Club Run - Leading

Hello readers.

So, this mojo of mine, as I said to Illustrious leader today, I am dragging it kicking and screaming back from the deepest darkest depths.  On my Garmin calendar, this is the 9th 'green' activity recorded with my new watch.  I have it set up that it knows when I am walking and so it will switch itself on all by itself.  I also went out running yesterday for 3 miles, with Naggy,  just for 'shits and giggles! No other reason, just because we wanted to!  Brilliant!  Plus, it looks so good on my Garmin calendar these days!  My running sections, however,  I do need to push the button to start , which really I prefer to do, just so that I know it is recording it! And besides, we all so look professional all poised with our finger in the button!

My mojo really just has started to show again, just  look at my calendar and see that even walking for 10-15 minutes a day is an activity, it is good for me!   I am feeling pretty proud of myself at the moment,  Todays run is the 4th run in a row!  So, yup!  Mojo is around and probably got half a smile on!  It was my turn to lead this week, I do like leading.  I had a couple of routes planned.  One involved the woods and the hills the other was a nice flatish type of route, with just one hill, which was the bit on the road before going into the park.  When I found out that I had IllustriousLeader back to running I decided that I would do the flat route.  Mainly because now, I knew I wouldn't get lost as she knows this route!  It's the mob match route, through Jubilee Park.  From the rec, doing just one loop of the mob match route and back to the rec it will take us to 3 miles, a perfect distance for group 1.

All leaders at the front, told everyone where they were going and how fast they were going, which is on the slower end of the advertised pace as it's move-up Tuesday!  Then we all gathered our runners for the evening.  There were nine in my group, including a couple of newbies.  It's going to be great run, I could feel it!

We set up, out the rec turn left and left again.  The first, and only hill coming up!  We didn't go in through Dog Poo Ally, this time, we ran along the road to Little Thrift, we were going along the path there, by the railway lines.  Up and over the new bridge to get to Jubilee Park.  I do like running through this park, it's nice and flat, it's what PWR use for the mob match route.  A 1.5 km route around the park, for the mob match they do two laps, but we will only do one lap and then run back to the rec.  That will be a perfect 5k run, nice and flat, virtually traffic free!

Getting up that little hill, well, I didn't quite do it, I turned around to see if my group were sticking together and that I wasn't going to fast and then lost my pacing up the hill......that's what I am saying, and that's what I shall tell my solicitor!  Alison managed the hill all the way up to Little Thrift!  Well done!  We had a little break there just for a minute and then back to running through the ally to the stairs.  Now, decisions, do I suggest they run up the stairs or not!  The thing is, I can't ask them to do something I am not willing to do, so I ran up the stairs!  The other 8 runners all copied me and ran up those steps.  I think there must be about 14 or so steps up!  I was blimmin hurting by the time I got to the top step!  I did tell everyone to walk down the other side though, I didn't want anyone falling down!

The park, Jubilee Park, is beautiful, it's local and it's where we hold our mob match!  I realised I could use this on a group 1 run when I did the match back then.  I just knew it would be perfect for us.  I wasn't that confident running around Jubilee park and the first time I did it I got lost!  Of course when I say lost, you can't really get lost, you just end up in a place where you didn't want to be!  I knew the first half, it's straight down the path, in by the car park and through the gate on the left!  From there it's just follow the path, until we come to this cross way in the path.  I remembered from last time that we had to turn right and run along there till we passed the chair and the information sign will be on the  right!  It was all coming back to me!  I did have a little bit of a wobble, thinking I had to go straight along, but we had to do the sharp left turn here!  It was all coming back, yes, it's all in there, it just needs dragging out!  A bit like my mojo really!

The next wobbly bit, was coming up.  I think last time, on a Thursday morning run, I took the left path, I should have just kept on going, straight, straight, straight!  That is where we will stumble upon St James school.  See what I mean about not being able to get lost, lost, because we will always pop out of the woods or park at some place where I know! And being Jubilee Park, it's near to my house then Petts Wood, Hawkwood ad Scadbury!

My Group were loving the route, we were all together and keeping in a nice tight group even though on a couple of occasions I was actually running a tad faster than I should have been for a move-up Tuesday!  But then, when we look at the average it will be just fine....probably slower than we should be going!

IllustriousLeader had to tell me where to go on just a couple of occasions, I would certainly have gone the wrong way if she wasn't with us.  I think doing this route one more time and it will be in the old grey matter upstairs, I will be like a local!  Hang about.......I am a local!

Anyway, we got through the park, no problems, all back safe and sound, we did some cool down stretches, with the walking group that came back with us, and reminded them all again about next week.  So, PWR's if you are reading this, remember Mob Match next Tuesday, meet in Jubilee park.  Try and register during the week to make it so much easier for the ground crew!  And most of all......have fun!  Running is for fun as well remember!

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