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| 50m of new lake across the footpath |
We haven't been hit by flooding as badly as many other places, but the sodden fields can't soak up the water any more, and it is gathering in the valleys and field bottoms all over the area. Our village pond, long replaced by a road and car park has reasserted its existence, and the road is closed. The old fish ponds have reappeared and the culvert under the railway embankment is not up to clearing the valley.
In twenty years of walking and over seven years of running in the local woods I have never seen them so devastated by the weather. The paths are ankle deep mud, especially where the horse riders go, interspersed with small ponds and blocked by fallen trees. As well as lots of big trees down, some on the ground and some leaning precariously against their neighbours, the ground is strewn with branches and sticks, big and small. I know the woods will recover and even thrive with all the new material on the ground, but it all looks a bit of a mess at the moment.
One of my usual running routes is shown in the picture. I didn't go that way today! Instead Kath and I headed out of the village on roads and then, after 3 miles, onto a long and very muddy path. The constant changing sides and trying to find firm ground underfoot meant it was impossible to get a decent rhythm, and it was a slow slog for about 2 miles until we regained a harder path. Kath left me at 7 miles to take a direct route back to the village (which turned out to be blocked by the newly resurgent village pond, necessitating another detour), while I did another 5 miles through the woods. 12 miles at a slowish 10m30s per mile. That makes a total of 22.6 miles this week, the rest being in three short sharp runs squeezed in amongst the busyness of daily life.
I'm sure all this mud running is doing wonders for my ankles and calf muscles, and my Inov8 Roclite 312s are doing a great job at keeping my feet dry. But I hope it stops raining soon!
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