welcome to england

i've moved around a bit on this trip.  on most trips, i'll stay in congleton the whole time and each morning the office manager will pick me up and we'll ride into the office together.  this time around, the manager had to leave the country on tuesday.  in order to make it easier for me to be picked up, i relocated to the greater manchester area.

on wednesday, i tried my hand at trying to find a place to run.  i was somewhat successful in locating a shortish trail that ran out through the debdale park and golf course.  i could have repeated the run on thursday, but i thought i'd explore a little bit more so i looked up the local running club and gave them a holler.

turned out that the east cheshire harriers have a group training run on thursday evenings, so i invited myself along with them.  i turned up at the club house in enough time to meet a few of the guys and pick a group to join.  i opted to run with dave and phil and eight other runners. 

we headed out and were quickly on a towpath along one of the local canals.  i'm telling you, these towpaths are the bomb for running.  they're flat, dirt and offer a neat view of any town.  nearly every town has a network of these things.  they're just plain brilliant.

phil lead us all over the place on a long 7ish mile loop.  he was constantly coming up along side me and telling me about the history behind one place or another.  he was the perfect running host.  as the run progressed, i was able to chat with a few of the other lads running with the group.  kevin and glen to name a few.  i didn't catch many of the names, but every one of them was welcoming, encouraging and just plain enjoyable to run with.

near the end of the run, phil lead us through a track behind some homes.  it had become quite overgrown and featured blackberry creepers reaching out and trying to snag clothes and bare skin along with a copious amount of nettles.  as we moved along, i could feel the numerous spots where the nettles had hit my shins.  as the stinging increased i made the joke, "so, is this how you welcome people to england?"

the run ended too soon, as the company had been great.  at the end of the run, each of the members took the time to shake everyone's hands and congratulate them on a good run.  this is why i love the model of amateur athletic teams in england.  camaraderie, encouragement and fitness.  it doesn't get any better than that. 

thanks lads for a wonderful welcome to the manchester area.

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