Thanks all for today's race, everything was spot on, including the weather
Great day & a glorious run
Thanks all for today's race, everything was spot on, including the weather
Great day & a glorious run
some pics on runningpix steve bateson's site
mooandhuw.blogspot.com
Stan Bradshaw Pendle Round Fell Race
I never thought soft decorative furnishings could be more hazardous than fell running!
I came away from Pendle relatively unscathed. Aches and pains are to be expected, it’s par for the course. What’s not expected is potential pre-race injury brought about by the haphazard placement of ‘scatter cushions’.
Apparently the array of cushions adorning our bed adds a level of comfort and a sense of style to the room. They enhance the decor with a touch of colour, personalised charm and an air of cosiness...according to my wife. Personally I think Alison is talking bollocks. They’re nothing but an accident waiting to happen. As I found out to my dismay on Saturday morning when I tripped over one which had been strewn across the bedroom floor. I head butted the wall, in style, whilst experiencing a level of (dis)comfort.
Accentuating the decor, or not...I think they’re shit.
Pendle Round, just like Tour of Pendle, have always been popular races with our frugal friends from over the Border. Yorkshire folk love a bargain and who can blame them. But please stop scrimping on the quality of Yorkshire Tea bags. The new biodegradable bags have left me ‘stewing’. The plant-based tea bags keep splitting, leading to many a spoiled cuppa. Our newly acquired Smart meter informs us that the boiling of a kettle isn’t the best practice where energy efficiency is concerned. The biodegradable tea bags are proving to be somewhat hypocritical. Unfortunately you can’t help being from Yorkshire, for that you have my sympathies, but can you please sort out your bags. The recent unprecedented temperatures we’ve been experiencing are starting to make perfect sense. It’s climate change due to excessive kettle usage...please sort it out.
On arrival at Barley I make a hasty beeline for the public toilets. I’m not normally this nervous before a race and I’m left thinking that my bang on the head is displaying inverse side effects. The lavatory traps have taken some hammer leaving the cistern unable to cope. The previous occupants had left a pan full resembling ‘bangers and mash’. I head for the village hall toilets. There’s a massive queue, big Wayne from Clayton is present, he’s a lovely lad but I bet he can’t half leave some damage. I decided to bake it, feeling confident my digestive system and anus can take the strain. After all, I’m convinced it’s in my head...my head is literally full of crap.
Whilst milling around in the car park pre-race a passerby asked if it’s full kit. This expression makes me smile, but that wasn’t always the case:
Years ago I went on a ‘lads holiday’ to Tenerife. At the same time my parents were going to Portugal. Our flights were going at similar times and there’d be a chance I’d bump into my parents at the airport. I just wished they’d have told me beforehand about their choice of flying attire, to my embarrassment they’re wearing matching Man City tracksuits. My mates thought it hilarious, but to their credit they kept their composure in front of my parents. However, for the full duration of the ‘lads holiday’ I was known as ‘full kit Fishwick’...’full kit’ for short.
When I arrived home from holiday I asked my parents why they’d gone with the ‘full kit’ approach. In a word “comfort” was their reasoning. They preferred the comfort of a tracksuit over conventional clothing whilst enduring an overseas flight...oblivious to the psychological discomfort it caused their son.
It’s only three months since I last raced at Pendle. The race in question was Tour of Pendle. My ‘race report’ contained some lighthearted ribbing towards the good folk of Burnley. I’m sorry but here I go again:
Not long after last years Tour of Pendle I was asked by a friend at work if I’d any recommendations for a decent film. That particular weekend the multi award winning Schindler’s List was on television. I was amazed when she said she hadn’t seen the movie. I told her it’s an historical period film and gave a brief synopsis. All the while she displayed a totally blank expression, then said “it’s in black and white, it must be shit”. This derogatory comment was quickly followed by “who’s Adolf Hitler?”. I bursted out laughing, thinking my friend from Burnley is obviously winding me up. No she isn’t joking, her blank expression remained, I’m flabbergasted. I asked how it’s possible to reach the age of 40 and never have heard of arguably the most evil dictator that’s ever lived. Apparently she didn’t like history at school...oh well that explains it then!
I leave my friend with her copy of Heat magazine. She’s engrossed in an article with the heading ‘Is Katie Price misunderstood?”. A few hours later I asked for her verdict on the article she’d been reading. Apparently “she’s a f**king mess is Katie”. I couldn’t have put it better myself, once again...Burnley folk, my kinda people.
Race organiser Colin judging by his accent, isn’t from Burnley. He’s a southerner but let’s not hold that against him as he’s a beltin bloke who puts on a brilliant race. Many thanks to Colin and all his wonderful helpers. Thanks also to Dave and Eileen Woodhead for the excellent photos as always. Well done Rob Hope and Lindsey Brindle who both smashed the previous course records.
Once home I asked Alison how her parkrun went. She’s recently been stepping up her running and enjoying the experience. She asked me for some running advice:
I was reluctant at first. So I enquired “do you want constructive criticism?”. Alison wanted me to tell her straight, no holding back. I take a deep breath and hide behind the recently purchased soft furnishings. Here goes “you run like you’re trying to discretely dash off for a shit” (akin to myself that morning at Barley car park) Surprisingly she keeps her calm and says “please explain”. Not before she’d already said “you don’t exactly run like Carl Bell”.
I did more than explain, I gave a demonstration. She laughs and can see my point, then says “you could’ve just said I shuffle along and don’t lift my feet”. Yeah I could’ve but where’s the fun in that?
We’d have continued talking about running over a nice cuppa but I can’t risk the tea bags causing kettle over usage. Blimey! I’ve turned all frugal, I’m normally quite frivolous. Could I be part Yorkshire, I think I’d rather be from Burnley...Sithee on’t moors baht’at.
Last edited by Tindersticks; 05-03-2019 at 09:07 PM.
Darren Fishwick, Chorley.
Love it as always Darren, you should defintely write childrens' books ;-D
I wish you did a report of Sheeptracks last weekend, our "Mediterranean" encounter was also meant as food for thought ;-D
Simo
Last edited by Simo Caps; 04-03-2019 at 11:38 AM.
Thanks Tindersticks. I WAS going to have bangers and mash for my tea tonight!
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
Thanks to the team at Clayton for putting on the Stan Bradshaw yesterday. Excellent organisation and well marshalled as always.
Weather conditions were about as good as they've been any weekend this year. Underfoot wasn't bad either.
It was my first race for 7 months, and my longest effort for a while. I was on the back of a group up the last climb Lower Dole but lost touch as we ran down to the wooded area. Managed to chug away in to the finish and really enjoyed the day.
Richard Taylor
"William Tell could take an apple off your head. Taylor could take out a processed pea."
Sid Waddell
Agree with Witton Park (for once!), great race in good conditions. First time I've done it. Interesting route choice options from CP1. I followed a CLeM woman across the moor, banking on her local knowledge. Didnt seem to make any difference as I ended up the same distance behind Dave Tait and he had gone back up to the trig point and down the flags. Thanks all concerned, and I enjoyed the free recovery fluid at the end.
Nice to see you back racing again WP. I just need a kick up the back side to get out racing again