"Boggart Hole Clough"

Well the last two weeks have been a real mixed bag. The first week included some fast flat runs discovering the new roads and trails around Sandbach situated right in the middle of the Cheshire Plain (the name says it all!) where I am now based, but what I missed was my regular track session (now three weeks) and some hill work.

The effects of this really came home to roost last Saturday with the third round of the Manchester XC League at Boggart Hole Clough. On one of the muddiest and toughest courses I have seen for years I suffered my first defeat of the XC season to my closest rival Jack from Salford Met AC. He caught me in the middle of the final two mile lap and took 20 seconds out at the finish, standing with a gasping grin on his face as I crossed the line! It's at times like this that I realise how competitive I am! I'm still ahead in the League's overall standing based on all three races but will have to work really hard at the last two fixures (both of which suit my style of racing better with less but shorter hills and more flat terrain) if I am to recapture the ascendancy.

This week the weather changed and got much colder. Again due to work I missed my track session, but for once yesterday got in a great two and a half hour run in the hills. The weather was cold, at minus 4c, but with no wind chill it was ok and I survived with just a helly base layer on. As it was the last Saturday before Christmas I suspect many people were out shopping and I had the high paths pretty much to myself. The photo shows the top of Kerridge ridge not far from home. Having seen the advanced weather report I decided to run this instead of my club's annual fell handicap championship today which given the heavy snowfall in the last twenty four hours would have made it difficult just to get to the start let alone run fifteen miles over the hills of the Peak District. Wise move I think!.

Just one more race of the year to go, the club's Boxing Day Handicap around Macclesfield Forest. Let's hope the weather eases and we can make the start line!

Annual mileage 1221