For so many reasons it was a very ordinary run, perhaps as standard as can be for me. It's a route I've done more than any other at pretty much spot on my average cruising pace.
But, until less than 10 minutes before I stepped out of the door, I had absolutely no intention of running today. And for me, a completely spontaneous run is a very rare thing!
It's been quite a high effort, high mileage week already and we've had some terrible weather to contend with. So I treated myself to a lazy morning and stayed in bed instead of heading out to parkrun today, before getting myself firmly settled on the sofa for lots of trashy telly. No plans to run at all, especially once the rain started again and I started my second Netflix series of the day.
By mid-afternoon I was feeling a bit irritable and bored when I noticed it had stop raining outside. A thought crossed my mind: "I could just put my trainers on and go around the river".
Before I could change my mind, I quickly got my running gear on, had a couple of pumps of my inhaler and set off.
I generally run between four and six times a week, so I'm well versed in how the endorphins make me feel good. But this afternoon's run felt even better than normal, I felt really really free!
Since the lockdowns have lifted and we've slowly but surely slid back into our normal lives, my routine has become very much focused around a time table of work and various non-work related activities which take place on certain days at certain times, leaving little space for spontaneity.
I'm not complaining at all, I love the way my life is and I'm a huge creature of habit anyway, but I really didn't realise how much my mind and body needed that completely unplanned, low maintance run this afternoon.
I can honestly say I loved every step, and anyone who runs will know how rarely that happens! It's made me so excited for the lighter mornings and evenings to come, so there's more opportunity to use my perfect doorstep 5km when I find myself with a spare half an hour.
So I guess what I'm trying to say, what's made me feel the need to write a post in my constantly neglected blog, is that it's not always the events, or the epic mileage or the PB busting runs that remind me why I love my sport of choice. Sometimes it's the ones on paper should be quite dull and boring, that make me fall in love with it all over again on a grey Saturday afternoon!
