As Berkeley PR’s resident runners (minus Paul, still on holiday – slacker!), Jo and I signed up for the Woodland 5 (and a bit) series of trail races, run by the Finch Coasters running club, and set in the picturesque woods around Crowthorne.

Neither of us having run an official trail race before, we set off for the first Woodland 5  last night in anticipation of a gentle jog through the forest, listening to the birds twittering and enjoying the fresh air. After all, how hard can trail running be?

Probably less than ten minutes into the race, this Disney-style fantasy evaporated when, thanks to the persistent rain enjoyed in Berkshire since the bank holiday, we found ourselves ankle-deep – no, sorry, calf-deep – trawling through mud closely resembling pigswill. We soon realised the biggest challenge wasn’t being quick, or even not coming last, it was simply staying upright and on two feet!

Suffice to say, we both got round with clean(ish) bottoms, and with times under an hour – very respectable I think, considering the conditions and the fact it was our first one.

It’s only four weeks until we actually pay to put ourselves through this all over again, so watch this space to see if the hours of training and strict diet regime pay off for a first and second place finish for race two…anyone else fancy giving it a go?

Emma Sinclair