Viaduct

Friday 25th June 2010

Friday morning – the hottest day of the year so far – and my son Zachary’s 9th birthday. (Read about Zac on my other blog, Zachary’s Zoo, here.) Pressies opened, new trampoline bounced on, boys dispatched to school, sweet Lily-Rose settled with her daddy (who is working from home today), and it’s time for a run…

I have been wanting to run across the Medway Viaduct for a while, but always been intimidated by its size. It’s basically three enormous bridges, side by side, spanning the River Medway at one of its widest parts. Two of them are the London and coast-bound carriageways of the M2, and the third is the high-speed rail link that connects London with the Channel Tunnel.

The plan was to run from my house out of Rochester and through Borstal, up and over the viaduct into Cuxton, down into Strood and back across the River Medway via the historic Rochester Bridge, into Rochester and home. I had no idea what the distance would be (I was guessing maybe 6 or 7 miles) or how long it would take, but I had a new podcast, my running cap to keep the sun out of my eyes, and a bottle of water just in case…

The Medway is a very hilly area and I was already pretty tired, especially given the heat, by the time I got through Rochester and Borstal and to the bridge. I had heard that there was a footpath / cycle-path to get up onto the viaduct and managed to find my way up with no problem. Once on the bridge, I was astounded by the view. I drive over this bridge several times a week, but always at speed and there is never enough time to stop and take in the view. The river stretches for miles below and the panorama is amazing, with dramatic views of Rochester Castle and Cathedral.

I’m not a fast runner (yet!) so there was plenty of time to take it all in, especially as the bridge itself is almost a mile long. Unfortunately, despite being so high up, the air was pretty bad, as the wind was blowing from the south-west, carrying exhaust fumes from all 8 lanes of traffic towards me. But the view made up for it!

At the end of the viaduct I was unsure how to get back down to level ground, but managed to find a footpath which brought me out onto the A228 at Cuxton, and from then I knew my way down into Strood. The run across Rochester Bridge was another feast for the eyes, dominated again by beautiful Rochester Castle (I am a big fan of castles!), and then the final uphill mile and a half to my house. Made it!

Checking my running app, I was surprised to find the distance was less than I had thought: only 8.4k (5.2 miles), and it had taken 54:25 minutes.

I had really enjoyed the run... it was a manageable distance and would be a good route to run on days when 5k was not enough but I didn’t feel up to 10k.

Distance run (in miles): 5.2

In fact, I enjoyed the run so much, that I did it again the next evening, Saturday 26th June at 8pm! It was a beautiful evening, the sun low in the sky, making the river views even more incredible. The other difference was that the wind was blowing from the north-east this time, so the air was fresh from the river - no exhaust fumes. (And reaching the other end of the viaduct, the delicious garlic and pizza smell from Frankie and Bennys far below on the river front, was mouthwatering!) Also, Rochester was buzzing this evening, as the Fuse Festival (performing arts) was taking place (http://www.fuse2010.org.uk/) - great atmosphere! Another 5.2 miles clocked up.

This running business is definitely getting addictive!

Distance run (in miles): 5.2
Total distance this week: 19.7
Total since starting blog: 19.7