So yesterday I did something completely out of my comfort zone… I met up with a group of people for a social run.

Last time I joined a group run it was awful, they went way faster than stated and all but one left me far behind.

But this was a meet up organised by a running friend and I knew she’d keep the group to the pace she’d advertised. I’d shared my worries with her and I was feeling more relaxed about going to this one.

I didn’t know anyone else but they turned out to be the best bunch ever, so friendly and relaxed, everyone was happy to slow down when needed, we stayed together and kept the positive vibes flowing.

The route was going to be about 12ish miles starting from Gradbach and taking a loop around to The Roaches via Ramshaw Rocks and Hen Cloud.

With a crazy elevation of about 2,000ft we planned to walk the hills, however with no cloud in the sky and temperatures nudging close to 30°C we walked a fair amount of the flats too, which no one was complaining about.

It actually suited me really well as while I’m a mediocre runner I’d say I’m a pretty good hiker and I felt quite evenly matched to some of the group, not that it mattered at all as we all stayed close together.

I haven’t been to the roaches for ages so it was great to be back to a place that I’ve always loved and explore it in more detail.

2,000ft of elevation really pushed my hill work but it’s left me buzzing for more.

The day was made by the fantastic organisation and leadership of Soph, as well as the company of the others, and I’m so pleased to have tried another group run and found that they’re not all bad!

Roll on the next one.