The Inside Lane

I've had a relatively quiet spell since cross country season ended and the fell running calendar started to open up. I've still been running a few times a week and getting out in the Peaks as often as I can. It was Cressbrook Crawl fell race on Saturday. I'd been warned it was a tough one. It's 6.5 miles with around 1,200 feet of elevation gain. The first mile lulls you into a false sense of security before a brutal second mile. I felt like I was walking for most of it. Some of the downhills are exhilarating and the river crossing is fun, especially with the kids on the banks of the river spraying their water pistols at you. I came 46th out of 127 finishers and I was more than happy with that. It took me an hour. The guy who won completed it in a superhuman 44 minutes, which is roughly my flat road 10K time at the moment. Unreal. I'm doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks at the weekend, followed by another couple of fell races, one next Wednesday and one on the late May B...