I was standing outside an airport hotel waiting for a 4:30am taxi. It was light already (European summer) and a full day of travelling lay ahead. A lean and extremely athletic-looking lass suddenly appeared through the doorway in full running kit looking at her watch/GPS/HR. She bounded off on almost her first step outside, before stopping for a few seconds to start her quantitative device. Off she went again at an impressive clip, disappearing around the corner into the still Czech dawn still glancing at her watch.
+++++
Rewind several days. The morning was crisp and still. Having been in the Czech Republic for two days already, I was finding my groove after a long driving transfer from south-western Germany. Our team had settled into the hotel and my pre-breakfast runs were now getting longer as a result. Twenty minutes became thirty-ish, all at jogging pace. I (almost) always follow my instinct as to the duration of my daily runs. Energy levels and mood dictate, trying to listen to that little voice in my head that always knows the right thing to do. This fine day was the day that I felt I could go further, especially given that I was awake slightly earlier.
But here's thing. While I'm quoting time durations here, I don't actually wear a watch. I just run on feel and instinct, "guess-timating" the actual time on my legs, which includes pre and post-run walking. There are times that I check a clock before I leave and then on returning, but generally only when I'm testing my ability to correctly estimate time. After all, how else is one to develop natural instinct and intuition? That's fairly easy to do at home, but far more challenging to do when away. Added to the fact that I'm an explorer by nature and sometimes I end up being out there in a foreign for a little longer than planned. Like that morning recently.
Having got to grips with the local area over the preceding few days, my intention was to follow my instincts and run a loop without any backtracking. It must have been a quarter-of-an-hour or so when I found myself on a long downhill in the middle of a forest. Figuring I could always turn around if I felt I was pressed for time, I just carried on, passing a logger guiding a donkey (pack mule) with several logs in tow. A while later, I had two deer and a rabbit for company. A main road must be coming up soon, I figured, all the while marvelling at the sheer beauty of this unspoilt natural phenomenon. The road did appear and I ascended into a small village. I must be on the right track (sic), I thought and then a familiar sight appeared – the forest spoor that I had jogged to the previous morning, meaning our hotel was just around a few pine-nestled bends. A full loop had been achieved, no backtracking or diversions.
How long did it take? I have no idea, but I was on time for 8am team breakfast.
