Run Britain Day 10: From Gravesend to Upper Stoke

I am 5% of my way through Run Britain. It doesn’t sound like much, but in many ways this first chunk has flown by.

I don’t know whether it was the mental boost from having completed a whole county (a county which I am struggling to find many positives to discuss), the continued fuzzy feeling of my surprise from Shadow yesterday, or using the appropriate amount of hot pepper muscle rub, but today felt like a breeze.

Thinking about it, the breeze probably did have something to do with it. Today, for the first time since the start of Run Britain, I was running with a tailwind, and it was a joy.

After a few miles of easy running, I even tried to hit certain pace targets. Not wanting to push it too hard (I still have almost 5000 miles to go), but also wanting to take advantage of today’s easy route.

For the first time, I completed the marathon in less than five hours. And even after meeting Jenny and her lovely dog Rocket, and picking up some supplies, I was back home and eating a proper lunch before 3pm.

I know I should have used this time to catch up on some of the writing that I have fallen behind on. But I’ve had a lovely time getting to know Sally, Richard and Karon. Run Britain is as much about the people who I am spending time with as it is about the running.

There will be times that I’ll be on my own for long stretches and I’ll have plenty of time for writing then. For now, I am grateful for the company.