Run The Date - Day 4

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Date: Wednesday 4th September

Distance: 4 miles

Motivational quote: "A day without running is a day wasted."

Sponsor: Nicky Perry

Song: Groove is in the heart by Deee-lite

Running partner: Duncan Colyer

Weather: Overcast with light rain. Windy.

Fuel: Bowl of Shreddies

Route: Into Sandgate and back along the coast.

Comments: Today I was joined by Duncan Colyer from MAF who kindly offered to run 4 miles with me. Handily we live opposite one another, so we met at 7am and headed towards Sandgate.

It was a windy morning and we battled against it for the first mile and a half. It was threatening rain from an overcast sky, but despite a short shower it remained dry throughout.

Once through Sandgate we crossed at the zebra crossing and headed back towards Folkestone along the sea front watching the waves crashing on the pebbles. With the breeze at our backs we made good time and were soon at Mermaid’s Bay.

To get from the beach to the town you must climb the zig zag path. The path was constructed in the 1920’s to link the Upper Leas Gardens in the town with the Lower Leas Gardens by the seafront.

Lord Radnor had previously built a water-balance lift between the two gardens, but this wasn’t suitable for bath chairs so the local council decided to make a footpath. Currently the water-balance lift is out of action so the zig zag path is the main route down the 50m high cliff face.

Along the path a series of tunnels, caves and grottos have been built. These are made from Pulhamite, a substance that looks like natural rock. There are seats, low walls and plant pockets at regular intervals. It is roughly 300m long.

We puffed our way to the top and then headed inland away from the wind, finishing with a loop of the block to make up the full 4 miles.

I felt lethargic this morning and it took longer than the usual mile for my legs to warm up. This could be down to the effect of my massage earlier in the week or the lack of stretching before we went out. Duncan ran well and it helped to have him pulling me along. Nice too that it was all done by 7:30!


Support Folkestone Rainbow Centre today: My Run The Date Fundraising Page

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