Feeling dizzy on the Heath

Today marked my first run back with the school after an absence of a month. Coming close behind my lengthy sabbatical over the summer it's clear that I've been remiss with my commitments! I am a very naughty boy and should be punished! In a way though I was as this morning's performance was sub-par even by my recent standards and that's a bit depressing. Also it's not as if I can blame this decline on anyone else (well apart from whoever infected me with a cold virus) and I suppose that I'll just have to get on with it.

Hey - where are you going?

Anyway the weather remains warm and sunny although at the start of our run the mist had yet to lift from the grasslands of Hampstead Heath. Delightful to gaze at with the rays of the low sun piercing through the fog, and casting long shadows from the bare tree branches, but a tad chilly on the bones. Maybe this visual feast was why Ira decided to lead us in ever decreasing circles on the Heath paths:

Round and round like hamsters in their wheel

Now I've got nothing against this fabulous urban oasis - in fact I love living nearby - but there's only so much that I can take without losing my grip on reality. So it was quite a relief when we stopped bouncing around Gospel Oak and definitively struck north (although it did provide me with a chance to fall into step with Keith, a work colleague, when I bumped into him unexpectedly - it's always a bit disconcerting to stumble across someone you know in a totally different context). That was a bit of a high point I'm afraid although the novel diversion across Kenwood, on the final leg, was worth the effort; a bit of a curate's egg overall though.

Distance: 6.7 miles
Time: 58m 23s