Miracles Can Happen!

Hi blog lovers.

This morning about 07:30 I was awoken by my gorgeous grandson, the stubborn one! After that is having a curry/beer night last night. But it was just as well!

I have been toying with the idea of running with a running club just to get me out running during these dark winter nights (I know, I really have become addicted to this running lark). They were meeting up at 9 am this morning. I had cajoled naggy into coming with me too, to support me.

So about 8:45 ish I popped over to naggy's, which I thought was quite strange because she is usually knocking on my door! I peered through her window as I tapped on it, and she arose from her sofa............. in her PJ's!! she wasn't even ready! She has got a tiny little couch potato thing going on in herself, and she was playing mah jong on the computer!

A frantic dash round and she was ready. We arrived at the arranged spot just as the members were half way through their first warm up lap of the green. We introduced ourselves as we joined them on the warm up laps with the coach. He gave me the low down on what was going to happen.

Basically they have three groups, the faster group, then the not so faster group and then the group that doesn't fall into either of those (His words not mine! but I kind of like that) I was expecting them to suggest I go in the 'neither of those' group, but he said I should go with the middle group! Naggy was all for that, "You can do that, you are not the slowest among this lot" she encouraged, how she surmised that I don't know. maybe it was the all the numbers that was banded about between naggy and the group leaders of my mins per mile.

The coach said that we will start todays 2.25 miles (there abouts) with a 5 min walk then 20 min jog to the finish. "I can do that" I thought to my self, I've done it before. And so we set off, walking, "Cor blimey, I can do this" I thought to myself.

Now the route we were taking was part of the route we did for the 10k, so part road and part woods. You all know what the weather has been like recently, right? So on the pavements there are all the soggy wet leaves, that's not a problem, I don't' seem to be slipping up on then, but then we went into the woods!!! Oh my word! Muddy tracks and huge puddles, and sticky, icky muddy mud baths were what the coach was wanting to us negotiate!

It was slippy and it was sticky, and all the other 'icky' words that you can think of if you are a town loving bird like me! But then not only that, there was, of course the railway lines we had to cross! And apparently, because I wasn't quite up with the leaders of my group, (I was way at the back being nagged at by naggy) our run leader wanted us to run up these stairs. Straight out of the mud baths, with half the woods floor hanging off our trainers, and she wants us to run up the stairs!

Well I surprised my self I did actually manage it, and so on to more mud, more sticky brown holes that used to be a path and more slippy slidey tree roots to run over. Until, that is, we came upon the other set of stairs! "Oh my word! No way, no how, can I manage to run these stairs so soon" And so I didn't. Naggy wasn't too pleased, and the leader was a head, keeping her eye on the faster group, (She didn't want to get lost!, inspires confidence!)

After those steps the way ahead was just more mud and more sticky sink holes, but going down hill! "Hold on to the trees old girl" I thought, I was just hoping there wasn't anything creepy crawly on those as well as everything, that really would the the icing on the proverbial! But not long after we came out of the woods, my group and the group in front, unscathed, although there were a couple of very near mud baths for a couple of the others as well.

Now you, as you just read, we were heading down hill, so of course, theres an up hill after. Always after! Always when I think, that's it, I quit, then those darn hills come and taunt me. Naggy was doing her best, "Come on, the slower group are breathing down our necks" I'm not sure if at that point I showed her what I thought about that, but undeterred she carried on "Two more minutes running, we're nearly there, come on, get moving"

As I was running around these roads, flashbacks of the 10k came back, (including that hill) and I was remembering the feelings I had as I was nearing the finishing post. I did it then, and I finished in style and I felt a lot more tired than I was now, so in fact I should stop moaning and just get on with it! So I did. Just then the group leader came around the corner, rounding up me an nagging, "You have done really well, keep going" she says encouragingly. She looked gorgeous by the, make up, lippy, mascara the works! And not a bead of sweat on her. And she was smiling, maybe because she didn't get us all hopelessly lost in the woods! But just then I saw the sign to the entrance to the recreation ground. I was so pleased. And again with the flashback of the moment I turned into here back in October, with my family cheering along with my next door neighbours daughter. And stop!!

We walked around the muddy field again to warm down, and that's where I caught my breath and could then communicate with naggy and the leader, "If I wore make up while out jogging, then I would end up looking like a panda by the time I got back" I said to the leader, and she then told me, once, when she was out running in the snow.........yes that's right, in the snow her friend she was running with didn't tell her that her face had fallen off and was busy heading towards her chin! You can tell it was a man friend because us girls always tell each other if things are wrong, if there's a lettuce leaf hanging from our pearlies etc.

But all in all I really enjoyed today, running with naggy and running with a running club. I will give this running club ago. Tuesday week, at about 7:50 pm, I shall go and run again with them and check it all out. I am sure this is the way to go to keep me running on through winter.

Oh, the title!! Well, its obvious isn't it? This old girl is up before everyone else, (apart from grandson) and out running 9 am on a SATURDAY MORNING!

2.25 (ish) miles in about 25 mins or so.