Lost in music (and Hackney)

Along with my half-marathon entry came some new found enthusiasm for this running malarkey so I got out of bed bright and early (in a bright and early 9:45 kind of way) and started on day 1 of putting some more mileage in and remembered that there was a route on the Serpentine Running Club‘s website that takes in the marshes and so I had a look to see how long that route was and it’s eleven miles and 99% off road so I chopped a few miles off it and went out hoping my new route would be about five or six miles.

I got to where the cows used to live and there’s a sign I hadn’t seen before warning people about a cattle grid.

Which would be ok but a) there’s no cows because someone stole them or ate them or something; and b) it’s not a grid. It’s a metal sheet but not a grid. And because I’m a pedant, that’s going to bug me every time I see it.

I leave Walthamstow Marshes and go into Hackney Marshes and there’s a marked difference between the amount of people in Walthamstow Marshes and the amount of people in Hackney Marshes. i.e. there’s hardly any. Am I the only person brave/stupid enough to go over Hackney Marshes?

It’s very quiet on this part of the river.

I leave the deserted river path when I can and a man comes down the path and he looks like a right cockney geezer type and he says “awright” in a cockney geezer type of way and I think he’s just saying hello and not enquiring after my general welfare so I say hi and I get to the bit where my route says I’m supposed to not go on the road like I did before but to carry on going round the sports field bit but I can’t see a path and I didn’t bring my map but I thought I was supposed to follow the river but I can’t see the river anymore so I carry on going down the side of the field and the river reappears and then there’s nothing but trees.

And I’m trying to forget I’m in Hackney and can see nothing but trees and more trees and even more trees.

And I see the cockney geezer type man again and he smiles at me and I’m glad I’m not alone in all the trees even if the only person around is a cockney geezer type but cockney geezer types are usually to be trusted unless you’re in Eastenders and called Tiffany and get runover by one but luckily enough my name isn’t Tiffany. And I’m not in Eastenders.

And I’m still running and running and thinking when are all these trees going to fuck off and I see a clearing just up ahead. Yay.

And sitting down in the clearing is a man with a small dog and I don’t usually trust men with small dogs but this man is cute and as I’m looking at him thinking I wish I had clean hair and make up on and hadn’t just ran five miles and look like a complete minger then I could ask him directions and maybe he’d give me his phone number, he looks up and sees me looking so I run off past him and I eventually see a signpost which points in the direction of Walthamstow Marshes and so I follow the direction of the signpost and cross a bridge but I still don’t know where the fuck I am and I see a path that seems to stop somewhere in the sky.

So I get to the top of the path and yay, I’m at the riding stables and know where I am now.

And so I head off in the direction of my house and take a couple of pictures of some weeds on the way.

One day I will stop taking my camera out and taking pictures of weeds. Especially as soon I’m bound to get an email from Bernard saying are you supposed to stop and take pictures when you’re training for a half-marathon? Um.

And if I don’t get my seedlings past the seed-tray-in-the-kitchen stage soon, Phil‘s going to win the gardening competition as well as the pizza competition.

But at least I’m not growing my plants in a pile of shit.

Although the spinach is still woefully lacking in compost.

Today’s route

Stats:
Miles: 6.30
Total time: 1:15:09
Average pace: 11:56
Total calories: 673
People over Walthamstow Marshes: Loads
People over Hackney Marshes: Hardly any
Cockney geezer type men: 1
Cute men with small dogs: 1
Music:
Jeff Buckley – Yard Of Blonde Girls
Junior Senior – White Trash
The Damned – White Rabbit
Justice v Simian – We Are Your Friends
The View – Same Jeans
The Fiery Furnaces – The Vietnamese Telephone Ministry
The Libertines – Up The Bracket
Ween – Untitled Baroque #3
Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy
Kula Shaker – Under The Hammer
Ben Folds Five – Twin Falls
The Young Knives – Tremblings Of Trails