Ran Hobble to plan - shame the plan was wrong again

Last year I had set off far too quickly and suffered later for my exuberance. This year I went through my mile splits from last year and set a schedule which was up to a minute per mile slower for the first few miles. It almost worked out exactly with my time being just two and a half minutes slower. But it could have been so much better. I think the moderate strength of the headwind for the first six miles meant I was working harder than I should have been so should have slowed by a further minute per mile. TM had an excellent run and I should have stopped to wait to run with her (I started further up the field due to arriving at the start line at the last minute - it was a good five minutes late starting due to the long queues at registration). At one point I was six minutes ahead of her but she caught me at the hot dog station where we joined the Calderdale Way. The next section along Stoney Lane was particularly wet underfoot and Christa moved ahead of me. It was a good job that I took ibuprofen at Mankinholes as just after Stoodley Pike me right knee became painful. The next descent was slow but after that the painkillers started to take effect I started to get back to my schedule (slightly quicker than last year for the second half). The schedule would have brought me home in 7:10, three and a half minutes faster than last year, but I had to settle for 7:16, still quicker than my first hobble, nearly thirty years ago. I was just out-sprinted crossing the road by the first F60 - no doubt there were numerous M60s in front of me.
Yesterday, we spent the morning on the Kieghley and Worth Valley Railway with just a little walking and by the time I had driven home I was as achy as I have ever been after a race. Hopefully I will have recovered sufficiently for Sunday's Two Crosses.