Photo by Bagus Hernawan on Unsplash ### I’m following the Action for Happiness monthly focus on optimism, with a daily post in response to their prompts. Today’s prompt was: “Be a realistic optimist. See life as it is, but focus on what’s good”. This is a useful reminder. There’s no point in being oblivious to all the good in the world while focusing on the multitude of things going wrong. But mindless optimism is (I’d argue) equally unhelpful. I strive for balance by actively seeking out good news, practicing gratitude and carefully controlling how much news I read. I also make a habit of avoiding reading the online comments on blog posts, articles or videos. They’re rarely helpful or positive and usually descend into the kind of nastiness I’d like to avoid. Interestingly, my iPhone helps me to see life as it is. I subscribe to a small number of lovely personal blogs, which I read on my commute. I use the camera to capture moments of joy and beauty. I use the communications tools to stay in contact with the people I love. There’s no need to be plugged in to the doom all day. I think if there’s breaking news that really _truly_ impacts me, I’ll find out about it pretty quickly. No need to have the news playing in the background all day.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash ### I’m following the Action for Happiness monthly focus on optimism, with a daily post in response to their prompts. Today’s prompt was: “Start your day with the most important thing on your to-do list”. I like this one! For one thing, it emphasises the _importance_ of the task, not the urgency. Urgency can feel very overwhelming first thing in the morning. Secondly, there’s nothing like doing something important to set a tone for the rest of the day. Less procrastination, less guilt. So I started my day with what was important today: getting the apartment clean and tidy and ready for the return of my husband. Frank has been in Mallorca for the weekend, returning this evening. Coming home to a nice clean home is something I know that matters to him. So before anything else, I cleaned the bathrooms, took care of some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and did some dusting. Once I’ve finished this (very important) coffee, I’ll take care of the hoovering, then deal with the planned grocery delivery that’s coming before midday. _Importance_ is contextual. Tomorrow’s important is going to be different. And that’s fine. What’s powerful is looking for the important thing and then taking action on it. Rather than dealing with a dozen small annoyances. Or virtually anything on social media! 😉

### I’m following the Action for Happiness monthly focus on optimism, with a daily post in response to their prompts. Today’s prompt was “Take a small step towards a goal that really matters to you”. Easy. Today, I took a few minutes from my afternoon to practice my Japanese skills, preparing for our upcoming Christmas visit to Tokyo. My goal isn’t to be fluent (lol!) but to increase my confidence and slowly build my vocab. The kind of wooly goal that’s possible when you’re outside of a formal training environment, where the stakes are low and progress is easy to spot. Plus, I have a deadline (we land on Christmas Eve) so I can chip away at this daily until then. And yes, there’s a recurring reminder in my Things 3 to keep it in focus. As I’m home alone this weekend, it was easy to walk around and speak Japanese out loud in the apartment, which is more than half the battle!

### I had twenty minutes to kill before a meeting yesterday and found myself in Waterloo station for the first time in a while. I wandered upstairs and came across a new (new to me, anyway) sculpture, which stopped me in my tracks. ‘The sunbathers’, by Peter Laszlo Peri. The accompanying text reads: > “Peter Laszlo Peri's The Sunbathers was originally created for the Festival of Britain in 1951, but was thought to be lost forever. In 2016, after a call by Historic England for lost public art work, it was rediscovered in the garden of a hotel in Blackheath, London. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, The Sunbathers was restored and returned to public display just a stone's throw from where the figures originally greeted Festival visitors in 1951. > > “An émigré to England in 1933 from Nazi-occupied Germany, Peri was known for his public sculptures which became symbols of post-war hope. He modelled The Sunbathers in situ at the Festival site from Pericrete, a unique material he invented as a cheaper alternative to bronze. The Sunbathers is kindly loaned by The O'Donnell Family and Clarendon Hotel, Blackheath.” I love it when I notice a new detail in a place I’ve visited many times before. And when it’s some art, it makes all the difference. As ever, it’s worthwhile to look up and see what’s above you when traveling through London.

