A couple of races In April - Part 1

You know when the season has started when more and more weekends become filled with the opportunity to get out and have a tussle with old friends and familiar faces.

First up was Lad's Leap. This gnarly race takes in part of the Peak not often used by racers. Starting from the campsite at Crowden the massed ranks blast out of the site and onto the lane, rising slightly before dropping down to the refurbished Outdoor Centre. (I can remember it when it was the original Centre before it was burn out in a fire. It stood that way for may years but has now been fully refurbished and brought back to its former glory). Once past the centre the race is on in earnest. Today the weather was being kind and I'd soon broken out into a sweat up the first climb. Atop the false summit there were two more ascents to follow in quick succession.  It was just a case of grit your teeth and get on with it. I knew the next section was fairly level but was often very boggy. This year however it was much drier and as a consequence everyone was running much faster. Bugger! After the first section the course gradually climbs through heather and bog on tricky little sheep trods and single tracks. Overtaking is very difficult through the deep heather and you often use up so much energy you quickly lose the place you've just gained. (Don't we all know that feeling!) With a keen wind off my left shoulder I made my way to the high point in good order. It was then over a stile and a steep and tricky descent off the plateau following a wall and a deeply rutted track. Not easy but you need to attack if you can. Once at the bottom the course turns back to head for home. Then it hits you, a wide land track meandering upo through the old quarry. Its steep but not too steep and therefore grindingly runnable. I was in hanging on mode, trying to maintain a rhythm, while trying to hang on to the guys in front and all the while feeling that others were catching me up. My tactic had been to get a good start, keep up across the moor and just hang in there for this bit. Not bad as it turned out, only losing a couple of places to much younger foes. Once atop the climb there was another short uphill section, a twisty stream crossing and then on to the flat plateau. Time to kick in the afterburners and open up. So it was, overhauling a few before the crazy, helter skelter decent back to the campsite. My thighs were really burning but the end is always in sight so it just serves to spur you on. Finally onto level ground, quickly get into the groove before a final burst across the line. 63 mins and some seconds (the results are on the website yet) but looking back over last years time it was a good PB so I'm happy with that.