She Can Run Solo!

Hello Blog lovers.

I took advantage of the free afternoon today, even though I had stuff to do, i.e. wrap up presents! It was too much of a good opportunity not to take. Its not often these days that I can get out and run in the daylight by myself, so everything can go 'on the back burner' while I run.

It is quite chilly today, but it is 8 days till Christmas! so its not really surprising. But I decided not to put on my fluorescent jacket as another layer, I am hoping that the daylight will confuse my brain and tell me its not that cold once I start running. (And it really doesn't take a lot to confuse my brain!)

I was hiding in my doorway waiting for my Garmin to find the satellites so that I can start running, the wind is very chilly indeed! As soon as I heard the bleep I was off.

Of course I started off too quickly and had to slow myself down a bit, but I soon got into my stride. And I was so right about not wearing my jacket! I warmed up and even got sweaty and puffy faced! So I know I was going quite well.

I wasn't expecting great things, because I was just going along at my own pace, I am not very strict on myself when I am solo running! But I am really enjoying it out here. I still do those darn walking things!!!! Why, I don't know, I should tell myself off when I am walking.

Still, it was a good run, and I really enjoyed it. I'm glad that I can still have the motivation to get out there by myself and go running, for a while I was thinking maybe I had lost that!

I stopped my watch and went inside to do my stretches.

Here's the geeky stats!

Oh What A Struggle!

Hello blog readers.

My goodness, what a battle it was today, to get my backside off my nice comfy chair, in my nice warm house while playing scrabble on my lap top! Oh my goodness, memories of days gone by! I though maybe that I would take the easier option of going for a short bike ride with the OB but he was planning on doing a 20 miler!.....Have you seen the weather out there, the cold and the wind! Especially the wind! The thought of heading up to Biggin hill was not good.

I did say to the Old Boy that I might just not doing anything and just stay snuggled on my chair. Well that was it, the OB started goading me then, "Thats ok, you keep you fat ass on the chair, letting it grow fatter, getting back to how you used to be" Grrr, I could feel the little fat cells in my body starting to get excited at that thought! I could feel them start pumping up, making them selfts bigger and stronger!

NO WAY IS THAT GOING TO HAPPEN! I cannot let things slide back to the old days. This is the testing time of the year! I know when I first started running, back then in 2008, I started in the winter months, in March! But the thoughts of mum, and the spring and the summer, it just seemed so much easier to keep going. But now, with the shortest day of the year still to happen......well, you know! But the thoughts of mum always keep me going.

And today, thoughts of my dear friend filled my head. Him, struggling with Parkinsons, stroke, and now toxic poisoning running through his system! He still fights on! what more do I need to get my fat ass out there, in the cold, for just at few short minutes running!

So couch potato, eat my dust, (even though I know 'tatoes thrive in dirt) but you get my drift.

My geeky stats, well, it shows that my energy levels are way down in my stockinged feet! But I did it. A slow jog is better than no jog, right! And besides, the average moving pace is 11.38 mi/m perfect pace for group 1. Still tons faster that my first ever turn around lamppost experience!

I'm A Very Useful Jogger!

Hello blog readers.

In the style of Thomas The Tank Engine I am a very useful jogger! Our group 1 has swelled in ranks due to the phenomenal success of the beginners group which started in September. We have had loads more new members, and also some are still just popping along in ones or twos!

Our illustrious Leader had asked me to be sweeper today. I felt very proud and flattered to be asked to do such an important role, after all, we don't want to lose anybody. And you all know me by now, being at the back is my happy spot!

So for the first half of our run, I'm in my element, in the comfort zone as the Old Boy says to me, in fact, he is not the only one that says that about me! But the second has is a different story. I had to push myself that bit harder. I was a little concerned with one on the newbies, and I held back a little to help to encourage her and to see if she was ok.

When we got to Willet Way we were told that we could run as fast....or slow as we like. I chose to do the 'run fast/run slow' lamp post to lamp post. Right up to the recreation ground! A enjoyed my run today. As it seems I always do the days! I am looking forward to my next run.

So geeky stats, oh and I forgot to switch off my garmin, again, so the last 5 or six minutes is of me doing my stretches!

Tuesday club run by moosh001 at Garmin Connect - Details

Club Run - A Break In The Weather

Hello Bloggees.

