#curiosityfoxes

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Phil Gale Emmie Collinge - Valencia Ciudad del Running on Exposure

We rarely forget our marathon finishes, the target that we spend six-months-plus working towards, our daily routines revolving around those two inches of white on the road. On the day, those 42 kilometres are the only witnesses to the entirety of our jubilation and desolation, the highs and lows, culminating in that longed-for finishing straight. But what if an agent says that 2:08 isn’t enough? What if there are equally as quick runners vying for the win? What if your target time of 2:45 proves out of reach? There are so many what ifs when it comes to marathons.

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The season of cross-country: of standing around stamping your feet to keep warm, of blowing on your fingers to keep the circulation going, of rasping breaths and frozen ground, destroyed by tractors and cemented into place by the below-zero temperatures. 

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The onset of winter is doing its best to be forthcoming, but the sun is courageously battling through, leaving pockets of soft grass, treacherous icy descents and those deceptively deep sections of snow. Climbing up from Hittisau, this is the ridge that runs between Austria and Germany. 

We’re on the road once more but grabbing every opportunity as it arises. The footwell in the car is littered with maps and we’re a third of the way through our journey to the UK as we enter Austria. The predicted snow levels are still a far-flung dream but certain mountains have been graced with its presence. Those are the ones we wanted to stop at. 

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The temperature drops and the warm clothes come out, but even though you’re in the mountains, walking next to a frozen lake, a little secondhand delight will keep you toasty like a husky running. 

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The season’s virtually over but there’s still a need and a desire to keep pushing. Hill repeats behind the house, taking the road up the mountain and reaching the plateau with its fountain. It’s never easy having to control the internal dialogue that wants you to ease back, to take it gently and roll back down the mountainside to your invitingly warm house. But autumn makes it worthwhile, the crunch of the leaves and the shafts of light as it breaks through the canopy of trees. 

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What did you do on Saturday? We ran uphill.

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http://www.bowndling.com/journal/hardangervidda-norwegian-trail-running - 

“Wilderness is a term somewhat over-touted, especially in the population dense countries of Europe. And even though Hardangervidda is not technically classified as wilderness, it is one of the few areas that we have been to where the impact of humans is minimal. Stumbling across lemmings, reindeer antlers and wild blueberries, while wild for us, doesn’t match the abandoned and wasteland-linked definition of wilderness, but – words, definitions and synonyms aside – this is one of the most beautiful areas that we have ever seen.”  

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You’re just running uphill, thoughts elsewhere, trying to watch the placing of your feet. The hikers move graciously to one side with slightly bemused looks on their weathered faces. Some snort with derision, others give an encouraging cheer. The wind gets stronger, much more blustery that you could have imagined. You’d heard people talk of the weather changing up there, of the biting cold and the limited visibility. And it was true on this day too, so true that you eased the pace, struggled to see through your lenses and rigorously tired to regain feeling in your fingers. This wasn’t a record attempt, this was an outing to remind you of a long-gone family holiday, and proof that maybe one day you can take on more. 

Fastest ever women's ascent of Snowdon on Saturday July 18 in a time of 46.55, taking 12 seconds off Carol Greenwood's 1993 time

PHOTO: Sport Pictures Cymru