Changed my planned route this morning as I used my warm up walk to go out with hubby and the dog. Then on a whim, I changed it again to try to rediscover a bridle path I'd not been on for years. So with the thrill of a new route and the joy of running downhill to find it, I set off, passing two horses, their riders and a small, yappy terrier who decided it would like to climb up my leg! (I did not share it's enthusiasm).
Undeterred, I found the bridleway and started my ascent. Well that's all very well, but it was wet, to say the least and I had to concentrate really hard not to break my neck. I persevered because I figured if I turned round I would only have to go back through the quagmire I'd just manoeuvred my way through. Of course my lovely running shoes got covered in mud 
. Ironically, I've been considering getting some trail shoes... The thing that really worried me was that I had decided I didn't need to take my phone out this morning, as I thought I was just going to be ambling around streets and concrete paths. Well, lesson learnt! As I was slipping and sliding up a deserted bridleway it occurred to me that if I twisted my ankle, or worse, I could be there for quite some time waiting for help.
Having said that, I really enjoyed the run, went up 2 big hills (elevation 124m) and did 5 km in a reasonable time (for me) and only got drenched 1 minute before I reached home. But next time, I'll definitely take my phone...
week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
