Races and Comps

Last saterday we headed to Nottingham to take part in the UK athletics Cross challenge final and European trials selection race at woolaton park. The biggest Cross country race of the year in the UK. We've both ran the race in previous years and it's such a cool day with the Sky sports TV camerac stationed at various points around the 12km course. Some on quad bikes, soem up in towers, some under bushes and one cool one an a big boom that sweeps over the runners charging down the forrest avenue. We were both selected to race for North Wales. Proud to be selected but feeling worse for wear after the week of disrupted training and also afraid to take part in such a competitive race on the mucky terrain incase my sciatica flares up again (long story...) i bowed out and Caroline raced.

Sunday we did something different. I dislike climbing comps.... probably because i'm too weak to crank and i've never really liked indoor climbing. But seeing as how our local wall had organised a comp and we wanted to support the organiser we showed up and climbed - we won. I came in 1st with 595 out of 600 points (lost 5 points for 1 failed attempt at a running jump Dawes style problem) over the comp's 40 boulder problems and Caroline trashed the other female competitors and was thrown into the Men's comp where she thrashed all of them to finish second behind me! we won a cup and 6 months free climbing (on the condition that i could flash the hardest problem in the comp in my trainers at the end, which i did). Just as well coz now i don't feel too bad about dismantling my training board before selling my house - i've unlimited use of the wall with it's moon board :)