Thursday 13 October 2016

Dirt 'N' Track!

Hello blog lovers.

It's another double for me today!  Thursday morning through the woods and the track!  People think I am crazy!  But I know that if I stop my weight would just pile on and I would end up looking like a blimp in no time!

Woody Morning

I went to the rec this morning as I knew Auriol was going to be there, so no tagging on with the middle group for me today!  Also Becky was joining us as well!  So that's a nice little group of us to run through the woods.  It has been raining, yesterday, and I am not sure if it had been raining early hours this morning, but it was a bit damp in the woods.  No more kicking up the dust from the paths anymore this year, I expect now it will always be just slightly damp in the woods.  The colours are changing on the trees,  even the smell of the woods is changing.  Autumn has taken control now.

All though I know quite a few of the paths through the woods I always do the same loop around, it's because I know the mileage around.  As I have only a certain amount of time to run before I need to be somewhere, this seems be perfect.  I think I should work on another couple of routes that is the same distance, just for a change.

But no matter which way we go through the woods we will be faced with a hill.  whether it is right at the beginning or somewhere en route.  hills!  They are just in there!  I guess it does us good, gives a little mini challenges on our run.  'Let's see if we can run the whole of this hill' if it happens to be one of the shorter ones or 'I stopped running half way last time, let's get further this time'.  See little mini challenges.  It has to be done.

As it happens, this time we are running on the right hand side path as we come through Dog Poo Ally, which means that we get the hill first, with the other smaller hills a bit later.  Running up Birchwood I can do.  It's on tarmac and there are no roots to negotiate, or puddles, or slippery bits of mud and so it's a lot easier.  But Thursday mornings, if we can we will run over those roots, through the puddles and tread carefully over the slippery bits!  None stop up there, running all the way!  I managed it.  The other two close by me running all the way!  First hill done!

Of course then I am blimmin knackered! Again! As usual!  I got to pull myself together.  I need to push hard.  But then, I am going to track tonight!  I talked myself out of really pushing hard and kept the run to a nice social!  Tut, tut.  I am sure the girls would say something if we needed to run faster, or less walking bits.! Because, after we ran up the hill we had a slight rest and then just walked for a bit.  After that the walking bits happened.  My legs just stopped running!  I know it was 'Brain' saying "you can't do this"  but my body listened to it!  I have to try and figure a way of switching brain off!

We carried on along the flat bit, all the way chatting.  I thought I had turned down the left path too early but I decided to just keep on going anyway, see where it lead.  As it happened it led to exactly when I needed to be......we were on the right path.  We ran past the sundial (now what did Mr. S. say was the name of the needle thing on a sundial......a gnome....nope gnu.......gnomon! that was it....did you know this?) I digress anyway, we ran past the sundial to the middle path and then carried on straight at the top of the woods.  Some more hills now.  First the down hill, which is always nice and then back up!  I wanted to run up to the top, I really wanted this. I took off running, the other ladies behind me, either they will overtake me or I will wait for them at the top!  Which will it be!  Well they were behind me as I ran up and up, I couldn't believe that I was actually doing it......I really wanted to stop but I kept going!  It just started to flatten off, there was just a bit more........but I stopped running!  Oh well, next time.  And....I am running in the evening!

We ran along to Botany Bay Lane and the started down hill before taking the right hand path towards Goss Hill.  Auriol said she really likes the cow field that we will be running past.  Well, who can blame her, just look at this. We could be in the most rural areas, with just that house that you can see as the only house around for miles!  But the fact that just about half a mile away is a housing estate, train stations, schools!  We have this in our back yard! Perfect.



The run along the river was good, if slow but we were really just enjoying being out, running.....chatting..... it's what we love doing!  It made the time go quickly and before we realised it we were nearly at Dog Poo Ally, "Come on, lets run this last bit of the woods" I said, as we had slowed down to a walk again.  Back out on the road, just about 100 meters, if that, to go to get back into the rec.  As we were running along Crossways, the other group were running in the opposite direction!  Perfect timing!

Geeky stats.

Track Time

So, track!  It's been a couple of weeks at least since I've been here. Can't remember why now, apart from last week, I was working to pretty late in the evening!  This evening I really felt as if lazyitus would stop me from going out.  I was so cosy under my blanket!  I could just sit here watching the box, NCIS, CSI or some other crime fighting programme that I love. But, I said I was going out and so I went.  Out into the cold, my water with me, my extra layer because I know I will be working hard tonight and will need extra layer for when I have stopped working hard!

