Sunny Sunday Afternoon!s

Hello blog lovers.

Here I am trying to get back to my mojo and enthusiasm of running.  Don't get me wrong, I love my running and my cycling, that goes without saying.  But the mojo, the umpff, the excitement of planning to go for a run is a bit lost.  Going to club runs is brilliant, park runs, on special occasions was fantastic, especially yesterday!  But some time last year I was almost jumping out of bed to do Parkruns.  I can't think what has happened to make me lose my mojo!

The only thing that is needed is anit-aversion therapy!  Can you tell I've been 'googling'  But I decided that I must do more running, with more longer routes, but try and keep thinking happy thoughts, hence my need to run with my iPods and friends.  Keep running, as much as possible and keep all thoughts as happy and nice as possible.  Keep thinking of maybe a lovely treat at the end of a run, or maybe just that nice time when you jump in the shower and the hot water hits you!  All positive thoughts.

Make sure there is only happy, cheerful, rocking songs on the iPod, (when it's working), so how I was going cope with my planned 5-6 miler today I don't know.  But I guess when you don't expect things to happened Him above can get to work.  Just before I left for church this morning SingstarJo text me and suggested we go for a run.  I told I was planning on doing that straight after church, (because if I had planned it later I just knew I wouldn't go).  She said that was fine and could come and join me!  See, Hi knows exactly what you need!

There I was, a great time at church, (plus there was cake as it was our Paster Pauls birthday!) I have a running buddy to drag my backside around my planned 5-6 mile route and the sun was shining!  Just perfect.  We set off after waiting for satellites to find our Garmins, SingstarJo found hers in about 10 seconds mine took about 10 hours, ok slight exaggeration, but it was still longer than Jo's.  We started our run through the local park.

I told her that we would be taking in Summer Hill, not only that, but the not so nice way up it as well!  We chatted and laughed and had a fabulous time all the way to the that hill!  I took a deep breath, I tried to banish the negative thoughts from my mind and then we started down the hill.  Obviously I could get down there non stop!  Going up, however, was going to be a different story.  We started off side by side, and then SingstarJo was getting into her zone.  I was having a temper tantrum! One of a few I had after this particular hill, but I felt I needed to tell myself off! "Come on Old Girl, for goodness sakes" I said quite loudly!

But having SingstarJo there, I am sure, helped keep me moving, there is that "I don't want to let anyone down" thing that is there when your'e running with buddies.  I think I amused her though with my motivational self speeches I had with myself! We made it to the top of Summer Hill, with only a 1 walking section.  I may have slowed down to almost a crawl, but that running action was still there!  I was pleased with my effort, even though I was letting in a few negative thoughts afterwards.

We kept the whole run/walk theme carry on for the rest of the route, which now is mainly flat and down hills. All the while chatting away.  SingstarJo was very encouraging when I started to beat myself up that I was doing the walking thing.  She also reminded me that actually I have ran faster and further than most of the people that we have passed, either in their homes or cars, or even out walking!  So yes, I was feeling a bit better.

We had the perfect part of our run through the woods!  You all know how I love running through the woods! And this was indeed a perfect part of our run today.  The sun had been steadily smiling away warming us up, sending us the goodness from it's light (of which I can't think what it is now, vitamin c, d, or e or something completely different) so the shade from the trees was a welcome respite!

After coming out of the woods we crossed over the road and headed down to the round about.  A typical club run route for both of us, and then we ran up the other side so that we could run over the walking bridge for the last bit back to my house!

A great run today, with great company, and my mojo is slowly coming out of its hiding place!  Maybe this time I will treat it with respect!  The love of running is what it's all about. Speed even distances they are just tiny little challenges......for fun......and for getting the bling!

Geeky stats today.

5ths, 100ths and Ice!

Hello blog lovers.

I woke up to a gorgeous morning, the sun was shining and it was quite warm!  I was off to ParkRun at Norman Park.  Today we are celebrating the 5th anniversary of Norman Park run plus SingstarJo is doing 100th park run today along with another of our PWR Natalie!

I am not very good in the mornings, not until at least two cups of tea to get the caffeine coursing through my body! Not only that but after farewell drinks to another PWR and a small chinese the night before is all going to play a heavy part in my run this morning!

