Janathon Day 24 Track Session

Hello blog readers

Really had to get my head ready for tonights track session.  After the disastrous non attendance of club run I really had to make sure that I went out this evening with my buddies.  I rallied the troops together, that's Naggy and SnappyH, make sure there is no excuse not to go.  Naggy was deffo up and ready for it, even though she only got in from work about 45 minutes before track was due to start! 

We picked up SnappyH on the that and we arrived at track just as PhysioMikeTheMod was telling everyone what the session was today!  It was complicated, or it seemed complicated.  I was just going to do what I could hopefully it will look something like what PMTM had planned. 

We split into the two groups, the faster parkrunners and the over 27 minute parkrunners.  We do our warm up just by the nets for the hammer throw.  I was just crossing the track as the faster ones were all lining up to do their tempo warm up run when PMTM said ' Ok, go!".  There must have been about 30 faster runners, all totally focused on getting warmed up for the session running towards me.  I was still crossing the track with three more lanes to go!  Which way do I go?  Straight over, or just run on the track and try and move to the left to get out of their way with dignity?  I knew if I ran with them there would be no getting out, I could be on burn out mission if I tried keeping in the crowd.  I decided I will just keep on moving to the inside lane and hopefully not get mowed down, poor Darren's face when he saw this Old Girl crossing his path, hands held out ready for impact as he charged towards me!  I think he managed to put the breaks on and I managed to get out of his way.  I think about then I just closed my eyes and kept going for the grassy area with Janes group watching me get in with the big boys and girls! Phew.  That was so close to being a disaster!

I joined my running buddies in the safety of the, I don't know what this bit of ground is called, but I shall call it the warm up area, we ran around and we did our warm up with Jane.  We did all sorts of dynamic muscle warming stuff, skipping, high knees, drum majors etc, until we were warm up ready for the session. 

I brought my Jabra along, it so encouraging seeing that little VO2 thing moving upwards!  I also had my Garmin too,  I think both of them are set up to send to Strava too!  Geeky stats overload!  I shall tray and delete one from Strava, no need to have double on there!  So there I was ready for the session, warmed up, gadgets all set and we get the off!  I'm switching on my Jabra, getting some tunes running at my running pace, and then finally switching on my Garmin, 200 meters after I started!  But that's fine, the beauty of having two geeky stat makers!

The first lap should be 3 laps for us slower ones, I did two and half laps, then it was two laps, and then maybe a lap and a half!  I really had lost it by then, I was just listening to Jane instead.  Between each running rep there was a 90 second rest.  A tough session, mainly because I had to try and remember what lap I had done.  I do like running to a whistle, I don't have to think then!  Anyway, Jabra liked my workout!  I liked my workout....I think I should have done more though!  Next week, next week I will try harder, just a bit more!  I can do this!  I got this!  It's done!

 

We really do work pretty hard at track on a Thursday, here take a look at us all doing our cool down stretches with Jane!  The steam coming off these guys just,  I bet we could create our own weather system here in Normans park!  Pretty impressive!

Photos from SnappyH

Day 20 Janathon! - Normans Angels

Hello blog readers.

"Once upon a time there were three beautiful ladies who tried running by themselves. They were each assigned to look after people, a carer, teacher, NHS worker.  Running by themselves was tough but I took them all away from that and now they run for me. My name is Norman"

Training began in the afternoon for Normans Angels, that's us by the way it's what Norman calls us. Collected by car we made our way to Normans secret training ground.  It's so secret that it is hidden in plain sight, even using ordinary citizens to help disguise the secret location as an ordinary park. Me and the other two Angels, our code names, Old Girl (me), Naggy and SnappyH were all set for the next rigorous test.

Normans Angles

Norman has plenty of ways get the best out of us,  even pitting us against 700 would be 'assassins' on a Saturday morning. That is a particular favourite of the lovable Norman.  Today however, inspired by a film he had recently watched while supping on a pina colada, he decided that 'The Hunger Games' style training would really make everybody try harder.

