Solo Wednesday Evening Run

Hello blog lovers.

You may have notice or maybe not, but I haven't written anything about Club night run. That's because I didn't go running yesterday!  I was eating curry and chocolate cake!  Boy was it good, but I left group 1 in the capable hands of J.J.  I was out celebrating a birthday with Tracy!

Because of circumstances I didn't get out running with Tracy and Ade this afternoon, so I had to go out by myself this evening! Alone! Just me! Solo!  My goodness if that isn't that hardest bit of running in the winter time then I don't know what is!  Getting out in the dark, freezing night all by yourself!  But, I went out! I went out looking bright as a button, and no, it wasn't because of the smile on my face, although I did have a rather big smile on my face! No, the reason I was looking as bright as a button is because of these bad boys!

What do you think of these!

How they look in the dark!

My birthday presents from my son! I was lit up like a Christmas tree, I would have used them yesterday if I wasn't eating curry!  At least using these this evening it helped me with my running mojo!  I was so keen to get out and light up Petts Wood!  Maybe I should have had a 'Lighting up ceremony' on my own!  I only wanted to run about 3 miles this evening.  I don't know when I am going to further than that, but I will, I promise! It may come after Christmas, when I am in the right frame of mind to lose weight, get fitter and who knows, maybe even lose a few inches!

I wanted to do a different route, not the usual Turpington Lane and back.  That one has got a bit demoralising for me now.  So I planned a route in my mind, I didn't know exactly how far it was, whether it was more or less than 3 miles, but that was the route I was going to do.  No deviations to make it longer or shorter, just run it, show off my lights and try and have fun!  I ran out of the house and up my road then on to Faringdon Avenue to the round about!  I was hoping people would be around to see me coming, I don't think they could miss me! But there wasn't anyone around!  I ran up Hollingworth road and onto Prescott.  I looked down at my shoes and then I noticed that one of my light up laces wasn't lighting up! Boy was I a bit peeved about that!  I thought that some how it had switched off by accident.  I switched the button and it flashed and then died.  Darn it!  It must be a loose connection! (I am only saying that now because that is what the Old Boy said when I got back!)  So I ran the rest of my run being a little peeved, but at least I still had my arm bands flashing away and one shoe flashing away!  It was then that I remembered I didn't pick up my Ipod!  I was so eager to get out looking like a Christmas Tree I forgot to pick up my music!  Oh well!

I just had to concentrate on my running now. I tried to to worry about it, just concentrate on doing some good running.  It wa pretty cold out, but by the time I was on Crescent Drive I was nicely warmed up.  I had a long sleeve top on under my cycling jacket!  Can you image what I must look like when the car lights hit me!  Red flashing arms, purple light up shoes.....er shoe and hi viz on my jacket!  There is no way people are going to miss me!

I ran along to Shepperton Road and then straight up to the main road.  I ran along to Tudor way.  At least there were people around now!  They could see me!  I wish I knew what they were thinking!  I saw a runner as I was going under the bridge, she noticed me and said "Hi!" Not that I like to be in the lime light, but I do like to make people smile!  And I think seeing a big old pink clad bird lit up like a Christmas tree would probably do exactly that!  It did me!  When I first saw these light up laces and arm bands last year I had 'light up' envy! So I had promised myself that I would get myself some for this winter!  Having a birthday in November is quite handy when my son had asked for suggestions for a gift!

My route took me pass the Daylight Inn.  I knew there wouldn't be too many people outside there this evening, its way too cold, even for the hardened smokers!  I took the left turn by the round about and ran passed the One Inn the Wood, a favourite haunt of many a PWR including me!  I ran over the 'Troll Bridge' and in the opposite direction was a running pal of mine! I think I was walking at the time too because I was chatting to the chap from the Kebab shop he was walking to work!  But then he said to me "Come on, you should be running" and he ran just along the rest of the bridge with me! It made me smile!

So just the last couple of roads to do, Southborough lane, bottom Oxhawth, Farringdon and then mine. Ok a couple more than just a couple!  When I was running along Farringdon I found myself walking a couple of steps! "No Old Girl, I don't think so!  This is the road where you do not stop!" I thought to myself! "Get you ass back to running"  I tell you, I was totally flabbergasted with myself for walking those couple of steps, just by the roundabout! My gast was totally flabbered! I gave myself a telling and got back to the business of running!  I reasoned with myself that I was still not feeling too good.  I'm still snotty and weak.  This cold together with missing mojo and lazyitus is tough going!

I got back home and I saw that I had done 3 miles, exactly what I hoped this route covered.  I know I have done this route before but I couldn't remember how long it was, another reason to smile!  Yup I enjoyed this run!  It was tough, it was tough getting out in the first place, and tough to keep on running when I wanted to walk. Oh, I did walk, the geeky stats will show that, darn it!  It's all there to be studied.  I study it, I look at it and try and visualise what I was thinking while I was walking.  I don't know if it helps me, but I know the next time I do the route, I do try to run on the bits that I walked on!

So talking of geeky stats

Birthday Parkrun!

Hello blog lovers.

Me and Matthew.....and cake!

Saturday morning gave us a rather misty, foggy start to the day! NaggyNeighbour headed out on foot to parkrun while I took the car with Tracy and Ade.  Ade, incidentally was doing his first parkrun.  I wasn't feeling too bad that morning, although I went out with the Old Boy and my sister in law the night before, we had a rather nice leisurely curry and just the two beers,  I wasn't tired, I may have been a bit stuffed from over eating but deffo no hangover!

Foggy by the woods

We made our way over to the start on the other side of the park to where the gathering masses were.....well..... gathering! I looked out for my pals, I couldn't see them.  We stood at the back of the pack, where we always  put ourselves and then I heard them!  "#Happy birthday to you#" came the chorus behind me!  My pals had found me, J.J. LittleJ, Wendimoo and Carole.  I  also looked out for little Matthew, he did his 150th parkrun on this day too.  This little lad is still only 14!  How did he rack up that many parkruns!  Totally impressive.  I run with this lad and his dad on Track Thursdays, he is fast,  really fast! Of course when I say run, I mean I am on the same track as him as he flys by me!

So my plan for this parkrun was to just get around as fast as I could, comfortably.  Not eyeballs out like in August! So I didn't  run NaggyNeighbour or with Tracy, or J.J., or my other pals.  I had planned to try do this solo!  We all started off together, then I  started to do my own thing, try and just get into the zone and do well.  Just then Ade started running by my side.  We started chatting.  He was feeling the cold, so I told him not to speed up, he needed to warm up first. There is nothing more that cause injuries then trying to push hard while you are still warming up.   About half a mile or so should do it.  I ran along next to him, telling him to not run fast yet, until we got just past the football pitches near the finish funnels for the first time.  Carole came past us at that point, I could tell Ade wanted to run off, I had a feeling that she would be his race!  So I told him to go, but still don't go too fast, it was a blimmin cold morning!

