Sunday 29 November 2015

Operation 'Helping Hand......I mean Foot!'

Hello blog lovers

I'm a little late with writing this up, I have been a bit 'lax about my running and writing up.  But that must and will change!  I know it!

This Wednesday I was at Normans park in the afternoon ready to help Tanya get up to speed.  She has been through the beginners course twice now, and although she has completed it,  her pace is still not quite there for group 1.  But now also, group 0 has moved to 8:00 pm, and the pace is still just that little bit out of her range....for now!

So what can she do?  Well, she can keep going, keep on solo running, try to get her pace up to speed.  She could just put the jog pants on and get out there and do it. But sometimes that is hard to do when you're on your own, the mojo just runs and hides when there is no one else to keep it company.  I know what I'm like, I procrastinate, I avoid, I find other things to do, I let  'life' push away my running and cycling days so much that I just haven't 'got time' any more to do it.  All because I didn't have that 'added' pressure of being able to meet up and run with others.

So what can I do to help?  Meet up with her on mornings/afternoons that we both have free!  So last Wednesday was the first time we had managed to meet up since the beginners had graduated.  She came and collected me from my house and we drove over to Normans Park.  It was a tad windy and bit chilly, but otherwise a perfect day for running.  She had also bought another running buddy along, her little pooch Max!

I had planned to do an interval session with her, just one lap of the park doing the interval running, with a one lap warm up before hand.  Tanya was sufferingwith a bit of pain though.  Her hip had started to hurt a couple of days before hand.  She didn't want to cancel yet another Wednesday Workout and she really has got the bit between her teeth, she really wants to be part of Petts Wood runners.  So like all runners continued with what she had planned and hoped that it wouldn't get worse.

We ran the first lap, all the way round virtually non-stop (well the pooch had a 'pit-stop' which needed to be sorted out) but her hip was just starting to play up a bit.  I asked her if she wanted to do some of the interval running, if her hip would allow her to!  She was so keen. I  cut it down to just running up the long straight (think Normans Park Parkrun!).  Choosing bins, benches and trees as our focus points to get to.

We jogged to the first targeted point on the long straight, and then we ran faster to the next point, then jogged and then walked.  My plan is walk/jog/run/jog/walk etc, all the way to the second building and then back down again.  It will be about a quarter of a mile in all of interval running.

But the ache in Tanya's leg just proved too much for her.  We managed to get  half way BACK to the car park before we just finished the  first operation of  'Get Tanya Group 0 Fit'  She will get there, I know it.  It's going to be hard work but I feel she is determined to do it this time!  I have advised her to get it all checked by the doctor, just to be sure.

Well done Tanya, we will continue, we will succeed:



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