It's my double groups today! Love doing this, I love encouraging others along, and it's brilliant when I go on to the next group and see some of the Heroes back into group 1!
Group 0
We have quite a few members today, 8 of us all ready to hit the hill this evening. Birchwood! It's has to be done. After our usual warm ups, some dynamic skips, lunges, jogging and stuff, we were all warm enough to get going. The hill or the incline as I try to think of them is at the beginning of our run, when we have tons of energy. Where it may hurt is when we hit Woodside, and Great Thrift, those little undulations can be quite tough little blighters!
Everyone did the hill really well, up and up. We turned the corner and then took a little break just at the top. Then it was down and down and down. The best bit of the run, you can relax your legs and arms and just let the momentum of the down hill do all the work! I could see all the runners up in front as I led from the back. And a pink jacket, who I thought was Tracey, as I didn't see her fall behind me up the hill! All the down to Crossways we ran and then took another little break before going straight up to the memorial hall.
It was then that Tracey came from behind me, I had been looking at the front of the pack thinking that everyone was there, but Tracey was still behind me. She was keeping up with us but was just a tad behind the rest of us. She said that it was fine, she was keeping up, and to carry on. But I don't like to have anyone behind me, I prefer to be able to see all! I can't wait for the summer days! It just reminded me of what an important job a sweeper does when you're out running in groups in the dark!
Now with Tracey by my side we stared up the little incline together! Right to the top near the hall. Everybody did well and waited for me and Tracey. Now it's just this long road back to the Crossways and the rec.
The speedier members of the group got into their groove and started on along the road, then there were the middle runners, chatting away and running along behind them and then us lot at the back, sweeping along making sure no one gets behind us.
back at the rec and we all did our cool down stretches. A good run. Heres the geeky stats.
Group 1
I waited around for the next run. I didn't get as cold as I did last week and I thought I would be mixing up with the pack this evening. Just goes to show though, things don't always go how you think it would go.
I was feeling really up for group 1 running, and was looking forward to SingstarJo's route, especially when she said that we would be going down Cardiac hill! But for some reason I just couldn't keep up with the pack! Of course I said it was because SingstarJo is totally on fire with her running lately, totally annihilating her 10k pb! But she was totally on pace with the run, (when we eventually caught up with her at the first scheduled stop) "It's 11:30 mi/m pace" she said! So, what excuse could I use for not keeping up!
I think sometimes it's just one of the things. You think you can do really well because you 'feel' it and then load on tons of minutes to you pace so that it looks like the pace you are doing is like you're pushing a car up hill with the brakes on! And the other times you do a run that you thinks is so unbelievable slow that the time keep has given up and gone home, and you come romping home smashing a pb!
Well, that's how I am going to look at it anyway. SingstarJo did say that she planned another little stop just at the top of the road by the 'Off license'. I will be needing it by then as this road we are about to run on is another little undulating road. But when we got over the little bridge and saw the shop the group seemed to disappear down the side of it, there was no little gathering waiting for the back markers. SingstarJo didn't stop there!
We carried on down the road towards Petts Wood, we were going to go down Shepperton, which, if she goes the usual way, is another undulating road! Imagine the relief on my face when she didn't turn left when we got to the cross roads but instead we ran straight on, over the road. Straight on to finish running along Shepperton and then turn right. It's the shorter way to the little green on Southborough Lane.
After a little break there it was all go, non stop to the rec. Just as we were running up towards the high street someone noticed a glove on the floor, I bent down and picked it up. "That's what sweepers are for" said Illustrious Leader who was sweeping with me at the back! Two very good reasons to have sweepers I say!
Geeky stats.
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