W5 R3 completed ...in the gloom and ghostliness.

[Pm3eak]

A bit of a hectic day today : we have contractors working on the hovel so I was frantically moving plants ahead of them before said flora suffered death by mini-digger. By the time I'd done that, moved a small mountain of soil from around the doors and walked Jethro and Lucy, there wasn't a lot of daylight left. We are in the sticks here so I would have had to run with a flashlight, like some Olympic torch bearer inexplicably lost among the sheep and heifers. That would have probably reignited rumours of wandering spirits on The Moss and got the locals overexcited: we are simple souls here.

So, I cracked on before the gloom engulfed us.

I trotted off, slowly, slightly apprehensive- partly as I tweaked my knee doing other (non running) stuff at weekend.

Rather like the current Ashes cricket in Australia, it played out pretty much as I expected. I haven't yet had much trouble with breathing or cardio-vascular issues, I suppose because I have carried remnants of my swimming fitness over to this programme. I recover really quickly after each section.

But, today, my legs felt like lead! As I've said before, they have pretty much hitched a ride for years as my arms, shoulders and back have powered me up and down the pool. Now the idle beggars are grumbling and whinging like teenagers on the first day of term while my upper body, finely tuned ( haha) over decades, making up most of my 93 kg, is colluding with its mate gravity to make things hard.

Anyway, it was fine. I pottered along at a sedate and gentlemanly 7mins/ km pace, listening to Radio 4, avoided wildlife, dog poo and inquisitive farm animals and arrived back at Poverty Bank in good spirits ( not the wandering ones) and without incident. The knee is ever so slightly niggly so I will need to watch that. I've iced it, elevated it and given it a stern talking to: I won't run again until it is behaving itself.

I do so enjoy this running malarkey-despite several decades saying I would hate it-and am looking forward to a gentle progression toward the business end of the programme, at whatever pace my ageing carcase dictates.

[the_tea_fairy Graduate]

This was a lovely read and made me chuckle; thanks.

Also, for back-of-beyond bovine-and-ovine accompanied running, get thee a decent rechargeable headtorch. It's a game-changer for winter runs (and makes the countryside feel like an adventure, which is great if your radio 4 listening is largely of the Tweet of the Day/GQT/Farming Today variety, and less so if you've been listening to M.R.James ghost stories!!)

[Pm3eak Graduate in reply to the_tea_fairy]

Blimey: you pretty much summed up my radio listening there the_tea_fairy: I am a bird watcher, gardener, recently retired environmental something-or-other and ex-farmer. Add a bit of 'I'mSorry I Haven't a Clue' and I am set up for the duration on your suggested playlist.

I have been thinking about a head torch: my son assured me they don't make them in my size.

[the_tea_fairy Graduate in reply to Pm3eak]

Haha, I've been binging on 'Natural Histories' on iPlayer radio, which is a gentle delight if you're after further listening.

He's talking nonsense, and they're a good thing to own if you don't mind looking like, well, a person with a torch elastivated to their head.

[rolysmate Graduate]

well done and 7m a k is no slouch

[Hidden]

Haha, I wish I’d managed to avoid the dog poo yesterday! So we are part of quite a batch of us at roughly the same place. Your post was highly entertaining, and well done for doing the much maligned run 3. I found week 6 run 1 surprisingly strenuous, so maybe go easy with that knee. I have to strap mine up whenever I run, so might be worth a try?

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Love your post ☺️ Very entertaining. Well done on the biggie and especially for getting it done after doing all that digging!

My other passion is gardening so I know how my body hurts after a day of hard graft too so my respect for doing your run on the same day 👏👏👏

No wonder your knee is complaining (lots of kneeling?) Make sure you stretch after each run and consider investing in a foam roller to iron out any early niggles.

amazon.co.uk/Foam-Roller-Ti...

[Pm3eak Graduate in reply to Irishprincess]

Thank you for the Amazon link. That looks to be a useful piece of kit. I have been reading several posts on this forum mentioning the benefits of 'rolling' and think I will give it a go. I already use a tennis ball against a wall for muscle knots in my upper back -it works brilliantly-and this seems to be a more advanced form of that idea.

Incidentally, I never kneel: I grew up working in fields and have always been comfortable bending from waist for long periods.

My family find it hilarious to be related to someone whose only real skill is to be productive while adopting the working posture of a 13 th Century peasant.

[Irishprincess Graduate in reply to Pm3eak]

Blimey, you must have a very strong back! That would kill my back 😩 The tennis ball is good. I've used a golf ball too but my pilates teacher doesn't advise this because apparently the tissue has to "give".