A perfect day for Withens Skyline

Miles to date: 930 
Races to date: 33 
££ to date: £892 (inc £45 cash offline) www.justgiving.com/teams/1000miles

Withens Skyline Fell Race - this is a beautiful, 6.5mile loop running out from Penistone Hill up t'Stoop, o'er t'moor, on t'Top Withens and back via Bronte Falls. This years race was a stunner. The day glorious in autumnal sunshine and unseasonably hot! 

I really didn't feel great. We'd been partying the night before (thanks Sian and Tony) which obviously required the consumption of a few glasses of the red stuff. I'd also had a sore throat for most of the week and niggling cold like symptoms which were clearly additional to the 'hangover like' symptoms the red stuff had caused. Add in to the mix some sleep deprivation and it was the perfect cocktail for assembling at the start of this little race! 

It was a great turn out and totally different atmosphere to usual. No one was hopping from foot to foot, the air wasn't hanging frozen as your breath left your body, that yellow golden orb hanging low in the sky was caressing everyone in a big warm hug! Lots of happy, smiley faces and the chitter chatter of folks who haven't seen each other since the last time they were stood around on a moor anticipating the torture to come. 

I paid no attention at the start, other than to note the distinct lack of fancy Hallowe'en dress, and as a result set off further back in the field than my plan which had been to stick tight to the Crabtree woman (hadn't told her that though)! Leaving the quarry and setting off at a stop start pace held by the bottle necking as the pack moved through the winding, hole filled, muddy path I did wonder why I'd set off. 

Breathing over the first two or three miles was a bit of a problem. My nose didn't work, my lungs felt constantly empty and I developed a stitch in my shoulder (I now have the explanation for that thanks C). The ground was wonderfully spongy with bog in bogs and more boggyness filled with liquid peat and moss covered lagoons of muddiness. The great bonus of running towards the back of a fell race is jumping through peat bogs churned up by 500+ feet! 

As we climbed up toward the Stoop I found some hidden energy and found myself gaining on Camille who was elegantly wading through patches of knee deep moss bog. However, my lack of any breakfast left me with nothing as she pulled away on the flat past the Stoop and across the waterlogged peat to Withens. 

I run up there a lot with Blue and I can't but help smile at just how astoundingly beautiful it is and we had a picture perfect day lending a view across miles and miles into the distance. I found my legs as we left the ruin at Top Withens and set off down to Bronte Waterfalls. I found myself passing Lorna, a friend and slightly younger Keighley member but a much better runner than me. Once in front of her I found something in me that kept me going - perhaps I was having a better run than I had thought! I could see Camille just in front and as I climbed up the side of the waterfall I caught sight of the lovely Mrs Newbold. Buoyed I climbed well but as I hit the flat moor at the top I crashed! 

The final furlong with some amazing support from friends and spectators - thanks everyone! 

No breakfast was a terrible idea! I had absolutely nothing left in me. Last nights wine had got me this far but even that volume of calories had run out. Lorna bounced past me as we approached the end of the fell - such energy! The last mile or so felt like wading through treacle. My legs were leaden, feet dragging but the support, cheers and claps as I struggled up the hill to the finish - all hope of catching anyone vanished into another pipe dream - was just fabulous. Thank you so much - especially to Jath who cheered "the scary lady" - made me smile a lot!!! 

Joe, Katie, Caren, Dave and yours truly - very scary! Thanks to Dave Woodhead for another classic picture!  

Perhaps I should have said earlier - I ran as a Vampire in full face paint, glittering in the sunshine. I did win a prize ... for the fancy dress - the only one daft enough! 

To finish I must say thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far and a particularly massively enormous bucketful of thanks to Vodka - you star mate - I'll get you up P-y-G next month. And extra thanks with a hug to Frances for her second donation in memory of her friend - you're a special lady Fran x 

Simon and I taking in the sun watching the Quarry runs

70 miles to go .......