Month total 1254

177 minutes, almost 3 hours ahead of schedule. 

Sleeping Cygnets

60 min
Start 5.00

Yes, yes I will get round to putting up photos, also of the past week or so's runs...

Last Light

52 min
Start 21.30

 

Late Park Run

36 min
Start 22.00
After getting in from the Foute Cross weekend just time for a quick run about the Wilhelminapark and surroundings before dark.

Week total 228

Dead Early

105 min
Start 5.20

 
Out to Groenekan and back via the Catholic cemetery round the corner, where they have the most amazing collection of East European dramatically elaborate gravestones.

Birthday Run

55 min
Start 21.00

After phoning Tanya on her birthday out to Bloeyendaal & Berekuil and (just) beyond in the last of the light.

Bee Bungalow and Hotel

68 min
Start 19.00

Week total 326

Honeysuckle and more May flowers

76 min
Start 6.30

27 minutes barefoot

114 min
Start 6.30

Listened to the Barefootgirl podcast this morning and Caity made some mention of Eddie Izzard running 27 barefoot marathons in South Africa soon.  And then she said: 'maybe you could just run 27 minutes'.  Susceptible to suggestion as I am, and finding myself on a nice smooth tarmac path up the back of Groenekan I chucked my shoes into the undergrowth and set off to run for exactly 27 minutes in my bare feet before putting my shoes back on and trotting home (via De Bilt).  Felt good on the smooth bits but I soon turned back when coming onto a bit of road with more wee sharp pointy bits to contend with.

Barefoot Bridlepath

71 min
Start 17.15
 First round the allotments in Bloeyendaal then across to the Berekuil where I did one circuit of the sandcovered bridlepath in bare feet. Felt great and my feet were spectacularly filthy at the end of it.

 

Praxis

65 min
Start 15.30

Ran back from the Praxis, via a long string of houseboats and Karin's flat in the centre of town (she wasn't in).

Week total 360

Tattie Run

83 min
Start 20.30

Reminder to self: 3 hours is not long enough to fully digest a large plate of mashed potatoes and broccolli.  No fast and light running tonight - every step was an effort as my stomach kept reminding me it was still busy with more important things.  Actually the first half wasn't too bad and after admitting I wouldn't be doing much sprinting I felt fine to go out a little further than I'd first planned, wanting to do the De Bilt circuit so that the return stretch would be into the reddening sky.  But by the time I was on the home strait there were definitely serious objections being raised by my innards and I wondered several times if I was going to have to make an unscheduled toilet and/or puking stop.  I made do with spitting a few times and, well we won't go into the workings of the other end in too much detail but if I did the term gas-powered might have to brought into play. 

Sunset on Sand

75 min
Start 20.30

Tempo run out to the T-junction before Groenekan and back, as much as possible on the sandy bridle paths.  Twingy feeling below left shoulder (where I had difficulty in taking a deep breath) has gone now.  Some sort of slightly pulled muscle somewhere?

Another Drizzly Dawn

82 min
Start 5.45

De Bilt circuit.  Very light drizzle at the start and later a few minutes slightly heavier rain but nothing too bothersome.  Slight twingy feeling in my back just below my left shoulder blade. 

Groenekan circuit

120 min
Start 14.00

Started off with absolutely zero motivation.  After a working weekend with one night sleeping in the van I really felt like just lying down with a book for the rest of the afternoon, but having missed 2 full days for the first time in a while I 'theoretically' really wanted to get out for a run.  The first half hour or so wasn't great but once that was over I started realising that I could actually go a little faster and after that the rest of the time flew past.  Finally completed the road loop round Groenekan I'd planned to do before and did several bits on sandy horseriding paths to get my legs ready for the sand in Zeeland in October. 

5 day total 192

Dead Duck, Nesting Swans

121 min
Start 5.45

No sign of any sunrise but a steady run out through Groenekan, via the wallaby (who started his calf loving antics again as soon as he saw me) and various wet grassy paths and detours through the village.  Finished off running the sandy horsepath round the Berekuil (beach training for the Zeeland Marathon in October). 

Wallaby

71 min
Start 18.30

Best run I've had in ages.  Maybe it was getting out in short sleeves that did it but everything seemed to go perfectly.  Whereas usually I have to really push myself to complete the 'faster bits' in my interval training attempts, this time I felt I could effortlessly run continually at a faster pace than normal.  Not that I'll ever be fAst, but it was good to feel that I was at last getting some benefit from my recent efforts.

Took a left turn instead of my usual right at the place where the road splits at the fort on the way out to Groenekan and came past lots of

idyllic animal filled country scenes (despite the motorway and the busy train line).







Last but definitely not least was the wallaby trying to copulate with the wrong end of a lifesize plastic calf in someone's back garden. As another passing runner remarked, "He hasn't a clue has he?" 

Ended up on the other side of the motorway running past the sports fields, where a women's football match was in progress.

(New blogger format is IMPOSSIBLE to work with to get photos where you want them... Turns a nice 'I'll just do my blog now' moment into a total nightmare.)