Running Buddies!

 Hello blog readers!

I told you I would be back!  I've even surprised myself that I am getting on with it!  

Sunday, a beautiful evening, (just after that little down pour we had) and running buddies!  What more could you want?!  I am running with several running buddies, this evening.  NaggyNeighbour, Benji and Buddy!  So, Benji and Buddy are little fur babies belonging to Naggy.  Poor Naggy has been suffering with the PF thingy, which is quite horrible, so she has been coming along to beginners, just working on it slowly.  Today we did the homework part of it but with Benji and Buddy.  Two birds, one stone and all that!  Time management sorted!

Buddy and Benji are completely different doggos!  Benji is the bigger dog!  He's huge, when he comes running at ya for a cuddle you better brace yourself!  And Buddy is an adorable, short leggy little Dachshund!  You can guess which dog I was going to run with! 

We set off from Naggys home, both of us starting our Garmins at the same time, we crossed over and that's when Buddy decided to do his ablutions!  Fortunately Naggy gave us bags to, um, clean up after them.  I am so glad I had the little doggie!

Naggy of course didn't know that we had to stop and she carried on running with Benji, the Budster of course wanted to see his mummy, he's little legs were running at ten to the dozen!  Oh my goodness, he was pulling me along, he was not wanting to run at my pace!  He kept looking for his mummy, stopping looking back but she was just ahead of us, just out of sight, especially for ole little legs!  Every so often, or so it seemed, he seemed to be able to smell them and ran a little faster!  It was little running on a roller coaster....if you get what I mean!  We caught up with Naggy and Benji, mainly because they waited just a little further along the path, during the 2 minutes of walking.  Buddy didn't want to walk, no he wanted to run to mummy! So my walking bit wasn't quite for 2 minutes!

We walked along towards 'Turnaround lamppost' for the rest of the walking section and then started running again.  Little Legs Buddy was determined to keep up with mummy and was pulling on his lead, thankfully he has a harness otherwise I might have had to carry the little fella so as not to strangle him! I had noticed that Benji was just running beside Naggy, not in front of her.  Even though he is the bigger dog, and would probably love to run faster I was beginning to think that maybe running with him would be better for me.  Funnily enough, that was what Naggy was thinking too!  When ever we used to go running with just the three of us, before Buddy joined Naggy's pack, Naggy and Benji used to always be ahead of me but Benji used to actually stop and wait for me to catch up!

When we got onto the A21, the next 4 minutes of running, I took Benji and Naggy took Buddy!   I must say, it was better, but even Benji wanted to catch up to Naggy.  Even though Naggy has this PF thing going on, she is still a lot faster than me!  Feck knows what is going to slow her down, maybe she can have a sloth as a fur baby and try running with that!

By the time we had done our homework the doggos had had enough of running and little legs was slowing down, looking behind to see if me and Benji was still with them.  It was an enjoyable run, my first run with a dog.  Did they make me run faster, well, I think they probably did, just a bit, I was flippin' knackered afterwards!  

Here's a picture of our running today!

Me, Benji's butt, Littlelegs Buddy and Naggy!

'Till' We Meet Again

Hello Blog readers.

Look at me, writing again!  Anyone would think I've been running! Oh, wait, I have!  I didn't have a late pickup of kids at work on Tuesday so I was able to get to club run.  Mind you, I still had to go and pick up Pat, her hubby was on petrol hunt  so she had no car.  So blimmin annoying this petrol malarky, isn't it?  People panic buying fuel, why don't they go and panic buy peas (I'm not overly keen on peas!)  I might start a rumour that the Pea growing assosiation has said due to lack of pickers peas are rotting on their stalks.    But I guess that will just mean everyone will buy up everything that pickers and packers do!

