SUNDAY 17TH OCTOBER
UKA FELL & HILL RUNNING RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS
[LEG 1] 9.7m/2400ft
FALKLAND, FIFE

A few weeks of sensible and consistent training later and I was feeling better than I had done all year. A change of job had also started to benefit my running and for various reasons all round, it would be fair to say I was just about starting to feel rather good about myself in all departments for the first time in a good while. Even getting up at an eyelid-drooping time of 3:55am on a cold and dark Sunday morning after barely five hours sleep didn't phase me. Travelling up there with Jonathan Bridge and John Chaplin, little was said at all in that vehicle until we stopped for a coffee deep into the black hole of the M74. Having been pretty much ready to stop for a wee at Johnstonebridge services and realising we had past it by the time I was about to speak up, I had to hang on for another bladder twisting 30 miles until the next one, trying as hard as I could to think of the driest, most arrid landscapes imaginable whilst convincing myself of the benefits of the many extra nutrients I was retaining. Despite that bit of sufferance, I still felt good after the long journey when we reached our destination just outside the village of Falkland. I think the comfortable ride in Jon's tank-like Volvo can take much of the praise for that.
I was on the first leg with Matt Nuttall, so there was little time to get too settled at base camp. We were off and away at 10:30am. I was really pleased to be feeling quite confident as we set out with Matt setting the pace but certainly not killing me as we run along the hillside towards West Lomond. Up the steep power-walk to the summit I found myself feeling better and better and so pushed on. Whether Matt was struggling a bit after his time-trial on the bike the previous day or was just letting me lead to make me feel good I do not know, but I seemed to be pacing things on the descent and then again up the next climb to checkpoint four. From here though, Matt started to pull from me and I was having to do a bit of serious hanging on for ten minutes or so. The strap on my dibber broke and having to root around for it in deep heather did not help matters and cost me another 20 yards on him. Just as I was starting to wonder what the hell Matt was playing at, I began to close him in as we ascended West Lomond again. It turns out he just wanted to get a head start on me because, by his standards, he was struggling on the steep climbs. This is what is known as good teamwork. Mr Passco, take note!
Not really aware of our position at this point, we were expecting to start picking off a few teams once off the West summit. We were in the company of Rossendale's Stansfield and Preedy and so nearly 300 miles from home, local rivalry was still at stake. The Rossy pair flew down the West as if the finish line was at the bottom, but there was a good few miles to go and it was generally good running from here. We saw off our Lancastrian friends and a good few other teams from here and despite Matt taking a wee tumble and bouncing around in the heathers for a few seconds, we finished very strongly to chalk up 21st spot. For me that was a decent result. Better still, Matt seemed to enjoy it, so job done.
The rest of the team did their bit in the face of adversity. Our club's top fell runner Tom Cornthwaite was under the weather with a cold and 'overweight' by his high standards of skininess, but was never going to shy from the cause. John C. had the unenviable task of deciphering the navigation leg and after a wrong turn early on, recovered to get through a tough examination with Danny Maynard in toe who gained a couple more hours of valuable experience on the fells. Jon Bridge had the equally unenviable task of trying to keep focussed and warm having been up and about way before the crack of dawn and waiting around to run the final leg. As a team we finished thirtieth-something, but when some of our neighbouring clubs with more established fell running reputations didn't even make the journey, just being there was a triumph in itself. 
Time: 1.29:16