Ladies 5 Miler - The Prosseco Run

Hello readers!

So I am just one blog behind, but I thought I would write this one while it's still fresh in my memory!  This particular run I was looking forward to!  The last time we did it, a year ago, we did it in the March, and standing around drinking a glass of bubbly was a tad chilly! It was also the very first Ladies only race!

Our club had organised a coach for us ladies......would you believe it was organised in March and then they let us down only yesterday!!  But DiscoRich rang around and managed to get us transport again from Billy Bus Hire!  We all met at Petts Wood and then we piled on to the bus, there were only a few of us this time, I know some of my friends couldn't do it this year and it was just me and CaroleWithAnE who were the 'naughty' ones at the back of the bus! I am sure we will get them all singing on the way back with just the two of us!

The drive to the cyclepark was quick and we arrived safely.  IllustriousLeader was there at the table ready to hand out our numbers, that's when we found out that there were only about 41 runners in this race!  Now I thought it would be getting bigger from last year, especially as DiscoRich  had moved it to the warmer month!  I think next year, if we want to keep it as ladies only us ladies are going to have to promote, promote, promote!  There were a couple of ladies with buggies as well, maybe we should get some of the mums that we know to come and join in!  The route is fairly simple it's all on tarmac, yes there is a cheeky hill, which we have to run up 4 times!  I don't know if I am in denial, but I am sure the hill didn't look as big as it did last year.  But let me get to that in a min!

After collecting our number and writing our details on the back, the usual toilet break.....some were trying for the personal best of 4 toilet breaks before a race!  Me, I could only manage the one!  We still had about 20 minutes before the start when someone suggested doing a warm-up!  I thought that was a pretty good idea!  The music was playing, all the ladies were kind of moving to the music anyway so I took the lead in an attempt to do an Adele style warm-up!  Do you think I could think of the warm up exercises that people do at events!  Nope!  Not one thing, apart from high-knees and some sort of side stepping and box stepping! Maybe next time I will be ready for it, try and write down a little routine and have it memorised if we don't have another taker for the lead role!  This is me trying to look like a professional!

Me, a Leader?

They were Following!

We were called to the line then, water bottles by the start, then I went over to line up.  DiscoRich gave a little speech, IllustriousLeader with her timer in one hand and clip board in the other! There was no chip timing this time, last year it took three days for the results to come out!  At least DiscoRich and IllustriousLeader could collate everything quite quickly and then have the trophy presentations.    I knew I wasn't going to get one of those! So, with a three, two, one! we were off.  Even though I was in the front of the crowd (41 is a crowd when you're on a start line) I didn't stay at the front for very long!  Before the long straight had finished the ladies race had stretched out, you could see who was going to win, by then I was at the back with another lady called Debbie!  She is just coming back to running she had also done last years race too, but she said she hasn't really done anything since!

As you can imagine, being in June, Europe in the middle of a heatwave, we were enjoying some warm weather at last!  We were all wondering when our summer was going to start!  As we were running along, however, we were getting warmer and warmer.  I was just plodding along chatting away with Debbie, by the time we had got around the first bend I became the last PWR, as Sara and her friend (who I have forgotten her name) passed by us.  I am usually the last PWR to finish a race, why should this be any different!  And besides that, there was one other lady behind us, just running along doing it for herself! Anyway, I just love the bling at the end, D.R. had kept the same design of the goddess Aphrodite, with just a slight change of colour to differentiate it from last years medal!

That hill, you know the one I mentioned earlier, well it came up!  I looked at it and it just didn't look as foreboding as it did last year! This is me, the Old Girl, saying "This hill don't look that bad!"  Of course this was only the first time running up it!  I am sure when I get back to it for the second, third and fourth time there will be that magic button that makes the hill get steeper!  The first time we ran walked up it, me and Debbie, but we were still getting warmed up (shhhh, I know it's extremely warm outside).  A little further on Brian Page from SLGR was there with his camera, poised waiting for all the runners to come past.  I decided to try and make sure that when he took a picture of me that I had 'air' under my shoes!  He managed to get the shot too, look at this

Look at that air!

