Hencliff Project

So, for a final run in this decade of my life it was with intrepidation after work on Wednesday 17th that I set out to meet Phil for one of 'his' runs. I knew this meant I was not only going to get wet, cold and muddy, but that I was also going to be....erm...somewhat challenged and well and truly christen my new running shoes. Proper like.

We set off across a field housing two horses, the ground was slippery and uneven but pretty flat(at this point), forgiving on the knees and the view (horses) was better than road/cars etc....and I was thinking........hey, this is nice. Briefly. The feeling of being content with the world was short lived once we had clambered over the style onto the new leafy, slippery, hilly terrain of Hencliff woods. Blairwitch comes to mind.

It was okay for a while up and down smaller hills and although the up was harder on the glutes, the down bits that were more of a problem. It was then that I realised why Phil's preference to Strictly (come dancing) to Last man standing (my fave) was to his advantage. As he nimbley skipped from side to side down the slopes I skidded, jarred and inelegantly tripped and moaned down them all. However, it was after I had agreed to Phil's happy suggestion of 'lets go to highest point in the wood....you can see right out across Bristol' that I realised....I am not really all that fit. Having got to the top of the 'Black Tip Hill' and inbetween waves of nausea, a stream of hot invective bubbled to the surface of my mind, I could only think in terms of the most vile nature and only one adverb. To answer Phil's 'are you okay?' all I could think was fu sh fu wa ba fu fu fu and said 'I'm good'.

On the way back, running along the river Avon, it was a case of lots of ooop's and arrgh's as I trudged through and slipped around on and in icey puddles trying to avoid falling foul and into the river itself.

So with my new Mizuno's nicely broken in, aching bottom and sodden feet I ended the last run of this particular decade......