So last week was 6 flights, 4 countries, 4 days. Interspersed with lots of meetings, me trying to dislodge my head from my neck and getting caught in a torrential downpour on Friday night in Copenhagen that has left me with man flu these last few days.
But yesterday I was itching to get back out. Back along my run through the fields and forests in Central Bohemia.
And so off I set at my slow methodical pace. The pace that is pretty much the same now as it was on W1R1. I'm not competing so why tire myself out.
We had had a massive rainstorm the night before and so the beginning part of the run where I have seen the trees go from blossom, to fruit to stunning yellows and burning reds now looked like an avenue of skeletons that had shed their clothes and robes all over the floor.
Around the curve and onto the first field. I see the farmer has already planted his second crop of the year and seedlings that weren't there last week have started to poke through. Around Calf Killer Curve and on to the Lane of Pain. A long thigh killing gentle incline that goes on for 800mtr. But my breathing was good, my pace was good and I have done it lots and lots of times so I know nearly to the meter how far it is until it starts to level out.
The Endomondo lady tells me its 1km with a laptime of 8m14s. Nice and slow. Nice and steady.
The wild deer in the fields are now a lot bigger than at the start of the summer and are starting to get ready for the winter months. And now that the leaves are off the trees I can see just how many birds nests there were.
I pass the lady with the pushchairm and notice that the little one is now toddling along as she pushes the empty pushchair. He's certainly grown over the summer.
I pass the pylon and say good morning and smile as I rember that the pylon was once my target to reach and was my turn back point back in week 3. But I carry on along the track to the next village. No forest here and I am high up so I get buffeted about by the wind but have a stunning view across the plains of the Czech Republic stretching for miles in all directions. Birds swirling about in the wind hunting for field mice now that the crops have been cut.
2km. Laptime 8m23s. Well it would be slower. I've just jogged along the north face of Everest up the Hill of Hell for 800 mtrs and then into a Force 10 gale (800mtr incline and into a slight breeze doesnt sound so dramatic).
Turnaround and start heading back.
The last few runs I get all the way to the car which is a total of 4km and then turn back to the point that I know is 500mtr and then back to the car again for a total of 5km.
But after the turnaround at the car today I didnt stop at 500 mtr. I carried on an extra little bit. And then turned and back to the car.
Total running time 45minutes. Distance 5.7km.
Speed....nice and slow and steady which is how I managed it.
But I say that I had some help and I did. I had a lot of help as it happens.
I recall each bit of my route from each week of the program and as I now read the posts on here, when I read of someone saying they are at W2R1 or W3R3 I know just where along this route that used to take me to.
I read about people on here that are running despite having some sort of physical or medical disability. People with kids that need to be taken to/collected from school and a fitting it all in with a job in an office.
In my mind I can read the posts of elation when people achieve a goal that they thought was unachievable. When they have a bad run but still just keep on battling through as they face their own challenges and overcome them.
I laugh and smile to myself at the posts of people who in turn are laughing as they look back at the run where they fell over, got lost, got soaked etc.
I think of the friends I have made on here. Oldfloss , Hidden , Kimchoc08 , and many many more. People I will likely never meet face to face. But we have this one common thing that we share online. This one thing that every pain, triumph, injury and moment of glory can be understood by the other.
So thank you one and all. Out there running my legs carry my body, but you lot carry my mind.
Enjoy the journey.
Gone with the wind…..
W9R3 ... Nearly died.. but I bloody well did it...!!!
Wrong kit, only 3k but great run in iconic location
I know I shouldn't have, but I just ran a 5K!!!
