Beginners!

Hello blog lovers.

So, here we are week 3 and already our group will be running for as much as they will be walking!  Three minutes worth of running followed by three minutes of walking!  When you have not done any running before, this amount of time is quite something!  If you don't believe me, you non running peoples should try it!

The main thing that people have a problem with is their breathing.  You naturally start panting, and that is just not good.  Your body doesn't get the oxygen that it requires to keep your muscles energised, the energy levels drop down into your boots, your lungs feel like they are screaming at you to give them air, and your heart is pounding out of your chest!

It all sounds pretty scary, right? But if you train as planned, just nice and easy, stick to the schedule and do your homework during the week, then it does get easier.  The best bit, well that has to be when you have completed the task set.  You done it, finished, crossed the finish line, ended! The smile starts to spread across your face before you reach your goal!  Now that's not scary, is it.

My own thoughts about my running is....Its all well and good thinking I can do it, thinking is not doing. And its all well and good knowing that I can do it, everyone knows I can do it!  But that doesn't get it done. It's the sheer will power, the "I will do this, I will finish" that gets the job done.  Just a few minutes or hours of discomfort, for a lifelong "I done it"

Yeah, that about sums it up!  I am looking forward to my long run on Monday, I will do it, I am determined to finish the 12 miles I planned, just as the beginners had run each of the five reps of 3 mins running!  After all, its only for a short while, right?

Tough Thursday!

Hello blog lovers.

Morning Run

T.T. Tough Thursday, that's what this was today. Wendimoo picked me up this morning, and we drove to the rec.  DiscoRich was away having fun watching the geegee's at Cheltenam, and a couple of other of D.R.'s group were away as well, so that left  David and Sacha coming along and joining us in group 1.

Strangely both David and I had in mind to do our PWR's route.  Great minds and all that!  So thats what we did.  We joined forces, and headed out of the rec via Towncourt Road with David taking the lead, and then turn left,  taking the wrong turn!  I just followed behind him trying to keep up with the faster runners but I couldn't catch my breath to call  them to go the other way!  Typical man, never  stops and asks for directions! :-)

When he had realised that he had actually turned the wrong way he stopped at the top of the road and waited for me and Wendimoo to catch up (everyone else was able to run at the faster pace! or is it me just running slower?!) we decided to quickly adapt the route, and then we ran over the walking bridge and got back on track from Tent Peg Lane.

I was really having another bad running session.  I could feel that my body just didn't want to move, and I was really struggling to keep up with them all.  I know they were not running particulaly fast but I just struggled to get moving today.  I felt tired and lethargic. and just generally not feeling the love for running.

I wanted to do the 10k, the woody section, because I thought I would have a chance to then  'feel the love' with running and get that extra mile or so.  But it just didn't happen.  I was behind the gang.  Each of the them taking it in turns to run with me.  I'm not sure if that was planned or if that is just the way it worked out.  But I do know that it is exactly what I needed this morning!  Just that little bit of encouragement from David, Michelle, Wendimoo and Sacha, with Sacha even running loops back down hills to keep me company!

I am lucky that I can get out and run, and I am lucky that I have great friends to be able to run with!  Sometimes, that is all you need.

Geeky stats.

Track Session

Tonights track session was going to be another tough one for me.  PhysioMike was taking this session today, and all I can remember was something about 2 times 1200's, well, I just couldn't get it in my head.  I was just going to do as much as I could.  I kind of recalled that PhysioMike had said that group 1-4 runners just do 800's with the rest in between, 90 sec first then 3 mins, then 90 sec then 3 mins.  I am sure that is what he said.

We all lined up and then Mr.S looked at me. "Come on Old Girl, you can run with me"  Now Mr.S is just plodding along, just for shits and giggles, just for fun which is how it should be. Always remember that running is for fun......at least it is for me, I think I have left it a little late to make it a money spinning career move!  So Mr. S kept me company on every single lap today.  And again, it was just what I needed.  

