The trough was  tough 

Wednesday's Tour of the Trough had been three years in the making.  Initially the idea had been for EtU and myself to tackle the Trough of Bowland together but a bout of   piriformis had put me out of serious running for most of that year and my task on the day had been road support for EtU.

On Wednesday he returned the favour by supporting me on my  lone attempt.

The weather could hardly have been better for the time of year, with very  little wind initially, low but not freezing temperatures, and no rain forecast.

Once having left  the start line at Chipping the countryside was quieter than expected and with to nothing but startled pheasants for company I made good time to the first meeting point approaching the Hodder Bridge. The plan was for EtU to park up every five miles and run back to meet me and then escort me back to the car and the energy stash in the boot.

It was an arrangement that worked extremely well with regular inputs of energy, a mix of Lucozade sport, energy gels and jelly babies, a format that I have found to work well in the past.

From the bridge rendezvous the route went to Dunsop Bridge and on to the Trough road with the steep and long climb up to the county boundary for another support meeting.  The road from there is nearly three miles downhill to the next turn at roughly halfway.

Two more meetings with EtU (15 and 20 miles) took me past Calder Vale and brought Parlick, looking down on Chipping, back into view. By now the climbing was beginning to take its toll and the pace was dropping, but at least I knew I was going to make it to the finish.

Both EtU three year earlier and myself had underestimated the amount of climbing in the second half of the run,  nothing too high but mostly steep and the hills coming unrelentingly  one after the other. So it was with great relief that the tower of Chipping Parish  Church came into view and I crossed the finish line in 5hrs 4mins  14secs.  with a grueling 27.5 miles behind me.  The pace averaged out at 11min 8secs per mile.

I am tempted to claim to be oldest person to have completed the circuit in the hope that someone will be challenged to prove me wrong, though  I don't expect a long queue to be formed.

The run would have been even harder unsupported so I express my gratitude to EtU for his practical and moral support on the day and his encouragement during the preparation.  We need a challenger for next year.  Any offers.