A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
HARROCK HILL RACE SERIES [2]
Unashamedly, the Harrock Hill races have a small place in my heart. In many ways it's a personal thing in that it's a familiar part of the world where I cycled and mucked about back in my kiddywinker years, but this is also a cracking little multi-terrain race with it's own atmosphere and a generous fruit and veg box awaiting the prize winners. Racing snobs may perceive it as a 'tin pot' or 'Mickey Mouse' race, but it is what it is and a regular turnout of up to two hundred runners tells it's own story.
Tin pot or not, for me, this was a very important run with the objective being a yardstick by which to judge my progress since the first race of the series back in May.
The conditions couldn't have been more different. Last month's muggy night into the seventies Farenheit gave way to temperatures barely in to the fifties for Race Two and with cold rain descending for added value. The weather may have deteriorated, but thankfully I can report, not my performance. Just as well really because any worse than that run in May and it was seriously time to pack up.
Since Race One I've lost a few pounds on the low cholesterol regime and got another four races under my belt. I wouldn't say I was confident by any stretch going in to this one, but I was backing myself strongly to knock at least a minute off last month's travesty.
Early on in the contest it became clear that I was a different animal to the one that laboriously trudged around here five weeks ago. A couple of miles in and I found myself quite handily placed without expending myself whatsoever which was a relieving feeling, safe in the knowledge that I was on for a much improved time. The mile-long uphill section in the middle of the course is often the battleground where positions are gained, consolidated or lost. I had worked out I was probably seventh at this point having just passed Chorley's Darren Fishwick who sounded like he was struggling with a marathon on the Devon coast still in his legs from the weekend. But Daz is a tough competitor and he pushed me hard up the climb and then started to get away from me before overtaking the next runner as well. I got thinking that having seen nowt but young puppies on the front line at the start, this could be the three-way battle to win the veteran category. I was banking on a really good recovery when the course levels out and to hit a bit of top speed if I was to reel them both nearer to make a race of it, but whilst maintaining a decent enough effort, that something extra wasn't there. Darren surged on to make half a minute on me and the unknown runner ahead matched me stride for stride in the last couple of miles and I just couldn't make a gain on him. Nonetheless, I was pleased enough with the result here with a whoppadooby whole two minutes hacked off my time from the May race. Although this still ranked as my second worst time of the many runs at Harrock over the years, it was a step in the right direction on a night when the conditions saw most runners go comparatively slower, so I can't complain. Still work to be done though, there is another two minutes at the very least to shave off in this series before I can claim my box of greengrocery with a feeling that I have truly deserved it.

Wednesday 28th June 2017
HARROCK HILL RACE SERIES [2]  5.2m/800ft   Bispham Green, West Lancs.
1st Man - James Toohey (Liverpool RC) 34:45
1st Lady - Debbie Campbell (Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton) 40:20 
My Stats - 37:04   8/175