Monday, June 29, 2009

In The Shade of Trees


Another hot day and the only place to run is under trees. So it is out to Ashridge for my" Monument to Memorial +" run (i.e. from the Bridgewater Monument to the War Memorial by Berkhamsted Golf Club and back plus an extra loop). Most of it is along bridleways and footpaths and well shaded but the occasional bits in the open seemed very warm and heavy.

There are masses of footpaths in Ashridge but on all of them it is the same - near the car parking areas you will meet people walking their dogs or their children but in only a short distance the paths are empty. There is always a good chance of seeing deer and today a couple crossed my path. I like when they cross the path and then pause to look at my oncoming frame, labouring and ungainly, before disdainfully fluidly leaping away. Sometimes I stop and move very slowly towards them to see if I can make eye contact. I like it when this happens but today was not one of those days.

Even though I was running in the shade the heat took its toll and it felt hard. However I felt good about the way my heart rate stayed down. At last I am beginning to see some sort of training effect at the same pace my heart rate is a couple of beats lower than it was at the beginning of June. Not much of a return for all the effort but a return nevertheless.

Juneathon Day 29 stats:

Run distance: 17.2km
Run Time: 1hr 40min

No comments: