Tuesday 31 January 2012

Club Run - And Feeling Good!

Hello blog lovers.

Well today wasn't a great day for me, my boiler has been broke since Saturday, service people letting me down, left right and centre and three little darlings keeping my mind off them, (cooped up in the one room I can keep warm)

When the boiler people called me late this afternoon saying they were not coming out to mine today, but will be here tomorrow I was fuming! I called the Old Boy and told him, through gritted teeth and tears. He was very calm, saying things like that happen. When he came home he made me a cuppa, called me into the cold kitchen to collect it and there on the side were, chocolate Viennese swirls, danish pecan pastries, doughnuts and.......chillie and garlic olives!! Heaven!!

After eating my share (of course I didn't eat all of them) I felt much much happier, and even looking forward to todays run, in the freezing cold! I wrapped up pretty well, two layers on my legs and feet, tee shirt, long sleeve running shirt, florescent coat, gloves and hat! I am so ready for todays run, even if its to run off my naughty pig out feast!

Nagging Sister was also keen to get going, she seems to have that jogging bug biting her ass now, so that's good. We saw another PWR member walking along so we picked him up and we all drove to the rec.

After all the details were sorted, groups organised then we were off. I was at the front, again! for quite a long while, and I was feeling pretty good! I tried not to think about how good I was feeling, just in case I start flagging! But there I was in the front, chatting away to our illustrious leader. I stayed there for at least two and a half miles of the run, until we hit those hills!

Glorious as they, they still zap any energy straight from my legs, I kept on running and stopping and running and stopping all the way up the hills, which seemed never ending. I know when we get to the top it's all a nice gentle slope back to the pavilion! Paul kept me going, in fact I think being introduced to Nagging Sister earlier this evening then she has 'put some sort of nagging spell' spell on him, because he was saying, "Come on Old Girl, just a bit more, keep moving, you can do it" and he started to do what Nagging Sister did on Sundays longer run, and that's run backwards to keep an eye on me and to make sure I was running!

A lovely run though, loved the down hill slope all they way back, but by this time I was at the back. Nagging Sister was at the front with Paul, (who had swapped being a sweeper to being leader with our illustrious leader) and no doubt she was putting more spells on him to keep me running next week!

Geeky stats for you.

Sunday 29 January 2012

Abandoned at 6 Miles.


Hello blog lovers,

Well today was the day for our LSR, (that's long slow run, to you Nagging Sister. It was going to be NS's first 6 miler, where as I had done this distance, but way back in 2010, but have been close to this distance a couple of times.

The route is really, really straight forward. Two roads to run down, (and up) before we cut across to say hello to 'Turn Around Lamppost' The OB was our support today, and what an absolute trouper he was. He drove me and NS to Knockholt Station, took at picture of us by the sign, and then drove off, leaving us to find our own way home!!

The weather was pretty cool out, but I didn't over dress, nor did NS, but I did have my gloves on, and I'm sure NS would have appreciated wearing them as she had her hands inside her sleeves hanging on to the cuffs! I did loan her a cap, one to help stop getting cold too quickly, and another to help soak up the sweat!, if she works hard that is.

We watched as the Old Boy drove off with a toot toot of the car horn, which seemed to be the theme our out run today. In fact any run we do, people toot toot, why is that? And we started our devices to record every step, every elevation (and every walking bit) of our progress.

It seems a bloomin long way now that we have been abandoned. But I took comfort in the fact that NS has a phone, and we are on a main road, if we collapse then we are bound to get noticed! We are both in black skins, yellow fluorescent tops and black caps. In fact if it wasn't for the fact that I am more compact that my sister we could be regarded as twins!

Now I had a race in my mind. The OB had said something about he would be able to get to the Green Street Green round about in about 35 mins, and that's from dropping us off, driving back and getting his bike and peddling up to the said round about. And I so wanted to be there before then, even if he didn't do that, which I was hoping he wouldn't as he was on canteen duty, cooking up a lovely dinner for us, for when we get back. I checked my Garmin just as we passed there and noticed it was 25 mins, so I was well pleased with myself. And now to the rest of the run, only another 4 miles to go!

I tried to stay running all the way, but I did have some walking times, and NS was doing her best to keep me on my toes, pushing me, calling me, encouraging me, nagging me! each and every time I walked. I have come to to the conclusion that she is definitely fitter than me as she can sustain this run. But she did say "Don't be daft, I couldn't do what you do, and ride 20 odd miles) but I think that maybe she could.