But I got to the park to be greeted by a fantastic site, hundreds of park runners!  When the first one was run there were only 50 runners!  It has kind of grown since then!  Hundreds of brightly coloured tops, people of all shapes and sizes and ages, fantastic volunteers to help the whole event go brilliantly!  It is enough to make any hangover disappear.....almost!

After the preliminaries were done, and the announcements and the congratulations done we were all set for the go.  I listened and waited somewhere in the middle of the park, and then all of a sudden the crowd just moved! Had I missed the count down? But apparently those around me missed it as the loud speaker wasn't used!

We were running the route in the opposite direction today, just to keep things interesting!  So the slight down hills were now the slight up hills and vice versa.  I started running along with the ladies, and as this is also a Grand Prix event (the only park run I have done in August) I have to try and make it a good un.  But my training in the pub last night hadn't gone according to plan!  I slowed down, I gasped and whizzed around as I just set off to fast as usual!

The tea I had before I left the house was sloshing about in my tummy and when I got to the other end of the park I could smell that someone probably had been training the same as me, or maybe they were just pushing really hard, but I could smell that someone had 'chucked up chunks'!  Either that or they were making room for the delicious array of cakes that was back at the pavilion.  But that smell started to make me feel a bit queasy myself.

Going down the long straight started to put me in the right frame of mind, I was thinking "ok, first lap down now get the second on the way"  I still didn't push myself any hard though!  My pals from group 1 were way a head now and doing really well, I just plodded along.  I tried not to think about getting anything of a grand score on my park run ticket!

The second lap underway and my legs started hurting!  I'm just falling apart!  It may have been the bike ride yesterday, but I think it is all due to my lack of training!  I am seriously going to have to get back to full fitness again, keep trying with the diet, even after I have failed, I shall just have to start again from the minute after the naughty biscuit, or pint of or beer or olive nibbles!

I was extremely pleased to see the funnel today, I had nothing left for a sprint finish, I was just pleased to get to the end.  Now, where's those cakes!

Oh they ice?  Well, on off the park run directors. Martin, was today challenged to do the Icebucket challenge!  Which he did, in the park, thankfully after the run!  But he kind of chickened out of nominating anyone else to do it, but three other PWR's did the challenge as well and they did challenge their friends to do it!

Photos courtesy of Jo Gamble aka SingstarJo (100th parkrunner!)

Geeky stats! Oh and I had fogetten to turn my Garmin off, I'm still waiting for my official Parkrun results

Thursday Ladies Night!

Hello blog lovers.

Love these Thursday sessions, but the nights are drawing in pretty darn fast!  Our time in the park will be sorely missed!  But not just yet.  Next week we will be meeting at 7:00 pm, so hopefully get a couple of extra weeks before it is too dark!

Today it I thought it was only going to me, but then I saw Illustrious Leader coming through the gate.  Well that's two of us.  We can always just go for a jog together if that's the case.  And Just as I was looking at I.L. coming up to the bench Wendy appeared beside me.  So that made three of us.  I am sure we can do a session with just the three of us, or there is still the option of going for a run!  But we decided to carry on and do what we came here to do, and that's our core training. As we started our warm up lap Jo appeared and started her warm up lap to try and catch up to us.

After just one lap of the rec we went straight into our drills.  We all took the lead,  each choosing a particular drill to do, and get our muscles warmed up!  I think the John Cleese Ministry of Silly Walks is a particularly interesting one!  And I tried not to think about the over all picture of 4 ladies walking like this up to cricket crease.

Ten drills done it was then straight into our first running session. I took the initiative here and suggested a couple of laps where we run along in a line and then the last person has to run forward to be in the front, and then once there to call out "Next" ..... after getting our breath back of course!  Just as we were on our second lap of this Ka turned up, husband of Wendy.  So not totally ladies night!  He started off getting himself warmed up with a couple of laps of the green.

Us ladies had completed the first running section and just waited for a couple of minutes until Ka had completed his second lap and then we went straight into our core strenghtening.  Again, like the drills, as there were now five of us, we each chose a discipline that we will do for 1 minute each. And we shall do two sets.  We had, burpees, planks, knee highs, bicycling and others!  We worked well and we all worked hard.

