Ben1.

 

It has been some time, well probably two months, since I went for a run at Benone Beach. For no particular reason I determined that I would drive there on Monday. I checked in advance that I would not be running on soft sand due to a high tide. It was close to a low tide. Result!

 

Occasionally I come upon another runner during my solo runs. If they are markedly slower or faster than I am then it is preferable to ignore them save for a curt nod and a grunt of acknowledgement. If they do happen to be running at or about my pace then the old competitive instincts can come to the fore and what was to have been a recovery run can metamorphose into an AT run or quicker. That was not the situation on Monday. I had the beach to myself save for one dog walker and his canine pal and a grandfather supervising the sandcastle abilities of his young grandson. As I was to be racing two days later I clocked up a modest five miles. With the aid of the trusted Garmin I completed the first mile in just over eight minutes with each subsequent mile speeding up by thirty seconds per mile.

 

When departing the beach I noted from a sign on a fenced off area that Mr Farage's bestest friend, the European Union are funding the construction of what is described as a Beach Activity Centre. The completion date for this development is scheduled for, "Summer 2015." Perhaps a few months late for what is jokingly referred to as Northern Ireland's summer.