Tag: Bolton Abbey

A few little jogs and all is well

Jess Guth1 Comment

I love my random additional days off! There are a couple of bank holidays where we also get the Tuesday off from work and there is always something really nice about that additional day. It feels a bit indulgent in a way annual leave doesn’t. The plan for today was just to try out the calf a bit. Nothing silly but after yesterday’s gym session all is still well and it seems like the obvious next step is to see how it fairs out in the wild. So we went to Bolton Abbey. Kath went off on her 5 mile loop and my plan was to walk a mile which would take me almost to the Strid and then on the way back I would throw in a few little jogs to see how everything feels. The loop went like this:

  • Ooh it’s lovely and cool under these trees
  • Squirrel!
  • Bye Kath as I waved her off on her run
  • Hm, high path or low path? High path
  • Wild garlic smells lush
  • What’s that? Oh just a pigeon
  • Everything feels ok, good
  • Oh person, ‘hello’. No hello? Rude
  • Oh I am at the Strid already. Lovely. That was nice. Should I run now?
  • Little jog, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee downhill
  • Ok nothing hurts, did my knee just niggle? Nah, that was a brain niggle not a knee niggle
  • Ok, back we go. Little jog, body scan, all good
  • Slope, walk. But I could try and run. Stop it, be sensible!
  • Weeeeeeeee down the slope and on a bit. Ok all good
  • It’s kinda hot
  • My eyebrows are sweaty
  • Little run, all good. Keep going to that tree. No not that one, the other one. Which one? You know. Do I? Oh slope, walk
  • And run down the hill and keep going, keep going, yes it’s hot, keep going. Fuck that’s a big dog. Walk
  • ‘ Hi dog’ (and human). Aw friendly. That’s nice. Walk the hill though
  • And last little run down the slope to the Cavendish Pavilion. Ooh is that tightness? Niggle? Brain niggle or real niggle?
  • Doesn’t matter. I am out of the wood, too hot to run in full sun. Walk to car
  • Grab go bag with change of clothes, gym towel and deodorant and head for toilets
  • Thank goodness I am getting changed because these lycra pants are not coming back up after having a pee. Also, I think I have an actual puddle in my bra.
  • Good outing that. Happy

So that’s another 3.7km added to the Berlin Wall virtual challenge. Well, I continued along the road I was on and then turned right where I will have walked along a stretch planted with 45 cherry trees as a memorial. I continued along the Wall route past more remnants, a tower and then I hit the river Spree. The river also acted as a physical border with underwater barriers. There is a lot online about this if you are interested and on the Mauerspuren website you can see the various locations. After crossing the river I will have come to the East Side Gallery. We have been to that Gallery – the longest Open Air gallery in the world and the longest continuous stretch of Wall remaining. The 1.3km of that stretch will have taken a third of my run/walk today and I am sure that if I was doing it for real, I would have lingered. We probably have photos but what you can see online is probably better. After that I went onwards along the route, past more bits of wall. I’ll soon head left over the river again but that’s for next time.

Duck, Deer, Dipper and Dummies (ok, Bunnies)

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Longest run/walk of the year today. Don’t get too excited, it was only 3.61 miles. I dropped Kath off on my way to Bolton Abbey so she could do a longer loop. I then headed for the Cavendish Pavilion car park, went to the loo and then set off. As I came out of the toilets I saw a load of people going the way I was initially planning on going so I changed my mind and set off on a backwards aqueduct loop. I made it over the bridge and just a little way along the path when I saw a guy with a scope pointing at something somewhere in or along the river Wharfe. I said good morning and then when I had basically gone past him he suddenly said: ‘Would you like to see a dipper chick?’ And oh my goodness yes, of course I wanted to see a dipper chick. The scope was trained right on it and the guys phone was attached to the view finder so I could see really easily on the screen (except I had to stand on my tip toes because that guy was tall and the phone screen high!). So now I have seen a dipper chick. A grey/brown bundle of chirpy fluff. I didn’t linger long. I didn’t want to intrude on his time with them. I thanked him for sharing and went on my way. So when I was sat in bed this morning not really wanting to get up… yeah, had I listened to that voice in my head, I would not have seen a dipper chick – possibly ever. Thank you 7.30am Jess for that kick up the butt and thank to random Bolton Abbey guy for sharing.