Our task was to 'Stay Alive!' Could we  do it, could we reach 'home' before being caught, each one by the other Angels. Naggy had the hardest test, her speciality is the ability to run fast non-stop over miles and miles. Her job was to catch both me and SnappyH.  SnappyH, well her speciality is Gadgets, numbers, graphs!  My speciality, well, mine is blogging, or is it blagging!  I can write up anything and make it sound exciting!  If I run a mile I can write up a whole chapter about it! Standing by the car, looking out to the expanse of the park, the secret location we took a deep breath! It was riddled with innocent citizens unaware of what was about to take place. Norman doesn't like to make it easy! There are so many obstacles to get around. It could get messy.  There were very young children on bikes, they looked learning to ride them. Have you ever watched a small child learning to ride a bike?  When they riding along looking at someone for some inexplicable reason they head straight for them!  I made a mental note "Do not making eye contact with any small person on a bike."

All three of us looked around as we got ourselves ready for this special training session.  Each of us had our own special earbuds to listen to music, Norman wanted to make sure that each of us relied only on our instinct, our own intuition of where our team members were.  We walked to the path, smiled at each other, wished each other the best of luck and then synchronised our watches.  The Game had started.

We ran together for only a couple of feet before the competitiveness of Naggy drew her out of the plodding threesome, she started to slowly put some space between me and SnappyH.  I was thinking that if I could just stay fairly near SnappyH then I could make a sprint for 'home' at the last minute.  I was asking a lot of my worn out little legs, but I felt sure that if I at least kept her in my sight then Naggy would have a bit more of a job to catch me!  A good plan.  Just as I was getting to the first corner SnappyH started to pull away from me!  She is on a mission for sure!  My ear bud started to fall out of my left ear, it's the most important one, it is the one that records all the data that we so love.  I pushed in back in and accidentally turned it off!  Scuppered by technology!  I had to slow down, walk even, while I sorted it all out,  SnappyH was in the zone, she was pulling away from me.  Naggy was way up the long straight!  She is so going to be catching me today!  Unless I pull something out of the bag!

Once I had my technology all working again I was already about 30 or seconds slower than I had planned.  I better get a move on.  Norman really had pulled out all of the stops with the amount of citizens using the secret training ground.  I was right about the small people on bikes, I watched one of them ride straight into his static sister neither of them asking the other to move out of the way!  I watched in wonder at the little girl standing in front of the out of control learner cyclist not budging! he ploughed right into her, she managed to stay on her feet but he fell off the bike and cried to the parent.   I had to keep my wits about me, little people are so unpredictable.

I avoided the first pit fall,  I felt a bit more confident, I spied my 'mission' up head.  Just then the cutest little Jack Russel caught my eye as the little rascal ran with his tongue whipping the side of his mouth, as what can only be described as a smile on the face of the little pooch, as he speedily ran after his ball that his human had thrown!  That Norman is a task master!  He knows only too well that any cute little puppy dog, with big brown eyes, floppy ears, huge gangly feet, the waggiest of tails, would have me falling on my knees simpering over their soft furry little faces! That is mean!  I need to stay focused, their are so many cute little furry faces around today, it's going to be hard to ignore them.  Not only that but the darling little furbabies are even more unpredictable than little people on bikes!

The first lap of the secret location was done, so far so good, but there was no time to rest on my laurels.  I still have a lot of work to do, SnappyH was quite a way in front of me and as for Naggy I hadn't seen her anywhere.  I thought I caught sight of her once, but she was so far away it could have been any one of the ordinary citizens that Norman planted in the park.  I later found out that she had taken layers off and her trade mark flash of orange.  I wouldn't have spotted her without her orange ear warmers! The second lap I tried as hard as I might to keep the pace going, my Garmin telling me that I was running pretty fast!  I was hoping that my new Gadget would pipe in and tell me that I was running to fast, I should stick to the plan I had programmed into it.  But then I began to realise, I had programmed in to run 39 minutes for a 5k distance, I was on target for that.  I should have put it in for a slightly longer distance!  I felt sure that I will still be able to keep away from Naggy, catching SnappyH would probably be a little harder.  But if I can keep her in eyesight she may just realise that I am close and somehow, maybe, make a mistake, push too hard and just like me yesterday, have a time out for a few second!  I could possible get her then.

The final lap, there was no sign of Naggy, I was feeling exhausted and SnappyH was so hard to catch! At least SnappyH was in my view!  Naggy needs to be my motivation, I need to stay focused now, just to stay ahead of her, keep her well behind. Somehow there seemed to be more small people on bikes, a little bit older than the ones on the first lap.  This one particular lad on a bike kept riding by my side, then stopping then catching me up again. I managed to pull away from the rider, well actually he had to wait for his mum! I managed to avoid yet another adorable pooch trap who was just longing to be petted, ok, so it was me, I just really wanted to pet the dog but instead I looked towards the corner, the top of the long straight. I had to keep my wits about me as I tried to dodge the unsuspecting citizens, I swerved left and right, dodging each one of them.  They really didn't know what was taking place right under their noses! Normans Angles, training, right in front of them, training to be the ones to jump in and help any of them, any time,  to become  'RUNNERS'!  How I love this job!

