Monday 9 February 2009

snow running


or should that be 'slow running'? in fact it was both. me and the pooch had planned to tackle our local 'anytime challenge' - a 20+miler visiting 5 local trig points. so we set off from macc forest thinking we'd be done and dusted in say 5 hours or so but with little knowledge of what lay ahead for us. our, or should i say my, early morning spring in step was so turn into a trudge across snow drifted moorland. its a difficult route at the best of times but add in thick snow and ice and soon you feel the energy sapping with seemingly little progress being made.eventually we reached roach end and climbed up to the trig point. as if to make my feelings even more despondent the clag was coming down and visibilty taking a tumbling. i looked at my gps...it had taken the best part of 2 hours to cover little more than 6 miles!!!! looking over to where we should have been heading next i could see that it would be difficult to routefind..over unknown moorland in the snow with poor visibility. it was doable but i just felt we could have been out for a long long time and for the first time in a long time i wasn't enjoying the outing. i wanted to run not feel like i was trudging along with massive weights attached to me.
i must say these were just my feelings and not charlie's. he was having a snowtastic time and loving every flake that had fallen.
the light at the end of the tunnel was the sight of 'posh nosh' back at macc forest - 4hrs 48mins and a lowly 15.07miles later. our compensation was a lovely bacon sausage and mushroom butty each and our spirits lifted.
to make amends and do some proper running we headed out of the door for a non-stop 11mile run on sunday, returning with my faith in running and , more importantly, my faith in being able to run well and truly restored.

2 comments:

PART TIME RUNNER said...

No sauce on mine thanks.

kate said...

it's amazing how a good bacon cob can sooth the soul