Race Reports December 2011 to February 2012
Aonach Hill Race 1 January 2012
By Peter Hague
Up and at 'em, that's my philosophy….ish! What better way to start the New Year than to get soaked to the skin beside a dour looking ski centre at Aonach Mor. I’ve done this race religiously over the past few years but this time I was extremely pensive as it was my first race since taking a 50 foot fall off a rock face in May 2011.
I remember cheerfully asking the consultant how long it would be before I was able to run up a mountain again and was a little surprised when he calmly said I was in danger of losing my foot, ‘eh, what are you on about, it’s right there at the end of my leg, ok, its facing the wrong way but it’s definitely still there’. I actually thought he may be joking; remember the sketch from The life of Brian……
’Crucifixion’?
‘No freedom’
‘Jolly good, off you go then’
‘Nah, only joking, crucifixion really’
I searched his face for a wry smile, he wasn’t joking, quite a sobering moment.
Anyway, back to the race, my aims were to finish the course, not to finish last and to do it without walking. I managed all three, although my running style has a weird limping mode to it . I must look a bit of an invalid (tit?) as a couple of people asked if I was ok as they pass me. I’ve lost all technique running downhill, in fact, I’m so slow and wussy I should be made to wear a tutu (watch this space).
Absolutely elated at doing a race again, ok, I could hardly walk the next day but that’s irrelevant, in fact I celebrated after the race by swimming in Loch Lochy, this may surprise you but not a single soul was in there!!
Look forward to training and racing with you all this year, have the courtesy of looking just a little tired as you whizz past me.
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