Category: Short run

There are many downsides to being currently underutilised workwise, but one major upside is being able to run with friends on a beautiful weekday morning… a little like a male version of the ladies who do coffee, but without the challenge of parking prams in the coffee shop.

The run this morning was also a little more poignant as our very good friend Penny’s dad Brian passed away suddenly last week and he has touched each of our lives. I’ve known Penny since Primary school and Brian was like a bright red, fun thread weaving its way through life’s rich tapestry.

Probably like most people, I regret not spending more time with my family and friends, but thankfully my last memory of Brian is only from April this year and is a great way to remember him. He was standing in their flat with the sun streaming through the open doors, chatting comfortably with us about an irrepressible burst pipe, whilst wearing only his underpants. He was a sensibly uninhibited man endowed with the loveliest of families, a real sense of fun and, well, let’s just say that he was clearly, well, well endowed! Too much information, maybe, but that’s good memories for you!

So four of us met for a run at Jack & Jill in the high humidity of a bright, sunny morning… Daren, Dai, Henna and I. Dai was keen not to do any hills so we gratefully followed his lead (though maybe it was really Henna’s lead)… which took us down the hill to Clayton, along Underhill Lane and up the path to the right of the Tank Tracks. Having reached the top we decided the correct notation should be Tank Tracks (Alternative), as it’s almost steep enough to be a climbing route!

At the top we turned left and ran towards the Beacon, with much conversation about how to stay more or less on the flat stuff. There’s a small pond alongside the path and it being hot, Henna suddenly hurled herself in to cool down… some people are just born crazy! Then Dai led us to the flat South, down towards Patcham and around in a grand sweep of hot, dry hills back to Pyecombe Golf Course and the cars.

Opinions varied as to the distance, depending on whether the satnav had been started at the car park, or five minutes into the run at the bottom of the hill, but we finally agreed that it was 6.3 miles, which we had covered in an amiable 1.23.

We did discuss elongating the run as we had done on Sunday, but the new MUM rule (Made Up Mileage) states that we can only do that if the distance is over the .5 mile mark. Frankly it’s a fairly elitist rule though, as without a satnav I generally have no idea how far I’ve run in the first place!

After a Bank Holiday Monday feeling wan and lifeless (which didn’t stop me cutting the hedge, edging and cutting the grass, teak-oiling the floor of the tea-house and poly-filling some irritating holes around the place) I woke up with stiff shoulders and calves this morning.

The only thing I could think of to start to loosen me off was a quick run on the machine, so I completed a mile in 9:06.

It being a crisp and beautiful morning, we then had breakfast on the deck… all in all a glorious start to a short week!