I was on my own again, for a while anyway.  Then one of the newbies to our group 1 saw me!  We started to run along together.  She kept me going the whole way round.  When I felt like I wanted to stop and take a walk I couldn't do it! How could I, I was supposed to be a leader!  I had to lead by example!  We were running at a good pace, not record breaking stuff, but enough to get us in under 40 mins at least!  We chatted all the way round, just keeping each other going! We had a couple of walks.  I still don't know why I do that!  I am really going to have to work hard on that!

As with all parkrun sessions, the friendliness came from everyone "Keep going" "Not far now!" said the runners flying by, "Come on Petts Wood".  Now those that said that either knew me or saw my buff, as I was wearing my club colours! I was half expecting the Matthew or Stephen to pass me by!  Maybe they did and I was grimacing and didn't notice them.  Of course there were quite a few people that passed by us!  But as there are only two a bit laps of Bromley parkrun only the really fast ones go past.  Still, I half expected the little lad to fly past.

Running up to the funnel I was beginning to lag, but I knew I didn't have to save anything back,  I just needed to get through to that funnel......and to cake!  Young Matthew and his dad had bought cake along to celebrate his 150th and they had promised they would be saving me a piece of it!  It had my name on it!  I checked the time, I was slow, I started to think about how long could they protect that cake for!  With all the celebrations going on and the congratulating, they were bound to take their eye off that piece of cake and some of the other faster parkrunners, who don't even know Matthew would get their sugar rush from my piece of cake, they would be diving on it like seagulls after your chips!  I began to get faster, building up to the sprint finish.  NaggyNeighbour and Chocolate were there waiting by the last short straight "Come on Old Girl, you can do it!" she said, "Go on push, push get to the end" she said to me!  I sprinted faster and faster pulling away from Kelly by just a couple of feet.  I could here her running behind me.  All I kept thinking about was "That's my cake"  through the cones that guide us into the funnel, the time keeper ready to push the counter, everyone standing watching, walking, chatting.......eating cake! Could that be my cake! Bam! Done it.  It's not the quickest, not even the quickest this year. But still, I did it.

As I was walking through the orange netting of the funnel I was thinking, "I pushed it a bit too fast again, I'm gonna chuck up!"  But then Stephen called me from the side, "Well done Old Girl" he said and then put a lovely piece of chocolate cake on my hand!! Oh yes!! CAKE  I did it! I got the cake!  I saw little Matthew as I came out of the funnel, "How did you do?" I asked,  "I did it in 19 something" he said! Nineteen something, 19 something, one nine something!! Can you believe that "I was taking it a bit easy today!" he said with a broad smile!

Mind you, I think the hardest bit for him, I have to hand it to the little lad! It was keeping guard on my cake for almost 20 minutes while hungry parkrunners came in looking for the delicious scrumptiousness is amazing!  Well done Matthew! Oh and Absolutely well done on your 150th parkrun!  And so, here is to the evening!  The Petts Wood Runners 10th Anniversary black and white ball!  What a fantastic birthday I was having yesterday!

Geekys stats and some random photos!

My birthday pressie from the girls!

Me and The Girls!

It could get messy!

Thanks to Stephen for top first picture!

Trail and Track!

Hello blog lovers.

I finally did a double today after having a couple of bad weeks.  Ran this morning with the morning Thursday  crew and then again with the Thursday Track crew.

This morning I turned up at the rec and there were quite a few people there already.  The car park was totally full, but some of these cars are for the tennis people,  oh and talking of the tennis people, a woman beeped me again as I was walking up the entrance!  She did it last time!  I wouldn't mind if the entrance road is a huge long entrance but it's only a couple of feet long, well ok about 50 feet, but still blimmin rude!

There was also one of our beginners there too!  She is one of our faster beginners so she will be in the middle group with Nicky!  I was there all by myself but I was going to be running with J.J. she had called me to tell me that she could make it this morning, she would just be a couple of minutes late.  So we all ran out of the gate, I ran along behind the middle group, just to see how it felt! Blimmin Nora, I was out of breath before we got to the end of the road!  I was pleased to see J.J. coming around the corner, as it made the middle group just slow down a bit and have a quick chat with her.

We all headed towards Dog Poo ally after being overtaken by the faster group!  Me and J.J. took the right hand path, the same as the middle group.  There were pulling away in front of us with every step.  Me and J.J. just plodded up the hill.  The woods were a bit muddy in places, I had on my old trainers, I think I should have said something to J.J. when she rang me that we would be hitting the woods, her lovely orange trainers might get a bit sticky!

We had a lovely chat as we ran through the woods.  I do like running with people, but I know that I am going to have to find my solo running mojo so that I can enjoy the solitude of running again.  Last week was an emotional run through the woods,  running solo then was probably exactly what I needed to do.  Running through the woods with pals though, that is just so lovely!  Chatting, putting the worlds to right, getting stuff out of our heads, laughing.  No better therapy in my book.

We ran and walked all the way the easy way, all the way down Goss hill.  J.J. flew down there!  I had trouble keeping up with her. In fact when we were running she was running faster and I found myself having to push myself to keep up, which is good!  But the most cutest part of this mornings run was when we ran along the river.  J.J. nearly trod on this tiny little furball fluffy thing.  I thought maybe it was a dormouse, I am no naturalist so I am probably wrong as to what the furry little creature is, I took a picture of it.  I looked up when I got home, and now think it could be a shrew, what do you think.

Little shrew?

Close up!

It wasn't long before we were running through Dog Poo ally again and our run had finished.  It was a really good run.  I so enjoyed my run this morning!

Geeky stats.

Track Session

I managed to drag my ass out of the door.  My cold is a lot better than it was last week, so no excuses.  I need to really start to claw my fitness back.  PhysioMike had two plans in mind, depending on.....actually I don't know what it depending on for him to decided which one we were doing!  Cold maybe?  I walked up to the gathering crowd at the top of the track, and I notice Mr. S looking rather dapper in normal working clothes.  I thought he might be a bit uncomfortable running around in the gear!  Then he told me that he had bought shorts and a tee shirt, it was a tad cold! That was his excuse anyway!

