Twilight

What a quality production the 'Fellrunner' Magazine is. Glossy, well presented and full of results and foties; the Autumn edition came through the letterbox and landed this morning with enough impact for me to mistake it for a tax return. Lost myself in it for an hour at lunchtime. Its all a magazine should be. Flicking through the pages, I noticed that Hawkhill had finished 17th in the British Champs this year (m40 category) and with a bit of further digging, found out I finished 99th in the championships on the basis of the Dollar Hill Run in July. It didn't take me long to figure out that if I do the long and short events next year too, I could reach the dizzy heights of 80th or 70-something.


With that in mind I managed to get out late in the twilight as the sun was setting, for a couple of laps through the woods (I was going to bore you with more photos of leaves and autumn colours, but at 5.30pm, this is what autumn in Britain actually looks like).

As the sun went down, a thick mist rapidly enveloped the trees and on the second lap I couldn't work out whether my eyes were failing or whether I was in a Ridley Scott movie, expecting at any time to be jumped by one of the dark silhouettes that formed as the last of the light expired.

Clagged in mud, I headed home via Lidl's, sporting my fell runner-chic look. This ensures the general public never get too close! Sometimes I get the sympathy look. For the weekends entertainment I was mulling over Lasswade XC or the Three Tops fell race at Stokesley. Think I might do both. God knows, I need the miles, but can I afford the diesel....