Oops I did It Again!

Hello blog readers.

Oops indeed, not a bad oops, a good oops.  Naggy and I went out for a short breather through the woods.  Oh and Benji of course,  how could I forget that four legged little love. He came with us too, Naggys furbaby. 

The weather wasn't looking too inviting, it had been on and off raining all day.  You all know me, I hate going out when it's raining, it's ok once I have started, but that initial raindrop on my running cap just makes me want to go back.  We had two routes in mind, obviously, we could go around Normans park, even though one of the angels was missing, SnappyH was celebrating her anniversary of giving birth to gorgeous little fella six years ago!  I always think that us mums should celebrate just as much as the kids we have.  After all, it's bloody hard work growing, nurturing, carry a tiny human around for 9 months, it's an awesome achievement! Worthy of a few Aperel Spritz I'd say!  Anyway, our choice of routes was in the woods, at least in there we have the protection of the trees from the rain if it falls!

We drove to the entrance, Dog Poo Ally, and walked through, I was going to take her the same route that I led Group 1 yesterday, except with a slightly different finish at the end.  Of course we didn't start in the park, we just parked along the road and then walked to the ally way.  Once in we were straight into running.  Now, the thing about running in the woods is that Naggy hasn't a clue where she is.  It does mean that she will be doing a slightly slower run than what she would have done in Normans, or, of course, I will be trying to catch up to her and Agent K9Benji!  (Benji has a nickname too!)  The first bit of the route I was really trying to chat and run, trying to keep up with Naggy and K9Benji, of course I failed miserably.  Both with the chatting and the running!  I had a bit of a walk to catch my breath. 

Once I was warmed up, I could run a little bit extra distance before I almost died!  Even Naggy's slow run is a fast run, but what I liked about it, she started nagging the dog!  "Come on then"  Or at least, I think she was nagging the dog!  We ran the left hand path, the one that goes to the three bridges, but we didn't do the bridges today.  We continued along the path by the rail lines until we got to the stream.  K9Benji just wanted to jump in and enjoy the cool water, but being as he is on this running lead thing Naggy had other ideas, keep on running Agent K9!!

Goss hill next!  I just said to Naggy, "see you at the top!" I knew that she was not going to stop!  All the way up to the bench!  I started the dreaded hill, try as I might I couldn't run the whole way,  I ran some, I walked some, I ran some more I walked some more. Naggy had turned the corner and I couldn't see her, I kept up my walk some/run some method of getting up the hill.  Then I saw Naggy and K9Ben, stood still, not running, not at the top of the hill!  "Awww, they waited for me" I thought, and I ran some more.  Then I saw Naggy put her hand in a bag and pick up the poop!  Blimey, I was so slow, those two managed to run out of sight, K9Ben gets a 'dump' in before I even got to them!  They both run to the top where they waited for me to get to them!  I got this picture of the three of us though.

Same Hill different view!

I lead Naggy, from the back of course I can't get in the front of here!, along the undulating, roller coaster style path, the one with the barbed wire protecting the field.  You really have to keep your eyes on the path, I have nightmares sometimes of falling on the barbed wire!  I always point this out to whoever I am running with. We didn't take too long to get this bit done and then we turned left and ran up the the next path. 

We were chatting and running the whole way round, just putting the world to rights.  Sometimes you really just need to run and talk, even it's utter shite, just getting out there in the fresh air is enough of a pick me up you need to face the next day.

The smaller undulations done and we ran along to the sundial, but unlike yesterday we didn't go that way, we carried on the end of the woods, by the main road and ran down there.  Just before the Woodmans Cottage Naggy noticed the pink flowers of the Rhododendron bushes.  "Is this rhododendron walk?" she asked.  I said it wasn't, but the next path going right is.  We just had to go down there, the flowers looked beautiful, it was worth losing out on the longer run just to go down there. it took us to the middle path where we ran all the down to Dog Poo Ally!

A lovely run, just what was needed!

Here's a geeky stats.