Thurstaston MT race

Race: Thurstaston Multi-Terrain Challenge (6m)
Time/Position: 38.38 (15th from 143 [3rd V40])
I blew up disastrously on this race last year, really suffering in the last mile having got the pacing wrong. A complete contrast tonight: thoroughly enjoyed the excellent course, but started far too slowly, found myself well off the pace and finished 90 seconds slower than 2014. Perhaps next year I will finally pace it correctly! It's a great race, genuinely multi-terrain. A heavy shower passed over just before the start, but a very strong cross/headwind made life predictably tricky for the initial two mile run along the beach. Black clouds billowing over the Dee estuary and the Welsh hills. I was very conservative along the beach, but it is good fun skipping through the stones and deciding whether to opt for the wet sand. The route heads gently uphill through a housing estate before dipping into the woods and a rollercoaster ride along twisting paths and steep steps. All good fun. I was feeling pretty good, but this was probably just a result of my slow pace. After another tarmac section, the finish is along the seemingly endless Wirral cycle path that heads back to the reserve centre via some fields. Picked up a prize for 1st V40 but only by default!