The Conference Centre is very convenient for getting out of work, and being so close to town, everyone was milling around trying to get warm before the run. We set off through the temple, and up the steps – a familiar trail that I haven’t been on for a few years. Up to the barbed wire fence, and I was under it when the first circle check was spotted. I continued up the main obvious trail, and went a bit over 100m before it was finally called in completely the opposite direction. Now I was stuck in a long traffic jam – and given the cold temperature it felt like climbing Everest.
When we emerged at the main trail, the check still hadn’t been called – with most carrying on up the hill to the right. I opted left, and wasn’t far back down the hill when someone called it parallel to my left. I carried on down, and soon enough ran into paper off the next check with Graven. Another check had us headed back up the hill, but I think we got it a little wrong and from looking at strava, I suspect we might have missed a check out. I found another circle, and followed trail backwards for a bit, before letting Brownie do the work and chasing Pussy Whisperer and Angry Inch back up the bloody hill.
By this point, I was already locked into the hares plan – it was a re-set of a run Poo had done some years back. Last time we screwed it up and did a lot of it backwards – this time, we got it right. We were headed back to the outtrail and we suddenly hit a check with absolutely no other options – that was 100m before hitting the main trail again – funny that. I was cruising at the front with Brownie – a great running trail that we were moving at a decent pace on. And then a dirty FT – trail turned off the main trail and I reluctantly followed it, pretty sure it was going to be an FT – it was – a long one…
Meanwhile Strangely Anal had past it by and ran into the hare who asked him why he was there, and then why he was following the arrows in the right direction rather than running in the wrong direction. Interesting questions indeed. Back on trail and the descent was on. When we turned right to head back again, HRA was in front – running, but perhaps more carefully than a few weeks back. I was chasing him down, along with a pack who all had their eyes set on HRA. HRA meanwhile was concentrating on not headbutting any rocks, so nobody spotted that we had run off paper. Some turned back to find a false trail… I was enjoying the trail I was on, so ran it out back to the beer. Nice set.