Club Runs! Woods and Tamac!

Hello Blog lovers.

Yay! It Tuesday again, a busy day with the whole keeping fit thing!  Cycling in the morning, some attempt at housework in the afternoon, and the running two runs in the evening!  Brilliant!

As per usual my cycling blog will be on the cycling blog ("where else would it be?" I feel you all asking) And so to record my club runs today.

I met up with my group zero to hero people at 7:00 pm.  Another young lady came back to the fold after being away for some time, and is quite pleased that its here at this time.  Her hubby has only gone and joined PWR as well, so they have the whole babysitting issues!  But it's good that they are getting fit, and showing their young children just how things should be!

After my 30 odd miles this morning on my bike, I was going to take it a little easier on the legs, but still keeping it a challenge for the group.  The route today was going to go straight up the middle of the woods, and the turn right at the top!  We are doing Birchwood route in the opposite direction, for two reasons really.  One is to stop any of those negative thoughts about yourself, when you do a usual route, all those marker points in your mind has now gone out of the window.  So there is no more "Right, this is the bit I walk at" or "Oh yes, I usually feel really knackered round about here!" 

And two, is because the nice long Birchwood road is always tough to run up it, and it's good to be able to run down it!  What I didn't really realise is that going the usual anti-clockwise direction the path running parallel to Chislehurst road is also still continuing upwards, although ever so slightly!  So going the other way round was just perfect, everyone had a great time!  Anyway I am running ahead of myself (excuse the pun)

The first of the hill!  Up the middle of the path and all the ladies were doing well.  Of course this group is about going at a pace that you are comfortable with, to build your stamina up at your pace without any pressure to go faster than your are ready for.  The ladies today did brilliantly, getting to the top of the hill, with maybe just one or two little walking paces for a couple of us.  And then it was the right turn. 

It's funny how things look at little different going in the opposite direction to what you have done before.  I haven't ever taken Group 0 in this direction before! Can you believe that? I have always gone straight up Birchwood, and then turn left. And when I go up the middle of the woods I usually always turn left then as well! So it was a new experience for me too.  and I just hoped that I would take one of the many paths that lead off to places I didn't want to be!

But it all went well.  The ladies were flying along.  It was then that I realised that it is all on a slight decline almost from the moment we turned right in the first place!  We were really moving and I just knew that we would be back in the rec in plenty of time, in fact we will have time for a loop of the park as well, just to start building in more distance!

When the more noticeable downhill section came, just by the railway lines, we were all really relaxed having enjoyed all of the slight down hill declining path!  We cam out of the woods through 'Dog Poo' ally of course and to add a bit more to our legs (stamina training and all that) we ran up Towncourt lane! When we cam to the rec I told the ladies to go through the gate and turn right, to go around the green.....while I just went straight to the pavilion!  A case of 'do as I say and not as I do' situation going on.  But I did assure the ladies that I would be running in group 1 at 8:00 pm!

A great run, the ladies enjoyed it, I enjoyed it and that is all that matters.  Keep things fun and enjoyable and you are more likely to keep on wanting to do it!

Geeky stats.

Group 1

Sherry was taking group 1 today.  Now Sherry loves her running, and if the group keeps up then she keeps on running!  Sometimes we have had to 'reel her in' as she has been really enjoying the run.  The pace sometimes gets forgotten about!  But sometimes that's good! It challenges us.  Just like when DiscoRich helped out at Group 0 a few weeks back and the Heroes kept up with him, even though he was really upping the pace! 

But guess where Sherrys route was going to take us? Well, it was an interesting route to say the least, well after, that is, doing almost the exact same route I did with group 0!  Her way had us running up Birchwood, on the outside of the woods, and then running down Birchwood, on the inside of the woods, and then back up in the middle of the woods, just as I had done earlier!

But, how can I complain!  It's the woods, I just love it!  But I realise that not everybody has this love of running through trees, and tree routes, and nature.  Sherry had devised a route that would almost have 50/50 roads and woods!  Anyway when we ran up the middle of the woods, coming up a path to out left was Mr. S.  He had become separated for his group, I believe that will be all I shall be saying about that.  But he decided that he will finish his run joining us in group 1. 