Sometimes you need your solo runs, whether they are long or short, sometimes you need to stuck in a crowd of runners, just listening to the banter that goes on, and other times you need to be running along listening to just one person.  I am fortunate enough to have had Mr.S just continually chat to me on each of my laps round.  He is the male version of Wendimoo!  I started my moaning about chaffing, Mr. S wasn't taking any of that old nonsense from me, and then immediately trumped my moanings with a chaffing storey of his own!The stories he told me, would make your hair curl!  With him being a fellow blogger I am sure you can read about some of his stories in his blogs, and I am sure the chaffing story is among them somewhere.....or is that the one story he told me not to remember!

I think I did 'alright' on tonights session, Not as many laps as the faster runners, but I think I did all that group 1-4 runners should have done!  Sometimes your running does go 'meh' and this week its my turn to have running go 'meh'  It happens and I will not beat myself up about it.  What I got to think about is 'At least I am out there doing it!

Here is my geeky stats for track session.  I didn't do the stopping of the Garmin between the reps, I just kept it going, I think I would have forgotten to switch it on/off otherwise.

By the way, check out my average moving pace!  I though I was running just a tad faster! :-) Smug mode!

Club Night!

Hello blog lovers.

Today was a running day. I know Tuesdays is usually a running day, but this morning, when I don't usually run, I did run. I needed to run.  With quite an emotional time yesterday, and a non running day on Sunday, I  wanted to go and do a solo stretch of the legs, stick some tunes in my ears and just run!

I Just Felt Like Running

I dropped off my charge at school and then ran from there.  I was going to use the dreaded A21 as my route. all the way up to Locksbottom.  I chose this route because I dislike it so much, I chose this route so that I could just concentrate on running, not look at ....stuff. No going through the woods, or parks, I didn't want to meet anyone on route, no distratactions.

I ran, I thought about stuff, I prayed, I thought about more stuff.  I thought about the questions that had asked only yesterday by some very confused and worried people, "Why? Why is there all this sickness around." "Why does good people have to suffer" "Why do children get diseases" 

You can tell what sort of place I was in when I was running.  I couldn't answer those questions, I can ask them myself, and often do! I can want answers to them, but I don't know how to answer them.  All I know is I just know that there is more than this.  I will keep believing that!

My run this morning was an emotional one.  Yesterdays visit with my dear friend Charlie brought back a whole bunch of memories.  With my dad and mum both having suffered very painfully with cancer, both not surviving it!  This month is also a very tough one, My mums birthday is at the beginning, on the 2nd, and Mothers Day is also in March!  So with all those memories and emotions going on, it was a slow run, with a few tears! With all the stuff going through my mind, the music occasionally helping to pick up my mood I managed to run about 5 miles.  Enough really considering I had more running to do in the evening.

Hero to Zero!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I turned up at the rec and saw even more eager souls to kick ass with the 'Couch Potato Syndrome'. There were 10 plus Auriol who just needed to run at 7 this evening.  And was I glad she was there.

I had already told them that I would be doing the same route as last week, just so that the new comers will know what to expect, and then they can decide if the want to do the extra mile or run back to their cars on via bottom Crossways. 

As usual I started them off with some warm ups, up and down the paved area next to the pavilion.  Then it was taking to the streets to run up Birchwood.  I asked Auriol to take the lead and I will sweep so that I can keep an eye on anyone that may be struggling.

Let me tell you, they all did really well getting up to the top of Birchwood.  Non stop as well.  When I first started running I don't think I could do that, and I also saw the hill as such a long, long steep hill.  We just a short walking break before we started on our next running section.  The front runners looked so easy with their running, but they are young, and fit.....and skinny!  They just seemed to ease in to it.

