2nd October When a draw after 12 months is actually a win

 

Yesterday was the day of the Curbar Commotion fell race, an almost 10 mile jolly along the tracks and trails above Cliff College. And it's the 'above Cliff College' bit that it's important to remember when reading this. 

Considering the amount of rain that had fallen on Friday with the windows at TOM's being lashed with a mix of wind, water and conkers it was a delight to have an almost perfect day with clear skies and a gentle breeze to run in. More of that breeze later.

Positioning myself towards the front half of the assembled runners wasn't going to do me any favours but just like those runners who try to get to the front of the crowd for the London marathon today just to get on the TV, I thought I'd also have my moment of glory. Not that it did me any good because as soon as we hit that first steep section right at the start of the race, it was almost as if my slow motion button had been pressed, allowing for one, then two, the five, then fifty runners to come racing past me, so that by the time we hit the first style after 6.45 mins I had gone from being somewhere near the front to almost near the back. It didn't get any better after that.

Still I have to say that for tracks, trails and scenery the Curbar Commotion is one of my favourite runs of the year, even if there are moments, lots of them, when I wonder why on earth I am doing it. Especially as that gentle breeze that I mentioned earlier, seemed to blow in my face irrespective of which direction I was actually running.

In the end I ended up with exactly the same time as I had run a year ago, which with my 'grab a small victory at at cost' mentality actually means I haven't got any worse over the past 12 months. And so that counts as a win in my book. I still wasn't any good, with there being far far too much power walking and stopping to catch my breath / admire the view but hey with my advancing years when is that ever going to change. Unless it does next year?


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