But It could also be the reason PhysioMike had decided on which session we will be doing.  For the first ten minutes the faster runners will be doing tempo running around the track, the rest of us will be doing drills and getting our form right for running.  Then we all came together at the start line for the session.  At first we all had to pair up. We had to pair up with people who run at the same pace as each other. Well, I am the only one there that is from group 1.  In fact, I am not sure if there is any from group 2!  Do you remember back in the day, during school days at PE times, there was always some one who was last picked for the rounders team? Well that was me........back in the day and now, this evening!  There was no-one who ran at my pace.  PhysioMike found me a partner tho, a mere slip of a lad, still at school.  And I bet if there were team running races he would be in it.  You will see why a bit further on in my blog.

The session was par luffs.  I know, it's a peculiar name, basically it's relay running.  Our partner would run for 300 meters hand over the beanbag (our batons!) and then walk or jog in the opposite direction for 100 meters to wait for the bean bag. And that was to be for about 20 minutes.  LittleLuke took the bean bag first and waited at the start line with all the other beanbag holders, and then all us beanbagless others walked back for 100 meters.  As soon as we were in place the runners started.  I noted that LittleLuke wasn't slow at all, in fact he wasn't the last person to reach the point were I was! He is a fast little lad!  Do they not know about pacing, or at least about not running so fast that this Old Girl will be blue in the face by the end of the session!

It was my turn to run around, I tried my hardest to do as well as I could so as not to leave him standing around in the cold too long.  But just as I imagined and dreaded, there he was, all alone, while everyone else had taken off on the second run or walking back 100 meters! Boy did I feel a heel!  But we kept it going, at least on the other reps he wasn't standing alone for too long as the other runners, all running at different speeds, there was always someone to talk to him!  

We had a two minute break! I was so looking forward to it, because every time I ran to hand over the beanbag, LittleLuke was standing there, freezing, but every time LittleLuke handed beanbag to me I was just about arriving at the handover point.  He almost ran 300 meters faster than I walked 100!  Then we had to do it all again!  I must admit that last one, I knew I wasn't going to do another one.  I told LittleLuke to just run all the way round.  He took off with the beanbag, which was the 100 meters behind the start.  As he took off he got about 50 meters and then the whistle blew!  My time of torturing a little lad by leaving standing in the freezing cold was done!

It was a good session.  I enjoyed it, even with the pressure of having to try and run fast with a partner waiting!  Thanks PhysioMike blimmin enjoyed tonights track session.....strangely!

I only recorded half the track session, hey ho, but this is it! Oh and I forgot to record the first 5 minutes too! Tut, so getting old and forgetful!

So half of track session geeky stats.

Loads of Blogging!

Hello blog lovers.

So I have a few to write up, so here goes.

Graduation Day!

Yes, thats right, Graduation day for the beginners!  And could you believe it I was feeling blimming poorly!  The cold virus had got hold of me!  But I wouldn't have missed it for the world.  I got up in the morning, went over to see if NaggyNeighbour was coming along, but she was in her PJ's still and her boy was firmly stuck to some game! So I went over my car and then just looked at it!  "Where did that come from?" I thought to myself as I looked at the sparkly, diamond like frost on my car!  I just didn't expect it, I hadn't seen frost in the mornings for ages, not since last winter anyway.  So I scraped away that white cold stuff, taking up precious time!  We had arranged to meet at 8;30, so that we could all warm up togethter, get the stickers on the graduates, keep everyone nice and relaxed!

Tracy was up and ready, when I eventually got to hers and we drove to the park.  Everyone had already parked, met up, got their stickers and had walked over to the pavillion.  We walked over to them us had they started the warm ups.  Tracy and I joined in and then we all walked over to the start line.  I wasn't quite sure how much of this I was going to be able to do, in fact I was already making plans to just cut across the park just so that I could encourage the beginners, run for a short while and then walk back across the green.  Of course I wouldn't have put my bar code in to be scanned!

I was pleased that Liz was there, Tracy could run along with her as they both run about the same pace.  The buzz through the entire graduation group was amazing, they were all excited, scared, nevous, but they were all positive that they could do this.  It was just so wonderful to see it all  coming to a finale, watching them as they look around at all the other runners.  It was soon time to run, the crowd surged forward, people ran past, buggie pushers, dogs and the humans passed by and then it was just a nice steady plod as we start ran down the first of the short straights. I was still thinking about not running the whole way but when I was running with them I found that I could quite easily keep up with them without dying of breath, so I decided tat I would try to run around the whole 5k with them.  

Tracy and Liz were chatting away as they ran along, keeping each other motivated, I just kept plodding along next to them.  I hadn't bought my Garmin along, this was all going to be down to what Tracy and Liz could do on their own.  I am only there to give them a little push if feel they could do it!  They kept going the whole way round, Tracy ran the whole entire way, Liz had a couple of walking sessions, but they still kept going.  The finished their parkrun 5k and they wasn't the last ladies to finish!  All the other beginners had done so well, most of them running the entire way non stop!  The smiles and the laughter and enthusiasm of them all is totally infectious!  Now that was better than any cold remedy out there!  

Here is a picture of all the Graduates on Saturday 19th November 2016

Tuesday Club Night

After the huge success of the last beginners group we were expecting quite a few of them to turn up ready to tackle PWR's club night runs!  We were all prepared with leaders placed stragetically in all groups so that we had plenty of experienced leaders in each group with sweepers, to be able to cope with numbers.

In my group 1 we had 18 runners!  Most of them were from the beginners group!  There were more beginners that went into group 2 and I think even in the higher groups!  I decided to do one of the easier routes in my repertoire of routes that I have.  My cold is still hanging around, making me sound worse than I actually feel as talk to all, I still have a bit of a headache but deffo on the mend! I gave out my details at the briefing and then we all met up at stake 1.  

My group just seemed to swell and swell the longer we stood there!  It's just so brilliant!  J.J. and LittleJ and Wendimoo were with me to take care of all the newbies and the regulars as well and also ZippySherry was going to take the middle sweep, just to keep everyne motivated!  It's a first fun for my new shoes as well!  I need to make this occasion!  New Brooks shoes, Adrenalines GTs 15 all for the princely sum of fifty quid!  I think that's just blimmin marvelous.  It's amazing what you can get if you ask around!  So what I  didn't get this years latest colour, the fact is, Brooks shoes are always the same, they don't change apart from the colour!  My last pair of Brooks had done be just fine, so comforatble!