They ran all the way to the round about and then down to bottom Crossways.  We had a little break there.  I asked how they were all doing after running for as much as they wanted for the mile.  They all were feeling good.  But unlike the beginners course, Tuesdays 7 o'clock are for building up confidence, and stamina for those that have already gone through the course, and for those that can run for at least 10 minutes plus at a time.  Some of the ladies here have only just completed 2 weeks so far.  But they did brilliantly.

Some of the group decided that they had done just enough for their first Tuesday session, and were quite pleased with what they had achieved.  Three of the group left to go back to their cars, just along the road.  The others had already started running up to the Memorial Hall and so I had to play catchup.....while running on the incline!

I eventually caught them up just as they got to the top!  We ran and talked all the way down.  Oh I just remembered.  It wasn't just an all girl run this evening, we had a rather hansom chap called Henry. He accompanied Kelly, who is one of our beginners.  He seemed to have breezed though the whole run, as those he was just out for walkies!.....oh hang about.......he was!  Henry was a lovely dog, I am not sure of breeds of dogs, but he looked like some sort of collie dog.  Very sweet natured.  

With just the undulations of Greath Thrift and Hazlemere we ran and chatted all the way back to top Crossways and then to the rec.  A great couple of miles with some very lovely people!

Geeky stats.

Group 1......They Merry Group!

Illustrious Leader had been looking at her maps again and come up with a new route.  It was described as 'The Robin Hood' as the roads we will be running on has names with connections to Robin Hood, Friars Road, Forrest Road.  Hilly...ish.

I was beginning to feel a bit tired, but I was determined to do it.  I wanted to run again.  I just hoped I wouldn't be too far behind the group.  Me and Janet were sweepers, we are always sweepers!  The group looked really quite large, at least 15 - 20  runners.  We made our way out and ran down Crossways to cross over the road and up Willet Way.  

I couldn't think of where this Robin Hood place was, but we soon got there.  I was beginning to struggle a bit, and the tiredness started to kick in. Maybe three runs in a day is probably not good.  But then I thought to myself, "It's still don't all add up to a long run" So I just kept on running.

We came to this grassed area and I saw Illustrious Leader running up!  I knew there had to be an up as we had just ran down, Illustrious Leader had told us we were doing this kind of loop, so it was inevitable that we needed to to get back to the top!

I walked some of the hill and ran some of it. It was tough going for me.  But once we got back to the top Illustrious Leader told us the next bit of our run and then we all just ran.  

It was a good run and again it was a much needed run.  Considering I was thinking about probably only just doing group 0 and then go home I was so pleased with myself for persevering.  

Geeky stats.

50 is the Number!

Hello blog lovers.

Saturday morning and the sun is shining brightly!  A beautiful day, so much better than last week!  I arrived just as Hels was giving the chat at the beginning of todays session.  It was a fantastic sight!  At least 50 beginners are standing listening to  Hels as she describes todays session.  It is a bit of a step up, I am sure this is the only time that the beginners will be running twice as much as as they did the week before!

So we started the session with the walk twice around the rec and then the drills!  All the skipping and funny walks to get the muscles loosened and ready are a must.  Then we started!  Running for 2 minutes, twice as much as last week, and 4 minutes walking! It's going to be tough, always is when you run twice as much, but I feel sure that they will all do so well.

Just a walk! You can do this!

It feels good for me to be able to encourage people to do something that could possible change their lives!  It has changed mine!  I have become fitter, I am more active, I think about what I eat.....ok my lager intake is still a most enjoyable time at the weekends!  It would be a most fantastic thing to see one of the back markers come up through the ranks and do something that they thought would never have done before, 10k, half marathon.....full marathon!  It's possible, it really is!

Run, just for 2 minutes!! Come on
you CAN do this!

The session seemed to go really quickly, I don't think there was anyone that didn't run all of the running sections, well, there was one lady, but she had a bit of a pain in leg, but she came along today just to get the encouragement from her fellow beginners, she didn't want to miss a week!  So she walked the session, doing a bit of brisk walking when the running was due. 

