 53 seconds.

Crossing the finish line.

I was so shocked but of course excited about this. I wasn't expecting to break personal records on this run, and especially not by so much time.

I got to share this all with another victorious runner - Jamie set off to run the half marathon in under 2 hours and absolutely smashed it with a finishing time of 1:57:52.

We're victorious, but we're soaked.

In addition to a super cool medal this run, we also got finishers shirts and a giant bag of crisps from one of the race sponsors. 

Will run for a shirt and crisps.

The only downside of the run was the weather, which meant I couldn't properly take in the scenic views. Also, I kept running through puddles. All the more reason to go back one day.

Storm Freya

The weather wasn't just crap. It was there-was-a-named-storm-going-on crap. Storm Freya brought a huge deluge of rain and wind, which axed any plans of doing something post-race. 

Though this was for the best because Jamie was understandably exhausted after a half marathon. I was fine because, you know, I run 10ks alllll the time (it's amazing how turning athletic can make a person even more elitist). 

After Jamie had left and there was a brief break in the rain (but not the wind), I went back to the beach in Llanfairfechan to check out how wild it was. It was wild. I felt close to being lifted off the ground by the wind. I most happily went back inside for the rest of the day.

Clouds to the left, sun to the right.

Making the most of the morning after

I had a 10:09 train back to Edinburgh to catch. I normally would have taken the time to work on this blog post, but with 2 days of awful weather and a partly cloudy morning, I took the opportunity to do some hiking. 

I only had 2 hours to do it by the time I set out. All I wanted to do was get to a high enough vantage point where I could get a clear view of the sea and surrounding mountains. 

I started walking toward the mountains knowing there was a trail I could do, but not exactly sure of where it was. I came upon Nant y Coed nature reserve, which wasn't the trail I had in mind, but I was in a time crunch, so it seemed like the best option.

Walking among all the trees, I started to lose hope I'd get to a clear vantage point. But then the trail made a sharp uphill turn into a very (I mean, VERY) narrow path. It wasn't much more than the width of my feet next to each other. It was also up a very (I mean, VERY) steep hill.

Tiny path, steep drop. Excellent life choices.

I'm not afraid of heights, but when you're out on your own, not really knowing where you're going, and all you see below you is a giant drop onto either a flock of sheep or rocky, gushing stream, you start to think you've made a very (I mean, VERY) stupid decision.

Not to mention there was added time pressure and heavy rainfall the day before, so I may have been rushing a bit, and I may have slipped ever so slightly (once).

The whole time I was thinking about writing about this in my blog post, knowing that certain family members were likely to give me a telling-off for doing this on my own.

But I did it. I survived. I made it to my vantage point that had the most incredible views. I got to my train on time.

It was totally worth it for the view. 

Honestly, this felt more victorious than achieving a PB during the race. As I said, I run 10ks alllll the time. Climbing a mountain on my own with a terrible sense of direction and coordination and not dying - this is a new achievement. I'm proud of myself.

Took a selfie and lived to tell the tale.

Next race

City of Lincoln 10k

It's back to England in April, but my first time exploring the wonders of the East Midlands.