Glen Lough

With the next round of the Manx Gas league approaching I thought I would give some thoughts and information on the course at Glen Lough. Assuming it is the same as in previous years the first thing to say is that it is it tough! The start/finish is in a farmers field which forms the beginning and end of each lap and tends to cut up during the racing. The lap is quite short at just under a mile a lap but it includes four river/stream crossings, a long hill, some twists and turns and lots of mud. There is certainly nothing dull about the course

I understand from Andy Fox that most of the runners he trains with are not planning particularly after Sunday's Half Marathon so that could see a slightly reduced field. That would mean no Kevin Loundes or Darren Gray. With John Halligan struggling with an injury, that will mean a very open race. Hopefully Ed Gumbley will be on the start line following a break after his effort in the Berlin Marathon.

It is good to see that the hosts – Western AC have put a timetable on their website so you know what time your race starts and the number of laps you will be running.

As for my own prospects of running, I have had a sore calf/Achilles since last Thursday. It is slowly improving and I managed some light training on the cross trainer in the gym yesterday and today. I will have to see how it goes over the next 72 hours or so before making a decision.