And then it was the warm down stretches!  It's just amazing how the time just flew!  I can't wait to do it all again next week!

Yes! done it! Bring on next week!

So the number 50, I haven't quite finished with it yet.  One of my running buddies from group 1 has been doing so well with her Parkruns, going most weeks, winter and summer and today she completed her 50th Parkrun!  A fantastic achievement, I still haven't done that yet, (lazyitus, early saturday mornings)  When I am supporting someone I can get up and be at Normans Park, and when we have a beginners course, I am here at 9 in the morning! But when it comes to just me and Parkrun, doing it just for me, then the 'Lazymare' kidnaps me, keeps me snug in my bed with the duvet pulled tightly over me!  How am I supposed fight that!

Anyway, just for a complete giggle let me tell you this, we are all talking about Janets 50th, Wendimoo was going to bake a cake with 50 on it, J.J. was talking about getting her to run with a 50th balloon! Michelle also wants to congratulate Janet and goes out to by Janet a 'Happy 50th birthday' card for her, she was thinking it was her birthday!  It made Janet laugh and the rest of us.  I met them all at Saints and Sinners to share in the congratulations!

Janet and her 50th Bithday Card!
Congratulations Janet, You have done so well!

So, Lets do Mud! And Then Track.... With SLGR!

Hello blog lovers.

This morning was a gorgeous spring morning! Who would not want to run on a day like this!  I was in two minds whether to take the group through the woods or play it safe and do the parks again.  Although its good running through the parks, I don't want the ladies to get bored!  The roads around Petts Wood are ok, but then there is the traffic, fumes in your lungs, which is why I try to stick with running through the parks and paths.

But today, with the blue sky, the sun shining, and really feeling  like a perfect running day, the woods beckoned me.  I wasn't really thinking if the mud had dried out or not, I was just hoping that it wasn't that bad!

Richard was also taking his group through the woods as well, so it's kismit!  We just had to follow suit.  The ladies coming with me didn't seem to mind too much, they just love running.  I chose my route very carefully, trying to think of the driest route possible.  You'd think if you go running up and up, towards the top, away from the river, then surely it should be drier the higher you go, right? Right!

As we ran up the middle path of the woods I was smiling, it felt so good to be back in my beloved woods.  I was going to take them to the top and then left to run along to Botany Bay Lane.  Then there will be a bit of road work, to bash the mud off , if there was any of course.

Well, let me tell you.....there was mud, plenty of it.  It wasn't quite dry but it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be! When we got to nearly the top of the woods, just up ahead in front of us, we could see group 2!  We had nearly caught up with them!  We must have been running as fast as them, surely! You can just see group 2 in this picture .  We could do some quality running on most of the paths, and the woods smelled so good, the sun light shining down through the trees, it was just superb!  The dog walkers were enjoying being in the woods, and all the dogs looked like they will NOT be allowed into the house until they have seen the hose pipe.

Can you see group 2?

Most of the paths were passable with just a few very sticky bits that you either had to go through or pick you way around!  I chose to just plough my way through!  I had a change of shoes in my car (just in case!)  When we got to Botany Bay lane we had a little break as we waited for Viv to get to us.  She was busy ducking and diving between the bridle path and the pedestrian path.  But look at this..... You can see why we were waiting for her.  It seems that Viv is not that keen on mud, and has somehow managed to hover over all the wet bits.

The Bridle path and
pedestrian path!

Viv gliding through the woods.

The road part was probably a welcome relief to Viv! And it gave us a chance to pick up the pace a bit. But we were soon back into the woods as we touched on edge of  Scadbury Park.  Again somehow Viv managed to avoid getting mud on her, me Michelle and Wendimoo all had the same colour shoes........brown!

Can you tell which shoe belongs to Viv?

I had one last chance to get Viv's shoes looking like they had just done a 10k in nothing but mud!  I led them back into the woods to run down to Dog poo ally, and then run all the back to the rec.

