I think the efforts of Llandudno last Sunday, an ambitious recovery run the following day with a circuits class side order, and then a tough club training session on Tuesday took it out of me somewhat. For on Wednesday and Thursday I was pretty much spent. Not Captain Invincible after all. So first thing Friday I thought I'd have a gentle run out down to the woods and take it as it comes. It goes without saying it was raining, wet and very muddy, but it turned out to be the surprise run of the week. Refreshing, energising, perfect.
Two running opportunities this weekend, the headline being Langley Fete on Sunday, a 3 mile up Teggs Nose and back. Short and sharp. But what to do on Saturday? Answer - Park Run. Essentially a running 'hit' dispatched in a ruthless emotionless manner that makes it feel almost dirty. You turn up, have it and leave with absolutely no social interaction or sense of occasion. It's a curious experience, more so at Wythenshawe Park. And it lacks cake. No fast time, it was like running on wet sand, or an old sponge. A bit shit, but oddly, I enjoyed it.
It was also soft going at Langley Fete. The annual social highlight of the village, you sensed was almost certainly going to be a washout before it had begun, but the sun arrived and the turn out was good. It was a stereotypical Village Fete. As we arrived, the Tug-of-War was in full swing, duck racing and a dog show, coconut shy and the usual shows with the sound of a couple of generators fighting to inflate a flaccid Bouncy Castle and a lonely man with a microphone addressing an essentially disinterested crowd.
You get the idea. Also on the agenda was the Village Fell Race. 26 entrants, most of them looking like gnarly locals who did this kind of thing as a warm up before breakfast. Still, I'd done it before when it was on the club summer series and hadn't fared too well on that first climb, so approached this with a better frame of mind (sober) and a finely prepared body (breakfast). As the gun went, I held back and took it steady. It paid off, I managed to run the whole hill while those around walked, though at similar paces, it must be said.
As with any race of this distance, there's not much time for tactics, you need to make a move and make it stick. I had a good tussle with a guy who took huge objection to me trying to nip in front of him at a stile, so ran him all the way in, then let him take it, while I jumped the gate, listening to his cussing and swearing as I left him behind. This was also the first race where I've actually beaten our club coach. 'Yeah, you ran quite well' was his assessment. The highlight though, freshly prepared strawberry and cream scones, delivered by lovely ladies who called me 'young man'. Result!