Can you believe its been a whole week since I last put on my running shoes!? I am slacking! But at least I am not completely lazy and and vegging out, the bike does get an airing during the week.

But today, I really struggled..........to get the motivation to go out! It was cold, and dark, and wet and windy! I really didn't have anything to get me out of my chair. I even put a pathetic appeal out the club's FaceBook page! But, then, the Old Boy had said he was going to go out on his bike, he called me a wimp for even thinking of not going out! That was it! I decided I will go, after all, what will happen if I get wet!! Melt!

I got all my gear on, the Old boy still laying on the sofa. I expect he will go when he is ready. I got to the club early, so I sat in my nice warm car, and I could feel that old couch potato wanting to keep me in the nice warm car. But I had come this far. The rain had stopped sometime ago, and even the wind seems to have gone, so there was no excuses left, well apart from the cold and the dark!

There were quite a few people who have turned up. And even the newbies were all keen and ready to run. After the announcements we all found our group leaders and headed off. Our route was a figure of eight style, which took us pass the road where we meet up, not just once but twice. And the second time we actually run past the rec, past where I park my car! Yet we still had another mile to run!

I was quite impressed with myself, for the first big loop I ran non stop up at the front of the pack, and even was in the lead 'role' for a short period! Our illustrious leader even said "If you get too far ahead, Old Girl, we are going to have a stop up near the memorial hall" I knew that I wouldn't be the first to get there, but now there was this thought in my head! Could I actually get there first> I was looking up towards the hill that we had to climb, and I started to think "Well go for it Old girl, see if you can get their first" I tried, but the hill just got to me, and I slowed down.

But I was still quite proud of myself for keep up. I wasn't the last one any more, thanks to the newbies, who will soon be overtake me anyway! But getting this far non stop running, was pretty good going for me,

Now came the time where we had to head down the road where we all met up in the rec. It was pretty tough going to pass it on by. Mentally it was quite a struggle, and mentally, knowing where we are heading was pretty tough going too. I know the hill that we are going to run up, one because I just know this road, and two, (if I didn't' know it,) we had ran down it earlier!

going back up the road that we had run down I really did try to keep going, but I took a couple of walking stops, and was encouraged by the other guys to keep going, nearly there.

Going down the hill again felt fan - blooming - tastic! I love running down hill, knowing that the energy levels were dropping now. And it gives me such a much needed boost as well.

The last road up to the club, the road that I take to get to the club, the road that we have already ran up this evening, felt terrific! I was looking forward to getting home. I still had a little extra for a sprint finish. I love that sprint finish. I felt great running today! Yes that's right, I felt great while running today!

I am glad I went out today, I am glad that I found that tiny bit of motivation to get on out....The Old Boy didn't go out! He wasn't feeling to well!

Here is the geeky stats

Club Run by moosh001 at Garmin Connect - Details

Club Run! - Remembering My Mum, My Inspiration.

Hello Blog lovers.

Today we saw our group 1 swell in ranks as new members came along to check out what all this club running is all about. Some of these new comers have only been running for the last nine weeks! I felt under pressure to look good and run well. Most of them were tons younger than me (she says digging into the old excuse book again) so of course they were going to be a lot stronger, fitter and faster than me! I really felt that I had to push myself tons harder than usual. But I ran how I normally do, but with maybe just a tad bit more. I'm sure it doesn't look good when I tell people I have been coming for a year, I didn't want to look as if I had only just started running last night!!

It was a boozy weekend, we were celebrating my sister and her daughter swinging down ropes from Battersea Power station on Sunday, and also we were remembering my mum, my inspiration for all this running and cycling and keeping fit. Still find it very difficult to thing that it was 4 years ago that mum left us, taken by the wind. So, I had a lot of extra pushing that I needed to do, I haven't actually ran since last Sunday! but I have been going cycling. I just haven't blogged it! Yesterdays ride was a very leisurely 10 miler, but at a very social 2 and half hours! So punishment time, work up a little bit more of a sweat! Get my ass back on track.

Our leader today was Richard, our illustrious leader Ann's husband. (I have to start thinking of nick names again.) Anne was being sweeper today, and I was thinking that I would be keeping her company this evening. He was being very gentle on the group, even though the route today was a tad over what the new comers we expecting, but it is what we in group 1 have come to expect. And generally we are all totally thrilled with what we achieved, even the the next day or two we are sore. Mind you, these days I am not aching, but please don't tell group 1 leaders, they might suggest I move to group 2!

