I can't believe this weather, it's like a final throw of summer. I just wished the sun stayed out though so we could enjoy running more in the woods. But as it is, we have just enough light to run for about half a mile before we need to 'pop' out onto the pavements.
I did a new route today, I thought maybe the group will be getting bored of running along the same roads, and sometimes we do need to experience new routes, just so that we don't too comfy, too much routine in our usual routes. I know from personal experience about psychological mile posts, or half mile post. The bits of the route where you say to yourself "Ok, I can stop here, because this is where I stopped last time"
I got busy with MapMyRun and planned a route, it looked like Doctor Who's little K9 character, with a bit of imagination! I mapped it, out, I saved it and then I posted it on the FaceBook page. Only then did I just take a look at the profile of the run! I knew about the first hill, because it's something we do regularly, but then I noted the other little incline! Hmmm. I won't mention it at the briefing, I shall say it's a new route!
We had 13 of us in group 1 and Wendimoo was back with us! It's been a while since she was here. I think her mojo has gone off with mine, so it's good she is back,we can hunt the mojo together! Also Tanya is back too! It's great to see that she is keeping her running going, just got to get Tracy back and the whole gang will be together!
I was determined to try and keep the pace to group 1 advertised pace, 12:00 - 13:30 m/mi, last week I was running at 11:30 m/mi, but it still all works out in the end. But this evening I really did need to keep an eye on it, it is still so very warm and very muggy, I don't want anyone passing out.....or me for that matter!
I memorised the route quite well, the road name signs really helped to show me that I was on the right track. There was only one that didn't have the name showing. But I felt sure that it was the one that I needed. And this was coming from Ravensbury Road into Kevington Drive. It was a nice down hill road, before we got to Kevington Drive, and Michael said "We are running down, which means only one thing, we have to run up again!" Well, yes, um......not a lot else to say really! We sometimes need a challenge. So there were were running up Kevington until we got to the little round about. I stopped the group, for a catch up breath. And then introduced the .5 of the rest of the route to make a distance of 3.2. MapMyRun said it was 2.97 miles, you know me, it's three miles or a tad more.
There they all were, looking up this little cheeky fecker of a hill. "Run just a tad faster than you usually do to the first tree, and then nice easy jog back" I said. I think I got a few looks from the group. "Um, you do know it's quite warm" said one of them "Yes, but we are hard core" I replied.
Once we were back to the bottom of the hill, I again said "Ok, so now run to the lamppost at the top of the hill and back down to here again" Hmm, now I know how Naggy and The Old boy feel when 'those looks' hit you! It really does feel like daggers!
Some of them did it, some didn't. Of course I had to do, as I suggested it. It was a good workout. It's good to throw some exciting like that into our runs. We don't want to be too comfy, do we! We ran the rest of Kevington until we got back the road we started, and then ran had a walking section to Orpington Road.
It was virtually all over, we were back on the roads that we knew, everybody was comfortable again with where they were and we headed on to Petts Wood Road. The 'sweeties' of the lovely down hill to Crossways felt really good, I sent some of the faster ones on first so they could enjoy the down hill and their own pace. Once we were all together at the bottom by Crossways, I gave them the option of sprint finishes, or nice and steady paced ones!
It was a tough run, due to the heat, and those cheeky hills, but always with great company! Geeky stats.
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