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Climb Every Mountain!

All through the cross country events, runners seemed to talk about the last race in Leek in hushed tones. "Have you done Leek before?" they ask, smiling knowingly when you say "no, this will be my first time". So what is it about the cross country at Westwood Park in Leek that has everyone so worried, that has people missing out on the final event saying "I don't do Leek!?

Well, there's this hill. It's called "Killer Hill" and, apart from a brief interlude taking a circuit around a field at the bottom of the hill, the course basically involves running up and down it.

Snow on the Distant Hills
It was a bit chilly (snow on the hills), but lovely and sunny when we arrived at Westwood to check out the course and scope out "that hill".  As before, we arrived a little bit early, in time to watch the junior races and could see first hand the challenge presented in climbing it. It was going to be tough... And the ground underfoot added to the challenge - soggy in some places; thick with mud in others; and rock hard with frost in the more shaded areas. There was even a little stream to get across.

Surveying the Scene
And so to the race... if my goals at Stafford Common were related to simply finishing, I was determined that I would try and enjoy this event, finish with a smile on my face and try to run with control. And I also wanted to appreciate the surroundings - it was a beautiful winter day and it was a treat to be outside in the sunshine. Despite the fact that there as enough mud and moisture underfoot to mean my feet were soaked through for the most of the race, it didn't deter me this time.

The race started with a downhill section, then a loop around a field at the bottom of the hill, then an uphill stretch winding up around the side of the hill, then steep downhill again and then round to the "killer hill" section, then another downhill loop before winding back uphill to the start/finish area - and we did all that twice. The pictures below should make that clear!

Route Map - Round and Round and Up and Down!

At the top of Killer Hill
For most of the first lap, the inevitably of "Killer Hill" was at the forefront of my thinking. I negotiated most of the challenges to that point without too many alarms, taking it really steady on the downhill sections to be sure of staying upright and conserving energy. And then it was time to climb that mountain... I tried to run as quickly as I could but found I could power walk my way up much faster than I could run; my slightly hunched over technique may have looked a bit odd but it kept me moving and as I soon as I got to the top, I could get back into my running stride again without too much recovery time.

Smile for the Camera!
Then it was time to do it all over again. I really enjoyed the second lap, taking a few moments to look around and enjoy my surroundings, whilst also being aware of the changing conditions underfoot.

I pushed myself up Killer Hill for the second time, managing to overtake a couple of other runners.

Then I pushed on to the finish, taking time to wave to the photographer, and made up a couple more places on the home stretch. I managed my highest place finish - 89th - and was chuffed. And I crossed the finish line smiling too.

Team-mate Bobbie was not far behind either - Potters Trotters might not have fielded enough runners to secure a team place, but we were both very proud to be included in the list of individuals who took part in each race of the league season. My overall finishing position was 42nd out of 50 runners who completed all four races. And it was a great debut for our new Potters Trotters t-shirts too!

It's all over now - with Bobbie and Beth
Despite the hills and the undeniable challenge of Killer Hill, I enjoyed it. I climbed every mountain, forded every stream. I might even try again next year.

Happy Running

LizT
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