Humidor what?
After a beautifully relaxing summer’s day yesterday spent reading, playing guitar and just thinking, I was not much inclined to run at all this morning. However, since my body and mind both need me to run regularly, I decided to make the most of another summer’s day to run outside for a change. As a last minute afterthought I grimaced my way through a gel left over from the Eye-to-Eye… I was to be grateful of it!
It was already hot when I left so my intention was to complete the woodland run that the Bok and I used to do in the mornings sometimes… a nice relaxing 5.2 miles.
Everyone I passed seemed to be in a good mood, each one returning my cheery greeting with a smile… somewhat different to running in Brighton! Somewhere over towards the Royal Oak (as was, now closed) I met two runners who were slightly unsure of the path, which really does look as if it goes right up to someone’s front door!
Having put them back on the right track I headed out to Wivesfield and up through West Wood. It really was muggy (and very muddy too, by the way) and yet I decided to take an additional loop out to Hundred Acre Lane to push the distance up nearer to 6 miles.
What was lovely was to see was a field of oak trees that I remember being planted… I used to run through when they were saplings and they are already growing above 10 feet.
Once back on the main route I headed up to the magical path which, with the sun still relatively low in the sky, really was in top magical form!
I could hear other people across to my left, with the occasional sound of a sharp whistle and when I reached St Georges Retreat I discovered that it was a group of runners, out for a morning run.
They kindly let me tag along and thus rather than head back home I headed on out. All over the place as it turned out.
They were from St Francis Sports & Social Club and they had a neat system so ensure that no-one got left behind. Every so often the whistle would sound and the front runners would turn round and run back to beyond the back of the group before turning round again to continue.
With a series of such loops we ran down to Worlds End, across to the fishponds and back across to Rocky Lane, mid way between Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath. Crossing the railway line under the road arch we then ran on towards the Fox & Hounds but I peeled off right before we got there to make a start for home.
It was interesting that my energy seemed to desert me the moment I was back on my own, but I pushed on forward regardless. It was lovely to see Theobalds Lane again and then to run down Valebridge Drive past my old house… the garden now looking in need of more than a little help.
I took the direct route back up Junction Road and reached home at 1.52 and a distance that worked out approximately to (at least) 11 miles.
Thank you to Lyndsey, Dom, Siobham and the rest of the gang for your generous hospitality and for giving me a good reason to run a little further than normal.
The group meets at St Francis on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9am and several times during the week… if you live around Haywards Heath and are looking for a nice social group to run with, contact Lyndsey and Dom through St Francis Sports & Social Club for more information.
One final cross-post. If you are a graduate or young person starting out into the job market (or you know someone who is), then you might find my thoughts blog post about the Art Director and Photographer Karen Storey worth a quick read.