Putting A Toe Into The Water!

Hello blog lovers.

A very apt title for todays blog I feel! After the Christmas celebrations, the New years partying and the Seasons calorific filled gluttony, I was indeed ready to done the running gear again, especially as I have been given new things for Christmas and my birthday (my sister waited almost a month to give me her birthday present to me!) I shall be doing my usual, 'I haven't been running for a while'  type run, no more than three miles.

As usual I made all the swerving manoeuvres to not start straight away, and then I saw a friend of mine on Facebook. Some of you have met her before in previous blogs, way back in 2010 when I was training, again, for the Race For Life, its Smarty Pants herself. She feels about ready to kick start the new year with a new healthy regime. So I encouraged her come out with me today, only up to Turn Around Lamppost and back, unless she felt she could go further!

She thought about it, for about 2 minutes, and the next message was, "I thought about it, and I'm coming" Brilliant, at least now I can't go around looking for more dust that urgently needs to be swept up, or a cup that needs to be rinsed, I have my friend coming out. And it was just as well, as the rain had started to come down again, discouraging me even more!

It seems incredible that yesterday was such a lovely day, and now its raining. God indeed does have a great sense of humour, "Give them a lovely day on the 1st of January, to start the new year" Which would be good if 90% of the country wasn't out till silly o'clock celebrating. Most of the country probably missed the glorious sunshine, or was in fact too delicate to even think about opening the curtains to greet the morning, let alone go out and bounce up and down on pavements, while Mick Fitzpatrick is on the hammer drill in your head!

Still, It felt good to be out just now. Smarty Pants turned up at my house, (looking gorgeous I might add, with her made up face and lippy!) and we set off towards T.A.L. I was going to bring the Garmin along, but a) the lack of usage means I haven't charged it up, and b) I think it's a good idea to just go out with Smarty pants today not have the pressure of timing and pace, just to have a bit of fun!But first off we did a little warm up, just around the green, walking, skipping, crab like skipping and windmill arms. "I feel silly doing this" she says. Well, we shall just have to get her hooked on running again, and soon she will be shopping for spandex and headbands with the rest of us, all ideas of looking silly gone for ever!

The rain was misting up my glasses, but I can still still the fields at the side of us, swamped, flooded! Can there be any more rainfall! I think my next pair of running shoes will come with optional flippers!  I couldn't believe how I was feeling running along this path. I felt so good, ok, my chest was a little tight, (glutony and inactivity does that) but I was chatting away. We got to T.A.L. and had a little stop. Smarty Pants was, well, like I was the last time we ran this particular route together! (although she still looked perfectly made up, my makeup would have been around my feet) "You're not even out of breath" she said.

And do you know, blog lovers, I wasn't! I was quite surprised by that fact! The running and cycling is paying off, I felt very pleased with myself! I am getting fitter, I am getter healthier, and I am still enjoying it. Virtually no injuries, no pressure, and still having fun with it. Now that's my kind of keeping fit!

A very short break and we were back to the running. She felt she couldn't do a longer route, so we headed home. Jogging along back to my house, and the thoughts and memories of those runs back in 2010, when it hurt to run that far, when I had to have several breaks to get back home. Jogging between the lampposts, looking for the next so that I could walk again. It does get easier, it really does.

Of course now I have to go for a longer run, but I shall wait until the rain has stopped now. I shall be do my 3 mile route this evening with a smile on my face! A two blog, two jog day!