Spring in our step.

Overnight frost was followed by clear skies and bright sunshine. The wind has veered around to the south and is a lot more friendly. We set off along the road at a modest pace, I had a testing route planned so did not want to run too fast early in the run. Quickly turning onto a track we ran gently down hill for a mile, crossed a main road and then up a field. It was lung burstingly steep to begin with and after a short dip continued to climb again more gently. Past a farm, we ran along the farm track then turned left down a field. Through a gap in the hedge we emerged by a huge stone Archway. From here we could look across the valley and see the Obelisk on the hill opposite with the winding path leading up to it. We ran down the hill towards it, crossed a bridge over a stream and we were on the winding path. It is advisable not to look up just keep your head down and pump your knees. Passing the Obelisk we drop sharply downhill past a lake then run equally sharply uphill, on past another Folly across a flat field out onto the road. We turn left along the road which still has snow in the hedgerow. After a mile we enter a village but immediately go off road again. Skirting around some fields we emerge onto a country road then carry on past a castle and over a main road. The road climbs out of the village before levelling out, at this point we again go off road running around a huge field before our route takes us across some rough ground beside a farmhouse. We make our way carefully through a field that contains sheep with lambs then over some ploughed ground that was quite soft. Not wet just soft like deep sand. Through another hedge and we were back onto the track from where we started leaving an easy run home. The Garmin said we had covered nine and a half miles. According to my estimation six of these were off road and our longest run for a month. We climbed over four hundred feet and burned eleven hundred calories. A target of twenty five miles for the week should now be obtainable but you never know. If every day was like today I could begin to enjoy running.