Long Run - 30km (going for a bimble round Whisby)

dannewton just finished a 30.08km run, that lasted for 207 minutes.
This run helped dannewton burn 2258.0 calories.

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Description from Strava: So those 5 days at work have once again flown past, and before we know it, its the flippin' weekend again!

And of course, that means only one thing, its time for another long run/park run combo... except today that is not the case, and I have decided to skip parkrun this week.

Basically, when I do the parkrun segment as part of these long runs, I have a habit of getting excitable and carried away. I'm not overly competitive, but something about run in a group of people all trying hard makes me want to run hard too.

I could do with a break from that and just do a nice easy long run instead.

And so that brings us to today. Checking the weather forecast, it looked set to be a beautiful day, and so I decided I was long overdue a run down to Whisby Nature Park.

Its a route I've done a couple of times now,( both of which took place at the end of 2023. Its a beautiful place to run, so its high time I returned I reckon!

After a week of heavy rain and stormy conditions, I was looking forward to getting out in the sunshine. Those clear skies did mean it was pretty chilly first thing this morning with temps of just 6C as I was setting off this morning. I briefly thought about gloves, but decided as there was full sunshine and very little wind, I would warm up quite quickly.

I kept with just shorts and t-shirt as well, confident it would be warm enough. I did bring both the sunhat and sunglasses, and that was the correct call as well!

Clothes/accessories chosen, I set off just after 9am

Even though the route is long, it is easy to follow so I don't bother adding a GPS route to my watch. It starts by heading down Cross O'Cliff hill towards town, and then I take a left to head through the nearby town (suburb?) of North Hykeham...

Its a very straight road...

...and quite long and boring...

...but eventually after 11km or so, I've arrived

There are a selection of different trails to chose from, with different things to see, and different lengths, but because I run them I end up doing them all!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, its a beautiful area. Its a Nature Reserve owned by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, and its managed in a way that benefits lots of different bird species at different times of the year.

Best times to visit are generally Summer and Winter as different species migrate in and out. Autumn is slightly quieter, but there is always potential to see something different

Below are a selection of images, as I kept stopping on my run round to admire the view!

Views ranged from quiet woodland trails to lakeside landscapes

There was never any worry in getting lost on these trails as all of them are very clearly defined and well marked with various signposts along the way. This meant I didn't need to worry, and instead could just take the time to appreciate my surroundings, and practice being mindful in nature

Halfway round I spotted a figure up front...

Hang on, is that my Dad?

It was!

Unbeknownst to me, he had chosen today to take the dog for a walk around Whisby, making the most most of the wonderful sunshine we had today.

I didn't want to stop running for to long, but I wanted to take the time to catch up and see how he was doing, and also Lola of course

(Lola is the dog, if you hadn't guessed!)

After a quick picture, in which I didn't realise she was sticking her tongue out at me, and after 10 minutes of putting the world to rights, I left them to continue their walk in peace

besides, my legs were stating to stiffen up, it surprising how quick that happens you know...

I carried on meandering around the rest of the trails, and enjoying the views, and before I knew it, it was time to start heading back

Leaving the Reserve behind me, I ran back into North Hykeham, and along the long boring road... it was starting to feel like a bit off a slog at this point, and I know thats down to me stopping to chat to my Dad. There is no way I could have him here and not said hello.

It was starting to get a little warm out here now, but I knew I wasn't far from home

Just a little hill to climb and then I was back in my village again...

...and as it was approaching lunchtime, I decided to stop off by the shops on the way back so I could begin fueling my recovery as soon as possible. I also don't have much food in at the moment, long overdue a trip to the supermarket to stock up on supplies

There wasn't a great deal of choice when I went into Tesco, but I managed to grab Honey, mustard and chicken pasta salad, 2 boiled eggs and a bottle of lucozade

I would have normally gone for a can of red bull at this point, but I'm trying hard to cut down on these, as I think the caffeine is affecting my sleeping pattern - I know that when I have a few days without out them, my sleep drastically improves. I've stopped drinking Coca Cola for the same reason

The Squares were not technically for lunch, but I have already scoffed all for of these over this afternoon... they're very tasty, and I was very hungry!

I also managed to pick up a book of stamps, literally 3 minutes before the Post Office closed, so I could send my partner a letter (so thats another job ticked off).

I really enjoyed the run out today, and I feel I've benefitted from taking a day off from parkrun, although the brilliant sunshine has helped with the enjoyment factor. Worry not, I'll be back at parkrun next week, and I might even try a new location, although that will heavily depend on if I can get the bus timetable to work in my favour as the next nearest ones are not within running distance

The rest of the day I wanted to make sure I was active to help with the recovery, and so I made the most of the sunshine and managed to get both the front and back lawns cut (and I suspect this will be the last one of the year, as soon it will be too wet to do it).

Tomorrow, I need to go food shopping, and do some weeding of the path/patio and I'm sure I'll be able to sneak a little recovery run in too! (I can always find time to sneak a run in haha!

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If you would like to check out this activity on strava you can see it here:
https://www.strava.com/activities/12522831857

About the Athlete: Living in the UK, I am an intermittent Runner, but always striving for more consistency. When I'm not training I can be found photographing insects or listening to really loud angry music (which is the best type of music obviously!)

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