Miles 2 and 3 were largely downhill and a welcome break! The climb to the obelisk began at about 2.7 miles and lasted for just over two-thirds of a mile at an average gradient of 9%. I dropped my pace considerably to start with but lost patience at the steepest section and pumped my arms and legs hard until the path levelled out a little. This was a mistake: there were still a few feet left to climb and I was spent. I walked momentarily before dragging myself to the peak of the hill to admire the view, even if it was spinning around my head at a rate of knots by that point!
The obelisk from the opposite direction
After another quick breather I started to make my way back downhill. I took a slightly different route and may have inadvertently trespassed. Oops. I headed down a grassy track, disgruntled a parcel of deer (that's a legitimate collective noun, by the way!) and then climbed over a farm gate to rejoin my original route. The next few hundred yards were pretty flat but gave way to a (comparatively) gentle mile-long climb. The final mile or so was fun: after all, what goes up must come down! At times I went so fast that I felt like I was running sideways through the bends à la Sonic the Hedgehog. Alas, I'm not quite that streamline.
The entire 6.8 miles took me just short of an hour. I think I may have to forget running at speed until my schedule kicks in, then I'll try and find a track or at least a flat circuit to follow. For now, I'm quite enjoying the scenery and the challenging terrain. Maybe I'll be brave enough to carry on into the Malvern hills next time. At the very least, it would put things into perspective a bit ;-)
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