I just love it when we all groan about each discipline we do, but it is a great groan.  We know we are doing good to our bodies!  A drink after our core strenghtening and then into our second running set which was going to be pyramid running, and with just the one team of 5 we all ran at warp speed to 4 markers, without any competition!  And no Jo, were were not supposed to be just ambling along!

And then with fuzzy memories both Jo and I tried to remember the 'Sun Salutations' that SingstarJo did with us last week.  I think we managed to do some of the moves, whether we done all of them and in the right order is something we had no idea about!  And as for the stretches! Well, maybe we have invented something completely different!  Still great fun though.  Next week it will be half an hour earlier! And I shall try and pay more attention if we do yoga moves again!

Going Backwards?

Hello blog lovers.

After yesterdays club run, and the chat about solo running, how we never seem to push ourselves when we are running solo, I thought about how far I had come along with my own running.  From way back when, to now, from the time I didn't want to be spotted running about, to now, when I love running in company.  Getting ready for club runs and races is easypeasy! Getting ready for solo running is harder now days than it was way back when! Procrastinating, was a word used yesterday, as we chatted, probably a little too long, on one of our catch up stops.  And today I was procrastinating again,  just getting started for my run.

Every time I thought "That's it, I'm ready to go" I found something else that just had to be done.  When I finally got around to even getting my 'solo gear' ready I was 'procrastinating' all over the place! First off looking for hair bands, or at least my favourite hair band. Then searching for my ipod, searching for my favourite earphones, keys, hat, HRM, and last of all searching for satelites on my Garmin which  I left by the window!

After all that it ended up with me having very little time to do a really long run or even a 5k.  But I think that's a good thing.  I was going to run to Turn Around Lamppost and back, as fast as I can! Non stop at least! After all it's only just over a mile.  I should do that easy peasy!

I started running, without the satelites ever finding me.  I probably would have sat there for another hour waiting for them.  I enjoy my running once I get started, just getting started is tough!  So there I was running along towards TAL and thinking, "This is where it all started from"  I ran past my mother-in-laws house, the very first time I tried this route I couldn't even get to there without stopping!  My chest felt like it was about to explode, my lungs were about to crawl out of my body in surrender! My head felt like it was throbbing and I expected it was glowing like a beacon, and I  thought I had taken on more than I could chew!

But today, I was running past her house, and running unto the path that would take me to TAL.  I was going a bit faster than I usually go for the start of a run, but I thought I could do it, after all I don't have another 2 miles or more to do, this was it just an out and back, 1 mile in all!  But I forgot that my body still needs to breathe and take in oxygen.  I was breathing way to fast, almost panting, so I had to slow down and catch my breath.  Consentrate on getting my breathing back under control and then get going as fast as I can all the while keeping my breathing in order!

I was pleased with what I was doing, I got to the lamppost and turned around with out stopping.  I had a quick look at my watch, which by the way still hadn't found satelites, and I noted that it was 6 minutes and something that had gone.  I could go push a little harder and try to get a negative split, I was wondering if I had that inside of me to do, after all it's only a mile!  It's not as if I am running 5k or 10k!  It's a mile for goodness sake!

But without those satelites I would never know if I was going to achieve it!  I just know that I have to get to my house while my watch says 12 something!  My legs were a little tired and my chest was hurting at bit, probably because I pushed way to hard in the beginning!  At one time I even wanted to stop running and walk for a while!  Can you believe that, bloomin lazy mare!  It's a mile Old Girl, not a blooming marathon!  So I pushed through that nagative thought and carried on running.

It was good to come out of the path and back on to my road with just that little bit more to my house!  I still didn't want to look at the time, I wanted to just make sure that I kept running as best as I could.  Finally, got to my house stopped my Garmin (which still hadn't found the satelites by the way) and it said 12:44! So I didn't get back while my watch said 12 something!  Now to try and check out if that is a pb for me for this route by checking my geeky stats. And as for going backwards! Nah! I am moving forward,  all the time!

Club Run

Hello blog lovers.

Love my club running.  There was no group 0 tonight, people are away or they have moved up to group 1. So I was going to try my hardest to keep up with the main group, not drag to far behind, even though I volunteered for sweeper there were the other two ladies that make fine sweepers too!

