In need of some magic to revive Mymojo a little, which has dipped somewhat over the past few weeks, I decided to turn to art for some inspiration and Mr JMW Turner dutifully obliged.
I dropped my daughter at her college in Chichester at lunchtime (such strange study timetables in these COVID times), parked the car at the canal basin and headed out along the towpath for today's run, my first from the Injury Couch. Chichester is a small city, nestled between the South Downs and the coast and surrounded by beautiful countryside. The canal brings the wildlife right into the heart of the city and the towpath is a green and watery gateway to the countryside beyond. Within 1k of running I had disappeared under the bridge that carries the by-pass and emerged out into another landscape of fields and hedgerows.
I had read that Turner painted the canal looking back towards Chichester from Hunston Bridge, so I made a note to take a photograph from the same spot on my return leg. I searched up the painting when I returned home and was surprised at how unchanged the landscape is in nearly 200 years. It is just possible to make out the spire of the cathedral in both the painting and the photograph.
My husbad joined me for my run today. We covered our warm up walk together and then he headed off to follow his plan and I ran my 5k. I managed my fastest time yet of 36:51, knocking 00:01 sec off my previous best 😂 ! That miniscule amount is quite an achievement for a snail 🐌😊.
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Great Post DD but now you need to get the paint brush out and hit the canvas, it'll be a masterpiece 🎨🖼️
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I just kept reading your towpath posts and thought I really need to try that, so dropping my daughter off at lunchtime today provided the perfect opportunity. When I was younger I used to walk to school along the towpath in the village where I used to live. I'd forgotten how lovely they are, and how quickly they get you out into the countryside.
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Spot on DD they're like a trapdoor into nature.... I love the way you can enter a tunnel submerged into the damp umbrageous atmosphere, then all of a sudden bright light and you've arrived at a brand new running section👍
Absolutely love your pic ! What a clever thing to do and both photos lift the soul. I know Chichester well (used to call it Chi when I was at school in Littlehampton) think you are very brave running on rough terrain. I worry about tripping and turning my ankle.
Your mojo will come back and besides you are making huge strides on LeJog. Way ahead of me. Haven’t even got my first postcard yet!
All my dog walks have helped me clock up the miles on LEJOG. I have to admit to logging my total steps for the day as I'm never off my feet so I might as well!
Ah, Chi! Chichester is commonly referred to Chi in our house too by my two teenagers who can also say the colloquial "Chiddester" 😃.
That looks a lovely place to run and I love that you are providing some art history as well 😉I think its fascinating being able to compare old landscape with the same view now. As a teenager I remember going to the Body Shop in Chichester when it was just starting up.
I think I like running through paintings and I might try this again, making an art work trail..... That might give Mymojo something to think about.
Well reading that cheered up a rather lonely dismal Thursday evening D-d, I was expecting a friend for drinks but she couldn’t make it...
how amazing, lovely to see the photo and painting side by side after all those years, I’m so looking forward to running in other locations when circumstances allow...I see you’ve taken off and left the A30 and me behind on LEJOG and am so pleased to hear you’re up off the IC and enjoying running again, go girl 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️🤗
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I liked running through a painting today. I think I might search out some more to try....
My lovely long dog walks have helped me clock up my miles on LEJOG while Mymojo has been off the running. I have to say I am relieved to be off that dual carriageway at last! I'm looking forward to some better views now. 😊 Catch me up, you're not far behind!
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Just happy to have a fellow runner on the same page, virtual it may be but it’s great company right now, we’ll done on your PB btw, little triumphs, never to be underestimated 🤗
It's a lovely little city isn't it? A familiar place for quite a few people replying, which is nice. Here's hoping Mymojo behaves and stays with me a while now.
It's a lovely route - you two should try it, but perhaps you have already? I think I'm going to hunt out more paintings of local places and see if I can run through another painting - it might become a new hobby!
A good hobby to have, our run didn’t happen today, we went to the park but the smell from the sewage plant was just too much, so we headed to the a27 to go to the river and the traffic was ridiculous so after sitting in a row of cars for a while, going through back roads then sitting in another row of cars we turned for home, the last 25 hours at work left me tired so my determination was a bit weak
No we haven’t run in Chichester it’s a bit far unless of course we were there anyway like you 😀
Thank you Buddy 😊. I think it was probably the last of the good weather down in the south today for a while as the rain and wind arrives tomorrow for the weekend 🌧⛈💨
What a fabulous place to run D-d! Am I right in thinking the tow path has been opened up right down to Chichester harbour now? I know there were/are plans to actually get the canal open as well although that’s long term!
Hi OGR. I didn't run far enough down the towpath today to see for myself, but my husband ran a little further than me and said the path continued on. I was at the marina a few weeks ago and there was a footpath beside the canal there, so I assume it must all link up. There are boats on the canal part of the way but the canal isn't cleared all the way to the harbour yet. It would be wonderful if it was. I plan to run further next time so I shall let you know 😊.
Thank you - as I’m enjoying looking for new places to run, I might see if Dexy5 and UpTheStanley would like to join me there one day as we’re not far away!
Hello Delly-dot, what a great post. I have always loved that painting and what a lovely morning to run the same route. I’m from nearby Southsea and enjoy my visits to Chichester and the lovely harbour. Didn’t think about the canal for running!
That's no snail pace DD! That's good going. 🐭Isn't it amazing how life has moved on so much but the landscape is forever constant. Beautiful area to run. Those pictures soothe the soul and hopefully"mymojo" is feeling somewhat refreshed. 🤸🏃
Hello Allbarron 🤗. Lovely to hear from you . I thought it was wonderful that the scene was still so unspoilt. The weather would make it a very different view today though; it’s very wet and windy down here!
Its great - its such a fun idea, isn't it? I'm not very far on but hopefully I'll pick up a bit as I get back to 10k runs. I had to rein myself in on my last run and just do 6k - it does encourage you to want to do more, I think. You are foing amazing! That dog certainly comes in handy for something like this.
My dog walks helped me to keep clocking up the miles whilst I took a break from running. Isla will walk for miles but then she slows right down to a crawl as we approach home. This is because she doesn’t want her walk to end, not because she’s tired. Rather like the dog who went viral online this week for playing dead as a way to prolong its walks and not walk back home 🤣. Thank goodness Isla hasn’t done that! That’d be sooo embarrassing 🙄🐾🐶.
Looks gorgeous, what a great idea for running through paintings. And congrats on getting off the A30 - I'm up to 90 miles so I think I have about 20 miles of A30 left.
I must say the route is dreadful. I checked the route in Scotland and despite all of the lovely little roads you can take its the motorway and biggest possible other roads the whole way. A shame really. I haven't seen much of England or Wales so its a pity that they didnt put more thought into the route.
You are it!
Loved it. Congratulations on your 5k and time too. What a way to get off the IC 👏👏👏👏
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Thanks GTFC 😊. Here’s hoping I’m a bit more on it in October. September was a bit up and down.
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