May 2014

[Sweder]

After last night's classically comical last-minute dash straight from the Palexpo loading dock to the Easyjet check-in I fancied an easy plod. Thick, low mist shrouded the hills when I set off just after nine am. Invisible rain lanced out of the fog to sting my face. My feet air-kissed the soft turf, slipping and sliding, desperate for purchase as the wind tried to heave me off them.

I set off across Landport Bottom, scene of the recent Battle Of Lewes 750th Anniversary celebrations, no clear route in mind. I ended up running past the stables and into the woodland. Here the slick mud trails offered a lethal slalom around, under, over and through dense foliage and felled tree limbs. Emerging on the lower slopes of Mount Harry (aka Wicker Man Hill) I skirted the climb, heading home along the flint trail by the western gallops. The mist lifted as the rain stopped, sunshine flooding the fields and hills. I felt pretty good, if more than a tad heavy.

With no travel plans until early July I'm looking forward to an extended sequence of these back-to-basics runs. With CharlieCat5 finding his running mojo and Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man burning up the Sydney streets there's no lack of inspiration around here.