Just Run!

Hello blog readers.

And breath.....!  What, why, how?  I just don't know where to start with this blog.  It's been an emotional, tough, scary weekend which has just continued to roll on into this week! Lets start from last Thursday.  Last Thursday me and Kirsty went to WOMAD, a music festival.  We went there a couple of years ago, our first ever festival.  This year Kirsty was looking so much better and we were hoping to enjoy the three night stay under canvas with the rest of 'the crew'.  But things sometimes just don't go to plan, poor Kirsty became quite ill and we had to leave very quickly on Thursday night.  Needless to say none of us had sleep that night, Kirsty was exhausted.  But she is a fighter, she fought hard a long all all through the night, along with a dash down the motorway on Saturday morning from Swindon to London.  It was a scary, emotional weekend.  I came home on the Friday, still not having slept since the 31 hours that had just passed.

Friday seemed to have gone by in a blur, with a couple of hours sleep during the day, but making sure I didn't over sleep too much for going to bed in the night time.  I got up Saturday morning, my alarm told me it was parkrun time.  I got up, got dressed and rode off on my bike to parkrun with Naggyneighbour.  I must say, riding my spesh felt ok, I still feeling like I need several pairs of padded shorts but then I deffo wouldn't be able to do a run wearing those.  We dropped off our bikes and walked the length of the park to the start line where we met up with all our buddies. 

I can't call in a run, it was more of a fast paced walk with the occasional running bit.  My legs felt like the didn't belong to me, my head was all over the place but I just knew I wanted to be there in the fresh air to do some sort of running.  I ran most of it alone with people I know catching up and overtaking.  The first runner overtook me at the top of the park just as we come around the wooded bit.  Usually the first runner goes pass me when I get to the long straight!

I just continued to plod along, things from the weekend going over and over in my mind until I got right back to the top of the park again, (opposite end from the start line) and I just cried.  I mean I sobbed.  By this time I was virtually alone and no-one could hear me anyway, or so I thought.  It was then I heard a young lady behind me, just plodding along doing her parkrun, Elisa her name was.  She just talked to me and walked with me for the rest of the way.  We even ran some more, with me being able to step into my 'leader role' and get us both back nice and comfortably to the finish funnel.

Then something else happened. When we had finished parkrun, a pal of ours in group 1 became unwell after doing parkrun (I think even getting a pb!) but an ambulance was needed.  Both these two things after losing a a dear friend, someone who planted our church on our estate over 50 years ago I think, maybe even long than that.  Dr. Kathleen Berger, aged 98. 

You could say it's been a bit of a week.

So that was Saturday.  Today is Tuesday and I have just finished club run.  I wasn't leading this week, which I think I a very grateful for actually, because I just wanted to run along with my pals at the back, not think about leading or routes, or pace.  Carole was leading this week, so she had the route all planned.  I put my hand up for sweeping duties along with K. 

Carole took us on the route that she took us the first time, up the hill and though a park, up another hill and in and out the Closes.  Although I didn't actually do those!  Carole did brilliantly of course, and we managed not to bump into her husband RefMichael, who was also leading and doing virtually the same route with a little extra thrown in to make it a great group 3 distance. 

Just being among my friends felt good, chatting, running having a giggle with them all is just what everyone needs.  Just run! Just run.

At the end of the run there was something completely different happening. Three yoga/pilates were on the green when we all got back from our runs.  They were going to be putting us through some stretches and different techniques to use after runs.  Well, it makes a change!  I took some pictures too, I picked up their leaflet I was going to put it here, but I left it in my car.  But here's some pictures of us enjoying some yoga stretches.