Anyway, I'm rambling, unlike Tuesday...we were running!  I think we did quite well.  'Till' we meet again is what I entitled this blog, it was also a clue I gave the group last week of what we would have been doing.  I need to get some hills in!  So, Tillingbourne Green is where we would find a hill...after going up a couple of hills to get there!  The groans from the group were not too bad.  Seasoned runners now, they know what to expect.  We did have one newbie, when I say newbie, she is more a returnee.  She came running with PWR a good number of years ago now, she decided it was about time she got back to it!  Even she did really well. The nights are really drawing in now, but with a a few of us wearing lights we make sure we can be seen running up the hill!  Watching all the other groups pour out of the rec, in their neon vests, chest lights, head lights, it really is awesome.  Our club is growing faster than any other club, I am sure of it!  Bring on a mob match, can't wait to do another mob match!

Coming out of the rec we turn left, run to the end of the road and then turn right! There before us creeping up and up was our first hill.  Nothing like starting as you mean to go on, eh?  This is not even the worst one, no, that one is Tillingbourne. There is no other way of getting there to run around the green. No 'flattening' out the hill by taking a different route, it's up, up, up all the way.  Why in the infinite wisdom of the original ten or so people who started PWR in the first place, did they decide that being at the bottom of all the hills in Petts Wood is the best place for the meet up?!  Denise, who hasn't been running for quite some time, did really well. Karen was just flying up there!  Maybe that's what I should be doing, just get up there and get it done as quick as possible!  Hmm, I think a while on that little concept.

Once at the top of the hill, we turn right, run to the next road and then cross over both Kings Way and the main road.  We are now heading for the dreaded Tillingbourne Green!  It's a nice run there, sort of, it has a down hill bit, so that's good, right?  Once we are faced with the green, we take a minute to recuperate, grab a breath and then just get on with it, because, just before we go down the green we still have a bit more uphill!  Oh, did I tell you I am doing the Petts Wood 10k this year?  I need some hills to train on.  I am sure group 1 don't mind a bit of hill work, they didn't say they didn't like it, but then again, they were not talking much anyway!    

We all did the hill at our own pace, you can't rush hills, you just have to go at your own pace.  Look to the top and know that it will be all over and done with soon.  That is how I am going to look at those hills next week.  Just look at the top, know that that is it and enjoy the down hill...until the next one!

It's now Sunday afternoon and still not yet published this blog, hmm.  Well if you are reading then I have!  Sometimes I should just take my hands of the keyboard while I am thinking, because the crap that I am thinking just comes out on the screen!   Yesterday we had the beginners week 4.  They were running for 4 minutes and walking for 2 minutes, they did that five times around the rec!  I know there are some of our group doing this session 'virtually' as they are away.  Knowing they are still keeping to the programme is such a nice feeling.  I just think then we have done our best!  Hannah was leading the session this time, she kept them all totally motivated.

I remembered to take some pictures, ok, so they are not quite aciton shots, it's just after we had done out cool down stretches, and DiscoRich was letting them all know about our 10k which is going to happen next week! Gulp! The 10th of the 10th in the year 2021!  I'm looking forward to it!  

I am facinated by number
I also like to see order, the 
number of steps on my watch after
the session amused me 

I am going running again today, I am just waiting for Naggy to show up!  So what this space for blog no.2 later.  I will try to remember photos as well 😏

By the way, I am sitting here writing this and looking at my phone for all the finishers of the London marathon today!  An amazing achievment, I know.....did I tell you I have done the London Marathon twice!  Anyway, huge congratulations to everyone.  Just a few names, LouLou, Petula, KevTwoBalls, Jason, Gillian. Plus Adam and Carl, who finished their virtual VLM and then went on to help out at the mile 4 water station with the other PWR's! Legends!  Well done all of you who took part in the VLM, one of the best Marathons in my opinion 😊 

Got To Get Them Miles In!

Hello blog readers.

I know there are still a few out there!  I spoke to one of you at the leaders meeting!  My ramblings are still reaching people!  I know my ramblings do me an awful lot of good, it helps me to focus on the good points of my running. For one, that fact that I am still doing it!  Can you believe it.  I started this blog way back in 2008, how many words and I written!  I am sure I must have repeated myself a few thousand times!  

