Tired

O.K., I did 10 miles after work today, but I didn't feel strong. The run was a loop that included 4 miles on The Road, and then about 6 miles on two other roads, together forming a sort of triangle.

I changed into my running things in my office, dropped off my clothes in my car in the parking lot, and jogged over to The Road. It starts, as I've described in an earlier post, with a steep climb which merges into a moderate climb, before another steep climb. So, in the first mile, there's a lot of uphill. Even after this there's an elevation gain, but it's punctuated with downhill stretches.

In that first mile of climbing I felt like I was just shuffling my feet. My thinking was that I just wanted to get miles in and build endurance - and slow running was fine for this. I wore a head-band, thin gloves, running tights, a long-sleeve long underwear type shirt, and a high-visibility mesh vest. I ran with my phone in my hand.

Eventually, The Road evens out a bit, and I found myself amidst melting snow fields. At points it was several feet deep on the side of The Road, but the tarmac itself was snow free. It's been an unusually snowy winter here in Scotland.

After four miles on The Road I made a left turn onto the road that makes up the second side of the triangle. It's a long, gradual descent, and it was pleasant to run with the sun still out. The melting snow created several gurgling burns (creeks) in the fields and woods along the route, and the water was clear. I wondered if a slow snow melt fills the reservoirs nicely, although in Scotland drought isn't usually a problem.

After this second leg of the triangle, I turned onto a former road that is now only open to pedestrians. This winds through a ravine, and in parts portions of the road - guarded by fences - have eroded into the ravine.

Next there a village adjacent to where I work. By now, after more than an hour, I was starting to feel tiredness in my legs. My route takes me through the leafy back streets of the village, where there are substantial Victorian houses.

I then came to the back of my work-place, and jogged to my car. 1:25 for the route.