For my last race of 2009, I chose to enter the Christmas Pudding Dash at Ashburnham Place. The organisers were send encouraging e-mails in the days beforehand, reassuring us that the ground was raceable and that the race was definitely on.
The race started at 10.30, so I could stay in bed until 7.30, and then get up for porridge, toast and honey. The journey there was glorious: the sun over the Cuckmere and the frozen hills above it; a few exciting driving moments on the road through Jevington; and the view from the Pevensey levels of the cupolas of the Herstmonceux telescopes, their domes shining as the cupolas of Russian churches must hundreds of miles to the east.
At the start, runners milled around, many dressed in Saturnalian costume. My favourite was a nun, though there was also a very convincing fairy. The course consisted of two laps round the grounds, and had been reversed, I understand in the interests of safety. After a children's race had been completed, off we went. After crossing the lake, we climbed a hill. I took a while to find my rhythm,. I have been reading about breathing techniques, and unwisely experimented with some at this stage. They didn't;t work and I found it hard to return to my normal breathing pattern. After the climb, we ran along the top of a wooded ridge for a while, before a descent and a brief run on a road, then returning to the house by the drive. For the da capo, we were sent out on a brief spur to add some distance. By now I had found my rhythm and fought a fierce duel with a fellow runner with a small dog, overtaking the pair on the second ascent of the hill. I am sorry to say they caught me on the way down.
The Garmin showed the route as 4.31 miles, rather than the advertised five.
