Well there I was, reluctant to run and only getting shoved out of bed by MR R asking me, "Aren't you supposed to be running this morning?" in a cheery encouraging voice. Dam, I thought, why did I have to share my plans with him last night?
So I dragged myself out of bed and got into my kit, muttering under my breath that it only needed to be a short run as we did loads of cycling at the weekend, and we'd also been to the gym and swum yesterday. For some reason I was just not in the mood.
I set off and was convinced that it owl only be a 5km run, but once I got going with the sun overhead, something seemed to take over. I managed the plod uphill and over the motorway without too much puffing and panting and was soon jogging across the field towards slip end. When I got to the place where I should have turned back towards the park, I decided I might be able to do an extra km or two and carried on.
Passing out the other side of the village I was greeted by bluebells nodding in the breeze and then some rather shy looking cowslips. "Thank goodness it's not wet and slippery," I thought, "otherwise it might have been me being a cow slip." My mood was obviously softening, and I was getting into a groove. The next option of turning left would have given me an 8km circuit, but I was by now enjoying myself so much that my legs began to ignore my head in a positive way and opted to run onwards.
More field son either side of my as I passed through Pepperstock and out into the countryside. Some lovely person had removed all the debris from fly tipping and all around me was full of the joys of spring time. I even had a pheasant lolling in the hedgerows alongside me. I felt like I could run for ever.
Even when the next option came to curve round I decided to carry on and make this a really big circuit.
Eventually I ran out of country road and hit the road that would take me back up the everlasting hill (a relatively shallow incline that just goes on and on and on), but I carried on undeterred and even decided to do a lap of Kidney Wood - the little woodland not far from the park and my home. And what a reward lay inside - a beautiful carpet of blue - the ground was covered in the gorgeous almost ethereal hue of several thousand bluebells, and it was a delight to run through them, enjoying their subtle fragrance. It was so lovely I decided to do a second lap.
And then it was into the park, passed the duckpond and headed for home.
And it was only as I got on to my road, that my legs decided that I was having laugh. We ain't running no more, they shouted as Ms Mapmyrun informed me that I'd run 20km. And all the energy was instantly zapped away from my legs, leaving me to stagger the half km home on limbs made of jelly.
My legs may be aching (even after a long soak in the bath) but boy do I feel good.
Never could handle surprises.
Tough 5k yesterday, but a surprising result! 
Holiday diary - Run 4 a surprise destination!
Happy but sad/annoyed with myself