It's just a pity that a look like a blob running along!  Gotta try and do something!  Anyway, we were nearly at the start line again, we had completed the first long lap.  We had to do that again, and then two smaller laps after that!  I stuck with Debbie on the second long lap as we chatted on the way around, we walked, we talked and we ran!  We even ran up the hill on the second time, not letting it beat us.  Our second lap was a tad slower than the first, even though it felt we were running faster! That hill seemed to have got steeper, but we ran up it, we were quite pleased with our selves!  It's not easy running, I know I keep saying that, but it's true.  Doing laps as well is pretty hard, so much easier to do one big loop than lots of laps!  It's a good challenge though, knowing you have to get up that hill, will it beat you this time around?  

At the top, big cheer from the marshal there and we headed for Brian again, still there with his camera.  It was on this second lap that Debbie started to fall behind,

I deffo didn't get any faster than what we had been doing, you can clearly see the gap that was there at that point.  Down the little hill, around the bend, then back up to the start finish line!  At least I don't have to do the long lap again.  I grabbed some water, poured some down my neck and the rest over the back of my neck to keep cool! Running past the start finish line towards DiscoRich, this time round I will be allowed to take the short route!  "You've lost you running mate" He said to me, I took a quick look around to see how far she was behind me now.  I didn't realise she was that far behind, but she was still going!

That blimmin hill!  That Blimmin Hill!  It was there again, "one more time over you" I said as I got to the top of it again, the smiling marshal there giving tons of praise and cheers!  I was walking a bit more, "this lap will surely be slower" I thought. Then I realised, at least it's only the short laps now to do!  I ran along the top towards Brian, this time I was photographed, with no smile, with no-one beside me!  The full concentration of getting to the end of this run is written over my face.

One more lap to do, just one more lap to do!  I could hear the runners and spectators again at the finish line, cheering on those just finishing.  "That will be me after this lap" I thought.  I grabbed some water from the table and again, swallowed some and poured some on the back of my neck!

I was so happy to be doing this last lap!  Running by myself I was just thinking about how I came to be here.  I was talking to Debbie earlier in the run about how I started running, doing the 5k Race for Life in London, in memory to my mum.Yup, that's it, my lovely mum, had she not gone to see Jesus, then I would still be a fat blob!  Well, fatter blob, a fatter, lazy, non exercising blob!

That bloody hill again, it's there mocking me!  To be honest, I don't remember if I had ran it or walked it, but all I could think of was "There, that's done"  I was pleased to have that out of the way, no more running or walking up the hill, the hill that when I first saw it on this run, I thought, it was not as bad as I remembered from last year!  It's good that runners have selective memory when it comes to routes and races, otherwise we may never try to beat our pbs!

Brian wasn't there on this last lap, it was just me, no camera was pointing at, no watching. 

I couldn't see Debbie behind me, but I knew she wouldn't be that far behind.  I ran around that last bend and the up the hill towards the Finish Line!  This I will be able to finish!  I was looking at my watch, I really wanted to get under 1 hour 9, because that was what I had at Eltham, I was going to have to do sprint finish if I wanted to do it!  I kept looking at my time, "Come on Old Girl, you got this"  It was pretty close, 1 hour 7 mins and 35 seconds I was still about 100-200 metres away, I could see them all, I could hear them all.  "Don't look at your watch" I thought, "just go, just go!  You can do this!"  I crossed the line, I could see my watch saying 1 hour 8 minutes and 55 seconds. "Done It, done it" I thought, but then I couldn't switch my watch off as I saw it go into the 9th minute!  Oh Darn it!  And then, I accidentally turned it on for another couple of minutes as I walked over to where the Prosecco was being served!  Oh well, I shall have to wait to see what the official results will be!

Running pictures are from Brian Page of SLGR

Mid Summer Gladness!

Hello blog readers

PWR 2019
(photo by Kev Howarth)

Just about a week ago we had our club Midsummer run.  It's a great social fun run!  It's one our every ones favourite yearly run!  It's definitely one of my favourite club events.  We all meet up half an hour earlier than the usual time and then we all go in several big groups.  Group 1, 2 and 3 were all running together and then there was 4 and 5, 6 and 7, 8 and 9 then the faster groups.

A race to get to the pit-stop, which was Paulines front garden!  There you will find several tables laid out with delicious cooling drinks!  Beer, prosseco, water and fruit drinks!  What else could you possibly want on a club run!

