It felt like autumn arrived this weekend. I was just settling into my long run (a very slow 24 miles, the start of a new training schedule) when I got hit by a squally shower and noticed the ground was covered with a growing carpet of dead leaves.
I’m sorry to see the end of summer, but on the upside my favourite woodland tracks are less overgrown, the nettles have lost the worst of their sting, and the hedgerows are heavy with blackberries.
I always make time to stop and pick a handful on a slow run – my red-stained fingers bringing back memories of childhood foraging expeditions. I’ve often thought they make the perfect mid-run snack – high in vitamin C and sugar – although with only around 22 calories per handful maybe the boost is psychological.
In London my free haul is limited to blackberries but on a regular route in Suffolk I’ll often help myself to fallen apples – and have fond memories of gorging on handfuls of wild bilberries during a run on the heather moorlands of Yorkshire a couple of years back. All in all it’s one of my favourite times of year to run in the countryside.
Do you forage on your runs? And do you find anything more original than blackberries? As always, share your weekend triumphs and woes below the line.
