Good game, good game

I got out of bed this morning - not that surprising I guess. Legs said no. The training run was off. I went for a walk instead, a leisurely ninety minuter. Pretty sure that helped my legs for this evenings race. And what a bloody race.

I headed over to Llanhennock, parked up - and then stayed in the car until fifteen minutes to go. It was peeing down. I registered with Sid, the team manager, and jogged down to the start. The race itself was part of the Leisure Centre League Summer Series. A team event with first ten past the post from each team to score. It was a tad under ten kilometres on the road and undulating would be an under statement. It was so hilly it was almost an A category fell race - not really, but it was probably the toughest 10k I've run.

It's been a good eleven days of training and racing during which time I've covered about 110 miles and 22,000 feet of ascent. That's way more than I've been running of late. Practically a months worth in just those eleven days. Culminating in three races in four days of which tonight's was another good one for me. I finished in 36th place in a time of 41:54 - not bad considering that's not far outside my Sundayshill time and it had half the ascent of tonight's race. Whether I score for the team or not I ran about as good a race as I could have hoped for. Tactically I reckon I got it just about right, eeking out the best from my tired old legs.

I started steady - make that slow. From the start the route was upwards before a long section downhill where I started to pick things up. By the low point - of the race route, not my performance - I'd moved nicely through the field. It was good motivation to know every racer I overtook helped the team score by knocking the opposing team scores back. I hung in there, dug deep and stuck to the task at hand. Steadily picking off the runners ahead one by one.

The ascent was tough and by the final climb of about a kilometre I was blowing badly but no one came past - 'cept for one guy was sprinting but in my book - a very good read, top of the best sellers - he'd not run hard enough in the preceding nine kilometres and should have been way ahead anyway.

Early signs are that we took the win - yeah - but I guess I shouldn't jump the gun until the official results are ratified.

The Caerleon Race Route;