Autopilot

I had one of those autopilot runs this morning, one where you find yourself dressed in lycra and a mile from home before you've even woken up and realised you're running. I'm taking this as a positive step in the move away from complacency, but it could just be that I was actually in a dream-like state and hadn't realised I was doing it.

I'm getting a bit of cold feet about my 6 mile race on Sunday. It's a race I did last year, a Harrow Hill 6miler. The singular use of Hill is somewhat misleading as you have to do the Hill twice as part of the route, not including the fairly hefty incline to get out of the car park start in the first place. Last year I did really well - I set a good time, lapped people going up the hill both times and was given a KitKat for my efforts at the finish. But this year I am not feeling so positive.

Partly it's because my training has taken a dent because of germs but also partly because, since I moved, my training doesn't include quite so many hills as before. Where I lived before, it was impossible to run in any direction without taking in a hill. Now I have to travel quite some distance to get to a hill, unless you include railway bridges and staircases (in which case I am getting quite a lot of practice). I'm therefore a little nervous that Harrow's long steep hill, combined with my slightly defective lungs, might prove a much bigger test this year.

Still I've got to test myself in a race environment before March 20 and this is a nice friendly club environment in which to do it. I should at least get a guide to how badly I might actually perform in Manhattan.

I just hope you still get the KitKat at the end

LON