I sat down to write a story about my recent run around the White Rose Ultra course, a nice enough event on a fine but breezy day. I had a good time, the course was good, the organisation fine and I got round a few minutes faster than the previous year without incurring too much stress. It was doubly enjoyable because my son John was running his first ultra and a pretty good job he made of it too, finishing in joint seventh place in a field of over two hundred.
But, I thought, I've told this sort of story so many times over the past few years that it doesn't really bring anything new or interesting to this particular party so what have I really to add?
I've had a pretty reasonable year, completing 10 events including a couple of marathons, three fairly tough 50 milers, the 95 mile West Highland Way and the 235m Deadwater adventure, along with a number of shorter ultras. I've failed to finish two others and I've just pulled out of the Cheviot Goat, which I was looking forward too but finally admitted I'm in no shape to tackle competently at present.
I'm still enjoying my running when I can get my knees to co-operate, and next year I'm hoping to complete a Hardmoors Grand Slam, something I've been meaning to attempt for a number of years but never really got around to, along with a few other projects such as getting back to Chamonix again if I can make it.
But in terms of this blog, I think any race reports would just be more of the same, and on all the other running topics that interest me I've had my say more than enough over the years. I posted my first piece on 1st July 2009 and since then have done 230 more, with a total number of views over the years of around 150,000.
So I think it's time to call it a day. Never say never, as they say, but I don't expect to be posting again anytime soon. It's been fun, and, if you have, then thanks for reading my pieces. But for now, it's over and out.
