Comptons Cross 30 June 9 miles 500"

The last time I did this race I seriously bonked, within minutes of setting off! I'd had a tooth out in quite a traumatic fashion and mustn't have been eating properly. I was determined to be relaxed with this one and just get in a good tough run to help my Wasdale preparation but not over reach. With a very small field of 34 I found myself in second after the main climb and the winner looking very determined and disappearing. I had no desire to try and chase him down and really was trying to relax. The guy behind me had a different approach and about 3 miles in he edged past me and tried to pull away. I had a fair bit in reserve so I just stuck to him. He surged again pulling away a bit but I reeled him in. This continued until he tried slowing! I had no intensional of going past him though at this stage and was really quite enjoying myself. I do sympathise with him I could see he was getting pretty hacked off with me but I was not after too tough a day out. This is not to say I didn't want to beat him, in fact I was pretty confident I could. It was becoming reminiscent of the last few miles of a bike race and I was the selfish git who wouldn't do any work. Eventually with around 3 miles to go he went wrong, I wondered whether on purpose? I told him the right direction and took off. I figured I could put the hammer down a bit now. Came in second about a minute in front of a quite unhappy third. He wanted to know why I didn't share the work and why I took off? I probably said the wrong thing by explaining I wanted an easy run! Anyway we had a good chat about the Great Lakes Run and made up. A good speedy Pennine fell race,with not too much climb and a friendly atmosphere?

Dockray and Dodds

A real bonus race, a mid week AM in the Lakes. A nice, almost horseshoe sort of route on an evening that really required some navigation. A 7pm start with cloud hanging over the Dodds so I ran with a map and thumb compass in hand. A good job too. I wasn't at all worried about pressing on and was, for once, ignoring my position. Despite going confidently alone to the top I hadn't quite marked up my map properly and so had a slight detour in the clag. I won't detail all the route but will say that the only time I followed someone, an Eden runner who seemed very certain, we went quickly wrong. I abandoned that group and made my own way. I took my own lines with no local knowledge, nearly missed the last checkpoint and had to double back a bit. Something I'm pretty sure a large number of the field didn't do but never mind! Did lead a small group from the last CP to the finish, one of who paid me back by sprinting in before me! Never mind! Came in mid field and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will have a lasting memory of a lovely sweeping descent out of the clag and several runners going in different directions and others zig zagging! I'll also remember the sight of Paul, who drove there and back, arriving in last having got seriously lost for over an hour! Great race but the after midnight return home might put me off.