The last couple of weeks have been defined by one thing and one thing only – mud! It’s been so wet here that the moors and fields have become a veritable quagmire. Last week we opted for an 18 mile run which took in Eccup reservoir and Harewood House. It seemed like a good idea as most of the paths are well surfaced. Our problem was getting there across the sodden fields! But we managed it – albeit very slowly. The mud has meant that this sight has become pretty common over the last couple of weeks…
So this week has been particularly wet. A very wet Tuesday night run with the club started the week off. I was pretty pleased with it, despite the weather, as I managed around 8 miles on road and wasn’t at the back of the group, for once! Unfortunately the rest of the week was plagued by aches and pains. A sore left foot, tight calves and glutes had me moaning and groaning at various points. It didn’t stop me enjoying myself at the running club annual presentation night though. No prizes this year, but I was delighted that fellow club mate and blogger Neal Edmonson was awarded the ‘best effort’ prize in recognition of his mammoth training and racing schedule leading up to the forthcoming Marathon de Sable – hats off! You can read about his challenge here.
This weekends run was to be our last before the Rombalds Stride next week. The plan was to run 20 miles to Ilkley, catching the bus home, on Saturday. Fortunately the weather was much better than expected when we set out, but the evidence of the weeks rain was pretty clear as we ran alongside a usually fairly calm stream…
The first 15 miles or so were ok, but as we climbed up onto the moor, things started to get much tougher. For a start, there was the enormous hill. This slowed me to a virtual crawl. Then came the wind which almost cut us in half. Finally, as we got to within 3 miles of our finishing point, came the rain, interspersed with a bit of hail. Nice! As we ran down the hill into Ilkley, the heavens really opened. It was a bit like being in a shower – a very cold one!
Almost 5 hours after setting out, we limped into the centre of Ilkley, looking for a warm place to change and get dry. Having sorted ourselves out it was time for a well deserved lunch and a chance to reflect on our ‘adventure’ on the moor. I felt pretty despondent as it took much longer than I thought, and I really struggled beyond 15 miles. I really felt that I’d lost my running mojo – probably along the Thames towpath where I broke my foot. But as the rest of the weekend has gone on, I’ve realised that I’ve got a lot to be grateful for. Not least the fact that I can get out and run at all. And walk, and swim and bike. So all in all things aren’t too bad really…
diaryofanultrarunner 