Our Illustrious leader has returned from her travels from the land of the rising sun, and she was taking the lead today.  She has chosen one of the nicest routes, all though it does have cardiac hill to negotiate.  For the first part of our run I was running along with I.L. and with Jo.R as well.  Jo.R usually runs along in group 2 or 3, but this is her last run with PWR as she moves to Norfolk!  It was just great having her along in group 1 where her love or running began!

I seemed to have kept up with her too, at least until half way along St. Johns Road, (just where the hill is!) and then I started to fall to the back!  Illustrious Leader hasn't let her fitness disappear, although she said that she did park run, her first run in about 3 weeks, just to make sure that she can still run 3 miles! Well, she was running bang on pace for group 1!

I remained at the back for most of the time after that.  Catching up a half minute later at the catchup points.  It was soon time to get up Cardiac hill.  I was feeling ok about it, not dreading it as I usually do.  But that could be because I haven't done group 0 today.  But I was determined to at least try as much as I can of this hill!  Get up there, running, with very little walking, if any!  That was what I planned anyway.  I did walk on the hill but I also ran on it, more than I have done before!

I think I may have to incorporate that particular hill into my own solo runs, and work real hard to get up it without stopping.  I know when I am solo running I talk to myself, shout at myself, and the occasional cuss escapes, but I am learning to be more disciplined about working harder on my own.  It's funny, we were talking about that very thing on one of our catchup stops, about how people are when they run solo.  And it seems that we are all the same, we just don't push ourselves along, unlike being in a group, no one wants to let anyone down, or slow the pace down.  But I am sure if we can push ourselves just as hard on our own solo runs then our club runs together will be so tight that our stops will almost not be needed!

Once at the top of the hill it was virtually flat route! And even better, just after that was the down hill all the way to Crossways!  I was feeling pretty good, although still at the back of the pack, which has now at least 30 - 40 seconds in front of us again, I felt that there was still that sprint left inside for Crossways.  As soon as we got there, I stepped up on gas pedal!  I started putting distance to our lovely sweeper Janet, and caught up with JJ and Denise!  Then I started closing down the rest of group 1.  I really didn't think I would catch up to them let alone actually overtaking them, but I did!  I pushed out just that little bit more and got to the sign post before group 1!  I was pleased with, and I walked through the gate and up to the pavilion to do our cool down stretches!

A great run today!  Here is my geeky stats

Thursdays FunDay!

Hello blog lovers.

I do love our Thursday sessions in the rec.  The core training, the company, the fun and a chance to be leader!

Thursdays sessions usually wind down during the August because of holidays, leaders away. But again this year, those that were not on holiday just keep flocking to the park, because that's what we do, that's what we like to do. And we shall continue until it's too dark to see, and then ......... well, then we shall have a think and do something else!

Seven of us were at the rec today, including DiscoRich after a 12 hour or so flight from Japan!  PWR's just love running and meeting up with other PWR's! For some reason I have the film Zombies in mind, I am sure that once they become zombies they just kept doing the ordinary everyday things that they used to do..... anyway, I digress!

It seemed as if SingstarJo had the lead for the first part of our session today as she said "Ok, twice round the green" So we all did two laps of the rec, warming up and getting ready for the drills.

The drills section was started off my MarmiteDave.  "High knees everyone" was the order, and we all did the high knees to the cricket crease with a jog back.  A few more drills went on and we were totally warmed up for some speed running, pyramid style!

It seems Matt the Mat's mat had brought about mat envy as two mats appeared today and we used those as markers for the pyramids.  Mind you Matt the Mat was't there to show off his mat. We had two teams of three, with me just running as a 'spare' when SingstarJo ran.  It made me realise that she is quite a fast runner on the quiet!

After that it was down to some core training.  SingstarJo took the lead for the first part.  She showed us some of her yoga moves, or bodybalance stuff. Something about meeting the sun or something.

But it was very good! In fact I shall even try and do something like that each morning, it may do me some good!  But then after that she said "And Old Girl, over to you." Me? I hadn't thought about anything, about what sort of core training we could do.  But as we had done some different with S.J. then I thought I would try something different.  Well, it's what EmmaD once did at last years c.t. and although it was pretty tough I really had enjoyed it.

