July lockdown half

I just finished a 21.469km running that lasted about 2hh:8mm:44ss !

Well that was hard work. It may well be that my not parkrun yesterday took more out of me than I assumed. As I got up the wind was howling and my legs were still sore, but I decided to do it anyway. I had some breakfast first.

The wind was actually not too bad when I got out, but I had to battle it over the exposed railway bridge. At least it was not too hot. I took the back way past Champneys spa and the Henlow fishing lakes towards Langford. I then took the path along the river which is very nice. Some people have the little river at the bottom of their gardens and some have boats. There was a family of swans whose cygnets are getting quite big. Also saw an egret taking off.

Langford has a scarecrow competition and I saw lots of examples including the Wizard of Oz (Zardoz!) group pictured. There was also a large set of key workers, Paddington Bear and a mole coming out of the ground. These made me smile.

My intention was to get to Biggleswade, which is about 10km from home, but I had not planned the exact route. From the rugby club near Jordan's Mill (where the cereals come from) I took a track which crosses the railway as part of the Green Wheel. I followed this open track for some way until it crossed under the A1 road and into the outskirts of town. Then it was a matter of heading into town and out the other side near the station. I was feeling tired by then, but at least I was on the way back.

I followed the road back to Langford and picked up the river path again near the old mill (now homes). I was feeling quite thirsty and had not brought a drink with me. I took a different route back to Henlow to join the path by the lakes and was soon back to Arlesey with a very dry mouth. I did walk a few short stretches to recover a bit, but ran most of the way. It was not going to be a quick one. Strava says it is my third quickest half, but it will also be the slowest I have logged with that app. I do not mind that. All three have been run during lockdown as I was due to run the Greenway half in May and decided to do the distance anyway.

A full marathon still does not feel possible. Do halfs get easier over time? It is mainly a matter of tired legs and sore feet that limits me. I will keep doing them and perhaps try to stretch the distance out a little more. I think some new shoes may help as mine are all getting a little worn. They offer less cushioning over time.

After a shower then coffee and cookie I feel better. Got some chores to do. Just wondering if I can make it to the meetup @nathanmars is organising in London.

Run free and stay well.

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