My Welsh journey begins.

                        
                                            The new year has arrived!! And, as mentioned in the last blog post, my concentration now lies in two areas for this year. Sounds like I'm really limiting myself on what I study or do but these are the primary subjects on my agenda. Welsh and running. Sometimes together, as I have been introduced to a program that seems to work better with my wee brain. It is called Say something in Welsh and boasts a large number of users online.

https://site.saysomethingin.com/communities/welsh-for-english-speakers/pages/home-cyen

                                              Now, it is not to say that books and audio,video and other media don't work. They do,in smaller doses. But the way this is presented....wow. It was easier for my sub-conscious to grasp it and retain. I don't have the best short term memory and this might help.
Another series I like is produced by Jason Shepherd and is called Learn Welsh Podcast. This is also installed on all of my devices and accessible at all times. This makes immersion a bit easier in a part of the world with no Welsh groups or local places to share and chat/learn. Still looking into that though as I'm sure SOMEWHERE in the Portland area there has to be a group or a few folks that speak welsh and would love to practice. Otherwise,it is online for now.
                                                I was going to use Skype for language lessons and practice but,before signing up,found out today there was a massive hacking breach. This makes me very cautious when using online audio services now. Looking into other audio options. In the meantime, the audio from Say something in Welsh will be my companion when driving,running and while at home. Add to the the BBC's Welsh radio broadcasts and I have enough for the ears to get adjusted.
                       
                                                  http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/

                                          
                                                      (LOVE that station emblem! )

                               
                                            With the two stations that the BBC airs, I have something useful to study with in addition to vocabulary and grammar. Wales also has a TV station,although watching it here in the states is all but impossible. I have ways to do it but the quality is poor. The station can be found here:                    http://www.s4c.co.uk/hafan/c_index.shtml

So, there are some ways I shall be aiding my study of Welsh. Since 30 December, I have been on Lesson 1 of the SSIW audio program and learned five new verbs and ways to construct quite a few sentences easily.This is really how the brain works as opposed to memorizing lines as a tourist

This is day 2 of a 365 day study program. Wish me luck as I travel the path of Welsh!!!

Oh, an in addition to the language, I shall be reading everything Welsh I can get my hands on,including my ancestors histories,dates,locations and all that pertains to the family tree.

As mentioned above, running will also be my other area of concentration. The last six months have been tough in this area and I'm back on the road to speeding up and getting out for more miles. My goal is to run 25-30 miles a week minimum and stay injury free. Yesterday, I started the year off right with the Clark County Running Club's Hangover 5K race and really enjoyed it. Over 250 people ran and I was able to achieve my goal of a sub 7:40/mi pace, clocking in at 23:01 for a 7:26. I placed 28th in total runners and tied for third in my age group. Feeling rather good about the new start to the year!! Now to make sure I get out every other day for a run,no matter whether a mile of ten. Running every day or multiple days in a row does not work for me and this body so the plan of every other puts me on the road four days a week. Hoping I will race better this spring!! Looking forward to the Vancouver Marathon half most of all as we race it for the fourth year in a row!!