{"id":1017,"date":"2021-10-02T17:45:32","date_gmt":"2021-10-02T16:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/?p=1017"},"modified":"2021-10-02T18:19:14","modified_gmt":"2021-10-02T17:19:14","slug":"save-the-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/?p=1017","title":{"rendered":"Save the date…… ~ by Emma Hughes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Save the date\u2026<\/span>\u2026..<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

There was a time when this meant there was a wedding invitation on\u00a0<\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> way, but now it\u2019s all about running events and the return of mass participation events in our capital city, Cardiff – 721 days since the last event and my first experience of the new normal breathable events at Cardiff Bay 10K.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I set my alarm for 5am and woke full of dread if I\u2019m honest, I was contemplating not going, all those people in one place but I knew I\u2019d regret it and I was up now anyway.\u00a0 I was in Cardiff just after 8am and took a lovely\u00a0<\/span><\/span>walk through<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>town, the sun was already shining, the streets were quiet and the bars were empty, so different from times gone by: I\u2019d swapped the high heels for my runners.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

I was meeting my friend Tanya and the She Runs Cardiff girls at the Run Wales tent.\u00a0 There I was greeted with a sea of purple, everyone excitedly chatting and laughing and then it was time to head to the blue pen. When I first started running, I remember Jan from Harriers telling me she\u2019d made lots of new friends through running and never a truer word spoken!\u00a0 It was fab to meet Myfanwy who hosted the SRC Summer Relay that Team Dollies took part in and Sian who is running her first marathon in Newport next month and Christine who, like me, had travelled over 100 miles for this long overdue event!\u00a0 Social Media when it works is an absolute blessing – instead of being at the start on your own, you\u2019ve got company.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The start experience was fab, there was music playing, supporters clapping and cheering, the Bay was buzzing and we were off, up Lloyd George Avenue and around the docks.\u00a0 At 4K-<\/span>ish<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>you start to see the Elite runners heading towards you, they look so amazing, heads held high and kicking their feet back behind them propelling their bodies forward to that finish line. I saw Sonia Samuels, the first lady to finish and she set a new\u00a0<\/span><\/span>seasons<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>best with a finishing time of 34:37 and Alaw Benyon-Thomas, a new Welsh Champion, 35:43 both ladies were looking so strong as they <\/span>passed<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>me.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”22px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/cardiffbay.jpg” alt=”Cardiff Bay” title_text=”cardiffbay” _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”10px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

The Barrage was glorious, the sky was blue, the sun was shining and the sea was glistening, it was boiling hot by now too, but this was so worth the early start!\u00a0 The support from the crowd was fantastic, cheering and shouting words of encouragement and compliments on\u00a0<\/span><\/span>runners’<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>kit, it was such an amazing experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The Extra Milers were absolutely brilliant, the team of volunteers who looked after us runners made the experience even more special, there were thousands of participants and we were all treated like elite athletes, from words of encouragement, to handing out bottles of water, medals and t-shirts and a team of First Responders to help with the effects of the heat, trips and falls, they all looked out for us and made our day such a memorable experience, without them there definitely is no event!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The finish line was a heady mix of exhaustion, relief and joy! The Extra Milers were like stallholders of days gone by, only they were handing out t-shirts to us runners rather than selling their produce to the sailors and local\u00a0residents .\u00a0 I was so carried away with nostalgia for the bay, I missed a tweet up, Twitter\u00a0talk\u00a0for a meet up,\u00a0with my friend Liam, as his waving and shouting of my name, fell on deaf ears!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>And one last walk around the bay before heading back to the car, I bumped into the very inspirational Kerrie Aldrige, who\u2019d got herself a lovely shiny PB and I wished her luck for the London Marathon next weekend and off home I headed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Tiger Bay was roaring last Sunday, who\u2019s up for a Dolly trip next May?\u00a0 Pre-registration is now open for the 2022 event on Sunday May 22<\/span>nd<\/span>\u00a0 Lets\u00a0add a splash of Dolly Pink down the Bay next May!\u00a0<\/span>\ud83d\udc96<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/242935655_10159228482970073_2062856074958580706_n.jpg” alt=”Emma & Myfanwy” title_text=”Emma & Myfanwy” _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/242928304_10159228482950073_2511776144577124444_n.jpg” alt=”Dollies & She Runs Cardiff” title_text=”She Runs Cardiff & Dollies” _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/242905980_10159228482965073_486974134706406000_n.jpg” alt=”Dollies & She Runs Cardiff” title_text=”Dollies & She Runs Cardiff” _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Save the date\u2026\u2026..\u00a0 There was a time when this meant there was a wedding invitation on\u00a0it\u2019s way, but now it\u2019s all about running events and the return of mass participation events in our capital city, Cardiff – 721 days since the last event and my first experience of the new normal breathable events at Cardiff […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[29],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1017"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1017"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1038,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1017\/revisions\/1038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rundolliesrun.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}