I hadn’t originally planned on running the Headington 10k this year as it didn’t
really fit with my Marathon training. Seemed a shame to miss a chance to improve
my not so impressive 47:47 PB though so I swapped my 18 mile long run to
Thursday and entered. There was something in Runners World about long runs
improving your shorter race times but I had a feeling you were supposed to leave
more than 3 days gap inbetween.

My plan of stress free relaxation for the Saturday before was rather upset when
our old, rickety, daft and not so independent rescue cat Lala vanished. She
hardly ever goes beyond our garden so when we came back from the allotment and
couldn’t find her we got increasingly worried. We checked every know hiding
place, under the bed, in the bed, in the oven warming drawer, in the wardrobe,
on the wardrobe, in the garage, everywhere. She’d most unusually ventured out
as far as nextdoor’s garage roof when Jane was sitting out in the previous days
sunshine and we were quite worried she’d gone out on her own then got frightened
by something, she’s terrified of other cats and noises, and had fled into
unknown territory. To our knowledge the furthest she’s ever been is about 4
doors away where, several years ago, Jane found her looking lost and had to
bring her home.

We just had to wait and hope so a bit of lunch disturbed by one or the other of
us having ‘just another look’ out the front, up the road, in the garden. Jane
asked Di but he’d not seen her. She asked the very little kids next door who
didn’t help when they seemed to confuse lost and dead. She asked the Lithuanian
chap on the other side who said he’d seen a white one and a ginger one but not a
tabby. Lala goes out so rarely that no one knows what she looks like so Jane
asked me to print out a photo so she could go knocking on doors.

My new heavy duty laser printer makes a right racket starting up, it’s a big
machine and I’d had to pull the shelf it stands on away from the wall to balance
it properly. It doesn’t usually grunt though – nor wheeze – certainly not snore
…. you can guess the rest, Lala had found a nice warm cave to hide in and was
having a nap! Phew!

Anyway, yes the race, well the Headington 10k is flat, basic and fast. The
temperature was just right and a bit of drizzle and wind did no harm. I went as
hard as I could without throwing up and finished in 46 minutes dead so very
pleased.