I Heart Running !

Last night I spent about 30 minutes working out a route for my run this morning.  According to My Asics training plan I needed to do 8k and as I'm doing Bedgebury Trailblazer in a couple of weeks I'm doing all my runs on grass/dirt.   I'd worked out a nice route from Newhaven to Southease along the banks of the River Ouse - the flat route gave me the option of turning back at 4k or carrying on to return home via a bridge crossing the river and running back home for a massive 11k, with a lovely hill between 8 and 9k.

I was quite excited this morning when I got up, Shaun had said he wanted me to take my phone so at least if I got into trouble or broke my ankle (thanks for the vote of confidence) I could ring him and he could pick me up at the bridge at Southease.   I set off towards the incinerator where the footpath begins, the first 1k-ish is on road and in trail shoes felt a little weird.  When I got to where the footpath crosses the railway line I was a bit pissed off to see that the footpath had been closed - flipping big padlocks on the gates and a Notice from the Local Authority advising that the footpath was closed!  Great, now what do I do?  Go home and sulk and change into my pavement pounders or find a different route to suit my new trail shoes?  After a bit of a dither I decided to head to the hills which are a bit further on.  A bit more running on tarmac and uphill!   I had forgotten about the current planting on the surrounding hills and was met by this sight when I got to the footpath

An asthmatics/hay fever sufferers nightmare!  Things were not going well were they?  Oh well just had to get on with it, so that's what I did.   I just ran (well run might be an exaggeration, there were a couple of walky type bits).  At the top of hill is a nice flat bit, a bit more of an uphill and then a lovely sweep downhill.   It was at this point that I started to chuckle to myself and was really enjoying having to concentrate on where I put my feet.  I had a huge grin on my face too, thankfully there was no-one around to see or hear or I think I would've been carted off to the loony bin. 

After the sweeping bit down there's another uphill and having tried to run up most of the hills already I stopped to take in the view - luckily I had my phone on me so I could share these

 and a picture of myself!

I went a bit further along before dropping down back into Denton - the road going down is pretty steep, glad I didn't run up it!  Nowhere near a quick 8k but who cares.

I absolutely love runs like today's, especially finding a whole new route that I can improve on over the summer, and I will be doing that riverbank run too.  

Here's to more giggly, smiley runs!