Anyway, enough of my shrewd shopping trip!  So the first part of our run is up the little hill of Kingsway.  That's about as hard as this run will get!  It's a perfect introdcution to club running, lure them in. let them think that this is going to be just fine and then BAM! Take them around Tillingbourne!  No, No, I won't do that! lol.  But if there is one thing that the newbies will know is, that no matter what route we do it will have a hill in it some where.  Whether it's a short hill or longer hills!

There was also a couple of people who were new, but not through the beginners programme and also a 'returnee' who was coming back.  The hill, Kingsway, showed me that there was going to be a split in the group at some point in our run, but I was determined to keep us all together for as long as I could.  I took them over the bridge, leading them over the bridge in our 'Scooby Doo' fashion, so as not to wake the troll underneath.  To be honest, it was bad for a first time!  I was thinking although we were not as quite as we could have been, I think the troll would have been only slightly disturbed!  But the beginning of next year we will all be running a lot light on our feet!

All the way around Crest View, the road on the left as we come out of the car park from the bridge, is our next road.  We kept running all the way around.  My cold seems to be reminding me that it' still around, but I am sure that all this running is doing me more good than anything else!  We took a little break at the end of this road for a catch up.  This is where Tracy can see her house!  It's always difficult when you run pass your house, knowing you still got half your run to do!  

Once over the other side we walked for a bit and then started running again once we crossed over Lakeswood road.  Crescent Drive was the next long road.  We were doing some good paced running, but it was along here that my stilly Garmin stopped as it ran out of battery!  Just by Diameter road!  more or less half way around our route.  Now I had no way of knowing if I was running at group 1 pace or group 2 pace!  This is probably where my group wil split in too, but at least now we will be heading back to the rec.  LittleJ loaned me her Garmin just so that I could keep an eye on the pacing.  I tried to figure out out it went, but I wasn't sure!  Oh well.

It was at the top of Shepperton were we all split.  J.J. LittleJ. and Wendimoo were going to be running with the slower runners, me and ZippySherry were going to take the faster ones.  I decided to use the easier route of taking a right and then left over the bridge.  This will take us to Beaumont Road.  The undulations here are barely noticable, but we did have to be care because of the road being up!  

We were all running so well, the group that I had with me were determined to keep on running and as I said, I wasn't quite sure of what pace were were doing.  I know it wasn't at the fastest pace of group 2 maybe the lower end of group 2 pace, but we were doing a good pace, that I was sure.  A few weeks of this in group 1 and I could be saying bye bye to a few of them as they move up to group 2!

Along Tudor way I got them to run for 2-3 lampposts then walk one lamppost.  Tudor way is not that long of a road, so there is only maybe on walking session along here.  Once we cross over Petts Wood road, then it's all out to get back to the rec.  Group 2 was running along the other side of Tudor way and Emma noticed that her friend was running with them.  She wanted to run along with her once we crossed over.  

Everyone wanted to do the fast bit up to the rec!  It was blimming good!  We ran about 3 miles, just 5k today.  Not bad as an introductory first club run!   

Here's some of our Geeky stats! 

 

A Golden Morning!

Hello blog lovers.

This morning I met up with my running pals for our usual Thursday Morning run.  I had an idea that I would be in a group of 1 this morning, the other two groups were well attended.  Then I saw my friend Nigel, Auriol's husband, and I just fell apart!  This lovely family had lost their son on Tuesday, but their great faith in God they know that he will be in glory!  Today's run will be a very emotional run for all of us.

All three groups were heading for the woods, yes that includes me.  But I really wanted to be in the solitude of the woods today, run, reflect...cry!  Would you believe I was the first to start running towards the gate, but soon the faster group overtook me.  I turned left and ran towards the entrance to the woods.  Before I got there the middle group passed me.  I suppose I could try.........no, not today, trying to run with a faster group today was not what I wanted.  They turned right once we were through Dog Poo ally and I turned left.  Although it's the middle of November, and it looked cold this morning I had already warmed up and also regretting that I put on a long sleeve top!

I really felt quite peaceful running through the woods, it feels like it's been a while since I've been here.  In the heart of a busy town like ours to have these lovely green woody areas so close to us is just so good.  When I enter through Dog Poo I can feel like I leave everything behind, just for a while.  I am left with only the thoughts in my head.  No need for an iPod in here.  The birds singing is all the music you need. Just breathing in the air is just so invigorating!  The smell of the damp leaves underfoot, it really is all the therapy that you need, you can do a lot of thinking, praying and crying in here!  I was suddenly shocked out of my thoughts by a racing greyhound.  He was chasing the train as it sped past me, the train that I didn't even notice because I was deep in thought and mesmerised the the beauty of my surroundings.  I came across the own of the dog a little further on, just by the bridge.  She had another greyhound with her who didn't feel like running!  The running dog came back to his human and doggie companion as I chatted for a minute or so with her.

I continued my run all the way down to the little river and then up again, up, up, up to Botany Bay Lane.  I was going to do just a little bit of road work before getting back into the woods.  The mood always changes when you leave the woods, it's like having the switch back on to 'normality' again.  From stepping over litter breathing in school kids cigarette smoke and getting out of the way of cars! All tensions seem to come on you again.

It wasn't going to be a long road section, I am diving back into the woods as soon as I get to the top of the road.  I am not even going down the housing estate with the lovely big house. I am going straight to Scadbury Park and then run along there.  The traffic stopped me in my tracks as I waited to cross the road.  You don't have to stop in the woods.  All these people driving along in their cars too busy to stop for just a few seconds to let a lone person cross the road, taking all of 20 seconds off their time.  Too busy to even think about letting me cross the road.  I wonder if they even saw me standing there.  First at the side of the road and then in the middle.  I wonder if they did see me then wished they could be running too.

There were a couple more runners running in the opposite direction when I got to this bit Scadbury Park, well, they were walking actually, and chatting as they took a walking break.  I continued on through and then I heard a voice behind me "Excuse me" he said, and I stepped aside and a runner ran past me!  I was taking a walking break at the time!  I always try to run when I see other runners!  It's my 'thing' that I have to do! So I started running again, not that he could see that I was running, but it felt good in my mind!  Just then the sun broke through the trees making the woods glow like it had shone on to a golden mosaic path.  I just stopped and looked in wonder, I felt totally a peace in that instant.  I had to capture this moment on my camera.

Gold mosaic floor!

