The Macclesfield Half Marathon

I usually go running a couple of times a week to keep fit and to keep my weight down. The area that I live in borders the Mersey Valley in South Manchester, so I can run for miles along the river and through nature reserves. I really appreciate being able to run without coming into contact with busy roads. At the same time I get to see the area that I live in, changing through the seasons.
I don't take part in events like the Macclesfield Half Marathon all that often because I enjoy running on my own (or with a couple of friends) so much. But running with 200+ people on a pleasant autumn morning in the rolling Cheshire countryside has been great (if slightly painful) fun!
I was joined by 2 colleagues Tina (left) and Tony (right) the picture above was taken before the race!

The race course is quite hilly and I normally run on the flat. I didn't find the hills too difficult but that's possibly down to my enthusiasm for hillwalking.

This picture (above) was taken a good five minutes after we had all finished. The smiles gradually returning, once painful memories of the last hill begin to fade. There are more pictures of Tina, me and Tony on the official race photos website.