Golden Weekend!

Hello blog lovers!

Well what a weekend we are having in the Olympics! All the gold medals are racking up now on Britain's mantelpiece! Cycling, running, rowing, and that of the all rounder, Jess Ennis! Now we are adding  gold medals as I write this,  from the tennis with Andy Murray!

I was inspired to go running today, just feeling very proud and British as the Olympics continue, especially as I haven't been running since Tuesday, or even done any cycling! So as soon as I came back from church I went upstairs immediately to get changed into my running gear. Instructions to Big Son to cut the grass while I was out, and then I was off, before I settled down to watch any more of the Olympics.

I stuffed my ears with my earphones, turned the music on, and started running. I need to keep up the long distance, especially if I have any chance of managing a half some time this year. I also need to include hills,  as the Old Boy often points out to me, "We live on the top of a hill, all ways are down and up!" So the only thing that I know I have to do, is Summer Hill.  This is my route now, no more 'just going around the block' when I am on my own, no more, 'I shall just cut it short and go home' I am an athlete! I am runner and a cyclist! I can do this! 10k, 11k what ever, I can do this.

That was my mantra as I set off out the door. The sun was shining, it was warm, I had my grippy water bottle with me, full to the brim. I started running and it really shows that I haven't done any running at all for a few days! Mind you, a rest is always good, but my legs were thinking they have been rudely woken up! (if my legs could think, that is) I'm sure if they could they would be thinking "What the......... what is this silly old women doing, I thought she had come to her senses and given up all that nonsense of running and cycling" but then my new tiny little 'wanna be a true athlete' brain would be saying, "You gotta be kidding, legs, all that hard work is not going to be wasted and allowed to be gobbled up by pints of lager, takeaway curries and ruminating on the sofa again"

I have these strange thoughts, when I am by myself, running. It keeps me amused and not focusing on my heavy thighs that I am whipping back and forth from my hips, defying gravity! My focused turned to my route. There are no other thoughts about cutting it short, in my mind it is set in stone, Summer Hill! 

Running all the way to the Harvester, and as soon as I turn to go up Blackbrook Big Son calls me, "Have you got any milk?" Duh, did the boy not see what I was wearing when I asked him to cut the grass while I was out running! "No, son I don't have any milk, I AM OUT RUNNING!" I said to him. And then without even thinking about it he says to me "Can you buy some on the way back?" If my boy wasn't born in this house I would swear he was swapped at birth!

Summer Hill, and I was smiling! Well as I was running down the first half of Summer hill, I think everyone smiles when they go down Summer Hill, even drivers I reckon! Soon enough my smile turned into a grimace! I switched my Garmin over to check on how hard I am pushing myself, check on my heart rate. I am sure I could push harder. Because its up hill, in my mind I am thinking my heart rate must be beyond what my Garmin can read, because I am working so hard. Imagine my disappointment when I saw that it was only 151 bpm. Hardly breaking a sweat for some of our top athletes.

Then another phone call. This time is was middle child. After I explained to her that I was out running, it was back to the hard work. I nagged and shouted and even slapped my thighs to get my ass running up the hill! My smile was replaced by the grimace face again, no doubt, putting off would be runners, because I am making it look just so painful! The stopping and starting continued up the hill.

The top now! Thank goodness! The sun is still shining down, after the quick heavy shower this morning I was half expecting it to rain, and right at that moment I was hoping it would! Just to cool me down, bring down the pinkness of my face so at least it doesn't look as if my head is ready to explode!

The music in my ears was keeping me a running at nice rhythm, some songs are faster some are slower, and it's really helping. I decided to go through the woody bit, instead of running along side the road. Just the smells and sounds of the little wooded bit is enough to bring a sense of freedom and feeling of wellbeing as you run through it.

HANDS OF MY COUNTRYSIDE!

But then......ooooohhhhh, but then I got so angry! Strewn across the path was rubbish, toy radio controlled cars, bits of chairs, bags of shhhh.... what ever! How dare people throw their rubbish on my country side. Are these people just to bloody lazy to go to the tip? They must have made a pilgrimage to get to this place to dump the bloody rubbish in the first place! More than going to the proper place! Why do they do that, filthy bloody mongrels!!! Grrrr,  Excuse me! But it really did wind me up!

As I was moaning and getting angry I kept on just running. I then realised that maybe I had missed a path that I should have gone down, so that stayed paralell with the road! Instead of thinking "Maybe this would take me to the right place, I doubled back, and took another path leading to the left instead.I listened and I heard noise of the traffic, back on the right track! I popped out of the woods on to the road, and I had to continue my running along side of the traffic. Oh well, it wasnice while it lasted, and it was a bit muddy although that don't bother me anymore.

Gary Moore started playing in my ears, 'Still Got The Blues For You' I was totally immersed in the music, a great running tune, I was running with the beat, and it was not slow neither, surprisingly! I was amazing myself, after running this far, to keep running through the this tune, normally by this stage, I would stop for about 10 to 15 seconds and then get going again, but this song just kept me focused!

It was soon time to run down Birchwood road. I decided to run on the road again, all those up and downs of the drive ways are just such energy zappers! I spied a cyclist on her way up. I was guessing by the time we get to each other there would be no parked cars on either side of the road and she would be able to pass me by quite safely. As we got closer I could see it was Moy, a PWR! So of course I had to stop, and this is obviously a full stopping stop, not a walking stop, to have a quick chat with her. She had told me that she went running this morning with some other PWR's and had passed my house! They had ran for over 9 miles! Way to go Moy!

Nearly home, and this is where I started really nagging myself, and trying to motivate myself to get a move on. Get back to that 'Gary Moore' moment.  I wished I had my Iphone earphones instead of the ones I am using, because I can go back to listen to tunes using the button on the wire! But I am not dragging my phone out of my......erm, sports boulder holder, just to look for a specific tune!

On and on, up towards Pettswood, my Garmin still on heart rate. I shall leave it that way. I don't want to be put off by how long I have left to get a bp, or be disappointed that a pb is a long way off!  I managed my water intake quite well this time round, I have plenty left for this last little push for home.

I was so pleased to be running along Faringdon, but there was no sprint today. To be honest I just totally forgot to sprint! I was just pleased to be getting home, and that the rain didn't come. I switched of my Garmin when I got to my door. 1 hour and 25 mins and 58 seconds!!! Oh, no that is deffo not a PB. But when I looked at the distance, it was just slightly longer than it had been before. It must have been when I got lost. ........ Oh and I must appologise to Jonathan for when he got lost, (it's easily done!) or at least he can laugh at me now! But, my excuse was I had an angry head on, and lost totally concentration of where I was (excuses, you got to love 'em!)

p.s. At around 7:45 after donning my cycling gear, I rode to the local (ish) establishment to meet the Old Boy who was finishing his 20 miler on the bike this evening! Call me, keen or crazy, it all means the same thing! I Want To Be Fit!!!!

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