SO FAR SO GOOD

  Fasten your seat belts folks; here we go for yet another year of fun and frolics on the northern running scene. A minimal start to the year on Monday with just a treadmill 3,  having journeyd to Manchester and back. With pockets of green emerging from the fields of snow I was keen to try the trails  yesterday having had more than a week of tarmac and treadmill.  The Strid was the obvious choice for an 7 and it went quite well.  I climbed up to the top path in Strid woods from the Cavendish, looking down upon the many groups of walkers on the main path below skating along periously.  I didn't risk the other undulating side and turned back to avoid the risk of falling.  The trails above Bolton Abbey have been frequented for years. Today's photo was taken in the late 1970s during a Bingley Harriers training run. The run ended at a member's caravan near Skyreholme, near Appletreewick. I would have run from Burley but others would have run over Ilkley Moor from the Bingley area.  The race t-shirt I'm wearing is of THE 3 TOWERS RACE. It was a very runnable but testing run from Horwich, taking in Rivington Pike, Darwen Tower and Holcombe Tower finishing in Bacup. It was a great rehearsal for the 3 Peaks race.  Sadly no longer on the calendar.
  For the first time in months today I had a guest on my run,  being  blessed with the charming, delightful company of one Ms. Jarvis who kindly joined me for an out and back 9 miler.  Fortunately as she is enjoying an easy week she allowed me to enjoy my normal pace and didn't try to run me ragged or leave me like others might have done. Thanks Sarah.  Certainly helps the miles go by with a some company.  A good thing now and again.
  She is focusing now on the London marathon and putting the final touches to her build up race programme.
This real necessity to enter races early is very much a feature of running today,  as so many races seem to be reaching their limits early.  Can you imagine strolling up to race entry desk at 2.45 for a 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon for a race with 80 or so runners, nowadays?  It's called the Arncliffe 4!! but it is exceptional. A half marathon in central Lancashire being run for the very first time this Sunday is showing RACE FULL.  The message is clear; we have to plan and enter our races well in advance. Then try to avoid injury so we can run in them! That's presuming you can afford the exorbitant entry fee in the first place.  I will be reallocating my £125 winter fuel payment to cover races for the first half of the year!
  We concluded this morning, and the splits always confirm it, that once I've overcome the inertia of the first mile or so I can still maintain race pace very well. Generally running the second half faster.  So at least a few more half marathons plus an increase in the shorter races to enhance the speed.  Now where's that diary........