8.24km, in fact! ‘Ecstatic’ is hardly the word. I’ve tried to restrain myself (really have), but just couldn’t bottle up the news until the end-of-week round-up post. 😁😁😁 65 minutes, on a route similar to last Sunday’s: orchards, minipark, old lane, looping back to the local park, and looping that a few times. There were four short walk intervals: the first two to help M (whose finding running tough), one for the photo and one to manage steady light breathing on an incline.
M came for the first half only. A couple of km in, I became aware he was slapping his feet... which is when we realised that he’d put on his trail boots instead of his runners! How he hadn’t noticed, I’ll never know. Must have been so heavy and uncomfortable. He insists not. Although his hamstrings aren’t too happy.
Warm at 11-12 degrees, just after 7.30am. Mud in park nice and firm. Pretty quiet on the human front, but the birdsong was so, so loud: especially the great tits with their squeaky-gate call. All the other birds were out in force, notably the crows (always in pairs). A magpie and pigeon both flew low towards the spilled bins, tipping their wings and turning like something from a black-and-white war movie.
Started overcast, but the clouds were breaking up when I finished (photo). At first, only the lower layer opened up, and the higher altitude cover remained, so the sky was a pattern of grey cirrus brushstrokes against blank white cloud. Then the blue and the sun were revealed. For some reason, classical music came to mind: Debussy and Wagner’s swirling Rhine. (Bit corny! 😂)
I’d overdressed even with a light jacket. Removing it midway was not just cooling, it was like completely refreshening my legs, even if carrying it was a faff (tied round my waist, it flapped about my calves; tied around my neck, I was like a caped cartoon character).
Towards the end of the run, and because there was little mud, I went totally free-style over the open grass, running about with abandon, around the shrubbery, and enjoying the powerful scent of mahonias. So happy!! 😁🦌
😀First 10k achieved...bit of a wet one!
First 7k, First daytime run 
Let's concentrate on the fact it was sunny
