Week fourteen: two weeks to go, and it's all Humphrey Repton's fault

This was a good week; using up some annual leave, I had four days at home, allowing two five mile runs, and two swims, rather than the customary one. The first five miler, over Seaford Head, took place in mild weather on Tuesday, but then the cold weather started. Thursday’s seafront run took place in temperatures of 2°C, while a return to Bevendean Down for a Saturday parkrun, in the company of Rob Read, saw snow. The week climaxed with a bitterly cold, muddy and hilly cross-country race on a new course, in Heathfield Park.  Heathfield Park was laid out by Humprey Repton, who doubtless foresaw that his landscaping would provide features of interest for runners in centuries to come, to wit streams of freezing water, long ascents up muddy tracks, and, the coup de grâce for many of us, a steep and slippery descent into a valley, a stream to leap and an equally steep and slippery ascent on the other side, within the last mile. This was a character-builiding run, and I hope that hard cross-country will prove suitable preparation for an urban half-marathon.

Total mileage this week: 18.17 miles 14 days till the Brighton Half. I’m running the Brighton Half for the Stroke Association. Find out more and sponsor me