Sunday 26 July - The first training session, The Gritstone Tryal

I started this blog the day i returned from a 12 day trip to Italy. Less than 24 hours after getting off the plane, my suntan and I turned up at Teggs Nose near Macclesfield to run the Gritstone Tryal - a navigation event as much as a fellrace. It was 15 miles and had about 2000' climbing in it.

The idea was to hit the ground running, as it were, and to get myself working hard after a 12 days of fabulous Italian ice cream, creamy pasta, cheese on everything etc etc. I wasn't expecting much, just to get round.

The weather started foul, with very limited visibility and persistant rain. I got my map and off we all went towards the first checkpoint. I got lost. Fuming with myself, I took real close care of my nav from that point and ran my heart out to catch a group (presumably back markers) and just kept plugging. It was great to be out and I didn't expect to finish high up or anything, just a good workout. I latched onto a group which had one of those guys at the front that speaks loudly about knowing where he is going. They usually don't, and he didn't. Craftily, i studied the map and could see the mistake he was making and let the group of sheep follow. As I dropped off the back, a rather pleasant girl did the same and we sneaked off in the right direction to the finish. Imagine my surprise to find I was 10th and the girl who ran in with me was 1st lady. We were both chuffed with that. If i hadn't had cocked up the first checkpoint, who knows.... One to pot hunt at next year perhaps!!!

All in all, a good start, but my calves are in agony after that...