I ran this morning in glorious high summer, the light, bright blue sky punctuated by wispy white clouds. As I climbed the hill for my warm-up bees bumbled around a lavender filled front yard and the only sound to break the silence was the startled bark of an exhaust, belched out by an old banger as it wheezed off for the day.
Warm up over I stumbled into running, face first into blazing sun, casting wistful glances into the shade that was tantalisingly out of reach; part of me wonders what on earth I am doing and I'm reassured when the response is 'having fun'. But I make it and turn left into the cool offered by trees and trails. In the distance I catch sight of another runner travelling in the other direction: the first of many this morning.
I love running here. It's a beautiful soul in the middle of the urban heartland of the country; to my right, through dappled sunshine, I can see dog walkers communing on the meadow while dogs streak after balls or clamour for their humans to throw them. I'm probably not the most accomplished runner but when I'm in motion I carry an image of the ad for Dairy Milk chocolate - the one with the girl riding her bike while looking all around her - and I love that feeling of trundling along, enjoying my surroundings.
Anyway, onwards. Turn left onto a path through the woods and then climb right, back onto the trail. A few more minutes and I'm back out into the sunlight and running through the carpark, past the café that does the best cooked breakfast in the country (I've eaten a few...) and heading back to the trail and the incline that used to scare the living daylights out of me. My stride is settled and, although it's not effortless, my pace doesn't slow to much. I remember being able to barely keep my head up the first time I tried it.
It levels out after a few minutes and I have the joy of flat ground and a downward incline ahead. I feel like I'm flying - best feeling in the world.
All to soon the easy stuff comes to an end and it's back up hill, through the last of the woods and back out onto the park paths. By this time I'm beginning to feel it and the last but one incline stands there with it's arms folded daring me to stop. But I crack on and even manage a brief exchange with a chap and his rottweilers (I do like rottweilers) without stopping.
5 or 6 minutes to go (really??) so I promise myself that if I tackle the last incline, after the all to brief respite of level ground, I can turn round and finish on a slope. So I do. Bloody loved it.
Apart from the poetic description of your run it sums up pretty how much I feel throughout a run and yes I Bloody Love it too!! 
A Muddy 4k In My New Trail Shoes - A Tough One, is 10k really doable?
I said I would - so I did! W7r2
Who needs a spirit level!
My goal is to scamper around the woods in mud!
The obligatory graduation post 
