Boy Racer

Well more like Old Git Racer but that hasn't got the same ring to it. I seem to have caught the race bug recently. In the last four weeks I've run the Vanessa Chappell, Castleton and Boar's Head Fell Races and today I ran the Chiltern Chase multiterrain 10k. I think that that is more races than I did in the whole of 2009. This is me in the Boar's Head closely followed by two of my clubmates.



The results illustrate the fact that, as much as I love hill running, I'm not actually very good at it, or rather, not suited to it. The more climbing in a race then the lower in the field I finish, exactly halfway at Castleton (6 miles, 1500' ascent), better than halfway at Boar's Head (7-8 miles, 1300' ascent) and top 10% in the Chiltern Chase (10k of low rolling hills). Other factors, such as the lack of joggers (and ipod plonkers) in fell races and my reluctance to run over rough ground after my recent fall, do have an effect but I do go backwards uphill and catch up downhill and on the flats. My performance in the Grindleford Gallop further illustrates this. I was way in front (2 minutes per mile faster) of people who are beating me in shorter fell races.

Having said all that I am enjoying the competition with those around me in the races. There's a cluster of us in the club who are of similar abilities so we are getting some good toing and froing in the races. Great fun.

I'm looking forward to some much longer races over the next few months.