"Boxing Day Handicap"

As I sit here typing this the rain is absolutely belting down and I haven't got my run in yet and probably won't bother! What a difference from the rest of the week where deep snow and sub zero temperatures were a real challenge both to get to work and to run. Monday's session was a great very fast six miler around the trails of Sandbach with the sun out but the temperature of minus 5c. Due to the heavy snow on Tuesday there was no track session as Sue the coach couldn't get out of her drive! I wasn't sorry as I had taken a tumble in the carpark during the afternoon and suffered bruising to shoulder, knee and elbow. A run over the Hollins and its snow drifts on Christmas Eve in bright sunshine with a clear blue sky retrieved my spirits.

Yesterday saw the last of twenty six races for the year, the much awaited annual Harrier's Club Boxing DayHandicap over a super hilly four mile course in Macclesfield Forest. This is the one race of the year when fell, road and track athletes come together to really test themselves and settle a few scores! Due to there still being lots of ice and snow left on the roads the usual route was in doubt right up to an hour before the race (the alternative being an off road trail race through the forest). Everyone brought a number of shoe types incuding fell just in case!

Having run a great Langley 7 road race in November over much of the course to be used, I was handed a much harder handicap than I really wanted or deserved! The route includes a fast flat start (for us track stars) some wicked climbing and descending for the fell runners and all on road (obviously to help the road runners!). After a great start alongside four other runners I was going well for the first undulating mile but made the fatal mistake of climbing the main hill of the day alongside my club colleague Rachel who was recently the first lady home in a Lake District 100 mile race! I was ok for the first couple of minutes then everything started to swim before my eyes! After recovering off the top I finished really strong to finish fourth on the course with 28.04 but well down when the handicap was applied.

The photo show the last fast flat section of the race past Trentabank Reservoir where the mental toughness (and pain!) starts to kick in. With a few scores were settled we all retired to the local village pub to meet up with family and friends for soup and rolls then home again all by lunchtime. A great race to finish off the year.

Annual mileage 1238