A great run session, but Viv's shoes never got any muddier!  I should let her see this picture below, just to show her that it's all washable!

Once clean shore, one dirty shoe!

Track Session

Its that time of the month when the SLGR crew come and join us for one of our track sessions.  It makes for a massive turnout, which means massive encouragement from all and for all!  I have missed the last couple of sessions, due to rain and feeling yucky! (i.e. lazyitus) But after this mornings glorious spring like run I was feeling quite positive!

I drove down to Normans Park Track and met up with the PWR's and the SLGR's.  Our session was to run two 1600 m with 90 sec rest between and then two 800 m with 90 sec rest. Doesn't it look simple written down!  I looked at it on the Facebook page, and ...in my Old Girl brain....I saw it as 'Only 4 things to do'  Seriously that is how I saw it.  two long runs first then two short ones! "Easy peasy" I was thinking!

Of course when you are down there, and then realise what 1600m is (four times around the track non stop!) then the easy peasy turns into "Eh....What?"  Now, being an old girl, I still use 'Old money' when it comes to distances.  400m is once around the track, I get that (finally), it took a while for me to realise, but whenever PhysioMike said that we will be running 800m I always visualise running around 4 times!  I know! Maths is not my strong point.

So it was really helpful when PhysioMike converted the 1600m into 'old money'.....just about 1 mile!  Now that I can do that. I can visualise that, I can see that......and I can keep an eye on my Garmin which I have set up in miles!  So much easier for me.  I can run a mile, I know I can, I have done it countless of times.  Even on my long runs, its run a mile and then walk a minute!  In fact just what we were doing tonight for the first two miles, except we will have an extra 30 seconds rest!

We all started off together, there will be no way I will be finishing with everyone else,  that's for sure.  They all took off running really really fast and of course I took off with the, it's hard not too. I tried to keep up with them, I checked my Garmin to see how fast I was running and realised  I deffo had to slow down!  There was no way I could keep up that sort of speed!  I am old you know!

When P.M. called out my 'park run' time I was totally surprised.  30:30 or there abouts!  I don't think I have ever run that fast a Parkrun.  But if I could have kept that up for the whole session then I would be on for a PB parkrun time!

It was a great session, everyone had a great time, everyone encourages and chats to everyone.  I am useless with names, but people remember my name, and they say "Hi Old Girl, hows you doing" And that sets my brain cell going, digging in the depths of my mind for the names that I know are buried deep inside my head!  But one name I have remembered is Vicky!  When we had done our two 1600m sections we started off our 800m together.

She is obviously a lot younger than me as before we even reached the first corner she was pulling away from me pretty quickly, and she chatting was over her shoulder to me!  It was great to see some familiar faces as well from SLGR, Inky and OnePaceKat, complete with her union jack taping to her ankle!  And to see Kevin as well from Orpington Road Runners!  This is what I love about running and running clubs!  Everybody trains to together, you don't get that so much in the others sports, football for instance.  Can you image Millwall training with Arsenal, or Liverpool with Chelsea!

I was pleased that I had managed to complete all that was planned for today.  The faster runners however, while they were waiting for us slower runners to finish was taken to the 200 meters mark and then they had to sprint as fast as they could back to the start!  Wow, sometimes there is a good reason to be slow!

Here is some pictures from the track tonight, only the warm down stretches, as I really wanted to concentrate on running as fast as I could!

The 'gangs'

Hels leading the warm down stretches.

Geeky stats. You will notice the Garmin  had aHissy Fit!  It lost satelites for a short while!

Club Night - Move Up Week!

Hello blog lovers.

Group Zero to Hero

Now this group is the very slowest, shortest distant group.  Usually, because of the very nature of Group Zero to Hero, we don't have anyone 'move up' to here.....usually!  Our beginners course only started just this Saturday gone, and people get talking, they hear about this new group, and lo and behold this evening 3 newbies came along from the beginners course to try out this group 0.

