They say (whoever ‘they’ are!) that you learn something every day and yesterday was no exception as I rocked up at the Salford Harriers club house for their ‘Summer Handicap’ race. Aside from a vague understanding that there was some sort of specific event going on and that I had to bring a bottle of wine and some safety pins (runners are so boozy, the pins come as standard…) I really didn’t know what to expect.
 The New (old) Bike! | I’ve been using the bike for the the 15 or so miles (that’s both ways) to and from work every day this week and if you can judge cycling success by how few times you fall off, which, judging from recent events seems a fairly good benchmark, then I have been very successful in this (just under an hour to work, just under 40 minutes home, Aaah, the difference between up and down hill!) and have noticed few physical ill effects beyond, erm, some ‘saddle soreness’. I haven’t noticed it to be especially tiring, though I was extremely glad when I was offered a lift to the club house last night as it saved me getting lost trying to navigate from Ashton to Moston (I’ll have to try that route another week!). |
It hadn’t particularly occurred to me that it might affect my running; I was able to do a track session on Tuesday as normal and if I’d felt tired at all from that I’d have thought it was a mild after effect from Saturday’s half marathon more than anything else. Perhaps however, a couple of days can make a difference as I realised as soon as I’d got to the Blue Bell that I was pretty low energy with what I call ‘butchers window’ legs; you know when you see those dead legs hanging up on hooks? Yeah. Like that. I’d not had time to re-fuel between work and legging it out again either but dinner was in the fridge waiting for me and I was visualising it at the end of the run like the carrot on the stick it was. There were some other veg involved too, and some tofu but when you’re vegan, describing dinner as a carrot on a stick isn’t a million miles off. ‘Never mind’ I thought to myself just take it easy, it’s less than 4 miles apparently, just a pootle round ‘The Clough’ and be done.
| Nope. A bit more involved than that! So it turns out that a ‘handicap’ is when the slowest runners start first, the fastest runners start last, and everyone (in this case) does two laps of the park before going back to the pub for a buffet, prize giving and a natter. So that’s what the wine was for! I duly pinned on my number and did a warm up lap with Jen, who was not exactly over the moon to discover that she was off first! I was told to start 11 and a half minutes after her, with the fastest runners starting still later. This had all been worked out according to our recent race times apparently. Given that there was no way I was in 20 minute 5k mode and I had already accepted that I’d not be giving my best performance, I just took it gently and didn’t really think too much of it when I was overtaken by a few familiar faces. My first mile was in at about 8 minutes 30 which was a bit of a warm up really as I’d cooled off quite considerably since our earlier lap. I sped up as usual, and completed the third mile in less than 7 minutes 20. No surprises there really as I seem to take a good few miles to warm up and I’d not joined in the more committed club members who’d been doing strides (fast little warm up runs) right up to their start time. |  Harriers doing warm up strides; maybe I should have done some! |
 Club president Stan Curran Reads the results in the Blue Bell | Well there’s a first for everything and yesterday was my first for being last! I’m not entirely sure how it’s worked out but as I completed in 24 minutes that’s probably quite a bit slower than was expected. One of my favourite quotes (not sure where it’s from though) is ‘Last is just the slowest winner’ however, and so I was pleased to accept my prize; yet another running top, I’m never going to need to actually buy any more kit ever at this rate! Lesson learned; probably not the best idea to cycle to work on the day of a race you are particularly bothered about, or if you have to, make sure you get a gel or something down you before the starting gun! I also now know what a handicap is. |
Not sure how much I’m looking forward to the Christmas one, it gets a bit icy in The Clough apparently! I’ll probably get the train that day either way and do some strides before we start. Maybe I can ease my (only mildly!) wounded pride in so doing!
