New shoes

This week I bought myself a new pair of running shoes on account that me old pair were a few miles from getting holes in the bottom.

Today was the first run in them.

I’m about halfway through my training program for the Bristol Half Marathon in May. That means just over 10km was my target today; achieved!

Cold knees

I ran up to and around Southampton Common. That’s uphill and then downhill, so not without some effort.

It was frosty when I got there, which was beautiful, but did make my knees ache a little as I was only wearing shorts. The sun was shining, which brightened the spirit and warmed the body.

The music of nature

I really don’t understand people who wear headphones when they’re out running; for a start I don’t think it’s very safe when running on pavements or roads. The main reason that I never wear headphones is because I love the sound of nature!

When I first started running, I too wore headphones. I got bored!

I stopped listening to music and began to be in the moment and truly be present.

I started really listening.

I don’t know the names of the birds I hear, some are obvious, such as the sound of the woodpecker (they are green and difficult to see and I have only seen one once), the soft coos of the wood pidgin, blackbirds (although they seem to be more evening birds, and the sweet song of the robin.

The ones I don’t know I have my own names for:

The gossiping birds: these live in bushes and chatter until you get close, and then go quiet, as though they were talking about you! The conversation resumes when you move away.

The squeaky wheel bird: sounds like the squeaky wheel of a shopping trolly.

The morse code or binary bird: sounds like they are talking to each other in Morse code!

Runners tip!

When wearing new shoes, don’t be precious about them! Don’t avoid mud and puddles and don’t be afraid to break them in properly.

Cadging for cash

I might be loving the running, but I am doing it with a purpose – to raise money for cancer research. If you’d like to encourage me, sponsorship is always appreciated!