Borrowdale '08

It has been a very busy week. Julie & I got back from holiday on Sunday afternoon and Julie was working at Guide Dogs in the evening and then would go to Bradford to collect Joanne who had decided that she could no longer continue with the course at Bradford University and find a job - associated with bringing back 3 years worth of belongings. We'd also decided that her bedroom needed redecorating. So a busy week was ahead - three weeks lawn growth to deal with for a start. My mobile had effectively been switched off for two weeks so when I powered up the battery I found a few messages, one of which was to ring one of the daughters of an mate/ex-colleague. I phoned early evening to sadly invite me to his funeral on Tuesday - that put my grumpiness of going back to work into perspective. Steve was quite a regular at our midsummer barbecues so some of you will have met him.

By Wednesday evening I managed my first run of the week (up to Two Lads) and it was only by Thursday that I thought of going up to Borrowdale at the last minute (although I'd always planned to go up an get a hard training run in).

On Thursday I had look on the FRA Forum and noticed there were a few messages from runners who were unable to fulfil their entry at Borrowdale. By Friday night I'd got a number sorted (subject to acceptance at the tent) and sorted transport arrangements with Ed and JTY.
As everyone knows I'm always last minute but I did manage to get to PW's Stately House Car Park approximately on time, slightly delayed as I'd picked up a Gruniad en route. I even remembered to pack a gross of egg boxes for t'other Yorkshireman.

Everything then went to plan to get to Rosthwaite, well almost to plan - Ed did have to sweet-talk a well tanned lady (Sri-Linkan I would guess) into using her facilities and we could have done with not arriving on the Grange bus route just behind the bus.

Amazingly they accepted my entry and I started to wonder if I was doing the right thing.
I knew that when I started and knew that it would challenging for me to make the Honister cut-off but I have done it before so why not.

Although my fitness has improved this year over the last couple, it was soon obvious that I was going to struggle. I normally make good progress up Bessyboot and on the more runnable stretches towards Esk Hause. When I realised that I was finding it hard work where I ought have some speed, I decided I would make a decision at Esk Hause. It got there in about 2hrs 5, a time I would hope to be at reaching Scafell Pike if I had any chance of making the cut-off.

A certain gentleman told me that he had never be timed out at Borrowdale in 12 starts whereas I think my success rate is either two or three times from between six and eight starts, had just passed me on the stretch and I began to realise it made no sense to keep marshals and MRT out longer than necessary so made the decision to retire at Esk Hause despite marshals and JTY trying to convince me to go on.

I knew what lie ahead - the wet rocks en route to Scafell Pike - and having run across them in the race at least half a dozen times in the past I had no desire to do so again unless I was going to have a decent end result. I wanted to live to fight another day.

So retire I did, joined up with John and we headed down to Sty Head to support the many runners both from Horwich and others. Eventually Ed came through and although he had no chance of reaching Honister in time he continued up Gable whilst we took the shorter route to Windy Gap where Matt (Stichlegs) was awaiting us and then cheered the fellow back of field runners through and ran with Ed to Honister and back to the field.

I got my good run out in the Lakes but doubt I will ever run the Borrowdale Race again (unless the mooted alternative shortened route is brought in for vets). It's not a course that I enjoy - I'm not suited to it - but it is something I am drawn to. I would have to return to the fitness of 10 to 15 years ago - and there's about as much chance of that as my beloved Huddersfield Town adding to their three League Championship titles.

T'Yorkshireman