I hear people are starting to say "What's Ian Fisher up to?"
Well, since my marathon in Slovakia back in October, I've been hit hard with the flu. It has taken me an age to get over it and train properly again.
My first race was a XC for my second claim club Idle AC. I won that one with a tight calf muscle on my left leg. I was also going to run for Otley in the afternoon over at Wakefield in the West Yorkshire XC series, but I felt below par after the first one and I expected that would have to be in good shape to do the second one.
Yesterday, I raced for Dennis Quinlan's club Aire Valley Runner's. It was a bike vs runner event, held by Dennis's favourite other club Bingley Harrier's.
Personally, I wasn't too fused about doing this event, as it's not my bag. I don't like to fanny about on descent's I'm not used to handling.
But Dennis was very keen for me to race against Bingley Harrier's and other folk.
There was some good competition there. You had Bingley's Rob Jebb who is a seasoned master on stuff like fells and cyclocross. He is one of GB's finest. There was also his team mate Ian Holmes who is also a champion of many fell races. Both were racing there bikes on this one.
There was a nice up hill start, followed by ploughing through fields full of shit.
The deeper the shit the better. I soon took the lead expecting Rob Jebb to attack soon. I was on my own more or less from the start.
There wasn't many places I could get good traction for me to open up the pace. I wasn't aware off the lead I was building up as crossed Shipley Glen, and then up and around Baildon Moor.
At about two thirds around the course? Rob whizzed passed me down the hill to the Quarry part of the glen on the return journey. I did kind of expected it, but powerless to respond to it as I'm not a good decender.
I finished second behind Rob, and finished a few minutes behind Rob? in over 36 minutes. I wasn't concerned about the time, but I was about the position. Ian Holmes was third in on his bike, but Rob and myself judging by the photo's were way in front. I ws quite surprised by that as I felt wasn't or even couldn't try to go flat out. Good fun though.
I won't make a habit of racing in Pie n Pea event's as I affectionately call them. But on a whole I enjoyed racing it. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it aswell.
I had Shona Brash to support me aswell, and she finish 5th lady which is very good going in that class of field. Graham Bird also of Aire Valley came second in his class on his bike.
I got some welcomed support of Bingley Harrier's on route. One marshall even joked by suggesting I would would run faster with a Bingley Harrier vest!

We then met up in Bingley's Fisherman's Inn pub. For wait for it....Pie N Peas. And a Guiness which didn't hamper my training run later around Lister Park in Bradford for 50 minutes.
After running through that shit. I just hammered it on each lap! It should have been a steady session, but I didn't feel stuffed after the race three hours earlier.

Going to do the XC for Idle AC next Sunday, not sure about West Yorks in afternoon. It's a bit of a lost cause now.
Before Mumbai marathon for GB on Jan 21st 2007. I will gunning for the Yorkshire XC in Skipton at Airevale Park. I've won a few races on that park and have alway's enjoyed the demanding terrain. I hoping for really tough one hilly one with deep mud.
It's also Ribblevalley 10k over in Clitheroe on New Years eve. Jamil want's me to race it with him and also Josie. It's a week before the Yorkshire's, and Dennis has tried to talk me out of the 10k and concentrate on the XC, as I want that the most. We shall see.

I've still got this nasty cough/cold. Maybe I should stop training (steady) to aid full recovery. I'm doing day on, day off at this moment.
I wasn't in race shape to do the XC at Boddington, Leeds. It's a shame, as I alway's enjoy racing on that one.

But enough of this running lark. I will tell you about the embarrasing incident I experienced in Bradford a few day's ago.
I was just browsing through the music section books, and this book caught my eye on the top shelf of taboo title's.
A book on the history of Smash Hits magazine.

I thought that look's interesting and I went to reach out for it. But first, I had to check the coast was clear.

It was.

I proceeded to flick through the pages of this great book. Then one of the poster's fell out onto the floor in front of me.
To my horror and disbelief, it was a poster of George Michael in his Wham day's. A picture from their debut 'Young Guns' day's. He was also in that 'Come and get me' pose.
The poster I felt made a loud noise as it hit the floor in the bookstore.
I couldn't get down quick enough to pick up the poster of George Michael when a group of girls walked passed me.

People moved out the way as I swiftly made my exit.