It is in no way an arduous walk. I use my Garmin as a bit of a mind game really. I know where the mile points are so I check my time on the first mile, I then have to try to beat it on mile two or at least match it. I really don't want to go slower than the first mile. So there is usually a bit of maths going on in my head here. It's not bad if I do it in 15 minutes but if I do it in say 14.47 I am doing a bit more mental arithmetic. The third mile then has to be at least whatever the first mile was. More adding up and taking away to work out what time I need to get to the end of mile 3.
The first mile is mainly up my road and then heading into a more traffic heavy main road, past a shopping area and a pub. I do know a little of the history locally so I know that I am passing a small but old graveyard that a lot of people don't know is there. It's now next to a cheap supermarket and about 10 yards from a bus stop but you can't see it from the road or at least can't identify it as a graveyard. On the other side of the road there is a row of old cottages, nothing exciting to look at but dating back from the 18th century. How many people have walked past here since they were built?
The second mile is initially flat but then downhill but I have to cross the busy road a couple of times.
St John's Church - along my walk
I could use the subway but it is built in such a way that you seem to have to walk twice the distance and I find they can be quite unpleasant so I try to avoid them. The downhill bit is okay but it is paved and shaded so quite often in winter time it is slippery.
The third mile is just down from there. This section has a busy road that it is almost impossible to cross so I do use the subway here. It is a huge roundabout with four areas that feed into it. I can't speak for the other two parts but the parts I use are grubby, graffiti-ed, full of rubbish and there is a blocked drain so I have to paddle across one part. I am always relieved to arrive back at the top of the steps in one piece. Then there is more downhill and then when it flattens out there is another busy road to cross. At this point there is a Seikh Temple that is actually quite an old property but they look after it really well. They have a garden down one side where they grow fruit and vegetables.
So you can see there are pleasant areas on the walk along with less pleasant ones. I'm always wide awake when I get to work that's for sure, windswept, wet or overheating but I am definitely wide awake.
Today was also my run before I get weighed day. I class it as that but it is just a small training run.
I take Barney, my labrador, with me.
My run is, for him, at best a trot but often just a fast walk. He is very good and keeps in line with me. His only fault while running is when I do right hand turns he doesn't. He's getting the idea though. He is only 17 months old and we only got him at 15 months.
So more on these subjects another time.
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