| 3 August 2009, 7:19 am |
| Pacing the 'Queens' by Stevie M |
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| Tales from the trails.... |
There I was rampaging through the West Cornwall countryside on Friday evening with the Witches of Eastwick (Wendy, Glynnis and Kathryn from Hayle), well perhaps rampaging is an exaggeration but the Witches bit isn't. A niggling groin injury means I am not going hell for leather on Sunday and am going to accompany the ladies around the course and see if its possible for Glynnis to break the magic 2 hour mark. Wendy isn't really up for races anymore and just wants to give the weeks Eden training mileage a good start. Thats the plan on Friday evening anyway. And Sunday morning too.
We all arrived at race HQ eventually, Wendy trying to park nearer to the Club than the Club roof delayed us slightly. Great to see Hodgey, Paul and Mark all turning out to give the mens team a welcome burst of speed and possibly some ranking points.
The start area was one which showed who your true friends were and how they managed to get 500+ into such a small area was similar in design and concept to Jordan's bra.
A nice gentle start and we coast along to the first turn and we are off into the countryside. The usual IQ sun seems to be in hiding and its all set fair for a good training run.
“How are we doing?” asks Wendy at three miles. “26 point something” is the reply and we're bang on schedule. After a couple of nips after crossing the road we assure Glynnis there is nothing sinister left to come apart from the odd cuddly toy in the undergrowth.
At this stage I'm like Ben Hur struggling with his chariot as I try to persuade Wendy to hold back a bit as there are still 8 miles to go but the schedule is spot on at 45 point something. However that is the last time we keep to it.
Can you remember that horse racing game at the seaside where you rolled balls into holes to make the horses run? They used to go backwards and forwards depending on how many points you scored. The pattern of running resembled that.
Then we got to the hill after the cattle grid and Wendy stopped and said she wasn't going any further and referred to me by my new running name of Yukan
Kisof. “We'll catch you up Glynnis” seemed about as much use as CCTV at a Steven Gerrard night out but as soon as we reached the peak, Wendy decided to run, sorry, toboggan down the other side and by the time we reached the bottom I had come to believe that “beaming” as in Star Trek was entirely possible.
My morale technique was then borrowed from the Gulag Book of Nasties and I attempted to bully the two of them around the remainder. I now apologise to other runners who were going past now and thought I was more evil than All Summer Been Lagering. Sandy goes past smiling away and I tell them we are going to chase her down. Alright then, we'll settle for the Plymouth Coasters in front.
We pull them in bit by bit and when I urge Glynnis for one last effort it resembles that old Mike Sarne song “Come Outside”. “Keep it going” “Get lost” “Big effort now” “Up yours” “Nearly there” “Who cares”.
We all get to the finish and at least we are home with no injuries. Welldone ladies. It might not have been the fastest but you did stick at it , Glynnis quite metronomic and Wendy quite like Morse code, dot dot dot, dash dash dash.
Back to the corner to welcome in the others and form a fly past for Carole Drew who was running on empty and had sheer determination to get over the line well done Carole.
I do like the even newer layout for this race and congratulate NRR for the best half in the county.
Don't worry lads, my boys will get their own back on Colchester on Saturday and we Mussett let them Essex boys raiding our gold, I though it was drugs up there. Congratulations to Paul as first Carnie home and with Chrissy we had two in the top thirty and with Mark, Tim and George all in the top 100 we are definitely back on the move. Well done Karen as first lady (don't tell Mrs Obama) home and all you other “gells” who keep on turning up and churning out the miles. A good club spectator turn out at the finish was a great tonic and finally thanks to the barmaid at the club it was the first time I've ever been ahead of Jim Cole and Revis Crowle!
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