The last long straight, I need to finish this now.  This is where I need to stay on my toes, I can't slack anymore, Naggy could quite easily catch me up.  I remember the last time we did this Naggy told me that she saw me as I  started this long straight.  She really though she could catch me IF I did my usual walking bits!  I couldn't let that happen, totally focused I ran down, hoping that I would just do this non stop.  I felt someone running behind me. "No, no, it can't be" I thought to myself. I saw a hand appear in my peripheral vision. Could this Naggy?  I pushed out a little harder, but then the whole arm appeared, that's it, I done.  The runner got faster and overtook me!  It wasn't Naggy!  It must have been another super-training-angel.

Norman still hadn't finished with trying to trip me up as yet more people came by on bikes.  This time they were older, they were youths, usually seen riding on roads with their buddies, doing wheelies, terrorising commuters, winding up Sunday drivers. They were now here, zig-zagging between all the citizens and me!  One was even on his phone, he could easily lose his balance in front of me, scuppering my chances of getting home!  The danger passed quite quickly as they headed off, maybe they were going to try and intimidate SnappyH, then maybe I could have a chance of catching her!

I managed to get to the bottom of the last corner, still no sign of Naggy and no chance of catching SnappyH,  I just had to make sure there was plenty of space behind me!  I took a sneaky peak behind me, no sign of her.  It doesn't mean that she isn't that far, I still have around the woods to do.  She could do quite a bit of damage control here.  I couldn't see her, I just had to keep going!  I ducked up the path that goes around the woods, more families! Norman, have you not had your fun yet!  Maybe he really did want it to be like the 'Hunger Games'  Maybe there can only be one survivor!  I managed to run around the woods, I could see the end in sight, and just up ahead in the 'home' section SnappyH was cooling down, doing her stretches. No doubt pleased with her performance.  I ran to the start point, unscathed, not caught out, ok so I didn't manage to catch SnappyH, maybe next time!  I walked it out, stopped both my gadgets and walked up to SnappyH.  We chatted for a bit as Naggy came around the corner and ran up to us, looking like she ran as hard as she could!  We congratulated each other on a job well done.

Back in the car we all looked at our stats, comparing numbers, heart rate, pace, VO2.  We could see on Naggys stats that the last section she really ran fast as she tried to catch us!

"Well done my angels, you all looked great out there!  Old girl, try and keep your head up when running"

Oh my goodness Norman was there!  Which one was he!?

ParkRun Day!

Hello blog readers

It's parkrun day and it's still January, so it's a no brainer where I shall be doing todays Janathon activity and it's at Bromley parkrun.  I knocked for Naggy and then we collected GetYourLegsUpTracy hereby known as LegsUpTracy, and SnappyH.  We don't like to leave anyone behind!  We drove to the park but decided to not drive inside.  There are so many people that come along to Bromley now, it's just crazy!  If you see a parking spot on the road first then best grab it!  Or.....run to the park!  But we are not quiet up for running to parkrun just yet!

We are still on the winter route, so just under three laps of the park before going into the funnel. It's crazily busy and they have had to move the funnel to the other side so they can make it longer to accommodate the volume of people!  And this morning I noticed there was a 'double funnel', I have no idea how that was going to work, but I am sure it all went well.  I usually am in the back of the pack so by the time I get to the finish  it's usually all clear! All the usual gang were there, with some of us missing, blimmin cold virus!  We were all at different parts of the start, Naggy was somewhere I couldn't even see, she went to put her coat into the baskets, Kathy was starting a little further up the field, I found that out after I caught up with her,  and J.J. and K were starting with me.  I didn't see where GetYourLegsUpTracy was.

There was the usual chat from the RD and then the throng of people surged forward. For us at the back it was a slow moving forward, I started my Garmin and my Jabra, I had both ear buds in, I don't know why I did that, it's so anti social, parkrun is a huge community thing.  Maybe I thought subconsciously I would push a little harder to get a faster time!  Who knows, but there I was cut off from the world listen to some run music from spotify, a mission to just try and keep a steady pace!  I wasn't planning on going fast, put it that way, that will start next month!  When I have rest days!

