Round 1

Hill 1: In the bag

Mike Morgan
summit1

Great Chishill. It sounds like it should be some towering natural edifice, rather than a scrappy corner of a field next to a small copse of trees. It was a good start though, and perhaps a good way to revise my expectations a little. The lack of hills in and around Cambridge, and my distinct lack of fitness, made this a somewhat tougher challenge than I had expected.

I planned the route out yesterday after picking up a few OS maps from a local outdoor shop (there’s only one in Cambridge that actually sells maps, so no points for guessing). I can’t work out how to render or insert a Google map with the route on, so here’s a crappy photo of the route drawn out on a map (OS Explorer 194). The small red cross is the “summit”, in the loosest possible sense.

the route

And to prove it here’s a link to my Endomondo page with the route and elevations:

https://www.endomondo.com/users/3375171/workouts/889759118

I was joined by my housemate Fred, which I was very grateful of by the end, as I was flagging on the last slog back to the car (and the awaiting beer). I’ve already broken one of my rules, which was to bring back a keepsake of some sort; I couldn’t find any little stones. I think I might make this a very flexible rule, afterall, I’ve got the maps, “summit” selfie and Endomondo records. Perhaps for some of the hills that are a little further afield I’ll bring back something a bit more special.

selfie

One of the main points of this blog, is so that I can look back and see what mistakes I’ve made, and what progress I’ve made in my running. I really, really enjoyed this first part of the challenge, despite it being a bit harder than I was expecting. We had a really strong side/head wind for half of the route, which added to the fun. Not to mention 2 miles in we discovered the crucial footbridge to get us back onto the path was absent. In it’s place was some red plastic bollards and rail fence. In the spirit of adventure we clambered down the steep embankement and leapt the 4 feet across to the other side. A little bit of climbing skills came in handy to get up the 5 foot vertical wall on the other side. We both made it fine, but came away with more than our fair share of scratches and scrapes from all of the brambles. If that was the start of the route, then we were going to be in for a good little adventure. Both Fred and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, partly for the adventure (and a bit of route-finding faff), but also because it was harder then we expected. I had focussed so much on getting a route that took in the summit I didn’t entirely pay attention to contours for the rest of the route. As the old adage says, what goes up must come down, and vice versa!

It was a great start to the challenge, and I’ve already learnt a few things for the next challenge. The first is to carry more water and not worry about the extra weight. I’m not running any mountains yet, so I don’t really need to worry too much about going lightweight. I’d also bring some food to leave in the car for when we return. Luckily we had parked in a pub car park, so we grabbed a cheeky half pint and some nuts, but I don’t think I’ll be able to guarantee that for all of the hills. Which brings me on to a new rule:

  • Always have a beer at the end.

That should keep me motivated.

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