25th January: LSS Starts

With all of this running lunacy over the last couple of years, LSS has become a bit of a running widdow at times when I have disappeared off to all corners of the British Isles for the occasional day here and there… She has also seen the benefits that running stupid distances has brought to me fitness wise and with the exception of that niggling calf injury I have been entirely injury free from running 35 marathons!

When I first started on this odyssey LSS stated that the words ‘fun’ and ‘run’ are not 2 words that go together and she was firmly convinced and she would never be seen dead spatulated into lycra.

Now a couple of years down the line, just before the Christmas period LSS came out with the earth-shattering revelation she had realised that as time marches on, her long-standing ability to eat cheese, chocolate and enjoy drinking wine without consequence to her frame has begun to lessen and she now needed to find a way to keep the pounds at bay having not exercised since giving up horse riding in her late teens.

Combining the need to walk our dogs on a daily basis with exercise, LSS has decided that she will run as a canicrosser, as that way she has a companion with her, it burns-off some of our dog’s energy and it gives her a reason to be out and running… As a means to following-through on this plan she has even booked herself in to March’s CTS Sussex 10k, as with a commitment in the diary she cannot back-out!

I am in awe at her decision to go for it, as to do something so out of anyone’s comfort-zone is incredibly courageous and I have been supporting her on her first steps along the way, especially as her body (mostly her knees, shins, ankles) adjusts to running for the first time since school with all the aches and pains you endure in the process.

As part of being the supportive husband, I suggested we go down to Birling Gap and walk the 10k course with the dogs so when the big day arrives then there will be no surprises or fears of the unknown for her, so she can just concentrate on getting herself across the finish line.

This morning we took ourselves down there and had a good morning’s walk with the hounds over the running route and took in the sights above and below the Beachy Head cliff face.

Gazing over at Beachy Head

Below the cliffs you run on top of at Birling Gap.

Looking west over the 'Seven Sisters'

As we trundled along the beach, the erosion of the chalk and the flint stones revealed this to us, I think it looks like a cartoon skull smiling out at you!

Eat pies.
Drink beer.
Run far.