Beginners Week 5

Hello blog readers

I know, I know, just a few days late with my blog!  Anyway, I am so amazed at how many of you are still will us.  I know there has been a couple of people not being able to finish it.......this time......because of life getting in the way, injuries, which can happen when we start this running malarkey!  It's something that we not really have spoken about (we don't want to scare people) but it can happen.  That is why we always do the warm ups, start of gently with the drills and even the first 5 or six minutes of running.  Even now, I still take the first mile to really get warmed up (at least it feels that way) and off course we can't emphasise enough about the cool down stretches too!  Even at club run now, every group  gathers together with their leader to do stretches after their run, and sometimes if two groups get in at the same time we all join in for one big group stretch.

For a special chat and visit we will be having physioMiketheMod to come and speak to us as well.  Everyone loves listening to what he says, including me!  It reminds me too of technique, and posture and also to remind me of a good few more stretches!  He will be with us on week 7!  I for one can't wait.

Sherry was leading this week, it's her last week with us before the graduation, she has to work (see what I mean about that life stuff getting in the way) but she put us all through out paces and up the game, just a little bit.  Those of you who read my blogs regularly know that we never do a five minute rep.  It's straight on to 6 minutes with a two minutes walk times four!  The times four is the good news! The email for last week didn't reach the beginners until Friday with that little bit of good news! (We won't say why it didn't go out until Friday, eh RefMichael!?)  I think if probably was just as well, at least they wouldn't have to panic so much!

After all the warm up walk and drills were done we were ready to run for four lots of 6 minutes.  We are still on the rec for this week, we just want to build up the running a bit more before hitting the streets!  I am sure that this Springs beginners can't wait to be let loose on the streets!  I ran along with young Jenny for the first rep, just to help her stay focused but my goodness, she has taken everything in like a sponge!  She has controlled her pace, so as not to run off too fast, therefore getting tired, she has remembered her posture, (something I learnt off PhysioMikeTheMod) and most importantly she believes in herself!  She has tons of confidence, she says "I can do this!"  Not that there is what doing this course is all about!  I look around at all the other beginners trying their best and exceeding it!  They are smiling and enjoying it!  It's not easy to just get up and start running, it takes a lot of determination and will power to even remember to put your alarm on to get you out of bed early on a Saturday!  So to see these 20 or so people here is just heart warming!

We continued with the 6 minutes run and 2 minutes walking four more times, by the end rep Jenny herself, turned into cheerleader as the front runners lapped her! "Go on, you are all doing well, keep going" she called out to them!  Absolutely fantastic!  I felt sure that they could quite easily have done a fifth rep of 6 minutes!  But it was done!  Time for a walk out for 2 minutes and then a final stretch and brief at the end.

Those that were running along side me we had done 2 miles, just running about the rec, those running along side Sherry had done 2.5 miles!  It's amazing just how far you can run when you put your mind to!  By the time they get to the end of this course we will be running for nearly 3 I am sure!  Then they will be ready for parkrun!

So until next time, keep on running!