Home and Away - a late post about my 2022 season.

 2022 started with Covidmas fallout. I think most, if not all, the runners I know have now had the conversation which goes "how long after recovery will I feel OK to run again"? The answer, like with most things which set you back from running, is to listen to your body. I was fully 15 days with symptoms and then took it VERY easy before doing any running at all, perhaps day 24 or 25 when I started running again. This , coupled with the fact I'd broken a finger in late November meant I had a bit of a hill to climb to regain any fitness. My plan for 2022 was to get racing again, after a bit of an epiphany at the Roaches race in November, where it all fell into place and I realised how much I'd missed it. I can't Fishwick it, as I love spending time with Minipixie (and sometimes even his Dad too haha ;) ) so one a month is about as much as I can fit into my calendar. One Away Trip, that is, and any Home races which can be fit in, come as a bonus. 

Race 1: the Trigger , 9th Jan - withdrew due to very recent Covid infection. Hiked up to Higher Shelf checkpoint with a backpack full of pizza , Christmas Cake and goodies for the racers and gambolled about gleefully in a blizzard with Kate B as the racers passed through. 

Race 2 : Long Mynd Valleys, 6th Feb  - what a weekend! I arranged a Glossopdale Harriers trip away and we did both races in the excellent winter weekend in Shropshire. A long awaited experience with 8 or so of us at a hostel and making the most of the racing and recceing opportunities. The main event was tough for me, a Personal Worst but I LOVE the route and wouldn't have wished it any other way. 

Me loving it at a Wet and Wild Long Mynd Valleys race

Race 3 : Chicken Run, 2 April  - they changed the route and Peatpixie is not Impressed. Much more trail-driven than the previous route however I ran well, came in fifth female and got a surprise WV40 prize. I felt the fitness returning, after struggling somewhat at the Long Mynd in Feb 

Race 4 - Guisborough Three Tops, 30 April (Eng Champs Counter) . I had to give it a go, I have to get back to the Championship series of races which I loved so much in the years I now refer to as my "prime" . The social side is brilliant, meeting so many runners from other clubs and parts of the country, being inspired to take on new challenges. This race was another one with "too much trail" and a very warm day. Felt a lot longer than it's advertised distance. It was brilliant to have a day trip to the North Yorks area and a chippy tea on the seafront at Saltburn after. Oh and I went crazy at the Pete Blands van and bought Minipixie some shiny new Walshes. 

***xxxx

LIfe Got in the Way in summer 2022. We found a house which could heal the pain of our failed move in 2021 and efforts focussed on getting us moved in, and letting out the house we left. The plan was a bit of a squeaky-bum one financially but sitting here in 2023 with it all behind me, I'm glad Alan and I took the risks. The move dropped a bomb onto my mental health which running helped to rebuild. 

I actually finished three FRA championship counters. I even got a 3rd in category at a blazing hot short fixture at Bradwell . But my brain and synapses disagreed with the joy, and winter was hard. Here I am pre stress-bomb, at the Tebay based Medium race, an absolute joy of a route which I was too nervous and injured to attend in 2023. I promise I'll go back. 

a New Type of Nav Eventing

Keen to get some practice at navigation, and interested to see what kind of format the Orienteering Club events followed, my friend Kate and I travelled through the clag and out the other side to Totley Moor area for a South Yorkshire Orienteering event on Sunday morning. Sorry no photos...we were a bit late and had to concentrate on the maps  

We chose the Score format - 90 minutes to visit as many controls as you like.  

The hardest part was the pre entry system, which seemed to require a degree in Orienteering Entry Systems to navigate. Registration was simple and no kit check. 

We fought through a small brambly wood to the start area , where we saw a lot of keen competitors lining up for their maps. Not much additional info was given but on explaining we were novices, the volunteer explained the basics of the control descriptions and the map. The scale was a whopping 1 to 10,000 which neither us had ever used before. After the traditional false start and ditching trying to find our chosen first control, we got into our stride and had a fun hour or so finding flags around the course. Weather was clear and lots of it was on paths and some in woods.

We decided on our route back to the finish with around 30 mins remaining, and then made a small error which meant that the last control was a bit "ambitious" to reach,  but I encouraged Kate to follow me up a gently rising moorland track to visit it. We only had 5 mins to return and that's where I realised the end was back through the brambly woods , not in the start field. Mega D'OH. 

A haring descent back down the moor path (proper fellrunning, that!) and a painful dash through the woods.. we lost 50 points each. But there was tea and cakes and friendly chats. 

We both learned a lot, there's no better way to improve your nav in my book. Oh and to the man who bluntly told us "it's bad etiquette to stop at controls" , I hope you tore your best coat on a bramble. Everyone else we met did the cheery hellos, and he could've been kinder as we were clearly less experienced. 

"Novice leg" - shouldve worn longs..or those horrific calf guards 😜