Did The Dozen!

Hello blog lovers.

I finally managed to keep going for that elusive 12 miles!  It was tough towards the end but having Wendimoo there was deffo a great help!

So lets start at the beginning.  Wendimoo came over to my house in her car.  She was as determined as I was in completing today's task.  We were running it today as yesterday was mothers day.  Now I know some mums did actually go out and ran, but my idea of a perfect mothers day is having my entire family over, shared lunch and rounders on the green (but we didn't play rounders as the weather was just too bad!) And just chilling.  Anyway, not only did she want to start from my house she was also going to make sure she was heading back this way and finish here by leaving her keys in my house!

I felt quite positive about todays run, I had my right head on.  I was just hoping the old body was going to let me do it!  Wendimoo, being an early bird, had made some homemade flapjacks.  She was experimenting with healthier options of her flat jacks, and was up this morning making them.  She bought some for me and for Bims.  That is going to be most welcomed and enjoyed half way through the run.

I chose to do the route that we had tried previously, when J.J. was with us for the first 5 or so miles.  We ran along to Hollingworth road, get up this hill, its shorter and sharper than going along to Chesham!  Besides although I had only just got out of bed, well about an hour before, so I could shove a banana down my throat, I thought I would have tons more energy.

My energy levels are depleting as of late.  I don't think I am over doing it, but I am blaming not getting a full nights sleep!  I don't know about you other ladies out there reading this, those ladies that are of a certain age, waking up two to three times in the night sweating like I am in a sauna, I am sure is not doing me any good!

That hill was just like nothing!  I can say that, because we were not even half a mile into our run!.  But looking back at my blogs, I can see that I can get up there a lot better than I used to!  This is why I love writing about my exercises!  It motivates me, it shows me that I have improved, and continue to improve, and also just cos I love chatting about something that I love doing!

Wendimoo kept me focused on my running.  Just love listening to her.  Running with a buddy has got to be the way to go when you are training for a marathon.  Especially for runners like me and Wendimoo, the not so fast runners, the plodders and joggers.  It is tough and the more encouragement and support you get the better.

After doing the cinder path we ran around the loop, the loop that I used to always avoid when I have ran with group 1 on club nights, and again I was surprised at how I felt running this.  I am deffo not going to stand around on the corner again when we come this way with group 1.

After the little loop we turned left and ran towards Orpington, going through Palace estates, (I think thats what it is called anyway).  The walking section happened on the down hill, I really wanted to keep running, which I did for a short while, but I decided to stick to my plan, and take my walking break.

The run seemed to be going really quickly, but I know that I wasn't running any faster.  I think it was because I was more positive.  I think you need to have a positive attitude when you do a long run, you need ok weather to complete it.  Being wet and cold, with the rain feeling like tiny pin pricks on your skin when it hits you, does not put you in a great frame of mind.

We were soon looking at Cardiac Hill, both me and Wendimoo KNEW we are going to run to the top!  There was no, "I think I can make it in one go"  We knew we could.  I was going to take a quick break at the top to give Bims a call!  We started on the hill, I didn't even think that I couldn't do it, I didn't even think that its "too hard I want to stop"  I just did it.  I followed behind Wendimoo as she ran all the way up too!

I gave Bims a call at the top and took the opportunity to catch my breath "We are about 25 mins away now, so see you on Blackbrook lane, next to Thornet Wood Road" That is exactly what I told her, just wait there, and we will see you.  Simple instrutions!  Ok, I had to remind her that we will not be doing Summer Hill, and that we will be running through the Jubilee Park, but at least she knew now, exactly where to meet us!

We ran along Crossways, on to Hazelmere, Great Thrift and then Little Thrift.  On through the path by the rail way and then through the Park.  Our water was getting low, so I suggested to Wendimoo that we ask the Bickly Manor Hotel to be kind enough to refill our water.  They were more than willing to do so.  We ran along Thornet Wood Road and then waited.  I chose then, 6 miles into our run, to have my flapjack.  We were waiting for Bims, it was a great opportunity.

The weather was also changing, it was getting colder.  I know just standing around does make you cold but there was a definite change in temperature.  Bims was taking ages, I ran her phone but there was no reply.  We decided to just walk up towards the station and hope that she will come around the corner any minute!  She did, by the way, but not the corner that we thought!  She came out of Thornet Wood Lane!

She didn't wait on Blackbrook, like I had suggested, she decided to run along the road and head towards Jubilee Park in hope of bumping into us!  We had missed each other while we were refilling our water bottles!  Anyway, once all was sorted, Bims giving her pressie of flapjack we carried on our run.

Up Oldfield road and through the park.  We were all still feeling pretty good.  Bims decided that she would like to share my water, she had come out with out any water!  I still had about 5 and half miles to do and there she was drinking my hyrdation system away!

The A21 next, but fortunately only for a short while, just until we got to Hayes Lane.  Thats when Bims said that we could refill our refilled bottles at A.T. Launders, the garage down there.  Of course, I don't know why I didn't think of that!  Bim's ex owns this garage, he certainly wouldn't mind our 'pitstop'.  I didn't mind her drinking a bit extra after we decided that is what we were going to do! Mind you when we popped in there we had to prove to the mechanics that we wasn't stopping off after only doing two miles!  "Hang about, before you fill that water bottle, how many miles have you done already"   I think he was impressed when we had told him we had just nearly done 8.5 miles!

It felt like heading on home when we got to Normans Park.  And we were!  Not far to go.  Bims left us at the gate at Hook Farm Road and me and Wendimoo turned right and ran along to Trinity Church, with Wendimoo literally pushing me along, and then turned left.  We got to Turn Around Lamppost and I knew we were going to have to do a little bit more before going back to my house.  With only half a mile to go we would be short of our planned 12 miles.

I said to Wendimoo that we will have to run around the field to get the last half a mile.  But in fact I knew it would slightly over!  As long as my Garmin says 12 miles then I don't mind.  Wendimoo didn't mind either, she had started her Garmin just a few minutes after mine so she had missed some of the route on hers, and she really wanted her Garmin to read 12 miles to.

As you can see my Garmin reads 12 miles with a little bit extra!  Not too bad, I was feeling really sore, by back was twinging, my legs were complaining and I was feeling just a little bit sick!  But after a cuppa and a chat with Wendimoo all was right with the world!

Geeky stats.