On the windy side

I don’t suppose anybody goes to Cleckheaton for the health giving climate or to take the waters or expecting anything other than miserable weather. Certainly it had rained on all three occasions that I’ve run here in the last year. No surprise then to get there on Sunday for the Spen 20 and find wind and rain.

I was running with Tom who wanted to run twenty four 9 minute miles as part of his preparation for the Comrades race in South Africa in May. This fitted in very nicely with my plans to build up mileage and to reduce speed. We’d run just over three miles on the track before the runners were called to order so when the race started we more or less churned out twenty nine-minute miles. Whilst getting round twenty miles is always going to be hard work, this was probably the easiest way to do it. We chatted to various runners (everyone seems to know Tom) and stopped for a leisurely cup of water or two. Made a nice change from the usual frantic dash with little opportunity for conversation and the madness of the drinks station where half the liquid gets spilled on the ground and half of what’s left gets slopped onto your shirt. Passing the water stations was a bit like one of those Scooby Doo cartoons where they’re constantly going past the same bit of background. On the face of it, there were three water stations, but in reality it was the same one three times.

I set off in hat and gloves as it was still chilly and drizzling, but soon ditched these (oops, sorry Kev). The sun broke through, but not in a “where’s the sunscreen” kind of way. It turned into a very pleasant morning and a fine day for a run. Despite the slower than normal pace, it still felt tiring towards the end and if there had been the need for a change of pace, then I may not have been able to find another gear (except reverse). It was very hilly, but with no need to hurry I really can’t remember any specific hill. The 0.8 of a mile we did after finishing the race (to take us to 24 miles) was a bit of a stretch, but at least it was on the flat.

If you’re looking for a step up in distance in a race environment prior to a Spring marathon then I’d recommend Trimpell over this race. If you’ve already got your confidence and you’re looking for a really stern test then this race would provide one. Although they can’t guarantee good weather, this was a well-organised race and just as friendly as the other three races I’d been to at Cleckheaton/Robertown/Liversedge or wherever we were.

The memento is certainly unique – I thought it was an ash tray at first, but is a small engraved plaque. Pride of place in the trophy cabinet then (small cardboard box in the garage).