I should've known. I've been here before, I should have recognised it.
When I started running I had a mixture of advice, both good and bad, ranging from getting the correct shoes to avoid injury to eating cake before I go out because I'd need the carbs. I was also advised on beautiful routes to take, most of which involved ridiculously steep hills along coastal paths that added nothing to my road running training. I know many, many people who take those paths and enjoy running them but I am not one as I like to remove my brain and run like a zombie for hours on end.
The same can be said for cycling; although I need to be a bit more switched on as there's traffic to avoid and the speeds can contribute to nasty accidents I still need as many long, steady routes as I can find. I have a good idea of which routes will be most beneficial in my training however I was struggling to get motivated to go out this afternoon and Mrs L suggested a nostalgic route that used to serve her well back in the day.
I made my way along a couple of familiar roads to get my mileage up, finding them to be congested as it was time for the schools to empty. I then decided to go along the sedate, traffic free route that I knew would be slightly more inclined and prepared to ride up it. What I came across was the filthiest, wettest, cow-pattiest road I've ever come across. When running this is not such an issue as shoes don't tend to spray the collection up and over the user, however it turns out a bike is a very efficient muck spreader. It should have clicked when I was told to 'go towards the dump and turn left'. The smell from both was out of this world.
I will now stick to what I know and leave the cows alone. Sorry cows.
