Wow!

My programme for this week says 3 miles today, 6 mile pace tomorrow, 3 miles the day after with 11 on Saturday. (I'm following Hal Higdon's marathon training schedule, prior to moving smoothly onto his ultra programme later in the year (in 14 weeks time)).
So I was out of the house this morning, just after the sports news at 0630, and it was brilliant. The sun was up, but the shadows were still long. The air smelt wonderful, full of the fragrance of grass, earth and flowers as the sun's early warmth lifted the dew.
I followed a familiar route for the first mile and a half and then, rather than just turn back the way I came, I followed a footpath sign across a field I'd never been in before. And that's when I had one of the most fantastic experiences I've had as a runner. I was making my way across this broadly domed field when I heard a really loud 'peeeiow' sound and a two large shadows flew over me. It was a pair of buzzards wheeling around, gliding just a few feet from my head. They circled round, calling out, before lazily drifting off to a copse of trees where they alighted on what looked like a dead branch. They were HUGE. And majestic. And magnificent. It made the fact that the footpath had disappeared and I had no idea how to get out of the field completely unimportant.
I realise this log is reading more like a 'Nature Notes' article in the paper than a proper athletic running log, but I guess that's just the way my running is going right now. I'm getting the miles in, I'm working towards a long-term goal that seems, frankly, terrifying, and I'm getting some extraordinary experiences right on my doorstep. So I'm going to keep at it and see where this journey takes me.
See you tomorrow....

Smiley rating 9/10