I've taken Scouts to the mud run a few times but I don't usually get to participate - usually too busy watching them. This time there were enough leaders & helpers to be able to bring up the rear and have a go - got to make sure we don't leave them to drown in the muddy puddles. As it had been quite a wet week and it was raining at the time there were plenty of muddy puddles and quite a few small muddy lakes too.
The first tunnel wasn't too difficult, apart from the stench of decaying vegetation but any idea that you might not get muddy beyond the ankles was gone in the first second. The trenches were great fun, muddy water that reached beyond the comfort zone and the pond reached right to the shoulders. Odd that the water and mud felt comfortably warm despite the rain and the evening chill.
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| This is after a swim in the pond! |
Saturday was a wildlife themed parkrun and all runners were encouraged to wear a suitable fancy dress. I'd seen some easy home made spider costumes so I thought why not. A black t-shirt (worn inside out so the logos didn't show), black running tights, black running socks stuffed with bubble wrap, and a black hat with eight eyes sewn on and voila! one running spider. Running in the costume was a little warm so I kept the pace nice and easy (though each lap was still 10 seconds faster than the previous one so good marathon pacing practice - only 23 miles to go) finishing 3 minutes outside my PB but who cares.
As I drove out the site after the post run tea and chat two women who I'd been chatting to waved furiously and yelled at me to stop. It seems I'd won first prize for the best costume! Needless to say I had to put my costume back on and pose for a photo.
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| Running spider |
And with that I've reached Wick and 800 miles running for the year. Only 16 miles to John O'Groats then heading back south again.
