Train Run or Slide!

Hello blog lovers!

This morning, I eagerly checked my clubs facebook to see if the 'Train Run' was happening!  After all, parkrun was cancelled yesterday, so I wasn't able to do my 50th parkrun!  But PWR are hard core!  A bit of ice or snow won't stop us!  The heavens too had opened! And I don't mean there was angels singing, even though I am sure they will be as it's Sunday! I mean there was rain coming down! Wet, horrible, unwanted rain!  I guess the best thing about the rain it has made it easier to get straight into the car without having to 'defrost' it!  I always try and find a bright side!  I was hoping that at least there might be a respite in the weather by the time we got of the train and Knockholt!

That was our destination by the way!  Knockholt, the faster peeps and the long distance marathon training peeps were heading for Sevenoaks! I am in neither of those categories, I think even if I was in the marathon I would still do the Knockholt stop anyway, as I am one of the slowest runners!  Of course I would do a couple of more miles once we got back to base!  Anyway, I am not doing that, today is all about getting from Petts Wood and back to Petts Wood from Knockholt, popping in for a coffee and then off home!

Everyone met up at the station, (see picture at top) they all got into fours, those having to buy a train ticket, as you can get a discount when buying four.  Then I took the obligatory photo, there were still some there that you couldn't see, they were buying tickets, and there were yet more runners getting on the train from Orpington! This year the Sevonoaks runners are getting a different train, they are getting the fast train, so they can get there sooner and start their run back.  The rain came down, did I mention it was raining!  Relentless!  Once we were at Knockholt we got off and I really thought it had stopped raining! But we just got off under the shelter of the platform!  Oh well!  Unless I got a train back home (which would never happen by the way) then there was only one way to get home!  I took a picture of our Knockholt posse while IllustriousLeader was giving the safety brief.  Here, take a look

At Knockholt Station

 We had a good smattering of Leaders with us today, there was I.L of course, me (who was bring up the rear!) plus CupcakeMoy, Wendy and Debbie!  Those three leaders will be taking the breakaway faster runners off at a pace and then that group again would split so they could get an extra few miles in!  Me and IllustriousLeader will be running with the slower runners!

It was a great start, we had to walk!  The road that led from the station to the road we were going to run down was extremely slippery with ice!  All you could hear was "ahhh, ooops, erggghh!" as we slipped and skidded to the road!  Once there we would run along!  At first we tried to run along the path but there was very slippy, so we cross back over to run along the other side of the road which was ice free.  Just until we got near the A21 then we had to run back over so that we could continue to run towards home along the A21.

I should try to remember where certain things are, my memory is dreadful, which is why I write a blog about all my activities!  But I think these couple of photos where taken by Hannah on a road that went behind a little housing estate.  It was very icy and I think this is where the little goats were!  But I could be wrong, Here's the pictures anyway

look how cute they are!

This is where we had to walk up

When we got to Rushmore Hill, we crossed over and then went through a gate, this is where we parted from the faster runners. From the Twenty that started from Knockholt there 14 going ahead of us.  We watched as they ran up first, then we followed on after, not too far behind!

Parting ways

 We could see them as we started running up the hills and again when we were at the top!  We almost came back together at the top!  But they soon started to pull away again as we continued our way over the icy muddy path!  Wendy took this picture of us, running up the hill!

Look at us running uphill!

The faster group got back to the A21 we followed shortly after.  But when we were running along here they soon disappeared.  That was the last we saw of them until we got back to the coffee shop!

We ran all the way along this bit until we got to the roundabout!  Then IllustriousLeader introduced the 'Hill'.  Of course those of us who had done it before knew it was coming, but the couple of the others hadn't done a train run before and just didn't know! o the six of us started up Old Hill!  It is a hard hill!  I don't think I have ever run the whole way up it!  And it seemed it would be so again!  The path was so very icy and slippy, Hannah took a picture!

This is Old Hill!

Once we got to the top of this hill we crossed over the road and into another field.  Once here I always feel like we are nearly home!  It makes you feel good.  Even though when the Tuesday groups say that they will be running through to Locksbottom or Farnborough it seems a long way to run, yet today, at the time if just feels like we are nearly done!  From here, more or less its on the pavement, just the back of Darrick Wood school which was the last of the muddy sections.

I was beginning to tire, but I mainly kept up with the group!  Through the Broadwater estate and then the path behind Crofton school.  This path has has been part of our Tuesday and Thursday runs.  So you know you are back on your own turf!  I was really looking forward to my coffee!  I think we all were!  We were like drowned rats, dripping wet but all smiling!  The other five ladies looked like they still had a good sprint left in them as I was lagging slightly behind. "You all go ahead, I shall see you in the coffee shop" I said to them "We all finish together" said Wendy!  Of course we do!  I was just feeling sorry for myself!  I found that I did have a little bit extra left in my legs and I kept pace with them for the rest of the way!

Coffee! Yay!

A great run today with some lovely ladies and gentlemen.  I can't remember all the names that got off at Knockholt, but some I do are Trish, Jenny, Michelle, Emma, Wendy LC, Hannah, Sarah, Denise, IllustriousLeader Anne, CupcakeMoy, Wendy T, Debbie, Tracy and a few more!

Geeky stats and a few more pictures, oh and just so that you can see the terrain the Sevenoaks ran through, some of their photos too!