Trails for Trial!

Hello blog lovers.

Are they smiling!

Just because the the beginners course has finished, does that mean my Wednesday training session should stop? Nah, I don't think so.  There is so much more to running around the streets or loops of a park.  There is the woods!  I know Tracy has been through the woods before but the other two ladies that were with me today haven't!  Pavement pounding has its merrits, running races comes with the bling, but for total sheer enjoyment then running through the woods has to top all running! Unless of course you combine all of that, which is exactly what our 10k has done! By the way, if you're not a PWR member and you love running, then I would so recomend this....Petts Wood 10k, try it out, its brilliant!

I picked up Tracy on the way to the rec and I could see Tanya already there with Carole.  But it was a lovely surprise to see J.J. there too with little fluffy Lilly, her little pooch, she just happened to be passing by.  So after just a little chat we all set off, including J.J. in her everyday shoes, and cute as a button Lilly, and he wanted to run, the dog not J.J. although had she known about today she may have been tempted!  We went in through Dog Poo ally.  I was only going to do a short route, about 2.5 miles or there abouts.  Running through the woods is quite different from running on the roads, there is just so much difference in the terrain.  Plus there is all that fresh air, a girl could get quite dizzy on the stuff!

I took them up the middle path, do the second worst route, which sounds a contradiction in terms as how can any part of running in the fresh air be worse!  Once we were at the top then I was going to try and find that path again, the one that leads to the housing estate with the lovely big house.   Tracy had done this hill before about 2 years ago, but for Carole and Tanya it's a new experience. So added a little bit of road to the run may just appease them!

As soon as you step on the other side of that rail line it's like stepping into another world.  Gone are the car fumes, gone are pavements and tarmac.  Even the traffic going pass seems to just fade out as the birdsong reaches your ears.  I feel sure that they will love this woods/trail running malarky!  We started up the hill, the middle path, of course it's up hill straight away.  I thought it best to just get it out of the way and then we can start to focus on exactly where we are, in peace and tranquitly!........and then I heard........"This hill goes on for a bit......"  "How much further to the top....." "It's a lot harder running in here than on the streets......"  Ok, so some motivational talking and chatting is going to be need here, the green of the leaves, the bird song, the lack of car fumes and traffic is obviously an aquired taste!  Like beer!  Come on, who really like the taste of beer first off, I bet hardly anyone did!  But you taste it again and again, then you try others and you can taste the different!   I am hoping that these ladies will 'taste the difference' with the trail running!

Nope, not moving!

At least they let go of the tree! 

We eventually got to the top of the hill, with a break for a photo shoot, here see them, clinging to the tree!  And so to find that path!  If I had to bet that I would bet I get it wrong, I would be quids in!  I shall get it right soon, even if I have to go the other way, and make some chalk marks on trees! I can find my way going in the opposite direction but going this way I just get it wrong.  Still, it makes for an interesting run, and it is still within the milage I wanted to do, in fact it's probably less with I am sure the ladies will appreciate!

We popped out on the busy road, not quite as far as I wanted, but we still had a gate opposite where we could get into Scadbury Park.  This bit is nice and flat, so I am sure the girls will love it, oh and Max too, how can I forget little Max, Tanyas little pooch!  He is loving all this running lark, he is not sure which pair of legs he likes to run next to!  And it is so much nicer to run off the leash too.  We had to cross of Leesons Hill and then just through the back of some trees before cross back over the busy road.  I have always thought of this as Chislehurst Road, but its Orpington Road, I know have have said this before.........and I know I am going to say it again! Lousy memory!

We we soon back over the road and running along side the rail lines towards Dog Poo ally.  The last of the paths of the woods and then we were back into 'the other world'. Pavements, traffic, noise!  I was hoping I have convinced them of the virtures of trail/woods running.  At least it's during the summer months, I had a feeling that I wouldn't convince them if we had gone for a mud fest!

A good run, a good first time woody run for my running pals!  Here's the geeky stats.