Sunday 14 October 2012

Dave Hogg: There's No 'I' In Team

Today I ran leg two of the UKA British Fell & Hill Relays statrting from Church Stretton, Shropshire and running round the Long Mynd Valleys. My running partner was changed last minute and the guy who I was meant to be running with was put on leg one (a solo leg) and the guy who I was meant do leg one was partnered with me.
Leg one set off as a mass start at 10 o'clock and our runner put our team (Glossopdale Harriers - B) in good stead by coming in 30th. There was a bit of confusion swapping over with him, but me and my partner set off up the steep hill out of the event field. Flustered, I think we both set off too fast but my partner pulled away from me going up.
Recently, with my slight improvement I've beaten my relay partner a few times in races, but I think he's gained a lot of fitness back and I was unable to keep with him. He just pulled further and further away from me and would be waiting for me at checkpoints that we had to 'dib' in (like an electronic checkpoint). Once we got onto the descents I caught him and the overtook him (downhills are my strong point), I thought though, I'll stick by him and do as you should when you are running as a pair. He fell over on the way down and winded himself and I waited with him. Then once down in the bottom of the valley we headed back up the other side to 'Callow', which is a really really really steep. See ya later, he was off again. At this point I thought "fuck it, I give up", I felt totally demoralised as being left behind by him. He waited for me at the top by the checkpoint. Once I dibbed, he was off again, my knee was starting to play up (injured after Good Shepherd last week) and as I dropped down the descent it became really painful so was unable to keep any speed up. I just grimaced and hobbled down. Another whacking great hill to climb (Ashlet) and I was still really demoralised and my knee was hurting more. The only joy I had in this race was seeing John H and Matt D (the leg 1 runner) at near the top and ran the last bit of the ascent and along the top with me. This was a massive boost seeing them and did wonders for my mood, I wished they could have stayed with me all the way to the finish.
One long descent down from Ashlet then little kicker of a hill before the finish there was one last checkpoint... but no partner. He'd pissed off to the finish already. As I dropped down to the finish line (hand over point) he was there waiting. Apparently he'd been waiting about 5 minutes. Needless to say I felt like a right dickhead coming in, in front of the crowd, on my own, with my 'partner' casually stood there waiting for me. I don't think I'll take part in any relays in future, I've never had a good experience with them. 

Glossopdale B team came in 75th out of  160+

Map of leg 2: http://merciarelays.org.uk/Long%20Mynd%2025000%20FRA%20Leg%202%20purple.pdf

My garmin log: http://connect.garmin.com/player/233454498 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/233454498

My knee is totally screwed now, just totally seized up and mega mega painful (until I took an nice floaty-light dose of codeine).

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