Last weekend I managed two days in a row at Llandegla. Friday night was the first round of this year’s Dash in the Dark, organised by the Clwydian Range Runners. The four-mile course wasn’t too boggy or arduous, but was hard work for someone like me who’s used to longer races. I would have taken a photo, but it was a race in a dense forest at night so there wasn’t really much to see. I pushed really hard and got below 30 minutes, which I was pleased with (quicker than last year, too). There are two more races this year, so I hope I can along to those as well.

On Saturday morning I went back up with my bike. The previous evening we’d run past the shed at the entrance where the car park attendant sits – by the morning it had blown away in the increasingly strong winds! Climbing out of the car park I could hear branches snapping, and the horrific gusts continued to blow me literally off the trails, requiring me to pedal to make any progress on downhill sections more than once. By the time I made it back to the car park, all trails had been closed. Hard work, but great fun on the black trails nonetheless.