The sunshine and warm temperature motivated me to garden for most of the day. I do a great deal of gardening. Like running, it helps to regulate your mood and create a sense of achievement. However, when I gathered an armful of trimmed branches which I hurled onto a tall heap in an extremely overgrown field, I managed to hook my specs clean off my face and they went whizzing off into the heap/ metre high long grass. It took me over an hour to find them. They were located in the grass in a position I would have thought it impossible to land.

I didn’t get around to running until 7.30pm and covered just over 2 miles. This felt fine. It loosened me up nicely. I’ll probably do the same run tomorrow and then run with my club on Tuesday. Although I’ve been running for over 30 years, I’ve always been a solitary runner but a year ago I joined a club. I have to admit I do enjoy their training sessions. They cater for a wide range of abilities and only require you to take an intelligent interest in running. I’m trying quite hard to be more friendly and spontaneous. I can do this but essentially I tend more to introversion. I know a lot of runners now and as a group they are more gregarious, outgoing and supportive than most other groups. The mild downside is the main/only topic of conversation tends to be running. I think this is predominately a male thing.

Juneathon is an excellent idea! I run but I don’t take it seriously(enough). I know it’s important to me yet I have difficulty acknowledging this. Running and blogging will require some focus, discipline and honesty which can only be a good thing. Hopefully I will be able to do both each day with consistency. Today, I ran 5K at Cambridge Parkrun. This race is my local parkrun and I have completed 127 there plus 5 at Wimpole Estate. Cambridge is a flat course through Milton Country Park and Wimpole Estate is undulating including one short but steep hill. I started Cambridge Parkrun at No. 5, about five months after my heart attack which resulted in a lengthy pause in my running trajectory. I remember it well. Physically, I had recovered but I had a nagging fear that I might possibly drop dead at any point during the race. Like anyone who has had a heart attack,  I am on a NICE approved cocktail of drugs and I carried a Glyceryl Trinitrate spray with me as a protective talisman. I have never had to use it for chest pain and after nearly four years, I have only recently stopped taking it with me when running. Today’s run went well. I think I’m still recovering from the Edinburgh Half Marathon I did six days ago because my arch rival, Mike, beat me by more than 90 seconds. My partner, Lorna, also runs and we now have many running friends. This is another good thing because I have been an unsociable  sod for most of my life!