STANDISH HALL TRAIL RACE

MY MOST ENJOYABLE RACE THIS YEAR!
After working the night shift I got just 3 hours sleep before the alarm woke me, i could here the unwelcome sound of the wind and rain lashing against the window!
If I had not arranged for Paul to pick me up I would have rolled over and gone back to sleep for sure!
As if by some miracle the rain stopped just in time for the race, only to start again after I finished! This was round 2 of the series,the first one being back in February when I finished 9th.
After a week of steady aerobic running I was hoping to feel better than in last weeks 10k.
I was wearing the new prototype Healus running shoes,and many people asked me about them [they are designed to reduce shock by having a shock absorbing sprung plate placed midfoot in the shoe] .
Among us at the start was super legend RON HILL , so we were in very good company. We headed off along a pot holed lane filled deep with muddy water, with so many runners on the path you had no choice but to splash straight through the flooded pot holes. After half a mile we turned up a steep hill, by which time I was just starting to get into a nice rhythm, up ahead team mate Richard Carey was pulling away from me, but there was little a could do but hold my own pace! Once at the top I took full advantage of the HEALUS shoes and blasted down the steep concrete lane, pulling up behind another runner as we hit the forest, this was awesome fun zigzagging in and out of the trees as we looped round the woods. At one point I almost bailed out as I over cooked it on a muddy corner! Now the climbing started in earnest once more , up through the trees I was feeling good! Next was the hardest part, climbing alongside the edge of a field [ seemed like a paddy field it was so water logged ] i was starting to struggle, but then I remembered to RELAX and I got back into a nice rhythm again.
The second lap started as we hit the steep climb again, half way up a guy on a mission came past me,so I tagged onto his back and used him to pull me to the top, as soon as the path leveled out I put the hammer down once more and kept it going on the downhill, taking out a couple of runners on my way. i focused in on a group ahead and slowly but surely I closed in on them, through the forest I could see Richard Carey for the first time since he left me behind on the first climb. I pulled in behind him as we squelched through the paddy field , finally we came out onto the pot holed lane for a final dash back to the finish I passed Richard and put in an almighty effort to catch a group of 4 in front of me! I finished with a big grin on my face, legs plastered in mud!
This had been a awesome race, awesome fun, FANTASTIC DAY! and the wet conditions made the race even more fun!
I finished in 21st place, but I was happy enough, my aerobic fitness has gone downhill , but a few months base training should fix that!
Paul found his first trail race hard going but said he'd be back for more taking into account he was only wearing road shoes he did really well. Racey Tracey peters finished first lady and the girls won the team prize for SOUTHPORT WATERLOO, all in all an excellent result!
RESULTS