Naggys Route? No Contest!

Hi blog readers.

What a lovely morning and afternoon, of course I had to go for a run in this glorious sunshine. So after church, I bunged on a wash and got me old joggers out and got ready.

He has certainly given us a day today. Middle of October, the sun is warm, with just a very slight cool breeze. Perfect start for a LSR (long slow run)

I did have in mind to go further that me and naggy went last time, but read on and you will find the excuses I mean reasons why I didn't do that. I started off at a gentle pace, not like yesterday, blasting out of the gates like a greyhound, but something that is going to sustain me through the whole route. I tried to get the new timer working, but its just too many buttons, so my old faithful IPOD came into play again, and kept me morale up with some nice tunes to take my mind off my aching limbs. Jogging through the park now, and kids out playing with the bikes, so good to see, unlike my big son, at home no doubt on the computer playing 'Rune Scape' And he tells me he could jog this route faster than me?? I doubt it.

Anyway, through the park on up now to the A21, (you know that I do stop for a walk) I am not going to write each time I do, because........well, I'm not. But just up here I do, just as I turn towards Bromley, take a swig of my drink and back to jogging. That is pretty much how it goes from here on end. I tell myself off for stopping, I try and analyze why I am stopping, is it because I am tired, well, I am but no more that when I left the house, are my legs hurting, well just a tad, but nothing major. My breathing is fine, no chest pains, no knee pains, I did even have any alcohol last night, SO WHY AM I WALKING!! I can only come up with old couchie still has a hold of me somewhere, and is keeping me from continuous jogging.

I really wanted to turn right at the roundabout and just give up, but I perservered on over the roundabout and just kept on running/walking and thinking about the hill on Homesdale road! I am at least going to make naggy happy by running up the whole thing. At least I can tell her, "Yes Naggy, your hill didn't beat me today" All too soon though, the hill was there, a quick swig of my drink and attack the hill. I felt pretty good actually, because coming in the opposite direction was another jogging, and I was thinking (smugly) "Well, I am going run up that hill" I shouldn't be so smug really, that chap could quite easily have done 10 or 15 miles by then! But I managed to get up the hill in one go. Yup naggy will be pleased with that if nothing else.

Now as I was using this as a long slow run, just for endurance and what not, then I wasn't too bothered about the time, but then these thoughts started to pop into my head, "How you going to know if you improving if you don't at least do the same route as before, just to measure the times" well have just over 3 miles jogging/walking this seems a perfectly reasonable question. And one that I need to address. So from there on I was talking myself out of going up to Petts Wood, but instead going through the park again, like naggy lets us do the first time. Of course I was saying, "but this is supposed to be a least 6 miles today," and then old couchie would be saying "You know its good to have a yard stick, just to see"

By now my limbs were beginning to hurt a little more, and did I feel a twinge in my ankle, or is old couchie just grasping at straws to get me to cut my LSR shorter. Well, of course I have to know. I have to know if I have got faster, because I wasn't knocking my socks off, I don't think anyway, to get this far. And if I was going any slower, then I'm sure I would be going backwards! So yes, I am going through the park, just to see, then next time I will go all the way to Petts Wood.

My whole being seemed to changed again then, a little bit competitiveness, and a relief fell on me then as well! I looked at the clock just before I turned into the road that goes to the park. "WOW Yes I can beat the first time" I urged myself not to stop now, I didn't stop for naggy, so I should stop for me ....... darn it, a quick stop, "now move your bloomin ass old girl" as I told myself off.

Down the last road now, running in the middle of the road, saving precious energy rather than go up and down on each driveway, come on, this is it run, run.

All the way home I ran, thinking I can beat this but at least two minutes. I stopped the clock just as I got to the lamppost out side my house and looked. 1 hour and 10 minutes and 14 seconds! Oh my goodness. That's a whole 4 minutes off mine and naggys time. whoo hoo!