A review of the sporting highlights of the year? Well, how short can I make a blog....
Its been a big year in many ways, but a thin year for sports fans. Its been as thin as hair on the baldy mans heid. Injury early doors. Boring.
I think I ran the Signal road relays in Houghton in February and we might have snaffled a bronze in the V50's, but then the season dropped off a modest and poorly lit abyss and it took me till June to think about racing again.
That said, the Sportive Caledonia in May was good fun.
Windy Gyle in June and the Coastal run in July were both run at a canter. A bike crash in August, a hilly sportive and a monster (not in a good way) 10 miler on the new Tynedale course made for a forgettable Autumn.
The Allendale 2 stage hill climb in October and a team medal for the Sherman cup for the cross country made for an improved end of year, although the cross country at Druridge Bay was worth noting just for the sheer quantity of phlegm that it brought up. You've got to laugh. If you don't laugh, you'll cough...
Seriously, though, I've spent December getting out more and more often and just keeping the old legs ticking-tocking over with typically 5 or 6 miles, mainly through the woods. A-coaxing and a-teasing. Pushed the boat out this week with a couple of 7 milers.
So what for 2016? Well, I intend to start as I mean to go on. Surrounding myself with Jaffa Cakes and stroking my new Salomons. If Luke Skywalker can make a come back, so can I. Now that the shoes have arrived (bargain), I'll have to give them a bit of stick.
So, instead of running the local 11k on New Years Day, me and a handful of the family are off abit further afield. Its been a while since I had the Hawkhill vest on and if the rain manages to keep off for a wee while, by this time tomorrow I'll have chalked up my first of the year along the Porty seafront, not far from where my mother's shopping trolley, full of shopping, flew off the back of the bus all those years ago. Trolleygate. They are still finding processed peas in the verge.
The result tomorrow is incidental... its just the 2009 state of mind that I am trying to retrieve, but I'll settle for any year; Then the Monks race at Hartlepool and the Feel the Burns later in the month all being well...why?....just because I'm worth it. Have a great new year. .
