Keep on running

I have waxed lyrical more than once on this blog about how small Saltburn is, and how lovely life in a small town can be.

But there is a down side. Having everything on hand and close by means it takes no effort at all to get anywhere. Which means the classic new mum exercise of walking to the shops is just completely rubbish. Walking to the shops takes less than five minutes. That just is not going to get me back into those pre-Lady P skinnies.

So I turned, again, to running. I'm not a natural runner. I hated it at school, when I was always at the back of the pack, being shouted at ('with those long legs, Isadora Watts, you should be at the front!'), feeling hot and tired and humiliated. But I took it up when we were in Malibu: living with TLOML and eating like Kings every night had taken its toll, and there was this beautiful running track up by TLOML's swim club with a great view over the bluffs to the sea. I'd go along and jog a very short distance, quite slowly, and enjoy the view. I figured it was better than nothing. I kept it up in New York, running off all those steaks and burgers, and actually managed to cover a bit more ground after a while. B by the time we got back to London I was pretty well hooked.

Running really is the perfect exercise. It's free - once you've invested in a decent pair of shoes. You can do it anytime and anywhere. If I only have half an hour, I can still get out for a quick jog. And it works. I am back in those skinnies. Albeit unable to sit down and eat a large meal in them. Still. And for that, I have my Saltburn running routine - not all those walks to the shops - to thank.

Saltburn is so small that actually even making a run worthwhile you have to be a little bit creative. The natural 'loop' from our house, down through the Valley Gardens and back up the cliffside steps, is only 2.8 miles. I have to put a little extra lap in round the posh houses near us to make it up 3 miles. To get up to five miles I'll probably have to head right to the edge of town. Or do two laps I suppose. Which is why I greeted the news that there is going to be a Saltburn Marathon this year with some scepticism. On checking the route it made sense - they're starting in Saltburn, doing a 22 mile + loop out onto the moors and back into Saltburn.

I think I'll pass on the marathon. But maybe I'll do a couple of laps of town next time I put my running shoes on.