"Rain"

It's been the wettest week of the year so far with torrential driving rain and gail force winds, particularly during the mid week Killer Mile race! With the off road trails being virtually unrunnable every session this week has had to be on the roads. It is to be hoped that it dries up over the next week or so for the raft of off road races coming up in May.

Weekly mileage 25. Annual mileage 432 (week 17). Sessions 81. Races 13.

"The Mow Cop Killer Mile"

I mile of ascent. 600 feet of continual winding climb. Driving rain, massive crowds & 11 minutes 36 seconds of total pain!

"Woodbank Park".

Rain, hail, sleet and sun, it must be the start of the 2012 track and field season! Round one of the Cheshire Track & Field League found us at Woodbank Park in Stockport on an afternoon where we experienced all four seasons, on a couple of occasions during the same race! I ran the 3k (12.10) and came home as first Harriers but others got their revenge in the 800m (2.46) where my legs completely went. Finally we were short in the 4 x 100m men's relay and I ended up running the longest second leg and was so knackered at the handover that I have no idea how far up or down the field we finished!

Weekly mileage 30. Annual mileage 407 (week 16). Sessions 76. Races 12.

"100 Days To Go"

To celebrate 100 days until the opening of the Olympic Games last night saw the Harriers promoting a fantastic evening of athletics including a 100 lap relay with six teams taking on the 25 mile event. I raced in a senior track team and 12 individual laps at pretty much full tilt which got increasingly tough as the evening wore on. We finished in second place (2hrs 15 mins) one lap behind our junior sprint team and considering our collective age this was a pretty impressive effort! My legs are shredded today but I need to recover fairly quickly for the weekend and the official start of the track season!

Back to Winter"

Following the cold of the Chester Spring 5 it was even further back to winter for the rest of the week with Thursday's session over the club's Boxing Day Handicap course in the Forest being run with several feet of snow steeped by the side of the road! It's only two weeks to the first track meet of the season but at the moment it feels that we will be competing in thermals!

Weekly mileage 26. Annual mileage 360 (week 14). Sessions 67. Races 8.

"Chester Spring 5"

Temperatures down from 20 degrees to 2 plus wind chill, welcome to the start of the spring mid week racing season!

With hat, gloves and long sleeve helly thermal I ventured over to Chester for this fast flattish five miler. As race two of the Cheshire Grand Prix series no-one particularly at the front was hanging about once the gun went. If only to keep warm is the gusting freezing weather!

With little speed work over the last six weeeks I went off reasonably hard and ran the first two slightly downhill miles in 13 22 but really paid for this on the climb back to the finish in 35 minutes dead.

Given that my legs were still heavy from the last week of running (including a nine mile teggs to shutlingsloe club run the day after the mow cop race!) I was reasonably pleased, and scored good points in the club road champs as well.

"Mow Cop Hill Race"

In only its third year and my first running, the seven mile Moss Cop Hill Race over the Staffordshire Moorlands and taking in the hill top folly of Mow Cop is definitely one that I will be returning to next year.

With the temperature set in the high teens and clear blue skies this was always going to be a really enjoyable race. But with over 1200ft of climb it was also going to be a tough one! Completed in 65.01 I was well down the field (75 out of 105) but I couldn't have completed the second climb back up to Mow Cop any quicker!

Weekly mileage 25. Annual mileage 334 (week 13) Races 7. Sessions 62.