I did the first lap and I saw my club buddies running past and I realised that I had both ear buds in, being anti-social, so I took the right one out and I could hear!  I could hear the chatter of the people running, the breathing of the runners as I passed them or as they passed me, I could hear the footsteps as they got closer, which kept me on my toes trying not to let them pass!  Yup, this is how I should be running parkrun!

I could still hear my music and it was helping me to keep pace, I chose the right rhythm for myself!  the second lap went by with me saying "Well done" to the faster runners and saying "cheers!" as they called after me!  Much better!  Just the last lap to do now and of course that is not a full lap.  I had been running with GYLUT and Deborah by this time, I can't remember if I caught them up or they caught me up, but it was a game of overtaking between all of us.   With just half a lap left, Deb started to pull away in front, I was in the middle and Tracy was behind!  I tried to keep up with Deborah but she just has these long legs and seemed to be gliding along like a gazelle, so my aim was to keep GYLUT behind me.  That was all I had to do,  She and Debs had already overtaken me a few times on the last lap and I had taken back the lead.  But now it is just so close, the short straight into the new funnelling system and that was it done.   Nigel was running back down and passed me and said something which I could quite hear (he said it on the left ear which was bunged up with ear bud) but I just smiled and kept on running.  I could hear GYLUT footsteps behind me so I pushed just a little bit harder and then I heard her laughing!  I knew she was going to go for it, so I just pushed out and ran faster.  I was so near the funnel now but then a wave of nausea came over me! "Oh no, not now!" I thought, so I just slowed down hoping that it will pass but it didn't!  I could feel the heat rise and my eyes almost go black. I knew I was going to heave, the finish funnel was just there!  Thoughts were going through my mind, do I just run on into it, risk throwing up where all the other people behind will have to step over any chunks that I lay down or do I step aside and throw up just out of the way, where no needs to step!  "Shit, I can't" I said as a huge heave came from the bottom of my stomach!  I hadn't had breakfast or even a drink, so thankfully nothing was 'ready' to come up, but still, the nausea was there, working on whatever it could to bring up something to embarrass myself with!  Luckily it was quite noisy at that point as well because there was no disguising a bottom burp from the other end!  Tracy did pass me by and looked back towards me as she entered the 'clicking' point!  I had told her to carry on, like the brave soldier I was!

One other person passed me by before I had regained control of my stomach and bottom! I finished parkrun, thankfully without too much embarrassment and collected my token!  38:53 on my Garmin, I can live with that!  It was faster than last weeks tourism run!  Plus, there was still cake!  Marcus had just done his 350th!  That seemed to settle my stomach down again!

So my Geeky stats!




Oh by the way, yesterday, I did my Jabra lady! So extra workout, sit ups planks etc!  I am still not slacking! 

Ducking and Diving.......Cycling.....Ish

Hello blog readers

It is track day, yet somehow me and Naggy kind of talked our way out of going in the cold.  And somehow poos SnappyH got the blame.  We corrected that though, we blamed OFSTEAD.  If SnappyH hadn't had to do OFSTEAD or it could quite have easily have been parents evening, not sure which, then we would have gone to pick her up to go do track!  Instead we decided to stay in the nice warm cosy house and ride her bike on the machine instead! 

It still gives a a nice work out and of course it burns off some calories.  Not only that but all the while we are building up the 'Saddle Arse'.  Come the warmer months we will be 'arse' ready to do a few miles on our bikes and the thing that won't be hurting is our arses!  So I was first on the torture machine, I brought Jabra out to play as well.  I don't have a super douper Garmin that has a static bike setting on it but my new Jabra sports ear phones do! 

I found some good music to listen to while I was away there spinning my little fat legs and Jabra Lady giving me the low down every ten minutes!  She did have a quick word after about five minutes to tell me that I was in 'Light heart rate zone'!  I knew I just had to keep pedalling as much as I can.  No stopping this time, no standing up and deffo no doing less than 30 minutes today, not even a warm down for the last five minutes, I just need to pedal!

Naggy was sat on the sofa watching the telly and keeping a beady eye on me!  Even though I didn't really stop, I kind of kept having to adjust my sitting position on the saddle, and as soon as I did Naggy was looking at me, telling me to keep on going, no stopping!  So now I had a two pronged attack with the nagging!  Jabra lady telling me every 10 minutes that I and In Light zone, when I was feeling like I was in maximum zone (thats 4 zones up from light!)  I know that the bike thing is not as calorie eating as running but it's still something!  That's what I kept saying to myself.

