What the hell kind of route is this!?
| A quick update following my first run in spikes on Friday! I thought it would be a good idea to give them another, longer bash, since I have my first Cross Country race next Saturday and so I headed back to Heaton Park bright and early this morning (well, early-ish… half past 8 or thereabouts) to combine my long Sunday run with a bit of off road experimentation. Yes, I could have gone somewhere else, but as there was already quite a bit of the unknown about the run in the first place, I decided sticking to somewhere familiar would be a good idea and also the safest choice. Heaton Park is the only place I knew well enough, that was also big enough, and close enough to wheel the bike home from in case of twisted ankle disaster! |
I also felt that dull as they may be, a series of small laps staying close to my starting point would be a good plan in case of the need to abandon the run early, as opposed to an ‘out and back’ route. Maybe when I am more comfortable generally with this whole Cross Country lark! Well… The plan was laps, although inspection of my route thanks to the trusty ol’ GPS suggests this term might be stretching the truth somewhat, as it looks more like a semi-knitted jumper that a kitten’s chewed, not lapped.
| After all the rain yesterday I was expecting it to be very muddy but actually the only thing that really made my feet soggy was all the dew! A beautiful autumn morning and exactly the right kind for being grateful to avoid the tarmac! As someone who is much more comfortable usually with being on the road however, the strangest thing was realising just how many paths there were that got in the way. I’ve already developed a real dislike of the ‘spikes on concrete’ feeling and I enjoyed the irony in finding myself deliberately running on the grassy verges wherever a bit of concrete or gravel interrupted my muddy meandering! I was initially concerned that my time for the run (it ended up being 10.2 miles in 1 hour and 40 minutes) was pretty slow, but following advice from more experienced runners online (thank you UKRunChat!) it seems this is not too bad at all and actually pretty much what is to be expected compared to my road time for a half marathon. Whew and Yay! | 
Wot no Mud!?
|
One thing I have learned though; I need to build up my calf and Achilles strength! My legs feel like they did after my first on road 20 miles! Thank Atalanta for saunas and compression socks… Best get me some protein shake action before bed and I shall reserve judgement on whether or not I’m in any state to cycle to work in the morning… though having seen the forecast that might be more accurately spelt ‘weather’ or not!
