In Search of Sidesteps and Sideburns

The video clip above is from a Welsh band called the Blims.  The song - Sidesteps and Sideburns - was a hit back in March when the Wales rugby team were chasing a Grand Slam (they subsequently beat France in a tight and tense game to complete the clean sweep and secure a third Grand Slam in eight years - both Gavin and myself got up at 4:30am to cheer them on from Austin).  It is a catchy song which I have played a lot, and both Gavin and Dylan love it, sing along with it and regularly request it (Gavin has informed me that when he grows up he wants to play rugby for Wales, and if he can't get in the team he'll play for the USA).  The visuals are a tribute to both the legendary Wales team of the 70s and the current squad, interspersed with the everyday people and places of Wales.

So the other day we decided to find some of the more scenic locations that featured in the video.  The result was a wonderful drive up the Rhondda valley.  We climbed up through old miners villages and little hamlets, winding through the mountain roads until we emerged at the heads of the valley.  That really brought me back to my roots.

There is a word in Welsh - Hiraeth - for which there is no English translation.  The closest I can get is a yearning for home, and it's something you don't appreciate until you move away.  Maybe it's a memory of a Country that, even though it's changed much since I left, and even though I live quite happily 5000 miles away, somehow still feels like home.

Looking down on the Rhondda valley

It's cold on top of the mountain

We'll keep a welcome in the hillsides.  "Cymru am Byth" - Wales forever

Nancy spotted this iconic landmark.  Even though it was pouring with rain, we had to stop

A storm moving in across the mountain provides a backdrop to the Cynon Valley.  In that valley is the historic Tower Colliery.  Worked continuously from the late 1700s, it was deemed uneconomic by the UK Government and closed in 1994.  In response, 239 local miners pooled together to buy it, reopened it in 1995 and ran it profitably until 2008

Nancy, Gavin and my dad.  It started sleeting not long after this.  "A kind of Rhondda grey" as Max Boyce would say

Valley of the Witch and Waterfalls

Photo courtesy of geograph.org.uk

A few miles up the Neath valley is the small village of Cwmgwrach, which in English translates to "Valley of the Witch".  Nobody knows exactly how it got its name, but it goes back to at least the 9th century and locals are very proud of their witchy heritage.  It is incorporated on the badges of the local school and rugby team, as well as this super cool road sign ("Croeso i Cwmgwrach" is Welsh for "Welcome to the Valley of the Witch").  I love the warmth, quirkiness and humor of my Welsh heritage - these unexpected gems can be found everywhere.

Interestingly, Australian prime minister Julia Gillard hails from Cwmgwrach.

We were passing through Cwmgwrach on our way to the village of Pontneddfechan to visit the Sgwd Gwladus waterfall - part of waterfall country.  On our way, we stopped at the Cefn Coed colliery museum in the village of Crynant.  This was a super cool museum in what was a working coal mine from the 1920s to 1968 - during its working life it was nicknamed "the slaughterhouse".  The staff there were super friendly and teased Gavin and Dylan mercilessly (though the Gavster gave as good as he got, and Dylan just pretended to be Iron Man and blasted them).  We got to go undergound, visited the boiler room and saw the original 1927 steam powered winding engine.

But what made my dad's day was the restored gas powered tram, which we did not expect to find, and is believed to be the only remaining example in the world.  The Neath gas trams ran from the late 19th century until the 1920s, and the story behind this exhibit is almost as interesting as the tram itself.  After it was decommissioned, an enterprising local from Briton Ferry bought one of the trams, brought it to his back yard and converted it to a garden shed.  It was discovered by the Neath antiquarian society in the 1980s and lovingly restored before finding a permanent home at the museum.  My dad was excited because his uncle was involved in bringing the gas trams to Neath.  We enjoyed exploring the tram - sitting inside and on the top deck where the backs of the seats could be shifted from one side to another so you could sit facing either way.

