Diary Update - 1 to 10 January 2026

My time this year has been taken by a variety of 'stuff', from visiting mother to vetting routes for the TGO Challenge, so exercise has been limited to a few 5km parkruns together with a daily 5km walk/jog from home. So this entry may be of little interest, but it will serve me by way of a reminder of the start of 2026. It will become more interesting in due course.

Thursday 1 January 2026

Sue and I started the year with a turnout of 314 participants in Sale Water parkrun. Here we are making our way to the start.

As usual, I started at the back. It's more pleasant to be overtaking people than it is to be overtaken, though starting very slowly does lead to a fairly slow time. It's a nice route, there and back, beside the River Mersey and Sale Water Park. Just a few uneven surfaces to contend with, but they weren't as bad as I remember. See here for my report on a previous visit to this parkrun.

The Winston Runners were out in force. A jolly lot.

My time in position 219 was 34:06; Sue took 25:41 in position 72. Full results are here.

Friday 2 January 2026

Our 5km walk/jog from home passes through the 'small but perfectly formed' De Quincey Park. I quite often send a picture from here to bbc.co.uk/weatherwatchers.

This was the first Friday of the month, when Fechin, a committed Sale Harrier, and some of his 'Auld Codger' friends, runners and former runners aged over 70, gather at Wythenshawe Park's tearoom. We've been encouraged to bring something that we value along to these gatherings. Last month I took my Pyrenees books. Today Fechin turned up with a London Marathon winner's sash. He was a talented athlete in his day and was invited to the post race banquet in 1986, where the ladies winner, Greta Waitz, gave him her sash. 

Keith, Mike H, Mike C and John looked on as Fechin proudly related his story. 

Saturday 3 January 2026

After a break of just one day, it was back to parkrunning on the first Saturday of the year. A bit of frost had resulted in a number of local runs being cancelled, as a consequence of which there was a bumper record attendance of 675 at Wythenshawe, where the course was fast and dry over a nicely frozen surface.

It's the time of year when you enter the park at sunrise.

I took a few more photos before the start.

Fechin was unmissable today.

The briefing was ... happily brief...

By the time we got to the football pitches after 1.5km, the field was well spread out, with long shadows.

Despite only having 600 barcodes to hand out, Andy and his team managed to get the results out before we had finished sorting out the barcode tokens. Brilliant.

I finished in position 515 in 33:02, and Sue got home in 24:49 in position 175. Full results are here.

Later, Sue and I joined Robert and Lyn and Gerry and Chris at the David Lloyd sports hall in Chorley for games of Pickleball and Padel. Great fun.

Others enjoyed a sauna, then we all enjoyed a superb meal at the nearby Little Hong Kong restaurant.

Sunday 4 January 2026

The five year old had been ill with 'flu for a few days, so at last she could visit to unwrap her Christmas present, a Playmobil farm that she enjoyed assembling then playing with.

Monday 5 January 2026

Sue and I enjoyed our 5km walk after a light snow shower. The ducks were baffled.

Thursday 8 January 2026

Back to normal by the canal on our 5km walk, after a couple of domesticated days and a visit to Dot, whose short term memory has disintegrated.

It was a sad day, though the church service for Rick's wife Lesley who died on 4 December was as joyous an occasion as could be imagined, including performances by two separate troops of Morris Dancers.

Sue and I just made it home before going out with Paul and Jeanette for a 5:30 meal at Trafford College's Aspire Restaurant.

It has become a habit for us to start with cocktails. I find the Expresso Martini to be delicious.

A bottle of House Red followed.

It was a delicious menu:

Arrival

Starter

Intermediate - a lovely fish cake

Main - succulent beef

Delicious desserts

As well as the five courses, for the £24.50 price you get a couple of chocolates each, plus tea or coffee.

Brilliant! A really delicious meal for a very reasonable price. These students have good tutors.

Saturday 10 January 2026

After a day of admin and vetting a TGOC route, Sue left to visit her mother and I went along to Wythenshawe for their parkrun number 648. The course was fast and dry again, on a cool morning. Numbers were again boosted by the cancellation of a number of nearby events, probably due to frozen puddles, which luckily don't usually hamper the Wythenshawe course (which even has a back-up course if there are such puddles after overnight rain).

Sunrise again, the next picture being courtesy of Jan Williams.

Run Director Tris was happily brief with his briefing, as 601 participants lined up at the start.

I stayed right at the back before taking the next picture.

By the time we were leaving after enjoying our tearoom refreshments, the sun had well and truly risen. A lovely day, most of which, sadly, I spent indoors.

Sue's run in Solihull was cancelled due to snow. After the very slow start at Wythenshawe, I took 36:02 for the 5km, finishing in position 494, ahead of a record number of people in my age group - there were eight of us. Full results are here.

Diary Update - 20 to 30 December 2025

Saturday 20 December 2025

Wythenshawe parkrun #645. Muddy. 34:26 for me, 26:33 for Sue. Full results here.

Tuesday 23 December 2025

GM Ringway Trail, stage 20 - diary entry here.

Later - drinks and 'nibbles' with R & J. What a lovely evening.

Wednesday 24 December 2025

Xmas Eve in Timperley - a joyous occasion, with Uno and Labyrinth featuring after the meal.

Thursday 25 December 2025

An early start. Sue and I joined a party of 326 runners and walkers for Alderley Park parkrun #169.

Sue did well, in 25:39. I took 34:05, after waiting at the back of a crowded start.

Callum did exceptionally well. Full results are here.

After that lovely way to start the day, Sue and I drove to Bacup for a family Christmas lunch. Delicious. Well done, Kate. Followed by Rummikub.

Friday 26 December 2025

A 10km walk around Appleton with Sue and Jenny - on a lovely sunny day. Diary entry here.

Saturday 27 December 2025

Wythenshawe parkrun #646. Still muddy. 33:27 for me, 30:43 for Sue, who ran with Jan and Owen.
Full results here.

Sunday 28 December 2025

A 14.5km walk from Buxton with Sue B, Sue W and GI. Lovely route. Overcast but fine.

Diary entry here.

Tuesday 30 December 2025

Where am I now?

Yes, it's pretty obviously Wilmslow, in the Lindow Common area. A 7km stroll whilst Sue was getting her hair cut.

During the walk I discovered a 'Spunch' event that was taking place - a form of orienteering using satellites to record progress. There were over 200 people of all abilities taking part. It looks like great fun. I think I'll give it a try. An example of an event is here (that link may change) and Si Entries have details of all events. This could catch on....

Here's my route.

That's it for 2025, which seems to have been a pretty active year despite fewer postings - about 170 - than usual during the period when these pages have mutated from 'blog' entries to 'on-line diary' entries - not that there's really much difference except that the latter name seems more appropriate.

With very best wishes for 2026.

Martin