I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't at the back keeping Ann company, I wasn't in the front either, but still, it was good not to be back stop today. I was well and truly wrapped up tonight. My house at the moment is like a ice box, blooming boiler on the blink, and I just presumed it was fairly chilly outside. But of course running along I soon warmed up! I had om more layers than an onion, and I slowly peeled off two layers by the time I got back!

It was a great run, but I seem to always say that now days, I am enjoying my running! I was speaking to one of the newbies as we ran and she said 'the only time that I like the running is when I stop' I can relate to that, I really can. It wasn't that long ago that I felt exactly the same. Even now, occasionally, when I am running, I sometimes wish there was some other easier way to get fit! But then most times I find that I really am enjoying the running! Not just the end, not just seeing the finish line, but the half way point, maybe just a few steps into the run. I find that totally amazing! Me, Old Mrs Couchy! Loving running!

Yes, today was a great run!

Geeky stats,

Club Run by moosh001 at Garmin Connect - Details

And I am going to add a video that I did back in 2010, to help raise money for Cancer Research.

Tuesday Club Run

Hello blog lovers.

Feeling good again, I went for my run with the club. It was cold out, but I know from experience that I will warm up. But I decided to wear my brightly coloured cycling jacket. Its good to be seen in the dark. Especially with my reputation of falling off and over things!

So after the notices given and the group routes sorted, we were off. Our illustrious leader is well and truly back in control. We had one newbie today, and she fitted in really well.

Only one probably today, and that was me and my scatter brainess, I didn't start my Garmin off! I thought I had, but it's just so dark I didn't really see to check it was going, I thought I had heard the bleep as I set it. But it could have been someone elses. Oh well. At lease I know exactly how far we had ran before I noticed it hadn't started. We had run exactly a mile. Mr.Kit man had some geeky stats going, and also, I remember running this bit before with one of the other run leaders!

So Garmin eventually started we continued on our way. It was a good run, but we were getting stretched out a bit so we had a pause just after the twiddly as our leader calls it, she also said "If you want to run around or up to the end of this road and back again, then do so, while we wait" A very nice offer I thought, but no one took her up on it. What a lazy bunch we are! Maybe next time I will do the extra bits. Have I said that before?

The route home was pleasant, no little inclines to speak of. And it was just a pleasant run. I had the little bit extra left over for a sprint finish back to the pavilion. Again I'm not sure where it came from, I just must be one of those fast finishers. mind you, I didn't do any 10 min/mil or faster today. Maybe my endurance is slowly building up after all this time.

Back at the Pavilion one of our club members is a newly qualified fitness instructor and she gave us some stretches to do. I did need that! My poor bruises!!

Geek stats, but don't forget to add a mile (and 14 mins, but that was with the catch up and breather stop)

Club Run by moosh001 at Garmin Connect - Details

A Gorgeous Sunday Morning!

Hello blogees.

This morning me and Hitchy decided on an early run, before I had church. Now, bearing in mind I had had a lovely meal in a great restaurant last night, I wasn't expected anything to great from myself. And that is exactly what I got. (Excuse #201)

But I was up and ready, and Hitchy turned up at my house dead on 8:30 this morning. She was looking fetching in her running gear, but she also brought her car, but we won't mention that!

We wanted to do about 4 miles or so, so I kind of guessed a route that would take us about 4 miles, with a little bit of parks with paths but mainly roads. As soon as the cold weather kicks in we can hit the woods again. My Goodness, can you just believe I wrote that down, running in the cold. Oh yes, a true runner now!

We didn't push it, as my Thai curry was still a delightful clear memory in my tummy. (excuse #7, ? I think)We got to our first mile in just under 11 mins, and after that we (well, I) got slower. Like I said, I wasn't going out to win races, this was a longer route, with as much running involved as my poor bruised little legs could do.

We got to Blackbrook lane, but not at the place I thought. I should have ran up to the next right turn. I could quite easily be tempted to turn right and go through the park, but I stuck to the plan that was in my head and we turned left to go to the road that goes through Jubilee park.

We were not far off now. Not far to go at all. When we ran down Top Oxhawth though, Hitchy was thinking about running back to her house, but then I reminded her that her car was packed outside mine!

A great run though, albeit slow, but sometimes thats exactly what is needed.

Geeky stats for you.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/128461485