Running around Diptford

With all of the amazing food here in Devon (I'm working for a woman who makes amazing scones and jam, and who owns a cookery school for crying out loud!) I've decided that I definitely need to get on track with my running... The only problem is, the lane ways around here are tiny and a little dangerous considering the cars can't really see you from around slight bends, so I've had to find myself a little running circuit.

I start off on the slow road, just to be safe...

... before making my way to a public footpath (the only one I've found in the entire village).

The footpath is literally a little path for your feet... Nothing more...

I've discovered that long Skins are better than 3/4 Skins as half a calf exposed on this track is likely to be stung by some form of nettle... Ouch! At the end of the footpath, it's up and over the stile (trying not to trip over)...

... and onto a country lane way. Unavoidable, but at least my time on these is minimised and the two I go on are relatively quiet.

There's a left turn at the end, up the second country lane way...

... past the sheep...

... and I keep going until I see evidence of Diptford once again (not that far really).

Once I'm back in town it's up past the lovely pink house that never fails to make me smile...

... through the potted garden...

... and down the hill on the main road through town.

From there it's just a little turn around a bend, down past the big stone walls...

... and I'm home!

For a change of pace, I flip the run around. Doing it as I've shown above gives a short but tricky downhill run to ease into it in the beginning, and a long and gradual uphill from the time I step over the stile, until I'm in the potted garden. Very good for stamina. The problem with this though, is going downhill on the footpath requires a lot of concentration so as not to twist an ankle. I've discovered that even a momentarily lapse of awareness can be quite dangerous. The reverse however, provides a long and gradual down hill run (great for recovery on the second and third laps), to the stile, and then a mother of an intense, uphill, off-road run at the end - much better for interval training! This is what I did three circuits of tonight in 17:50. That ought to have worked off the white chocolate and malteser icecream I had this afternoon!