The Sky Was Bright, The Hills Took Their Toll (Day 10)

Run - 8km, 48 minutes

At the moment I spend far too much time thinking about the weather, not only because of all the flooding in various parts of the country i.e. the unusual events, but because continual lack of light makes me gloomy and lethargic. So far this winter is all about grey wet days and I really wish it would change. There are however some moments of relief, the odd day or morning, when the sun shines and the is blue. This morning was such a moment. It did not last as it was raining again in the afternoon but at least there was a chance to go out for a run, and feel a bit brighter, early on.

The plan was to take advantage of the sun and run for slightly longer than 30 minutes, probably 50.

I almost made it but in the end was 2 minutes short. A serious person would have put in a little loop just to make the target. That thought did cross my mind but the instantaneous response was “Sod it. this run has been hard enough as it is!”  It had run a route with hills and I was feeling puffed and weak, so going out of my way just to make up a couple of minutes had no appeal. 

There is a strange psychology at work with routes and stopping. If I decide on a three mile route, I will approach the end thinking "almost there, not long to go, Yay stop!"  I really don't want to go any further. However if I had decided on 6 miles, I would have passed the 3 miles and think nothing of it. So it was with me today, even if I didn't have the excuse of hills I would have stopped. Once I arrive back that is it; the run is over.

Janathon 2012 Day 16: Stopping

Janathon 2012 Day 16

Walk 4 miles, Time 1hr 20min, Weather nippy, clear, and bright 

Sometimes you can become tired of the same surroundings. It is not that your routes are bad it is just that you you can tire of the idea of constant repetition.

Although I have previously said that I don't mind using the same routes, because there are always fresh things to see, and that a new day is just that: with different people, different weather, different foliage, different atmospheres,  thinking about going out again can be a little wearisome. When I am moving it is fine but getting myself out the door can be dull and difficult

The answer is somewhere new. Every so often find something fresh to look at. Walking is best because there are no barriers; cycling is also OK because you can take the bike on a train; running requires more planning. So today I went to Anglesey Abbey and wandered around the winter gardens. 

In the wild area there is a hide to observe the birds. It was probably my favourite bit of the outing - sitting still and just looking. The birds were mainly tits and finches, fairly common across the country, but that does not matter because my main aesthetic is to always try to look at the commonplace with fresh eyes. Sitting on a bench i a wooden hut, helps you do that.

I know that Janathon is about exercise and that I should really be recording all the muscular effort but in this case the real pleasure came in walking somewhere and then stopping.