Surprises running by the sea

A year ago I really enjoyed running in the Peel Heritage Trail race. It was my best race of the No rest for the Wicked Series and probably my best non-marathon run since the same event two years earlier. A couple of weeks later I started our holiday (for the second year) in Cornwall and within a couple of days the rest of my year (and plans to properly race in Amsterdam) were dashed.

For the next six months I barely raced and, despite some promising weeks in June, my form has been poor. The effort I have put in since April has not shown up in races.

So I was really pleased to extend some gaps and shorten others on Friday. As I turned onto the coastal path I saw Paul Sykes and Jordan Cain not too far away but the next time I looked I saw no one.

The wind was in our faces as we raced to Peel and so I couldn't hear anything behind me. I thought I was getting more encouragement than normal as I did my best to sprint for the finish. Imagine my surprise when just as I crossed the line Paul appeared alongside me.

We are now installed in Penzance for double our previous quota - two weeks. I was really looking forward to my first run here this morning. Within 10 minutes I was in Newlyn and after about 23 I was at Mousehole - one of our favourite spots to where we walked again for lunch today. Still 7 minutes to go on my 30 minutes out and then return run. And then another surprise running alongside the coast. I had forgotten how tough the climb out of Mousehole (seen in picture was). Tomorrow's hill is even worse.

Before I went out this morning I put the link to Peter's video on the site and watched it later. A real innovation for Manx athletics - and it captured my nasty surprise at the end of the race.