Obviously couldn't quite remember the timings and the particular disciplines that we had done, so again, as like last week I was going to wing it.  What I had in mind is 2 minutes of very exercise strung together, no break, just one after the other.  Burpees for 30 secs, star jumps for 30 secs, push ups for 30s and then finish off we a 30 sec plank.  Sounds like fun.  But as I had to keep an eye of the time I didn't actually do it! I was the leader.......for the first time and then SingstarJo took the watch as we did the whole routine again!  Why did I suggest that little gem!

After we recovered from that we then started our second running session. Relays of course.  A chance to push yourself a bit harder than you would normally push yourself on the road or in a race, looking towards your team mate to tag before you can take a breather.  I again teamed up as S.J. shadow to be the no.1's.  Fabulous times, and I wasn't that far behind each time! Just as well it's not a race, because she would outrun me hands down!

A cool down stretch to finish off the evening, with a couple of extra yoga position type of stretches.  Great fun if you can get into those positions and not fall over!  I think I am just too curvy and wobbly, a bit like the weebles! (except that I do actually fall down, so bad example really!)

DiscoRich decided to do another couple of laps of the rec while the rest of us
carried on with the new yoga stretches!  A fabulous time today!  Thanks all, just so love Thursdays!

Club Runs - It's Great To BE Back!

Hello blog lovers

Well, now I am now I am completely healed!  Group 0 and group 1 today!  And I feel good!

Group 0

There was only on other member of group 0 today, Auriol, and 1 on 1 session!  Was she looking forward to it, I think so.  I don't think I have taken her for a 1-1 session!  I do like to encourage people to push them selves just a tad, one reason is because it makes me push myself harder.  Well if I am asking them to do it then I must do it myself!  So today we were going to stay on the pavements as it has been a bit wet today, (plus what I have planned it is easier on the pavements)  Auriol want to stay out of the woods today.  

So what I had planned was sprints between lampposts!  Interval running as it is lovingly known.  For the first mile though it was a gently jog up Hazlemere, Great Thrift and Woodside until we got to the Memorial Hall.  A quick stretch out and then just a jog over the bridge to Petts Wood high street.  That's where the fun began.  From there it was a jog to one lamppost then sprint to the next, slow it down to the next one, bring up the pace and then sprint!  Auriol was all for it.  And she did really well, all the way through the high street and the Tudor way, although we jogged on the skinnier pavement under the bridge. 

With just about a quarter of a mile to the rec we stopped the intervals and just jogged at her own pace all the way back!  It was a brilliant session, I do believe we shall have another graduate to group 1 very soon.

Geeky stats.

Group 1

SingstarJo was our leader today, and she has her 'Non Flat' Flat route in mind today.  I was looking forward to it.  Although I pushed myself along with Auriol with the sprint running, I was still feeling fairly good, although I did say that I could always cut the run short by going through the short cuts if I find it too difficult! Although that is negative thinking, so I will try not to think about that.

I was going be sweeper, a the back, I think I do my best running from the back anyway (a great new excuse for my book of excuses) It's less pressure and if I really, really wanted to I could walk a bit.  But today, as I pushed Auriol and told myself that, as the sweeper I will only walk if the person directly in front of me walks, after all it's not very good for the sweeper to pass by group members.

JJ and Janet were also at the back with me, just like old times, and also Tendo was one of the back runners.  JJ and Janet have been running brilliantly over the past years and group 1 is now one of the best social runs going.  They tend to push themselves at park run, but group 1 members, well we do love to chat.  We virtually chatted all the way round todays run!  I was loving it.  

When we arrived at the green in front of the catholic church, I was really tempted to take the short cut back to the rec.  And that is after crossing the bridge, then just carry on straight down Petts Wood road and then turning left into Crossways.  The rest of the group would take the left turn to go up and down the undulations before turning right into Crossways.

Well, I said I was tempted but I thought, ''Stuff it" (or words to that effect) "I am going to go the longer way" And so I carried on with the rest of group 1, running on Woodside for the third time this evening!

A fabulous run though, and I can really feel in my legs that I have done some work today!  It was just so what I needed! Perfectly paced, perfect company as always and just perfect weather, to boot!

Geeky stats

A Rocking Time At The Rec.

Hello blog lovers.

