COLD RUN

Woke up today to discover that Jack Frost had really done his stuff.
Beautiful blue skies, biting cold, and there was a hard, hard frost covering everything. Fairs fair - it is December!
Just the ticket for a nice cross country run.

It was off to Peebles for round 3 of the Borders Series. Always a good one.
Got down in loads of time and chatted to some folk then hooked up with most of the Dunbar team.
Sadly, I felt the need to remonstrate with some of my own club for breaking with etiquette and not being turned out in proper attire (vest and shorts). When the ice is one inch thick then, and only then, should tee-shirts and long sleeve tops be worn under vests!
Anyway. I think there was a slight change to the start of the race this year and the loop of the park seemed to go the other way around from previous years. This saw quite a steep climb thrown in right at the start.
The path along by the river was a wee bit slippy, but once on to the flat section that takes you under the viaduct and then onto the path over the viaduct I was able to pick up the pace a wee bit and managed to pass a couple of guys. I know, from warm ups, that along here you pass a cliff that has a converted castle on it. Looks fantastic - but I never register it when I'm racing
By the time we got to "heart attack hill" (Moorfoot's name - not mine) I was just behind Mr Sills and, that was pretty much how it stayed till the end.
Another change this year saw us double back on ourselves through a couple of fields and through a large patch of mud that Moorfoot had kindly thawed out just for the race!
The last stretch was over a muddy path that had been churned up and then frozen over. Rutted and hard it was incredibly difficult to run on.
Came in just behind Ian and just before James Addie.

I'd forgotten about keeping my Inov8 shoes "soft"!! So...this morning I just gave them a quick rinse under the hot tap for a bit and put them in a plastic bag. When we got down to Peebles and I went to put them on they were lovely and soft. I was able to get them nice and tight (feet are wet soon enough anyway).

I'd made up a flask of Hot Chocolate before we set off and even packed a couple of German Biscuits. Just the ticket.

The non running section of society sometimes looks upon what we do with amusement or even derision. And yet, as we were coming home we got kind of held up in traffic at the big Sainsbury's/Ikea/Hell-on-earth shopping centre as car after car after car flooded in. I know how I'd rather spend my Sunday.