Our group was taking the direct route, which is around 2 miles to get to Paulines.  CarolWithAnE was down to lead group 1, but as we were getting together with groups 2 and 3 it was down to RefMichael to lead!  But......slight problem there, he was quite sure of the way, neither did CaroWithAnE!  No need to panic though, I knew exactly where to go!

Combined group

Once all the faster groups had left the rec we followed on.  The groups were huge, with over 30 in some of the groups, I think it must have looked pretty awesome all of us lot in our club shirts coming out of the rec. All of us with one destination to get to!  Paulines house!  It's not just for fun, and social gathering, we have a serious reason for all wearing our club tops on this fun evening.  It's to get the yearly photograph for the social media pages! We love photos! Here, this is us!

So the run there, well it's gotta be the quickest way possible!  Dog Poo Ally, straight up the middle path and hang a left at the top! Straight along there to Botany Bay lane and out on to the road!  It's not much further to go from there, it's all on the road, turn left and then follow the road to the cricket ground! Easy!  Or....just follow the noise! There were quite a few of us meeting up there!

Here's some pictures, and of course the official picture for the social media pages!

Of course once it was all over there we had to make our way back to the rec!  We only stay there for about 20 mins, but we sure do make it a real party atmosphere.  I didn't quite finish my beer, so there was only one thing for it, continue on  the run!  Litterally, running and drinking!  I don't think I was the only one that did that, looking at all the pictures posted, but I was the only one in the combined group 1, 2 and 3!  You know what we are like with pictures, so here!  This is me!  Enjoying my beer, running with my mates and just loving life!

I think our group was a tad bigger on the way back, as it usually is! But who wants to run really faster after a couple of beers! Certainly not me!  I was a bit concerned about the whole 'comfort stop' on the way back, but there were plenty of trees bushes and stuff around, boys on the left and girls on the right!  As it happened,  it was only the boys that took advantage of that!  Which totally surprised me really,  normally I just have to hear the word loo and I am looking for the nearest!

We had a great fun run back, RefMichael, who is now knows where he is going ran ahead with the faster runners, while I just had fun bring up the rear chatting with anyone that wanted a slower run back!  Or rescue a sheep! (long story that, but there were three of us particularly slow, main group waiting for us so we came up with a story that had to rescue a sheep!)  I know, they didn't believe us though!

We soon came out of the woods and made our way back to the rec.  Run finished, smiles all round and totally ready to go home!  What a great run that was!

Eltham Park 5 Miler!

The Team Pic

Hello blog readers.

I am in catch up mode with all my blogging!  This is all about last Sunday, 16th.  It was Fathers day actually.  The were a few of us heading to Eltham to run this lovely run.  It happens every year, I did it the first time last year!  I managed to bag my self an early entry and grab one of the tee-shirts too.

Naggy found herself on her own that morning and she managed to get a place from one of our other pals who couldn't do it.  Poor SnappyH was still in recovering mode from an injury!  But there were still quite a few of us all there, CaroleWtihAnE, RefMichael, LouLou and hubby, Tracy and quite a few of the faster groups were represented too.  Here's a picture of us, all in numerical order!  Well, it had to be done.  SingStarJo was just a tad late along with Jane, I tried several times to get their picture, this was the best!

The ordered number pic

Trying to get SingstartJo
and Jane in the picture

So on to the run.  The weather was perfect for us runners,

considering there has been some torrential rain this past week, at least we didn't have that to deal with!  I am not sure how many enter this race, it's a small-ish run.  I am surprised really, it's such a lovely route.  It's a mixture of grass, woods and a tiny bit of road.  The marshals on this run are just excellent.  One in particular, I could hear her just after I was going up towards the bridge, about 4 or 5 minutes in the run!  Oh my goodness, I was hoping she was going to be there on the second lap!  I remember her from last year, her name is Maxine!  Brilliant cheerleading, just what you need!

So, how was I feeling.  I know exactly how I was feeling, fat and frumpy and oh so lumpy!  It's my own fault, no will power!  I so overindulged when I had my injury and just ate and drank what I wanted. Who am I kidding!  I've been over indulging for a while!  No wonder my body was saying "You sure you going to drag my ass around for 5 miles!" after only the first mile! Let me tell you, there was same talking to myself as I was running, I didn't need NaggyNeighbour or nagging Jabra in my ears, I was doing a pretty good job of nagging myself.  Along the way I kept thinking "Old Girl, you gotta do more running!"  I know that's what I need to do!