Mr. S has such a sense of humour, and is loud and proud and we just love him.  Whilst running along he just comes out with random jokes, and one that made me chuckle was (and by the way I am useless and telling jokes) A man bet a woman that he could make a car out of spaghetti! She thought he was being ridiculous but she soon shut up when he drove pasta!   All these sorts of jokes while we are running along!  The laughter or groans goes a long way to help ignore the niggling aches and pains and the 'I want to walk now' thoughts that are going on!

Anyway, so after getting to the top of the woods, we turned right! And then ran along the same route as I did earlier! Brilliant, loving it so far! But then she took one of the paths that I mentioned earlier, and we came to the road and crossed over and turned right.  We ran along the road for a bit before turning left into the woods. 

We ran through there for a bit and then popped out onto a road that I didn't recognise.  Where I thought we would come out.....well.....we didn't!  I deffo have to keep an eye on where the leaders go!  I know we have been this way before, but I can never remember how to get there.  This is why I love running in groups.  Going different places, different routes, different challenges.  Love it!

Eventually we ran along to somewhere where I did recognise and I knew that we were not very far at all now.  One of the group members was struggle a little, however, and the group leader Sherry still wanted to go just a tad further to make it to at least 3.5 miles.  But I said that I would run the shorter route (down Birchwood on the outside) and meet everyone else back at the rec!

A great run with group 1 today, a challenge for me to try and get up the hill a second time was great, even though I didn't quite make it!  I shall have to keep on doing longer runs!

Geeky stats for group 1

A Much Needed Run

Hello blog lovers

It's Monday, and I haven't been for a run since Thursday! Ok so I did have my lovely ride into Greenwich on Friday, at least I haven't been completely lazy!  Why does life have to get in the way of running and cycling!?

Decorating, and cleaning and cooking and eating is what filled my weekend! So today I thought a long run will be in order! I thought a long run would be in order! But life still go in the way!  After 'life' had finished with me I was left with enough time to get a 5k.

So my usual route, I was too rushed to think of any other one, but it will do.  As soon as I was ready I was out of the door waiting for the satellites to find me. Locked on I was off, with a determination to do a good run, with plenty of running and little walking!  Well that was my plan!

Just running up Farringdon Avenue had me thinking, 'This is going to be hard!"  But with those inclines they always get me puffing a bit.  After that I started to get into my stride a bit more.  My thoughts started to get a bit more positive after that.  "Lets see if you have been working hard on Thursday evenings" were the thoughts in my head!

I was going to do the 'loop' part of the route in the opposite direction, but when I got to the road it went straight out of my head as the cars turning left into the road stopped to let me cross.  I was running along thinking what a kind motorist that was to let me pass. All other thoughts were out of the window!  I had forgotten to turn down the next road to do the opposite way!  Oh well, I shall just have to try and not think about the miles, as I virtually knew where each mile mark was, it's like a mental brake going on when I got there! 

Those walking spots happened of course, but for most of them I made sure I only walked just a couple of seconds before getting back to it.  After I had done the loop and was on my way back up Southborough Lane the walking was a bit longer.

I had to tell myself to get going again, and I was looking forward to running along Farringdon because I know I wont stop then.  When I got there I felt a relief.  I also felt a little be more energised!  How I don't know.  Was it that thought that I haven't got far to go now, or maybe I was just a bit to lazy on the way round and should have given some more.  Or was it the fact that I had a lazy gluttonous weekend!  I picked up the speed a bit, I even ran on the road to save all those driveways and trip hazards (as well as the poop on the streets)

Half way down here, just before the round about a family got out of their car.  A four young girls, and they started running.  Was they racing me? I don't know. Had they decided to race me to the round about? I don't know? Am I going to pretend they have? Oh yes I most certainly am!  I kick up to the next level and started to pick up the pace!  They were already in front of me before I got to them but I was gaining on them.  I passed by of them who decided to give up running, the other three were still in front.  I picked it up a little bit more. Another one dropped out. Just the two younger girls now, and they know nothing about pace.  "They have one pace only and that's speedy" said one of my club members to me last year at our club 10k.  I was chasing after the little whippets then as sweeper!  they totally annihilated me then. 

But this time I was warmed up. I was ready for them, it wasn't raining, in fact it was a brilliant perfect time for running.  I passed another young girl, but then I over took the last one as she was foiled by the road!  She wasn't allowed to cross over the road by herself!  Ok so they were young kids! But they still run like whippets!