I chose a route that can have a couple of short cuts to get back to the rec if need be, but it does include Birchwood Road....up hill!  After some warm up drills, we headed out of the rec to start on the hill.  There were a good number of us, 7 including me, just taking the hill at a nice steady pace.  The regulars were up at the front and the beginners, who until now have only been running for 1 minute with 5 minutes walking, followed behind.  They all kept running to the top of the hill with out stopping!  I think they were well impressed with them selves, I know the regulars of the group were happy for them!

We ran along the top until we got to the roundabout and then we turned right to run down.  I think the newbies were pleased for the down hill.  I was totally impressed with them, because no one stopped running, only on the breaks that I had planned so that everyone could catch up (if needed) or stretch out or just to catch breath!

We ran all the way day to Crossways, and two of the newbies left us then, and walked back to their car.  They had done 1.3 miles, with just 1 stop which was at the top of Birchwood!  I think they were very pleased with their effort, but they didn't feel they could make the next 1 mile!  But the other newbie decided that she wanted to continue and finish the planned route.

We continued on our way, I told her we were going up to the memorial hall!  "Up?" she said, but I had a good vibe that she would do this.  I said that we wold take a break at the top, just to stretch out a bit and get ready to do the last bit back to the rec.  

Vanessa, Georgia and Keely ran ahead and I ran along with Kelly chatting all the way. Sometimes when you're chatting while you run, you just don't notice the how far you've done.  You don't notice the miles or metres in you like new money, you're covering.  We got to Townsend road and thats when Kelly started to notice what she has done.  It started 'telling' in her ankles and lungs.  Nothing painful, just a complaining from the the body as it realises that this running malarkey could get serious!

Our bodies don't like change!  Our bodies would quite happily just lounge around and do nothing, so when it realises that actually you are still running evening though the ankles are telling you to stop, it recruits in other parts of your body to try and thwart your get fit scheme.  Lungs started to hurt, knees and legs!  I remember in my case my shoulders hurt! Shoulders! And just the one!  Most strange!

We we turned into Crossways Kelly the newbie was just absolutely thrilled that she had completed the route!  She was smiling and chatting, saying she couldn't believe it!  It was a very good run!  I love watching people just do the best they can!  

Geeky stats.

Group 1

As its move up week, Illustrious Leader chose a nice gentle flatish route, and we will be running at the slower end of our predicted pace.  But it seems none of the Hero's wants to move up just yet, and we didn't have anyone join in today.  But I think I.L. will still do the slow pace!

Our route was the one that goes through Palace estates, with the extra loop of the green for those that want to do it.  I knew I wouldn't be doing that,  I was at the back anyway, as I am just not built for speed, I just gently plod along.  My speedy bits is on the track (when I eventually get there!) but out on the roads I just don't push myself to go faster! I just plod along.

I was a bit cold when we started off, so I decided to keep my fleece on,  I will just have to tie it around my waist when I get too hot.  I knew I would, but this little gap between group hero and group 1 just really cools me down way to much.  I can't wait for the spring and the summer.  I like those sessions, although it is such a lovely time of year to run, although I can be very hot.  But the woods always comes tops in my books!  Can't beat running in the woods.

We soon got to the middle of the run, the green where you can run around the green of chose to go straight up and then turn right.  There was quite a lot of us, about 10-14 of us, a nice number in a group.  just a few chose to do the 'round the green' section of the run.  Then we got back on to the main road and had a catch up time. 

We were all fairly tight together, even me!  I wasn't that far behind everybody.  With the straight road left to do before we tuned to cross over the rail lines we were given instructions to run as fast or slow as we liked until the off licence (I think I.L. must like this Off licence!) 

