23:32

A more comprehensive report will follow when i have some photos to post. The fact that people have actually been reading this blog means that i'm going to post something special, a real report of the day that i'll treasure. But i couldn't wait any longer to post something as the blog was sitting there without the simple glorious fact that I've done the Bob Graham Round.

The round itself was magical, more so as it was part of a stupendous weekend surrounded by wonderful people and what for me is the finest countryside in the world - my favuorite place on earth. It was a round of two halves, defined utterly by the weather. I had either end of the spectrum (insofar as you can in summer), from perfect skies and a cool breeze to heavy rain and a howling, ferocious wind. There was little in between, making for really testing conditions for 16 of the 23 and bit hours!

I'll provide a leg by leg account when the "BGR official photographer" Paul has provided some photos. I really can't wait to see them. I'll probably need some more days to let it all sink in too before i can write something coherent and interesting because now, on Tuesday, 3 days later, my mind is still addled and i'm still getting used to the fact that it's over.

What is clear in my mind are various highlights of the day, the most obvious of which is finishing. It felt sooo satsfying. It felt exhausting to a whole new degree and it was remarkably humbling to see how many people were pleased for me, proud of me and to realise at that point how many people had got cold, wet, tired and sleep deprived so that this moment could happen. I was truly overwhelmed in such a way that i have never experienced and probably never will. As the various bottles of champagne (a real surprise!) and party poppers rained over me, all i wanted to do was sit. I found a bench and put my head in my hands, trying to hold back a tear or two. I just about hung on, but there was a couple of wobbly moments! Alison didn;t even try to hold back! Tears of joy and a mantra of "I can't beleive he's done it" whilst hugging everyone made me realise how lucky i am. From that last few yards when i felt like an olympic gold medalist to the first few moments after finishing, life was as sweet as it can get.

Then i noticed it was still raining, like it had been for the last 16 hours. Then i realised that I was cold. All i wanted was to get indoors. I wanted to thank everyone individually, but not right now, i needed a warm dry place and a change of clothes and was almost crazed. A pub did the job, and only then did the satisfaction start to seep out. About 15 mins after finishing, i managed a smile.

Now i'm back at work, and i still feel as pre-occupied as i did in the days before the round. Everyone at work is being lovely and saying well done, and laughing at my John Wayne swagger/limp. Doing normal life type things like work is helping to bring the achivement home. I described the round to someone in very exact terms without trying to big it up and even that brought looks of incredulity (which you would have to be soulless to not find even a little satisfying). It's not why i did the round, but it's nice when that happens. The pre-occupation is the reliving of the day. It's so self-indulgent to go back over the various climbs, decents, jokes, good patches, doubts, slips, slight nav errors, rest stops, meetings with other groups, comments you received on the way etc etc. It's great!

As the working day progressed, i found that the pre-occupation gave way to an increasing sense of deep-seated satisfaction. I feel now how I expected to feel straight afterwards. I am starting to feel like a very happy bunny.

I'm also a very tired bunny. I've slept for 10 hours a night solidly since the round and am still wavering a bit during the day. Encouragingly, the legs feel OK, just a twinge on the knee. I hurt less after three days now that I did after the London Marathon last year! The hideous chaffing around the, erm, groin and the dead big toenails don't smart as much as they did - I'm tired but i'm slowly recovering. I also feel somewhat run down. A couple of mouth ulcers have appeared, making eating awkward, which is an arse as all i want to do is eat. I lost 6lbs over the weekend, and i'm a skinny sod without an obvious 6lbs to lose. I'm craving junk (had pies and chips for lunch yesterday!) and water, despite not being dehydrated during the round. It's all a bit weird, but not altogether unpleasant. It's strangely satisfying knowing that you feel the way you do because you did something you consider to be amazing.

Time will tell for sure whether this achivement affects my confidence or state of mind. From a running and althletic point of view though it has already made me feel much better in myself. I always considered myself rather a skinny runt; a bit of a scrawny git. I'm probably skinnier and scrawnier now than ever but would also say i was physcally and mentally strong, not expcetional, but strong. That's a word i would have never used to describe myself as i'm unusually thin and pigeon chested, despite being tall, which does not do much for your own body image. Age (and a good looking wife!) has generally eroded that as a cause of worry, but i think the BGR has all but wiped it out completely. That's something i would not have predicted, but it's how i feel.

After just 3 days, i also feel lost. I've nothing to do, no need to dash from work to Moel Famau. I am really looking forward to getting the fell shoes back on though, although next week will see a fabulous week in Crete ease away the last of the niggles.

I'm going to make the most of this fitness and confidence though and will do Borrowdale, and this time get under four hours. Too soon? Well time will tell, but who cares - the main goal has been met and i;ve learned it pays to be ambitious. I'm even tempted to trot round the Hotfoot up Famau tomorrow, although that would be silly, wouldn't it?!