The Northerns

Well, I'm feeling a bit hung-over after a session with Maggie the mauler last night. My legs needed a real good sports massage after a return to lots of tarmac and autumn training. Breakfast this morning was a bit of a chore, I struggle with my stomach on race days and always get a nervy, butterflies in my tummy feeling, even at the lower key, training races.

I'm still waiting for my England race info for next weekend and am checking my email like an obsessive compulsive person but time zones etc. all make things happen at strange times and its only just become the weekend technically. Relay racing will distract me nicely, starting with a short and painfully sharp 5k with Bingley Ladies today for the Northern Road Relays. I think we've now got a team sorted, but which leg to do? Decisions, decisions. Report to follow...

Home safe and sound and nicely refuelled having survived another frightening fast race without injury. A lovely day was had in blazing sun at the Carnegie track for the ladies 4 stage relays. As always the field was high quality with many of the track babes out in skimpy pants showing off their abs of steel. I wore my lunarettes with slightly awkward pride and felt like Zebedee, bouncing around the two lap course, taking in all sorts of terrain, including laps of the track and adventures through woodland trails. Bingley ladies ran hard and weren't far off a medal in the end but we weren't quite fast enough, finishing 5th overall with gutsy runs all round. We were chuffed to be out as a team though and I was reminded again how good it is to run for a great club sporting the magic Bingley colours. Well done to our boys who also ran their socks off. An easy long run tomorrow once M has his turn at the hard stuff. It should be a good 'un.