Red Moss Revolution

My debut race as a full-time professional athlete didn't go all that well. Okay that's an exaggeration but I DID finish up at my much complained about job yesterday so was looking forwards to this great little hill race to celebrate. Some basic school boy errors - I didn't warm up really so my achilles, which are grumbly at the moment were very sore at the outset on the tarmac sections. I was going quite well uphill so probably over-egged this as its a strength and by the top of the hill never really got my breath back smoothly. And I got a sore tummy, whether from over-exertion or the half a punnet of strawberries which I ate at my going-away lunch at work I do not know. I ran the hilly bits quite well but having to slow on the way down the road because I had an iron-bar across my mid-drift. The flat road section into the wind scunnered me entirely and I was hardly dipping under 9 minute miles. I can see from my finishing shot that I was barely lifting my legs. (And I was modelling a greetin' face.) Its still a great race and can't recommend it highly enough.

There was a great turn out of Porties as it was a championship race. There were also runners from so far west as Helensburgh (Paul Thomson) and quite a turn out of Westerlands runners (I don't really know where they are based - I'm guessing the West.) It was good to catch up with old hill rival Brian Brennan who two years ago doing the Scottish Hill Running Championship Series I could catch on the uphills but would always get me back on the downhills, except sometimes on the longer stuff. Brian is a V50 but has taken early retirement, lost a stone and been doing all the Bog and Burn races and looks younger than when I last saw him. Tellingly I never caught him even on the uphill.

Up the sharp end people were running fast and did well. I don't know the details of that. Monica from club took a right flyer on the path down the side of black hill but was up and on her feet and then beat me on that long miserable stretch back into the wind. Good on her.

Came home, ate tea at 11.30pm - had a glass of wine to "celebrate" but it made me feel sick and dizzy so went to bed instead and got some ZZZs in. Friday night Sandy Slither. That's the long stretch into the wind without the benefit of the hills. I can hardly wait.