Motorcycle plum mayhem

We've done two races in the last week. Longnor races and Padfield Plum Fair Scamper.

Longnor races mainly involves motorcycles and horses, but they also have a fell race at the end of the day. I've not done this race before and I was eyeing up a possible victory when I was told there were only 13 runners.

The race goes twice round the track so it was very good of Dark Peak's Mick Stenton to warn me to avoid the motorcycle ruts as they can be very muddy. After the lap of the track, we were directed off through fields onto a small course that we were to do two laps of. Just as we were leaving the track, I was thinking about when I should time my challenge on the lead of the race.


It was then that Jason Burgess of Staffordshire Moorlands went past us all like a speeding train, and went on to take first place by a street. I managed to edge into second, and was very pleased to win a nice lead crystal vase.


Padfield Plum Fair Scamper is one that we've both done on previous occasions, but it was Mrs Noel's turn this year. She was as quietly competitive as always while checking out whether any of the elite ladies were there. In the end she improved on her time from last year and won first place and a nice bottle of fizzy. There was a good Pennine turnout, but unfortunately our men's team were pipped to the team prize by Helsby.

I should mention our Pennine team-mate Steve, who completed his first top-3 finish (of many - I feel sure).

Grasmere and Shelf Moor - fame and fortune

I'm studiously avoiding turning this blog into the Mrs Noel blog, but there are times when I have to blow her trumpet. We were in the Lakes a few weeks ago and it allowed us to attend the Grasmere Guides race. This is steeped in history from the days when it was run by local shepherds (who set fantastic times).

Neither of us had done this race before, but we were aware of how special a race it is. I was slightly ill on the day, so agreed to look after the kids while Mrs Noel gave it her all. We watched the field of runners storm off and slowly plod up the very steep hillside opposite the showground. The good thing about some of these short races is that you can see nearly all the race from the showground (the race is about a mile a half long). There is also a commentator, who tells you where the lead runners are relative to the records of yesteryear.

In the end, Rob Hope won it in a sprint finish after chasing Rob Jebb all the way down the hill. Then Mrs Noel and another lady were involved in a similar sprint finish to see who would be 2nd lady. Mrs Noel managed to hold off the other lass, to claim 2nd spot in this very prestigious race. The prestigiousness (if that's a word) was underlined by the fact that they had a podium and a proper photographer.

Mrs Noel was then amazed to find that, partly due to the historical fact that Grasmere guides used to be a professional race, she won £100. Fantastic eh! The first £15 was shamelessly wasted by me on a bottle of fizzy that we drank in the campsite.

So, back to Shelf Moor and my moment of fame. I was aiming for top 50 in this English champs race, as that would mean I'd get points in the English fell running championship. In the end, I was very pleased to finish 49th. This means I'll get 2 points (I think). It's not quite a podium or £100, but it meant a lot to me. Here's me saying hello to the photographer (Fell Donkey).

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.

Eccles Pike and jam

I've mainly been training this week. Mrs Noel did well at Ecces Pike on Wednesday night, but was initially disappointed to be 4th lady. Fortunately, she was only one place behind British Championship LV40 hopeful Judith Jepson, so this put it into context somewhat.

We've both been gearing up our training to Burnsall Classic which is tomorrow. It will probably be quite wet and slippy so I'm not sure whether to aim to beat last year's time or last year's placing (I was 10th). I'll let you what once I've completed the race.

In jam news, the summer stockpiling is going well. So far I've made about 8 jars (each)of :
raspberry and bilberry
raspberry, pear and blackcurrant
blackberry, apple and pineapple (I've called this 'Hawaiian bramble')

I also notice it's nearly pear and plum season, so that should allow me to add another 20 jars to this. I plan to hand jars out as part of the prizes in a fell race I'm planning to organise next year. For those fans of jam - watch this space. For those who don't like jam - don't worry, I'm planning on giving out other prizes too.

An eventful race - Ricky's race

I've not done this one before but the usual suspects were talking me through the route before the event. It's fast and pretty short with no let-up.

