It had been been a while since I last visited Penistone Hill Country Park - not since doing my 50 @ 50 in fact - so it was nice to see that it's just as bleak as I remember it. It was an exceptionally windy day even for such a notoriously exposed spot but bright and clear with no rain expected. Kit requirement was a very old school "Jacket recommended" which I love (although I did take the Santa hat along too, just in case).
Having travelled over with Josh I felt obliged to have a little jog warm up out on the course which revealed, apart from the tiredness in my legs, the fact that heading out at the start was going to be hard into the wind but that coming back up the hill to the finish was going to be faster than usual. So I tucked in behind an Ilkley runner on the way out, struggled with tiredness on the last km of the climb across the slippery, peaty moor top and got to the summit stone just behind a group of half a dozen or so. As is my custom, I pressed on in the descent, passing them all and noting that the leader of the group was a man of about my vintage. No way I could take a break in the last mile then, as I had Josh (who had come back out after his very creditable 4th overall) shouting at me that he was catching. I held on. Turns out I needn't have bothered though - he was V50 after all. I finished 22 seconds faster than 10 years ago though so he had done me a favour by pushing me all the way.
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| Portaloos were a bit awkward of access |
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| The BCR Contingent Phil, me and Josh |
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