Through the woods now, it's nice a cool, sheltered from the rain (yes, it rained, but not much), I started at the back of the pack but I know there were people behind me.  Tracy was with me for the first lap, we talked and ran together, the first lap is always the hardest, the first mile is when all those thoughts come into your mind, the doubts and the 'you can't do this' creep in.  Even Tracy said something along those lines too.  Once that is done, that first mile, then you can start thinking positive again. Coming up to the bridge I could hear the dulcet tones of Max

The first lap lap done, I was heading for the finish, I was thinking "Do I go over the mats or around the mats to start the next lap"  There were plenty of people in front of me who where finishing their lap!  I couldn't see any other route laid out so I just went through the tunnel, stayed to the left hand side.  It was just as well because there is where the water was!  I was in need of a drink.  I looked around behind and realised that Tracy wasn't near me, as I ran up to the first turn again I looked towards the finish tunnel to see if I could see her, she was just coming through the tunnel.  That's ok  I need to get on and do this.  Up to the first corner along the straight towards the bridge.  And there was Maxine, cheering along just as she was the first time and the second time when I passed her!  She is relentless, love it!  It's stuff like that that keep you going.

All through the woods again, a bit of shelter from the gentle bit of rain that was coming down.  It was a bit of a muggy day so the rain wasn't unwelcome!  I saw a man in a red tee-shirt, he was going to be my race.  I was going to keep up with him, if not, over take him!  That was my plan.  I kept my eye on him all the way, I managed to catch up to him, I was pleased about that, we were not far from where we had to run along by the road.  I over took him just as we were coming out of the woody bit running beside the traffic, feeling a little bit chuffed with myself.  I didn't see Tracy behind me, so I just kept on going. Back into the woods, going up the hill!  I do love a hill......not!  I  have a method of getting up them..... run a bit of it, walk a bit of it, curse the lot of it!  I do try never to let it beat me though, I always make sure that when it comes to the summit then I am running it!

Out of the woods again and running along in the now drizzling rain, as I was running towards the pond the marshal there was dancing and smiling!  As I  got nearer he said "I am trying to do the sun dance, but I think I am doing the rain dance instead!"  Well, I didn't mind so much, I was quite warm and the rain was helping to keep me cool.  When I ran by the pond these cute little goslings came up to the fence, of course I had to have a quick stop and check it out!  They were looking for some bits of food from me, I wished I had a sandwich or something to give them.  Mum and dad were standing just by the waters edge, poised ready to defend their babies if they thought there was any danger.  I tore myself away from the cute fluffiness and ran around the other side of the pond, around the big open green for the last time.

The rain kept on coming, I didn't think there would be anyone left at the end to cheer us all in, well apart from Naggy as she was driving us back home!  I ran and walked and told myself off each time I walked, and then ran some more.  One day, I will do a lot more running than I do now in races......I think.......I hope!  This race is nearly all done.......I don't know why I am calling it a race......I was running all by myself, but I do have my pb for this course!  I can't think what time I did it last year, which was the first time I ran this particular race, I shall go back and look after!

Running over the bridge for the last time and hearing Maxine, still on top form!  Such an inspiring cheerleading marshal! Just along this last straight, then turn the last corner!  I could hear some of the other runners being cheered in "Oh good they are still here" I thought.  Of course they are, runners know just how much hard work each race is for everyone, they will always being cheering the last runner in!  But right at that moment it was time to just get this last straight done,  I can't be seen to be walking now, I can see the crowd, which means they will be able to see me!  I really thought I could do it, but just before I got to the corner I had a cheeky walk "Oh no no, it's only there, what do you think you are doing" the dulcet tones of Naggy reached my ears, although still not within dragging along distance, those words rang in my ears which made me start running again!  "I looked on my left to see if I could see Naggy, but I couldn't see her, I saw someone with a dog......but then I realised that Naggy was in fact running faster than the dog towards me! Yup, she was going to make sure there was deffo no more walking.  Well, I knew I couldn't walk anymore, everyone would see me, with only about 100-150 meters to go, I just had to keep on running,  Naggy was next to me, running  the corner with me, I think she said she had done that corner several times as she ran back back a few times to run in with our runners who looked like they were flagging!  She kept talking to me, encouraging me to keep on going, the rain was coming down, I was nicely cool, there was no need to save any energy, just race on in over the mats to record my second and final lap!

