Key plonker

Well it was an absolutely gorgeous morning for a run, the sun was up but it was still nice and cool. It had been raining so there was that wonderful smell of wet foliage in the Dean, there were a few big puddles that I had to skirt around but nothing too troublesome. I ran really well too, I managed to maintain a good pacey pace on the fast bits but I also managed to reign it in so I could get my breath before I started up any of the nasty inclines. No-one around until on the way home in Ocean Road I passed a man walking in the opposite direction with three dogs. Anyway I got home with very little incidence and went to open the front door to my parents but found that my keys wasn’t in my back zipped pocket. I felt in the depths of the corners, I tried my front pockets and I even nipped the fabric between my fingers to feel if it had sneaked into any odd corner but all this was to no avail.

Now bear in mind that it was six in the morning and two things were on my mind, first I didn’t wish to disturb my parents by ringing the door bell at that hour and the next was that I didn’t’ particularly want to lost one of their front door keys as any break in or noise in the night might be attributed to that key…. and I know my Mum can be a bit of a worry at times. Anyway I walked up the street and out of Bournemouth drive to King Oswy with still no sight of the keys and at that point I resigned to walk the entire run route in an effort to find the key if that’s what it required. Anyway off I walked, it was a lovely morning and hey it was only a walk…

I found that this wasn’t the case though as:

• Walking is longer than running and takes just as much effort as it takes longer… running for 20 minutes is much harder than a 20 minute walk, but a four mile walk is just as hard as a four mile run, it doesn’t stretch ones lungs as much but it does stretch your joints.
• Walking in sweaty running gear with shorts and despite the weather once does get a bit chilly
• Walking hurts your ankles
• Walking while looking down for a red fobbed key (I found every red bottle top in the world while looking) and you really do not have time to enjoy the walk as you’re looking down all of the time.
• Dog walkers don’t make good key finders, I asked the dog walker I’d met earlier if he’d seen a red key and he informed me that he’d been far too busy looking out for his dogs.

Anyway I got back home after an hour and ten minutes or so, a bit chilly and a bit sore, my Dad answered the door and he hadn’t even noticed that I was overdue. He also expressed that he wasn’t bothered if I’d lost the keys or not…… brilliant..

Anyway I got in and had a hurried breakfast then a shower and shave and rushed out to work not having the usual luxurious half an hour in bed I’m used to after a run. Knackered at work and I got a text from my Mum to tell me she’d found the key…. in my shorts d’oh. Supposedly it had worked deep into the pocket seam and it had been there all the while.

I’m writing this the next day and I must say that the run and walk seems to be as good exercise as it gets. I was quite sore yesterday and today, actually when I got back I was very surprised to find it very difficult to bend over, I’d done something to my back that I’d not normally do running. I really do think that an article I read regarding the local Burn Road Harrier running club to mix up there running (mainly terrains) seems to be quite interesting, I know in this instance it was mixing running and walking but on the other hand I was now doing hilly running/walking in comparison to my usual flat (but sometimes windy) rapid sea front runs. I also put out some really heavy heat from my thighs yesterday, which I usually find is a good post run calorie burner and a good sign of a good workout.