Written by Teresa Hughes
Today was my first proper day off since the beginning of March.
That’s 216 consecutive days of 5am dog walks, breakfast service from 8am, guest check-outs before 11am, room turnarounds, check-ins from 2pm, luggage carrying, restaurant recommendations and generally keeping Min y Don Llandudno running.
So what did I do with my first day off?
I entered the Bangor 10K, of course.
Because apparently, after 216 days of looking after everyone else, my idea of relaxing was to spend an hour running around Bangor in preparation for the Conwy Half Marathon on 15 November.
The Plan
The Bangor 10K started at 10am.
My target was simple.
Finish before 11am.
That’s check-out time at Min y Don Llandudno.
I gave myself exactly 60 minutes.
Years of running this guest house have taught me many things, but perhaps the most important is this:
Deadlines matter.
Thankfully, I didn’t just scrape in.
My official chip time was 51 minutes and 52 seconds.
A brand-new 10K Personal Best.
I finished 3rd female in my age category and 17th female overall out of 124 women.
So I didn’t just beat check-out.
I checked out more than eight minutes early.
Quite frankly, that’s the sort of efficiency I expect from myself at Min y Don Llandudno.
My Training Plan
I should probably mention that I haven’t exactly followed a traditional 10K training programme.
My usual training consists of:
Carrying suitcases upstairs.
Changing beds at speed.
Walking the dogs at 5am.
Running up and down stairs (torn calves and tight hamstrings permitting).
Carrying laundry.
Doing several miles a day without technically leaving the building.
And occasionally wondering if carrying someone else’s luggage counts as resistance training.
Apparently, it does.
Because somehow, it got me to another start line.
The Pier Runner (a new Pier for me – Bangor Pier)
And then there was Lizzie.
A couple of kilometres into the race, whilst running towards the pier, we found ourselves being attacked by someone else’s body odour.
Not mildly unpleasant.
Full-on, hold-your-breath-and-try-not-to-gag unpleasant.
And that, apparently, was enough to strike up a conversation between two women of a similar age, running towards an unfamiliar pier, both desperately trying not to throw up.
From there, we got chatting about pacing, race strategy and our goals.
There was just one small difference.
I was running the 10K.
Lizzie was running the half marathon.
And apparently, for Lizzie, today’s half marathon was just a gentle run in preparation for the Chester Full Marathon next week.
I immediately felt slightly less accomplished.
Then I found out she has been running for more years than I have been running months.
Which perhaps explains what happened next.
Lizzie smiled and said:
“See you at the finish” and moved on.
Not gradually.
Not eventually.
Somehow, she simply vanished.
I was running my fastest-ever 10K.
She was casually knocking out a half marathon as a training run for a full marathon in Chester week.
By the time I reached the finish, she’d probably already finished a full half, showered, had breakfast and left a five-star review.
And then came the results.
Lizzie had finished first female in our age category in the half marathon.
Of course she had.
Meanwhile, I’d managed a third-place age-category finish in the 10K and was feeling “reasonably” pleased with myself.
But there we were on that pier: two women of a similar age, running together, discussing pacing, race strategy, marathon goals…
…and personal hygiene.
I can’t imagine a more appropriate foundation for a new running friendship.
The good news is that our brief Bangor friendship didn’t end at the finish line.
We’ve already arranged to meet up for a quick plod around the Great Orme in a few weeks.
Although, given how we first met, I suspect deodorant may now be a mandatory piece of running kit.
And I have a horrible feeling that what I call a “quick plod” and what Lizzie calls a “quick plod” may turn out to be two very different things.
Things I Learned in Bangor
Garmin is surprisingly needy
My watch beeped every kilometre.
Much like a guest at Min y Don asking whether the Wi-Fi password has changed.
Every time, the answer remained exactly the same.
Race photographers are dangerous
At one point I spotted a photographer.
This created an immediate problem.
I was running.
I was tired.
I looked like I was being actively pursued.
And suddenly someone was taking a photograph.
Naturally, I attempted to smile.
The resulting expression was somewhere between “elite athlete” and “person who has just received an unexpected utility bill.”
I am now waiting with equal amounts of excitement and dread to see the official photos.
And Then There’s the Fundraising
I’m running these races to raise money for the Welsh Air Ambulance Service.
The original target was £1,000, as that’s roughly the cost of a single Air Ambulance sortie.
Thankfully, we’ve already smashed that.
So I’ve added another £500.
My reasoning is simple.
After completing today’s 10K, I’ve started thinking ahead to the Conwy Half Marathon.
If I happen to require an Air Ambulance as I climb the north face of the mata”Orme”, I’m hoping the extra £500 might qualify me for some kind of two-for-one rescue package.
Admittedly, that’s probably not how emergency medical aviation works.
Thankfully, the Welsh Air Ambulance team are considerably more professional than I am.
In all seriousness, every donation helps support an incredible service that saves lives across Wales, and we’re hugely grateful to everyone who has supported us so far.
💙 If you’d like to support the Welsh Air Ambulance and help us reach the new £1,500 target, you can donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/minydonllandudno
My Official Review of the Bangor 10K
Because reviews are rather important when you run a guest house, I feel it’s only fair that I review the race properly.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: Lovely.
Weather: Surprisingly cooperative.
Course: Scenic.
Hills: Described as flat. This appears open to interpretation.
Fellow runners: Friendly, supportive and alarmingly fast.
Marshals: Outstanding. Their confidence in my ability to finish exceeded my own.
Photographer: Appeared without warning.
Staff — my legs: Initially helpful. Became increasingly uncooperative towards the end.
Value for money: Excellent.
Would visit again: Absolutely.
What’s Next?
The Bangor 10K was another stepping stone towards the Conwy Half Marathon on 15 November.
There will be more miles.
There will definitely be more hills.
There will almost certainly be moments where I again question my life choices.
But after surviving 216 consecutive days of life at Min y Don Llandudno, I’m quietly confident. Six weeks – 42 days – what more could go wrong…
If the last seven months have taught me anything, it’s that running Min y Don Llandudno has been accidental half-marathon training all along.
Both involve endurance, resilience, careful pacing, unexpected challenges and, most importantly, occasionally smiling through the pain.
So, after 216 days without a day off, perhaps running 10 kilometres wasn’t the most conventional way to relax.
But it was certainly memorable.
And to Lizzie, if you’re reading this:
I’ll see you at the top of the Great Orme.
And I’ll bring the deodorant.
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