ON THE ROCKS
ORCHAN ROCKS
Set in the steep valley that winds in to Todmorden from the Burnley end, what a cracking little race this turned out to be. I could easily have stayed at home and sulked, but I'm glad I made the trip and took another spanking. Fellow Ribble Valley member Ste Hall is one of the first faces I recognise in The Staff of Life pub as we scribble out our entries, so at least I had somebody to whinge to both before and after the race.
A few hours earlier I was walking Connie on the park and I couldn't stop yawning. I'd felt rubbish all day - the moaning and groaning ramble typed out here on her earlier walk that morning testifies.
By the height of that afternoon, the atmosphere had got quite warm and stuffy and I'm still in the land of the semi-conscious wondering why and just how I'm going find what it takes to race shortly. But I don't let the demons take over. I'm still racing.
Fortunately it had freshened up by early evening. The tropics of the Western Lancashire flatlands in the afternoon were quite some contrast to the comfortably cool conditions on arrival at what was once an outpost of East Lancashire. Yorkshire-fied since 1974, Todmorden suffered under the act of indiscriminate Delancastrianisation - otherwise known as the county boundary changes.
Hall was strong, running a fine second place and out of sight, then it was some of the same old surnames of Holt, Gilbert, Barrett, then a couple more places on was Fishwick... and once again I'm seriously well off the pace from these guys. Not too far behind either, one of my few regular blog ramble and rant readers Alan Life will be thinking I'm for the taking soon. The long time Clayton-le-Moors Harrier has got the pedigree from his younger days and might just be plotting an Indian Summer of his own. On the plus side I did manage to take back a couple of places on the final descent, but climbing felt hopeless and that's undoubtedly where it all went wrong here. The future outlook for my racing remains very much on the rocks. 
Ste was quoted with precise accuracy as ever on the Ribble Valley Harriers social media newsreel saying, ''Sutty turned up and looked like Big Bird off Sesame Street'', with reference to my stand-out all-yellow Spring and Summer club kit. (Well, hopefully Summer) Post-race the yellow vest came off and I put it up to Darren Fishwick to see how it suited him. Despite the fact I had rudely interrupted his conversation, the force of his resistance had lessened once again. Perhaps he has just got rather bored of me now. He's still not joined yet, that's for sure and he's still not even read my 'Ten Good Reasons' why he should, either.

Tuesday 30th April 2019
ORCHAN ROCKS 
Lydgate, Nr. Todmorden   3.4m/919ft
1st Man - Martin Howard (Calder Valley FR) 22:31
1st Lady - Amy Freeman (Darwen Dashers) 28:18  
My Stats - 26:26   11/78