It’s flat along he top of the Downs isn’t it? - Bridge to 10K

Bridge to 10K

16,515 members26,546 posts

It’s flat along he top of the Downs isn’t it?

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate
44 Replies

Actually no it isn’t, the elevation gain was 92 metres but i’m not sure what that means

It’s a nice calm day no wind to speak of..... until you get to the top then it’s blowing

Walked up the chalky track, stopped to look at the dew pond, jogged gently through the woods, a lot of trees have been taken down due to disease so some nice views through the ones left

Out onto the track, the ruts are actually very narrow and very deep and changeable, so feet were a bit frightened because kept nearly turning on stones or at the edge of the ruts

We’d agreed that I would probably run further than Willow and he’d go back to the car so i looked over my shoulder at one point to see if he’s turned round and there he was right by my shoulder I jumped out of my skin and nearly fell over in surprise, we kept going for a while decided together to turn and jog/ walk back. Went through the woods a different way got a bit lost the track petered out and brambles bit my arms leaving streaks of blood but hey ho we were out and smiling

The last bit downhill across grass and we belted down wondering if we could stop but we did and back in the car to come home 5k done

Positives, plenty of space to go round people, views stunning,

Negatives, we aren’t trail runners and it was very slow, but we were out for nearly an hour and felt great after

Have a great weekend everyone whether you run, rest or sit on the injury couch Spring is here

If you squint a bit you can see the sea through the trees

Written by
SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRun
Graduate10
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
44 Replies
Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduate10

A nice run 👍It's strange going off road when you are not a trail runner isn't it , it certainly slows you down .

However the enjoyment of the run is much more important than the speed .

And yes, I can see the sea through the trees 😂

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toInstructor57

My favourite is along the paths near the sea, Willow is happy to keep to the park but every so often we go to the top of the south downs and marvel at how far we can see

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduate10 in reply toSueAppleRun

Sounds like a great place to run 🙂👍

That all looks and sounds absolutely glorious W&S. I haven't ventured to run along the top of the downs yet, but your post has certainly made me put it on my to-do list. Well done on your 5ks. I loved your description of your run, especialy the last bit - I now have a lovely mental picture of the two of you bombing down the hillside like a couple of kids!

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply to

We had very wide grins, it’s not somewhere to get PB’s speed could cause injuries but it was lovely

grumpyoldgirl profile image
grumpyoldgirl

One of my discoveries is that nothing is as flat as you think when you're running 😁 lovely view though

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply togrumpyoldgirl

You are right, even flat roads we drive along are a bit hilly when running

Cmoi profile image
CmoiGraduate10 in reply togrumpyoldgirl

So true grumpyoldgirl ! 😀

What's bothering me now though is that I've started thinking "Hmm, I wonder if I could run up this?" or even "Ooh, this is lovely, I'd like to run up this!" when I'm driving up hills! 😱😂

grumpyoldgirl profile image
grumpyoldgirl in reply toCmoi

At the risk of stretching an analogy, I'd say you're on a slippery slope there😁

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10 in reply togrumpyoldgirl

😆

nowster profile image
nowsterGraduate10 in reply togrumpyoldgirl

So true! Slopes you'd not think twice about when walking turn into a mountain climbing exercise when running.

Dexy5 profile image
Dexy5Graduate10

When the running shoes open, you could both get fitted for trail shoes WillowandSola. You deserve a treat and they are much better for running on grass. 👟👟🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toDexy5

That’s an idea Dexy but it’s not so much running on grass it’s deep narrow ruts that are all along the trails oh and rabbit holes, it’s quiet enough round here that I still love road running

Dexy5 profile image
Dexy5Graduate10 in reply toSueAppleRun

You can never have too many pairs of shoes 😂😂

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toDexy5

Well there is that 😉

dijep profile image
dijepGraduate10

You may not think of yourselves as trail runners but you are runners who ran on a trail 🤣 And how great that Willow didn't feel like he needed to turn back and you did the distance together. Lovely photo and I spy the sea 🌊

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply todijep

Thanks we were glad we went

Oldgirlruns profile image
OldgirlrunsGraduate10

Lovely photo Sola! Sounds like a lovely run!

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toOldgirlruns

It was thanks

Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduate10

That sounds like a great run - one you both enjoyed! Love,y photo and I can see the sea! 😊

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toJools2020

The beach is too busy at the momenta s to go above and look out over the coast is special

9weeks2Run profile image
9weeks2RunGraduate10

Nice run trail runner love birds!! I love reading your posts so lovely how you snd Willow run together how very special that must be.

I can see the sea!!

