Member's Meander

This was a bit different for a change, last night was the annual member's meander handicap race at running club. I've done shorter timetrials before, but this was almost 7 miles and a bit more challenging. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, I was a little concerned about the expected time they'd put down for me which put me far further back in the field than I was hoping, but actually it wasn't too far off. I overtook more people than overtook me, and finished about a minute outside my expected time, which wasn't too bad considering how muddy parts of the course were (not to mention the bit of the course which had partially disappeared into the river in the floods a few weeks ago and had to be carefully negotiated).

And of course, the thing that guaranteed a substantial turnout wasn't the fact that the sun made one of its rare appearances, it was the free food at the end...

When I got home I got some good news. It looks like I'll be doing the Great North Run with Matt as well as New York. This is pretty good news because it gives me the chance to see what sort of pace I'll be running at in New York and see how hard it is. I also get to enjoy the GNR atmosphere without getting frustrated by the slower moving runners, because I'll be one of them! Then I can make an informed decision about whether to do the full in Amsterdam, and how much energy I need to leave in my legs for New York.