Christmas Day Run

This is the first year I have done a  run on Christmas day and it was amazing……. The girls were up at 6am opening their Christmas presents from Santa. The turkey went on a 8.30am and my husband went for a run at 9am - it was minus 7, the River Avon was half frozen, but hey the sun was shining and the sky was blue.

At 10.30 with the first round of presents open and breakfast done, we all went down to Arnos Court Park. Dave and the girls went sledging - yes the park is still in perfect sledging condition - while I went for a run around the park and through Arnos Cemetery.

Running uphill and on the flat was great with just the sound of snow crunching under foot. But downhill without any spikes required a little more attention. I got a few strange looks from passers-by, some pleasant ‘good mornings’ to ‘that’s very energetic!’. Just knowing that I would probably eat rather a lot of food later made the run feel that much better. I guess I was trying to justify that eating a huge Christmas dinner was OK because I had been for a run. Who was I trying to fool? The trouble was I hadn’t been for a run for the last couple of weeks for one reason or another. Mainly because it’s been so god dam icy, or because either I or the kids had been ill with the winter bug that seems to have swept across Bristol. I thought cold weather was supposed to kill off bugs!!

With the sun shining on my face, the run felt great, but it was hard work. Trying to run on snow with too many layers of clothes on probably had something to do with it. However I suspect the MAIN reason for struggling today was my lack of running over the last few weeks.

I must, I must do more running. If nothing else just to show off my new running gear.

Merry Christmas everyone.

The Cemetery Run

I haven’t done the ‘cemetery run’ for ages and with Halloween well and truly behind us I felt it was safe to venture into the wilderness of Arnos Vale Cemetery. So with my two girls happily helping their dad put a bird box up in the holly tree at home, I escaped for my morning run.

Yes I know running around a cemetery sounds a bit weird, but it makes the run interesting. Preparing to battle with vampires and bats, the ‘cemetery run’ starts at Arnos Court Park in Brislington. To warm up I run around the park a couple of times taking in a rather steep hill -  a good place to practise a bit of fartlek.

I then enter the cemetery through the gate at the top of the hill. The gate is quite hidden but is used a lot by dog walkers and runners like myself. It’s also a pleasant shortcut to Totterdown from Brislington.

The path takes you to the very top of the cemetery and provides views right across Bristol. Full of amazing trees, wildlife and thousands of gravestones, the cemetery is a myriad of narrow footpaths that zig-zag their way down through dense woodland and then out into the more formal cemetery. Covering an area of 45 acres, it is a peaceful haven in which to run - the sound of traffic simply disappears.

There are usually plenty of other people around, so while it may feel mildly spooky, its a great place to explore. It’s pretty hilly too. I usually zig-zag my way down through the cemetery (the easy bit) to the main entrance on the Bath Rd, and then slowly back up, past the entrance on Cemetery Road in Totterdown and then round to the entrance back into Arnos Court Park. I run once more round the park, flinging myself down the hill, before heading home. 

It’s certainly not a place to build up any speed, but the hills are great  for training and the scenery is ……… well…. a little unusual to say the least. However some words of advice if you are considering the ‘cemetery run’. Stick to the opening times. You never know what might be lurking behind some of those gravestones, and choose your music wisely. Believe me, your mind begins to play tricks, particularly when running past the various tombs.  I guess if you get spooked your adrenalin will kick in and you’ll certainly run faster. Anyone else had any similar experiences?