But they had given me a little bit of spurt on, I was still running fast all the way down the second half of Farringdon, I was feeling pretty good too.  I kept up the pace, feeling like a proper runner know, I tried to remember my posture as I ran, no head down, I need to keep the oxygen reaching right through my body!  I saw my neighbour and I had another race with him.  Will I get back to my gate before he gets to his! 

I started to run a little more harder, my neighbour turned the corner, I ran faster to catch up to him.  He had his earphones on and didn't hear me running up behind him, he took the pavement and I couldn't pass by as the tree was to my left and the bushes from the houses on my right!  But a gently hand on his shoulder alerted him to my presence and I ran the rest of the way back to my home, beating him the our gates!

A great run, I really enjoyed it.  Ok still not the fastest time for this route, but it had some fast bits in there (so how it hasn't turned out to be fast I will never know!) 

Geeky stats for you.

Picture A Run

Hello blog lovers

Picture a run, is just what I am going to do. This was Thursday mornings solo run.

On the way up the middle of the woods

At the top of the woods there
is another little hill to run up

And then after that just another little one

Oh and just another smaller one!

Top of Goss Hill, and now to run downe

On the way down Goss hill
I love the train going through the trees

Going into Hawkwood......

......where the river runs all the way through!

The path by the river with the lovely yellow flowers
probably weeds, but who cares, they are pretty.

Looking up towards Botany Bay lane

The first of the bridges to run across

And the second of the bridges to cross.

This is the view from the second bridge!
No time to get your breath!

That's the last of the stairs done!

And the finish, with Group 'Faster' in the car park!

 

And then come the evening of course it was Core Training and speed sessions. DiscoRich was taking the session, and he had us on the floor, pushups, and planks and the usual stuff. But then the speed sessions he used most of the length of the rec to make us do the fast running, bit. That was good fun! And also we did a relay session as well! Only me and Illustrious Leader from group 1 that day, so we had to team up with a faster runner! Boy was it tough! But great fun. I feel the speed sessions are starting to pay off too! Geeky stats from Thursday morning run.

A Busy Day ...and Some!

Hello blog lovers.

When I say busy day, it's all very enjoyable busy stuff!  Running and cycling!  First of was yesterdays run through the woods.  I was hoping for a long run but things didn't work out that way! The time just sort of got eaten up by the day.  So I eventually got out in the evening, with the Old Boy.

We did one of the routes that we always used to do, parking up at Tent Peg Lane and then running through Jubilee Park and up Goss hill. A great route, and a perfect opportunity to check out the woods for a run on Thursday!

It's been a while since the Old Boy did a run but somehow that hasn't affected his speed or stamina!  He still made it up Goss Hill in one go!  Even though it was really muggy he still made it!  I didn't as you can probably guess, but I did as much as I could.

When I popped out of the woods into Little Thrift, after crossing two of the three bridges, I saw the Old boy and a chap looking at something flying about.  When I got closer I could see what the Old Boy was pointing at!  It was a stag beetle!  I'm not a lover of anything creepy crawly, but I can see the beauty in such things and have empathy for creatures declining in numbers!  The stag beetle is declining in numbers, so it was really good to see this little creature flying about!

Just over the next bridge and we were back to the car after just finishing off running through the last of the woods.  A great run, but a slow one, because sometimes it is just great to stop and smell the roses! Or in our case to just capture the country side in our view and watch stag beetles flying!  I just wish I had my phone with me and then I could have taken a photo!

Geeky stats.



So on to today.  This morning is was my cycle ride, which will be written up on my cycling blog, and then this evening it was two runs!  First with Group 0.

Now going through the woods yesterday helped me decide where I was taking my group 0 today.  I wanted to go up Botany Bay (the horrible hill as Denise had said)  I always call Goss Hill a horrible hill and didn't realise that she called this horrible too!  But at least this one has a nicer name, and sounds very exotic, Botany Bay Lane! 

There were 4 of us today in the group, and I had already pre warned them that we will be going through the woods, so if they have lovely bright new shoes we can soon sort that out!  The miles seem to go by so much quicker in the woods, and I am hoping that the new lady will see that and lean to love the woods as I do. But not only that, there is those lovely hills! I say lovely hills, because they are pretty, I say lovely hills because I need to learn to love them, I say lovely hills because I need to impart the good that can be gained from running hills! Hills are in our woods, and try as I might I cannon pound them down at all.  With all the miles I must have done in these woods over the years they are still as hilly as ever!

