Review: Macclesfield Forest (Twin Peaks Day 1) 2nd Interland Selection Race

So, as I mentioned in the preview, on Saturday, I traveled up to Macclesfield Forest with Dad and Harriet. Before setting off, I was exhausted to be honest, having worked until 12:30 the previous night and had a bad nights sleep, my start to the day was slow. However, having realised this, I knew that in the past before races, a negative outlook before hand has often proved to add to many of the problems I've had during races. So, we arrived maybe 40 minutes before my start time, which oddly I prefer as it means I don't have to wait around and over think about the race, it seems to help settle my nerves and relax in to my optimum pre-race mind set. So, shoes, I opted for my inov-8 oroc 280's, as the weather was a touch damp and area had enough rough slopes to warrant the grip. With them taped, there was enough time for just a quick toilet stop then off to the start.

Walk to the start was supposedly 1000m but I seemed to cover this quickly and so doubled back on myself and did it again forming the first part of my warm up. Saw a few other competitors but tried to keep the conversations to a minimum, something that having talked with my coach (Emily) will help with my pre-race preparations. Drills followed, lunges, knee and heel races, strides, cross overs, just general warm up drills really. Then headed to the boxes with a couple of minutes to spare really trying to focus and get in the zone before I started.

The race. 7.1km 425m climb 15controls. I decided it was going to be a long race so there was no need to rush off from the start. Opted for the contouring route to the first control, dropping in to the rough open, crossing the wall on the small (I think bike?) track the following it up to the other wall and dropping in to the control. Decided quickly that the fastest way to 2 was taking the long path route round so headed that was. As I cut out of the woods on the track, saw Charlie just ahead (-1min) so next aim was to try and catch/overtake him on the path. Didn't quite manage it as we took different approaches in to the control, I headed low and contoured while he took the path along and dropped in, he arrived just after myself so I imagine my way may have been slightly quicker. 3 was a tricky control, as whilst there was essentially one way to it, there were a number of ways of executing the leg. I ended up hitting the path then cutting across the rough open then up through the green, which admittedly was slower than going all the way around the path, but found the control (after veering too far right) comfortably. Off to 4, probably my biggest slip of the course, headed well, on a bearing, straight to the vegetation boundary and the down and across the path in to the next section, hitting another control and checking if it was mine. It wasn't. Annoying really as was quite a way away from my control. Then messed up as I headed too far right and dipped in to the gully before realising and checking back and spiking the control. Charlie had caught me up again at this point so headed off again hunting him down to the road crossing then across and on to the grueling unavoidable climb up to 5. Not a hard control, but just couldn't get my hill legs working so huffed and puffed all the way up, with a few too many stops for my liking before dipping in to the flatter green woods at the top. 6, I executed well. Had decided during the climb to 5, that to win the race I'd have to take a couple of 'safe' risks, this being the first. I hit the ruined wall just inside the light green and powered through the really rough darker green, always keeping the wall in sight to my right hand side. Quite a funny control as all I could here was others who had taken the same route as me grunting their way through which was highly amusing. Anyway, came out of the green in to the lush open forest and it was then simply a case of dipping over the rise in to the re entrant and grabbing the control. Another, I think, slight slip on 7, should have taken the high open route rather than low and on the path but again, execution was good and I came upon the control with no problems. 8, again was another harsh climb. Across the road crossing on to the fell then straight up the hill in to the gully for the control. Not a hard control but a sapping one and so took the opportunity on 9, to recover a bit. Really
pleased with 9 as again I headed straight, knowing that if I stayed on the same level as I was on then, I'd simply land on the control. Overshot slightly, hitting the wall and having to follow it along but I was only roughly 50m off so not too much to worry about there. Straight again to 10, taking the ascent rather than edging around and up the ridge, found it again very well. Good route to 11, simplified well, simply keeping the rough/open area to my left hand side and counting the ponds as they came before heading on to the small spur to get the control. Reasonably straight again on 12, heading gradually up and through the green and white patches before landing on the control, with just being a touch hesitant in the circle. Same story again really on 13, up and across the ridge, but I'm convinced it was too far west, lost a few seconds in confusion whilst actually being in the circle itself. 14 was an absolutely gorgeous leg, pushing 1.5km straight line (I think), half downhill and then around the lake towards the finish area. 2 distinctly different routes, left or right essentially. I took right through the woods, hitting the slope and following it all the way down to around number 9, before hitting the paths down to the road crossing. Across here, taking the ride through the woods before heading around the edge of the lake and over the next road crossing in to the green area and the control. Bit of a slip in the green, any longer and I could have thrown the race but corrected myself and doubled back to the control. Route was actually somehow almost 2 minutes slower than others on the other route, not sure how but there you go. Somehow on 15, took almost 30seconds out of some people just heading straight rather than taking the path so a win for my route choice there and the in to the finish.

Really happy with another selection race win, "2/3 ain't bad"(music joke there), so hopefully prospects are looking good. Was absolutely dead after this race so am really pleased with the effort I put in to this race. Obviously I'll head to the next selection race with the same attitude of just trying to get the job done, but many positives to take form this race. Link to route gadget is here: http://www.mdoc.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin/reitti.cgi?act=map&id=158&kieli= Short Brown (GPS) at the bottom. Onwards and upwards my friends...