Weekly News Digest – Friday 16th December 2022

I ran my first club handicap race at Christmas 1982. Norman and Cyril worked out the times. A sealed handicap with everyone starting off at once. Three laps of xcountry on fields behind the Athletic Club. Approximately four miles (20 minutes) and I won. My first official win wearing a T&SH club vest. The prize was an extra mince pie which Christine had baked and we’d brought for nibbles afterwards. I kept my first club vest for what seemed like a life time and until I could wear no longer. My dog gobbled up my second vest. I sent my third vest to Zambia and now I’m on my fourth and hopefully not my last vest. I don’t need to tell anyone about how passionate I am about wearing a club vest. 
Since that first Handicap race I have attended every club handicap from then until now. I don’t think there is one race that has taken place without someone mentioning that they have been given a wrong time. Please, let’s not have this on Monday. My advice is always to roll up your sleeves, concentrate on what you are about to do, stand on the start line and run like the wind. The person who is most likely to win is the one who does a full and complete warm up and stands on the start line and gives 100% from start to finish. Other likely winners are ones returning from injury, new members who are just  into regular training and improving from week to week and those who have run a more leisurely and relaxed time trial in the previous two or three months on which your handicap times are worked out on. Good luck to everyone taking part. It’s going to be mild so It’s 3.2 laps on the track. Road shoes. 
       
So you think It’s cold?
A few winters ago Christine and I took the Hurtigruten postal ship up the West coast of Norway in early January. When winter was at it’s coldest and totally dark. The trip was to finish at the Northern most point of Norway in the Arctic with a stay in a Ice Hotel at Kirkenes next to the Rusion border. Half way along the coast we took a flight North from Tromso way up into the Arctic for a few nights stay on the Archipelago of Svalbard. Here we experienced looking for whales in the dark!. Skidoo racing out on the frozen sea and dog sled driving under the dancing Northern lights. Just for good measure and while we were there we had a run in complete darkness in temperatures of minus 35C. It was very cold. Christine turned around after a couple of minutes but I managed the full forty five minutes I intended to do. The most surprising thing of all was that I met another two runners out at the same time and in the same conditions. There are only 2000 people live in the capitol Longyearbyon which is the northern most habitable place on earth. Mostly everyone is rather young and looking for adventure of the extreme, the remainder either work there looking after the infra structure or tend to be a little on the weird side. Why on earth would you live in such a place if you weren’t? I like the isolation, I don’t mind the cold and Christine and I went back 18 months later to run with the Polar Bears. I guess we are all a little bit weird one way or another. 
If you are struggling with your training during these cold times then I would advise putting on several layers light clothing. I just wear base layers if it’s still and only put on a jacket if it’s windy. You will warm up. Two pairs of gloves if necessary and a hat. Easily removed and light to carry. Start off steady and don’t push the pace until you are fully warmed up. If you have strength then speed will always be there when needed. You can’t do either if you are injured.  
See you all on Monday night, Rob