We arrived at Farnborough and there standing outside the pub was the OB! Clapping and encouraging and telling us that we had done well so far! That was a really encouraging thing that he done, and it made me smile for the next mile or so from there. A quick kiss, ignoring the fact that he had a lovely cool pint already) and we continued our run. Not far now. I can see the bus garage, and the road that we turn right down to get to the Princess Plain road and my old fav lamppost that tells me its only half a mile to home!

A quick touch of TAL and off down the path, my legs were aching, NS in front now, looking like she only just started the run, and me trailing after her, determined not to stop on this bit of the run. Its weird to think about this point in our run, this very place as we are running down, I feel exactly the same (i.e. bloody exhausted) running back home from here as I did when I first started out way back in 2008, only back then I had only ran for half a mile! And look at me now, 5 and a half miles in my legs! 21 miles yesterday on the bike!! I have become a keep fit loony!

Nagging sister was taking off now, she was remembering when we ran for 4 miles and I beat her back on to her drive way, and, (although I find it very hard to believe of myself) I was rather smug about it! She wanted to be at my house before I did, and no doubt that subliminal teaching (nagging) she gave me back then, about sprinting the last bit, was coming to mind and she was off like a whippet to my front door.

I struggled on to my door and tried a little sprint just up the path, always have to try and finish in style, no matter what the distance.

When the door was opened at lovely aroma of meatballs and pasta met us, now that is finishing in style.

I just found out that it was some fellow Pettswood Runners that tooted us along the A21 on their way back from Canterbury 10 miler!, and also coming back from a short ride of only 78 mils was another friend of mine, so it really felt like a special event today, what with the old boy meeting us at the four mile mark!

Thanks guys for all your support and encouragement.


Geeky stats



a couple more photos, the two pics of us were around halfway through the run at 3 miles, of course you would know that.

W

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Club Run!

Hello blog lovers.

After a week off from running due to cold germs I felt today was a h
good day to get back on the training ground and get back out there.

Nagging Sister is calling me from outside the house to tell me she is waiting, a whole five or ten minutes early! She's dead keen! I finished getting myself ready, HRM on, hats, gloves, key etc and then go out to meet her, her being to lazy to come inside and wait! In fact she even said "it's cold out, let's stay in the car until its time to run" I told her exactly what I thought of that idea.

Now, I'm not going to write reams today as I am writing this from my iPhone! My laptop is having issues and the desk top, well less said about that the better! We had to put it back to factory settings! Let's see it that is any good. The OB is working on it now as I write this I'm hoping it will be working so I can upload my geeky stats.

I did my usual run, upfront for the first half then trailing at the back for the second, as well my usual sprint up the last bit of Tudor way! I'm sure the lurgy has left its mark on my poor old body because I was suffering from a weird back ache, what it felt like was the kind if pain you get as a stitch in your side but it's right under and between my shoulder blades. Weird.

It felt good to be out again. I lost Nagging Sister on the last leg of the run and we caught up when we got back to Willet Way Rec. Yes, a good run today, I enjoyed it.

Thursday 12 January 2012

The Nagging Sister Is Back!


Hello blog lovers,

Free afternoon so what do I do? Sit and chill, take on the housework, cook up a culinary delight for the OB? Nope, I go running with Nagging Sister of course. She is back on track, or should I say pavement, and she asked me to go on her run that she did last Thursday afternoon, while I only did my measly 1.75 miles.

4 miles is definitely do-able for me, I'm an athlete, I am just an athlete in denial, that's all. And I need pushing, and nagging, and taking out of my comfort zone. So I agreed.

We set off from her house, and it's an up hill start. I don't mind that, it warms up the legs and we don't really push our selves fast, which is not a good thing, considering none of us have done any warm ups! Well NS was lifting her baskets of sandwiches and walking about lots, but me, playing cars, on the map, on the floor, is not such a good warm up!

I think I coped quite well with the hill, well I should really considering its just the start, but it was good mentally for me as well. Normally when hills come I have already ran anything from half a mile to a mile before hitting a hill, and I think that I cant run up them, so it just shows that I can do it!

I was having wardrobe issues again, with the tie coming undone from my jogging skins, or at least I thought it was, but actually they are pulled as tight as I can, they are just too big! I was feeling good about today's run, and I feel sure that we can beat NS's last time of 55 minutes for this route, at least I was hoping that is the case. I wouldn't be such a morale boosting for either of us if I can't beat her time!

My Garmin was counting down the miles, giving me mi/m as we ran along, and a few seconds after I could hear NS's 'endoscope' fitness thingy chatting away to her, telling her how she was doing!

