David Currie

Yesterday evening we headed over to the University playing fields at Eastleigh for the running club’s time trial event. The two and a half lap course was near enough 5km (give or take 50 metres) and the time of 17:51 I clocked was pretty much what I would have expected. With a little better preparation (arriving more than five minutes before the start having not spent the afternoon sat in meetings and no long runs in the New Forest on the proceeding two days) it would be interesting to see how much faster I could go. Christine, I suspect, was just happy to make it round, with Emma staying very well behaved for the period whilst we were both out.

Wednesday saw what was probably my last RR10 of the year (we’re likely to be away for Stoke Park Woods and IBM hosts the last race of the year). It was a new course for me, out at Janesmoor Pond in the New Forest. I was warned that it was undulating and wasn’t disappointed (my watch measured over 300m of ascent in 6.8km which is positively mountainous for round here!). The course also now leaves the gravel tracks to cut through the middle of the first loop meaning there was also be some mud to be had.
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My steady rise through the results of the RR10s came to a screeching halt at Manor Farm Country Park this evening with a 14th place. By rights it should have been just my sort of race with lots of mud and a couple of good steady inclines. I could put my result down to the fact that the supporters club decided to stay at home this evening however, as I postulated previously that it was actually less training that was leading to my improvement, conversely, going to the gym yesterday morning and then running around before, during and after the orienteering yesterday, probably wasn’t ideal preparation for tonight. Now have to save myself for the rest of the week in preparation for the Dorset Coast Path Relay on Saturday.