Well that was an interesting Thursday core session! I was leading it! Technology is all well and good, just not in my hands and not while I am leading a session!  On our warm up drills I accidentally deleted my planned session for today!  Oh well I shall have to just wing it!

It was a fun session (I think!) we had punk bands and rock bands 'turn up' plus invisible relay team members!  Let me explain.

All was going well until we all got to the rec only to find the footballers in our patch! In front of the pavilion! The cheek of it! So we did a quick lap of the whole rec and ended up at the top of the rec, under the tree, just so that we could have a bench for out stuff but, apparently, this is where the mozzies live.  The obviously didn't want to go 'out for dinner' and munch on the footballers at the parvilion, no we were like a delivery for them, a take away food for them!

It's still was going to be a fun session. I  was determined it will be.  First of was our drills. Now this is

where I had my first thought of a band come into my head.  It was a Punk band and it was  Matt the Mat that made me think of! Never Mind the B*****x, Sex Pistols. I'm not saying that he looks anything like Sid Vicious, but all who was there know what I'm talking about!  I checked my iPhone, my notes section, and saw that we start off nice and gently then pick it up a bit and then push it a tad more to get really nicely warmed up and ready for the first of our running sections. But, today being 'one of those days, on our second drill I accidentally deleted the whole of the notes for todays session!

So now I am just going to have to wing it!  I can remember some of them, it may not be in the same order, but I am sure it will still work!  And I can remember what we were going to do for the running sections, it was just the timings I couldn't remember! Still,  no worries, I shall just have to keep a close eye on the time.

After the drills it was the first of the running sections.  I chose pyramids, everyone knows pyramids and there is just the six of us it was easy to do.  I split us all into two teams and explained the pyramids, because we did have one new comer to our Thursday sessions.  The grass was a bit slippery but we all managed to stay upright.  Six of us in two teams, my team I had Marmite David and Suzanne and in the other team was SingstartJo, Hilary and Matt the Mat, and we were putting the footballers to shame with our speedy runs to three different markers!  Matt The Mat's mat, my drink and SingstarJo's drink.

Next it was the core work out. And Matt the Mat's mat was indeed very useful again, (we already used it as a marker in the pyramids) Work the arms, work the legs, work the arms and legs, work the stomach then work the back. All carefully planned!  But of course, today being 'one of those days' the rain came down so hard earlier the ground was a tad wet and of course slipperyy, I might have to change some things.

So no notes, wet slippery ground, midges feasting off our lovely warm aerated blood in our bodies, I started the team on the core training section.  1 minute each of 5 disciplines, which did include laying on their backs doing stomach crunches!  So I had to be a bit inventive, ok, so one of the others suggested doing two different disciplines at a time, two on the mat doing the crunches and the other three on the bench doing bicep dips!  It worked well! But first was everybodys favourite, burpees.  We could all share a piece of  the mat too, as we only needed to put our hands down. The rest of the core exercises followed, probably not in the order that I had planned (and carefully thought out too!)

Next it was our second running section.  I had planned relays. Now bare with me,  read it all first, then will know that I did actually realise the mistake, but only after we started! You probably think I've lost it (probably not far off it it truth be knowwn) I split us all into to three teams of two! Left three at one end of the pitch and three of us walked up to the other side.  As soon as we got to the other side then those left at the start will run up tag their team mate who will then run back to the beginning to tag!   Now do you see the mistake!  I didn't when I suggested three teams!

Of course there was no one to tag the other end!  So I just called out to the others that as soon as they

saw their team mate stop at the other end then they were to start running!  We were going to do this for 12 minutes!  It was tough.  After a couple of runs like that I decided that we would rearrange the dynamics of the teams and make two teams of three instead!  This way we were getting a bit longer to rest before we had to start running again.  And his is where the next member of a famous band appeared.  SingstarJo had reminded my that I had put make up today (it's quite unusual that I have make up on during the day) but today I did, and the running of course made my face melt!  My face was probably around my knees now, making me look like Eric Carr from Kiss!!

Still it was a great session,  with just a gentle jog to warm down before some stretching out of our muscles!

Just one of those days!