I arrived at the track to be greeted by quite a few of our PWR's, including Mr.S. who was wearing his PWR 10k tee-shirt, just like I was!  We looked like a couple of book ends!  The session today sound easy.  Just 3 lots of running with 3 minutes rest......yes that's right, 3 minutes of resting!  I can do that, it sounds like something I can do.  But the running sections are run for a mile!  Or at least run 4 times around the track, rest for 3 mins then do that two more times!  But......there is always a but......for those running a parkrun time of 28 or slower then we only have to do 3 laps of the track X 3!

After our warm up drills, which really does warm you up completely (and this after I did a lap, voluntarily!) we were ready for the evenings session.  PhysioMike had set his timing thingy app and we were ready to start!  "Go" shouted PhysioMike and we all started running, Mr. S. was still have a chat with PhysioMike though! Hmmm?  Anyway I did the first lap and the Mr. S said to me "I am going to run with you Old Girl, I want to run a nice steady slow one"  I kind of took a gulp........now this is way I say to Tracy when I want to push her a little bit!  It's what I need really.  And after all, track sessions, for me, is to push myself that little bit harder.  There are no tree roots to jump over, it's completely flat, it's a nice spongy surface........a fast surface....... I am going for it!.

Mr. S. was chatting to me the whole way around!  Now that really helps.  It takes my mind off of things and I can just concentrate on what Mr. S. is talking about!  The thing is though, he is always just that little bit ahead of me, an I have to run just a little bit faster to make sure I don't miss anything!  It's a good tactic that he has!

The first run section went ok, I think I did well, I am sure I ran faster than I have been doing!  That 3 minutes rest section was so needed though!  "Come on Old Girl, 11:20 is when we are off" he said to me. And then we were off.  I was definitely slow on this rep, Mr. S. noticed it too. "Come on, don't slow down, you can do this"  But I stayed with him, albeit the gap was a bit bigger.  Most of the other runners were well on their third rep, if not finished by the time I came up to finish my second. "Is that you done?" PhysioMike enquired. I was all set to say yes "No, she still got one more rep to do"  I decided that maybe I would just run around once more of the track, not three times, but just once more as people were finishing.  

I said to Mr. S. my plan and I don't think he any intention of letting me get away with that!  "Yes, yes, come on lets get running" So we started to run, I really had every intention of just doing the one lap.  After we had finished that first lap he said "Come on, we can get one more done, you might as well" he said.  So again I started to run the second lap of the third rep!  Well, at least at this one it will be all done!

So many times I just wanted to walk, I let out a gasp and slowed down my pace "No, no, keep on running" and he was talking about running steady, just same pace, no fast bits no slow bits  just constant pace!  I know all this, I do, its what I tell the beginners, but at the time, in my brain, that bit of information just wasn't coming!  It had be deleted, put in the recycle bin, erased, lost!  Whatever, it just wasn't in there, I need to hear it and Mr. S. was telling me.  "Just to the two hundred yard line" he said to me "Where is that" I said "Um, it's just this line, or that one there".  We eventually got to the 200 meters mark and then Mr. S. said "you might as well run to the finish line"  And so I did.  I thought that was it, no more, I didn't have it in me.  So I stood tall, head up (which did keep flopping down) and the ran "If you sprint then we are going for another 400" he said to me.  I didn't have a sprint in my legs!  This was as fast as I could run!  But at least it was finished..........

I got to the finish line "Come on, one more, just finish the rep, you might as well......or we can just walk it, come on we'll walk it" he said as he tried to get me going!  "Na, I can't I'm done" I said.  Then another voice started in "Come on, I'll walk around with you too" "nah, it's not there"  But with two of them now, Mr. S. and Alex both encouraging me to just walk around the last lap I thought I could do it.

"That's good" Said Alex, "We'll just walk.....before we start jogging" Geeesh.....I just hope Tracy sees this,  I get a telling too!  But I did it, I jogged that last lap!  I finished the session and still had time to do the cool down stretches!  Thank you so much.....I really wouldn't have done it with out you!  Mr. S. your chatting just kept me going!  I can't remember what we spoke about now apart from what the projecting piece on a sundial is,  so......have to do it all again next week.......if you need another slow one!  And Alex, thanks for 'walking' that last lap.....not sure I had that jog left in my legs but I managed to find it!

So my geeky stats.

  

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