It’s MOT day for the car and I’m lucky that the garage is close enough to drop and walk home. It’s rural here so the options are along a 50mph road with high hedge, blind corners and no verge or over the muddy fields. Fields it is! It wasn’t raining this morning so I stupidly thought that it wouldn’t be that wet, forgetting that it’s basically rained for about a week solid and some of the loc parkruns are cancelled this week because they’re still underwater…
I handed the car keys over and had to get home somehow. I guess it’s mud or nothing! The other thing I’d forgotten is that the garage is at the bottom of a hill. The village is about 3km away all uphill. My natural tendency is to go too fast and there was no danger of that today! Concentrating on every step kept it properly slow and steady, and actually really enjoyable. It stopped me checking my watch to see how fast I was going too. The first part of the run was through a mini industrial estate and along a path that has become a stream. Any thoughts of trying to keep my feet dry went out of the window. Turn sharp left up the country lane. It’s quite a hill but taking it extra slow meant I still was breathing comfortably. There’s a nice view over a field of sheep who were looking at me as if I was mad. Then it was on to a muddy path through a field. The path ran parallel to the hill and running was really slippery. The proud part of me would have tried to keep running but the sensible part of me won and I walked gingerly down the hill.
A couple of minutes later, it was safe to run again though a waterlogged field. A gentle incline this time but shoes full of water didn’t exactly help! Over a couple of stiles. A kissing gate requires some ninja style moves to avoid being ankle deep in water. I don’t really know why I bothered because by the time I was finished across the fields, my leggings were muddy to the knees and my trainers totally covered in mud.
Finally I reached the village and realised I wasn’t far off 5k. A couple of laps around the houses and it appeared for the first time since I fell, which was over a month ago. Quick trip the to the shop for a coffee and home for the most satisfying shower in ages. Phew!
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Just...muddily magnificent!!! Quite simply...!Huge well done...Good to see you back om track .. pardon the pun..but still listening to your body! You've had a rough time and need to take care of yourself...!
I don’t mind you sounding like my mum-I like my mum a lot! Funnily enough when I spoke to her earlier, she did say almost the same as you did! ❤️
It’s great to be feeling good again. I’ll definitely be erring on the side of caution-this will be my long run of the week and I’ll just have a couple of very short pootles around the local area and a lot of stretching. No rush for anything more strenuous! I’m loving this chilled out style of running at the moment!
Thanks Al! I’ve had a few very wet runs but its been a while since I’ve had one so muddy. Cleaning the trainers wasn’t much fun but absolutely worth it! It’s nice to be back out and feeling good again.
Nice run, we have a lot of mud here too. It's supposed to be the driest part of the country where I am, you wouldn't think so to look at the path this morning.
Well done on getting out, it's good to drop the car off and make your way back on foot (especially if you can run it), it always feels to me that I'm doing my bit for the planet
I love the walk home from the garage for exactly the reason you’ve said! You can carry on to the next village where there are a few more shops, a pub and a nice coffee shop. I like walking there and back without the car-being in nature and doing a small bit for nature is a great feeling. I’ll be waiting until it dries out a bit so I’m not having coffee with disgusting wet feet though!
That’s brilliant. Great to see you recovering to your former self! 5k, Wowsa! (But take it slow!)
Beautiful picture , despite the rainy-ness. As a fellow runner, those kinds of pictures make you just want to jump through the screen and run down that path!
Thanks! There was absolutely no question of taking it anything other than slow today-the terrain was actually really good for that. I haven’t had any knee pain in a long time now and my bruises are gone. I think my confidence is lagging behind but that’s probably the right way around rather than being gung ho! This will be my long run of the week. Will have a couple of little pootles around the lanes and a lot of stretching. It’s really nice to feel like I’m getting somewhere towards normal now.
Thanks! I think my last class of primary kids would have had a fantastic time coming up with adjectives for the terrain! Squelchy, squishy, boggy, claggy, sodden, clumpy, squashy mud. And a lot of fun it was too!
It’s a really lovely setting. During lockdown I did a lot of exploring (walking) and found loads of footpaths I had no idea existed despite living here for a good few years! Occasionally there are cows in one of the fields which can mean a detour if they’re looking lively. Just some muddy sheep yesterday!
So glad to be feeling normality is within sight. Hopefully it won’t be too long for you too.
That sounds like an adventure, even though it was a squelchy one! I love that sort of run! It does slow you down, but where's the fun in running on a flat dry road! I always think the run really begins on those difficult to negotiate bits. Having to concentrate on the mud, dodging obstacles etc takes your mind off the actual effort of the run I think. I wish I'd been there!
I’m sure you’d have loved it and I bet we’d have had a fun time together. I totally agree about the obstacles and mud etc taking your mind off the effort. It was much more of a mental workout than usual. Great fun. I definitely need more fields in my running!
Thanks! I’ve fought hard against my natural instincts to just push to pick straight up from where I was. I’ve actually really enjoyed the shorter, chilled out runs and it definitely feels like it’s paid off. Hooray for patience!
I was in a brilliant mood all day afterwards. It had the same feeling as a really rainy run when you can’t get any wetter and it suddenly becomes fun. It really helped that it wasn’t raining as well as so muddy in the ground. I don’t think I could have managed both at once!
I would have been looking for signs of trench foot after that lot MissU! Well done for keeping going; although, you probably didn’t have a lot of choice with your car in the garage! Take it easy and just enjoy being able to run again 🙂
Oh my goodness, it was wet underfoot!!! My poor trainers. They were vile to deal with afterwards. I’ve been through three changes of newspaper and they’re still soaking. Thank goodness for another pair! Not that I’ll be running today-it’s lovely here and I’ll be digging out my hiking boots for a short walk across a local common which doesn’t get so boggy!
The car passed with no work needed so a good day all round!
I'm sure you feel great to 'be back at it' after your enforced break! Like you, I have one rural route, usually favoured, that takes me along the river on a track. I did it on Tuesday and got proper clarted with mud for my efforts. It also has six stiles in varying states of repair - they're the scariest part for me. I've given up rinsing my shoes off!
I think that your slow & steady approach is the only safe one when paths and obstacles are as slippy as they are right now. The smashing thing is that you're running again😀👍.
A rickety stile is a very scary thing! This route is ok for that but some of the gates are always accompanied with massive puddles. No avoiding wet feet! Sounds like you had a brilliant run on Tuesday. Its funny how getting really muddy and wet feels like a badge of honour!
It’s so nice to be back out there again. The longer distances will come later-I’m just loving being able to run. Rest day today!
😂 I should have thought of the bear hunt!! Perfect. Next time (and there’s always a next time with unexpected mud/water/brambles etc!) I’ll have that in my head!
The trainers look cleaner than they have in ages after I attacked them with a vegetable scrubbing brush under the tap. They’re still very wet!
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?