Running Beamont road and you just knew that it is nearly finished.  I was quite happy with the running I had done so far.  I wasn't as far back as I was Sunday! (mind you there were not monster hills.....hardly any really!)  Along Tudor way and I got chatting to Paula.  I.L. had come to the back to take up sweeper duties, although I was tired I just kept plodding along at a fairly comfortable social pace chatting away!  Loved it!

Here is the geeky stats

Three In One

PWR's Train Runners!

Hello blog lovers.

I have been a bit 'lax on writing up my blogs, so a quick summery of the first two and a slightly more in depth of todays.

Thursday Morning run

So the first one was Thursday morning, with just athree other ladies we headed on my new favourite 'wet winter' route, through the parks and my estate, up to Petts Wood and back to the rec.  A great run, about 4 miles or so.  It was raining slightly on the way to the rec and I had put my cycling rain jacket on, but really I needn't of bothered as it was quite warm.  I was glad that we were running along my road as I pop my jacket into my mother in laws house!  A lovely run though with me mates!

Geeky stats.

Beginners Course

The second one is all about Saturdays beginners group.  Our first beginners group of the year led by Helen, and the weather was.......awful!  It was raining and a bit chilly!  But that didn't stop a great number people turning up ready to get fit for the summer!

The going was, shall we say very, very soft! After a couple of laps of the park we did some warm up drills and then straight into the session, 1 min jogging and 5 minutes walking!  Everyone managed to do the whole session, with no walking during the running bits!  So hopefully during the week where they continue with 'homework' next week and Hels up's the anti!

Train run

And the rest of the gang!

So, to the last run.  It was the train run. Up at a sparrows fart to meet Michelle and Denise at the rec, as arranged, and thank goodness, as it was a great incentive for me. I shall explain in a second.   Michelle drove us to the St Mary Cray train station to meet all the other keen runners to do the train runs.  I will tell you now, (and I am digging out one of my old excuses for doing a poorly run) I had family celebrations last night. My sister Bims is 50 today and we had a party for her last night, so I was feeling rather delicate.  I went into total couch potato days, (well apart from I was dancing as well) but I mean the whole shebang! Pints of beer, down stairs for a ciggie!  And me, training for a marathon!

So there were all were, on the train going to Swanley and some of the faster longer distant runners are going to Borough Green and Wrotham, about 17 miles run back, and then us shorter distance runners (I know I should be on the longer run, but they are just way to fast for me!) we got off at Swanley.

I am sure, by now, that you all know I live in a very undulating area.  There are so many hills around my here and also some rather nasty little blighters for when you come in to my nearer home,  Polhill, Star Hill, Crockenhill Road, and now so I have discovered, the one we did today!

When people found out I was out partying last night they were all surprised that I was there, in fact so was I!  I literally just go out of bed, got dressed and walked out the door, remembering to grab a bit of change for my train ticket!  Daft really, I should have taken some water, I should have got up earlier and had something to eat! In fact, I shouldn't have had quite as much beer as I did!  But still, it was Bim's 50th!

I had hoped that I wouldn't be too slow, after all, this is all self inflicted and I shouldn't make others wait because of me!  When we got off the train Illustrious Leader said a few words about the route and then we just started running.  Well, what else would we do!  We started running at 11:10 m/mi, straight away! No kind , gentle warm up mile, even for half a mile.  So, there will be no taking it easy on the hungover Old Girl then!  And nor should there be, I might add, nor should there be! Gulp!

For the first mile I kept them in my sights, they started stretching away from me from about 3/4 of a mile in.  But as long as I could see them I will be fine, and I know I.L. will never lose anyone! So I plodded along, and the the sun shone, there was a breeze, but at least there was no rain.  The roads were wet as it had been raining early morning, I was just so grateful that it had stopped!  The first mile went fairly quickly but I was glad to see them stop to  have a catch up, I can't quite remember how far into the run we were, but let me tell you I was very happy for the break.