Eventually we made it to Pontneddfechan ("Bridge over the River Neath" in English).  Dylan had fallen asleep, so Nancy, Gavin and I made the 3 mile hike to the Sgwd Gwladus (Gwladus Falls) while my dad stayed with him.  As with most things in Wales, there is a legend behind the name.  I am a sucker for legends, and here is the story behind this one.

Gwladus was said to be the beautiful daughter of Brychan of Brycheiniog, a 5th century Welsh prince.  She fell in love with a young man called Einion, but their love was doomed.  Both lovers are immortalized as waterfalls, and the legend goes that although Gwladus and Einion could never be together in life, their spirits flow together for all eternity, pouring over the rocks and merging in the pool below.

The hike to the falls is beautiful and secluded, and well worth the time.  I have vivid recollections of getting in trouble with my dad as a kid for jumping off the top into the pool below.  Looking at the falls and pool now, I can well understand why.

Nancy and Gavin on the hike to the falls

Me and Gavin

Nancy and Gavin by the falls

Did I really once jump off the top of that?

By the pool at the bottom of the falls

At the top of the falls

Dylan woke up, and he and my dad met up with us during the return hike

The family

Sunshine and Rain

Contemplating life, the passage of time, and the possibility of an ice cream

My parents looked after the boys a few days ago so Nancy and myself could catch a train and spend the day in Cardiff (capitol city of Wales).  There were a group of girls sitting opposite us on the train, headed up to visit the campus of the University of Wales, and it occurred to me that this coming year most of the people who start university would not have even been born when I graduated.

That's a scary thought.

Other than that, we had a great day in Cardiff.  It was a lovely cool sunny morning and we walked our feet off exploring the city.  Of course, the rain started in the afternoon, and by the time we caught the train home it was coming down in sheets.

We didn't have a camera with us, so no pictures of Cardiff Castle, the bunch of lads wearing sombreros and drinking Fosters at Neath railway station at 9am, or the ridiculous pair of shoes that Nancy spotted.  But we've been lucky to enjoy some sunshine this past week, and here are some other photos from the past few days.

Nancy, Dylan and my mum at Cafe Remos

Is it a trick of the light, or is that sunshine?

Despite the sun, the pool was really cold.  During the course of the day, I pulled both boys into the pool.  Yes, I really am that evil.  In my defense, they were both in the process of trying to push me in - I just brought them with me.  Gavin was really mad at me until I grabbed Dylan and pulled him in as well. Then he was happy.

Having a few beers with my uncle and aunt

Gothic Graveyards

Tonna cemetery and the grave of my great great grandparents, William and Sarah Richards (on the right), and one of their sons (on the left).  The ghostly figure in blue in the background is Dylan!!!

When I was in Boston, I enjoyed exploring some of the old cemeteries in the heart of the city.  What better way to discover the past that to visit the dead and give your regards to long ago.  I loved the gothic architecture, but to be honest it was a little too touristy.  So one of the things I was looking forward to on our Wales trip was exploring the local graveyards in their natural setting, especially since my dad has been doing a lot of research on our family history.  I wasn't disappointed.

Cadoxton cemetery's Murder Stone

One of the most popular pages on my blog is a Halloween post I did a few years ago on a local curiosity - the murder stone.  We took the opportunity to revisit it.  The inscription reads as follows:

"1823 To Record MURDER this stone was erected over the body of Margaret Williams, aged 26, a native of Carmarthenshire, living in service in this parish, who was found dead with marks of violence on her person in a ditch on the marsh below this churchyard on the morning of Sunday the fourteenth of July 1822. Although the savage murderer escaped for a season the detection of man yet God hath set his mark upon him either for time or eternity and the cry of blood will assuredly pursue him to certain and terrible but righteous judgement."  

Somewhat creepily, there were fresh flowers on the grave.

