How To Save Litres Of Petrol

My reason for running

Hello blog lovers.

How to save money on petrol, well the answer is run everywhere of course! Ok, so you wont be able to carry the shopping home, or, indeed, luggage if you're going on holiday, but what the heck, the carbon footprint is what it's all about, right! So much better for the environment. In old couch potato days I used the car to drive half a mile, and now I am plotting routes for 16 mile jogs!

Anyway, on to todays blog. I will try and keep it short (I can but try). After the service today at church I came home, well, not before stopping for a quick chat with everyone. As it was Easter there were hot cross buns, chocolate cake, and some savouries as well, sausage rolls and pork pies! It was hard to drag myself away, but I managed it.

I got home and reminded the Old Boy of what he said he would do, and that's to be my meals on wheels again.  We had discussed the route the day before. It seemed an awfully long way when I was discussing it!  It is one of our old cycle routes, when we were first out cycling! and now here I am thinking ....ooops sorry, actually running it!

I set off just before the Old Boy, he was doing something with his bike, and he was going to meet up with me on route.  I ran through the alley way and out onto the now dreaded A21!  I saw a runner coming in the other direction with his little dog. We acknowledge each other with a polite smile.  I saw the Old Boy just up ahead, I think he came down Princes Plain, while I went up to church lane. We were just going passed the bus garage and I really needed to go to the loo! "We have to stop, I need to go" I said to him. "Already?" he said.  I think it must the thought of a long run today.

So, cutting it short, I must remember to cut it short! The blog that is, not my run! I managed, (after the loo stop at Mc'D's) to run up the hill, but this time I was going on and on! In fact, pass the hospital, pass the first round about, and the second round about and up to Greenstreet Green!  I remember one of my 'Epic' rides on my bike was to here, when I was practising and training for the London to Brighton. I even stopped for a sandwich, and had the cheek to 'check in' on Facebook!

Look at me now, I am running pass there with still got lots of miles to do after!  When we got to Greenstreet Green we turned left.  It felt strange to me thinking "I am going to run to the very end of this road!" Because that is what is going to happen. All the way down until I get to Orpington High street. Incidentally, when I was nearing Orpington High street I saw the same man that I saw on the A21, near Trinity church! This time there was a huge acknowledgement from both of us, knowing just how far each of us had run so far!  I carried on running  until we had to turn left again when we reached the other main road.  Just thinking about that was amazing! Me, an ex couch potato, never even ran half a marathon until last month, was now running all this way!

The Old Boy was very encouraging, he carried my drink in his bike rack, I had my dextrose, some High5 gel thingy, another freebie, and also a nutty bar thing also a freebie.  I already had the gel at mile 3, it wasn't as bad as the last gel I had! At least I could swallow this one, the flavour was a bit to be desired.  Do manufacturers think that just because its a necessary thing for long distance runners and indeed cyclists think they need, does it have to taste like sludge!

My nutty bar I had when I was running down Sevenoaks way. Did you see how I  skipped a few miles there, I told you I'm trying to keep it short!  Running down here was hard. My legs were beginning to hurt, and I was developing the shuffle run! I still have a long way to go! Not only that but there is the climb up to Crittals corner to do yet.

We turned the corner when we got to the end of that road, (now I feel like I'm in a Forest Gump film clip again!) and started running up to Crittals corner. At least I won't be running the length of this road, I'm even not sure where this road goes after the roundabout!, but we are only going to the roundabout and then turn left to go to Chislehurst.

I was very tired now, but I was running on most of each mile, there were quite a lot of walking spells now. Especially going up the ramp!  I made sure, or at least, the OB made sure I was running when I got to the top.

An undulating couple of miles now into Chislehurst and I will be on PWR's manor! I have to make sure I am running every time I see a runner in the distance, just in case, you never know!  As it happened I did bump into a PWR, she was on leave from Uni for the Easter hols,  I am sure I was running!

Down now towards the new bridge and onto Pettswood road.  I seemed to be glaring a lot more at the Old boy now as he tells me to keep going, "Come on, that's enough walking let's get going!" he would say to me.  I am so going to make him run for 16 miles when his knee is better, and I shall be perched on my bike!  I was telling him that we will be running pass some PWR friends of mine who live along this road.  "You better make sure you're running then" he said.

The next few miles was really, really tough! I know I have run further but I was really getting very tired.  The new few miles was all going to play on my Psyche as well.  I am going to be running pass roads that could take me home! At least 5 that I can think of just counting very quickly! Those road could take me home and I could be putting my feet up.  I thought it was quite amusing when the Old Boy put on a 'Fridays' pose across top Oxhawth, blocking the way and pointing the direction as to which way I should be running.  It would be so good to go down there and go home!

"Keep to your plan" he said. That's what he said last week. Last week I was really pleased that I stuck to my plan, so this time I will stick by it. The plan is to go all the way to the top, the A21, and then run along to Trinity church and then back down the ally!  The roads to my left are all blocked to me, mentally. There is only one way home and that is Trinity Church.

Dextrose was going down my neck as if they were going out of fashion, just to help me mentally to think I have the energy to get through this.  I could see the end of the road. Knowing its just a very short mile and half to go was so uplifting. I just wished my body could be more happier!  My feet were aching, my ankles were aching, my shins, knees, thighs, back, arms and legs. In fact I think even my hair was aching. But my determination to keep as much running going as possible seem to be there. My lungs were perfectly fine! I could breath and moan and chat to the Old Boy. I just need to believe in myself or at least in my body that I can get just a little bit more out of it!

The Old Boy was a little in front of me, he was looking at his gears, suddenly I thought about the whole reason of why I was in this position. Why I started running in the first place. Tears formed in my eyes and rolled down my face. I felt a huge sob rise up and come out, some what stifled as I didn't want anyone to hear me!  My mum struggled through the last weeks of her life, in pain. The drugs not really touching the pain.  She kept a smile on her face, and as much of her dignity as she could.  She wouldn't even let us cancel her Internet connection at her home (she was by then at home in my sisters house) because as she said "It will take to long to connect it back when I go home" That is why I started running, that is why I will try all I can to help doctors and scientists help to find cures for cancer! If my mum  stayed positive when she was just so ill, then I can stay positive knowing that I am fitter than I have ever been and just finish this, in all respects, a little be of an uncomfortable run!



We got to Turn Around Lamppost, "Do you want to do the extra half mile to make it 17" he said to me "Nope, I am going home" "Why are you going home, just half mile more, through the park and down Whitebeam." he said to me. "Nope, I am going home, I have stuck to my planned run and I am going home" I managed to run the rest of the way home after I had said that!

It felt marvellous seeing my house! I was pleased that there wasn't anyone playing football on the green, I really didn't want them to see my struggling!

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