After a wonderful long lunch for eight at Debbie & John’s yesterday, which lasted nine hours, running today was always going to be a little more difficult than normal. On the plus side, it was a bright sunny day… although other people seemed to have twigged that as the car-park at Jack & Jill was rammed and the paths slightly congested!
By the time I had got half way to Ditchling Beacon I had already sussed that I was not on top form and at the Beacon there was a dissenting voice telling to turn back here! I ran on, but not actually for very long. By the 35 minute mark I had reached Streathill Farm and after a pee and a stretch, I turned for home.
One of the hindrances was the amount of clothing I had chosen to wear. Thinking it to be cold outside, I had layered up like last week and though it was indeed very chilly, especially with a bracing breeze in my face, my body was actually too hot.
At the turn point I removed both pairs of gloves and one of the two beanie hats, the other coming off ten minutes later, and also unzipped the ankles of both pairs of running longs! This helped, but I was already weary… either from the heat, or from the previous day’s indulgences.
Carrying this surplus clothing and with the breeze now behind me the return leg was easier, but I still felt heavy of body when I got back to the car-park. A paltry 6.7 miles took me an hour and ten minutes… the 5.75mph probably also reflecting the absence of mid-week runs over the last few weeks.
Note to self… get with the programme!
Still, the views were lovely!
