The Haworth Hobble (Wuthering Hike) - 12/03/2016

Out on the wiley, windy moors - Kate Bush

The first race of 2016 and a true test.  A classic route taking in 32 miles of mud and hills in Bronte country, the beautiful West Yorkshire Pennines.

Since the start of last winter I confess its been a battle to maintain motivation to run at the same mileage levels I seemed to manage in the first half of 2015.  I seem to have had one illness after another and the ankle is still a long way off 100%.  To add to that I didn't get a number for the UTMB and after much consideration I also decided to withdraw from my Plan B race, the Hardmoors 110, because of the enforced route change (due to a clash on the same weekend with a load of inconsiderate bikeists on the Tour of Yorkshire).  All in all, there have been quite a few factors which have knocked my running mojo and I was hoping to at least partially rediscover it somewhere out there in the Hills of Bronte country.

The route started on the High Street in picturesque Haworth and then after an initial climb headed West on a long and fast descent passing several reservoirs in beautiful remote countryside.  My pace felt pretty good for the first half and there were plenty of veterans around to follow avoiding having to slow down for route finding and mapwork. I was particularly pleased to be around others who knew where they were going when the route descended through winding tracks and back gardens at one stage.  All in all reasonably good progress was made.

Beautiful Scenery in Bronte Country

The true challenge of this route was still to come though with the ground going from soft to heavy and two mighty climbs up to Stoodley Pike and then out of Mankinholes which all must be done on very tired legs.  Unsurprisingly it was here that I started to struggle, the climbs just seemed to take more out of my legs than usual making it really hard to pick the pace up again after each.  My momentum was lost and I never really managed to get moving at a reasonable pace again.

A slower pace meant I was running with a few folk for a change instead of on my own in the lonely 'no mans land' I sometimes find myself in.  I was grateful for the company, to chat and particularly when the others could point out the right direction.  I would definitely have got lost without them. There were still a couple of points where the lack of route knowledge caught up with me, notably in the last few hundred yards where I ran past a turnoff and lost quite a few places (but not much time).

It had been a fantastic route with incredible views, however I'm afraid to admit the end couldn't come soon enough for my aching body and slightly bruised ego.  I finished way outside the time I had hoped for but at least I understand why.  I'm just not as strong as I was this time last year, but hopefully there will be brighter times and better runs ahead for me in 2016.  

One of the major draws for this race was to see an area of Northern countryside I have never visited and to have a crack at a classic race I had heard so much about. It wasn't my best run and I'm not sure whether my mojo has been restored, but I have to say it really was worth the aching legs to see this beautiful part of the country, for the princely race entry fee of £13!

Would I do it again, definitely but I'll be aiming for a much stronger performance next time...