Update

[Bierzo Baggie]

Summer’s a strange sort of season. I’ve generally got more free time in July and August but the heat makes it unsuitable for running long distances. There is usually a scattering of interesting races and with the off-road running boom bringing all sorts of new people onto the hills there are a few new races for the calendar.

August 12th I Carrera de montaña de Molinaseca.
Great little circuit which I already know from previous escapades. There’s one long climb along a narrow twisting path and a short, rocky descent back to the village. Finished halfway down the field just in front of this bloke who used to play for Real Madrid.
12km in 70 minutes
At a guess I’d say more ex-footballers and ex-cyclists are drawn to these races than those from a traditional athletics background.

Another ex-footballer (the man who used to play for Sporting Gijon reserves) won the first prize in the post-race raffle which was a live sheep.



Don’t know who looks more worried, man or sheep...

August 18th VII Cross alpino de Morla.
A good old-fashioned race amongst an increasingly glossy panorama of events organized by tanned, muscular chaps who spend rather too much time in gymnasiums. By old-fashioned I mean that it’s free, genuinely open to all-comers and that they ply you with wine and garlic soup afterwards. Always worth a visit then.

Went with Bulgarian Pete who ran his first ever race in an extremely smart Hristo Stoichkov shirt from the 1994 World Cup. As ever it was hot, dusty and the descents were littered with ankle jarring debris of all shapes and sizes.
9k in 53 minutes, 21st out of 49.
Pete’s ticket came up in the post-race raffle and we crossed the Morredero pass back to El Bierzo with several bars of Castrocontrigo chocolate, one large U-shaped stick of chorizo, a bottle of wine and a box of biscuits. Quite relieved it wasn’t another sheep squashed into the back seat...

Have only managed to run 3 times in September but I'm down for a race on Saturday. It's going to be one of those where I'll wait and see how I feel in the morning...