When I look back to those early days it really does bring home to me the fact that I have changed my ways!  I no longer just come home and sit and veg all the time!  Oh, don't get me wrong, I still like coming home and vegging!  It's a necessary part of living!  I know some people hate that time of doing absolutely nothing for a whole day!  I love it!  Just to read, watch telly, potter about, call people!  It's perfect.  But now, since 2008 my vegging days are interspersed with my running!  Looking back at my blogs, with me asking the same questions that I now see the new beginners asking "Does it ever get any easier?"  Well, no, is the honest answer.  It's still bloody hard work, I still look a complete hot, sweaty, pink mess at the end of any run. But that fact that I can run further than a mile, which was my first ever attempt at running, without dying, is the reward!

My heart is stronger, I know it is, my lungs are stronger, especially since giving up the ciggies a year ago February, (although I did succumb to a couple a month or so ago)  back on track again though!  My weight issue is...well an issue at the moment.  I don't feel as if I am eating more than I used to this time two years ago, but feck me, weight has piled on!  It just has to be the 'wrong' foods I am eating.  I must get back to eating salads most days.

My running however, well that has been constant, apart from blimmin covid lockdown of course (which is where my weight seemed to have started piling on).

I am loving it.  I am loving leading group 1 at club nights on Tuesdays.  I enjoyed getting back to parkrun and now I am enjoying being one of the leaders again at the Autumn Beginners course.  Can you believe we just finished week 3 yesterday?  We have been so lucky with the weather, it helps with the discipline of getting people out of the house to come along and keep going.  Mind you, we could have been scuppered if people had to drive to us, the queue to get into the local petrol station was causing tailbacks and road blocks!  Blimmin ridiculous!

We were running for 3 mins and walking for 3 mins yesterday.  People were doing just fine!  I am sure they are well impressed with themselves!  

Today I went out by myself, it's Sunday, after having the rest of Saturday as my veg day, I needed to do things today!  The housework for a start!  After getting back from church and a bit of shopping, I got stuck into my housework. I was thinking I would just get on with that and then get out for a longish run!  Best laid plans and all that!  My housework took longer than I thought it would.  I was blimmin knackered!  In fact I almost talked myself out of running!  But I couldn't do that!  Not after letting the beginners know about that quote from Ben Mudge, self discipline, routine, regularity!  If I am not doing much on Sundays well then I will be running!  I have to, I have the 10k to look forward to, that's only in a couple of weeks!  I did talk myself into only do three miles though, but considering this week I didn't get out to club run, I talked myself into doing just the 3 miles. What  I really needed was to kick ass and get out and do more!

I put my music in my ears, hat on head and went out there!  I felt pretty smug with myself as I ran outside, "Look at me, doing housework for 4 hours and now getting out running! I am bad ass!"  Then I got to the end of my path, "Blimey, knackered already" I thought to my self!  I quickly dismissed that thought and just concentrated on my music, I had 70's rock anthems being blasted in my ear drums.  

Before you could say 'Bob's your uncle' I was already passing the tractor park.  If I was lucky, I could almost convince myself that I was on the way back, almost.  I mean, once I was through the park and on to the road at the other side of the park, then run to the top of that road, every step after that will be a step leading home. See what I mean about  almost convincing myself I was on the way home!

I am still doing the 'Jeff-ing'  I know Naggy said to me yesterday "Well that's going to have to stop"  She's right of course, but for now, I am still hanging on to my 'comfort blanket'. Those little regular walks helps just a little, I will cut it down by 30 seconds from next Sunday!...... There, I have written it now, I have to do it!

I keep forgetting to take pictures.  That is something I am going to have to work on too!  So until next time peoples, keep on running!

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Here are some pictures from the beginners group last week! 

Club Runs and Beginners!

 Hello blog readers!

