Tour of Fife: Hill of Tarvit
Hill of Tarvit
The last time I was at the Hill of Tarvit I had just started another round of intensive treatment at Ninewells for mastocytosis and had a pretty awful run. The treatment makes my mast cells much more unstable for a few weeks before building up to a massive improvement. I'm taking three days off for the Tour and hope to say goodbye to the fab team of nurses at Ninewells next week!
So, I was nervous...
I was particularly nervous about the presence of a wasp on the start line (I'm allergic to the little psychos). Unlike the beach race I didn't immediately get into a comfortable rhythm and on my shoulder Alison was running really well. Alison is a superb hill runner so I tried to get a bit of ground as the course looped through the woods around the golf course at Tarvit Mansion House.
All too soon we hit the stile and headed onto the rough grass hill. I had mentally divided it into three sections and focused on each one at a time. I was singing Karma Chameleon in my head to try to keep my cadence up (180 bpm) - you can really see the difference a high cadence makes if you watch a runner/cyclist like Luca Basso floating by!
From the summit of the Hill of Tarvit I opened my stride, spread my arms and let gravity take over. I had planned to take it carefully but Alison was pushing me from behind (not literally, obviously!) and Dave Francis had told me that a good hill runner could take a minute out of me on the descent! Arms stretched wide I spared a thought for Dell, a T46 athlete who runs with one arm in a sling. I've never heard a word of complaint from him, but descending that steep, rough hill must have been tough. He finished in second place, by one second.
From the stile it was a quick drop through the woods, some twisty bits and then out onto the lawn of the Tarvit Mansion House. I was very happy to have gathered a few more seconds lead as next up was the dreaded Uphell TT, always my worst event.
I enjoyed a short warm down with Akira, who is running well at the moment, and met his very cute kids. The Tour is always good for cute kids and dogs (I've been enjoying kisses from Roxy!).
I had a quick chat with the Porties, including Peter Buchanan, who have been making the long trek over the Forth every night. They must be exhausted from all the traveling!
The traditional club photo call at Tarvit (all photos Ethan Lee):
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| Tarvit Mansion House and the summit of the hill! Photo: Vicki Charlton |
So, I was nervous...
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| Wasp Watch Photo: Ethan Lee |
All too soon we hit the stile and headed onto the rough grass hill. I had mentally divided it into three sections and focused on each one at a time. I was singing Karma Chameleon in my head to try to keep my cadence up (180 bpm) - you can really see the difference a high cadence makes if you watch a runner/cyclist like Luca Basso floating by!
From the summit of the Hill of Tarvit I opened my stride, spread my arms and let gravity take over. I had planned to take it carefully but Alison was pushing me from behind (not literally, obviously!) and Dave Francis had told me that a good hill runner could take a minute out of me on the descent! Arms stretched wide I spared a thought for Dell, a T46 athlete who runs with one arm in a sling. I've never heard a word of complaint from him, but descending that steep, rough hill must have been tough. He finished in second place, by one second.
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| Dell Awesome Rae Photo: Vicki Charlton |
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| Happy at the finish. Photo: Vicki Charlton |
I had a quick chat with the Porties, including Peter Buchanan, who have been making the long trek over the Forth every night. They must be exhausted from all the traveling!
The traditional club photo call at Tarvit (all photos Ethan Lee):
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