Me, finisishing!

Love it, I mean, I really loved it.  It may not have been the fastest time every but it was done.  Karen came up to me and said "You were over the line by 1 hour 9 mins!" she said!  I couldn't believe it!  "Wow, really? No way" I said, or words to that effect!  I was feeling blimmin chuffed with myself!  And the I remembered......it was a 5 miler not a 10k! Hmm, deffo going to need to check out my time from last year!

So here is my geeky stats

Club Run - New Toy!

Hello blog readers.

I've only gone and blimmin done it!  I treated myself to the most exquisite, super duper, pretty sports watch.  I know I have one already, but this one is just too pretty!  My other one won't go to waste, if I ever do a muddy run then that will be my go to watch, or maybe if it's raining way to hard, or a promise of lots of rain, then again, I will opt for my old faithful.

I read all the reviews, asked advice.......but I still bought it! Because I wanted it!  So there you go.  so my first run with my new Garmin Vivoactive 3 (white and rose gold.....so pretty) sports watch happened today, the very day that I got it.  In fact the very evening I got it, so not really enough time to play with it, see how it all works and go for a practise run! Nah, who needs practise, straight in at the deep end.  As I walked over the green to show Naggy my new watch, (I have been showing her this particular watch for months now) I found out how to start a run....most useful I thought, especially as I was leading this evening!  I was taking no chances though, on my other wrist was my old faithful, my Garmin 225!  Just in case!

So I got to the rec with Naggy, picked up my paddle board with all the info about pacing, distance etc, and then waited for Hannah to call my name to do my bit!  Which I did, while holding the paddle in my hand with my new watch firmly on show, and, just in case nobody noticed it......I pointed it out, and then told everyone!

As there was only 4 of us in group 1 this evening, thats CarolWithAnE, K and Debbie, I didn't really need the group to count us all out, we also was able to sneak out before group 2 hand finished their group chat!  I was heading for the woods, lets see if my new Garmin can keep locked on to the satellites from inside the woods.  I took the right hand path, I actually was doing last weeks route in reverse!, sort of, just going along a couple of different paths, but still a big loop.  Going up the hill is always a challenge, it had also been raining, but the ground wasn't very wet at all.  We had had some lovely warm days lately.

CarolWithAnE and K ran up the first with me running with Debbie.  I was being a 'Wolf leader', if you look at the picture below, the chap at the very back is the leader of the pack! He's very busy keeping an eye on all his pack!  Honest!

That was me, getting up them darn hills. As we were running I  called 'Bear right", or "Bear left" There were only four of us, it worked brilliantly! We kept together pretty well!

It wasn't too dark in the woods, with the grey sky above and the shading from the leaves, but I am so looking forward to a really nice bright sunny evening running through there!  We all chatted to each other as we ran along.  The 3 miles seemed to go so very quickly!  We did have a bit of a scare, well what with all this talking of wolves and bears, it wasn't an animal that jumped out on us but,.....as we were coming up to the very last bit of our time in the woods, I was chatting with CaroleWithAnE at the back and K and Debbie were up the front "Which way, Old girl" K called out to me and then an almight scream came from her, followed by some 'catawalling' from the 'scary' animals.  It was in fact Naggy and SnappyH!  There were walking today, SnappyH is still recovering from an injury, Naggy decided to walk with her as there wasn't a walking group organised!  Just like a couple of school girls, they hid behind a tree because a random man, running back along the path, (he had passed us) told them that there were runners behind.  They decided to jump out and scare whoever it was.  I happened to be us!  (they knew it was us really, as K called out "Is it this way Old Girl") Poor K nearly had a heart attack!  Not only that but SnappyH captured it all on video!  We have promised K though, that we wont share it!  It really is so funny tho!

So we just finished our run through the woods and ran to the rec to do some stretches!

A couple of pictures from our run and my new super pretty Garmin! plus geeky stats.

Dog Poo Ally
It reminds me a bit of Maze runner entrance!

Isn't in pretty!  This is just at the start of our run in the woods

Just before we start up the right side path
(which is just behind us)