The clag was down as I
drove towards Pendle this morning, not a promising sight. And it
wasn't just the top of the hill, at least half of it was lost in the
greyness. I didn't really lift any before the start of the Stan
Bradshaw Pendle Round but the snow did start to fall, lightly, as we
set off along the first track. As we made our way up the first long
climb (about 1 1/4 miles of it, gaining 850ft) runners soon began
disappearing into the clag and I wondered whether that 14 mile run
last week had been such a good idea. My legs didn't have much power
and I didn't pass as many people as I would expect. That meant I was
doubly glad to reach the summit: it meant flatter running and the
cutting east wind which had been freezing my left ear off was to our
backs as we turned west along the northern ridge. The snow was
falling more heavily for a while and I was running hard, or so it
felt considering there were still over 7 miles to go, but the field
was already strung out, or at least my section of it was, and I was
keen not to let the man in front of me disappear completely into the
clag. I was pretty confident I could find my way to c.p. 2 without
problems since I know that part of the hill and the path is
reasonably clear (if you know where to look!). However, I was equally
sure I didn't know the way from c.p.2 to c.p.3, at least not the best
one and not in this clag. There's no path as such, just a series of
trods, if you can find them; and if not rough moorland to cross. I
did manage to hold on and then, as we passed c.p.2 the clag suddenly
vanished! It didn't gradually lift or thin, we just suddenly ran out
of it. That was quite a relief. It's useful to have one man in your
sights, but it's actually far more reassuring to have a whole line of
runners spread across the next 1/2 mile or so – one man may be
taking a wrong route, it's less likely that 20 are (though it has
been known). The improved visibility also meant we had good views out
to Sabden and Higham, (if you had time to lift your eyes). I seemed
to be managing the rough ground and even the descent better than at
Flower Scar a fortnight ago but I was still losing places. We hit the
path along Churn Clough Reservoir, the lowest point in the race, the
snow had stopped and we were sheltered for a while from the wind,
ahhh. The first climb from the reservoir is nothing major (about 90ft
in 1/2 mile) but it's still tough, perhaps because the first section
is real hand-to-ground scrambling and you're still running on small,
rough trods. However, some of my usual strength seemed to have
revived and I climbed well, at least compared to those around me, and
gained quite a few places – only to loose some of them again on the
next dip! No respite, the next climb begins immediately after
crossing Brook House Clough and while again short (1/2 mile), at 1:5,
it's no piece of cake, but I gained more places. The first part of
the following descent is gentler before becoming a 1:4 plunge.
Amazingly I only lost 1-2 places as the snow began to fall again. We
were heading for the dam on Upper Ogden Reservoir and you have to
remind yourself at this stage that you are NOT nearly home. After
crossing the dam you hit the track along the reservoirs which we had
started the race on. If we turned down it, it would be a simple 1 1/4
mile gradual downhill to the finish. But no, we simply cross it and
begin the final ascent. It's very short (1/4 mile) but 1:5. I'd lost
touch with the people ahead of me and didn't gain any places. In
fact, annoyingly, at least three people over took me on the last mile
long run-in. It's steep in places, but the ground isn't rough here
and even I can handle it. It felt like I should have been able to
speed up, but the accelerate button didn't seem to work (actually
looking back at my race stats (I ran the first mile as quickly as the
last), it did, just not as much as for some others).
I really enjoyed the
run, it's an excellent route, though from a race perspective it
didn't feel like I did as well as I would have liked (though the fact
I couldn't accelerate and that my calves are ridiculously tight now,
suggest I did give all there was to give on the day.) Official
results aren't posted yet so I don't know my position but 1hr 35 for
9.5miles/1900 ft ascent is perhaps respectable after all – almost 4
minutes faster than in 2011, but that can probably all be accounted
for by the better conditions (at least six men went under the
previous course record).
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