English Summer has arrived! There has even been some sunshine. And in amongst all that is the start of what I think of as the midweek racing season. There are a couple of races that actually precede this, but for me the first Wednesday of May is the start gun on a season of getting out in the hills and plodding around about at the back of fell races. I may not be fast but I am enthusiastic. I can't race every week (work and life get in the way) but I try and get out as much as I can. And subsequently I have hit it a bit hard the last couple of weeks.
With legs still groaning from the Howgills half, I rocked up at Rainow running a little later than I hoped but by a miracle managed to get parked in the village without too much drama. I think I have reviewed Rainow previously but it is up there amongst my faves for both it 'do-ability' and its 'thing in a hill' attraction. With pre-entries allowed, as well as EOD, I was pleased to see a large number of Chorlton Runners amonst the many runners warming up and milling around on a lovely evening. I had walked 8+ miles over Kinder that day so wasn't hoping for miracles. I kept it reasonable on Oakenclough lane, queued for the gate, and headed up to White Nancy with little expectation. It was not my fastest ascent but I sort of got a bit stuck behing someone. The cheer crew were making great noise at the top. I had a great run along the ridge and enjoyed the lovely views whilst pushing to keep place a little bit. The descent was okay and along the bottom went well but I had a good re-ascent to the lane and back in which was nice. It was perhaps the most sensible I have run the race, if not the fastest.
Needless to say, with all those Chorlton people, I got very few points for the club champs.
Then the following Monday (bank holiday), having restrained myself over the weekend I headed out to Coiner's fell race. This is another repeat I am afraid. But this year it was a lot less fraught at registration, despite it only being 50 fewer people who registered. However, it was disappointing to have to go in the car due to railway repairs, as I enjoyed taking the train last year. Glorious sunshine bathed the start field which sits above Mytholmroyd. The race is named after a fairly historic coin trimming operation that operated out of this area many moons ago. For Calder Valley, it doesn't involve too much ascent, and most of what it does have is in the first section. It starts on the road below the field, and after a section upping and downing on this as it becomes a track, you join the queue for the gate for the bottom the the steep wooded climb that takes you half way up. I walked most of this behind Colin Valentine who despite being older than my Dad, was moving faster than I could, and also was wearing road shoes. There is then another track section before another steeper climb and then its out on to the fell top for a steady but runnerable climb across the stunning moorland to Stoodley Pike. There is a short section of narrow path thats out and back here but it wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the run around the pike but wasn't super fast down the tussocky trod back to the wall. I was surprised I wasn't too near the back though, with people still coming up the other way as I hit the two way section.
The next section of the race heads in to the plantation....and the bog. Remembering this from last year, I prayed. The ground had been drying out but there was still plenty of moisture about. It was slow through this section, and I had forgotten quite how long the plantation was, but also that the bogs continued after this. We slipped, slid and dove through smelly mud, emerging orange legged. We passed a group of walkers who seemed to have voluntarily gone this way. And people say we fell runners are the mad ones! I was actually a bit glad to get back on the good track at that would take us past some farms and back out on to the moor. I had a good run along here and caught up with the group ahead. We turned left on to a trod and followed this across the moor, as it became a board walk then back on the track before on to the trod towards the finish. I was pleased I felt okay but was dreading what i remembered as a steep down hill. I was running just behind a lady form Saddleworth who, as we hit this, decided to let me go first given the steepness. The path had been narrow for some while and the down hill was not as bad as I remembered, but certianly wasn't attempted with too much speed! This year I got the right entry in to the field and plummeted down the grassy slope in to the finish funnel but forgot i had to dib, slowing to a jog for the last 5 meters of the race. Oh well, I was still a good bit faster (and again, more sensible) running the course this year. We did however, get very wet as the weather broke, somewhat unexpectedly, right at the end and we walked to the car in the rain.
Talking of sensible, it was probably not sensible then to line up for yet another race on the following Wednesday (7 days, 3 races) but off to Shining Tor I went. Again, this is a race I really enjoy. Last year it monsooned apparently, but I was saved by a vomiting dog. This year, it was glorious. I arrived early and parked at the sailing club and read my book for a while next to the reservoir. But I was there to run and soon it was time to jog across the dam to the start and a slightly altered route. The race starts on the road so its a fast start with lots of room. But then it turned right through a car park and this year we went straight up the side of the hill, rather than going past Errwood Hall and making our way up the zig zag path to the top of Stakeside. The joy of it being a steeper more direct way was that I felt I could walk, though perhaps did take it a bit too steady here. However, at the top of the steep climb I was able to get in to a gently jog all the way up to the finger post, as we gently climbed up the moor. The views were stunning.
After the dip and up to the top of Shining Tor, I noticed some people dipping through the gate to touch the trig. Its nice no one is taking it so seriously they can't touch the trig. Along the top I picked up the pace a bit, realising I had made a terrible shoe choice for the flag stones (Scott RC2s- never quite got on with them). I was a bit pace checked when I couldn't over take the chap in front but eventually got past him when the flags ended and we started the section over Cat's tor thats more grassy. It was very dry under foot and soon I was at the road where the race starts it long down hill. This section is all on a footpath next to the road and I ran relatively hard but aware it is a really long section. I caught up another group as we headed down across the grassty fields at the bottom and then over took them on the dam only to be over taken myself by a chap who had seemed to be trying to out run me earlier in the race as we ascended (getting overtaken by an overweight 35 year old does that to some chaps). The turn in to the sailing club was something I hadn't remembered but it was nice to come across the line to cheers from various club mates and running friends. I was bitten to death by midges as we all chatted at the finish line.
I then worked some heavy days at work and went on a failed aurora adventure on Saturday night so actually missed the last race I was supposed to do in this two week period (in the Lakes, canicross) but that is perhaps testament that you can't do everything....but you can get fairly close!
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