Going Long

An 11k run was on the cards today and I was up for it.

Warming up gently down our lane my legs were very stiff and both knees painful, the legs I understood but the knees a bit of  a mystery, I've been in flats for at least the last 3 weeks, not a wedge or a heel to be seen.

Track two on the ipod, time to push a bit harder, up past the church and out through the village onto a busy cut through. Fortunately I'm out early and traffic is not a problem. First the sun was on my face and now it's on my back and it's gaining in temperature. This is a long stretch, it's part of the Taunton 10k route and try as I might I don't like it.

Soon I'm through the tricky bend and heading down a gentle slope and all too soon this becomes an incline as we rise up and over a very busy M5 I'm reduced to a walk, it's really warm and I have to pace myself as I have a long way to go.

I have a problem, I can feel  a toe nail is cutting into its neighbouring toe and it hurts. I promise myself as soon as I come to a bench I will sit down and sort it out except there are no benches, not one, in 11k not a single bench.

Another long stretch out past the Blackbrook Pavilion, through the bus cut through lane and under the motorway. Traffic is heavy here and I have to concentrate to cross 9 lanes of traffic to safety. The sun is beating down as I pass the park and ride and more confusion crossing another 8 road entrances and exits.

Traffic through Henlade is slow and I try to keep overtaking the slowly moving queue, it starts to move and I almost slow to a walk but decide I must keep going until all the traffic I have passed re passes me otherwise the drivers and passengers will have beaten me and will make fun of my poor attempt at running.

At last I turn off this busy road back into the quieter lanes and walk to the top of an incline. I gently jog down the other side and keep going all the way through Lower Henlade until I turn towards home. Another incline, another walk. I meet a fellow runner and smile admitting that today I have been beaten. Heading into the village I can see horses ahead. I decide that if I walk quickly for a couple of minutes I should catch them just on the bend by the last downhill part of the road. If I catch them there I can run on and get past them before I'm too tired to run anymore.

My plan worked and now I'm contemplating the sprint finish. I try to convince myself that I can do a sprint finish. I carry on through the last lane and decide there is no way I will ever manage a sprint finish and as I approach our drive I know the sprint finish will have to wait until next time!