2011 Streak Day 209/365 (July 28): Run - 6.97 miles, Time -1hr 6min 8sec, Weather - Slightly misty at first, gradually warming
This was the first day of the holiday and a time to begin as I meant to continue - so up at 6:30, a quick drink of water and out!
I have no idea how I can do this so easily here but find it almost impossible at home. Perhaps it is just necessity, as usually, in this part of France, in summer, the days are very hot and far too sapping for running. However at sunrise, when there is a sky becoming more intensely blue, with the promise of later warmth, it is perfect.
The great thing about this time of day is the sense of hopefulness, the freshness of a new beginning,which is more than a metaphor - you feel it.
Perhaps trying to rediscover a sense of the excitement of each new day is something I should work on at home. But what the hell! Now is not the time to wibble on about my failings - that can wait. Home is a million miles away. I am here now, in the middle of the empty French countryside, looking at the rolling landscape, with not another person in sight, breathing deeply of air carrying far fewer car fumes. It feels good.
I would lie if I said the run was pure pleasure - it was not. I felt heavy and for the most part I slogged along the country roads but I could look up and enjoy the view and know, that no matter how rubbish I might be, it really is brilliant running country.
The photo is of a tiny island at the road junction in the centre of the nearby, small town of Matha (population about 2,000 people). It is not the water feature I find interesting but rather the framing tree - the blossom is of a colour that looks particularly fine against pale, off-white limestone rendering, which is the predominant finish of buildings in these parts.
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