Despite all the hashing I’ve been involved with this was just about the first time I’ve run in about a month – I wasn’t sure how my body would react, but when I got started, it was clearly ready to run. Fantastic that the heat has dropped, the air is clean, and my legs have some stamina!
I got the first few checks right, after spotting some paper on the approach to the A-site (shelter on way to Tiger Head). We looped around the weir and back across the road. I finally got a circle wrong when I ran into a backcheck – clearly marked from the other direction. I was tempted to run through it, but played the game and went back, and after another loop I was back at the front chuckling to myself as I saw Cartoon headed towards the same backcheck. I jogged over to the square lake, and kept getting checks right as we headed towards the trail behind the ‘locked’ gate. I was ahead again there until Cartoon suddenly jumped out of the forest in front of me.
I figured Graven would stick with the lower trails as he is setting another run on Saturday from the Tiger’s Head, but nope – he took us up the hill. For once I enjoyed the climb, having got the check at the bottom, I slotted in behind the FRBs and trudged up with Shrek. What goes up must come down – woot woot! It was time to set off, and Emmaroyde was a demon on the descent! I was literally sprinting down the hill when he asked if he could pass! A slight muddle at the last check had me fighting off a pack of dogs before a long finale down the road.
Great, great run!