I continued running on and then I saw the guy who had passed me by.  He was obviously doing an out an back.  But I think at least that time I was running.....I think!  I came to the road, Leesons hill, my run will soon be over.  I crossed over and then crossed over the other road to get back into Petts Wood.  My run really is over now.  My emotions came crashing over me as I thought of my friends, and then I realised what date we are at, at least tomorrows date, the 18th.  That was when I lost my mum, nine years ago.  Her leaving, my mum dying on the 18th is the day that my life took on a different path.  If she was still here with us I know I would be this chunky cuddly nanny, (mind you if I don't keep an eye on my weight that can still happen!)  But I would deffo be a very unfit chunky cuddly nanny!  I miss my mum so much.  I sobbed as all these thoughts came over me, I spoke to Him upstairs too.  I needed this run.

By the time I got to the rail lines I was more or less composed, I ran down beside the train line towards Dog Poo ally.  My run finished at the rec.  I was the first one back, followed by the middle group and then the faster group!

Geeky stats.

Club Run - Introducing New 'Friends'

Hello blog lovers.

So the beginners course had their last session last Saturday, and the next time they all together as a 'beginners group' will be next Saturday at parkrun!  But a few of the beginners are just too eager to get out there and run.  A couple of them usually do their homework on Monday, but they didn't do it yesterday so decided that they would come along and meet up with us instead!  Of course we don't mind,  we love it!  One of them has been coming along for a few weeks on a Tuesday anyway!

So with that in mind I started to think that maybe the route I had planned to do would be a bit 'off-putting' and that maybe I should do the more genteel route!  I thought it would be good to do this week, get us all ready to be able to encourage all those that will be coming along next week! I thought maybe we could just give it our all this week so that next week we will enjoy even more to be able to encourage our newbies.  I thought about it, I voiced my idea to my lovely sweepers, J.J. and LittleJ, and with their help I decided......No..... I should stick to what I had planned!  Good leadership skills, stick to the plan.....more or less!


There were 13 of us this evening, a nice round bakers dozen to enjoy all the challenges that this route has!  I have every faith in each of them that they will rise to the challenge and to even come to enjoy challenges!  Of course when I say 'challenges' I do mean Hills!  I told them all about the mantra......you know the one 'Hills are our friends!' It's what I say to myself every time I go up one!  Living around here there are quite a few 'friends'  to meet up with!  So like a good leader I introduce some of these 'friends'  I introduced to the beginners today!  Tillingbourne Green!  Now if I had to describe this particular friend it would be,

  "Meet  'Tilly', she is a little cheeky little thing that will lift you up, making you think, wow, that was easy! Then she will lead you astray as she takes you down, as you enjoying the freedom and abandonment that Tilly can offer.  Just as you really start to enjoy yourselves she shows her true self!  It will turn into a love/hate relationship as you try to get the better of her, getting up to that place where you first met her."

Blimey, I don't 'arf come out with some weird shit sometimes!  But you see, this evening I really enjoyed my run around Tillingbourne Green.  Because some of the beginners group was here I found that I had to make sure that I ran the whole way up, even though I told everyone to run at their own pace back to where we first started to run around the green!  Some of them did run faster than me too!  But I still made sure that I ran the whole way!

After that it was the 'training hill'.  Now that particular hill is a cheeky little hill!  A great  one to do some group 1 reps on!  I just thought to my self (again something that LittleJ mentioned) that in for a penny, in for a pound, lets do just 2 reps of this hill as well!  Of course, those who coming back from injury can just run at a slower pace and only do it once.  Because this training hill just cries out for a challenge!  So we did it, twice, a quick-ish sprint up hill, rest at the top, walk down and then do it again!  It felt good....when we had done it twice!  Now for the nice stead jog back to the rec.

Running along the road to the roundabout, had forgotten to listen to my own training advice of head up, as I ran with my head down, looking entirely at the pavement and nearly running into someones garden as I followed their driveway!  I think I got away with it, I don't think anyone noticed!  Or if they did, maybe the next hill would help them to forget!

The next hill was when we ran all the way down Petts Wood Road, which was lovely of course, but then we ran up towards the memorial hall! Everyone did it brilliantly!  This is where Steve left us, he gets a train to come along here and as the station was just a few meters away he decided that he would continue his run to the station instead.  The rest of us continued towards the rec.  We took the first turning on the right, Towncourt Lane and ran down there!  Yes it is a down hill, and you really appreciate it after making 'friends' with those up hills!

We got back to the rec all feeling pretty good with ourselves, and I know it was dark, but I know the beginners that joined us had smiles on their faces! Yes, smiles, I am sure they were smiling!

Geekys stats.

Two - Again!

Hello blog lovers.

Two blogs in one again.  I am getting a bit lazy about writing up!  Seems running mojo and writing mojo needs a boost.

So the first one, well it was on Thursday morning.  I had asked in the facebook chat if there was to be any group 1 runners, when there was no response I just did a run around near me, then I could get home have a quick shower before going to see Kirsty!

The morning was quite nice (if I remember) and I felt good about when I was out.  I felt good when I got back too,  it's the getting out I am having trouble with!  I am sure this phase will pass soon!  I feel as long as I just keep on running it will pass.  I am just so grateful that I do lead a group on Tuesdays.

The route I opted for was just a short one around near me, it had to be short, as I left it a bit late, especially if I wanted to shower afterwards!  I also wanted to do a route that I haven't actually done in a while, just so all of that psyche shit wouldn't come up and haunt me. I just want to run, not worry about distance, or even how fast, just to enjoy it.  And that was what it was like on Thursday morning.  It wasn't until I got back from my run that I saw a post in the chat box that one of the beginners had shown up for a Thursday morning run!!  Boy did I feel hugely rotten!  I knew I should have just turned up, just in case!  From now on that is what I shall do!

Geeky stats.



And so for my run today.  Again, that warm comfy feeling had a vice like grip on me as I sat with the dog on my lap, a cup of tea by my side.  Outside it was rather damp looking, grey, wet and just not comfy or cosy!  I procrastinated for quite some time......even getting two loads of washing on! But in the end I thought the only way to get my ass out of the door was to wind the dog up "walkies, walkies" I said to him!  His little face looked so pleased!  He loves going out for a walk, how could I possible let that face down!  So I went up stairs to get changed, with the dog wagging his tail and getting quite excited!  Already I was feeling good!

I chose the route carefully so that little Dexter could run free from the lead!  He loves it when he is off the lead.  So with two little greens to run around I thought that should do it!  We came out of the house, little Dexi on his lead and he just ran!  I was running after him trying not to let him pull too much on his lead,  his lead is attached to his collar, it's not a harness so I don't like him to pull on it!  I was having to run a bit faster to keep up with him!  It kind of made me smile!  I should really take him on all my runs, keep him on a lead and just let him set the pace!  Maybe I could get a PB on a parkrun!

