Very breezy outside today especially up on The Downs.
Had to drop my son off to visit a friend, so took the opportunity to run somewhere I have never run before. It was a lovely sunny day when we got in the car, so I didn't take my jacket or my hat, but by the time I was on the way back it was very cloudy, and as soon as I pulled up beside a Public Footpath sign the heavens opened. I could see that the cloud overhead was moving very quickly bough, and that there was some brighter - I was willing it to be blue from the safety of the car - sky beyond it, so I just settled in to wait, then jumped out of the car as soon as it had gone over. Which worked pretty well - I got hit by a short, light shower before I'd gone very far, but it just made me damp, not soaking wet.
The first incline was steeper than I expected it to be, and at the top there were steps! Which I also hadn't anticipated. But I managed to run up everything - you know, for a given value of 'run' - including the steps. The views from the top were marvellous, but I was busy concentrating on not slipping on the chalk and flint beneath my feet (wet chalk is a nightmare to run on) and not getting blown off the path into the dyke on my right. Did I mention it was windy?
On a side note: I was reading a Runtastic article on running in the winter this morning, and one of the tips was to run into the wind when you set off, so that you'll have it at your back when you're finishing. Which amused the heck out of me, because even if I ran out and backs all the time? That just isn't how the wind behaves (misbehaves?) where I live!
I got a little bit of respite from the wind as I rounded the hill, and that was when I came across unexpected ponies. Unexpected ponies were very laid back and didn't mind me running slowly past them, though I was prepared to walk if I had to.
I was well past the halfway point by this time, so I thought it was safe to start heading back down the hill, but even zigzagging down took less time than I expected so I had to do a lap of the field at the bottom - while my car sat there, in plain sight, teasing me with its warm, dry interior. I would like to blame my car for my only running for an hour instead of the ridiculous 1hr & 3minutes that MapMyFitness likes me to do, but to be honest? I simply had a senior moment and forgot.
Final result - 6.4k in an hour, which given the hilliness and stopping to open and close several gates, I am perfectly happy with.
A great distance and time too 
Beautiful day
Final 10k Training Run before Race Day..... sorry it's a long one. I'm making up for my lack of posts this summer in one post 😂
A slow 3.5k Niggle Recovery run to re charge the batteries !
