Hello blog lovers.
You gotta love summer time, apparently, according to Farcebook, it was the first day of summer yesterday. It said it right there, on my newsfeed, the first thing yesterday morning, I said "Welcome to the first day of summer, tell your friends!" Really! It was absolutely pissing down outside, and it didn't stop until evening time!
But Summer time it is, and I know it may be cruel to our lovely group 1 runners in their shiny shoes, but summertime is running in the woods time! I have been missing it so much of late! You can breathe so much easier in there, you run and not even notice how far we have run! I know I say it again and again, but it needs to be said, spread the word! So, darn it, we were going through the woods!
Hels gave the announcements today, especially about our run time for next week, we are meeting up at 7:30! But that's next weeks blog. I had J.J. and Janet back from their holidays taking up their positions as sweepers, and Auriol and Illustrious Leader were mixing in the middle of the group today. I told everyone were we were going, a nice easy one through the woods. I went through the safety instructions, "What do we say when we see roots?" "Roots" they all responded, and with all the other instructions too, 'low branch!, poo!, mud!, woodman!' Yes, they all knew what to say. And so we were off. Out of the rec turn left and then left at the bottom of the road. In to the woods from Poo Ally and then turning right to go up, up, up! At least it is the less steepest path!
It was going to be a shorter than normal route, as running through the woods requires more concentration, and it just is slower! It must be a terrain thing. We were running up the incline and dodging the icky sticky bits and I was calling out "roots!" and waited. "Mud!" and waited. Hmmm, I feel a talking to when we get to the top!
We had a bit of a rest and catch up and I mentioned again, the cal needs to filter down to the very last person. Not everyone needs to call it. I'm a bit of a task master really, but I do like to know that everybody is safely through the 'obstacles' I guess it's not such a peaceful woods really, not when there is 15 pairs of trainers traipsing over it, and probably more with the other groups, there is bound to be a little bit of banter going on!
We continued running along parallel to Orpinton Road, heading towards the Woodmans Lodge. The girls have yet to see the infamous, the elusive woodman, I feel sure they all think he's a figment of my imagination! I shall have to ask Michelle to tell me he was real, before I start thinking he was! We continued along the top of the woods, I was surprised the puddles were not bigger and more puddley if yu know what I mean. They were big sticky foot prints in the mud, some times there were wetter than they looked as the mud cover the toe of my shoes! But it was great fun. I should have changed my shoes really, that way I could have gone straight through the middle of the puddles. But then, I couldn't have done the 'pathfinding' for all those that don't 'embrace' the mud as much.
We got to the top of the middle path, quicker than expected, but not enough time to run along to Botany Bay Lane. So I decided to do just one more little bit of the woods before heading back to the rec. Being a fair, ......ok along side the task master......sort of leader, I gave the option of a bit more mud before heading back down. I show of hands showed me that everyone was enjoying themselves. So I continued along the top of the woods before turning left to start our down hill section of running. The path I chose was one that we use for our 10k route, expect we make our entrants run up it!
It was along here that one of the runners said "Wow, just look at this, it's like the country side" And it really is! There are trees, winding paths, fields, cattle, horses and sheep! All within a stones throw of Bromley Town centre! I still find it amazing that this little bit of countryside is on my doorstep, and I feel so happy showing it off to others who didn't know it was here, and the ideas that start to form in their minds. "The kids would love this, maybe get them to do a mini run through here" I would think the logistics of that could prove to be a bit of a night mare though. Just knowing my kids, getting lost if they just took their minds off the subject. I have bought my kids, the kids that I childmind in here, just for walks and stuff. And it is a great thing to do.
So with a renewed spirit and the smell of the woods filling my nostrils, and one of the other runners actually! She was sneezing all over the place by the time we go this far! Hayfever, that dreaded awful thing that happens to some of us (yup, even I seem to have developed slight hayfever!) We ran all the down to the rail lines and turn left. We really were nearing the end of our run this evening. A very short one as we ran just one more very small incline before getting back to to Poo Ally.
A most pleasant if a little shorter run today. One that I much needed, especially through the woods.
Geeky stats for you.
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