YULETIDE ....."NICE"!

The clubs "Festive Half" this morning. A handicap race that starts and ends at Hallhill Healthy Living Centre and takes in a few streets of Dunbar before heading off road into John Muir Country Park and then a wee loop of Lawhead and Knowes Farm before heading back.

Some runners seem to think the "handicap" is to festoon themselves in fancy dress and further burden themselves by carrying sacks of sweets or ringing bells! I opted for the more traditional shorts and tee-shirt look. (photos HERE)

I set off with Ians "S" and "R" with a 1:25 handicap in mind. For the first couple of miles Mr S set the pace, but for some reason as we were going through the woods in John Muir I found myself out in front and for reasons that I will never fathom I started to pull away.

By the time I got to the road up towards Lawhead I had a plan. Well "plan" might be too much, but I did at least have a "theory". Both Ians are better off road than I am... I had a little lead when we went onto the road.... if I could just crank it up a little and extend that lead I might have enough to see me back through John Muir. I'm not trying to say I'm good on the road - rather, I'm just not as bad as I am on tracks! If I was to create a lead it would have to be there.

So I just got the head down, ignored the digits creeping up beyond the "careful now" level on the HRM and went for it.

Bugger me - it worked! Not first back but still managed to get 1:23:46 which pleased me for a half that's mainly off road. Though I do suspect that both Ians were taking things a bit easier today.

After a few sandwiches and soup in Hallhill we went off to get our Christmas tree. We go to Beanston Farm for our tree. Have done since we moved here 13 years ago and I think it would be closed during the week after work times so it was either today or next weekend. The plan had been to buy it, keep it outside then bring it in and decorate it tomorrow or Wednesday.

"Best laid plans" and all that...... Don't usually put our tree up this early, but what the hell!

Tommy Smith's Christmas Concert back onto the old music player...marvel as Tommy gets "We Three Kings" to SWING...... "great"! The saintly Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas album going on next.