Kinder Trog 2022

 It's been a while since I raced around here. Well. Apart from the County Tops, it's been a while since I raced. A combination of apathy, seeking solitude in the hills and just not enjoying racing- (or rather the build up to it) has had me just doing my own thing. A good friend- Tim Ruck was organising the Kinder Trog this year and was asking around for volunteers to help marshal etc. unfortunately I could not guarantee being around for the weekend, so couldn't commit. However, I promised that if I *was* around then I'd race. 

Getting there was a breeze- literally. A bike ride over the top of Chunal into a stonking headwind which certainly set my legs up for the race. The strong breeze from the South was going to be a feature of the day, and I was getting a taste of it early. 

Locked the bike up, standard entry forms, kit check and get changed and then loiter around chatting with various characters from the fell running world whom I hadn't seen in quite a while (yes Daz, Si- you are indeed characters) and a bit of a jog down the road and back as a nod to "warming up". 

Soon enough we were summoned to the line by Ian Warhurst and his feedbacky megaphone for race direction and start, and off we went down the hill, past the school and around the corner for the ascent onto Lantern Pike. It's a long bloody way up there, isn't it? The fast lads were off at the front, chatting away as if it was an easy day out up the hill, some guy in a rather sartorially snazzy hat was well off the front of them as well, so I settled into a pace that would (hopefully) see me through the 25 or so kilometres of the race. 

The route is a bit different now from when I last ran it- it used to head down into Dimpus Clough after Edale Cross- but that has been changed to going around the rim of the cloughs, with an ascent of South Head afterwards to make up the ascent. How comparable the times would be is a matter for debate- but the main thing that was going to make the times different this year was the Southerly that we'd be running into for most of the day. 

The climb up to Lantern Pike went on, it's a fairly pleasant run with a bit of walking thrown in here and there to make best progress, and then a quick descent off the other side- where I started to have a little bit of foot trouble. Nothing that has ever happened before, but a sharp shooting pain was going down the inside of my left foot everytime it hit the ground.... not so good. My brain starts going through the different things down there that it might be... tarsal tunnel... tib post, flexor dig long, artery, vein, medial plantar nerve, flex hallucis long.... are my shoes too tight and restricting the nerve? are they too loose and the tendon is complaining at me for doing too much work? 

I'll just carry on running, see what happens and if I need to stop to do something with my shoes, I'll do it later. 

Down the steep bit, where Kirsty and Ron were cycling up from the gate into the face of a pile of runners (good on you), and then down across the field, where I was mainly still trying to figure out if my foot was hurting or not. It seemed not, so, Onward. 

Over past the farm onto the road, and a quick drink from the lovely people who were providing refreshments, over the road I'd cycled up this morning and up the long drag from Chunal to Kinder. The wind was ripping down from our right, and the soft underfoot soon gave way to paved rock slabs. Great. I took in a gel, knowing that there is a fair amount of up to go, and then it was going to be a headwind all the way along Kinder. Plod away, run all the way up the hill. As I got to Mill Hill, I couls see Ben Tetler not too far ahead of me, seemingly going through a bit of a bad patch (it didn't last long and I soon lost sight of him), and on the climb up to Kinder Corner a guy in a Pennine vest (James?) overtook me. 

Bash through the wind and the tourists along to Kinder Downfall and another checkpoint, and then south into the teeth of it down past the mountain bikers- who certainly should not have been there- to Red Brook. Coming around the corner I lost my footing and crash rolled over some rocks skinning my right arm and wrenching my shoulder in the process. 

It's not my legs- that's not going to stop me. 

Standard.

Onward down towards Kinder Low trig, trying to keep my wits about me so as not to fall over again. (I think my record is 5 times on Kinder during a race- and had no intention of beating that on this race). The runners ahead of me were taking quite a low line round the edge of the trig and I wondered if this was a new line, so followed them... for a short while, before realising that we were pretty much on the track for the 3 knolls and going in a direction that would take us to Kinderlow End. Not where we needed to be, so I hung a right and battered up a fairly indistinct trod to come out pretty much bang opposite the trig and on the line that I wanted to be on. 

Off down the hill, and the runners that were several hundred yards ahead of me just 10 mins prior were now behind me. Probably not for long, admittedly- they were much faster runners than me, but whatever. 

Down on the flags past Swines Back to the next checkpoint where I very nearly sprained both ankles in quick succession- but didn't, and a quick left, and then a right onto the flags (AGAIN!) over towards and past Brown Knoll. The blood on my arm had congealed pretty well by this point and there would be an excellent picture to be had later, but my concern now was when to have my 3rd and final gel. I was now with a group of runners who were *definitely* faster than me, it was very runnable and I was getting pretty damn tired... and there were 2 significant slopes to contend with. 

Toward South Head I let the others go, figuring that the main aim of today is finishing- competitive spirit? Nah mate. The final gel goes down and the concentration on getting up South Head and wondering if I have enough energy for the last few kilometres starts to play on my mind. I see Dan (he of the Spaniels) as I start the climb and dig in as much as I can on the way up, making my way toward Zoe's Cowbell and the pair of windblown marshals at the top of the hill. 

Dropping off the other side, in years gone by I'd have dropped like a stone- but I haven't the miles in my legs this year and descending doesn't come quite so easily if the eccentric strength isn't there, so I made my way down as fast as possible, making "old man" noises. A short run over to the gate and then onward down the Pennine Bridleway saw Rich Seipp marshalling and taking photos just before the road crossing and another lovely half a glass of water. 

Thanks for the photo, Rich

Now the climb to Big Stone, which is pretty damn up all the way. It's fairly innocuous to begin with, but there is no let up in the gradient. Onwards and upwards, and just before we hit the steep climb to the top, ahead of us is the guy who was leading the race, not looking good. He seemed to be weaving a bit, as if with heat exhaustion. As we caught up, we checked to make sure he was ok. He was very lucid, and had sprained his ankle pretty badly earlier on, hence the weaving, but was generally ok. 

Onward up to the checkpoint at Big Stone where we saw Carl sheltering from the wind, and then the final section of the race. Along New Allotments, where Josh finally overtook me, and then down to Phoside where my right hip *really* started to complain about going downhill, so I took it a bit easier. No point in breaking myself just on a random local race. 

Down through phoside and across the fields, a final descent into Hayfield, and I have to shout the guy in front of me back from crossing the road into Hayfield proper- yeah, so I lost out on a place, but that's a shit way to gain a place- he was running faster than me anyway. 

Cross the bridge and into the field for a jog into the finish line. 

Tim was fumbling with his camera and there was no-one else around, so I stopped before the finish funnel for him to get organised for a decent finish photo. 

Not a set up picture in any way, shape or form

A short wander around in a daze and figured I'd better sort my arm out- so went to wash it out in the sink. Thanks to the random person that happened to have iodine in her bag- but I was in quite enough pain as it was. The congealed blood came off ok, and there were no bits of Kinder residing in my arm, so that was good. A change into biking gear, chat to a few more finishers and make my way, painfully slowly back over the hill to home. 

2:17ish for the race, which isn't too bad. I was hoping for closer to the 2 hour mark, but I'd need to learn how to run better again for that to happen!

Thanks to Tim and Pennine for putting on a great race. Shame to see so few women racing. I presume its a post pandemic thing?