LOST BUT NOT LAST AT LEAST
BOB & HILARY TOWELL COWM 5K RACE 
That recent Podium experience left my tail between my legs. Finishing last wasn't particularly a disgrace, but more so the time I clocked. Certainly in those next few days after the race, going out running again ranked as by far the biggest chore... even more so than truly mundane stuff like hoovering, pegging out two loads of washing, mowing the grass, doing a bit of weeding... there was nothing there, no zip, no physical urge, no mental intent. I was running because I had to, because if I didn't then everything would slip and if nothing else I still have some good sessions in the bank and somewhere along the lines they must count for something if I can just plod through this Podium hangover. By the middle of the following week I had mentioned on a club thread that I was interested in another 5K the following Wednesday and by doing that it was a sort of commitment to myself that would at least give me a bit of short term focus to get back on it. Still feeling lethargic, I nevertheless got a bit more mileage in than recent weeks, but didn't stretch my legs out to any fast stuff until a kind of mini-session of eight one minute surges the night before the race. It did the trick of waking my legs up without battering them.
So to race night. One of Andy O'Sullivan's Andems Runners races, of which I haven't got over to for a good few years. But these are just the sort of low key evening races with a great ambience about them that I will always enjoy. The likes of myself are guaranteed some decent competition. A 5K around Cowm Reservoir near Whitworth, upon the far Rochdale reaches of Rossendale on an early Spring evening? Sounded good to me.
A 7pm start would leave just enough time to get there from work and allow for a bit of a warm up, or so that would be the case all being well. And all was going well until I got off the A56 at Rawtenstall. This wasn't actually a mistake even though I thought it was at the time, in fact the first mistake was forgetting my phone charger in the morning and having three per cent power left at this point so I could only stop and check Google maps when absolutely necessary. Mistake number two was then misreading that map, thinking that I should turn around and carry on down the A56 again and therefore bypass Rawtenstall centre - wrong! Within minutes I was trapped and merging on to the M66. Vulgarities were sounded out to myself at some decibels inside my little Citroen C1 box and more so when I saw the sign for the next exit being some seven miles away... and for Bury! I was lost.
A little less than forty minutes left until the race start, here I was now hurtling away from my destination quicker than I was finding it. It was foot down on this fairly quiet stretch of motorway and when the Bury junction came, it also offered a left turn to Heywood - and a light bulb went on in my frazzled head. I'm thinking, 'Heywood, that's near Rochdale, Rochdale is near Whitworth... let's do Heywood'. From Heywood, one of two crucial very last faint battery saving peeks of Google maps pulled me out of the mire, but it was less than twenty five minutes until kick off now and I'd half resigned myself to just eventually finding the place but having a jog out and watch the race instead. But once I picked up the checkpoint to the back of Rochdale Golf Course fairly handily, from there hope returned again and with one more memorised glimpse of the map on my phone before it's lights went out for good, I finally got there at just gone quarter-to. Not ideal, but sod it I might as well have a go now. I was really lucky to roll in to a space right outside the pub to register and once inside, with eyes like a rabbit's in the headlamps looking for an entry form and a biro, I received a reassuring tap on the shoulder by one of the Andems race officials and told to stay calm. ''Don't worry yourself, plenty of time. Seventeen minutes yet''. Seventeen? Bonus! Enough time to pin my number on, have a loo stop and get to the start at least, but already resigned to the fact that a proper warm up was out of the question.
Including myself, six Ribble Valley runners were present at the start which also included the two time English Fell Running Champion, winner of more or less every big race on the calendar and proper legend that is Shaun Livesey who pinned a proper number on for the first time in over a decade. It was an honour to be there for that alone. Recently accepting presidency of the club, the whole reformation of Ribble Valley Harriers, for whom Shaun was an original member, has rekindled his interest in the sport which I think is great.
The race started below the reservoir damn with a short climb up the road on to the track around the reservoir which underfoot is a mixed variant of pavement and firm track. Two laps and it's back down to where we started. I began to tighten up a bit in the last mile and lost a few places which was a little disappointing, but managed to keep it together and at least better that Podium time on a slower course and with a tough headwind up one side of the res.
A face I couldn't catch last Summer at the Rossendale Fell Series was that of Rochdale veteran Danny Bennett. He came past with about a kilometre to go which was all well and good but for the fact he was wearing a pair of Brooks Ghost. In my line of work at the moment, that added insult to injury. They are a great running shoe but not the most economical in a short race like this I might argue and this observation hurt me more than actually losing places!
So it's back here next week for the next one I reckon, to try and chip some time off. Getting there in time for a warm up might help. It was great to be back at one of Andy O'Sullivan's races, quite distinctive and dare I say a lovingly eccentric character who still shares his thoughts on that trademark loud speaker before, during and after the race. Nowt like it.

Wednesday 18th April
BOB & HILARY TOWELL COWM 5K RACE   Whitworth, Nr. Rochdale
1st Man - Mac O'Malley (Trafford AC) 16:14
1st Lady - Charlotte Corrigan (Hyndburn AC) 20:51
My Stats - 18:15   18/107