PWR through and 
through

My bad!  I didn't write up my blog straight away!  But I am getting there.  I had club run last Tuesday.  After really struggling to get into my runpants in the first place I felt like I had already done a work out class!  I was having a 'power surge' when I was getting ready! I was just so hot and sweaty as I tried pulling up my run leggings, just think of trying to get a frog in a wet suit, two sizes too small for it, that was me trying to pull up my leggings!  Let along trying to do up my 'ShockAbsorber' run bra! I was knackered before I left for the rec. It was probably the last time we were going through the woods.  I know I said that last time, but last Tuesday really is the last time.  The nights are drawing in, even though we are starting an hour earlier than we used to, the light on the paths are just to dingy.  

It was a case of a run of two halves.  The first half was in the woods, the second was on the roads.  I took them all straight up the middle of the woods, the middle path as I call it and then out on to the 'posh' estate.  It's a tough little run!  It's all up hill in the woods and then still more hills when we get to the estate, but knowing that we are not going up any more does put a smile on your face.  

Some of the group was wanting to run down Birchwood but that would have been too short, I don't like to short change people, no, we were going to the round about and then running down to Crossways. where the park is.  Just over three miles, 5k, that's all!  A great run with a great bunch of people!  I forgot to take a picture again!  I can't wait for snappyHannah to get back to us!

Beginners

Yesterday was week one of our Autumn beginners course.  I look forward to helping lead these sessions every time!  Even though I still get nervous standing in front of everyone!  It's daunting, all those pairs of eyes looking at you, mind you some of them look just as nervous as me, so it's not so bad!  I think I counted over 30 people this time.  The Autumn course is generally the harder one, mainly because it gets colder as the weeks progress!  You really have to be made of stern stuff!  But with the help of all our PWR's that come along to encourage we have a very good number who get to graduation! 

I had every intention of getting up early, running along to the rec and then running back! Yeah, that didn't happen.  my duvet kept me prisoner and the granddoggies needed me to cuddle them for a little longer!  What can I say?  I dragged my self out of bed, luckily no power surges while getting into my lycra and jumped in the car to get to the rec on time!

We went through with the walking, the drills and the running, which was run 1 minute, walk 2, with our cool down stretches and everyone still had a smile on their face!  Brilliant,  that's how we need it to be every week, and it generally is!

I am looking forward to next week, RefMichael is leading so I can take pictures!  We love a photo shoot!

Today

Today I had to go and do some running!  I mean, so extra miles!  I stuck on the #AfterShokz, (Alice I need to arrange for you to get the back) just because they are still here, then just went out.  I knew I wanted to run around Normans Park, just once, but I 'negotiated' with myself as to how I was going to get there.  Either straight down Southborough lane, or through the park and out by the pub, or through the tractor park!  "Come on, you need the miles, go through the tractor park, then we negotiate the rest on the way back"  This is how my brain works when I run solo.  With no naggy to keep me company/nag me I chatted to myself!  I still convinced myself to do the 2/2 run/walk.  All the while I am looking at my watch to see how long left on the running and it's showing more than 40 seconds left, I need to keep at it!

When I got to Normans Park I felt quite pleased, even though I still had to run around it, I knew I was on the way back!  This is where I negotiated with myself again, do I go straight down Southborough lane, or Turpington lane, or maybe even got back along the A21 to run through the Tractor park!  That last one got about 2 seconds of thinking time.  No, I am going to run down Magpiehall lane, then through the park and home.  Should be about 4 and half miles.  Next time I will run an extra mile!  That should put me in good stead for the 10k!

Little Run With Pat

 Hello bloggers

Look at this!  What did I tell you yesterday?  Eh? Eh?  She's only gone and done it again!  Ran, blogged, boom!  Mind you, it was Pat that said, "Go home and blog now"  She was one of my readers of yesterdays blog!  So she knew what I had promised to do!  I remember years ago, when I started my blogs, that I was going to send them over to her to proof read!  I know how my English and spellings wind her up! I think she would have got bored with my blogs by now, he he!  Anyway, what's a Donnas blog with out the atrocious gramma, awful spellings and double double words in place!?

