It’s such a beautiful day today: sunny, a cloudless blue sky, and no wind. Almost perfect for running, except even by 8.30am it was getting hot. I jogged up to the local parkrun course, at Manor Top. Like most of this area - and unlike Abingdon - flat it isn’t. The run director in his course briefing described it as ‘undulating’; I prefer my friend Matthew’s description, ‘ostentatiously hilly’. It turns out it’s a lovely course.
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I’m wary of adding anything about running here in case I injure myself again! I was just getting back into the flow of it, running was going well, and then out of the blue a mysterious ankle/tendon/Achilles type injury appeared. It’s still there as a little niggle, but running doesn’t seem to make it worse, now, so I’m easing myself back into training. I did the Abingdon parkrun a couple of weeks ago, and was pleased enough with my time: 18:43. It’s a flat two-lapper, which is probably the worst sort of course in my opinion - although it’s by the river, through fields, it’s a very pleasant setting - it’s simply the two lap aspect I dislike, especially for a flat course. I prefer three laps - at least then, the first lap isn’t two bad, after two laps you’re tired but you know you only have 1/3 left. With two, you finish one lap and you’re tired, but you know you’re only half-way. Maybe I should try to be more optimistic and look at is as half being done!
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I woke up this morning to the sound of rain outside my window. My room felt fairly chilly too (though my bedside thermometer was reading 15.7 C), and it was snug and warm under the covers, so I wasn’t feeling that inclined to get up! However, parkrun was calling; and by the time I’d cogitated on the world for a while, and actually risen and dressed, the rain had stopped anyway. It was still chilly on the way though, and I was almost regretting not wearing gloves.[Read More…]