Thank God I'm alive!

Me - after my run and high on endorphins

Just back from a run.  Wow.  This is the first run after the St Albans Half Marathon which was just a few days ago.  I feel fantastic and thank God I am alive!

I went out at 8.15pm for about an hour on my Hilly Route number 2.  There had been some rain in the air which was gradually clearing so the air was humid and yet fresh.  I love these summer showers, with soft gentle refreshing rain.  I noticed a few pockets of cold air when I was in the countryside which added to the atmosphere.  Three quarters of the way around, I was running along the edge of an escarpment with distant views over towards the setting sun.  It was awesome seeing the mixture of heavy clouds stretching far into the distance.  Wow it was good.

So, how was I running, after the Half on Sunday?  The answer is better than I thought, I was expecting to be a bit stiff (which I was until I was on top of the first hill) but instead I had a good running form.  My strides were longer, I ran lightly along a footpath, almost tip toeing as I danced along, snaking the edge of a field with the wet grass brushing against my legs.  Further on I was on another footpath where the undergrowth had shot up so high over the last week or two.  Wet leaves were brushing as high as my waist and I was covered in grass seeds.  I had a couple of sprints, forcing myself to take longer strides until it started to hurt, then easing back.

Somehow all the thoughts from the day at work vanished through the run.  I went out replaying the two meetings I'd been in today.  Neither were too tricky but it was good to mentally leave them behind on the trails and hills.

Coming home, along our road I sprinted as fast as I could, turned the corner with just a few yards to our house and eased back to a gentle jog, still panting on for a few seconds more.  Please can I say again, for anyone unsure of running, it works wonders both physically and mentally - try it.  If you're out of shape, don't worry.  Start gradually and slowly build up.  I feel so uplifted once again.  So thank you; another uplifting and wonderful run.  Thank you.