I got a good start and was hoping to finish in the top 5. Stuart Bond set off like a steam train as always and behind him there were two runners who were well ahead of me. I also knew my old teammate Jonny was behind me and he always beats me on the final descent. So I was hoping for a top 5 finish.

The first 'event' was when I nipped through a narrow stile and managed to tear my quite new shorts down one side. They are bit baggier than my other shorts but I didn't think it would be an issue. Then in the final stages of the race, I jumped through another stile only to rip my shorts on the other side. They are obviously a poor design!!

I was pleased to stay ahead of Jonny until the final field when he nipped past me and beat me in a sprint finish to the line. I was very happy to finish 5th, but then was told that I'd actually finished 3rd. Apparently the two who were ahead of me had gone the wrong way.

This is the only time I've won a prize in a race that didn't relate to me being a local, (or there only being 12 in the race). So I'm very proud, even though it was due to someone getting lost.

Mrs Noel was first lady, again. And Daz from Pennine was first Vet40.

Sheep - Teggs Nose fell race

We got there early to this race so the kids could have some lunch at the sheepdog trials and we could take in some of the stalls. I've always been pretty impressed by rounding up sheep with sheepdogs, and this year my respect for these guys (and dogs) has been increased further.

Local lad and former One man and his dog TV star, James Gilman (pictured), was doing the two dogs round where he had to collect his sheep, take them through a few gates, then split the pack into two lots of three sheep. This looked like the hard bit and none of the other competitors managed it. He then had to pen three in a three-sided pen and leave one dog guarding the sheep. Then he had to also pen the other three using the remaining dog. All this while the stopwatch is going. Apparently, he had also won the championship trials the day before.

Next to all that, my race sounds pretty tame.

We had the usual race round the fields before being on the course proper. As usual, most people seemed to be running too quickly towards the start of the race, and for once I wasn't with them. I was wondering whether Cracken Edge was still in my legs, so I took it steady, hoping to make up places as the race went on.

In the end I steadily worked up to 7th, which is where I finished up. I normally aim for the lady's record, as it's a good indicator for me. Olivia's course record (of last year) was 59.23, and I managed to run it in 59.20. I was very pleased with this until Mrs Noel told me she had been talking to one of the organisers, who said the course was 100 metres shorter this year.

We also introduced Mrs Noel's sister, Sam, to fell racing. She has been nursing an injured back for a while, so well done to her on giving this one a go and still having a smile on her face at the end (or maybe a bit after the end). Well done Sam.

I know how the fox feels - Cracken Edge

Generally in fell races I aim to overtake the person in front. This is very good for my mental state during the race as I feel more like the 'predator'.

Last night at Cracken Edge, I was definitely the prey.

The night started well. I turned up early so sat in my car for a while and listened to the radio about a man who had won a £1000 bet from his local bookies about whether he could lose 5 stone in 6 months. Here's the story: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/03/fat-reward-for-groom-115875-22460074/

I was then chatting to fellow Pennine runner, Joe, who continued this theme by explaining to me how he's lost 8 stone by only eating on Thursdays and how this should make him faster. To be fair to Joe, I might have forgotten the actual details, but it was something like this.

Joe's slimming plan is partly driven by a competitive desire to beat me in fell races, and partly by the desire to stay ahead of Steve (another Pennine runner). Steve is going well and is getting better over the season. One of Steve's aims is to beat Joe in fell races.

Once the race started, it became apparent that there was no-one for me to chase down, as the gap was too big between me and the guy in front (Jonny, my old Fat Boy team-mate). However, whenever I glanced behind me, I saw the pack of panting, salivating beasts that included Joe and Steve.

With no obvious holes to hide in, I decided the only sensible option was to stay ahead of them. Thankfully, Joe swapped places with me with about a mile to go, so I could enjoy the feeling of biding my time before striking and regaining the lead. In the end I finished 1 second ahead of Joe, who was 10 seconds ahead of Steve.

With this fierce level of competition, I'll have to start putting more training in. Joe and Steve, if you're reading this, I'd like to recommend the new super training food: bacon, ham, mushroom, tomato and mashed potato pancakes, covered in cheese.