The ladies did very well.  It's a whole different experience running through woods.  With the ups and downs, the roots and the uneven floor of the woods, it's a great workout for your legs, which means 2.5 miles in the woods is tougher than on the pavements, which means you can treat yourself to something after!  That is my theory any way!

A great run with them today, enjoyed it immensely!  Here's the geeky stats.



Then there was group 1.  I was feeling a tad tired by now, and my Garmin was showing the low battery sign , if I had a battery sign I am sure mine will be showing low as well!  So I was just going to run and have fun, no pressure about how fast I am going (or slow in my case) and just try and keep up with the group!  The first thing we did after entering the woods at 'Dog Poo Ally' was to go up the hill on the right!  See what I mean about loving hills!?

I ran and walked up the hill, in the sweeper position!  And then we got to the top!  The nice bit of flat running started!  Illustrious Leader was leading today and she had a route planned that was going to take us down Botany Bay Lane! The same hill that I had ran up with group 0 earlier!  But at least we were going to be running down it!

We turned left to head into the woods, it was a little bit muddy, but at least it was wet and puddly type of muddy.  It was just a little soft in places.  I just knew that the lovely clean shoes I had noticed before we started the run, and I was just waiting to see how they would cope with the bottom of the hill, as we run along the railway lines.

As we ran along here Sam, one of our lovely lovely group one ladies, needed her back scratched.  Being as that we were in the woods I suggested a twig!  "This calls for a tree" she said, in great Baloo the Bear style!  I just had to take a picture!  Here, take a look!

Baloo the Bear Style!

Still at the back, I ran after the group and then caught them up as they had just been lead around one of the two memorial stones we have in the woods, and I.L. has just lead them around it! But just after that I noticed the group veer to the right!  I just presumed that Illustrious leader had a new route, but it turned out that she was just pointing out where the road was in conjunction to where we were going to be! Looking for new routes!  Well that is how it was mentioned!

After we back tracked, after of course all agreeing that it was good to see the exactly where this part of the woods comes out of (in fact I realised this is the path that I am always looking for and can never find!) we ran along heading for Botany Bay Lane.  I.L. decided to change the route again, just everso slight and turn left and left again, before we got to Botany Bay, which will take us back to the middle of the woods to go down that path.  This is my favourite path to be running down, I must say!  This really, really is my fav 'running down' path.  It has everything.  Roots, little hills, slight banks, muddy parts and also going past the other memorial we have in the woods.

The run was soon over as we reached the bottom and ran through 'Dog Poo Ally'!  A great run today, a bit of a tough one for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!  I also gave out the wrong information to some of my Group 0 and to group 1 members, so if you have managed to get to the bottom of this blog please not that the Midsummers Eve run is on the 24th, not next week! 

No geeky stats as explained, but some of the others had their geeky stats and we did about 3 miles, at least those that ran once around the green to finish on did!

M.O.T, Running!

Hello blog lovers.

Usually I like to go for a bike ride if I have Fridays free, but today I had to take my car for its annual M.O.T. Now usually on these occasions I take in my car and then walk up to the café for tea and toast, or sandwiches or whatever takes my fancy!  But that was before!  Now I have given myself this ridiculous goal (actually its quite a healthy goal to do) but right now, it feels ridiculous, I decided to use the half hour it takes to do the M.O.T. check to run!

Now the garage is not that far from Normans Park, so that is my destination.  I handed my keys to the chap who is going to do the check and set off.  The sun was blazing!  Even the mechanic said it's probably the wrong time of day to be running!  But for me, this was too good an opportunity to miss. It's only for half hour, let's see who will finish first!

Ok, so for me, getting to Normans Park, around it twice and back again in half an hour is pretty much going to be tough! Especially in this heat! (I forget which number excuses this is in my book) But it really is quite muggy.  I had forgotten to grab my Garmin so I made a mental note of the time (11:56) and started running towards the park.

Usually my 5k times have been well over the half hour running around this park, but also we usually cut across the middle of the park, twice on each lap, to achieve the 5k distance.  But today, as my car is going to be ready in half hour, (and I have this silly idea of beating him to it) then I am going to go around the park twice without the cutting across section.  So maybe it will be about 2 and half miles all in all. I wish I remembered my Garmin.

When I got to the park I saw that they are very busy planning for something that will be happening at the weekend.  There are grids painted on the grass, with wooden stakes at each grid.  The fair was busy getting together up at the top end of the park.  I shall have to find out what is happening over the weekend now!  Just being nosey of course!