The running itself was hideous today. It was even harder than it has been and I had to walk basically anything that wasn’t flat or downhill. But it didn’t matter. Today wasn’t about getting from A to B as fast as possible. It wasn’t even really about running. It was just about being outside and remembering some of my why. The smell of the wild garlic drifted in and out. I think it was there all the way round but it came through really strongly in places and then faded into the background in others. The same is true for the hints of gentle blue from the bluebells. I saw chaffinches and blue, great and coal tits, a tree creeper and I heard rather than saw the little psychopaths of the bird world, wrens. I group of female pheasants ran across the path right in front of me. I assumed mum and 3 chicks because one was bigger and the other 3 were a chunk smaller but close to fully grown but that seems early for chicks to be that big? I saw happy dogs and friendly humans and as huffy and puffy as it might have been, it was still glorious. I stopped on the aqueduct to soak up the vitamin D and breathe a minute. Then I continued. Not long after that, as I was crawling up hill, I saw Kath bouncing towards me. We said a quick hello and continued on our respective loops. I was feeling it now. Just over 2 miles, hay fever hitting hard, knee being a bit bitchy… so of course negative thoughts about pace, and this isn’t really running, is it and it’s pointless started creeping in. Just as I had decided that 2 miles ish might be my limit and I would just not bother with trying to run more, a deer stepped out onto the path, looked at me, crossed and disappeared. It took me a little while to realise I had stopped moving and was holding my breath. I walked up to where it had crossed but I couldn’t see it. I told a couple walking in the opposite direction what I had seen and we exchanged pleasantries before moving on. Then I saw the deer again. Just ahead of me – back on the other side of the path. I followed slowly and eventually came along side it. I stood and watched for a minute and then carried on my way. I’d forgotten I was giving up on running and happily jogged down the hill.

Bolton Abbey’s Easter Trail was still on so I ran/walked my way from Bunny to Bunny for the last mile. My favourite one if probably witch bunny, closely followed by the mountain rescue bunny. I loved being out today. I am not a big fan of how hard it feels but overall, I do think I am still a fan of getting my butt out there.

Witch Bunny
Minecraft(?) Bunny
Gruffalo Bunny
Wild Bunny
Paddington Bunny
Mario Bunny
Where’s Woolly
Hungry Bunny
Mountain Rescue Bunny
Worldcup 2026 Bunny
Peter Rabbit Bunny

Oh and yeah, the virtual challenge. Well today I was very happy to just be running where I am. As far as the challenge goes, I am still in Camaguey so I will pick up those particular memories next time.

Feeling Good.

Jess Guth1 Comment

The bed was warm and cosy this morning. I wasn’t really quite ready to wake up fully and start the day and taking coffee back to bed and curling up with my book was very tempting. But I can curl up and read at any time, the chances of me getting out and running diminish with every extra minute spent in bed. And I did sort of want to run. I wanted to finish the week on a high and have done my three runs this week. I am also not at all sure about what the weather is going to do over the next week and if it gets snowy/icy, I won’t run. I get too scared. So I wanted to make sure I go out and run while I can.

Kath, I think, felt much the same so we did what we had agreed the night before and set off to Bolton Abbey without allowing ourselves to talk ourselves and each other out of going. It was cold. It was -3 according to the car and with the windchill felt colder than that. I was nicely wrapped up with my long sleeved running top tucked in and my running jacket over the top, ruff around my neck and a hat. That’s quite rare for me. Given that I spent 2025 feeling like I was mostly overheating, it felt glorious to be out in the cold. Kath had suggested she might do our Bolton Abbey aqueduct loop backwards. Doing familiar routes backwards is fun. You see things differently, so I did the same.

This was my ‘long’ run. The aim was really just to get round the loop. I didn’t have that much confidence that it would be pain free but I has hoping that it would be a niggle rather than proper pain. Anyway, once I had made my way tentatively over the bridge at the Cavendish Pavilion (it wasn’t actually that slippery – just looked it in the frost), I set off running 30 seconds and walking a minute. I just wanted to be really gentle with body and mind. I wanted to not get over excited at having had a good week with exercise. I wanted to try and get as far as I could without being in any pain.

It was quiet. I saw one or two people but really not many. I really enjoyed the stillness, the sunshine, the clear air. It took a few minutes to adjust to the cold air hitting my lungs but then everything seemed to come into sharp focus. I was aware of the surface being just a little harder than normal, the grass crunchy. I felt the cold air on my face and really noticed how bits of the route were even colder than others, I felt the effort of the sun to bring some warmth and the air drop a few degrees as I dropped further into the valley out of the sun’s reach. I heard the rustling of little birds and a dog bark in the distance. I heard my own breathing. It was all quite glorious really.

I got to 2.8 miles before I was really aware of any tightness. I had been aware of my body slowly warming up. At some point I had rolled my sleeves up a bit and wondered whether I was exposing enough to skin to get any benefit from the sun. Could my wrists make vitamin D was a question I pondered for a while (you know what I mean). At the aqueduct where I paused to take a picture, I briefly considered taking my hat off but didn’t, same with the ruff around my neck. I was warm but not that warm. So at just before 2 miles I began to be aware that my right ankle was stiff and my hip was getting a bit tight. But that was it. And it didn’t get any worse. I just kept going and managed a decent little run downhill to finish. Kath was waiting for me and there was a heron in the middle of the river looking rather majestic. There was no pain. It was perfect. 3.5 miles. Slow and steady with lots of walking. This feels sustainable. This feels like sensible building blocks. This feels good!

Can’t think of a title for what this captures!