Sunbathing in Sitges Enjoying the Sitges sun The view from here A pre-dinner selfie in Sitges Catalan acrobatics! A Sitges Michelada Delicious burrito Enjoying the sun from bed The morning commute Japanese socks Pride 10k Last weekend on the balcony Theatre time In-person meet-up in London More spectacular sunsets Flying to Edinburgh

### I had to stop what I was doing and take in tonight’s sunset over London. It was stunning. All shot on my iPhone 17 Pro, through the rain-stained glass of our windows. And yet, I’m still amazed at what I managed to capture.

### I was lucky enough to get a ticket to see the wonderful Gillian Anderson on stage last night, in a performance of ‘Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ It was at the newish Sohoplace and organised in the round. After grabbing a drink with my friend at the theatre bar, and some small talk about the evening ahead, we took our seats, in no way prepared for what was to follow. Neither of us had seen the play before and I had only the vaguest notions about the central premise. What we experienced was three and a half hours of brutal emotional workout, feeling everything on the continuum from joy through to dread. With just four - extremely volatile - characters, taking place after an already long house party, the drinks trolley fuels a combination of emotional manipulation, bullying, attempted seduction and coercive control. The laughs are lovely and sprinkled throughout, but the overwhelming theme is simple… broken humans. I left the performance extremely impressed by the incredible Gillian Anderson, but also slightly shell-shocked. Each character goes through the wringer, each is built up and pulled down, and each leaves the stage an exhausted and worn-out version of themselves. Add to this an incredible revolving set and stellar performances from the rest of the cast and you have a powerful night at the theatre. I’d definitely recommend it, despite the duration. Just make sure you eat beforehand and take advantage of the interval when it comes!

Don’t miss this explosive theatrical experience, starring Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup. For a strictly limited season @sohoplace. Book now

