I had no intention of trying to do another long run this weekend and then I thought maybe I should. We were going to go to the Lammermuirs but the weather forecast was VERY iffy, warning of thunderstorms and downpours. I like a thunderstorm as much as the next man but is it really sensible to climb to the top of a hill in one? What happens if you're in the cloud and there's a thunderstorm? Is that a thing? Can that happen?
We decided to go to North Berwick and do the 18 mile loop. "It's beautiful" said Peter. I'd done it before and found it somehow strangely hard but maybe that had been just bad luck. And then I'd done it on a bike and found that strangely hard, but maybe that was also bad luck. Anyway, we were just going to do the run-walk thing, so how hard could it be?
It was 2.30pm or so when we rolled out the car at NB Law car park. It was stiflingly hot. We ran up to the top of the hill which was the last time I felt remotely fresh. There was a very good panorama of all kinds of weather. Then off we went along the JM way. Actually the first hour to hour and a half was kind of fun. I was trying not to get caught in stopping too often but I wasn't going fast so I knew Peter would catch up. But there's a kind of wet heat in the fields of long grasses, and the ground is uneven, and it seems to really take a toll on the legs.
Dragonflies.
Peter took us on a short-cut through a field which stopped running for a while and gave us some very wet feet. I was starting to lose my mojo by this time.
The thing was, we were now committed, mojo or no. I didn't know about my fancy arm until now.
The woods looked and smelled nice, but there were mosquitos and deep wet bits and a kind of hot steamy exhaustion everywhere. I don't think Peter noticed.
After we were out Binning Woods we were into the Moon whatever holiday holdings which has PRIVATE signs up everywhere. Somebody was having a wedding and I was tapping into some kind of irritable inner dialogue about people and their stupid weddings in the woods and their private signs and private landlords and then we were on the beach running into the wind and the sinky sand was hurting my feet and ankles. There was a smell of rotten fish on the air. And then we ran up a number of roads where there were no pavements and you continually had to watch out for cars coming and be ready to stuff yourself into a hedge if someone in a BMW felt too entitled to steer round an oik. I thought about how much I disliked this kind of country-side - the kind that is dominated by agriculture. Give me an open moor or a nice hill...
Peter was keeping a safe distance by this time. At long, long last we were coming into North Berwick and we knew we'd be passing the Tescos there so we went in for cold drinks and shared a cut price chicken and stuffing sandwich. This helped a bit. Particularly the cold drink. It was after 6pm and the children were tired.
It was only a little over 17 miles when we got back to the Berlingo waiting patiently in the car park, because that route is generally taken from the train station. I won't be hurrying back. It's probably all right if you're stronger and taller.
Today was just a cloudy day with a forecast of rain so we had a straightforward run of nearly 9 miles round Arthur's Seat with no cameras and no stopping.
So there goes another weekend. Tomorrow morning the Berlingo goes in for its MOT. I hope you will join me in a short prayer to Jesus to look kindly upon an old car. I meant to give it a clean but I'm exhausted. It will be going in as is in all its gull-shitty splendour.
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