"Edinburgh" Edinburgh by maykal

My recent trips to Edinburgh have not exactly been relaxing ones. Just after dawn on a Sunday morning, I dragged myself out of bed, threw a t-shirt and shorts on, tied up my shoelaces, and looked outside...rain. Not just any rain, this was Edinburgh's special heavy downpour rain, coupled with wind and cold. Going back to bed seemed like the sensible option...but I've never been known for sense.

Outside, I was quickly soaked. Making my way up the Royal Mile, I noticed other mad fools in shorts coming from all directions and all heading towards Princes Street. Outside the Scottish Gallery, some clustered together under the roof, spraying each other with Ralgex. Others stood looking miserable in queues for portaloos. I slung my bag onto a lorry, pinned a bit of paper to my chest, and jumped around a bit to keep warm.

More and more mad people came, making me wonder just how sanity levels in the Scottish capital could have dropped to an all time low. The downpour turned to drizzle. Not that it made a difference. We were all soaking wet by that point.

Minutes elapsed...the crowds began to shift towards the road...nerves made people giggle stupidly and make odd comments to others they'd never met before. Suddenly, a mass of bodies began to surge from behind, pulling me further and further down the road. Then a siren, a cheer, and the sound of thousands of feet pounding the tarmac.

The Edinburgh Marathon had begun.

Edinburgh Winter Festival

Once the rain had tapered off, the wind calmed down, and some of the clouds floated away, the race picked up, moods lightened, and a few of us, granted not all of us but a few, began to enjoy ourselves.

The great thing about the Edinburgh Marathon is that after going downhill for a couple of miles, you hit the coast and the rest is all flat. The course takes you past the Scottish Parliament, Arthur's Seat, down into Portobello, then east by the beach through Musselburgh, the power station at Cockenzie/Port Seton and on to some big manor house, before turning round and ending 26.2 miles later in Musselburgh Racecourse.

Did i finish it? Of course I did! 4h 08mins. And very happy I was too. And a bit tired. No photos of the race. I'm sure my mum has a few, and I could always get some official ones from the race website...but maybe I won't. Those shorts weren't exactly flattering...

A year later, and I was back with an older brother, determined to beat him. I did, and managed to beat my time too, just under 4 hours. Again, no photos that I'd want posted on the internet...

Edinburgh Winter Festival

Edinburgh is now just over an hour away from me, so I can foresee many more trips...like last weekend, when I met a friend in town for some sightseeing and shopping. It was also the winter festival, so Princes Street was awash with market stalls and fairground rides, all lit up in bright colours.