But soon the undulations started, soon the hills were all we could see!  I knew they was there, even before I said I would come on today's run.  Me and the Old Boy cycle up this hill, maybe not on this particular road, but this hill which I see as like a ridge surrounding the towns and villages.  So I knew it was going to happen, I even knew after my niece told me when her mums party was going to be! Yet still I came!

The hill looked horrendous in my foggy brain, it could be climbing all the way to heaven, as that is how I saw it.  The group got further and further away from me, but again I wasn't worried.  It was a long straight road and we are running all the way up!  I.L. came and ran with me after telling the others that if they get to the top and don't want to wait then they can loop back and come back down!  Just then memories of a film came to mind, a not very nice film mind, Full Metal Jacket! Where the slower soldier attracts the wrath of his fellow recruits when he fails to keep up with any of the tasks!

I must say, though, no matter how slow any of our runners are in each of the groups, there has never been anyone to complain!  The only one that seems to comment anything, are the ones that are slow, and they are just apologising for being slow!  What they never say is, "I won't come back next week"  What they do say is "See you next week!"

So there I was, traipsing up this blooming hill, and just when you think it may be the end, just around the next bend.....it goes up again!  "I had forgotten just how hilly this is" says I.L. to me.  I am sure it's part of the training to be a LiRF, keep things fun, and sometimes I am sure it will be more fun not to mention the hills! Best forget, then and it can be a surprise for the leader as well!

The down hill was good, (the other side of the ridge), but I couldn't help wondering, 'wouldn't it be nice to just go straight through a tunnel, a nice flat route!' But then of course, you wouldn't experience the fresh air, the fields, the sounds of the country side, the smells!  So onwards and upwards/downwards we go.

The others were doing so well, I looked up and saw Michelle, I remembered when she first arrived at the club, a Tuesday night, her and her friend, and now she is running in group 2!  I put it down to the fact she is younger, and probably didn't abuse herself as much as I did over the years! thats my excuse and I am sticking with it!

There was some flat bits as well, running with the blue sky above was just simply uplifting, I just wish it had pain relief in it as well, my head was a little delicate, my legs were sore from all the dancing and my feet were still complaining after being shoved in stiletto hills for 6 and half hours!  But still, it was a good night!

The time seemed to go really quickly and we were soon in the built up area, I couldn't really believe that we were nearly done with our run!  We had a little park to run through which came out in the Nugent Centre, a shopping centre, that looked as if it was just waking up!  I couldn't really take it in, we are at the shopping centre already!  Ok, I was slow, and no, my running buddies didn't poke me with sticks to make me keep up, they were just ahead of me waiting to cross the main road.  I caught up with them on the island in the road.  I.L. then told us about the nasty little blighter of a hill, "Its steep but it's only a very, very short hill, just up to the station!" She said, with maybe just a slight hint of an apologetic tone to her voice.

It was the last bit of road, I just had to do as much of it as I could,  I saw the others disappear around the corner, then when I came round it I was faced with this vertical wall, with all the others climbing up it, ......with out ropes!  I started running up it, I kept my focus on the ones in front, I just want to do this bit, I just want to run the last bit of this run.  I failed!! Not only that, but one of the others, the only male in our group today, decided to do the hill again. He came flying down it and then started to run up it!  I could hear him, he was saying "It hurts!" And it did!  It was then that I started running again, I just had to finish it, no matter how much hill there was left to climb, I was going to finish running!

I came running up and I could see all the other runners by the station, at least I was running, that statement seemed to be my mantra today as I.L. said it to me a couple of times! Either that or "Quick lets run" as some of the others did loop backs!  I can't remember seeing if the chap (sorry can't recall his name) overtook me or I got to the top before he got there (for the second time) or not.  But I was so glad it was all over! And so pleased I had done it, despite the fact that I was a bit jaded!

Denise and Michelle were both totally thrilled they had done their first train run as well.  We were back earlier than we thought and so we decided to go to Saints and Sinners for a coffee!

A very good run!  Looking forward to doing it all again....

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