Of course there is a down side to running with a canine!  The sniffing, the weeing, the pooping, (I had bags with me) and of course there is always friends to sniff butt with!  Short fast paced sections, with plenty of stopping to whistle for pooch!  But when there was another dog around, well that was it!  No catching him!  Every dog he meets is a potential playmate!  He just loves every four footed dog!  Well, there is a couple of exceptions! One huge Great Dane! For some reason little Dexter seems to feel that he needs to 'get in first' with the first punch where this dog is concerned, yet the Great Dane just looks at him like he's a naughty little scamp!  She wouldn't hurt a fly!

We did come across one dog that Dexter was particularly enjoying playing with and it took ages to get him to come to me and back on his lead!  It was a lovely young German Shepperd.  Finally as we get out of the gate I let him back of his lead so that we could do a couple of loops of the other green, at least that was my plan!  Dexter knew exactly where we were going, he is having a whale of a time nipping in to all the places I normally pull him away from because we are walking to school!  But now he is as happy as a 'pig in the proverbial'!  We ran all along the path, with him investigating every smell that its around.  Once through the gate  we stayed to the left hand side, close to the golf course.  Little Dexi was just running around have so much fun!  He really loves being off the lead!  I am glad it has stopped raining, I have already had to bath the dog this morning, a fox left a 'note' in my garden, Dexter decided to keep a 'copy' of the note on his fur!!

We ran all the way to the Parkfield entrance where little Dexi found yet another pooch to make friends with, but this time the owner of the dog was also someone I knew!  We started chatting......I know, I was trying to get away, but just as her dog was with Dexter, she wanted to chat to me!  I did turn off my Garmin for a while, I don't think I have it on auto pause, but it still shows up as a long stop! Oh well.  Because of that chat I did only have time for just the one lap around the second green before I had to get back!  Just as well, the postman had delivered another package!

It was a nice run, I always feel so good after I have run, whether it's for one mile, or more!  I just need to get my head sorted, find out what is stopping me from getting out on time, to enjoy longer runs!

Geeky stats!

Club Run - Nice and Easy!

Hello blog lovers.

The weather is getting colder! Brrr.....but still PWR's turn out to run!  PWR' are made of great stuff!  It's what keeps me running in the winter....in fact PWR's keep me running when my mojo is off hibernating!  

This mojo that people talk about, it's a real thing, honest, believe me, I'm a runner!  It can stay with you for weeks, months or years!  But when it goes it is just so hard to get yourself out for a run....or a cycle.  The only thing that does keep you going out......or I should say keep me coming out.....is the fact that I have my friends running with me, I am leading a group, people will be waiting........probably or actually, would carry on without me, but in my mind people at PWR will be expecting me to lead!  I like it like that; it really is what keeps me going!  Every time I am planning a run with PWR I am happy, every time!  The solo running, which is where I am finding it hard! I am just so glad that I belong to Petts Wood Runners!

That said, I shall stop my waffling and get on to tell you about this evenings run!  Like I said the weather is a bit chilly now, but maybe we will get a move on and get ourselves nicely warmed up.  I have been on feet most of the day, housework, cooking and then I had a funeral to go to.  A lovely lady from our church!  So from about 12 this afternoon until about 6 this evening I was on my feet! So I planned on a nice easy route, with just the one hill which will be at the beginning of the run, up Kings Way. Running with me today was LittleJ, Auriol, IllustriousLeader, Christine, Carole and some other ladies whose names escape me, two of which have come for the first time from the beginners course!  Oh and a late starter, making our group up to 11 Geraldine, (I think that’s her name) she is also the beginners course but she has been with us a few times already!

We all ran up to the top, most of us were all together, when we stopped at the top I could see Auriol and LittleJ coming in last!  My sweepers!  But they had to go back and look for Auriols watch as the strap had broken and it had fallen on the floor!  Thankfully they had found it though!  We carried on over the bridge and through the car park.  We then ran down Crest View to come back out of Southborough lane.  This is where we lost Geraldine and Illustrious leader! A pain in the leg was not doing Geraldine any favours and she decided it was best to go back and as we never let anyone go back by themselves Illustrious Leader went with her, and she would meet us en route further in our run.

We continue our run along Crescent Drive, running a nice steady pace, which really when we were running, it was at the faster end of our advertised pace, if not faster!  I had to keep an eye on my Garmin so as not to go too fast!  I don't want to put the newbies off!  But really, they were doing so well, they will be moving up to group 2 at the next move up week!  We were soon running along Shepperton right to the end.  From that point on wards I was expecting to see  Illustrious leader, depending on how fast she was running!  

We turned right and ran to the Off license and then turned left to run over the bridge. Still no sign of IllustriousLeader, maybe we will see her on Beaumont road, she knows the route that we will be running along, so she will be running it in the reverse, we are bound to 'run' into each other. Sorry excuse the pun, it amused me anyway!   It was along Beaumont that we saw her, with her green light up shoes!  I so got to get me some of those!  All these new things that are out for the runners to keep us safe.  Light up laces, lights to add to your heels of your shoes or tags to hang from your laces!  Arm bands, head touches, it's brilliant!  If the whole of our running group had lights we would look like the Christmas tree lights! All pouring out of the rec spreading around Petts Wood!

We were nearly back to the rec, we just had to run along Beaumont and then St Johns and back along Tudor way!  I don't know about anyone else, but when I first start out running, when I am by myself, my first thoughts are, "Shit, I got three/four miles to cover" It feels like a long way.  My legs usually refuse to loosen up (probably because I haven't really warmed up properly) and all I can think of is the end of the run.  When I am with PWR's I don't really worry about how far we got to go as I am usually chatting, but when we get near to the end I think "Shit, it's nearly finished, that was quick"  Just shows you how company can really spur you on to keep up with your running.

The very last bit was along Crossways and as usual it's its letting the group run at their own pace, whether fast, slow or ambling along singing!  I watched as they all ran past me and then I looked up the road.  I just had to do! I had to see if I can run fast still.  I gave myself a little race, I got to get in front of the first ladies that I sent up the road, so I started running, "See you at the rec" I said to LittleJ and Auriol as I passed them.  I then passed the others, catching up to Illustrious leader. The other two ladies we in my sight, if I keep running at this pace I will catch them before the sign!  I was running on the road, eyes focused at the top of the road, I just pushed that little bit harder.  I managed to catch them up and over take them!  I was happy with that!   A little sprint to blow out the cobwebs!

Here’s our geeky stat.

