That hurt! Not too badly during, but afterward seems to have been an all time worst recovery- for the thighs at least! Going down stairs on Mon. & Tue. wasn't an easy option.
We got a great day for it though, enabling cracking views, not just of the hills-but, as usual, of a clean pair of Phil Sanderson heels skimming the heather way ahead! I dug in early to hold second place for a while, but eventual 2nd placer Chris Edis came past just before the start of the climb up Cheviot itself and went away with a fantastic ascent, never seeming to clip his long stride and never walking either. I kept the rhythm going on the up, dropping into a pitter-patter stride to chip away at the steep bits (anything to avoid walking) and didnt altogether lose touch with Chris ahead. Maybe even reeled a bit in on the flagstones at the top where I got the hammer down again, feeling bouyant and secure in 3rd place- no-one behind seemed to be in touch. Ascending faces and words of encouragement became increasingly blurred as I hurtled into the descent, and the gazelle style stride only got interrupted by one calf-grabbing suck from the only wet bit on the whole of the hill, right at the dip before the rise up the Scald again! Made a slight wrong turn after the Scald, bearing off to the right too soon on a rogue sheeptrack, but didnt go far astray, found the right junction and barrelled on down to the road. Tarmac was a bit of a shock after the springy underfoot on the hill, but, thankfully, there's not much of it to the finish line. Young Will Marshall, paying the Cheviots another visit from his home turf of Yorkshire, was the next face to appear and must've had a good downward stretch pulling up a place in the process. The sun kept shining for everyone else to get through the finish, and onward to the dishing out of prizes by organiser Glen, and a donation to the Northumberland Search & Rescue, often at hand providing cover at events like these. Fabulous!