After thirty minutes Jabra lady informed me that I reached the giddying heights of  zone 'Fat burn'.  That's a whole one step up from light!  I will have that, It's all good, that's what I kept saying to myself anyway.  And then, just as I am writing this I have remembered.  I did a 10 minute work out this morning too! That included, Lunges, Planks, Jumping Burpees,  Squats, High Knees, Butt Kickers, Jumping Jacks, Back Lunges,  Crunches, Push Ups. Wall Sit and Rear Lunges.  Some of them were for 20 seconds, some where for 20 reps and some were for 10 reps! Yup, I think that just about covers it!

So two lots of exercises today, that does make up for missing out yesterday and having a rest day instead!  But I am back at it today!  A double, but no running!  I am just glad it's Janathon I am doing and not RED January! Still, as long as it's all exercises it has to be good for us right?

So this is the summery of the last few days Jabra geeky stats, and I have added my run in to Jabra as well!  It looks goods and of course I would only do it if it can be backed up geeky stats.

Club Run - Janathon Day15!

Hello Blog readers.

This Janathon malarkey, its half way through! Yee Ha!  And then next month it will be concentrating on my half marathon!  Yup, I have signed up for Paddock wood again! (Come on Naggy, get your name down!)  Love it! Ooo, look at that!  I wrote that 'love it' without even thinking about it!  Mojo, you are so nearly mine again!   So, because I am doing this Janathon thing I am treating every run, every extra walk and every workout as just a mark up on my calendar!  Nevertheless I am still stepping it up by going in group 2, as I am not leading.  It's great having other leaders to help with my 'baby' group 1 because I can move up to group 2.  Me, Naggy and Shalini all went together to the rec.  There were a couple of our group not running today, J.J., K, SnappyH had some sort of parents evening or OFSTED, both which I can imagine is pretty tedious and poor LoobyLou isn't very well!  LittleJ wasn't doing her walking group.  I do miss everyone.  But CarolWithAnE was leading group 1 and GetYourLegsUpTracy came along in group 2 with Ade and Auriol.  RefMichael was in group 4 it think.

Ruth was leading today, I missed out on where her route was going as I was taking a 'comfort' break, I think the chilly weather made me need one!  So it was a nice surprise to find out that.......Cardiac Hill was included in there, not only that, but it's at the end....going up it!  Ok, so this is group 2, it's going to be longer than group 1 and it will be more challenging!  No turning back Old Girl!

I offered to sweep, of course, only because I knew I would be at the back.  I know as soon as I start to be able to stay up with the group and then feel comfortable there, I will stop offering to sweep and then to push on up to the front.  And then who knows, I could get to the giddying heights of group 3 in no time!  Baby steps though, no need to go crazy.  There were 18 of us in Group 2, Selena was in group 2!  I remember when she first joined us, it's good to see she is still running!  It's quite addictive really!

We ran down to Petts Wood Road and then turned right to run all the way up to the walk over bridge.  Of course normally I would have take then short cut up Kings Way, if I were leading, but then this is group 2!  We even ran all the way around CrestView Drive and down Crescent Avenue, just like I do with my group 1 if I were leading!  But I am not leading, Ruth is and she has managed to get Cardiac Hill added into this route!  By the time we got to the off license we were at 2 miles, which means we still had over a mile to do.  I knew we were going to be going up Cardiac Hill, that surely has to make it well over the 3 miles, possible 3.5 miles if we go down Willet Way.  Yes, that must be where she was going to take us.  Me, Selena and Auriol were at the back saying that we are pretty sure she was going down Willet Way.  But she didn't!  She carried on doing more of Cardiac hill to the big roundabout at the top of Petts Wood Road.  "Ok, so she must be running down there to Crossways" Said Auriol, but guess what Ruth had other plans!  She was heading for Birchwood, We did try and suggest that Wood Ride which she said "Ok, that's a good compromise".  Well, I think she was just keeping us at the back nice and quiet, because Kingsway and Wood Ride came and went as we headed for Birchwood!

I must say, it was a great run, I enjoyed it, tough, but all runs are tough!  Thanks Ruth!  I am staying in Group 2!.......for now!

Oh, and if you were wondering if I did day 14 Janathon, well I did!  Only a 10 minutes workout, sit ups, planks and what not!  But I think it counts!

