Burnsall - not a classic for me!

I lost this race in the days leading up to it. Not that I would have beaten Rob Hope, Ian Holmes or the other good runners who turned up. But I was 15 seconds slower than last year and 3 places lower down the field. I even got sprint finished on the road section, which is not something that normally happens.

The problem was that I had convinced myself that it's so hard to overtake down the bit just after the summit, that I'd be better getting a good place at the summit and then trying to stay there. I'm a better climber than a descender so I figured that this race strategy played to my strengths.

So like an idiot, I went off like a train and was then too knackered to run downhill quickly. It was a schoolboy error really, and one that I'll try not to make again. Hopefully, publishing this will remind me in future races (and the days before them) that if I'm going to race well, I need to be running quickly at the end of the race.

Mrs Noel continued her steady improvement to finish 2nd lady and 1st LV40. She was also about 30 seconds faster than last year.

After Burnsall we went to the Lakes for a week which ended in Mrs Noel doing well at the Grasmere guides race. Unfortunately I was ill, so will have to wait another year to do this one - it looks fantastic. I won't write a report yet as I'm waiting for the times to be published. I'm also hopeful of finding some photos so I can make it a bit more interesting.

Meanwhile, it's a big race weekend for us. Mrs Noel has another race in the Gritstone series tomorrow, and I'm doing Shelf Moor on Sunday. This is an English championship counter, so it'll be a chance for me to marvel at how many minutes per miles I am behind the elite of the sport.