26th December Two Turtle Doves (R62 The Last One)

 

In an emotional climax to match anything Gavin and Stacey can put together, today was the final run in the 60@60 challenge. And I am not sure if I have actually managed to save the best till last. 

This is  probably the organised run that I have done the most with this being my 5th entry into the Totley Two Doves race, a lovely way to blow away all the inertia that comes with a post Christmas day slump.

Setting off from Matlock however things didn't look too great for racing up through the woods and across the moors as it was a think fog everwhere, with the usually stunning vista of Chatsworth House beign completely obscured by a blanket of mist. And yet 10 miles and 20 minutes later on in the village of Totley, a watery sun has just begun to cut through the haze.

At 11am we were off, with a record entry of almost 210 runners on the start line, 100 up on previous years, running under what was by now an almost cloudless blue sky and a lovely temperature for running of 8 degrees. 

Readers of previous reports of this particular run will know it has my least favourite start to all the runs I do, with a lap around a usually sodden and muddy playing field before a brutal short sharp climb of 400 yards by which time I am already sounding like a wounded buffalo.

With my running nemesis 'Elizabeth' conspicuous by her absence, it was good that there were a couple of familiar faces from Ravenshead Runners taking part. Clare had already gone past me by the time the initial hill was completed and within another km just before we hit the bit climb up onto the moors Peter left me trailing in his wake. As for me, well I wasn't  sure how I felt, a bit heavy legged from the runs of the past week but balanced with all the miles from a year of regular running under my belt.

The uphills were as brutal as ever, I don't think I would ever be able to run them, but from the turning point after 30 mins or so the rest of the course, run under a now utterly cloudless sky, was fabulous with just the right amount of puddles to run straight through splashing all the dithering Daisys and hesitant Henrys who try to do a trail / fell race without getting muddy!

Crossing the finish line at 62 mins and 12 seconds, not too far behind Clare and Peter, I wasn't really sure how my time compared to previous occasions I'd run the Two Doves. It was only when I got back to TOM's, who was able to 'reluctantly' put the life insurance policy back in the drawer for another week, that I realised what I had done.

And what I had done was manage to run a full 5 minutes quicker that 12 months ago. And if that, dear readers isn't an emotional punch to rival anything Nessa and Smithy could produce then I don't know what is. It just leaves me to set the bar even higher next year and try to see if I can crack the magic 60 minute barrier. That's the 60@61 challenge...lol.