CHOOSING THE RIGHT RACE?

  I would not be surprised  to learn that  JO PAVEY was  sat at her computer last weekend, anxiously waiting to see how two of her main rivals for the London 2012 Olympic marathon places had performed in the YOKOHAMA WOMENS INTERNATIONAL marathon . 
 She will have been relieved  to see that LOUISE DAMON had dropped out at 6 miles but  probably "gutted"   in seeing MARA YAMAUCHI  (pictured left) take her no.2 spot in this year's rankings with her 2:27.24, a great comeback after 2 years plagued by injury.
 With 2 ladies being "preselected" on December 5 perhaps Jo Pavey  is regretting choosing to race the hillier NEW YORK CITY marathon as opposed to say AMSTERDAM which I would have thought would have produced a faster time than her PB set at LONDON of 2:28.42.  The 2:28.42 New York would suggest she was capable of sub 2:28 on a flatter course.
  But life is all about choices and consequences, isn't it?  Could be that the choice to run in America was the wrong one if U.S. based  4th ranked CLAIRE HALLISSEY chooses to  try to improve on her Chicago time of 2:29.27 before the final 3rd place is selected.

  Of  far less consequence is MY choice of my next race.  A repeat visit to PRESTON's  Deepdale football ground for a swift couple of circuits of the adjacent Moor Park looks attractive.   But with gales forecast  to improve a 2011 best of 21.11 might prove beyond me!
 If I complete 2 more races this year it will bring my listed  races up to a total of 700 which would quite nicely round the year off, wouldn't it?   I know some of my contemporaries can refer to over 1000 races run but  as I have tended to run no more than 20 races most year's 700 will do for me.........FOR NOW!