B.O.G.O.F. Blog 1, Get 1 Free!

Hello blog lovers.

Two for one time again.  I didn't write about my running on Thursday morning.  So here it is.

Thursday Morning.

I was running late on Thursday morning so I sent a FB message to the group to let the know.  I knew Jenny would be late as well, she had already sent in a message.  But I still expected everyone to be gone by the time I got there, including group 1, I even saw one of the faster groups near the memorial hall as I was heading to the rec, "Is anyone still there?" I called out to them from my opened window. "Trish is still there waiting for you" Nicola called back. So I continued my way to the rec.  There was just one or two parking sports left in the rec, (one that I could get in easily) quickly parked up and met up with Trish.  "We still got to wait for Jenny, she's just parking her car up the road"  So.... I wasn't the last person!  Phew!

Because we started a bit later the route I thought would be best was taking the left path to the bridge. run along side the lines and then straight down to the river, up, up, up to the very top then turn right and heard towards the Tigers head, and then touch on Scadbury Park.. and then back home!  It sounds good, doesn't it.  Of course there is that hill!  We love a hill! Hills are are friends!  I Try and think of that mantra, hoping that it will take a hold of my heart, so that I truly believe it! Even the girls were complaining......slightly!  They were ahead of me going up the hill!  But I wasn't that far behind them.  In fact, I felt as though I wasn't that far behind them on the whole run!  They were actually pushing me to be a little faster than I would be if I was by myself!  It was good!  Just what I needed.  I need to know in my own mind that I can run a bit faster than I normally do.

We got back to the rec and I really felt as if I had ran faster but looking at the geeky stats, it wasn't!  But then I looked at the speed profile!  I touched on some pretty faster sections!  I feeling good about that, mainly because I felt good running it!

Geeky stats

Solo Monday Run

I had a very good weekend with my friend, you may remember her, I called her SmartyPants when she was running with me!  But she has moved oop North but came down for a visit.  We had a grand time, curry, wine, shopping and the theatre!  Not only that but we met one of the stars of the show that we saw, Shawshank Redemption!  We met Ben Onwukwe, him from London's Burning fame! Oh it was a great weekend, but I didn't do any running, didn't even think about it! So today I thought I should do something.  I had the dog, the dog who has only ever made my lazyitus even worse. the dog who looks at me with his puppy dog eyes and just wants to cuddle!   I put him in the garden today, while he did his business and when I looked at him he was shivering! SHIVERING!  The dog has a fur coat on and he is shivering!  How can I take him out for a 3.5 - 4 mile run!  Or am I still just using that excuse to stay cuddling the dog!

Ben Onwukwe, SmartyPants and me!

So the day passed, the dog was picked up but by this time of course I had the girls home.  I had to wait until they had been picked up by their parents.  I had made sure that I had dinner prepared, a nice salad with the chicken marinading in some nando's sauce.  At least I will eat healthily if nothing else.!

Then I had a text from one of the mums to say that she will be late!  I felt another excuse building up! I felt I may just hunker down in my lovely warm blanket and watch tv with my dinner on my lap!

I mentioned to the Old Boy that I was thinking of going out and he said "its going to be cold! Brrrr"  At 7 I finally finished work, but then I was nice a cosy in my blanket! "I don't think I am going to go for a run." I said to him when he came down the stairs. Then he started talking to me about electricity, loops, lights and switches!  My head was swimming!  I think in the end I said, maybe I will go for a run "Let me go see what it's like out there" he said and he popped his head of the door!  "I probably wont be so bad" he said.  I was already heading up the stairs to get changed!

I told him that I would stick to the road, the main road.  It will be a straight out and back, to the A21 and back.  It's all well lit with the street lights and it is the main road! I set off with out the satellites 'attached' to my Garmin, it was getting late and I just wanted to get out before I changed my mind.  It was just after 8.  I ran up to Farringdon Avenue and then left along Oxhawth.  I felt as if my running was going pretty good!  I couldn't see what pace I was doing as my watch was under my sleeves and I had those pulled over my hands to keep warm.!  I still wasn't sure if the satellites had found me!  

I had my music playing in my ears, I was enjoying that!  I noticed that whatever track was playing my running seemed to keep time to.  I kept having to skip songs because they were too slow for what I wanted!  Then this song came on!  I don't even know who downloaded it in the first place, but it was on Ipod,  #Crazy Bitch#  Ok the language has a lot to be desired by my pace didn't 'arf pick up!  I decided from them that I would skip the slow songs that come up and just run along to some good 'pacey' songs!

I got to the top by the A21 and then I crossed over and ran back down the other side of Southborough Lane, just so that I don't run over the same bit of pavement all the time!  Besides, on that side of the road it's just a little bit flatter!  Only a tiny little hill!  And I run close to the pub, showing off to the drinkers and smokers who may be there! Such a show off!  But I am working hard here, trying to get fit!  It ain't easy!  And what with this mojo hiding, the running solo mojo that is!  But I think the music helps!  I just got to build up the the distance in readiness for my races that I have booked!

I was feeling good, my legs started to tire a bit, I am pretty sure that is because I have not eaten the right things during the day, and I felt the running I was doing was faster than I normally run.  I know I had the walking sections, always I do the walking sections.  I think that is where I lack the confidence!  I watch NaggyNeighbour as she ran non stop for 13 miles!  I was totally impressed by that, I felt inspired! And yet here I was struggling to run a blimmin 3 mile short course non stop!

I won't beat myself up, I wont!  Just getting out of the door this evening, in the dark, running solo, was a huge effort!  And right now, I feel bloody good about it!  As I was running back up Farringdon Avenue I was actually smiling!  I did it! Solo run, in the dark and I feel it was some quality running, again faster than my normal group 1 runs, maybe not as fast as my track sessions, but it was a feel good run, with some good music........and loops and electricity an switches just a distant memory!

Geeky stats.  You can see where the satellites found me.  I am not sure if the first half mile is added on to the overall distance and it just knew that from the time I started the count down to where the satellites found me it was half a mile.......but there you go.  I will have to do this route again and make sure that I have satellites from the beginning!

Barbara WoodHouse? Not Me!

Hello blog lovers.

This afternoon I was in a bit of a rush.  I came back from toddlers and then got chatting to my neighbour, then I spied the postman coming over with a parcel!  I waited till he got to me before I went in to get changed.  Phone calls and other things then happened and I still hadn't got changed into my run gear!  I finally was ready and out of the door only to be greet by a wave and a call from another delivery man with another parcel for me.  So I waited till he bought it too me and then finally I was heading towards my car to pick up Tracy.

