Challenge Stu

I think I have written before about how I don't have a "killer instinct" when it comes to racing. If the guy in front has a good gap I'll most likely finish second. Of course, if he has overdone it in the early stages and slows down I might pass him (assuming I haven't done the same!), but times when I have lurked behind someone then chased them down to overtake are in the minority. Alex Hinchcliffe and I were recently talking about people whose results contain a disproportionate number of wins by short margins, i.e. close or sprint finishes. This seems to be the sign of a real racer, someone who simply cannot accept losing and is able to dig deeper in the final stages to make sure they win. Sadly this is not me, so if I want to win races perhaps my best chance is to get away and hide out of sight at the front. The only Google image result for "hiding behind tree" that wasn't completely terrifying! This is sort of what happened at this year...

I went out running last night. Normally on a Friday I do a strength and conditioning session at Accelerate, then 30 minutes or so of drills later, but yesterday I decided to drive out to Edale and run a loop to Blackden trig on the edge of Kinder, Win Hill, down through Hope and Castleton, then over Mam Tor and back to the car. This is a small part of a bigger route I'd like to do soon so a good chance for a recce. All went well from the car park at Barber Booth to Edale then up Ringing Roger and to the Blackden trig, which I found pretty easily. I ran round to Win Hill in the fading light and turned my torch on at the summit. It was a lovely evening but I was short of time so checked the map for a shortcut. There wasn't one, so off I went, down through Twitchill Farm and into Hope, then along the road to Castleton. From there my route up Mam Tor would be up the road to Blue John caverns, then up the steep but short grassy climb to the summit. Planned route up Mam Tor...