A sprinkle of Welsh sunshine 🌞

My little corner of Wales was blessed with glorious sunshine this morning 👍, definitely a reason to want to run 🙂.

Encouraged by sleepy half-term teenagers best I run.

Now I'm definitely not bored of my towpath runs, but I tend to get sucked into the same circular run, I pretty much know when each klm clicks up. So it's time I felt to mix it up. So today I aimed for the hills above the village ( quite a large hill though 😬). So I needed to get some decent distance into my legs, after a nice gentle (trying so hard to keep that pace easy) run along the canal, it's a little busy there today walkers and cyclists. I glad to be escaping into the lanes.

The gentle climb passing the marina is a nice change, and the gradient work is refreshing, I'm reminding myself hills are a brilliant training aid 👍💪. The road cuts right at the entrance to the national trust castle (Chirk Castle en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi... )

The lane quickly becoming steeper and I'm sure that sun's heating up 🔥, I chose well, A. Bring a drink and B. Dress correctly ✅ perhaps I'm getting the hang of this running stuff 😆.

The next section was definitely without shame, run/walk/run/walk as the gradient is probably errrr well it's steep the climb from the 5th klm to the 8th was leg burning but definitely rewarding. My feet were glad of the escape into the woods and a softer surface for a while, and it was just an explosion of nature, views and just silence occasionally broken by birdsong and a darting hare I'd disturbed.

I may have gotten lost briefly after hopping a stile, keeping to the field edge, the sheep keeping tabs on me from a distance. I had to detour through a muddy farm yard with the farmers permission, explaining my sense of direction is at best POOR 🤦.

Back on track the lane reaches its highest point, and at the crossroads I'm taking the downward right turn, still harder than running up hill I find but its ok.

Legs appropriately stretched, I'm sensing these longer runs are going to have to be more frequent and probably longer if I'm going to be in tip-top condition for my October date 🤓.

But there's many more runs between now and then 👍 practice makes perfect I reckon 🙂

Happy healthy Safe running all you vrb's

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Sounds like a lovely, lovely run! You have plenty of time to prepare for and enjoy those longer runs - great to have the Marathon to aim for though. Good luck and enjoy!!!

[Hidden in reply to linda9389]

Thanks Linda, plenty of time to negotiate a route with hmmm minimal hills 👍

[LottieMW]

Oh that sounds like a fabulous run, and a wonderful post... I was almost there with you 😉

Aren’t we lucky to have our training hills 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿😂😂😂

[Hidden in reply to LottieMW]

A Welsh secret weapon LottieMW 🤫

[LottieMW in reply to Hidden]

😉

[Grannyhugs 10 Miles]

That sounds like a fabulous run with a lovely mix of terrain. So what if you got a little bit lost 🤣 that’s how lovely new routes are found. Great hill work. Happy running 🤗

[Hidden in reply to Grannyhugs]

Was refreshing Grannyhugs , just gotta clean the farmyard off the brooks 😆

[Jools2020 Half Marathon]

Good going, Imc! Keep those legs turning, you’ll soon have a tan in that Welsh sunshine 👏👏👏

[Hidden in reply to Jools2020]

Eeeeeeeeek more like red n itchy Jools2020 🤣

[Jools2020 Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

😂

[Hidden in reply to Jools2020]

🍅

[Jools2020 Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

I presume that’s the colour your legs go in the sun and not your post run snack!

[Hidden in reply to Jools2020]

Well finger's crossed I'm hoping for a weathered look 🙈

[SueAppleRun 10 Miles]

I loved reading through your run, it sounds like perfection, just you and nature, lovely and a good lot of kilometres in your legs

[Hidden in reply to SueAppleRun]

Aww thanks SueAppleRun totally enjoyable 👍

[skysue16 Half Marathon]

It was a beautiful day for a run and yours sounded wonderful 😀. Getting a bit lost is fun!

[Hidden in reply to skysue16]

I totally agree skysue16 all the lanes in Wales look so similar 🤣

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

Now I’m jealous as yours is the second post I’ve read this morning showing photos of lovely blue skies ☹️ 🙂 Sounds a fab run, I love seeing photos from others’ runs. Taking lots of photos is one of my favourite things to do while running, they really capture the mood and you can look at them years later and still recall that particular run.

[Hidden]

Quite right Irishprincess it's brilliant looking back at past runs 👍

Today it's a piddly wet squishy wales 🤣

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Sounds just great! Great mix of beautiful terrain there. I am with you on the directional issues. I’ve gotten lost on straight out and back runs 😂

[Hidden in reply to Decker]

I'm still classing myself as a trail novice Decker seriously thinking of getting L plates when veering off the tarmac 😎

[9weeks2Run]

Great run Ian. That is sooooo amazing that you have got a place in the Virtual London Marathon. Congratulations

[Hidden in reply to 9weeks2Run]

Thanks Rebecca, a reckless niggling urge 🤣

[9weeks2Run in reply to Hidden]

😂 Fantastic

[Hidden in reply to 9weeks2Run]

Perhaps you could be persuaded to come for a little run 👍