We drove to the park and then we walked over to our start line.  I started up my Garmin and we both started to run!  It was then that I realised, as we ran along, bouncing along the path, that I hadn't actually got fully changed when I was at home!  I hadn't forgotten to strap the 'girls' down!  I still had my everyday bra on!  There is no way 'the girls' are going to stay in place while I was running! I don't know how girls can run without a proper sports bra!  I know ran like it for the first few weeks when I started to run, that's when I knew that everything needed to be strapped down!  Seismic waves could have catastrophic otherwise!  When I looked down and saw the 'rippling and moving' underneath my shirt it reminded me of Barbara Woodhouse, you know, the lady that used to train dogs!  I recall her bosom used to always create waves under her blue knitted sweater!  Tracy, in fact remarked on the idea a bit later on in our run!

Barbara.  You can see that
is not a good fitting bra!

So there was me, trying different ways to try and control parts of my anatomy that refuses to be controlled.  Not only that but then my bra straps seemed to want to fall down too!  Then I remembered that I had left my phone on show in my car! So the run so far was rather strained!  I was trying to find ways to run comfortable without drawing attention to myself as well as to encourage Tracy and keep an eye on the time, without worry about my phone!  I tried the 'just don't worry about it' approach, well after seeing one of the PWR's after a particularly hard slog and the state of his tee-shirt, with the tell tale red stains, I quickly dismissed that one.

I then tried the 'Cockney grabbing the top of your braces' method.  It did work, I ran quite comfortably, by I was expecting Dick Van Dyke to come and jump in and start singing 'Step in time!' I looked a bit of a plonker! I settled for the arms held right arm and kind of hugging my bosom!  Not ideal but it worked.  Oh and after we ran for one lap, I ran to my car and retrieved my phone, which I stashed in the usual place, and it helped, every so slightly, to lock 'the girls' down!

Shhtep in time!

So, after all that rambling, let me tell about our run.  I had already said to Tracy in the car on the way to the park that I think we could quite easily do 10 mins run and 2 mins walk!  She didn't look to convinced but I knew she could do it!  After all, if we didn't have the half term break we would already be on 10 minutes running anyway!  So that's what we did.  The first 10 minutes went by no problem at all, well, apart from all that I mentioned above!  Tracy looked strong and was chatting as we ran.

The second one was a little tougher, but we kept going, what's 10 minutes, it's only about 20% longer that we were doing last weekend,  it's nothing! (is that right, I am useless at maths?)  I think it was on this 10 minutes run that Tracy said to me "I'm not a dog you know, I am coming"  after I said to her "Come on Tracy, you can do it"  It's at these times that I know she is working hard!  The daggers come out, flying towards my back!  But she will love this when it's all done!

The third 10 minutes started and the huffing and puffing started, with the 'groans'.  I so remember this, in fact I get like this when Naggy is running with me!  And I know that after I have done it then I feels so blimmin good!  I know Tracy is going to feel so proud of her self.  She was started to get right behind me, tactics that I have and still use myself!  She's thinking of going slower or walking!  Trying to get directly behind me so that I can't see her over my shoulder!  I know this tactic.  I use this tactic......and it doesn't work!

We had to run past the car park and run towards where we started our run.  Tracy's strides got shorter and shorter.  "We are not going around again?" she asked!  Well, there wasn't time to get to the top of the park, just a little further along and the 10 minutes will be finished, but I did encourage her to push a little bit more, after all, there was no need to save and energy now!  And she did, in fact she was getting faster than me because I was trying to keep 'the girls' in place!!

Geeky stats.

Club Night - Move Up Week

Hello blog lovers.

It's a different day to yesterday, weather wise that is......apart from it being Tuesday and yesterday was Monday!,  What a silly statement that is! I still put on a short sleeve top under my windcheater running jacket though, even though it's the 1st of November it is still fairly mild out.

It is 'Move Up' week where everyone is encouraged to move on up and try out the next group!  The leaders usually will run at the slower end of their pace range with maybe even a couple of extra stops if needed.  Even I had a 'move on upper' Tracy came along for the 1st time this year in group 1.  She has been doing the beginners group on Saturdays, and thoroughly enjoying it.  As soon as it's all done I am going to have to get her to put in for some races!  Get some more gongs to go with her 2013 Petts Wood 10k Gong!

This evening's run I took them up Birchwood.  I was taking them on the first route that I made when we first bought group 0 to the new 8 o'clock slot.  It's a challenge but not to hard that people will hate it.  with just the one long hill and then a couple of smaller undulations it gives us all a nice work out.  We were all pretty tight together running up to the top, in fact all of us, me, J.J. LittleJ, Tracy and Christine were all finishing together at the top!

We walked just a little way, just to get our breathing back before running again.  The dark nights don't make it easy to run along the pavements, the tree routes have pushed up the tarmac making it a bit of a hazard.  I must remember to bring a light along with me.  Carole had bought one, but she was taking advantage of the slower pacing of group 2 today!  LittleJ has a light and these cool light up arm bands too so that everyone can see her!

We started running again and crossed over the road, using the crossing.  I was taking them to Tillingbourne Green.  J.J. was telling Tracy all about the loop around the Green, the short upward undulation followed by the longer downhill and then the longer steady climb back to the beginning.  Tracy was all set to do this!  But I hadn't planned to go that route, we were going up the hill on the right to Poverest Road.  We are doing the undulations of Woodland Way, Great Thrift and Hazelmere with the extra loopy bit of Little Thrift.

Going this way round is easier, I think I will do this route again with them but in the opposite direction!  It's good to mix it up, maybe when I know there are  a couple of group 1's that have entered races, it'll be a good training route.  We only did the short sharp hill once this evening but we did it at quite a speed!  Again we were all pretty tight together, Christine didn't belt it as she is still recovering from injury, but the rest of us did!

All the way back down to Petts wood, with hardly any walking sessions.  We were all doing pretty well indeed, running at a perfect pace for the slower end of Group 1 pace.  The next road or roads should I say, was the long road with four different names!  And I was planning to do Little Thrift too, just to make up the mileage!  We were running around these roads on the right hand side, this is the 'shorter' route but as we were running along here I was busy chatting and then I heard Christine say "Are we supposed to go down here?" and she pointed to Little Thrift "Oh yes, we are" I said, "I almost missed this running on this side of the road" and then we crossed over and run to the top of Little Thrift.  Just a couple more roads to pass and we were heading for the Rec.  Run all finished and we were all together!  Perfect run!

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