10K Run

Sunday: 10k run (that’s 6.2 miles in English), hot (27 C) 11.00am start Framlingham Castle, Suffolk, England. I haven’t done much running over the summer, concentrating on the bike instead. I’m quite fit (in one sense), but this was an ordeal too far. The friends I ran with went off well, as the practised do. I adopted a casual pace. First mile a bit of a huff, second mile felt quite good, by the end of the third I was struggling. The sun blazed, temperature rose. At the first water stop I threw a cup of water over my head; sweat ran into my eyes. I really don’t have to do this, I thought but gamely carried on. My split times became uninspiring; thus I started to lose the mental edge. Now this doesn’t help, for when the battle for the will is lost, no matter what the incentive (a T-shirt? A goodie bag!) tiredness creeps in. Then I started to think It would be much nicer on the bike, and there you have it; the truth is, running is not much fun. Oh it keeps you fit, tones the legs, exercises the heart (perhaps a little too much). Cycling does that too, yet is not as exhausting, as distracting (look at the scenery) or as high impact. Today my legs hurt: after 5 years of running I still can’t see the point.