Chevin End

There is a long standing tradition among a lot of my friends to run the Chevin Chase race on Boxing Day. It's about 7 miles in distance, starting and finishing in Guiseley, and does a loop over the Chevin, a high ridge of open fell and woodland which sits above Otley. I've been running this race for as long as I can remember now, although not last year because I was in Australia visiting my brother and his family.

A brief diversion here to record a remarkable fact. On Boxing Day last year we were in the Melbourne Cricket Ground with almost 90,000 people, witnessing the day's play which basically sealed our retention of the Ashes. It was one of the greatest days in English cricket history. It must have also been one of the coldest (and certainly the worst) in Australian cricket history. It was just 11 deg at the MCG. Today, in Yorkshire, it was 12 deg!

Anyway, although I don't take it that seriously these days (I even carried my camera around in my pocket today!), it still serves to enforce a bit of restraint on Christmas Day over-indulgence. Although I've been doing a fair bit of running while blipping, that doesn't prepare you for a race, even at the relatively steady pace I now run at. My legs are feeling distinctly sore tonight, and I tweaked my calf a bit in the last mile, so will need to nurse that now for a week or so - which is a bit of a pain.

But it did blow a few cobwebs away. Blobbing doesn't seem to agree with me. I spent so much time on the couch yesterday that I developed a stiff neck, which has improved a fair bit this afternoon. I took this shot about a mile from the start during my warm-up. It was a slightly longer warm-up than intended because I spotted this copse of trees and had to run a fair way to get a good viewpoint. I only just made it back in time for the start of the race!

Still under computer curfew. Hope to return a bit later when my lads go out! Don't tell them!!

PS I think yesterday's blip might have been too subtle. It wasn't me that was wishing to be a tree! I've renamed it the The Company of Trees.