Blackheath

Conditions were at their traditional best for the Blackheath mob match. In my 37 years (143 races) of mobs, only one has been cancelled due to the weather, the fixture at Blackheath in January 1987 after blizzards had swept across the country (just looked up the www: apparently 12-14th January 1987 was the coldest spell of weather in southern England since 1740). Two years earlier another mob at Blackheath had to be severely shortened due to heavy, drifting snow, although it didn't put people off as a near record 187 toed the line (Simon Collingridge and I came home equal first after 40 mins of very heavy going). It's hard to believe health & safety allowing races to go ahead in such conditions these days! (A week after that race I ran in the M25 '10' before the motorway opened and in a blizzard; every time I drive along the Leatherhead section I remember what was a very tough, hilly course.)


Anyway, there was no snow this year on the toughest of the mob courses, but plenty of the wet stuff - the course was a quagmire. I had to dig out my Helly Hansen off roaders rather than rely on the comfort of standard trainers. This was a bit of a worry for the Achilles. Despite no semblance of any fitness I had a plan and it worked relatively well. The race started with a half mile circuit of a hilly field before needing to climb a stile (the first of many on the course) leading to narrow footpaths and open countryside. This always causes a bottleneck so, a bit like all those idiots who go off far too fast in the London Marathon so that they can be on tv, I went off at a pace which was in no way commensurate to my rightful place in the field. It worked as I got field position and was able to keep up with those around me before the hills inevitably slowed my progress. It was a bit depressing being overtaken by so many but my strategy of walking the many hills and running the relatively flat stages got me a place in the top half of the field. I certainly couldn't have hoped for any better. The steep downhills actually caused me the most problems, the pounding being no good at all for Achilles and abdomen. On my last outing on this course I was 3rd overall and 13 minutes faster ... but it was very muddy this year!

A number of old clubmates not seen for quite a while appeared: Gordon Whitson from Athens, Paul Keen (Sheffield), John Pratt and Neil Walford (Brighton), so it was quite a sociable occasion in Blackheath's magnificent clubhouse as we talked, supped a beer (after eating enormous runners cakes) and watched some six nations rugby on tv.

Finally this time, with London Marathon just round the corner I recently stumbled upon this great quote from Jerome Drayton, a top Canadian marathoner (2:09) from the 60's: "to describe the agony of a marathon to someone who's never run it is like trying to explain colour to someone who was born blind."