I'm back on the fitness-wagon and went for my 25 minute run.
A friend of mine recommended the gallops where I live, ironically used to gallop horses! Now I'm sure if you are a horse, this is a lovely straight expanse of grass ideal for a good run - however, I am no horse.
My legs are pretty long (I'm 5'9") but despite this the grass was up to the top of my shins and filled with grass seed-heads. Doesn't sound too bad huh? Imagine then, I'm trying to run slightly uphill in a kinda gallop-style (clears the grass, I can see why horses do it) but each time I step forward the grass seed-heads whack into my bear ankles like lots of whips! Suffice to say I didn't do this for too long before I gave up from pain and exhaustion.
alongside the gallops is a farmers field, it's the one with all the poop and the pooping sheep. The grass is shorter due to the sheep (glad to see they know their job) and I figured that the poop is at least bio-degradable rather than the dog type, as after all sheep are vegitarians. What I didn't factor on was - the ACTUAL sheep.
The path for hikers, dog-walkers and the such is IN the field, there are no fences between you and the sheep. So I merrily start my jog again paying no attention to four-legged fluffy white critters when I see a blur out of the corner of my eye. Looking up I realise that a gaggle of sheep have picked the area just before the gate (and freedom) to munch their dinner across the pathway.
Now sheep freak me out. They have huge eyes with vertical pupils like cats have, which is freaky as they are nothing LIKE cats. They look shifty to me, and I always feel like they're getting ready to ram me or bite my ankles.
I'm puffing by this point as again I'm jogging uphill, but as I slow down the sheep start to take an interest and begin to converge on me - I feel like I'm in some horror movie where I'm going to end up mummified in a huge woolie-jumper, with sheep all around me bleating.
AHHH!
Fortunately this attack of pure terror was enough to get my legs moving, so I ran to freedom, which scared the sheep so they skedaddled back to THEIR part of the field.
Phew!
My ankles are in tact, I wasn't rammed, I've biodegradable poop all over my trainers and decided I'm no horse - but I've done my run. Not all 25 minutes, and not continual running (well, jogging) but I'm back into the swing of things.
Who knew running could be so eventful?
