Ennerdale today, refreshing after hitting the gym a couple of times this week. Always love this place, it feels remote but there are signs of life everywhere. It certainly felt like the end of the world when I used to go there in primary school. Because I’ve been so many times, I often remember snippets of conversations in the past at the same points, so many layers of endless musings about all sorts of things.
Today was a day for reminiscence, not only as we collectively remember the fallen, but also as we made our way over old ground it was hard not to look back at how far we’ve come in many different ways.
It was grey and brooding, perfect.
We parked up and got going, heading towards Black Sail Hut at the furthest end of the valley. We crossed at the bridge to the far side of the water so that we could loop back around again. We came here when we first started out running, pockets full of sweets and not waterproof jackets….so funny to think that was just a couple of years ago now. We ran our first marathon here, it took hours, we might reminisce, but we still find things to talk about.
Sometimes it’s easier to dwell in the past, it feels good and safe to go over old ground, again and again. Sometimes though you need to consciously focus on what’s ahead and get excited about prospects, unknowns…risks.
We got to the hut, the turn back point. We ran and we didn’t look back.
hailultratrail 