No debate about clockwise or anticlockwise! We tried an entirely fresh route. Big adventure. Our normal venue is a perfectly timed 5-min warm-up from the door; a couple of circuits and a squiggle hits the 30-minute mark. It’s very nice as well, possibly too perfect; makes it hard to leave. The new route was an experiment, and more a destination than an venue.
The new warm-up walk took us en-route through a mini-park. Outside, there’s a street orchard outside, created after closing the roads to through traffic. (Photo shows this, the cycle path and the ‘Go slow’ sign, which seems fitting for c25k.) Our run started here, through the gardens and then snaking along the back snicket, which is also converted to orchards. This is a lovely little spot, but takes less than 2 minutes to traverse. We were then on the streets (pleasant and quiet) for 5 minutes to reach the destination park. A single circuit, plus a squiggle, and it’s time for the return. Parakeets, crows, tits, sparrows, dabchicks, pochards, mallards: our avian cheerleaders were out in force.
This park presents new and (for us) significant and sustained decline/ incline. The rise comes just as we hit the halfway point, as the stats show. Yep, we knew about it. We talked about knowing it. And talking about it helped deal with it. M observed that he was coping with it better that I was (physically, that is; I was doing absolutely brilliantly mentally). This difference is amazing (apparently) because he’s been completely morphed with the sofa for the past decades, whereas I’ve been going to Pilates and yoga (including that hardcore ashtanga mode), swimming, periodically step-counting or zumba-ing... you know, just doing my bit to stay active. Yep, so it’s totally gobsmacking that he can run up this dinky hill without the struggle that I clearly experience. I suggest that it’s absolutely fine, if he wants, to run separately, so that he’s not dragged back by my limits. Oh, no, says M, it’s much more fun to run with you.
There is a track of bark around much of the perimeter, so we were on something closer to trails. One side of our usual park has the ‘embankment’ section, but the trails are more sustained in this one. Heavy rain overnight made these quite muddy in places. M slid but kept his feet. He prides himself on his exceptional sense of balance, the result of youthful martial arts training plus Northern Soul dancing. It’s also in sharp contrast to my legendary dreadful ability in this area (resulting in a broken leg on two occasions). The physio’s prescribed wobble cushion had little effect. Even years of doing tree pose has not made much difference. My yoga teacher now gives out the guidance that tree pose is not meant to about stress and frustration, which I think is for me; and I’m definitely happier now I do it without fretting about and straining ‘to balance’. But I deviate. Anyway, having just reminded me of his incredible skills, within seconds M was flat in the mud. A bit bruised but thankfully all ok. I have to admit, though, the way he bounced back to his feet from the mire was impressively Wigan Casino.
32:45 mins, 4.17km, 7:52 min/km
7:57; 7:35; 8:18; 7:39; (7:40)
Happy running (or Injury Couch alternatives)!!!
Park Run Woes
New recruit...
Park run #10
