Saying, "now for a frolic! Now for a leap!
Now for a mad-cap galloping chase
I'll blow those runners all over the place!"
And it did; loads of runners this week have posted about getting blown from pillar to post; my turn this morning.
Before I post my run however, in deference to the excellent comments given by lovely runner, davelinks (check his post and pikkie out today, great), I shall not mention my actual age ever again, and from now on will only refer to myself as Oldfloss with Attitude and Grey Speedy Snail.
Fine morning, despite the weather forecast, but a hint of greyness heading from the North.
Set out before 8 a.m. intending to get back fairly quickly, (hard mornings work ahead, moving furniture and boxes), so a brisk warm up walk, turning left at the decide point, I headed up towards the Common. Walking past the houses, it is odd how you do something lots of times and then suddenly notice something. Under the hedge of one of the houses, row after row of snowdrops, but all in extremely neat rows, and I mean neat, almost as if someone had taken a ruler and measured the placing and positioning of each bulb with pinpoint accuracy... weird, but fascinating!
Moving up to the roundabout and leaving the shelter of the houses, I crossed and started the run uphill...Speed podcast, again, today... I love the Stamina but was getting badly hooked on it...so a change.
I had noticed the wind, but as I started the first interval run, the wind really hit me..it was strong, and I initially found it hard to catch my breath. Persevered on and up, but goodness, it was a battle! I am not overly heavy, I know, but even though I was keeping the pace, I did not actually seem to be gaining much distance. the wind was almost lifting me! Fortunately the change in pace came as I turned the corner along one of the side-roads, and I was able to speed up... but then , because of time and distance,had to turn to retrace my steps and head back to the hill!
It felt as if the wind was being channelled down the hill. pummelling me in the chest and tummy.
I tried to keep in to the hedge as far as possible, past the hidden lake and half way up the hill. A runner passed me as I was fighting my way upwards, he was running downhill, very swiftly. He gave me a pitying look... not sure whether it was a " yes it's very windy" look or a " what the heck is she doing" look. Anyway I was at this point, too busy trying to keep my hat pulled down to bother. I crossed over and began to run down again. Had to turn up Laura's volume, for the rest of the podcast, as the sound of the wind through the branches, although leafless, of the trees was very loud. Huge oaks and silver birch waving their great branched arms in a futile attempt to stop the wind, the hanging branches of a willow over the lake swaying with an unseemly frenzy as they were tossed and tangled.
Very hard going downhill too...how is it, the wind is in your face going one way and yet still in your face going the other? Finally, after what did seem an age this morning, Laura is telling me two more intervals to go..thank goodness. Down, and over the roundabout, down, down, to the bottom of the hill. Did not seem to see much this morning, too busy trying to stay upright!
Finish in style.. you must be joking Laura! What style...? No style this morning at all!
Okay, I did not have the rain and awful conditions some folk have had, but I felt as if I had been tossed around in a wind tunnel...! I admire every one of you who deliberately chose to go out in these conditions!
Anyway... called for the newspaper and had my slow walk...me and Scissor Sisters... against the wind, again, back up my bit of the hill to home.!
Not sure if enjoyed is the right word..but davelinks,like you on your run, I did it... felt exhilarated and blown clean weirdly, and if you read the rest of the poem, ( William Howitt), I got away extremely lightly!
PS. My Nan knew that poem by heart, and used to recite it to me when I was small.
(Thought you would like to know that!)
Gone with the wind…..
The wind? Or the 'wall'?
W3R2 complete in the wind and rain!!!
