Running has been on the back burner recently. Not by choice, obviously, but sometimes life just takes over for a while. I’ve been getting out on the usual routes, but just ticking over, waiting for the chance for my running to get back where it belongs. Centre stage.
That chance arrived this week, bringing not just one but two glorious runs on entirely new trails.
First up was the Goldrush Trail at Coed y Brenin forest in Gwynedd. Running one of the waymarked trails at Coed y Brenin feels like a rite of passage for a Welsh trail runner, and one that I’ve been itching to do for quite some time. That opportunity arrived with a trip to Eryri, and a quite wonderful family who were happy to leave me to my own devices for a couple of hours while they went off for a walk.
Plan A had been to follow the half marathon route, but the heatwave put paid to that so I opted for plan B: an 8.5m trail leading up through the forest to take in views of the mountains, beautiful rivers, the Copper Bog, and cool, peaceful forest. I saw next to no one until the final mile, and only one other runner throughout, leaving me entirely alone with just the trail for company. Not truly alone though; birdsong was everywhere, high in the trees, rustling through the undergrowth, and flying overhead. Crickets were in full voice (full leg?!) through the bog, and the everchanging sound of rushing water is a magical voice all of its own.
During those two hours I found and hit my reset button. All the stresses of the previous weeks were left behind at the top as I raced away from them down a couple of wonderful downhills. My brain came back to life again, and with that my enthusiasm and my drive.
Three days later that drive and enthusiasm was back out in full force on what turned out to be my toughest ever run: 23 miles along the Gower coast from Rhossili to Langland. The run was the brain child of my running partner, Emma, in lieu of a cancelled trail running weekend, and was a brilliant idea. A coastal run was going to be perfect training for VOGUM, but at the same time we would be somewhere new, on an entirely different adventure.
The Gower is famous for its stunningly beautiful landscape: steep limestone cliffs, sandy beaches edged by rock pools, woods, and sand dunes. Lots of sand dunes. Enough sand dunes to last a lifetime in fact. This was always going to be a tough run, and although luckily the heatwave had broken, the humidity was more than high enough to make up for that.
Everything I want to achieve from my running came together on that run. Long distances, new and exciting routes, varied terrain, making a full day of it, not just a couple of hours here and there. And all done as a team as we pushed and encouraged each other in equal measure, ranting together through the seemingly endless dunes.
I’ll be back to my usual haunts again now, and that’s ok. There is great satisfaction to be had from treading the same path time and again, noticing the little changes in our surroundings, and in ourselves as we run. But every now and again something different is called for. A new test, a new route, a new perspective. These runs gave me all of that.
When I get back out on my local routes this week I’ll be running with more confidence, and more joy, than I’ve had for quite some time. The timing couldn’t be better. The VOGUM countdown is well and truly on now, less than five weeks to go; after these runs I not only feel ready for it, but excited, and excited for what comes afterwards. There are so many trails out there, just waiting to be explored.
I Run Free 