Miracle kit

Now that's an idea - buying the right kit is enough to keep you fit!
It took more than that to prepare for today, my 2nd trail race, and longer and harder than the last one.
(for those who aren't aware of these it's running mainly off-road and on paths & tracks on a marked course, hills may well be involved).
I was running the 10k (actually 11.3) and Mr Rat the 17k (possibly 18) which had an added loop. We started in Staveley and had hardly gone any distance when we started steadily uphill on a minor road up Kentmere and then onto a track when the road ended. At the top of the hill a grassy section led to a steep and rough downhill bit back to the valley floor, briefly along the river and then up a short, steeper section of road (walked a short bit) to a pause for water and jelly babies. Then gentler up and a down section before heading up over fields to the top of Reston Scar and the "sting in the tail" - a short steep bit to the summit where there was a drumming band to spur us on. (3 very short, rough sections had to be walked by me causing someone to comment if must be getting harder as they'd seen me running the rest). Finally 1k steeply downhill back to Staveley, great fun!
My time was within what I'd hoped (1.28) for and I came 166 out of 278 which I reckoned wasn't bad. Mr Rat did much better, 21 out of 441, though if he's been in the race (same distance but for faster people and with more prizes) he'd have been lower down the field.