Shining Tor (May)

What? Pre entry? We need to get this on website / Facebook asap!

Bloody hell Rachel - you've stepped it up a gear today. i'm left behind!
(you found smilies yet smart arse ?!?)

31 Jul 20168/10:00amSundayThree Peaks of Chinley£3/8/10Old Hall Inn, Whitehough, Chinley, High Peak, SK23 6EJ
A running and walking event from the Paper Mill, (next to the Old Hall), Whitehough, Chinley. The event takes in the summits of South Head, Chinley Churn and Eccles Pike. Approx. distance 9.5 miles depending on route choice. You can book a meal after at the Old Hall.

How's that??

That's because it was all gobbledegook

Then I tried again, with a little help

What can I say about this race? I must admit that after a busy week and a hard day at work, I was beginning to regret my decision to drive up to the Goyt Valley. However, having pre-entered and offered Dave Chaffey a lift, there was no turning back!
The drive over there was much easier than I had anticipated, particularly with Dave navigating.
Arrived with plenty of time to spare , just in time to see Nathan and Chris returning from their warm up. 
Caught up with all the Other Harriers at the start line , which is always good. Looking around , I saw a sea of vests with names such as Chorlton, Stockport, Pennine and Goyt Valley on them. Certainly made a pleasant change from looking at Ripley and Heanor! Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore!
Dave had been cheerfully pointing out the steepness of the climb and I was soon feeling tired just looking at it. However, that quickly fell away once we started. There was a long, steady climb for the first part of the course, however, the recent hill reps sessions I had been doing gave me the confidence to keep running rather than walking and I was really pleased that I managed to run virtually all of the uphill. This was followed by the relief of a short descent, fantastic views and then another short uphill, which I took in my stride, despite cries of "oh my god" behind me. Once on the top of hill we were rewarded with a flatish section with incredible panoramic views, with a brisk wind to boot. This continued into a steady downhill, which started off on flagstones, which proved surprisingly tiring to run on , then onto a more uneven path , with numerous opportunities to break your ankle, but no chance of getting bored either. At this stage, thanks to my poor descent technique, Helen B was long gone and other runners were passing me. At first , I felt at bit despondent, then looked around and realised that I was actually really enjoying myself! The surroundings were fantastic, all the worries of the day were gone, yes, I was a bit tired, but there was still plenty left in the tank. With that in mind, I picked up on the final descent of grass and path and managed a strong finish, overtaking a couple of runners at the end. I think Ruth and Dave cheering me on helped. So, I finished 207 out of 231. So what? I loved every minute of it!
So, was it worth the drive? Yes! Would I do it all again tomorrow? Yes! My only complaint was that there was no pub at the end, but it was a small price to pay for a great course in the company of the Harriers and Greater Manchesters finest! And I did get chips and a pasty in Buxton on the way home aswell as some top ultra tips from Dave on the way home. Huzzah!

Oh Rachel. I could give u a big hug. Amazing !!!! I love reading write ups. You do them well. No pub at the end? Wouldn't have been like that if I'd been there! (But it was a long way).

Hill reps - that's just great news and I feel the benefit too. As does nick and Ruth!

I forgot you were going Dave. Missed you on the photos too in your new club vest!!