The cemetery is much larger than I remember, and very gothic.  Also very tranquil

Many of the graves date back to the early 1800s

I love this picture.  It looks like the limbs are trying to force their way out of the grave

"And so, as kinsmen met a night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names".
- Emily Dickinson

More Aquatic Adventures

I like the effect here - the cockle boat stranded at low tide

Happy 4th of July.  Of course, here in the UK nobody is really aware it's a National holiday in the US.  But as it also happens to be my birthday, we will go out tonight to celebrate the fact that I have 365 more days where my age starts with the number 3.

It's been raining here non-stop all week.  Cold, pouring, drenching rain.  Apparently it's been the wettest June on record, and it's extending into July.  But that hasn't stopped the Gavster and I from going swimming in the sea, and it hasn't stopped me running every day.

I haven't been going far, only about 4 to 5 miles, but it's been all hills.  For the first 2 miles, I'll run with Nancy and run backwards up a hill I have taken to calling the "Quad Masher" (back when I was good at running hills I would regularly train by running uphill repeats backwards, and it made a big difference).  Then we'll run the forest trail around the lake at the top and head back down.  We'll complete a loop back to my parents house, and then I'll go back out and run it all again as a pace effort (running the hill facing forwards this time).  My best for the 2 mile pace loop so far is 15:22 - not particularly fast, but I've been consistent on aching quads, and I'm starting to build base for the Fall and Winter marathons.  Consistency has been something I've been missing for a long time, so this is good.

And I'm loving the cool temperatures.

What I'm reading: just finished "Forks over Knives" and am midway through "Finding Ultra" by Rich Roll.  If you can get past the constant references to the "pay for" material and programs on his website, it's a remarkably frank and honest account of his battle with alcoholism and the transformation of his life through fitness and nutrition.  Both books have made me think seriously about the health and performance benefits of a plant-based, non-dairy diet, and this is something I plan to experiment with when we get back to Austin.  For my birthday, I have promised myself a top of the line Vitamix blender, and green smoothies may well become a regular menu item at Casa del Welshrunner.

Scott Jurek's "Eat and Run", and Brendan Brazier's "Thrive Foods" are next up on my reading list.  I doubt either will do anything to talk me out of trying a plant-based diet.

Here are some photos of our recent watery adventures.

On the Swansea seafront.  This coastal path runs for several miles from the city of Swansea to the seaside town of Mumbles.  We are headed toward the pier in the far distance

The beach between the pier and the Mumbles lighthouse (out of shot)

Nancy and Dylan taking a break while we skim pebbles at the Mumbles raised beach

Just descended the rock face to a secluded tidal beach at Porthcawl.  I have gotten a lot of use out of my Boston jacket this trip (as have Nancy and Gavin).

Pouring with rain, temperatures in the upper 40s, Gavin and I get ready to enjoy some rocking waves at Rest Bay, Porthcawl.  Once you got past the initial cold, it really wasn't too bad.  Lots of surfers in the background.  Do you like my Welsh dragon swim trunks?

The Great British Summertime

There is a story behind this picture.We visited my uncle's house a few days ago.  He has an unheated outdoor pool, and we all decided to brave it.  The temperature was in the mid-50s, the pool a little less.  I jumped in, and it was icy cold.  But as I keep saying, I burn hot and I love the cold.  I was interested in seeing who else in the family shared my werewolf tendencies.

Gavin jumped in and didn't stay long.  Dylan escaped from Nancy and launched himself in before even taking his shirt off.  I caught him and managed to hold him out of the water until we could at least get his shirt off.  Then he launched himself again.

I caught him and decided to let him plunge right into the water to see what he did.  He caught his breath for a second when the icy water hit him, then he laughed.  We played around in the pool, and every time I asked if he was ready to get out, I got "a few more minutes daddy" from chattering lips.

We outlasted everyone, and I was so proud to have identified the next generation of werewolf.  We did succeed in getting him out a few times, only to have him escape and jump back in again!!!

Here's Dylan in "corpse pose" after finally being dragged out and wrapped.

And here are some other photos from our trip to rural West Wales.