A Short Run

Hello Blog lovers,

It's so good to be writing this as it means I am back to running.  Two days in a row now, ok, so nice and short ones, not speedy, but you can rush these things.  And I also did some core training this morning!  Yes I was working, so what did I do? I got the children to 'play along' with me, see if the can do as many reps of each discipline as they can.  I don't know why I didn't think of it before after all just 1 minute of 5 disciplines only takes out 5 minutes of your day!  You can do that at work! In fact I might 'challenge people to take five minutes out of their day to do a five minute core workout for 1 week!

Anyway, so here I am, feeling nicely achy after yesterdays first run. I was going to do just another short 2 miler or so, at a slightly faster pace than yesterday, at least that was what I hoped.  A little bit more of a push but not too much!  I set my Garmin up, hat on, shoes on and then out the door!  I was smiling!

Just to stop myself from thinking about how fast I was before I hurt my back, I went a different way, I turned right instead of left and started towards my local park.  I thought I would just run up Parkfield and then down Southborough Lane and home.  A very short run, but I was feeling quite good so as I was running through the park I carried on to the next exit and ran along Magpie Hall Lane and then run down Green Way.  At least I would have no idea of what time I would have, and so no pressure.

I had some good tunes playing in my ears and it was making for a nice 'easing back to running' run. Of course I had some stopping sections, where I did some walking, but that is something that I shall work ok over the next few months.  Maybe just work on my pacing a bit.  I had some great tunes that I could run to the beat with.  I used those songs to make sure that I didn't stop running until the end of the song.  But then a real good song came on, its one of my favs to run along too, especially when I am feeling a bit tired and want to walk even more, its Tina Turners Nut Bush City,

I was running along passed The Chequers pub with this nicely easy paced kind of running going on, with my arms 'dancing' as I went along. I must look completely whacko when this song comes in my ears.  I must get someone to capture the moment on video one day!

It was a good run though, and I was glad that I decided not to do the whole of my usual route, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much.  I was feeling a bit shaky just before I left my house anyway, i think its a 'cold turkey' thing going on, I am cutting out sugar and beer, only just having one day a week for letting my hair down and enjoying a glass of ale or lager!

So my geeky stats for todays run, I think I am quite pleased with the results. Put it this way, there is still room for improvement but I have been tons and tons slower!

Leader, lead yourself!

Hello blog lovers.

I'M BACK. And boy did it feel good! The title of todays blog is kind of based on a proverb from  Luke 4:23  'Physician, heal yourself' just in case you were wondering.  And it did feel a bit like that when I arrived at the Rec.  I was feeling apprehensive about running, but also that I could also be holding my heroes group.

There were three heroes today, or I should say four as I am including  me as a member come leader today.  My last run was on the 17th July, and now its the 12th August, so it has been a while.  But when I was waiting for the others I was starting to feel very excited, very happy to be out and about to go running again.

Our route was going through the woods today.  All the while the days are bright then the woods is the only place to go.  It's peaceful, it's soft underfoot, it smells so fresh!  I just couldn't even contemplate running on pavements, who would eh?

We started our run, once we all said hi to each other, while we were still in the carpark!  I couldn't wait!  The four members of Group Zero to Hero, out running, me, Ariol, Denise and Jo.  We have had a bit of rain lately and I had no idea what the woods would be like, but I wasn't bothered and neither were the other ladies.  Jo seems to be able to 'glide' over the muddier holes anyway as her shoes are normally splatter free when we get back to the rec.  How does she do that?

We went straight up the hill in the middle of the woods.  I didn't know how I was going to fare with that particular part of our run!  I felt sure I will be the first to walk and as it happened I was!  The other ladies did brilliantly, and I am sure Ariol got even further than she did last time I was with her!  Denise and Jo were just flying up there.

But once we got to the top it is all just so gorgeous, you feel you can run for ever when running that particular part of the woods.  We tippy toed, hopped and jumped over the muddier stickier parts of the path, we 'sashaed' over puddles and roots, oh my, it was just so good to be out.  Even the weather was for us this evening.  A perfect temperature, no wind or rain, it was just super.

As we started to run down back to 'Dog Poo' ally I realised that we had actually got quite a bit of time left and asked them all if they wanted to just pop along to the two bridges before coming out of the woods.  They all agreed!

A perfect comeback run today, with some lovely ladies!  I'm back!

Geeky stats



A great run.