"Boxing Day Club Handicap"

The last race of the year, number thirty five, the annual club handicap around Langley and Macclesfield Forest. For once not run as normal with the fastest going off last, but with all runners going off together having given the handicapper an estimated finish time and their running timepiece. A true test of running by feel, the ultimate race against the clock!

I had seen what a few of the others were estimating but this was less about speed and more about pace judgement, a race against yourself.

Last years time was 28.04 on what is described as a "super hilly four miler". This time allowing for the icy forest roads and lack of recent speedwork I estimated 29.14.

All was going fine until some club junior went past me on the biggest climb of the day (top picture, looking back), a lung freezing five minutes of agony as you gulp in the oxygen. Pace judgement went out of the window as I took 20 seconds out of him in the fast last mile. I won't repeat what I said as I raced by! My chance of winning the race blown I came in 11th in 28.13. Maybe I should have been confident and gone with last years "flat out" time. All in all though I'm really chuffed that there is still some speed left in the legs.

The bottom photo shows the road climb up to the high point of the course just below the Hanging Gate pub and the turn for home with a fast two miles downhill to the finish.

Weekly mileage 24. Annual mileage 1304. Races 35.