January 2013

[glaconman]

BB;

Apologies for being abit late with my update. Life. Conveyor Belt. Etc

The Hebden went ahead as planned. An LDWA event long-since over-run with runners. It started and finished in Mytholmroyd, peaking and troughing around the valleys surrounding Hebden Bridge. I opted for the short 15.5 miler.

There was fresh snow on the ground and it made for a great morning in the hills. I grew up in The Calder Valley and the race is all-the-more meaningful as it passes the gravestone of a close friend just after checkpoint one.

I ran with the winner for 10 miles then got dropped on the final big climb up to Stoodley Pike. Blowing up on such a long race is never pleasant; but all was forgotten when I got to HQ and started digging into pie and peas followed by crumble and custard.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26082075@N0...402066301/

I ran in the National Cross Country Championships last Saturday. I suspect this could be a really epic day. But on this occassion there were no round edges and the whole thing was abit of an ordeal. From driving upto Sunderland in snow; going off farrrrrrrrrrrr too fast in the race itself; dealing with being dehydrated, hyperglycemic and mildly
hypothermic at the end; to trying to get my cloths back on and then queueing up for the ridiculous park and ride at the end. I've never had my arse kicked so badly in a race. It was a slow, horrible death. In freezing mud.

The year before it had been in sunshine on Parliament Hill.

But maybe I'm lucky to have experienced this event in it's true colours. Suffering appears to be part of the code in XC.

http://www.athleticos.org/coverage/25051...al-XC-2013

There have been lots of pleasant and not-so-pleasant running in-between. But I guess the other headline is that I've entered the 3 Peaks fell race at the end of April. Better get some long runs in.