This morning I decided that we needed to go through the woods. It was such great fun last week with the whole padding through a river, I needed to feel the woods under my feet. I saw on the Facebook group chat that DiscoRich was heading in the woods, and now that I know my group don't mind getting a bit wet then it was through the woods we go.
We had a defector from DiscoRichs group to mine, David (he wasn't feeling in a faster running mood) and a new Thursday morning runner, Trish who noticed from my blogs that Thursday morning runs take place!
I gave everyone the route that we will be doing and it was all agreeable! Our route was up the middle of the woods turn left to run along the top of the woods, up the undulations and........well, I am sure by now you know the route! I do like this route, but this time we are going to be running all the way down Goss lane and out on to the road as I wanted to go through Jubilee Park so that we can bash the mud of our shoes!
Boy was there mud! Just going up the middle path there was mud. It was a lot easier to run in the place that we all look at and think "No way am I running in that" as it is, actually the best option. For a start your not worried about looking where in particular to put your foot down, the sloping of the path finishes where it is the deepest bit, so it will be flatter, no twisting ankles, and besides........it's great to be a kid again and go splashing around in the mud! Trish even said that if took her back to her childhood, slashing and walking about in The mud!
It was a slow slog though, going through sticky wet and slippy mud is hard going. I am sure we use more energy running through the mud than we do going on the road! The bid that I do always worry about is the path just after we crossed over Botany Bay Lane, and running along the path there. It's quite narrow, very wet and lumpy. I am always worried about slipping and grabbing left on to the barbed wire! Along paths I hate to see barb wire, I feel it is totally unnecessary!
Going down Goss hill was interesting! We tried to run down but of course there were some very sticky patches and when you try to slow down it seems as if you can't because if you do you feel as if you are going to slip over! Most peculiar! We soon reached the end of this path and came out on to the road. There was a big puddle just on the side of the road, I decided to wade through it and give my shoes a bit of a clean!
The rest of the run was on the roads and the path of Jubilee Park. The sun came out just as we got inside the park, it looked glorious! It looked warm and I felt warm, but I think that was due to the exertion rather than the weather! We went over the bridge and came out into Little thrift. We had a decision to make, more mud or more pavement. I think Janet had made up her mind that she had done the mud now, bashed it off her shoes and was ready to just finish up on the roads! So we turned right and then left to continue the rest of our run to the rec! David did try and get us to do one more slight incline which was up Towncourt road to go into the rec from the other gate! We all decided to just go straight down Cross ways and get to the rec as quick as we could.!
A great run with the Thursdays group 1's, I do enjoy this session, running through the woods!
Geeky stats.
Track Session
It's cold.....its bloody cold now. I could quite easily have sat and chatted to my Auntie Eve, who was here earlier this evening, and drank more tea! But a plan is a plan, and I need to stick to it if I am to lose this spare Arctic lorry tyre I found round my waist! After a very disappointing Wednesday Weigh In with the Petts Wood Reducers group, I need to keep pushing on. All though my fellow Reducers kept my spirits up and told me to "look to the long term".Todays track session was the tempo run which takes us out of the track after doing one and three quarter laps first, after seven and a half minutes to turn around and run back until we hear the whistle blow at 15 mins. I remember last year and how far I got out of the park. I wanted to get to that point, at least. I know I have got slow and sluggish so we will just have to see.
CoachHels led us in a quick warm up, as the session needs to be precise and we set off on the first of the 15 mins tempo runs. After just doing one lap I knew that I wouldn't get to the place along the road that I did last year, I was even wondering if I would get out of the car park, let along on the road! I saw all the other trackers heading out of the track and I still had at least 100 meters or maybe more to go before I got to the gate.
I kept an eye on my watch, my new fabulous Garmin, do I love this watch, it's on my arm permanently! Counting my steps, recording my sleep, telling my my calories! I wish it would make me run faster! I was at the gate and still time to keep running forward, admittedly not much time, and I was right, I was quite a lot slower that last year! I guess having something to train for is a big motivator! But this year I just really want to have fun with my running again, enter the fun, social runs with my pals.
I turned around and started heading back to the track, feeling a bit disappointed with my self. But I guess it took me 9 months to get this heavy and slow and it's not going to happen over night. Think long term, train like I want to win and stop fecking moaning that it's not like last year!
Back at the track and I continued to run around waiting for the whistle to blow at 15 minutes. After that we had four 3 minute laps to do with 90 second rests between, switching direction half way through each 3 mins. That was tough, I really gave myself a telling. We all started together, there must be about 25 people all on the start line. I stood at the back each time, and when we started running I watched everyone fade into the distance as we ran the laps! I just plodded out behind them! I will not be discouraged. My running buddies wouldn't let me get discouraged! Every time they pass by me I hear "Go on Donna, keep going!" From all the ranges of group runners from 2-8's (I am not sure how many groups are represented at track, but I am flying the flag for group 0's)
After the that it was back to the tempo run, but this time I just stayed on the track and did my tempo run around there. it was pretty dark out in the car park, and being tired I just knew I wouldn't lift my feet up!
A great session, thanks again to CoachHels and PhysioMike! I just need to work so hard now to get back to the fitness level I was last year.
Geeky stats.
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