Chasing My P.B.!

Hello blog lovers.

Well today is the day that I run a 10k again. This time its an organised 10k, with marshals, May Queens and blocking the road off.

I met up with a few of my fellow running club members at Chislehurst commons, all proudly wearing our PWR vests and t-shirts.  It is a chilly morning! I had my long jog pants on but a short sleeve top with my PWR vest over the top. I know I will warm up. Just people talking about the hills makes me warm! I put my coat in the baggage area and we walked the few yards to the start. Just before the klaxon went off I felt the first rain drop hit my cheek!

I heard some others mention the possibility of rain, but I just didn't want to believe it! Oh well. Whats an organised run without rain! The klaxon went off and there was a surge of runners heading for the woods. The only bit of road running that we will be doing is this bit that leads into the woods. Its about 200 yards long, if that! I am still no good at judging distances! But then the woods, oh, how I love running through the woods. I am not familiar with these woods, even though we have been through them with my running club, so I am hoping that the miles will just disappear behind me as I enjoy running through them.....in the rain.

Now this race I had done, it's an organised race, but unfortunately only the first 50 people back to the start will get a mention on the web site of the people organising it. Not only that, there is no medal, or even a goody bag, unlike our PWR superbly organised, well marshalled, fabulous medal and goody bag run! Am I a bit biased here?, but ours has been voted in the top 10 of best 10k's in England! Ooops, another digress there. Anyway, there I was running along, I was in the front at first, well the first 20 or 30 people, but that soon changed.

 Through the woods runner upon runner passed me, chatting away to their mates, no one yet out of breath. behind me I can hear this booming deep voice, I turned around and see some guys in khaki green fatigues carry rucksack that could have been packed by Merchandiser of Prime Marks! They were huge rucksacks. "How heavy is that?" I said to the one that had caught up to me, (and had just bellowed in my ear at his sub-ordinates to keep going) "It's 2 stone" he said. Just then one of the other soldier looking guy was by my side! "Well, that will be more people passing me by." I thought to myself. Just then the chap that had caught up with me said "Sorry, I have to walk a bit" I was quite amazed that I, me, she who walks as soon as there is a tree root to step over, was still running and this guy wasn't! Ok, so they had two stone of rucksack hanging off them!

Well that was my goal for todays run, stay in front of the army types! Yeah go Old Girl. So from then on, I kept an eye at the back of my head, my ears focused in on the constant encouraging of the army types leader to keep them all going.

We got to the 2 Km marker board and underneath it, it said 'First lap' I was a tad confused. Are we doing two laps of Scadbury Park. Surely they can find a 10k route without going over the same ground! Lets just see how big a loop it is! The route is well marked out, some bits are gravelly, some are tarmac and some are full of tree roots! It really is multi terrain. The next marker board came up, literally! It was on a hill!

And so it begins! So far it had been down hill, which is quite difficult to run anyway, as its gravel and now the rain is making it even more slippy!, I just looked up at the hill. Hopefully it finishes just as it disappears, from view. I carried on running, as best as I could, and then I noticed more hills! Yes, indeed, this is a very hilly route. And not only that, but it looks as if we have to do the whole thing twice!

The rain came down even more. But I didn't care, the hills were more demoralising than then rain. And besides, I really had warmed up, the rain was helping me to stop over heating! But what did keep me going was that the army types were still behind me, and whats more, I couldn't hear them anymore.

The next part of the route was a field. Beautiful and golden in colour, truly autumn colours making me smile. I had to concentrate on the fantastic colour of the grass here as again, this section is on a hill! I saw another sign saying 7k, well I knew this has to be for the second lap! I was hoping that the golden colour of the field would keep me in the same frame of mind, as I am now, on the second lap.

The marshals at the top of the hill, encouraged me saying its nearly the top of the hill. I smiled, as best as I could. I went past them, through the gap of the bushes either side and saw.... the hill continue up! "Oh my word. Keep going Old Girl" I said, but my legs refused to go any faster. I kept a runner in my site, she had passed me by on the golden field, I will choose her to be my race! That was my thought! Just then I heard "Come on Old Girl, you can do it, Yeah!! keep going, nearly at the top of this bit" She said. It was one of our very own PWR's who volunteered to marshal for this race. Well that was nice. There she was, our Jo, at the top of the hill, encouraging everyone, just when you thought you would flake out!

