Jerry's organised another night run through the countryside. That's why I am standing in a pub car park in a small Kent village waiting for fellow runners to show.
Eventually there are 10 of us dressed in spandex and ready to go.
Cudham is renouned for its flatness. The rolling plains of Cudham are famous. On a clear day you can see the curvature of the earth. They used set world speed records there. Or maybe I just completly made that up. Cudham is on the North Downs and contains some of the sharpest, steepest hills I know. When I had my bike re-geared to make it kinder on the hills I went straight to Cudham to test it out.
And it is hilly. And muddy. And cold. But it's also great fun. The Exposure light is fantastic. A couple of times it is too bright and I turn it down to lower settings. The headband is on back order so I have to carry the light in my hand.
We finish the first 5 miles and it has been hard. We stop for some water and head off again. The second 5 miles are equally as hard but are as much fun. Towards the end, as pub closing nears Jerry takes the executive decision to head back on the roads.
The final stretch is up the steepest hill I know at 25%. Some runners decide to walk. I follow the advice on the side and switch to a low gear and run up the hill. I am able to laugh and joke at the top so it can't be too bad.
We make it back to the pub in time for a couple of pints (Lemonade in my case because of the detox) I have frequently cycled past the Blacksmith Arms and thought it looked like a cracking pub from the outside. It didn't disappoint. What looked like good beer and friendly staff.
I love night runs. Next time it will be nice to have a pint after.
10 miles/16km 2"30 (Though these runs, it's not about the time)
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