Trilogy

It was a hard week at work and it would have been easy to succumb to the natural temptation to take a lie in this morning and chill a little. But that wouldn't do. I took the Dales bus out to Kettlewell to run the Great Whernside Fell Race, perhaps my favourite short fell race on the calendar. The weather was again very mild and it was definitely a shorts and vest job, even with a bit of clag on the summit. I enjoyed a half decent run, a couple of minutes quicker than last year and less than a minute slower than three years ago. I call that a result, considering the minimal training this year.

I took the camera with me but never actually managed to take it out - a sure sign that I had my racing head on today. It felt good to be competing and I enjoyed a real adrenaline buzz on the descent. This is why I had to race today: to provide an antidote to the flatness and lethargy I've felt in the week as a result of spending too many hours at the computer. I've been on a high all day since the race.

I caught up with a few old friends at the finish and then set off for a warm-down walk/jog back up the fell again. As forecast, the clouds started to break, permitting the sun to occasionally burst through, providing the most dramatic illumination. These periods of brilliant light never lasted very long. You had to be quick - and decide whether to get a shot from the spot where you were or run to a better vantage point and risk losing the light altogether. I got that wrong a couple of times! I thought I had loads of time to return to Kettlewell to catch the bus but too much photography inevitably meant another fast descent to get back in time. No surprise that to anyone who knows me!