Geeky stats

Janathon Day 11,12 and 13

Hello blog readers.

Whose blimmin idea was this Red January, Janathon stuff!  I mean, it's so hard!  Ok yesterday it wasn't so hard as it's parkrun!  Who don't love going to park run, but Friday I was left to my own devices, trying to do something!  So Jabra sports lady was back in my ears.  I thought I would try to do 4 sets!  Really, ha ha ha!  I tried, but two sets is all i managed, the cardio and the takeoff again!  Ok, so it was something, I did it, I sweated and it was something I wouldn't normally do before going to work!  So I think I can count that as day 11 done!

Day 12, well that was easy, it was parkrun day.  No thinking about a route, pace, people, just me getting on with it.....with Jabra in my ears of course.  But yesterday four of us decided that we would go tourist.  It was Naggys idea, she was meeting her Tri friends and asked if I wanted to go, o I asked the others to see if they did too, only SnapperHannah and Wendimoo took us up on the offer.  Of course going to a new place means getting up earlier!  It's not our local, not even a next local!  I was at Naggy's house at 8 am and then we went off to collect SnapperHannah and Wendimoo.  Satnav on and we drove to Danson Park.  We were not quite sure where the start of the run is but first things first was the loos! It has to be done.   

By the time we finished in the loos there were quite a few people to follow to where the start of the parkrun begins. When we were walking, following the crowds (not the walking group that happened to be using the park as well and who were already doing their thing) we also saw some painted signs on the tarmac little squares with the words parkrun and an arrow!

Karin had found her Tri friends and we all waited for the run to start.

I like this course, it's only two laps but there is a lot to look at.  There is the huge park, wide open space, there is the boating lake with the wild life on there and then there is the woody bit, all of which we were running through or next to.  The bit I didn't like, it has an uphill section.  Well, as IllustriousLeader would call it a very gentle slope!  SnapperHannah noticed that it was an elevation of 44, where as Norman Park only has.....4!  So like I said, a slight incline, or a mountain, depending on how you are feeling!

The 'Off' was giving and we all started to move in the direction of the road!  I was at the back, I like being at the back and I can do my own thing.  I was getting all my gadgets going, my Garmin and my music and my Jabra!  So many things to push start on!  But as long as I have the important ones, Garmin and Jabra, the music can wait! 

I tried very hard not to run fast with the crowd, SnapperHannah, here now shortened to SnappyH, Wendimoo and Naggy were all off in the front, they always are!  I am just in a 'Get around, it's Red January' style of running, so there will be not knocking my b......eanie hat off trying to chase a pb!  Mind you, new venue, new pb!  I can have that!  I really thought we were going to be running along side the road, but the path turned left to run along beside the boating pond, we didn't need to touch the road!  We ran along and passed the place where we will be getting a coffee later and where we had parked our car, just on the other side of the park fence!  This was the up hill bit!  We passed quite a few volunteers, all of which were totally into the whole cheering thing!  Anyone would think that PWR had trained them (I love my club, especially when we host our 10k!) They really were out all the way to make sure you were the only person that were doing your utmost best!  Marvellous!

We passed a lovely house that was in the park, I think it was called Danson House, it makes sense really as the park is called Danson Park!  It looks like a lovely house, I could imagine spending a weekend in there, maybe solving a murder on one of those murder weekends!  It totally looks the part!  When I thought we were heading back to the start we turned right instead, doing a little bit extra, which really I was pleased with, because that is the bit that goes through the woods!  We were only in there briefly but it's always so refreshing.  Just a little bit further on, towards where we started and ready to do lap no.2!

Fantastic, I really enjoyed it, I took this picture of these lovely swans on the way round on the second lap, they just wanted to be photographed, or did they just want something to eat!  Who knows, I think if I looked as pretty as these swan I would just swim up to everyone and say "Hey, look at me, aren't I gorgeous"  Here look at them!

The second lap was a bit slower than the first lap but I had my 'race' in eye sight to keep it interesting.  It was a chap in a purple teeshirt.  I just knew I had to keep him either just behind me or just in front of me!  I need a little competition like that to keep me on my toes.  It was going well too until I got 'lazy' and he stayed in front of me just a little bit too long and so I decided to chose the next person, a lady in a great jacket.  We started to play 'cat and mouse' for the last half a mile of so, and yet purple shirt man was still just ahead of me!  Dare I even think about getting in front of him again.  I will have to start doing some running! I decided that it is what I would do, I was going to go for it!  And what better section of the run to do it then on this lovely little downhill bit! Through the woods too!  I just had me a ball running through there and I passed the lady in grey and the man in purple!  Boolaccasha! Pick the bones from that! 

