Day 67

Week 10, Thursday 20th September

 

Today's run was a faster 5 mile run.  Well we've been ignoring the speeds anyway as there is plenty of time to worry about that next year but after the success with the flat run on Tuesday, I fancied trying another hill.  I knew my 5 mile route had a couple of hills in it so that was perfect.

 

What I didn't plan for was the weather.  Kath and I set off with Sam and Sue B along Leek Road, around the garage at Baddeley Green and on to Leek New Road and all went well.  Sam and Sue turned off towards Millrise Road and we carried on towards Hanley.

 

Not long after, it got dark and a little later the heavens opened.  I guess I had jinxed it by taking my jacket off and within minutes we were wet.  I saw a path down to, what looked like the canal and we decided to go down that way and take shortcut back.  After all, we could always make the miles up on Saturday.

 

We started running along the path and I thought it was very funny how wide the canal was but assumed it must be a turning point for boats.  We continued along the path and got into a very creepy wood.  The water's edge came to an end and there was no canal leading from it.  For a brief moment we glanced at each other and wondered what to do and then we continued straight on the path, mainly because we saw a family walking in that direction.

 

Eventually we came out of the woods by Holden Lane school and I remembered vaguely that the school was somewhere near Milton, so we couldn't be too far away.  However, instead of continuing on the path that would have led to Redhills Road and back to the club, we turned right on the road and ended up at the bottom of Milton Road.  Neither of us could believe it. Some shortcut this was!! I asked Kath to remind me (and her) never to trust me picking a shortcut again.

 

From that point we were trapped, we had two choices; either run up Milton Road or go back to Leek New Road, only a few yards further than we were when we left it earlier.  I don't know about Kath but I wasn't keen on going back when I was soaking wet, hungry and by now it was completely dark, so we ended up trying to run up Milton Road.  Even though it was raining, it was still fairly warm and it didn't take long running up a bank like that before I got too hot.  I think we got about 2/3 of the way up and then we had to walk the rest.  We weren't too bothered as we have managed it before and weren't supposed to be running it today anyway.

 

Now we were back on the original track, no better off but luckily no worse either.   I was determined to run up Bartholomew Street all the way, and we did it but only just.  Hurrah, at least something goes right :-) The rest of the way was down bank and presented no problem at all.  We clocked the 5 miles just before we got back to the club.