Taper Down Now!

Hello blog lovers.

What a stunning gorgeous morning it was! It was just crying out for a long run! But I had other commitments first. I had my grandson and church to do first! So my run would have to wait. I just hope the great weather would still be perfect.

After I got back from church, handed back my grandson to my daughter, then it was a quick text to the two girls that I had asked to come along with me, Naggy Neighbour and Smarty Pants.  But it seems the call of the silver screen was too much for Naggy Neighbour and she shied off from a 6 miler today. 

I got myself ready, as quick as I could, just in case Smarty Pants changed her mind too and wants to watch some western or something on the telly. I walked, jogged and skipped to her house, trying to work my muscles loose, which seem to be quite tight in my calfs and heels.  I knocked on the door and then waited. Hmmm, is she coming! I knocked on the door again, maybe she didn't hear me. But then she came out, in her yellow running top, ready for a tapering down (for me) and an 'upping' the mileage for her jog.

I was going to take a fairly easy route, not to many steep hills, although of course there will be hills, we live in a hilly area! So the posh house route is where I shall take her. I don't think she has been this way before, so a very good route for Smarty Pants to do, as there will be no mile markers that she can focus on, in fact the same for me as well. I am starting off my Garmin from her house, and also we shall be nipping down Turnpington lane, so the mileage and the mile marks will be completely different.

We set off, me with my tight calfs and sore Achilles and Smarty Pants with her tight Achilles as well. And I thought that all this jogging and keeping fit was supposed to be good for you! But I soon loosened up, and heading on towards Southborough Lane.

We both were very comfortable jogging along chatting away, letting our breathing settle down. It feels just so right to be out in this glorious sunshine, it almost feels like a summers morning, perfect, He sure has made a great day today, and I am really enjoying being out in it.

It was while I was running along towards Turp, that I realised why I was actually aching today, and yesterday, and quite stiff legged on Friday! It's because I had not stretched out after my 'valentine' mud run with the OB on Thursday!  On that day I had forgotten to take my Garmin, and I didn't even write up my blog! Such a slacker!  It was a very slow run though, due to trying to run through woods, ended up trying to run up summer hill, and then back down to run through Botony Bay! It was a hard, sticky, slippery, night time 'fun' run of about 4 miles!

Any way, we ran up Turpington lane, and it is a run 'up' here, just ever so slightly though. Just to get us used to what will be a little hill!  Coming out on to the A21 now, and then looking forward to the gasps from Smarty Pants, as she realises where I am heading for!  "Oh my goodness"  I think SP had said, when she saw the hill, and then after realising where that leads to she said "Are we going to Crofton"
"Yes, thats it, and then down by the school" I confirmed to her "But we will be running through those lovely posh houses" I said, as if that will make it any more pleasant for her! 

I kept up the running to just before the start hill. "I just want to take a quick breather here, just while I gather some much needed energy to get up here" I said to her. I felt sure she could go on and on, if she was by herself. Just a few minutes walking, and then it was off again. "Get to the top Old Girl, get to the top in one go" I was thinking to myself. I was concentrating hard, and trying not to remember the last time I tried this hill, with Naggy Neighbour, and that time I had ran even less miles than I have done now. I failed then, but I am not going to fail now. No, I was going to get to the top, just to where we turn into the posh houses. I did it! I felt good, bloomin knackered, but I did it.

I had another little walking spell here, as both me and S.P. just looked at all the houses and talked for a bit, and then we were off running the rest of the way through the estate, still chatting!  "Is there a down hill section now" asked S.P. "Yes.....and no..... it's undulating" I said, a favourite word for our Pettswood Runners leaders!  "But as soon as we get to the roundabout at the top, then it really is all downhill from there." I assured her.

We were both running quite strongly, and faster than my usual 12 mi/m which I was quite pleased with! Maybe I can get faster over distances! But we shall see, next Sunday!  The run down from Crofton was a very comfortable run indeed. I just stayed focused, and also I wanted to remember what I was feeling at that particular moment, at this particular mileage on this run. I want to remind myself next week that I can do it,  at this same mileage, I can do some quality running, even with a few walking stops. 

Next weeks course is going to be very challenging. I don't do things the easy way when I decide to challenge myself. "You can do a marathon Old Girl, so go sign up" was one thing I told myself, and look where that got me. "You need to do a half marathon" everybody else tells me, so what do I do, I choose a very hilly, challenging route! And why not!

Coming pass Shepperton and Smarty Pants was wanting to go down that way, "Didn't we go down there last time?" she said to me "We did, but that was when we were coming from a different direction" I said, "but we are going a little further into Pettswood, and then turning down Lakeside"

From here we seemed to have got a bit of second wind, well, I think we did stop once more (or I did at least) and then it was none stop all the way back to her house.  From the top of Hollingworth S.P. seemed to go into 'I must run really really fast now' mode as she took off for her house. I followed on behind, trying to keep up, but of course she is younger than me!

So our geeky stats, I am quite pleased with this run today