Three In One

PWR's Train Runners!

Hello blog lovers.

I have been a bit 'lax on writing up my blogs, so a quick summery of the first two and a slightly more in depth of todays.

Thursday Morning run

So the first one was Thursday morning, with just athree other ladies we headed on my new favourite 'wet winter' route, through the parks and my estate, up to Petts Wood and back to the rec.  A great run, about 4 miles or so.  It was raining slightly on the way to the rec and I had put my cycling rain jacket on, but really I needn't of bothered as it was quite warm.  I was glad that we were running along my road as I pop my jacket into my mother in laws house!  A lovely run though with me mates!

Geeky stats.

Beginners Course

The second one is all about Saturdays beginners group.  Our first beginners group of the year led by Helen, and the weather was.......awful!  It was raining and a bit chilly!  But that didn't stop a great number people turning up ready to get fit for the summer!

The going was, shall we say very, very soft! After a couple of laps of the park we did some warm up drills and then straight into the session, 1 min jogging and 5 minutes walking!  Everyone managed to do the whole session, with no walking during the running bits!  So hopefully during the week where they continue with 'homework' next week and Hels up's the anti!

Train run

And the rest of the gang!

So, to the last run.  It was the train run. Up at a sparrows fart to meet Michelle and Denise at the rec, as arranged, and thank goodness, as it was a great incentive for me. I shall explain in a second.   Michelle drove us to the St Mary Cray train station to meet all the other keen runners to do the train runs.  I will tell you now, (and I am digging out one of my old excuses for doing a poorly run) I had family celebrations last night. My sister Bims is 50 today and we had a party for her last night, so I was feeling rather delicate.  I went into total couch potato days, (well apart from I was dancing as well) but I mean the whole shebang! Pints of beer, down stairs for a ciggie!  And me, training for a marathon!

So there were all were, on the train going to Swanley and some of the faster longer distant runners are going to Borough Green and Wrotham, about 17 miles run back, and then us shorter distance runners (I know I should be on the longer run, but they are just way to fast for me!) we got off at Swanley.

I am sure, by now, that you all know I live in a very undulating area.  There are so many hills around my here and also some rather nasty little blighters for when you come in to my nearer home,  Polhill, Star Hill, Crockenhill Road, and now so I have discovered, the one we did today!

When people found out I was out partying last night they were all surprised that I was there, in fact so was I!  I literally just go out of bed, got dressed and walked out the door, remembering to grab a bit of change for my train ticket!  Daft really, I should have taken some water, I should have got up earlier and had something to eat! In fact, I shouldn't have had quite as much beer as I did!  But still, it was Bim's 50th!

I had hoped that I wouldn't be too slow, after all, this is all self inflicted and I shouldn't make others wait because of me!  When we got off the train Illustrious Leader said a few words about the route and then we just started running.  Well, what else would we do!  We started running at 11:10 m/mi, straight away! No kind , gentle warm up mile, even for half a mile.  So, there will be no taking it easy on the hungover Old Girl then!  And nor should there be, I might add, nor should there be! Gulp!

For the first mile I kept them in my sights, they started stretching away from me from about 3/4 of a mile in.  But as long as I could see them I will be fine, and I know I.L. will never lose anyone! So I plodded along, and the the sun shone, there was a breeze, but at least there was no rain.  The roads were wet as it had been raining early morning, I was just so grateful that it had stopped!  The first mile went fairly quickly but I was glad to see them stop to  have a catch up, I can't quite remember how far into the run we were, but let me tell you I was very happy for the break.

But soon the undulations started, soon the hills were all we could see!  I knew they was there, even before I said I would come on today's run.  Me and the Old Boy cycle up this hill, maybe not on this particular road, but this hill which I see as like a ridge surrounding the towns and villages.  So I knew it was going to happen, I even knew after my niece told me when her mums party was going to be! Yet still I came!

The hill looked horrendous in my foggy brain, it could be climbing all the way to heaven, as that is how I saw it.  The group got further and further away from me, but again I wasn't worried.  It was a long straight road and we are running all the way up!  I.L. came and ran with me after telling the others that if they get to the top and don't want to wait then they can loop back and come back down!  Just then memories of a film came to mind, a not very nice film mind, Full Metal Jacket! Where the slower soldier attracts the wrath of his fellow recruits when he fails to keep up with any of the tasks!

I must say, though, no matter how slow any of our runners are in each of the groups, there has never been anyone to complain!  The only one that seems to comment anything, are the ones that are slow, and they are just apologising for being slow!  What they never say is, "I won't come back next week"  What they do say is "See you next week!"

So there I was, traipsing up this blooming hill, and just when you think it may be the end, just around the next bend.....it goes up again!  "I had forgotten just how hilly this is" says I.L. to me.  I am sure it's part of the training to be a LiRF, keep things fun, and sometimes I am sure it will be more fun not to mention the hills! Best forget, then and it can be a surprise for the leader as well!

The down hill was good, (the other side of the ridge), but I couldn't help wondering, 'wouldn't it be nice to just go straight through a tunnel, a nice flat route!' But then of course, you wouldn't experience the fresh air, the fields, the sounds of the country side, the smells!  So onwards and upwards/downwards we go.

The others were doing so well, I looked up and saw Michelle, I remembered when she first arrived at the club, a Tuesday night, her and her friend, and now she is running in group 2!  I put it down to the fact she is younger, and probably didn't abuse herself as much as I did over the years! thats my excuse and I am sticking with it!

There was some flat bits as well, running with the blue sky above was just simply uplifting, I just wish it had pain relief in it as well, my head was a little delicate, my legs were sore from all the dancing and my feet were still complaining after being shoved in stiletto hills for 6 and half hours!  But still, it was a good night!

The time seemed to go really quickly and we were soon in the built up area, I couldn't really believe that we were nearly done with our run!  We had a little park to run through which came out in the Nugent Centre, a shopping centre, that looked as if it was just waking up!  I couldn't really take it in, we are at the shopping centre already!  Ok, I was slow, and no, my running buddies didn't poke me with sticks to make me keep up, they were just ahead of me waiting to cross the main road.  I caught up with them on the island in the road.  I.L. then told us about the nasty little blighter of a hill, "Its steep but it's only a very, very short hill, just up to the station!" She said, with maybe just a slight hint of an apologetic tone to her voice.

It was the last bit of road, I just had to do as much of it as I could,  I saw the others disappear around the corner, then when I came round it I was faced with this vertical wall, with all the others climbing up it, ......with out ropes!  I started running up it, I kept my focus on the ones in front, I just want to do this bit, I just want to run the last bit of this run.  I failed!! Not only that, but one of the others, the only male in our group today, decided to do the hill again. He came flying down it and then started to run up it!  I could hear him, he was saying "It hurts!" And it did!  It was then that I started running again, I just had to finish it, no matter how much hill there was left to climb, I was going to finish running!

I came running up and I could see all the other runners by the station, at least I was running, that statement seemed to be my mantra today as I.L. said it to me a couple of times! Either that or "Quick lets run" as some of the others did loop backs!  I can't remember seeing if the chap (sorry can't recall his name) overtook me or I got to the top before he got there (for the second time) or not.  But I was so glad it was all over! And so pleased I had done it, despite the fact that I was a bit jaded!

Denise and Michelle were both totally thrilled they had done their first train run as well.  We were back earlier than we thought and so we decided to go to Saints and Sinners for a coffee!

A very good run!  Looking forward to doing it all again....

Geeky stats!