There was a big black cloud looming in the sky, so NS told me, and I told her that she needs to get her self a cap! That way all that you can focus on is the space in front, no looking at the sky, just looking ahead, no looking down, because that means you are constricting your lungs, just looking at head. That is what I tell myself when I finally get into the zone! And it really does work. But then I snap out of it, moan that is too far, moan that my legs, lungs, chest, feet, hair! hurt. And NS does what she does best, an that's NAG.

I know these roads, and I know how far they are NS's house, and my car! But I try not to think about that, and just think about the road in front of me. I am feeling pretty good really, remnants of the dread lurgy still here, but nothing like it has been. I really believe I could be on the way to being a proper athlete now!

Reaching the Dripping Tap was definitely a feel good moment for me. Not far from here is my car and NS's house. I am nearly there, and I have ran most of the way, I think, no doubt NS will let you know if this is untrue! I know there was some walking bits, because NS came back and physically pushed me to get moving! Such a lazy mare, I am!

Anyway, the last road now, and its all they way down to NS house! And guess what? I put a bit of a sprint on. Nagging Sister is matching me, even she has enough left over for this last road. But I just had to beat her to her forecourt. She was in front of me, I slowed down a bit, I didn't like it, she was still in front of me! I sped up at the last few paces and beat her to the drive. Whoo hooo!

I saw on Facebook a winning comment from somebody on a competition, and the comment was 'The only time you need to be in front is when you cross the finish line' I liked that, and I was in front of NS when we cross her drive!

Here are the geeky stats

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Club Run - penultimate Group 1 Run? Gulp!

Hello blog lovers!

Today was another great evening. This barmy weather is suiting me down to the ground. It's not cold and it's not freezing, my kind of weather. Mind you, I did over hear one of the pettswood runners say bring on the colder weather!

Everything was feeling just right. I had my Garmin set, the weather was brilliant, I wasn't too wrapped up, and my cold is definitely on the way out! So it should be a good run, I must get that into my head!

We started off, our group was quite a big group, and our illustrious leader expertly lead us all out after designating Paul as a sweeper. When she told us that our first stop would be at Kwick Fits, my tiny brain cell was thinking "Thats in Orpington, thats like miles away!" In the past, from Pettswood to Orpington has always been a car journey or bus ride! So, it must be a mental thing, because she had already told us that our route would be about 3.8 miles! There is no way we are running 6 miles today, because I always thought that Orpington was about that far away from me!

Anyway, I had my running head on, and it showed, I was up at the front as usual with the group 1 first half runs. And its all just down hill, lovely, lovely down hill. Let the road do all the work, all I have to do is move my feet! Simples! I ran all the way to KwickFits. I was quite pleased with myself. Non stop from PettsWood to Orpinington, yes it was down hill, and yes it was a nice steady pace. But still, I did it, all the way. We waited for the rest of the group to catch up and then our illustrious leader gave us the bad news! "That was the easy bit" she began, "The bad news is, we now got to run back up to get back!"

I had already guessed this, in fact, I'm sure the whole group knew this! So we swung around the one way system and then headed on back up. But our illustrious leader wasn't taking us on the exact same roads, she had other plans, and a great way with words, "We will take this turning here and just go up this little slope and dos some twiddly bits, before arriving on the road that we took in the beginning"

Well, I shall say this for our leader, she hid the hill quite well. We kind of ran up hill, then flattened out, the ran up hill, and flattened out, and I'm sure there was even a downhill or two thrown in for good measure. I was of course at the back by now, I was having wardrobe issues, my clothes were wanting to part company with me! First of, my shoe laces came undone. I remembered doing them in a double knot before I left, but I must have worked the poor little girls too hard, and they wanted to get off!

Then my 'skins' were having issues! And I deffo remembered doing these up in a bow! I know I am in the next size down now, but I thought the tie would keep them firmly in place! I was desperately trying to tie them and keep on running, for one thing, I hadn't a clue where we were, and I didn't want to get lost!

When I did finally recognise where we were, (and we were approaching Tudor Way by that time) My running head came back to me. I paced myself a little until we got over Pettswood road and then I put the sprint on! It still baffles me where this little bit of energy comes from, but I am thinking it's the thought of my very delicious curry waiting for me when I get home. Mind you, I did feel a little nauseous at the very last few seconds, and I though I was going embarrass my self by decorating the pavement with 'Cooks privileges', the little tasters I was having as my curry was cooking!

Geeky stats

Monday 9 January 2012

A Tale of Two Parks!

Hello blog lovers.

