Hardly slept...so seems a good time to catch up as I watch the sunrise. It's been a while, just over a couple of weeks. Blogging, I mean. The running's been fine and frequent. Better than fine. All good, we could say, but that's just a cop out. In fact, there's been some rather exceptional running. Right now I ache, inside and out. A couple of reasons. On the running front, I ran home from work the other day. A simple matter of packing a few things into a small sac and off we go.
After almost 10 miles to the doorstep, the very first thing I do is march upstairs to weigh the damn thing which has smashed my shoulders and back. 5kg may not sound much, but man, it battered me. Commuter running isn't really my thing. Yes, it gets a training session knocked out and there's a curious satisfaction in overtaking much of the crawling traffic. And an unmistakable smell of 'clutch'! But for all the hustle and bustle of that, this past weeks running has been about catching some peace and quiet of the early morning.
Shunning the evening club runs, I've favoured the solitude of daybreak and a couple of runs to the woods or out by my favourite blue barn. No agenda, pace, distance or any of that, just me...almost. Prior to that, the week before I was all over the place. These are those moments you plan, but with no idea of the outcome. Packing your shoes for a long trip with the hope putting them to use means you have to make the effort to avoid bringing them home unused. But the choices are tough.
To get out of your warm bed and embrace the grey, it doesn't sound appealing, the forces are strong in both directions. Stay and continue the great sleep, or get up and out and welcome the day with a sunny morning run, rounded off with the breakfast of champions at a great little cafe. I'm not sure you could call it exploring, there's little risk of getting really lost. But route planning when running in a new place is more about making sure you're stretched a little, a round trip, not an out and back, or something that ends prematurely.
So there is an element of suck it and see. Adventure finds you, in the end. Staying in London earlier on had me back at the Olympic Park. What a stunning place this is now. Hardly a soul around, but you could almost hear the echoes of those cheers back in 2012. Then later in the week and an almost touristic circuit down by the river, Westminster and back through the parks shows London at its best. The parks are truly magnificent public spaces, enjoyed by everyone indulging in a bit of everything!
Then in between there's been some isolated woodland trails with carpets of bluebells, deer and lush greens that only an early British Summer can deliver. That forest pine smell, the sound of breathing and footfall, a silence shared in this riot of woodland life. It was a wonderful experience. As such, I've come back with fresh eyes. I'm trying something different today. Wheels. Off to North Wales shortly with Mike and Giles to one of the Mountain Bike trails. The sun is up, as am I. Just a question of what to wear!
