Cwm Glas horseshoe

Peaks: Garnedd Ugain, Yr Wyddfa

Area: Snowdon, Eryri

Another of my crowd-avoiding variants up Snowdon, this was really just an attempt to give myself a cloud inversion opportunity. It is a game of chance, however, and I didn't win today (despite the fact that superb conditions prevailed a day or two ago). The Cyrn Las ridge is always a nice option, I remember first doing it in the 1980s when it felt like we were pioneers of the route. It is a bit more popular these days, indeed some people call it the Cwm Glas ridge, which isn't a bad description either, although I think of it as the former given the prominence of that crag as you ascend. I was tired after yesterday's race so it was slow, plodding progress into the mist. Sadly that mist stayed thick all the way up the ridge, through the scrambly sections, and up Garnedd Ugain. No hope of a clearance, but I carried on to the top of Snowdon anyway - no inversion, just damp clag, so I scampered down the Pyg track, tiring badly, and then cut down the craggy hillside towards Dinas Cromlech. There's a reason few people do this - it has several awkward crags and is generally arduous, but it does effectively cut the corner avoiding Pen y Pass.

Delamere trail half

Race: Delamere trail half marathon

Time/Position: 1.32.29 (4th from 479 [1st V50])

After winning my category at the Nantwich 10k a couple of years ago, I have kept something of a streak going: with prizes of a free entry to any of the RunThrough events, I followed up with more age category wins at the Ladybower Trail half and then the Carsington Water Trail half. This was in the same mould but much closer to home in Delamere. As with all these races, there's a large field of leisure runners but the routes are actually really good and very enjoyable. Some of the racing pressure is off, and I am still cogniscent of the fact this is my fallow year, so I took it gently, at least at first for the spiralling climb up Old Pale. From the top, no time to enjoy the views on a rather murky but mild and still autumn day. The route then commences on a tortuous route through various sections of Delamere, much of which was familiar, much of which wasn't. From the top, it headed down familiar tracks towards Manley Common, occasionally on the Sandstone Trail route, and then it curved back east towards Hatchmere before looping Blakemere Moss, like the parkrun, before another tortuous detour led to the finish. It was enjoyable throughout, quite muddy in places, steep in others, twisting in others. I gradually made my way through the field, and was alone at the end, although well behind third place.

British fell relays (Yorkshire Dales)

Race: Fell Relays leg 3 (12k/600m)

Time/Position: 1.45 (98th)

Back at the fell relays for the first time since 2017 or 2018, captaining Buckley's team this year. A beautiful location for it, at Appletreewick in Wharfedale, and a very enjoyable day for our team of six. That said, Huw was carrying an injury for our nav leg and really suffered, and we did finish much lower down the field than in our previous six times at the event (I have been the only 'ever present' since our first when it came to the Clwydians in 2007). It's always great to watch the top teams finish their legs, and it was particularly spectacular this year as the start and finish was up a brutally steep hill. Andy, Bonj and Simon had got us off to a good start on legs one and two. The day had brightened up after a dank and claggy start and was now superbly clear, luckily enough for us on the navigation leg. The start headed up the very steep hill common to all legs, before picking up the map at a farmhouse and then heading off across featureless moorland to the first checkpoint. The terrain was hard, minimal climbing but tussocky and boggy underfoot. We headed towards the fence a little too early but corrected ourselves and then headed to distant checkpoint two, right out to the north. This was hidden in a sinkhole, but we'd already seen checkpoint three near a small lake so picked that up easily before the long next leg - for which we took a good line contouring awkward terrain to drop down into the steep valley of the Dibb. A really steep descent - indeed all of this terrain was a nightmare for Huw, who was really struggling to maintain any kind of pace. Then came an extremely steep climb back out and a long circuitous section to pick up the three or four checkpoints around the Dibb valley. Moving slowly but at least we got our lines bang on, and then it was a cruel out-and-back over Kail hill, awful again for Huw but we had no real choice aside from lower contouring, before finishing back down the steep descent. Our worst ever team performance but still a really enjoyable day, complete with chilli and local pale ale in the barn, and then a pint at the superb Craven Arms.

Eirias Park XC

Race: Eirias Park, North Wales XC League 1 (8.3k)

Time/Position: 33.42 (45th from 152)

Despite the lowly position, this was a rather pleasing performance and very enjoyable by cross-country standards: the first fixture of the new season. I had never done the course before, and it takes three and a half large loops round the edge of Eirias Park with sea views in places. I was relatively conservative, mindful of my total lack of recent training in my rest year, but was pleased to find I had decent legs and felt reasonably strong. I moved slowly through the field albeit well off the pace, and almost caught Jez at the end. Surprisingly dry underfoot and a classic XC course with a great blend of steep hills, woods and fields.

Runcorn BL

Race: Norton Priory 5m (Border League race 1)

Time/Position: 30.07 (79th from 440)

With no designs on trying to retain my V50 title from last season, this was just a case of making up the numbers. So I was pleased to be 8th scorer for Buckley, as I really felt the lack of training on this one. It started in Norton Priory on the edge of Runcorn then ran around old tracks to gain the canal which was familiar to me as it is also taken by the Phoenix parkrun. I felt quite fresh at the start, which was unusually frantic, a downhill pelt through mud on a very narrow path. Staying upright was key, and the paths remained fairly tight for the size of field. Later, the canal led to a reverse of the parkrun route and then a second lap, on which I really felt the pace but didn't completely blow. Way down the field, and only good enough for 5th V50, but perhaps not as bad as I had feared.

Chester parkrun

'Race': Chester parkrun

Time/Position: 18.52 (11th from 372)

As with everything else this fallow year, I don't want to atrophy completely so thought I should do the parkrun by way of a range finder before next weekend's border league opener. I didn't time the event or look at my watch, so was pleasantly surprised to go under 19, not too bad given that I have been resting from racing since March.

King John's Castle

Race: King John's Castle fell race

Time/Position: 51.01 (4th from 46)

A route change this year marked Amanda's first year of organising it. This added a considerable amount of climbing to what was previously a fast and runnable course. I've only done it twice before, finishing second in 2015 and third in 2022, so this was very much on trend! The usual opening climb towards Moel Gyw, then the always enjoyable descent before contouring round the side of Moel y Plas before heading straight up the eastern slopes of that hill, completely pathless. A small group of three formed, and I descended reasonably well before struggling on the steep OD climb to the col below Moel Gyw. A decent descent and then it was just the flat-out road blast to the finish, with me around half a minute in front of 5th, but well behind 3rd.