### Yesterday morning, I ran the London Pride 10k, the longest I’ve run since… well, I’m still working that out. After years of running half-marathons and marathons, of weekends going for a 10k just for fun, in recent times my running has been a lot more sporadic. Earlier this year, I committed to sorting that out. I began to regularly run local 5km distances, or fitting in a quick 4km before work. My performance improved on these short distances, almost reaching paces from back in 2019/2020. But I still missed those longer distances and started looking for a race I could work towards. I love - love! - running in a regular group. But unless you’re in a running club - more on that later - opportunities for that are few and far between. Then a friend who runs (like a gazelle!) mentioned he was running the Pride 10k and suggested it. I had less than two weeks to up my distance from 5km and build my confidence that I could actually both run the entire race and do so without injuring myself. Cue two weeks of breaking most coaching rules, rapidly increasing my distances and pushing myself a bit too hard. By Wednesday, I was comfortably running 8km, boosting my confidence for the race yesterday. But at a slow and steady pace - my intention for the race itself. ### The big day I arrived at Victoria Park about 45mins before race time, to take advantage of bag drop facilities, use the toilets for the inevitable nervous pre-race wee, and ensure I was in no way rushed. The atmosphere was super friendly and the set-up was very professional. Our lovely race announcers The nervous ‘before’ picture I met my friend and his partner at the starting line and we had some time to catch up and chat about our aims, before they went to find their (much faster) pacers, while I headed to the guys wearing the ‘70 mins’ bibs. I hadn’t given it a lot of thought, but when forced to decide, I thought this would be a reasonable goal for getting over the finish line. After some nervous, polite small-talk with the runners around me, the race started and I clicked play on Apple Music. First song on the playlist? ABBA: “I still have faith in you”. I could have laughed out loud! ### The race After a very slow and steady first kilometre, I seem to have lost the run of myself. Before I knew it, I was running at a 5km race pace and thought I should slow down. But I was feeling very comfortable, the sun was shining, and my music was keeping me full of smiles. So I kept going. Then I passed the ‘65 mins’ pacers and slowed down a little to run alongside them. I figured if I made it over the line in 65 mins, I’d be able to pat myself on the back. The crowd thinned out and I was able to overtake a few slower runners in front of me. But then my watch indicated another kilometre had passed and I again realised I was running too fast for this race. Shortly after the 7km point, I felt the tiniest bit of fatigue - followed by self-doubt. I realised I wouldn’t be able to maintain this pace for another 3km, so thought about slowing down again. Then I saw the ‘60mins’ pacers and felt very confused. Had I really run that fast? I ran directly behind them for the next 1.5kms, then slowly overtook them. The field in front of me was very thin indeed, but I spotted one guy who’d run near me on and off throughout the race. He was also a member of a running club so, for whatever reason, I thought I could use him as a pacer. We set off on an unintentionally competitive final 1.5km, taking turns overtaking and upping our speed. The final 500m was incredible! I got a second wind, upped my speed and sprinted towards the finishing tunnel. My ‘pacer’ had made it over the line before me, but when I looked at my watch, I couldn’t care less. I’d finished in 57:30, which was far faster than I’d imagined possible! The route, according to Strava. ### The come down After sending a couple of ‘proof of life’ messages to friends and family, while admiring my medal, one of the race organising team thrust a can of beer into my hand. I looked around to see everyone drinking the same and realised that it was part of the race completion package. It beats a banana!! The sweaty, excited ‘after’ photo, While enjoying my delicious and much-needed beer, my unofficial ‘pacer’ approached me in the crowd and we had the loveliest chat about our run. It turns out he’d been using me to keep his pace up before I’d even spotted him! Taking turns upping the speed meant we’d both encouraged each other to go faster than planned. It was then I found out he was only 28 - putting the whole thing in context! I felt even better about my final kilometre then. ### The post mortem There was an after-party in a local pub, including drag performance, BBQ and a ton of goodwill and laughter. My friend and I made our way over, got some drinks and looked in vain for a place to sit down. Delicious beer! We ended up sharing a picnic table with a small group and started our postmortem of the race experience. Everyone was _so_ positive, friendly and supportive. It reminded me of past races and got me excited about getting into it all again. A couple of beers later, plus a phenomenal double cheeseburger and fries, (no pics - I inhaled it too quickly to even think about photos) I bumped into my pacer again and we had a chat about me joining his running club. Given the positive vibes (loads of the club were there) I’m really considering it now. It would really help me make running a more regular thing, I could benefit from others’ expertise, and also have a better chance of getting places in the bigger races throughout the year. Last night, I had a look at my Strava running stats and realised that yesterday was approaching my 10k PB!! That was back in September 2021, when I completed in 51:53. The evening was spent - after the longest of hot showers - on the sofa, with my feet up in front of the TV. Frank made us a delicious Japanese curry and we laughed our way through ‘Airplane’ which I stumbled across while flicking through Apple TV. My hobbit feet, getting a break ### Final thoughts Even though my self-confidence took several wobbles in the days running up to the race, I was so, so glad I took part. It was incredibly well organised, the atmosphere was very welcoming, and the whole experience reminded me of what’s possible when I put my mind to it. I want to get back to being able to run 10k without giving it much thought. This was an essential first step. The fire has been lit and I’m excited to keep going. So. Expect more running content here and photos of running routes on the socials! Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of burgers and beers too…

