The Ilkley Harriers Borrowdale Assault Team

It felt like the clock had been turned back thirty years. A car full of runners (it was just going to be Forrest driving me, then suddenly we had three more), which made for a party atmosphere - stories being told, lots of excitement and anticipation, and no little fear, especially when the expected rain came as we drove up the M6. I've been there so often, a general forecast of showery weather meaning that it was going to be persistent rain in the Lakes, especially when heading to the Borrowdale Fells, home to the wettest place in England. 

I was certainly feeling the fear. I'd only had one run in the Lakes all year. I'd not even done any walking in the fells. The weather was going to be shit. I doubted I was going to be able to finish.

As it turned out, my lack of fell fitness proved to be a far bigger problem than the weather, which was much better than expected. The cloud stayed mostly away from the tops and there were only a few showers of rain. Visibility was good throughout, which meant that navigation was pretty straightforward. We were incredibly lucky.

Unfortunately, the lack of conditioning meant that I was fighting cramp from the top of Great Gable. The steep descents are tricky when you're not fully in control of your legs! With a lot of boggy ground underfoot and wet rock throughout, I did well to take only one major tumble. My main objective was simply to finish and that I achieved. I was slower than I'd hoped to be, but time became irrelevant towards the end when I had no choice but to take the descents with care. It's a ridiculous route to race around. When you finish, it's hard to believe that you've been over all those summits. You're so focussed in the moment, it's almost as if the rest of the world goes away. 

So what's the point? Part of it, of course, was sharing this with Forrest. I never expected him to show an interest. And I never expected to be able to do this race again, so many years after thinking my knees would never allow it. He found it pretty brutal. He's certainly running fit at the moment but not fell fit. Fell running is an entirely different sport. For the record, he finished in 4.09. I completed in 5.39! And my best time, 35 years ago, was 3.21!! Forrest has renewed respect for what his old man could do in the day. So have I.

Why was I looking forward to this so much, when I knew I was going to get battered, both physically and mentally? I guess it's about writing a story to be able to tell in the years to come. It's about challenging myself to do something right on the edge of my ability, not knowing if I'm going to be successful. There's a buzz around that, the feeling you're left with when you finish. It's very hard to put into words.

I should mention that while Forrest and I were on the fells this morning, Roam and Shenny got married. They failed to consult us on the date and we had this race in the diary first. Apparently, it was a lovely ceremony. Roam got back in time for his cricket match, where he reckoned he bowled the best he has all season, helping to secure a win on a day when no other team in the division managed to get a result because of the weather. 

We all convened later for a family celebration, E included. It was all very lovely. Roam and Shenny were glowing. It rounded off a very good and thoroughly eventful day.