Nudging towards Eridge

[OutAlongTheRiver]

So the battle was joined and we fought our way round the estates of the landed gentry of Eridge (prop. Marquess of Abergavenny). 

   

And their promotional boast that this was deeply steep and seriously muddy was no lie. Over 1000ft of gain over the 10 miles, and bogs and streams and leaps to avoid plunging into said bogs and streams. And climbs where everyone was reduced to a walk. Then a finish along what seemed like a mile-long length of mud track. Oh, plus weather which turned from bright sun to torrents of driving rain (albeit the faster finishers were back before this hit).

Some 400 runners in the pack - and this included the four of us, Tom Roper, CC5, David Stacey and myself. Inspired as above by nothing more than the need to go out and run something.

I won't recount every twist and turn, every mile run and stream crossed. Not least because looking at the map even with satellite I can't actually remember much of it. I think that's because it's a route you would never take, unless you were looking to try to fit a 10 mile run in over grassland and forest. (In contrast, the Moyleman actually takes in routes you'd take to go from point A to point B so it makes sense to the mind as you recall it.)

But key elements for me were:
- not heading out too fast at the start, even though it was temptingly downhill - which I welcomed later
- managing to cope with running through and over mud (which I had told myself I would not like at all)
- finding myself keeping going uphill while others walked (which is pure twitten run training, especially from last week's niner: your legs just keep going almost of their own volition)
- not giving a damn what my pace said, even though unlike Duncan I did keep my watch on for the stats
- enjoying the pint and cake at the end.

This is a run I would recommend.

It's not a run I would seek to do again in a hurry.