I was sweaty like anything as I did my two laps of the park,  I looked at my phone and noticed that I have 10 minutes ish to get from the top of the park to the other end and back to the garage!  Now the race was on.  But as in all things that puts pressure on me, I folded!  I still ran along, and walked when I needed.

Coming out of the park was my cue not to stop anymore (apart from crossing the roads) until I got to the garage.  As I ran up the last road  I looked over towards the garage and I can see that my car is now outside the garage!  He beat me!  But it was a great fun 'race' even though the mechanic had no idea he was having!

Oh and by the way, my car passed the MOT, I must have looked a site though! And probably in need of an MOT myself!

Busy Bee Thursdays!

Hello blog lovers.

Today seems to be jammed packed with stuff to do, from abs workout, running, prize gathering, phone calling , route mapping, core strengthening day!  Oh and some where in between there a bit of housework and some where I ate and had tea as well!  I like busy Thursdays!

I shall start off with the running.  Thursdays is down at the rec, of course, and the faster ladies and gentlemen are there, but the elites of group 1 have been troubled by that awful thing that effects most people, WORK!  So it's just little ol' me running alone again. 

The woods were not on the agenda today, but I still want to have that feel of running through the woods, so it was the cinder path for me.  I set off thinking that maybe I should have bought my tunes with me, just in case of things like this, But sometimes it's nice to listen to the rest of the world while you're running around it. 

The sun was shining, it felt really warm, a far cry from all the horror stories of gigantic hail stones that we have been threatened with soon.  It seems impossible that the weather is predicted to turn so bad.  I got to the cinder path with the sun shining down on the stables and the horses, I just felt that this run is destined to be photographed!

This horse all dressed up and no where to go, was having a great trotting around his paddock,

All dressed up!

 while these horses was just taking it easy, taking in the rays, eating a bit of grass.

munching breakfast!

 It was just lovely.  I was running, taking pictures, running, stopping to just look around! It was all just perfect.

You want leafy pathways, well there they are

Leafy pathways

You want tiny little bubbling streams, well that's here too!

Little streams

Bridges to cross, paths to follow, all traffic free.  And if you want, trail running in the woods on my right!  Just perfect! And all of that just yards from this.

The street.

Yes today wasn't about running hard, running fast, today it was deffo about just running!

So after my run I continued to ask local businesses to help support the tribute run I am organising and they really have been very generous.  Makes me feel very proud of the community that I live in!  Mapping out the route later in the day with my co-organiser and chief marshal gather and all the important bits, we are almost to the end of the organisation and it will be just the full on advertising, via Facebook, of our run.

Later in the evening it was our core training in the rec, so for the second time today I was heading there on my bike!  Sherry was doing this session today, and it was a very good session.  Fruit salad and buckets!  Speed running around our fellow core trainees, and then pyramids up to the buckets.

Don't worry it all makes sense to me!  The core session was interesting, Sherry was very accommodating and was asking how many reps of the exercises we wanted to do! But then she chucked into the reps 65 sec planks!  I didn't quite manage the whole of those!

But at the very end of the session, we had a few minutes spare, and someone jokingly suggested having a 'plank off'!  Last man planking!

Again I was one of the first people 'down' just after 30 secs.  But the champs must be Illustrious Leader and MarmiteDavid!  Both of them well over the 4 minute mark!

It was all great fun!! And can't wait to do it all again next Thursday.

Zero To Hero!

Hello blog lovers.

Club night and I am looking forward to running in both groups today!  Last week was just so awful with that rain, I was wet, I was cold and I was feeling miserable waiting to start group 1 (which I decided not to do anyway) But this evening, the weather was "just perfect for running" as Michelle said. 

I decided not to go through the woods though, I am sure they will be a bit too sticky to have a good run, and I think Jo was quite pleased with that idea!  We also had one new lady turn up, with a rather pretty name I have not heard of before Auriol.  It reminds me of Ariel!  Maybe she should have come out running last week, because It sure felt like we were swimming!  Auriol has come through our beginners group.  I am sure she is going to enjoy it.

The route is our winter route, up Birchwood Road, which means that we will be coming down Pettswood Road and then along the undulating roads of Woodside, Great Thrift and Hazelmere, the nicer way!  Our warm up was going to be the run up the hill, just nice and steady.  I am going to try and remember my mantra, and keep that in mind as I encourage the ladies 'enjoy' the hill as well!  I am not sure how convincing I was!

