An Assault Course, She Says!!

Hello blog lovers,

Yes, I did have enough energy to meet up with Smarty Pants today, after all, yesterday was only a very leisurely 30 mile or so round trip. And Smarty Pants was looking forward to it, (not sure if my legs will manage the route that I have planned for her), but we can only do our best. I noticed that Smarty Pants and commented on her facebook page about todays course being like an assault course. Mmmm, Maybe we can arrange an assault course to do one day!

The weather was good, a bit breezy, but hopefully that won't hinder our jogging today, and even give us a bit of a boost up the hills. Before we started our run today I said to her "So, you think you can do the whole of the route I planned last time" And she said "Yeah, lets go for it!" So, 3 miles......and a tiny bit more..... here we come.

As you all know, it was raining yesterday, so I am expecting a few sticky muddy puddles to go through, round or whatever means we need to get passed them. But of course the first bit, being uphill, it wasn't too bad. This is a good bit of the route, I have decided, because it takes me till the end of this uphill section to get my breathing in a good rhythm.

I could hear Smarty Pants behind me, keeping pace. Its hard to believe that only last year, she was tearing off in front of me, totally focused, totally in the zone. It just shows you, that if you don't keep going its so easily lost. And then you have the struggle to get it back to where it was, and then start to improve!

We get to Botony Bay, and, being the nice kind person that I am, I asked her "So, do you think you can manage a little bit longer, or we could do the same route as last time" Again, Smarty Pants said, "lets go for it". When it's in your head to do something, I'm sure that is such a mental help to keep you on track! Maybe if Smarty Pants hadn't said at the beginning to go for it, she may have been tempted to head down to Botony Bay and head on home.

I was still being a little kind, and chose to run down Goss hill rather up hill, just so that she could have another choice a bit later on. We were running along the path to the start of Goss Hill and I heard Smarty Pants coughing and spluttering. "You ok" I said to her, worried that maybe we should have gone straight down "Yes I'm fine" she told me "I just ate a bug!" One of the drawbacks of running through woods, but if you want to see the positive in 'bug eating' the apparently there is protein in bugs.

The start of the hill. I showed SP (Smarty Pants) the seat where I crash out after running up the hill. "Shall we take a break then" she says, "Oh no, we're going down, that's all the break we need" I said.

Goss Hill don't look too intimidating when you're the boss of it. When your standing at the top looking down "yeah, take that Goss Hill" I thought to myself as I flew down the path. But then I remembered, the little trip hazards that Mr.S remarked on, and told SP about them. I can just tell that little Old Goss Hill would love it if I went flying arse over tit now!!

At the bottom, I didn't really give SP an option of going on road, I'm sure the distance is much the same, and beside running through fields and woods is so much better. We got to the little bridge over the brook, and this is where I gave the choice. Up, up, up and then the way we came earlier until we get to the right turn path, or straight down, with just a few gentle ups. And SP was still on for it. I could tell she was really thinking about it, but in the end the will to 'go for it' was stronger, and so we headed up Botony Bay to go along the new path that me and the Old Boy used. I just hope I can remember which way to go at the bottom of it!

It was a struggle for me to get up the hill again. I think the 30 miles yesterday is taking its toll, that's my excuse today folks, and a blooming good one! but SP was doing real good. she managed to run to the gate, and even some of the path after that. But after passing Coopers school again and looking up the path where we needed to go, she said "I am not running that" I don't blame her! Its a tough bit of hill, all roots and steps type of hill. Very steep! but once at the top I assured her it was all down hill till we get the the railway lines.

We turned left and headed on back to dog poo ally. A brilliant run, We both were looking like beacons glowing brightly! "That was hard" said SP, "Yes but you did it" I said to her "Well done Smarty Pants, well done!"

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