Best of British - Gavin with his wristbands and wellies outside my uncle's greenhouse

Me and Gavin at the end of the dock on the estuary

Nancy, Dylan and my dad by the yacht club

Dylan enjoying a photo shoot after falling over

Very Cool

My brother with the Olympic torch

Daddy Duty Number 36(b)

A pair of funky chickens?

It is something that you don't realize until you have kids, but there is a universal set of Dad rules formulated at the dawn of time and set in stone that describe what is expected of you.  And your kids are born with this knowledge fully ingrained.

One of them is thus:

If you happen to be at a beach and your boys want to go in the water, daddy is automatically the designated bather.  It does not matter if the temperature is in the 50s and the water even colder (though not as cold as a certain winter day in Galveston), it does not matter if none of you have bathers and you are wearing 1 of the only 2 pairs of trousers you brought over with you.  It does not matter that you are hacking up a lung after picking up a nasty cough from the plane.  You are going in.  There is no question, negotiation or way around it.

Yesterday we visited Aberavon beach, a quick 5 miles from my parents house and a regular haunt for me growing up.  It was cold but fun, and me and the boys ended up in the water.  This is not Texas ocean - it's icy.  But next time we go, I'll make sure to wear my running shorts.  Much easier than rolling up the legs of my trousers and still getting them soaked.

Gavin ploughing ahead - Dylan a bit more cautious

Hey, that jacket looks familiar!!!

At one point I started humming the Jaws theme and Gavin sprinted out of the water

We got some pretty good waves

Across the Pond

Greetings from the UK.  It's been a whirlwind few days, but we're down in my hometown of Neath in South Wales, enjoying very pleasant running weather.  It's so strange to be home - I've been away a long time.

It was a long flight from Austin, with a 6 hour layover in Chicago, but just let me say that the Chicago Children's Museum rocks!!!  They have a superb play area at the airport which burned through quite a few of those hours.

We spent the first few days up in Manchester with my brother, enjoying a typical Northern English summer (cold, gray, rain).  One of the first things I noticed was there were flags everywhere - a combination of the Jubilee celibrations, the Euro 2012 soccer tournament (which England got knocked out of last night on penalties - some things never change) and the upcoming Olympics.  Everyone is excited about the Olypmics, and you can feel the anticipation on the streets.

On the day we landed, we hiked at a beautiful National Trust park near Manchester called Lyme Park.  We went about 5 miles - starting at the deer park and heading straight up until we could go no further.  It was a magnificent view from the top.  Both Gavin and Dylan made the climb, and then we made a big circuit and ran the trail all the way back to the bottom where we found a fantastic adventure playground made entirely out of trees that had fallen during storms.

It started pouring with rain while we were there, but we played on regardless and had a blast.

We headed back to my brother's house soaked.  Both boys fell asleep in the car for the 15 minute trip back, though both later denied they had done so.

I should have been dead tired that night, and Nancy and the boys retired to bed early and collapsed, but I stayed up late with my brother.  It's been almost 5 years since we've seen each other, and it was wonderful to catch up.

We drove the 4 hours down to South Wales the next day.  The trip included a "clean up stop" after Dylan blew chunks everywhere. But by the time we crossed the border into Wales, the rain had stopped, there was a hint of blue sky peeking through, and there were no more bits of carrots for us to pick out of the seat belts!!!

Saturday morning I got up early to go for a run, and woke my brother up to go with me.  He was not happy, but for me it was a late start (6am).  It was fully light, in the mid-50s, and we headed up the Gnoll woods - a beautiful country park literally around the corner from my parents house.

Beautiful until you realize the first mile is straight up (then again, this is Wales - the only way you would avoid hills here is running circles around your block).  But when we reached the lake at the top and the forest trail with the cascading waterfalls it was well worth it. It was quiet, damp and tranquil.  We headed back down (much easier than going up), crisscrossed the town center and crossed the bridge over the canal out to the old college before looping back around and home.

The run was not as easy as it should have been.  I have barely run in the last month, and my weight has increased accordingly.

