If a runner falls over by the river and ther... - Bridge to 10K

Bridge to 10K

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If a runner falls over by the river and there’s no-one to see them fall...

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10
25 Replies

...do they tell everyone about it anyway?

No?

Good. That’ll save me a bit of embarrassment 😏

(I know I made a sound because I startled some swans so much they flew off with a very audible whirr!)

I’ve grown used to running the top loop of the river and making the distance up to 5k (or 7k) by running around the fields alongside, but to be honest the tracks over there aren’t particularly clear and I really didn’t feel like trying to do them in the dark. So I stuck to the path: up to the bridge at the village - two steps down followed by three steep steps up to get to street level, turn right over the bridge, then two steep steps down again. I don’t think I notice in the daytime, but you can really hear the water slapping against the built up sides of the river on this stretch.

Not having run round the fields, I’d only done about 3.5k by the time I was nearly back to the car, so stayed on the track instead. Down past the horse fields, down past the houses out on the road (rubbish picture is rubbish and was taken during my cool down walk), along the funny narrow bit, round the corner, and then decision time. I actually started off sticking to the path I was on, but had only gone a few yards before changing my mind and turning back. Only to find two cyclists hurtling towards me - I think we all flinched a bit, and then one of them called out a sorry and a thank you as they slowed down and I took a giant step sideways to get off the path.

Onto the rough path alongside the river itself, where I did the ‘thing’ in the subject line. Jumped up, dusted myself off and trundled off again.

As I was aiming to do 7k, it was about now that I had to decide whether I wanted to run back the same way I’d come, or continue down to the nearest gate.

Of course the gate isn’t right beside the path I’m on. That would be too easy. No, to get to the gate you have to run down a bank and across a narrow strip of field.

Several tempting looking side tracks later, I finally found the gate and headed back to the car, my trusty Garmin telling me that I’d done a little over 6k by this point.

Running to 7k left me a slightly longer walk than I thought it was going to, so I walk a bit, jogged a bit while doing dynamic stretches along the way, as well as stopping to take the picture.

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Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333
Graduate10
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25 Replies
Bluebirdrunner profile image
BluebirdrunnerGraduate10

Oooer Madee...pretty scary running in the dark on tracks...glad you are ok.xxx

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toBluebirdrunner

I like it a lot more this year than last year, mostly because I have decent lighting now 😀

In many ways I find it less scary than running in, for instance, a local park.

Decker profile image
Decker

Ah well the main thing is that you are ok. That pic makes it look downright spooky. I would have probably tripped headfirst into the river and wound up downstream somewhere. So all in all it could have been worse 😀

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toDecker

It makes it look spookier than it felt while I was actually out.

Tripping Into the water itself was pretty impossible as it was low tide 😉 if it had been high tide, it might have been a different story.

Decker profile image
Decker in reply toMaddee_6333

😁 Glad you are ok just the same

skysue16 profile image
skysue16Graduate10

Sounds rather eventful (a bit like my run today!), I hope you didn't hurt yourself 😕

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toskysue16

I didn’t hurt myself 😊

My back is hurting a bit this morning, but I think that has more to do with how many solid paths I’ve run recently. It prefers me running through proper mud😆

JaySeeSkinny profile image
JaySeeSkinnyGraduate10

Hope you’re OK. It’s very easy to fall over at this time of year - but you’re right, if no one saw you then it didn’t happen! I spend the first week afterwards lurking around the house in leggings trying to hide my sore knees from my husband. Who gets very upset when he finally notices my cuts and bruises. Hasn’t happened in a while though!

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toJaySeeSkinny

Yay!

I bruise like a peach, so my husband notices bruises but knows better to ask how they happened, as I often genuinely have no idea.

Cornet-Carolyn profile image
Cornet-CarolynGraduate10

😂I wonder how many people know now!

Hope you didn't hurt yourself. Sounds like a great place to run I love water but I would be scared of tripping into the water.

Sounds like a great run 👏

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toCornet-Carolyn

I’m fine thanks.

Tripping into the water is only really possible at really high tide, apart from the bit up by the village where the path is more like a tow path beside a canal.

I’d begun to get a bit bored of running the river, but it’s somehow less boring in the dark...

Irishprincess profile image
IrishprincessGraduate10

Does this mean that we now have to wear life jackets when we run 😭

Glad you're ok. I find water scary at night as it's so dark 😱

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toIrishprincess

Imagine the chafing!

I quite like it, though if it was somewhere that falling in was more likely, I might not.

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate10

Sounds like Fun! There’s an element of risk in all sorts of places, not just on trails 🙂

I ran by a big pond yesterday, in the forest at it’s side, through the trees and their sticky out roots. Muddy, slippery and steeply banking toward the water. Caution is advised 🙂. In the dark you check your foot placement even more. It was light for me fortunately

It’s good fun though and does make you feel energised. Elemental 🙂

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply tomisswobble

Oh yes, we do a daylight technical trail with the dogs that has tree roots and slippy mud right beside a river! It really does require concentration. On the plus side, if you do turn your ankle it is quite possible to go and stand in the stream for a few minutes, as I have done a couple of times, myself.

Last night it, I think it was more a case of me not picking my feet up enough and tripping over a tussock of grass 🤦‍♀️

davelinks profile image
davelinksGraduate10

Great light! Like a car headlight, blinding!

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply todavelinks

Yes. I ended up with it on ‘main beam’, but try to run with it on its lower setting most of the time. And I can aim it up and down which is very useful.

HeleneCorsa profile image
HeleneCorsaGraduate10

Glad you're ok and didn't actually end up in the river...

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toHeleneCorsa

Thank you!

ancientrunner profile image
ancientrunnerGraduate10

Glad you didn't come to harm!!!

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toancientrunner

Thank you!

Razouski profile image
Razouski

Hope you didn't hurt yourself in the fall. I'm so glad I have the opportunity to run in daylight. Take care.

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toRazouski

I totally didn’t hurt myself. Running on soft ground has some advantages. 👍

aliboo70 profile image
aliboo70Graduate10

That's sounds like quite an adventure! Glad you're ok !😊🏃🏃🏃🏃✔

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply toaliboo70

The real adventure was looking for that gate 😊

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