The beauty and serenity of the North Wales hills on Sunday were replaced with the dark and menacing moorlands of the Peaks the other side of the Cat and Fiddle on Wednesday. A hot humid day left the evening air still and heavy with a feeling of imminent thunder. Goyts Moss Fell Race was our destination, down a winding side road and single lane track. Then, as always a few indications and signs that suggest you're close - 'Caution Runners'.
I've not run this route before, and although the Blue and Gold from Wilmslow were out in force, there were few Cheshire Tractors here today, only real ones, gnarly locals in working vans and Landrovers, race HQ out of the back of a few industrious looking vehicles. This is Alf Tupper territory and they're all here. Club runners from Buxton, Goyt Valley, Pennine..the mountain goats of the running scene.
But maybe I'm over dramatising, but I'm nervous. Although the environment and landscape is majestic, the atmosphere is threatening and what I'm essentially doing is eyeing up the formidable competition. The race is around 7 miles, with two distinct climbs. I've studied the maps and terrain and my warm up takes me a mile back from the downhill finish. This track section described as 'an easy finish' is an ankle turner if ever there was one.
'3-2-1 go' the man shouts, and we're off. A short fast road section before we jink left. Each and every footstep thereafter until the very end is an adventure. To describe the terrain as technical would be an understatement, but it seemed like no two footsteps were the same, the next step simply a recovery from the last. And that's how it remained for 64 gruelling minutes. 61st out of 131. Average. At the car we're greeted with an invitation. £2.00. Almost irresistible!
I heard a quote the other evening, in some reference to the Olympics and heroic acts of sporting greatness, but it said something along the lines of 'to be good is to do the best you can, but to be great means crossing that line and doing more than you thought you could'. Whatever, you get my point...it's about the mind and self belief. I'm neither good nor great. My line has different thresholds. But sitting in the pub after, I felt like I'd crossed many lines that evening.