Todays little run we did the same thing as on Sunday, one slight change, Pat tried the AfterShokz on!  She loved them! Ooo Hang on, another little plug here for the Headphones  " #ItriedAS " said Pat!  Pat normally runs with a head band on, and it didn't interfere at all with he buff around the head!  There was another little change, we did more running than last Sunday.  We started our run a little earlier on the course and we finished a little bit further to our stretching point!  I reckon we must have ran over an extra quarter-half mile!  We still kept to our 2 minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking!

Our route took us around the tractor park near us, to the top of the path and then down the side.  Of course we ran to Turnaround Lamppost.  That makes me smile, it makes me remember when I first started running.  Walk/run to Turnaround Lamppost and back, I was thinking 'I was all that' if I made it with only 3 walking bits.  But as we are now professional athletes, we didn't exactly go back straight away. After turning around from Turnaround Lamppost we took the path on our left and followed it around to a new turnaround point, now know as Turnaround Fence!

Now Pat has this thing in her head, her little routine, (something that I spoke about yesterday)  she likes to do a little sprint...in the middle of a route, half way around!  I had to plan it so that we were still on the zig zaggy path, but we did it.  I ran behind Pat this time, see how fast her sprints are!  Not too bad!

After that retraced our steps through to the other end of the park and then back past the tractor park.  Just the home straight and we were done.  I told Pat that we would run up to the gate that is across the park, no matter what the Garmin says, walk or run.  Last time we walked this bit. We finished off strong, smiling and glad we came out!  

We did our stretches and then said our good byes.  I continued with the 2/2 walk/run till I got home!  Back to work tomorrow, hopefully I will be totally relaxed then I can enjoy getting back to normal!

Geeky stats.  Since the blog site updated it don't seem to post the pictures of my garmin, so I am afraid if you want to see it just click on the link!

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......Um, Hi, I'm Still Here!

 Hi blog readers.

Me trying out the
AfterShokz
#ItriedAS

I know, I know!  It's been, like forever since you heard from me! What can I say!?  July just kind slipped on by and merged into August! As for August, well, here we are at the end of it!  Have I been running?  I bet that's what your next question will be!  Well yes, I have been running!  But it's the blogging that have have neglected.  I know I am going to miss those weeks where I hadn't written anything.  I will be thinking later on down the line, "Why wasn't I running, why didn't I blog".

I could quite easily blame the pandemic, everyone else does. But, I really do think it has had a profound effect on everyone.  Whether it was to stop their running and exercising, stop their visiting friends and family, for me it was to stop my blogging.  I will make a, quiet, promise to myself that I will try and blog everything again.

Did I mention in one of my blogs about a chap called Ben Mudge.  I am sure I did, I often think about that quote he wrote in one of his Q&A sessions that he does. Someone asked what kept his motivation going, his answer made me smile and nod, and made me feel better about my 'lost mojo', my 'lost' motivation, I will  quote it here

People: "Ben how are you motivated all the time/How do you motivate yourself?"

Ben:  "I am not. I am rarely 'motivated' to do what I need to do.  Motivation is the spark that starts you.  It is not the right fuel source you want to rely on for a long journey though'.

He went on to say that he was asked that question regularly, and that after the motivation, what keeps you going is discipline, routines, regularity.  It just made me realise that mojo is always there, motivation is always there, because what got me motivated to keep on running was my mum!  She is in my thoughts every single day, every single day.  Sometimes it can still bring the tears.  She is why I started running, and she is with me every time I go running.  But getting me out of the door is discipline and the routine of club runs, parkruns, beginners course and of course the odd racing....well in my case participating in racing events.

It's good to have parkrun back, although I was a bit apprehensive about going back and I missed the first one because of it. But Normans Angels had a few Normans runs together which was really good.

