Thursday, 14 April 2011

A New Route

My ankles were a little sore this morning. I put this down to the countless steep little bridges on the canal towpath. I wanted to run home from work again this evening, but felt I should find an alternative route. The obvious, and shortest, way is along a very busy trunk road with lots of junctions, and it's not very pleasant. I know plenty of people who run between the city centre and Cannon Hill Park before or after a parkrun, or even both ways, and knew that it wasn't too far, and as I often run home after a parkrun, and have occasionally run there before (though only when volunteering), I figured I could probably run from the office home via the park. A glance at the A-Z confirmed that it would actually be shorter than my usual route, and roughly mapping it in Good Run Guide I made it 5.45 miles. Most importantly, though - none of those pesky little bridges!

I was concerned that there might be a lot of traffic in the first mile or two, but even at 5:30 it seemed reasonably quiet. The weather was pretty good, though raining very lightly to start. I managed not to get lost, and before I knew it the floodlights of the Edgbaston cricket ground hove into view and I was onto more familiar roads.

I had expected to take around fifty minutes, but did it in 41:50!

I'm sure I'll be using this route again, and probably some extended versions too, after I get mapping again. It makes a pleasant change from the canal, and importantly it's lit, so it can be done without having to leave the office quite so early in the winter months.

There were a lot of runners around again... if they're training for London they need to put their feet up!

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