I passed her by and headed across the path to the next part of the woods, to yet more hills! For someone who is a complete hill dodger, this race is really working on me, to learn to embrace hills! Surely there cant be many more hills, I don't remember going down this many, or did I?

The 'learning experience' continued. The hills were mocking me now. There were ordinary people waiting at places for their friends and family, but they were very encouraging to all, as they clapped and shouted 'well done' to us all! Just when we needed it. I saw a sign next, water just up ahead! Oh fantastic, great excuse to have a complete stop! I don't do that whole running along with the cup thing, Saves the marshals having to pick up after us!

At the water station it said 'Second lap straight ahead, finish turn right! Oh how bad planning was that! The water station just there, where all the fast runners are passing by, (well I believe there were only a few that actually passed me by), and the way to go for the second lap, to do all that hill running again, in the same spot! A quick drink down, place cup in bin, and head off for the second lap!

At least now all those signs will have a much more positive effect on me. I shall laugh in the face of the 2km board, the 3km board, Ha, I don't think so! The hills seem to be a little easier! Can you believe that. I seem to be able to run up them this time more that I did the first time around! How strange is that! Or it could be that I quite delirious now and think that I am Jessica Ennis and can run, run and run!

Up over the tree routes, the marshal there now holding the arrow that points the way. "I tried to iron out the hills" she said jokingly, as I looked up towards the summit! I popped out at the golden field, I am sure it looks even more glorious than it did the first time round. Maybe that is what those endorphins thinga-ma-bobs do to your brain. But I just kept on running, to the 7km board, and then walked up to the marshals. I am sure I said something to them, but I can't remember, I do know that they said something along the lines of  'Thats what all the other runners have done for you, ironed out the hill'

What had actually happened was that the runners feet had made the path even more slippery and muddy! I saw the girl in blue, she was way ahead of me now. I will never catch her. So my next challenge was to run to Jo, Jo being our very own PWR marshal, at the top of the hill! So that is what I did, I could see her, she could see me, I could see her clapping, and jumping, it could have been to keep warm, on this glorious September day!, but I liked to think it was for me, to keep me going, I kept on running up the hill. "Run to Jo, run to Jo" I chanted in my head, there was a little yellow arrow just before I got to Jo, I saw it, my body took over my brain and changed the chant to 'Run to the yellow sign, run to the yellow sign" I stopped just at the yellow sign and walked up to Jo,

High fived done, although I was hoping that we could do a bit of a tag team here, and she carry on my run for me, I jogged on, knowing the hills that are in front of me. I just listened to what Jo had said as I ran past her "Just run/walk, if you cant run it all" she said. I was wondering if she realised that is exactly what I had intended, and indeed, had been doing anyway. Yes, of course she does, she runs in my group!

The next section now, the next section that confused me and bought me down slightly before, lap2, straight up, finish, turn right! Yes, this is what I was waiting for. There can't be anymore up hills to go now, I am sure I have already climbed up further than where we started before hand! Yes, this is the last of it. And what was even better, the Army types, were no where to be seen....or heard. I was way in front of them. Yes they are carrying 2 stone on their backs, but I am carrying....extra weight on the inside! Phew, nearly told you all how much extra Old Girl there is!

More marshals pointing the way, These ones I have not seen, these ones are not on part of the route that I have already done. This is definitely the home stretch. I noticed that it was all mainly on the level now, I shall have to try and push myself, or at least make sure I have enough energy to do my sprint. I usually don't have enough energy to do a sprint after a 6 mile run! I paced my self, my legs hurting, my hips hurting, but I was feeling good! Yup, I could get a better time that what I had predicted on this route!

My own predicted time for this particular route was withing 1;30 hours, maybe 1:25, like my very first ever 10k run. But if I push myself I can get even quicker than my very first run back from Knockholt station, which is mainly down hill!

With that in mind I thundered (well, jogged) on through the woods, the road is now on my left as I running along. It's close now, the end. The boards have 'big numbers on' 200 m! Oh yes, the marshal telling me not far now, keep going. I ran out of the woods along the side of the common, I realise that this is the end, especially when I saw the big finish sign up ahead.

Right Old Girl, keep going now, sprint, woman, sprint! I picked up my pace, I passed by the chap who was just walking through the woods, and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. My fellow PWR's all cheering me in! Fan-blooming-tastic!

1 hour 18 minutes and 20 seconds!!! Now to me, on a hilly route, that is Usain Bolt quality!

My geeky stats for you.