Rose Inn 4 Miler, May 09
Second time on this course, and only two days after Blaenafon Tri!
Still, if I made it round this one I knew I would have clocked up 39 races, making my Half Ironman 5 days later the culmination of my "40 races at 40" plan. So, on a pleasant summer's evening why not run a fast, flat 4 miler?
The atmosphere was great as ever - this is 90% club runners and it really is a bit of a social as well as a race. When we were finally called to order at the start, just a couple of minutes jog from the race HQ at Redwick Village Hall, there was plenty of banter going on there too! Once the race was underway, it all fell silent as a mood of concentration descended on the 150 or so runners, so I was surprised when a chap from Les Croups (Rob Scott?) struck up a conversation about our tussle in the Offa's 'Orror. I was too short of breath to converse really, so I hope he didn't think I was being moody.
Soon the field strung out and by the time the second lap came around I was a little ahead of both Rob and Phil Meyler and struggling to catch up with a youngster from Chepstow. I never managed to, but the effort brought me home in 24.00 dead. Not so fast as last year, but not bad after those mountainous climbs on my bike 48 hours before.