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I am struggling for a title because the usual ‘starting again’, ‘back to basics’… don’t quite fit. I had a therapy session this morning which was well timed because I have been struggling this week. Talking it through was so helpful and it all makes so much more sense now- I was/am completely over peopled. After a busy week that included a day on main campus, presentation to the Executive, 3 days of conferencing, running a team day, marshalling at a half marathon and then the great north run, my system is in shock. That tracks!

We talked about movement and running and whether I was in a need/have to or want space. I had already planned start a 5km running programme and do the first run today so as I was driving round to the car park at Bolton Abbey and getting sorted I was interviewing myself in my head:

So, Jess, do you enjoy running the moment?

No not really.

Really? Why is that?

It just feels hard and like I am not making any progress at all

But you still want to run? Tell us a bit more about that

Yes. I know the joy it can bring. The joy of being outside, of being in nature, feeling it, the joy of being able to move.

When you look back at your happiest running what comes to mind?

Well, running or run walking a loop at Bolton Abbey of whatever distance and having coffee and breakfast afterwards.

And then I laughed at myself. Running is only partly about the running itself. It’s also about the being able to run or walk and then have coffee, to not be in pain or so knackered that the only option is to go straight home. It’s about ticking runs off and the sense of achievement that comes with consistency. It’s about saying yes to long walks or uphill adventures without worrying about whether I can do it.

But mostly it’s about the joy of being able to feel the rain on my face, smell the rain on the car park tarmac, hear it rustling as it bounces its way through the trees. Running is a way for me to find joy in the everyday that I don’t get from anything else. I’d lost sight of that.

So I set off on my first run of the programme. Running 30 seconds, walking 2 minutes eight times. I deliberately turned my face into the rain and bounced into puddles. I laughed at myself as I sucked the autumn air into my lungs and wrapped myself in the solitude of the empty paths.

The run almost finished too soon. I ordered coffee and a bacon sarnie to relive a happy running tradition and to offer my system a gentle and calm restart.

I love running in so many weird and wonderful ways.

How is it Saturday again already?

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I don’t really understand time. How is it that when I was a kid I could explore whole worlds in a day, summers lasted lifetimes and double maths on a Saturday (yes Saturday!) morning could drag on for what seemed like weeks. Now, some meetings feel like those double maths lessons but mostly the weeks just fly by. It was February a minute ago and I’m sure Kath’s little big run and that core class I wrote about were really just yesterday… Obviously they weren’t but the week has once again just disappeared.

So after Monday’s core class I did absolutely naff all exercise wise until Thursday. Tuesday was busy at work and I had a work thing in the evening. I had intended to get up and run before heading into work but that actually requires waking up and getting out of bed and I just couldn’t bring myself round enough to make that happen. Same thing on Wednesday. At least on Tuesday I did walk a fair bit but on Wednesday I think I barely broke 4000 steps. Thursday I also didn’t do much but went to a Mind class at the gym. The class was actually nice and stretched out some areas that needed it but it was full of chatty women and I was not feeling sociable. Friday we went to yoga first thing and I do love that yoga class. It’s calm and structured and clear. After that we had therapy at Bolton Abbey and while Kath was in her session I went for a little run. It was the first time with the next set of intervals on the Couch to 5km plan and the first time in ages I had a real inner dialogue. It went something like this.

  • I’m supposed to walk for 5 minutes but I’ve set the intervals already and set the watch, the intervals don’t fit into 5 minutes
  • Then walk for 3.5, that fits
  • Ok
  • 90 seconds running is 30 seconds longer than 60 seconds running
  • yes, yes it is. I can’t breathe
  • My legs are heavy
  • Can’t breathe
  • Eek – dog
  • Fuck still 50 seconds to go, I’ve been running forever
  • Can’t do it, still 40 seconds to do
  • Get a grip
  • Can’t, too hard. Might need to stop… ooh beeps

That first interval was ridiculous. I was unsettled, breathing was awful and my legs were uncooperative. I really thought I might need to give it up I felt so terrible. I walked the 2 minutes and when the beeps came for the 90 second run, I set off tentatively. I felt ok though. Running on grass definitely felt harder than the road running I have been doing but it also felt nice. I also died on every little slope and there was a fair amount if huffing and puffing. I ran some completely random circles across the grass to not get tangled up with dog walkers and overall I wouldn’t say I particularly enjoyed it even if it was a lovely day in a lovely place.

However, it was a nice opportunity to test out some trail shoes I have had for a while but hardly worn because mostly I have been running on road or canal towpath. They were good – in fact they felt better on the grass than they did when I wore them last weekend where I was on hard compacted paths. Anyway, I was supposed to run for 90 seconds and walk for 2 minutes five times. In the end I did that 7 times because that took me back to the car in a loop. I struggled with it but it’s done and it was just one of those runs that just needed to be over. It was also another example of how weird time is. That first and last 90 second runs went on for months! The 2 minute walks were over in a flash mostly but the one after the 3rd run was so long I checked my watch to make sure I hadn’t missed the beeps.

I am back to road running today because I am going to combine running with running some errands (so literally running errands?). I’ll let you know how it goes.