Category: Short run

T’was the week before Christmas and all through the snow, the crazies were running shouting YEE, HA and HO; wearing bright lime green trainers or twee Santa hats, they dashed through the snow like a herd of mad cats.

It was a whole day since my previous run, so I felt quite privileged to be out in the snow again, this time in the company of Dai & Daren.  Kim had very kindly lent me her car, which I was pleased about as the side roads at both ends were still white and slippery… no place for the big fat tyres on my rear-wheel drive car.

Dai was sporting his latest pair of off-road runners, complete with incisive cleats… it was quite amazing to see the difference in footprints between our shoes and his… ours were imprints in the snow, his were clear cuts into the ice below.

We set off from Clayton Rec along Underhill Lane and up the tank tracks, the snow making progress heavier-going than normal, which is saying something of that hill!

We turned right at the top and ran down towards Jack & Jill, admiring the bleak views to our left.

The snow was glorious to run on though and we took the South Downs Way down past the golf course and into Pyecombe, glad that we can always be bothered to get out and run, no matter what it looks like outside.  From Pyecombe we followed our normal track all the way to the top of Wolstonbury Hill.

Once on the top we realised the bite in the wind and huddled like kittens in the lee of the trig point.

The steep-steep hill down was a mass of whoops and laughter, Dai showing us how much faster cleated shoes get to the bottom… or maybe he just has a greater sense of gravity.  Either way, his feet hardly seemed to touch the ground.

Further down we saw how brilliant the valley we always thought would be brilliant for sledging really was, which was clearly brilliant.  Although, alas, we didn’t have a sledge to rub between us.

Back at Clayton Rec we ran around the football pitch in order to reach the 6-mile mark… and then had to chase Dai as he raised our 6 miles to 10km by running around again!

So 10 brilliant kilometres,  circa 6.25 miles, 1.18… 4.8mph.  Mind you, we did laugh a lot!

In view of time (apologies again Daren!) and starting from the bottom of the hill, we opted to run our intended route in the reverse direction.

Thus we ran across the main road into New Way Lane and left up into Wellcombe Bottom, before tackling the steep side of Wolstenbury Hill.  I thought this was harder than the tank tracks, but Daren thought it was shorter, so easier.  Either way, it was steep steep steep and there was a sense of euphoria at having reached the top without stopping.

From there we dropped down into Pycombe Village, up the South Downs Way through the golf course and then down past Jack & Jill… where I had a strange sense of deja vu!

4.5 miles in 54 minutes, 5mph.. certainly an improvement on my earlier speed!

… and I mean, quite literally, too early!

I dropped Kim near to the station and hurried off to get to Jack & Jill ahead of Daren, who I knew only had a short time to run this morning.  When I got there the car park was closed and couple of workmen were busy looking at (resurfacing) it.

I quickly phoned Daren and left a message to say that I’d meet him at the bottom of the hill in Clayton.  I parked in the recreation ground and started putting my caked muddy shoes on from Monday (the Bok would NOT be impressed!)… about half way through the second one a thought occurred to me… I’ve mixed up the hours!

After another quick message to Daren to say DUH, I weighed up the choice of staying in the car with the heater on, or getting out into the morning: and went with the latter… I mean, there’s a hill right there waiting to be conquered!

It was certainly chilly out, but it didn’t seem that bad… UNTIL I turned around at Jack & Jill car park and got the sharp northerly wind in my face… WOW!  It WAS cold!

I ran back to the car park to check, then repeated the circuit to J&J, checked again and repeated a third time.  This time there was a Daren man waiting for me to go for a run!

I guess I covered about 2.5 miles in 37 minutes… 4mph.  But it was fun and the views were great!