Day 258: Country calamity on the North York Moors

RUN: 2.9 miles

Well, how can I begin to tell you about today's run? It was a real comedy of errors on my first run out on the North York Moors, where I am staying for the weekend in a very rural barn comversion.

Heading out in to the lovely scenery I was looking forward to a nice, peaceful Saturday session... which I got for the first few miles.
Then this happened....

Mud

 

Don't always trust Google Maps in the countryside. I had set out a route along some lanes, through a farm, down a track and back home. Simples.

Well, not quite. I got to the farm track and it was gated off. So I imagined I could just carry on down the lane and find another way up to the road. Wrong again.

 

Once I had got myself in the above situation, I decided I was too far along to turn back, so I stuck with the plan and headed for a hedgerow skirting a field with no animals in it. I realised why there were no animals in it when I found myself knee-deep in a bog. Great. Obviously at this point there was more wading going on than running.

 



Bog

 

Realising I was quite possibly trespassing by this point, I hurried along thinking a farmer might be out with his gun at any moment to chase off this ridiculous offcumden dressed in illuminous pink.

 



Barbed wire

 

Then came the next challenge of a barbed wire fence, which I managed to get my pants caught on with one foot stuck through the holes in each side, so I was teetering on the top.
Next came the stream, which I hurdled to get back to the road to sheepishly jog back to the barn. Phew! No damage done, no shots fired, just a lot of mud to carry home and a lesson well and truly learned.

Here's today's disastrous run

Day 257: We're all going on a country holiday

RUN: 1.2 miles

We're going away to the North York Moors with boyfriend Andy's family today, so I had a quick jog out before we set off. Looking forward to a couple of runs out in the countryside this weekend.

Luckily this weekend is a bit of a 'rest' weekend on the marathon training schedule, so just a four-mile and a six-mile run to do in Great Fryup Dale.

Here's today's run

Day 256: The only way is up in the gym

RUN: 2.2 miles (3.6km)

Back to the gym today for my new weekly strength-building session, and I had a little mishap.

An interval run (to build fitness) on the treadmill was my first task - so I put 20 minutes on the clock and set off doing one-minute intervals of 9kmph and 12kmph.
After the first ten minutes, my right calf was feeling a bit tight and needed a stretch. But during my few seconds of stretching the treadmill decided to give up on me and reset itself! Nooo! So I started again with another ten minutes.

 

Next I moved on to weight training (to build strength in my little legs) and managed to increase the weight on all my exercises. I'll be like Geoff Capes in no time! Hmm...

 

Day 254: Just the one... again

RUN: 1.0 miles

Another one. Hopefully I'll recover a lot more quickly after these bigger runs once I've been doing them for a few more weeks.

Here's today's run

Day 253: Trouble walking, let alone running!

RUN: 1.0 miles

I'm still feeling worse for wear today after my big weekend run. I feel ok once I get moving, it's just the getting moving part that is proving a challenge. So I got moving to add the obligatory one mile to my total, before getting back to the important business of resting and putting my feet up.
Here's today's little run

Here's a photo of me after my run on Sunday with my legs in the air to help the circulation (apparently). Not sure how much good it's done, but anything is worth a try. I'm reading my How To Run book by Hugh Jones, full of good advice and common sense. No advice on how to get up from your office chair two days after a big run without groaning like an old man though.

Day 252: Ouch!

RUN: 1.2 miles

My whole body aches after yesterday (did I mention I ran 18 miles?)
I limped and stumbled round rather pathetically for 1.2 miles, and have rarely been more glad to reach my own front door than I was after the 13 minutes-plus it took.
Some rest and relaxation is definitely in order.

Here's today's run