Last Sunday I had my first run with a new headphone set.  I was offered a chance to try The AfterShokz  Aeropex headphones #ItriedAS.  I like trialing things and these headphones felt good.  I think using them on some of the races is allowed, rather than my in ear phones.  I do miss music when I am running racing, it helps me keep to a rhythm but having cheering crowds is a huge pick me up when you are feeling tired.  I am sure this headset is a perfect compromise for all.  I had my glasses on and I felt that maybe I was pushing them back on my nose more often.  But I couldn't decide if it was because I was hot and sweaty so my glasses were not perched properly on my ears!  I will try them again, this time while wearing my hat too.  See if that makes a difference.  The sound quality though, I was totally impressed with and it was so easy to connect to my phone. 

Of course the only thing that has been totally continuous, since the last lock down, has been club runs.  There has been the booking system, but that will be ending soon, we hope.  It's good to see all groups together in one park now, although there is still two different times people can choose to run. Not quite back to normal, but we're getting there.

This evening was a club run and yes, I was leading.  That is the routine and the discipline that I need right now to get me out on a Tuesday.  All through August, working from 7 in the morning and getting home sometimes after six in the evening, I was totally shattered.  But I did it! I got off my (expanding) butt and got myself to club runs.  We had some new comers too, all those that been on the beginners course joined us.  Some of them went straight into the higher groups, but others came along to group 1.

It's been light enough to be going through the woods, although for the last three times now I chose the same route as it's through the park with not too much of the route going through woods.  Just nice open pathways.  My group today was reminiscent of days gone by, 12 of us.  I was wondering if Lucy was going to turn up today.  She joined my group a few weeks back, she's been a member of PWR for some time, but right now she is 'growing' another little PWR.  She kept her running up till the last 4 weeks.  So now she is just going to relax ......and enjoy the last of a nice tidy home she will have for years to come!.....I hope she don't see that!  Babies are wonderful little miracles......messy, but wonderful.

Here is some pictures of our group runs that we have been having through this blog drought season.  Fingers crossed I will be disciplined to write more blogs, after every run, like I used to

RefMichael doing
cool downs

Putting them through their paces

Group 1

it was a bit muddy

Another group run

See, we've been consistant

And todays group 1 run! 12 of us ( I am behind the camera)

She's Only Just blimmin Blogged Again!

 Hello readers.

Ok, it's been a while, but it's not been a while since the last run.  There has been club runs, there has been beginners runs and there has been.....? Well, ok that's about it.  No solo running, no just running with me mates, no racing.  But I think just getting out there and doing those two runs each week has kept me sane, and remembering that I am an athlete!

I have just spoken to Naggy, she has just shared with me that fact that Paddock wood is coming up!  It was deferred in 2020 from the April to the September, then it was deferred again to the April, 2021 and now it is in September 2021!  It's not that far away!  I have some serious thinking to do, some serious training to do and to stop blimmin procrastinating!  Usually me and Naggy kind of blag our way around this course, but right now, I know there is going to be no blagging it, now winging it!  I am going to have to train or be a DNS!  We guessed it was about 12 weeks away!  Time for training, me thinks!

The beginners have been going really well!  I am so amazed about how many have finished the course this time!  DiscoRich thinks it must be a PB for finishers!  We have just our 5k run around Norman park graduation to do on Saturday!  I am so looking forward to it!  It's a 'notparkrun' run!  Hopefully parkrun begins again the week after, where hopefully all our beginners will continue to go to and hopefully some will join our club!

Club runs have been going well!  I did my ankle in a few weeks back (again) Thank goodness for the pink gin anaesthetic!  Not that was the reason for my finding a hole to twist my ankle on I hasten to add!  My first run back after the ankle incident I was a bit apprehensive because I was going through the woods!  All those roots and uneven terrain to contend with.  But once I started it I felt a lot better about running through there!  Group 0 will be finishing around the end of July, I am hoping that all of us in group 0 will be up to speed and turning back into group 1.  It's where we need to be, we can do it.

So, I think I have caught up!  The next blog will be about the Spring 2021 Beginners Graduation!  I will take my phone with me to capture some photos, but I am hoping our resident photographer #KevHowarth will be there taking some shots of our Graduates.

So till next time folks, keep on running.