race catch up time again

2 more races to report on:
(1) Worcestershire Beacon Race, Great Malvern 8/10/11
I first did the Worcestershire Beacon Hill race at Great Malvern about 15 years ago; it was in the first FRA fixture calendar ever, and, so the Starter said at the weekend, it was the 53rd consecutive running of the event. So a good history lesson there
The course has changed since I first took part; there used to be a lot more road running in it but now it's almost all off road, along some good trails and paths. Imagine a posher Wrekin, and you've got it (..it was from Malvern after all). I think the Beacon is about the same height as the Wrekin so it was quite runnable, pity it was so dry because with a bit of mud it would have presented a far tougher challenge
Great run, about 7-8 miles (no-one's really sure) nearly 300 finishers and unusually, a Saturday afternoon race. I went as flat out as I could but eased up a lot on the long descent to the finish. That's my version. You could of course believe I was knackered instead.

(2) My 20th consecutive Bells of Pattingham

It was a beautiful morning eventually, but chilly to begin with. An autumnal 7 degrees as I drove through Telford, and the turn off the Rabbit run seemed to come oh-so-quickly, I nearly missed it. How many years have I travelled this road?
Arrived at the school car park early and in good order, and went for the usual aimless wander round. By now it was getting a little more sunny and that lovely low white mist was receding quickly. After establishing that not much was going on in the Church Hall, I met up with Steve from NDRC and we had a nice chat while watching the junior run set off. It turns out he has also done 20 Bells, though he missed one somewhere along the way. So maybe it's not that rare, or maybe it's just the two of us!
Start time soon came around. After having made the crucial vest/t-shirt decision I wandered to the start line wondering whether wearing studs was a good idea, the ground underfoot was as hard as nails. I met with Bernie and a couple of other Newport runners and also a couple of lads from the Harriers. One chap pointed out the huge number of Sloes on the hedge next to the start and I though maybe I could come back under cover of darkness? Um ok, maybe no, that might be construed as trespass.
I decided to see what life was like at the front of the race, and so took a spot in the 2nd line. I had toyed with the idea of going to the back but this seemed like a daft idea and was quickly shelved. I also wanted to test out my theory of 'if you get a good start it makes a real difference'. What I failed to realise, however, was that it's one thing being handily placed at the start but actually getting away properly is another thing entirely. When the hooter went, whoosh! everyone ran past me leaving me floundering in the weeds. So much for that idea then, by the time I got to the bottleneck at the bottom I was almost walking again.
The first couple of miles were quite hard, picking my way through slower runners and feeling quite tired in my legs, perhaps a better warm-up (or indeed a warm up at all) would have been a good idea. By the time we got to the sharp climb by the house I was chugging a bit, progress was slow and steady. Perhaps I had put too much in too early? The houseowners had relaid the drive with shingles, definitely shades of the Grizzly there. Crunch, crunch.
Once over the climb though, things were going swimmingly well. Running was easy and I was picking off quite a few. By the farm / drinks station at halfway, the Sun was fully out and it had the feel of a lazy Summer's evening. I stopped and had a refresing drinky, pouring the rest over me for a cold shower (!) before I set off again. By the time we got to the house and steep drop, I was in the zone a bit but began to focus on miles left which perhaps wasn't a good idea. I slowed a bit going down the hill, but then I focused on a lady runner who seemed to be motoring a bit so I tucked in with her up to mile 5. This did me the power of good, I felt the best I have felt perhaps all year for this short while!
We skirted the woods 5-6ml and instead of turning left up the big climb, and over the two fields to home it was straight on to the road but then sharp left go along the edge of the two fields next to the road. It was a pretty steady climb and I was glad to get it over. I refused to sprint the last bit. I was very pleased with my finishing time and probably could have squeezed a bit more out if pushed, I felt good at the end. Nice to feel my racing legs coming back.
Cake was slightly disappointing but welcome. Looked at the commemorative t-shirts, but it wasn't worth purchasing more evidence of my 20/20. But the horse brass is nice.