Earlier on this evening I blogged about my fitbit, my favourite latest toy. There’s been quite a lot of chat in my twitterstream this weekend about being healthy and exercising, not sure whether it’s the cold dry weather, just that time of year, the promise of Spring, the hopeful shedding of our winter layer of extra blubber (oh no, that’s seals not humans), maybe it’s watching burly men in the six nations, maybe it’s just contagious human behaviour, whatever it is I’ve been enjoying all the positivity.

Last weekend I was chatting with Betty who was telling me of her two marathon plans for this year, two I tell you. She’s never run further than a 10k race before, although she does do triathlons. Running is her least favourite bit so she’s facing her least favourite head on. I left her house, having enjoyed her home baked banoffee pie, feeling suitably sluggish and suitably inspired.

This afternoon @amcunningham asked if I fancied the Cardiff Half this year. I ran my first, and only, half marathon in Cardiff the year before last. Anne Marie and Chris gave us dinner the night before and came to provide support on the day. I would have loved to return to Cardiff and ran the half this year but unfortunately the date doesn’t work for me this year. Anne Marie did get me thinking though.

Yesterday I went for my first run in far too long. I ran in memory of Sherry, you can read more about that here. I was just grateful I could run and each time my legs have ached today I’ve felt similarly glad that I can.

So, thanks to the twitter chat, thanks to writing down what I’ve know (and denied) for a while – exercise makes me happy, thanks to the inspiration of Betty, Anne Marie and Sherry, I’ve bitten the bullet and signed up for another Half Marathon in 4 months and 11 days. Given my first was in Cardiff (where I went to University and worked for a number of years), I figured I’d come closer to home, so Torbados it is, the English Riviera, Torbay Half. Bring it on.

(cc) Photo by Lawrie Cate