I'll keep this blog as short as possible as I'm in desperate need of a training run.
Training run? What other type of effort is there? Apart from the odd parkrun in the last few months, the last race I competed in was the Silkstone Shuffle in 2018. If fact it was my one and only race during those 12 months.
Paid my membership today and should once again be able to run as a member of a club.
Don't worry, it won't mean an end to my photography. Taking part in events has become more and more expensive and I'll be looking for those cheap and cheerful local races.
Travellers 6: The weather forecast wasn't looking too good. Although the temperature was reasonable, it was the predicted weather front of freezing rain that worried me the most. Would I finish up having to drive home with black ice on the road? Would the race actually take place?
Being a bit of a wimp, I was hoping for a postponement.
Gritted my teeth and hoped that the roads had had the same treatment.
Parked up around 10ish in my usual spot and purchased a decent cuppa of coffee from the cafe just across the road. Plenty of time to walk round the first part of the course and choose my initial snapping point.
Called in at the Pie Hall and said my hellos to a number of runners and marshals. Still clutching my cuppa, I made my way round the corner and up the first climb. Quite a bit of grit had been laid down but it still appeared to be a bit icy on the descent. They'd have to be cautious on the final part of the course. Hopefully no-one would come a cropper.
I'd taken photos on a climb last year but decided to move further up the course to see if there were any "flat bits" that may be slightly less demanding for the runners.
Found a decent bend and assumed that they would take the shortest route, the inside rather than the long way round. Quite liked the curve of the road and this would allow me to include a number of bodies, rather than shoot from head on.
I'd only a rough idea of how big or small the runners would appear in the composition with the 85mm on the camera. I really could do with another body with me. They could run through the composition and I could then position myself the correct distance from the athletes.
The settings were as follows: Shutter speed was 1/800th of a second, possibly too quick but I'd rather be safe and not come away with blurred images.
The aperture was f4, unfortunately this meant that not everyone in the shot would be in focus.
Due to the spot I'd chosen, poor light due to cloud cover, the ISO here ranged from 5,600 to 7,200. Grainy images with a lack of detail were the order of the day. Ah well, you just have to put up with what you're given on the day.
Some decent shots with just a few of the runners taking the pavement route to the finish.
This might be my last time at the finish line. I'm either going to stay at the same point as I'd snapped them on their way out, or I might just run it for a change. It all depends on how the training goes during 2023.
Gareth Cooke was the race winner
Naomi Drakeford won the ladies race.
I'm running the Ambles Revenge next week instead of snapping it. No Christmas/New Year parkrun snapping either, giving photography a rest for a while.
Next outing will hopefully be at The Trigger race. Hoping the weather won't be too bad and I can take up my usual position at Crowden Little Brook.
