Went on an awesome run today, one of the best I’ve done in a while. I decided to try the area around Bradgate Park, which is part of the National Forest in Leicestershire.

I don’t know the area all that well, so printed off a page from Memory Map and stuck it in a laminate pouch. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of this before, as it saves getting lost.

At least that’s how it works in theory. I went a bit off-route near the entrace to Swithland Woods and just went with it, ending up near Cropston and eventually back at Old John Tower. It was a bit of a slog to get to the top of the hill; my heart rate monitor informed me I was beating away at 200 bpm, which should be accompanied by a siren and an automatic call to the cardiac unit. But the views of Leicestershire were worth it and I took a breather to give my heart a chance to catch up.

• Distance - 8.2 miles
• Time - 1 hr 17 mins (a little slow, but who’s counting?)
• Average heart rate - 176
• Calories burned - 1359
  
• Tunes - Big Hair Rock playlist
• Number of dogs - 18
• Number of weird looks - 22
• Number of deer sightings - 2
  

So, with only two weeks to the Great North Run, I’m feeling a little more prepared than before, but I’ve decided that this one’s for fun, so I’m not going to worry about trying to beat my last time. Of course, I’ve said that sort of thing before…