Of course once on the flat I had to make sure they neither of them got back in front of me, there was only a very short bit left! Just out of the woods, turn left towards the gate, and yet more lovely marshals I might add, and then just that bit, just that bit to go!  Just only to where the finish funnel is, Naggy, SnappyH and Wendimoo!  So near, and those other two parkrunners will not be getting in front of me.  I did it! I flippin did it! Phew!  Parkrun no.89 done!  Only eleven more to do before I do the 100!  We walked over to the Boat house which is where there coffee and cake shop was and we bought some lovely hot chocolate and I had a choc chip shortbread! Yum! Afterwards we all came home!

Both me and SnappyH took some more pictures of Danson park, including this gorgeous goose (I think it's a goose anyway)

Goose

Me taking picture of the goose

My official parkrun time was 42:33 and my Garmin said 42:43.  Now here's the thing, I put my Garmin on to charge before I connected to my phone to transfer information!  Some reason it had a right hissy fit and decided not do do anything, I couldn't turn in off, I couldn't put the light on, I couldn't look at stats, no button would work!  It needed to charge but even when I left on charge it to go have a it still didn't show that it was taking a charge, it just showed the time, just like any other ordinary watch!  There was only one thing, I had to try and do the reset thing.  I tried to do it a couple of times and nothing, the last time I did it I held the buttons for just a little bit longer and then it turned off!! Brilliant, but it took with it my last entry! Oh well, just as well I had Jabra as my wingman!

And so we are on to today!  I am feeling tired, 12 days of non stop something energetic is pretty hard!  I didn't manage to get this far last year.  Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you all I attempted it last year!  I happened to see Naggy chopping wood this morning on my way to church. I found out that she was going swimming, so I presumed that I would have to do something by myself, a workout or short run.  But when I come back from church Naggy was still just tiding up and she suggested that I come over to hers after I had done by washing and housework and do the bike thing! 

So that was what I did today, 30 minutes on her torture bike in the sitting room, listening to music while watching Sister Act 2 on the telly!  Who says I can't multi task!  Naggy had already done her 30 minutes while I was busy at mine, so she was nicely relaxed and in smug mode by the time I got there!  Last time I only managed to do 20 minutes, with a bit of standing up, but this time I managed to do about 26 minutes, with a bit of standing and then four extra minutes of cool down leg spinning!  The sweat was pouring of me and Jabra lady wasn't satisfied!  She was telling me to reach TE of 3.1 and I only got up to 1.8!  I don't think she was best pleased!  But after I had finished and I checked my stats I realised that actually I had pushed the 'run' button and not the 'static bike' button!  I wonder if that is why Jabra lady wasn't best pleased!

I just loved this tree!

So stats for 11th, 12th and 13th

Double, Double, Woo Hoo!

Hello blog readers

Well I can't remember the last time I did a double on a Thursday!  So I am pretty pleased with myself today, doing a double has been pretty difficult to do.  Mainly because I would have to get up early and go by myself which is really, not what doing a double on a Thursday is all about!  Thursday is running with my buddies, whether morning or evening!

This Morning

This morning I picked up GetYourLegsUpTracy and we drove on to the rec.  There we met up with all the other Thursday morning runners.  It was good to be back.  Even DiscoRich said so!  IllustriousLeader was taking our group and we were going through the woods!  Oh, how I have missed the woods!  The smells, the solitude......well actually the woods are quite busy in the mornings with runners, dog walkers and us lot of course.  There where 8 of us and I think in the other two groups there were more or less the same.  It seems to have become quite popular since the last time I came along.  It's good to see. 

Anne took us in through Dog Poo ally and then we turned left to go along the bottom path. which wasn't as muddy as I thought it may have been.  I could have probably worn my new running shoes, but I am not ready to get them too dirty!  So my old trainers came back out of the cupboard. We were running at a nice steady pace, I was just enjoying being in the woods again.  It seems to have been ages and ages since the last time, it just felt so nice!  

