I’m writing this having survived the first of fourteen days’ running. Feeling tired and a bit stiff from what turned out to be 17.5 miles, instead of the 16.5 I had planned. An additional unplanned mile is not too bad in the scheme of things, but when you’re tired and running in the blazing sun it makes a difference. I thought I would never get here! I’ve also realised that the Locatoweb tracking app was set to private by mistake, so no-one could see today’ live tracking! I’ve managed to unlock it so all will be well tomorrow. At least Facebook live was working intermittently.
After an initial delay due to a later than planned breakfast and some technical hitches, the run itself began relatively easily, through typically English pasture-like meadows strewn with buttercups. It was still quite cool, with a light breeze, and slightly overcast at around 10.45 as I started at a fairly even pace, heading South East towards Ewen . The river itself was not visible to begin with, so I had to trust the Thames Path signs. These it turned out were invaluable as markers throughout the route, as try as I might to get a sense of the route beforehand, it’s not the same when you’re there in the place itself.
Quite soon the effects of the last couple of weeks’ relentless rain were very apparent, first from patches of thick mud in the more shady areas that still hadn’t had a chance to dry and later in waterlogged fields where the river, still shallow, had burst its low lying banks. I don’t mind getting wet feet or even wet ankles or calves, as long as the ground under my feet remains relatively stable. The first of these came about 3 miles in, shortly after bypassing the village of Ewen. It was a case of either wading in mid calf, or turning back and I wasn’t going to do the latter. By this time the weather had started to warm up, so I knew my feet would dry quickly. The second, was much further on after I had woven my way through the beautiful series lakes that are part of a nature reserve , starting at Somerford Keynes, 4 or 5 miles in, and ending at around 11 miles, not far from the Saxon town of Cricklade.
It was in fact just before reaching Cricklade, about 12 miles in, when I encoutered the second of the waterlogged fields and that was something else! Initially I proceeded as I had done before, expecting more or less the same experience. I had to pass with some trepidation, a group of cows with calves, before I reached what was much deeper than I thought. Even though it wasn’t that wide, it looked too dangerous to venture across. I spent some time, turning around in circles getting slightly panicky, before I noticed some people heading my way. I don’t know whether it was their presence or just the fact that I had no alternative, that made me determined to find a way across. Eventually, I found a somewhat shallower, but wider stretch of water, which looked more or less possible to venture through, but not wthout some caution. I was relieved, to get through, but frustrated that this had added to the time it would take to complete today’s run.
By now, the afternoon heat was on, which would make the stretch to Castle Eaton more difficult. In fact this, very little shade and trying to run through long grass, all contributed to a much slower final few miles, but hey it was never about speed…
Apart from the difficulty of the task and the inevitable pain and stiffness that temporarily comes with it, the pleasure of running through and experiencing this English landscape in the way I did today, is something I would not trade. Looking forward to tomorrow…
