Racing with a hangover

Thought I better post more frequently, lest I get other critical comments on my blog about the lack of activity :)

Saturday was the Strathearn Harriers new year handicap race, a 4.5 mile slog up and down some of the biggest hills in Crieff. Unfortunately Friday was a big night out in Edinburgh. I started Friday night with good intentions - "I'll just have a few glasses of wine with my meal and take it easy, cos I'm running tomorrow" - but by the time the malt whisky came out those good intentions had long since disappeared. I made the last train by a whisker - funny that, as I thought I had loads of time - then shared a few more whiskies on the train home with a complete stranger. Not good. By 11 o'clock on Saturday morning, just before the start of the race, my ambitions had lowered from winning the race to simply getting round without being sick.

If you look at the results on the Strathearn Harriers forum, you will see that I came towards the back end of the field, 10th from 13 participants, in a none too clever time of 32.31 (or so it says - my watch time was actually 32.13. Maybe the time recorder was as hungover as I was.). I wasn't sick, although it was close at a couple of points. I also had the pleasure of seeing all the fast guys fly past me, uttering their usual sarcastic comments along the lines of "keep going, you're doing well" and "not far to go". Normally I hate that, but on Saturday I really didn't care. I even held a gate open for the club's fastest man, which probably saved him (and cost me) a couple of seconds.

At least I learned something - lay off the drink the night before if you are racing the following day. And to think I had never realised that before :)