A good start

Today was what running – to me – is all about. The distance was challenging, but didn’t leave my legs like lead. The pace felt as fast as I could muster, while still holding conversation (just) with my running mate. Oh yes, and it was a really great run in fantastic surroundings. And a chance to catch up with a friend.

For some of those reasons, it was not a textbook, steady-paced run, as my Nike+ graph shows.

This is a rough map of where we went. Starting out in Altrincham, we headed towards and around Dunham Massey, a 250 acre country estate (and mansion) owned by the National Trust, complete with deer park. Our only problem came when we found that the River Bollin, which runs nearby, had burst its banks and flooded several fields and around 25 metres of our path. Oh well, at least the puddles in my trainers kept my feet cool for the rest of the run.

Returning through Hale back into Altrincham, we managed an average of 5mins 11 a km (or 8:21 a mile) – not great by any stretch, but not bad either considering this was my first ‘proper’ run for about three months.

A good start.