10 k and thoughts turn to rubbish

Decided to try another 10k as only done it once before. 


Took to the coast path and Martin Yelling's interval training at 175 bpm. It took me one and a half sessions at 43 minutes to complete (about an hour and a half).


Boring statistics over with - it was a pleasant, still January day and the coast path was very quiet (i.e. no one) but when I got to the big beach everyone was walking their dogs. I'd left mine at home today, much to her disgust, as it isn't much fun  running on the road with her on the lead.


Joining the main road to head back I couldn't help noticing a cigarette packet here, a squashed can of red bull there, a brown Macdonalds bag here, a strip off a minstrels packet there, a plastic bottle, the inside of a toilet roll .... the list went on. The burnt perimeter of yellowing grass from the traffic was a stark contrast to the lush (as much as it can be in January) and gentle hills I had just left. 




This is a beautiful place and people travel far and wide to enjoy it .... so why can't they make the connection between the beauty and the lack of human detritus and think that their rubbish has no impact? I wish humans would take responsibility for the small things in their lives and realise how it affects the bigger picture.


I'm as grateful as the next man for main roads when I want to get somewhere quickly but  I don't sever myself from the environment to the extent that I chuck my rubbish out of the car window believing that it makes no difference.


On the return I passed a man who said, "Didn't I just see you on the beach?" and acknowledged, "Yes! you did," with a sunny smile, feeling quite pleased. "Good one!" he called with a thumbs up and restored my feelings in human kind.


Finishing the last 175 bpm interval coming up a gradient I was aware that my left foot was dragging slightly and tried to make an effort to pick it up but without much success, so when the cool down began I slowed but immediately stumbled violently, grazing the skin off the heel of my hands and crashing onto my knees. It was like being a kid again when this was a regular occurrence. Fortunately, I hadn't made a hole in my running leggings.


I reckon I'd  pushed myself more than I realised. (Must keep tabs on this so I don't do anything silly before the remaining 29 days are up).