Take care x

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply to9weeks2Run

Hey, thanks, we love running together even though Willow really didn’t want to go out the first time but wasn’t going to let me go on my own lol,

9weeks2Run profile image
9weeks2RunGraduate10 in reply toSueAppleRun

Aw so sweet x

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassador

Aaaw lovely run you two!

I think the 92m is how high above sea level at the highest point. The gain of 75m is what you actually climbed...

It’s fab how far you can see on a good day. On my walk last Tuesday I was at a height of 300m, and could see The River Severn and England beyond.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toLottieMW

Wow, that’s very high and the river Severn is beautiful what I’ve seen of it, Willow used to live in that area for a while, aren’t you clever knowing things like that?

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassador in reply toSueAppleRun

I think my lockdown runs gave me an understanding of what Strava was telling me about all those flipping inclines I was going up!

...just remembered I can add photos! That dark line across the middle is England! The Severn is the paler line below...

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toLottieMW

Yes lockdown has given us time to look at things in a different way, what a gorgeous photo thanks

nowster profile image
nowsterGraduate10

Elevation gain is how far you went upwards. If you then went down a bit, the next bit of "up" would be counted as a gain.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply tonowster

We went up and down then up a bit more and down you get the picture? then we turned round and did it all in reverse, the last down across grass was too tempting and we ran almost out of control fast but we managed to stop before we crashed so that was good,

Couchphoenix profile image
CouchphoenixGraduate10

Well done on completing 5k, trail running sounds quite tricky as the grounds so uneven and you have to watch you don’t end up with a twisted ankle. The bonus of course is that the air is sweeter and the views are better....I squinted and could see the sea, it was between the land and sky 😉🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toCouchphoenix

I think because of all the rain we had the ruts are deeper, tractors and the ranger in a small van go along there

Magellan profile image
MagellanGraduate10

Not being a trail runner and having to go slowly is a good thing. Too many people struggle to keep their slow runs slow enough, and a trail run forces you to do that, while being very beautiful too.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toMagellan

We are slow anyway and slow means we get time to enjoy the view, we’ve decided to go there more often as it will feel easier with practice

Killerblue profile image
KillerblueGraduate10

Sounds like an interesting run but I can understand the difficulties of trail running and the fear of twisting an ankle. Well done both of you for staying out there for an hour 🏃‍♀️

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toKillerblue

I was determined to get to 5k so just kept going until 2.5 had been covered then turned round, i was chuffed Willow didn’t turn earlier

Roxdog profile image
RoxdogGraduate10

Sounds just perfect. You may not be a trail runner, but you ran on trails! My favourite!

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toRoxdog

The unevenness meant we couldn’t just keep moving legs we had to concentrate but we’ve decided to do that more often, it’s about 8k to the next landmark so aiming for that

Maddee_6333 profile image
Maddee_6333Graduate10

Bwahahaha, it really isn’t 😍👍 sounds like a lovely run.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toMaddee_6333

It was fun and we love being up high and seeing for miles

Lifluf profile image
LiflufGraduate10

That looks like a lovely location for a run Sola. Reminds me of my time living in Kent. I love the peace of trails and being away from traffic even if the uneven ground slows you down. It gives you more time to look.😊

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toLifluf

Yes, exactly and we love going there

Marvellousmaysie profile image
Marvellousmaysie

Hi there. I walked up on the South Downs yesterday and was wondering about running up there because as you say the views are stunning, but it is the hills that put me off, although I could always walk up the hills I suppose😀Do you mind me asking where abouts on the Downs you are running?

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate

We run wherever we go, yes there is some walking involved but we now run more than we walk, we have run around the 3 rings although found the walk up to 2 of them to be really steep couldn’t run up it

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Top of the world

Using up this years annual leave I find myself with a few days off yay 😀 Rest and relaxation and...
SueAppleRun profile image
Graduate10

That was the best

Oh my word, what fun!! Willow stayed home in the warm and Jo and I decided to attempt hill...
SueAppleRun profile image
Graduate10

Sunday afternoon walk

The nice thing about a Sunday afternoon walk is you can stop and take photos, look at the flowers...
SueAppleRun profile image
Graduate10

Up Up and Away

As we drank tea in bed this morning we talked about where we would go for our walk today, Willow...
SueAppleRun profile image
Graduate10

And we thought that was the top of the hill

We decided to take a different path, we really did think what is in the picture was the top of the...
SueAppleRun profile image
Graduate10

Moderation team

See all
Mummycav profile image
MummycavAdministrator
MissUnderstanding profile image
MissUnderstandingAdministrator
Yesletsgo profile image
YesletsgoAdministrator

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.