But once at the top its virtually plain sailing all the way back, apart from the little undulations of course, near the rec! The nice long down hill run though helps to relax and get ready for the little ups and bumps of the roads.  The ladies did brilliantly! 

It really was a very good Group Zero run today! And I am looking forward to Group 1!  Here is the geeky stats for group 0 perfectly paced for an avg 12 and half minute miles!

And now..........for the Hero bit!

I didn't do Group 1! Instead I had to rush off and go and 'rescue' the Old Boy.  The lock that he was using was playing up and he couldn't get it unlocked after he had stopped off for his refreshment after 20 miles!  I had to be the hero and grab some wire cutters and hacksaws!  But when I got there he had decided to first try and breaking the lock!  Which he did! Which means that he didn't need me after all!

Oh well, I shall just have to have a longer run on Thursday to make up for it!

Selfies on a 7 Miler!

Hello blog lovers!

Never mind the 7 year itch, its the 7 mile itch for me.  My longest runs are now going to be 7 miles or over!  That is my goal from now on.  My short runs will be no less that 3 miles.  Blimey seems I am getting quite serious again now, and I've not even got a race to do!

But I am trying to lose weight, this is the main purpose this year, this is what I have set my mind on.  By the end of August I want to be lighter by 2 stone!  It's not a lot to ask for, and I think if I put my mind to it, really work hard, stay off beer and chocolate (and pie n mash!) I think I can do it!

This is my weekly tracker!  I am going to try and get the little lady to the treasure, you see me with a choccie bar in hand you have my permission to snatch it, stamp on it, and hand it back to me!


So today, my work was cancelled for this afternoon, only have to drop off first thing in the morning and pick up again at 3, so plenty of time for running!  7 miles is my target and then back here to do some work on this flabby tummy before I cooled down. 

Even though I have this goal in mind, I am not going to beat myself up about running non stop!  If there is one thing I have leaned about myself since running is that although I take walking breaks, I don't give up!  If I have set my mind on doing 7 miles, or doing 10 or 26.2 miles then I will do it!  If I set my goal in my head and don't complete it only then will I beat myself up!

It's tough running, I know that, and I admire anyone who does it, whether its just for 2 miles or ultra marathons,  the fact that we just start running is a huge huge bonus! And running shouldn't be something to be scared of, it shouldn't be something that you think you can't do, because you can run!  The only thing that stops you is your mind!  Sometimes running is not nice.  When the rain is coming down and you're feeling cold, and people walking past under umbrellas rushing to be home think you're totally nuts. But even in those times you realise, admittedly only after you get home, that 'Yes, you done it, you ran in the rain'.

Anyway, I totally digress!  But sometimes I need a pep talk to myself.  Because on this run today I did quite a bit of walking sections, maybe only for 20 to 30 seconds at a time, some was for a minute or more.  But it don't matter.  I still got around a 7 mile route quicker than if I just tried to walk it!  Therefor it is a run! Simples.

I decided to take a picture of my '3.5 mile face' (Mr. S style selfie),

3.5 mile face!

 and also a picture of the lights near Locksbottom, to remind myself that I didn't take the easier route, avoiding the hill, I went straight up! 

The first set of lights a Locksbottom

As I was running down Crofton road I had noticed a white van parked on a bit of grass on the other side of the road.  It wasn't bothering anyone, it wasn't obstructing access to anyway and the owner of the van was working on a house just next to it.  Now I know everyone has a job to do, but sometimes you need just a bit of discretion, the traffic office looking over the van and 'bleeping' it with her machine brought forth one of my famous whistles to the chap sitting on top of the roof! I pointed down to the van! Job done!

I kept the run/walk going on, enjoying just being out in the sunshine, a bonus for today, as there was rain first thing.  They (those that predict the weather) said it was going to be showery all day, yet here I was sweating and thinking that maybe I should have bought a drink along.

My run was nearly over anyway, I was just reaching Pettswood, here is another selfie,

a quizzicle selfie, 'Shall I take a short cut home or not'  Well as in the true spirit of my new motivational 'get out there and do what you said you was going to do' regime I made the right decision!

On through Queensway and then home. 7 miles finished and I was feeling very pleased with myself.
Here's a last picture of me of when I got home.

Why doesn't anyone tell me that I look like a beetroot after a run?!! Wow!

And here is the geeky stats.