Long, slow 8.5k with rabbits!

[grumpyoldgirl]

I missed park run on Saturday, and ran a 4k with fartleks on Sunday. So, I wasn't sure whether to do a regular 5k, or a nice slow long run. (It's my 8k consolidation week). Also didn't know where to go! It's a beautiful day, so I decided to go to Tring park and have a pootle around before I attempt a parkrun there. It starts with a nice long hill up to a ridge. Good choice, grumps, after last night's sadistic Pilates class! Well it's a beautiful place, at the top of the hill is a ridge that's mainly wooded, with stunning views down across to Tring, and open meadows on the hillside. It's not huge, but I still spent a lot of time looking for signposts and reading "you are here" maps, because once you are in the trees, it's easy to miss the route. If you are me, anyway. And so it came to pass that I was still up in the woods when I hit 5k, so I decided to pootle around for bit longer before heading back down. Through a gate onto the meadow, and there were the rabbits right in front of me! They scattered before I could get my phone out. It was so peaceful. Then I discovered that I had still managed to head downhill and needed to go back up a really steep bit to get back on track. Phew! I was out in the open meadow in the hot sun at that point, so I walked until I got back up into the trees. Back around through the trees, DOWN across the meadow this time, and got to the exit at 8.48k, time taken 1hr14. absolutely bloomin' - well, tired 😆 Photo is at the start, looking up the hill. All 1k of it 😰

[Mike_Bravo Graduate10]

Thanks for the post, it was nice to read 😊 I'm glad the sadistic pilates didn't hold you back too much. That looks like one hell of a hill - 1k of it⁉ 😳

"nice long hill" eh? ❓🤔🤷🏿‍♂️ I don't understand oxymorons, sorry!

Sounds like quite an interesting run in the sun in a lovely area, shame the rabbits hopped off. They must not have felt photogenic at the time.

Good for you for getting yourself out there on such a hot day, I hope you've kept well hydrated. I'm looking forward to having longer run at the end of the week. I'm tempted by going for a while, I did after all do 10km last Friday, but my app is only letting me have 30 minutes. I should probably just follow this plan. 😅

Look forward to hearing what you do next!

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to Mike_Bravo]

Thanks Mike, yes the course description is "The first kilometre is a steep uphill climb to the ridge" and they're not kidding! This weather is very tempting isn't it, but it makes it harder work. I'd say you have nothing to prove this week if you've already done 10k, have fun whatever you decide 😊

[Mike_Bravo Graduate10 in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

Thanks 😊 I'll have to see how far I do in this 30 minute run. I'll be putting myself through a somewhat-gruelling strength flex circuit tomorrow, so all in all I think I'll be giving myself enough exercise for the first week of this scheme 😄🤪🤨😎. I think for my next 30-minute I'll head to somewhere new rather than run around my local area. This park's about 10 minutes drive away and the track along the brook looks tempting google.com/maps/@52.4477724...

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Wow, how lovely GOG, so glad you had a lovely run and found your way out of the woods eventually! 😅

Looks like quite a hill! Great run you, well done! 👏👏👏

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thanks cheeky, I nearly posted a screenshot of my route, it looked like a drunk spider had crawled over the map. But then I couldn't deprive everyone of that hill 😂

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10]

What an adventure grumpyoldgirl! Kudos for those hills and distance in the sunshine today!

8k consolidated well and truly✔😁...good work with the pilates too!

Enjoy your evening! 😊xxx

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

I'm trying my best to be braver with the long runs, and it's paying off so far -even if it was a bit impulsive today! I love my Pilates, but it's better when I run before the class, rather than the morning after 😬 I suspect I'll be paying for it tomorrow 🙄

[Wimborne]

I did smile reading this. What a fabulous spontaneous hilly adventure run 👏👏😊. and you didn’t get too lost. I have images of you leaving a breadcrumb trail behind you as you run in the woods so you can find your way back. Great photo too. I am very envious of your lovely run 🏃🏼‍♀️

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to Wimborne]

Ooh, you might be on to something there, a breadcrumb trail! Do you think the rabbits would eat the crumbs? 🐇 Got to be worth a try anyway! What was funny, was that I passed a couple who were walking through the woods, but I passed them three times coming from different directions. The last time, they were a bit 🤔 🤣

[Wimborne in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

I bet you made that couple smile 😃.

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

I did something a bit like that, and on the second round the chap said,”Oh, we’ve seen your twin.” 😄

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to Granspeed]

🤣 I think they thought I was trying to find the way out! Luckily there were no witnesses when I ran three times around a monument trying to figure out which of the three paths away from it was the one I wanted 😂

[Granspeed Graduate10 in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

🏃🏼‍♀️💨🤪

[Dowat Graduate10]

That looks a lovely park. You had a good pootle indeed! Doesn’t this running malarkey just bring so much joy. It’s fab.

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to Dowat]

It is really lovely there dowat, and I wouldn't have bothered to go there if it wasn't for the running 😊

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Lovely lovely run route (not so sure about the hill though). 😍

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to Dexy5]

Bit of an acquired taste, this running uphill malarkey. I'm still in the acquisition phase😂

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

😂😂

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10]

Amazing effort Grumps. New territory and hills is a challenge, but feels great when you finish. I did my first run in South Devon this morning around the lead up to the coastal path. Heavy going. I walked the hardest bits but still managed a snaily 3.5k run, this on top of a 12k walk and game of football yesterday! Hamstring is holding up well. I like having new scenes appearing around each corner, the sound of sky larks in the background and buzzards wheeling around over head, doubtless looking for signs of weakness! Hope the Park Run goes well 😊🐌

[Katnap Graduate10]

Nice!

[Bridget007]

It might be uphill but it is beautiful 😊 and rabbits 🐇 🐇 too ... I love seeing rabbits they are so cute 😍 and well done 8.5k 👍🏻

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to Bridget007]

Thanks Bridget, I don't often see rabbits except out of the car window. They were pretty surprised to see anyone 😊