Full Circle

Having run my 3rd Puma Hawkshead Trail Race in a personal best time,it occurred to me that it's a little while now since I started doing this off road running lark. Not a long time in the global scale of things but long enough for me to have run races more than once or twice so that I should know better than to run them again.
So as I stand at start of my 4th Grisedale Grind, I realise that older is definately not wiser. You see, this is where it all started, only 3 years ago, it seems like a lifetime. I'd done a bit of running, 2 half marathons & 2 ten milers in the space of 8 weeks plus the training, I'd split from my wife so had thrown myself into getting fitter as a diversion to take my mind off it. Always fancied a go at fell running after all those years of walking them. How hard could it be?
Spurred on by Richard Asquith's 'Feet in the Clouds', I entered the Grisedale Grind race. Foolishly thinking that 2.5 miles would be a reasonable introduction, surely I could manage that.
Manage it I did, what I couldn't manage was walking downstairs for the next two days which is a bit tricky when your place of work is spread over 5 storeys. Oh how my colleagues laughed.
And so here I am again, the race is a little shorter than the 1st time as the start has moved over the road but it's no less steep. I know about category A,B & C races now & L,M & S, so I know now why this is an AS race. Wish I'd known 3 yrs ago.
And then we're off, no time to contemplate life now just concentrate on putting every muscle in your body to best effect. A short run on forest track brings us to the gate out on to the fell, then it's only up for the next mile. A lung bursting 27 minutes for me, by the time I get to the top the leader has finished & is probably getting changed. A quick thank you to the summit marshall, 10 minutes down & I'm finished too. Another one completed & another PB, drive home with the biggest grin on my face imaginable and even now a week later I'm still grinning because tomorrow is Lords Seat on the other side of the road and I get to do it all over again!
Rock on.