CLICKED OR CROCKED? 
WALSH TWO LADS 
With a genuine intention of avoiding too much repetition and picking out more new races this year, a recent sequence of Harrock, Ingleton and Blencathra would beg to differ. This is the familiar line-up of the same time last year and with Holcombe Two Towers coming up, it was difficult to refrain from the temptation of making it four repeats in a row - simply because it's a tough little cracker of a race. But strangely, I had never got myself around to running the classic Walsh Two Lads race over my Western end of the Pennines which was also listed the night after. Spoiled for choice then, what to do? Racing Wednesday and Thursday back-to-back was a brief consideration, although I don't feel ready to do that - at least not very effectively. But going back to the Tuesday, my mind was made up for me after an innocent few miles of easy running irritated a previously something and nothing stiffness in my right calf. I figured it would need an extra day to shake off and so the Two Towers was officially off the menu and the Two Lads now very much on it. Wednesday was an indulgence of ice and ibuprofen gel, including a careful four miler test run without making it worse. More of the same treatment on Thursday and all seemed well for the evening's race.
I got over to Horwich nice and early straight after work which meant I had, at last, the luxury of time on my hands to warm-up and stretch out properly. I felt as good as I have in a long time on the starting line of a race. Legs pumped up nicely, head in the right place and with Chorley's Martin Quinn having assured me ''It's a great race, I think you'll really enjoy it'', I had no reason to disbelieve the vastly experienced Mr Quinn. I got off to a great start without really realising it, which is always a good thing. Recent hill work in training is paying off as I seemed to be gliding up the first climb to Wilderswood with a real confidence boosting ease. I could see I was seventh, I could even still see eventual winner and multiple fell running champion Rob Hope after three quarters of a mile. Maybe I got a little too ambitious when thinking I could start working harder and sit on the young Achille Ratti runner Robert Green just ahead when things steepened up a bit more. Green got a bit of distance on me there and I ended up burning up a little bit by the time we popped out of the woods on to Wilder's Moor. This is where I could hear a threat looming from behind and took an educated guess that it would be the red vest of Horwich veteran Mark Walsh. Correct.
Mark's a strong fell runner when he's on his game and there were signs here that he was heading back towards form... and that I may be too! He seemed to quickly establish a gap of around twenty seconds on me when I had that sticky spell, but then that gap between us remained more or less the same throughout the rest of the race. Heading over towards the gradual climb to the Two Lads cairn itself, silly seconds were lost when I fiddled with the complicated latch on a swinging gate, glancing just ahead at that runner in red thinking, ''I can't believe Walsh has stitched me up and put the bloody latch back on, what a .....'', only to then realise there was a huge gateless gap to the left that I hadn't seen! What a plonker. In fairness, Mark is a real gentlemen and not the type to engage in such gamesmanship.
I was under the cosh a bit from that point up to the cairn. I could certainly hear more than one race number flapping in the wind behind me and at another swinging gate just before the summit, my periphery vision noted three or four of the buggers queuing up and right on my tail. I pushed hard and saw it out to the summit before switching to cruise control for the start of the descent. One place lost straight away to a young lad (they all seem young these days if I don't recognise them!) who turned out to be another runner called Robert Green, this one of the Penny Lane Striders variety. But no panic, that seemed to be that in terms of being overtaken and I had the very best intentions of reeling this particular Mr Green back in eventually. Soon enough when hitting a briefly steeper section I got that eighth place back off him and was now intent on holding it. But seconds later as we turned left on to a section of flat farm track, my calf clenched up with anger. I'd forgotten all about that.
Straight away I'm back to ninth again and wondering just for a few seconds if it's all over and whether I should pull out. But the initial pain seemed to run off a little and then just before we left the track to descend again I thought 'Ah bollocks to it'. It's going to tighten up later but I could hold my place here at least. The cries of ''come on George'' from a group of spectators there told me another young 'un, Chorley's prodigy George Norris, was the immediate threat from behind. He was the youngest competitor at the Yorkshire Three Peaks back in April and since then has shown more consistency at the sort of middle and shorter distances that he tends to do much better at. The descent goes on, and on, and on... all without technicality at a very nice runable gradient just as Quinny had foretold me. I managed to hold on to ninth though and was definitely satisfied with my time having done some pre-race research of Two Lads results in recent years. As expected, the calf ceased up right away and I had to rear up and walk when trying to jog back to the car. Back to the ice and ibuprofen then with fingers crossed that I'm not completely crocked just when things are looking like they may have clicked.

Thursday 14th June 2018
WALSH TWO LADS   5.2m/1200ft   Bridge Street, Horwich, Nr Bolton.
1st Man - Rob Hope (Pudsey & Bramley) 31:12             
1st Lady - Kimberley Chadderton (Horwich RMI) 41:39
My Stats - 36:21   9/108