Club Run - Cardiac Hill!

Hello blog lovers.

It was a wet evening! The Old Boy was contemplating going out on his bike, but he decided against it! I said "Why don't you go for a run instead" The next minute he had changed out of his cycling gear and back into his jeans! Ready to settle in front of the t.v.!

Oh well, he obviously isn't as dedicated as me! Mind you I was in two minds about it. But hey, water is not going to melt me. It will, however, turn me into a drowned rat lookie likie! But a bit of bathing, pampering and brushing afterwards can almost sort that out.

I have started to read a book that was given to me for my birthday. Quite an amusing book, I feel sure this will be a good read for me, because so far I can identify with the author, totally. Even down to the fact that arguing with yourself becomes second nature, so I am not alone in that matter. and this is a natural thing that happens to runners!

But the author does make me think about why I wanted to train for a marathon in the first place, she herself has the exact same reasons as I have, but I do have one extra reason as well. The fact that one of our group 1 runners last year had been entered for the VLM last year, by her daughter! But she had in fact never ever ran a race before! She didn't shy away from it. She took it with both hands, or should I say feet and trained for it. I watched her on the telly (I know, I was being lazy even at that time, I should have been down there cheering her on and our other PWR's) and she completed it in 5 hours and 20 minutes, I think it was!

So as soon as the registration was opened, which I just happened to see via our club's facebook page that it was, I found myself entering all my details, and pushing the submit button, and paying the cash to enter the race! I didn't tell a soul what I had done. I kept it too myself for those few months until the time when everyone was either putting smileys next to pictures of their acceptance magazines or talking of Elvis Presley! Even then just for a few days more, I kept it to myself, only telling the Old Boy!

Yep, runners are weird sort of people! Have to be, who else would go out in the cold, the rain, the snow, the dark, get up early, go out late, run for miles and miles, hurt and then come back and say "Well that was good!"

Todays club run was nice a sedate run, sort of! We had some newbies with us, they had been attending one of the beginners groups and this was their first time joining in with the group runs. Our leader today was SingStar Jo, I was secretly glad of that, well when I first heard it was her leading. Singstar Jo had her birthday weekend the same time as me. I know she had a good a time as I did at my party! So I was presuming that she would be going a nice gentle, easy, slowish flat route and pace.

She stepped up to talk us through the route, mentioned the nice down hill to the off license and then...up to Orpington, over some cheeky little humps and bumps to.....Cardiac Hill! dun dun daaaaa! (you have to sing that bit in scary mode!) Maybe she still has alcohol inside her, and she doesn't realise what she is saying. I looked over to our Illustrious Leader, I was hoping that she might jump in and have a gentle word with her about the dangers of running after a very nice weekend celebrating, but she didn't!

I just had to take it on the chin. Then I began to remember! "What are you talking about woman! You ran yesterday for 30 minutes non stop!" I did run yesterday! I managed that ok! It's going to be just fine!  And it was!

The first mile had split us into two groups, the newbies were a tad behind with our Illustrious Leader's husband Richard, it is he who takes one of beginners group.  So we decided to split the group into two, Illustrious leader would wait for the newbies and the rest of us would carry on at the pace we were going. I did volunteer to stay with I.L. but apparently hanging outside off licenses is not new to her!

Singstar Jo kept us going at the same pace, over the railway bridge, and then the cheeky little bumps. I didn't want to stop on these bumps, and I forced myself over them. I think I must have stopped running as I heard a "Come on Old Girl, keep going"

We kept on jogging until we reached the road fondly known as 'Cardiac Hill' I looked up at it, pleased that it was dark! Hills are just not as scary or 'hilly' in the night time! We had another quick breather here, for every one to catch up, the beginners were with I.L. and Richard,( now going to be known as Dancing Dad! Oh yes, that's his new name from now on! Well, unless he really doesn't like it, sends me a new marathon training plan that has me running up cudham north lane as a warm up, in which case I will change it back.) They would be running at a slightly slower pace, and maybe even change the route slightly.

Now for the hill. I had set a precedence the last time we were on this hill, and it was Singstar Jo that had me running up this hill for the first time, all the way, non stop! I can't be stopping on here again now. Alcoholic weekend or not, I had to do this hill!

Well, I did it! I was pleased I did it. My legs were not liking me one bit however, but who cares, Marathon brain is in control at the moment, and I did it. I did walk a little along the flat afterwards though, prompting another "Come on Old Girl, keep going"

We stayed together until Birchwood Road, and then from there, it was as fast or as slow as you like. I was at the back with the sweeper, who just as we turned the corner had an encounter with a beer can, it locked down on her foot, and I heard her 'clanking' along behind me! Somehow she had landed perfectly in the middle of the beer can and it 'embraced her foot, and became like a huge hob nail on her trainer!

Half way down this road is when I started to pick up the pace up, I started to pass some of the group as we headed towards our start point! I started running, it was easy, it was down hill! I passed some more of our group 1. I had the front runners in my sights. I decided to pretend I was in a race! I was going to catch them up if not pass them before they get to the sign post. I ran as hard as I could. Faster and faster! They were were getting close, I can hear their trainers hitting the wet pavements, I can hear their breathing as they all concentrated on getting to the sign post. I managed to just catch up to one of the back runners as we got to the sign post!

I took a deep breath, bent over to rest, or whatever that does to runners, you always see them bending over like that, I have no idea why, apart from the fact it feels bloody good! And then we walked inside the gate to start our warm down stretches! "Why do I do that, that kills me" I said to another group 1 runner walking beside me "Because you love it" she said to me!

Because I love it! Yup, that is how this hate/love relationship with running has developed over the past 4 years, I do it because I love it!

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