"Don't go into the light" NYD NDE

Photo pinched from Scott Craighead

Nah, just attention-seeking. This was hell on earth but I didn't go through a tunnel or come out into a beautiful light. I didn't choose to come back and I'm not sure I would have. Oh well. At least I beat last year's time. Oh no, wait, I didn't. I was quite a bit slower. Strava told me when I got home. I uploaded my data, onto the computer, hoping to at least get a pat on the back from electro-geek world but Strava said it was my 2nd best time on this course and that I'd only run 3.9 miles. Jesus, go easy would you?

I'm talking, of course, about the Portobello Promathon. 4 miles of Promathon Hell. I still know every inch of it from Wednesday night training with the club. There's no kidding yourself it's nearly over.

I'm glad it's over. I've had too much for lunch and now I'm trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the day. This racing business is over-stimulating and leaves you a bit apt to sit on the computer and enter races if you're not careful. I've got myself on the waiting list for the Foxtrail 20K as it's a Porty Championship race - and entered the Great Run Edinburgh 10 miler for the same reason. Peter's not doing it on principle. I don't mind lining Brendon Foster's voluminous pockets because I love him.

The thing I'm most excited about for this year is that we've entered the St Magnus Marathon in July and I've booked flights so we'll have 10 days knocking about in Orkney. I haven't been up there since before I got my driving licence so it will be a delight to be there and drive around. A lot of the good places are kind of inaccessible by public transport and there's usually a good stiff head-wind for biking. Unbelievably, me and most of my classmates will be turning 50 this year so there are rumours of a reunion going around. A lot of people I won't have seen since we were in our teens, so it might be quite horrible, like waking up from a coma and realising everyone around you has reached their peak a while back and are now heading down the other side. Not me though, I haven't peaked yet.

I might have a review of the year since I'm more interested in drinking cups of tea than getting on with my life.

It's quite easy really. 2015 was an extraordinarily bad year for long running for me. I got sizeable PWs in the marathon, the E2NB 20 miler and the half marathon. I hope it was extraordinarily bad, anyway, and not just the new standard. This year will tell. I hope that some of it was bad luck and boredom. I'm hoping that I'll enjoy the training for the StM Marathon more because it'll be in better weather than for the usual spring marathons. And I think I need to make an effort to be creative about long runs instead of thinking that I'll either run to North Berwick, or run back, depending on which direction the wind's going. I probably have to start doing some speed training too. I do keep trying to do it on my own but then I forget. Could I bear to start doing Tuesday night intervals again? Could I? I actually don't know.

In contrast, the 7 hills race was quite good, and I've been enjoying the cross country and maybe even improving a wee bit. So that probably holds a clue or two. Make it hill and make it off-road and I'll probably do better. What I was thinking on the Prom today was that I'm working just as hard in the cross-country, but I'm thinking about my route choice and where I'm placing my feet, and I just don't feel it the same way. I need something to keep my brain busy.

Now I've worked off most of my spleen so here are some happier thoughts for 2016. It was great fun seeing Aileen Ross today, especially finding out she is now in the next category of the championships. I am vicariously enjoying the run up to her retirement as my current predicted age of retirement is 67. I know people complain about the NHS at the moment but it's going to get even better now the retiral age is soaring up. Have you seen Dad's Army? It'll be like that.

It was great fun seeing ALL the runners today. Quite an impressive turn out for a race on New Year's Day. I remember a time when to do that race would have been unthinkable because even being able to get up on NYD was unlikely. Maybe the Scot's passion for drink is lessening. Or maybe I just live in a different milieu.

Happy New  Year to All of You.

Photo pinched from t'internet.