As we move into December and officially winter later this week, it seems a good moment to reflect on the seasons from a runner’s perspective. I’ve always been a country boy, so enjoying the different conditions that nature creates through the year comes naturally. But getting out there in your running gear is where you can really savour the changes and challenges that we experience each year. While the south-east of England has little in the way of genuine extremes of weather, it’s still very unpredictable and you may run in 30+ degrees sometimes in the summer and minus 5 occasionally in the winter, and heavy rainfall and strong winds happen at almost any time of year so we definitely don’t lack variety. However, it has been very noticeable over the past 30 years or so how much softer our winters have become. Serious, long lasting falls of snow are a genuine rarity nowadays.
Apart from straightforward climatic interest though, the great thing with the change of season is the different disciplines an athlete can focus on as the year unfolds. Years ago when I was racing almost every week, by this time of year we’d be well into the cross country season with regular Kent league matches. It was always a favourite of mine if a race was hosted by Blackheath Harriers, as after the race – usually 2 or 3 laps of Sparrows den park and woods, or maybe a longer trek around Layhams farm – the jog back to Blackheath HQ was followed by a hot shower and then upstairs, passing the larger than life photographic portrait of the club’s greatest son – Sydney Wooderson – to get a cup of tea and bread and jam, while comparing race notes with clubmates. Simple pleasure. Interspersed with these league matches were locally organised xc meets, the South of the Thames race in December, then the Kent county champs kicking off the New Year on the first weekend in January. The Southern champs in February and culminating in the National in early March. That marked the end of winter and thoughts immediately turned to road racing and for me the race that heralded the arrival of spring back in the 1980’s was the Tonbridge 10. Road racing/or starting to sharpen up if you had ambitions on the track would then be the focus for a few months. Road relays were also a feature of early springtime. Races abound throughout March to June and maybe taper slightly in mid summer – partly because some people struggle if the temperatures are high, but also due to holidays. July and August though are the peak season for the track athlete. With holidays done and into September and autumn, there’s again no shortage of road (and off-road) races to choose from, and often some late summer midweek relay events before the evening daylight fades away. And then before you know it, we’ve all completed another lap around the sun and you’re doing your training in the dark and cold again as the next cross country season arrives and you’re heading for winter again!
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