We ran along by the rail line and then up, up, up to the lovely house in the middle of these woods!  I would so love to own that house, it's just gorgeous!  Mind you, I probably wouldn't be able to drive to it, not down Botany Bay Lane, it's way to skinny a road!  But it is just so lovely to run down, only we were running up it!  All the way to the path that turns left, I.L. was taking us down Goss Hill.  That's better!  It's strange isn't, I am so enjoying my running again now, but I don't 'arf moan about it!  Too hilly,  too fast, too  long, too this, too that!  but oh my goodness, do I feel so good when I am done!

It was the same today with the run through the woods, this morning it wasn't too long or too fast.  Hills? well yes but thats my beloved woods for ya!  We ran along the stream and then back along the path to the railway, and back to the rec, but we took the top path, which when it does get muddy down this end then tis' the path to use to avoid the worse.

Some good stretches and that was done.  Brilliant, love,love, loved it.  Here's my geeky stats.

Track Thursday

And so we talk about track.  To be honest I didn't think I would be doing track.  The whatsapp group was busy chatting about everything else, but track never got a mention.  I knew Naggy was on call and I half expected her to say she wouldn't be able to do it, SnapperHannah was awfully quiet too!  So come the evening I texted Naggy was deffo up for it!  I did try and persuade her, you know like, "it's cold outside, you going to be tired, you got a nice bike indoors" sort of stuff, but she was having none of it!  There was only one thing for it, I nagged SnapperHannah to do it too!  Then she started quoting what her new Garmin says about recovery time!  Naggy stepped in, "Don't worry about it".  I just told her that I am sure they are only guide lines anyway! So this is how I roll when I go to track, thinking that I wasn't going to track I now had to find some clean running gear!  Socks where there only thing that eluded me, but hey ho, who hasn't run in odd socks, right!  Heck, I even ran a race in odd shoes!

So there we all are, in the car on the way to Track.  Of course we are all really pleased with ourselves.  Smug mode all round, but now we just have to see how we do at track.  When we got there we saw how many people were there, the usual fast running club was there, you know, the one that has Dina Asher Smith as a member, and then there was our lot, at the top of the track ready to do some running.  

The session today was, as PhysioMikeTheMod said him self, was a bit boring!  For the faster runners it was 3 times 1600 with 90 sec rest, for the slower ones it was 3 times 1200's.  And that was it!  For those that don't know the Normans Park Track, it's 400m a lap.  "I could do this!" It's only three lots of running, right!  We did our warm ups, the faster ones doing theirs on the track and us slower ones with Jane doing drills and what not.  Then the session began.  We started at the opposite end to the faster ones, just so that we don't clash when the 90 secs rest happened, I set up my earphones, I didn't put the music on, but I did want it to record geeky stats!  I started running with the rest of my group and then watched as they all pulled away!  Jeez I am slow!  I wasn't going to beat myself up though, as my beautiful mates tell me, at least I am out here doing it!  Then the faster runners started to pass me by.  I am sure you all know by now, that just because you are a slow runner or fast runner, we all all buddies!  We are all supportive to one another and hearing them all saying "Well done Old Girl, keep going"  is what track is all about!

I have been telling everyone that has asked about track that it is good, it will help you to get faster, as long as you put the effort in of course.  But when they hear 'track' and hear that it's mostly group 5 and up some of them get worried.  But then I tell them "Look at me, a group 1/2 plodding around, doing it"  and let me tell you I do plod around and yet my buddies still encourage me, all the way round!  Love it,

I did the first 3 laps, I really wanted to stop but my mates just kept me going.  The first rest stop and boy was I looking forward to it! I took every second and a little bit more.  Jane then said to me that maybe I should just do 800's for the next two, I felt it probably best that I do that too.  After all, I had ran this morning!  I also thought that as I am doing this silly thing Janathon, I am doing extra activities that I wouldn't normally do anyway, so anything I do this month is all good, no matter how slow!

So the last two reps for me were 800's, I did it, I really wanted to, I still wonder when, after all this years, if it ever gets easier!  I am still working on that answer!  So far it's 'no' but one day I know it's going to change!

Geeky stats from both my Garmin and Jabra!  Oh, Jabra kept me going too, kept talking in my ear about how I was doing!  I chose not to put music on by it seemed that Jabra thought I needed to hear some and played me the only two tunes that I have on my Iphone, "My heart will go on" and "Crazy For You"  Hmm maybe I should think about putting some music on my phone.......nah, I will stick with spotify! But of course, on the track the sweet sweet sounds of my running buddies is all I need!

Just look at that geeky stat right there!  On the up!