But more on that in another post. I enjoyed the run because I've never run with my brother before, and this may be the only chance I get this trip.  He had to drive home that night because he and the Stockport Harriers got to run with the Olympic torch the day after (and even got into the official Olympic relay function afterwards - how cool is that).

That afternoon we headed to my uncle's house.  We are home to celebrate my parents Golden Wedding anniversary, and he was putting on a party for them.  He has some large grounds, the boys got to run to their hearts content, and I got to spend some quality time with family and friends I haven't seen in years.  It was a great afternoon, and we ended with myself, Gavin, Dylan, my brother and my cousins rugby tackling each other on the grass.

Here are some photos from the afternoon.  More to come later.

Me with my dad and my cousin Nick

The boys with my dad

Nancy with my parents

The Big Blue

Have you ever seen the Luc Besson movie "The Big Blue"?  It's an eclectic film set in the world of competitive free diving.  In one scene, Enzo (Jean Reno) has had a bad day, and Jacque (Jean-Mac Barr) sympathizes and tells him that sometimes "the sea doesn't want you".  I recalled that particular scene this past Saturday while slogging out my run on a muggy old morning because sometimes running feels exactly like that - there are days when the road just doesn't want you.

Here in Texas we call it summertime.

This blog has been quiet for a while, not because I have nothing to blog about, but because I've been so busy with other things.  But somewhere in the whirlwind of the last few weeks I signed up for another marathon - the BCS marathon in College Station.  I ran this last December in its first year and loved it - well organized, friendly, and a wonderful online community.  I'm glad to be going back to run it again.

That's two marathons I've signed up for since I quit running them in April!!!

We've also signed up with the YMCA and have been having a blast taking the boys swimming.  I've also been enjoying popping in for an early morning swim or workout after my midweek runs - it's a great way to start the day.

Travel for work also continues apace, especially since I got a promotion.  I now sport the title "Director of Data Integration", which is obviously something they confer on somebody who can't keep quiet and tends to be a wee bit bossy!!!

I just got back from a conference in Vegas ("back" is a relative term, as I'm writing this from a hotel room in North Dallas), where I managed to get front row seats to the Cirque du Soleil show.  That was just amazing, but you can keep Vegas - give me the mountains or remote woods any day.

Ho hum, I'm off to get some shut eye.  I discovered I can use my YMCA membership at the local Y, so I have an ambitious plan to get up early.  We'll see how that goes.

What I'm reading: The Devil in the White City.  An interesting snapshot in time of Chicago in the 1890s when it hosted the Worlds Fair.

So Much for That

When I crossed the finish line at a very hot Boston a few weeks ago, I was more than ready to draw the line under my marathon running for a while.  The lure of the 26.2 beast had receded, thanks in no small part to running my perfect race in Dallas a few years ago (when you know you finally succeeded in pulling your only rabbit out of the hat, why keep going back to the hat?).

And nothing that's happened since I got back to Austin had changed that - I've been traveling for work, and when I have run it's been of the "suck it up" hot and humid variety that reminds me Texas summertime is coming.

But I did not count on the dangers of an unseasonably cool running week.  It started with one of my all time favorite runs at Brushy Creek on a rainy Sunday morning which included a spectacular blood red sunrise, continued into a surprisingly quick (though still somewhat humid) Tuesday run with James, and ended with a fun 7 mile run in Clea's new neighborhood this morning.  I stopped off at the YMCA on my way home to get in a killer leg workout, and took advantage of not traveling this week to squeeze in a core workout at lunch.

And I feel great.  So great that I started re-evaluating my race plans, and realized I'm not quite ready to shed the skin of the long distance runner and morph back into a weekend warrior just yet.

So I signed up for something.  After all, what good is a running blog without any races?!!!

The photo below may give you a hint of what I signed up for.

I have my eye on another race too, but maybe the hot and humid weather will return and bring me back to my senses before registration opens for that one.