### Yesterday morning, I ran the London Pride 10k, the longest I’ve run since… well, I’m still working that out. After years of running half-marathons and marathons, of weekends going for a 10k just for fun, in recent times my running has been a lot more sporadic. Earlier this year, I committed to sorting that out. I began to regularly run local 5km distances, or fitting in a quick 4km before work. My performance improved on these short distances, almost reaching paces from back in 2019/2020. But I still missed those longer distances and started looking for a race I could work towards. I love - love! - running in a regular group. But unless you’re in a running club - more on that later - opportunities for that are few and far between. Then a friend who runs (like a gazelle!) mentioned he was running the Pride 10k and suggested it. I had less than two weeks to up my distance from 5km and build my confidence that I could actually both run the entire race and do so without injuring myself. Cue two weeks of breaking most coaching rules, rapidly increasing my distances and pushing myself a bit too hard. By Wednesday, I was comfortably running 8km, boosting my confidence for the race yesterday. But at a slow and steady pace - my intention for the race itself. ### The big day I arrived at Victoria Park about 45mins before race time, to take advantage of bag drop facilities, use the toilets for the inevitable nervous pre-race wee, and ensure I was in no way rushed. The atmosphere was super friendly and the set-up was very professional. Our lovely race announcers The nervous ‘before’ picture I met my friend and his partner at the starting line and we had some time to catch up and chat about our aims, before they went to find their (much faster) pacers, while I headed to the guys wearing the ‘70 mins’ bibs. I hadn’t given it a lot of thought, but when forced to decide, I thought this would be a reasonable goal for getting over the finish line. After some nervous, polite small-talk with the runners around me, the race started and I clicked play on Apple Music. First song on the playlist? ABBA: “I still have faith in you”. I could have laughed out loud! ### The race After a very slow and steady first kilometre, I seem to have lost the run of myself. Before I knew it, I was running at a 5km race pace and thought I should slow down. But I was feeling very comfortable, the sun was shining, and my music was keeping me full of smiles. So I kept going. Then I passed the ‘65 mins’ pacers and slowed down a little to run alongside them. I figured if I made it over the line in 65 mins, I’d be able to pat myself on the back. The crowd thinned out and I was able to overtake a few slower runners in front of me. But then my watch indicated another kilometre had passed and I again realised I was running too fast for this race. Shortly after the 7km point, I felt the tiniest bit of fatigue - followed by self-doubt. I realised I wouldn’t be able to maintain this pace for another 3km, so thought about slowing down again. Then I saw the ‘60mins’ pacers and felt very confused. Had I really run that fast? I ran directly behind them for the next 1.5kms, then slowly overtook them. The field in front of me was very thin indeed, but I spotted one guy who’d run near me on and off throughout the race. He was also a member of a running club so, for whatever reason, I thought I could use him as a pacer. We set off on an unintentionally competitive final 1.5km, taking turns overtaking and upping our speed. The final 500m was incredible! I got a second wind, upped my speed and sprinted towards the finishing tunnel. My ‘pacer’ had made it over the line before me, but when I looked at my watch, I couldn’t care less. I’d finished in 57:30, which was far faster than I’d imagined possible! The route, according to Strava. ### The come down After sending a couple of ‘proof of life’ messages to friends and family, while admiring my medal, one of the race organising team thrust a can of beer into my hand. I looked around to see everyone drinking the same and realised that it was part of the race completion package. It beats a banana!! The sweaty, excited ‘after’ photo, While enjoying my delicious and much-needed beer, my unofficial ‘pacer’ approached me in the crowd and we had the loveliest chat about our run. It turns out he’d been using me to keep his pace up before I’d even spotted him! Taking turns upping the speed meant we’d both encouraged each other to go faster than planned. It was then I found out he was only 28 - putting the whole thing in context! I felt even better about my final kilometre then. ### The post mortem There was an after-party in a local pub, including drag performance, BBQ and a ton of goodwill and laughter. My friend and I made our way over, got some drinks and looked in vain for a place to sit down. Delicious beer! We ended up sharing a picnic table with a small group and started our postmortem of the race experience. Everyone was _so_ positive, friendly and supportive. It reminded me of past races and got me excited about getting into it all again. A couple of beers later, plus a phenomenal double cheeseburger and fries, (no pics - I inhaled it too quickly to even think about photos) I bumped into my pacer again and we had a chat about me joining his running club. Given the positive vibes (loads of the club were there) I’m really considering it now. It would really help me make running a more regular thing, I could benefit from others’ expertise, and also have a better chance of getting places in the bigger races throughout the year. Last night, I had a look at my Strava running stats and realised that yesterday was approaching my 10k PB!! That was back in September 2021, when I completed in 51:53. The evening was spent - after the longest of hot showers - on the sofa, with my feet up in front of the TV. Frank made us a delicious Japanese curry and we laughed our way through ‘Airplane’ which I stumbled across while flicking through Apple TV. My hobbit feet, getting a break ### Final thoughts Even though my self-confidence took several wobbles in the days running up to the race, I was so, so glad I took part. It was incredibly well organised, the atmosphere was very welcoming, and the whole experience reminded me of what’s possible when I put my mind to it. I want to get back to being able to run 10k without giving it much thought. This was an essential first step. The fire has been lit and I’m excited to keep going. So. Expect more running content here and photos of running routes on the socials! Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of burgers and beers too…