Road to the half: A whole new world!

Next run: Quick update post on my half-marathon preparations and conquering new terrain… 

With the main park I use being closed this week, I had a look for an alternative. There’s another one up nearer to me but it’s not the best, so I checked out Google maps for another option. 

Lo and behold there is another park around the same distance away, just in a different direction. I’ve been overlooking it the whole time!

I went for a stroll there yesterday to scope it out. I even shot a quick video but because my phone was upright (ie. shot in portrait), when I uploaded it to DTube it squashed out to fill the space. I thought it would just block out the sides like on a FB Live etc but no, it posted in landscape so looked ridiculous. I promptly deleted it. I’ll try again another time!

Water feature

This park is actually a whole lot better than the other nearest park. A bit bigger (although not as big as my favoured/closed park) and a nice vibe. I could certainly use this on a regular basis, not just for running but to go to in general. 

I did 3 and a bit laps. First lap I probably added nearly half a lap as I was checking out various parts before settling on my route. I imagine it was around 8k total but I don’t know for sure (no apps, gadgets or phone). Either way, that’s the best I’ve felt so far. There was a good mix of uphill, downhill and flat. Next time, I’ll do 3 laps in the other direction. 

I was out the door just after 7 this morning and there weren’t many people about. I perhaps saw 4 other runners in total and then a few other folk (dog walkers, council workers etc) as time went on. Much quieter than the main park I use although there was plenty of activity when I went for my stroll there yesterday afternoon. It must just not be a morning people park… but rather an afternoon delight.   

Planetarium! All sorts going on here…

There are also some other places near the park that make it a good area for me to know. For a start there’s an El Corte Inglés which is a department store in Spain. It has it all, a literal one stop shop for all your needs. This would save me a trip into town and there are other shops and restaurants there. Like I say, a whole new world and under 15 minutes walk away!

So, I’ve just added another dimension to my life. A closed park and a running habit can take you to all sorts of places ;). 

Some sort of amphitheatre? Ran up those steps like Rocky!

Next run on Friday, then I’ll take the weekend off and plan to just run Monday and Thursday next week to be ready for the following Sunday (that’s game day!). That way I keep the runs ticking over, add a bit of distance and also have good recovery time in between to keep things fresh…

Run wild!

~ Adam
@adambarratt

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