www.belgraveharriers.com

Home Skipper's Corner

Never again, I said to myself, after what was surely the harshest Surrey League race for over a decade.  I set out on my warm down with my presumed pals, Phil, Tom, Kev and Jim…  surely just a little 8-9 minute jog.  And what happens??!  I have to do the circuit again – when I had just sworn I never would.  When it grimly dawned on Kev, Jim and I that Phil and Tom [Phil’s coach] were intending to retrace the entire ghoulish loop, we had to ask them to confirm the awful truth.  “Hey – we’re celebrating!” came the reply.   Celebrating.  Latin GCSE was more fun than this.  But that’s the thing about champions isn’t it?  They just luurrve their craft.  I recall that when an unknown Bill Rodgers got third at the 1975 World cross-country champs, he promptly went on a 7-mile warm down.  After that, he writes,  “I knew I was in good shape.”  Well…our Phil’s in shape all right, long may it continue, and may his debut mission for England in Germany be a success.

… an effeminate ballerina …

I had actually been rather looking forward to yesterday.  I had visions of green, lush, firm grassland and an easy, fast course.  What we got was a quagmire on a camber.  Nice.  I think my day was summed up when my loyal fiancée ran up to me at the end and said:  “I liked your piece of gate-crashing!”  “Huh?”  “You know: when you pulled up in front of the gate that other people were hurdling, decided to go round it, crashed into Keith Newton, and struck a pose like an effeminate ballerina…”  I’m just happy that aside from a sore left foot and a scratch on the nose, I got round at all.  My flash pair of 800-metre track spikes were, as Bill Clinton might say, inappropriate.  My thanks to everyone who turned out though on such a grim day – I wouldn’t have swapped it for the world.  Honest.

Is “Dreamland” still on?

Now that’s out the way, there’s much more good stuff to look forward to…  is “Dreamland” still on?!  I.e. seven titles in a season?  Well…it’s still technically possible!  We’ve just gotta win the AAA 10k, half-marathon, National cross, and relays.  Uh huh, sure.  Let’s just take things one step at a time.  Our performances in the AAA 10k the past four years have been 2^nd, 1^st, 2^nd and 2^nd.  So we’ve got about 25% chance there – fine, that’s all we need!  And at the AAA half at Silverstone on March 19 (distance boys please mark this baby down) our record reads: 1^st, 2^nd, 1^st, 2^nd.  What number comes next in that sequence?  As for the National cross…  I’m saying nowt.  Except, be there!  At Pat’s tea afterwards, you won’t be dining alone.