Another short run today, and this is a really good excuse......erm reason (maybe I can add this reason in my excuse book) for this, its because I was having the car MOT'd. I knew how long it is to do an MOT and so I mapped out a short route which will take me about 30 mins or so! I also rang Nagging sister! Yup, she is deffo back on the running track! She wa keen to come out with me, and just plod along a sensible route for someone who hasn't been jogging for a while, unlike she did on Thursday, trying to cover Bromley non stop!

We met up at the garage, caught our satellites on our various devices! I also tried the Nike+ thingy on my IPhone! "Walk around to activate your sensors" it said to me in an American accent, and it said this right up until we got to Normans Park, by that time I was bored of it and turned it off. But I had my trusty Garmin with me, and Nagging Sis had her, endomoeter or what ever it was she said. That kept talking to her as well, as we got to the first mile and then the second!

I am still not quite back to my full fitness, and my lungs were creeping out of my body bit by bit, much to the disgust of Nagging Sister, but I'm sorry, I'm not a lady, and she is family, so it came out! Snot rockets with lung lumps! Lovely!

I did do a couple of walking bits.........shut it sister!.........due to my on going flu like symptoms but all in all not too bad. I shall soon be back to normal speed and fitness soon.

So geeky stats, for my first piece of exercise today, looking forward to my cycle ride now.

Thursday 5 January 2012

Lazy, Lazy, Mare!


Hello Bloggees.

After the OB told me this morning that he was having a rest day today, I thought what a great time to get out and go for a jog. Even though my legs were complaining, both the front and the backs of my thighs, any masseurs out I could do with free massage right now!

I was in two minds whether to go really, (lazy mare)I mean the benefits of rest days are just as important as working hard on jogging and running! I was feeling quite tired as well, a bit fatigued, didn't sleep well last night, excuse #110. But I compromised with myself and decided that I would do just a very short run.

Jog pants on, Garmin and HRM on, key in pocket and off I go! I started off quite well really. And at quite a quick pace, boy, do I miss my illustrious leader, she knows how to do a warm up lap. So just slow myself down a tad, I don't want to burn out, after all I am only doing a very short route today, (lazy mare!)

When I got on to the main road the wind nearly took my breath away. I must have been just protected by the trees and houses on the route so far, and trying to run into this headwind, oh wow! That was tough.

I was quite pleased to turn into the park just after the mile, and the wind eased a bit, and then as I arrived onto my estate it became a tail wind, and helped to push me along. My limbs were complaining now, even my shoulder was complaining! How can that complain? I was quite pleased to get in relax on my sofa! I had noticed that I had a missed call from my sister, those of you who have never followed my blog before, she is affectionately know has Nagging Sister! Both of us were out of breath and she told me she had just come back from her first run for quite some time. I know I shouldn't write this, but I will,. She ran for just over 6k, 6K? It took her 55 mins, and I have no doubt that she is going to feel it tomorrow! Grrrrr, and there was me with my measly 1.75 miles!

Still, short jog better than no jog, and slow jog better.......well, you get the picture. Still, a rest day tomorrow me thinks.

Geeky stats for you, well, very pathetic geeky stats.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

First Run Of The Year!

Hello blog lovers.

I am totally surprised to be writing this blog today, because as you know, I only write a blog if I have something to write about. And today is no exception. So what I am talking about? It's the weather! What an awful day!

The wind started in the night, and no people, it wasn't me on the sprout and lentil diet!, before you all start snickering. The wind was just awful, blowing about all the plastic bottles, and empty cans from my bins! (remails of a very good Christmas) Then in the morning the rain came with it. I didn't expect to be going out at all today.

But the wind died down, even the rain stopped, so no excuses but to get my 5 pound heavier ass out of the door and go for a run with my fellow PWR's. I got all the way to Pettswood when I remember that I hadn't picked up my Garmin, I still had time so a swung around to go and get it. Now that the OB has a Garmin, I don't want to be out done on the geeky stats.

I park the car, walk up to the pavilion *&^*%$£$!! I left my Garmin on the seat of my car! So a warm up run to pick it up and all set to do the 3.45 miles of our run. The last time I ran was back on the 16th December, I am a tad out of shape and so I shall be staying with group 1 for a couple of weeks before moving up, excuse #101 I believe in Old Girls book of excuses for possible bad run sessions.

We started off nice and easy, just as our illustrious leader always does. And I for one was very glad of that. And it seemed a few of the others were glad of that too. The Christmas has taken is toll on many a waistline, along with the dreaded 'Flu lurgy.

My chest complained a bit, I was expecting that, I have had a cold for a few weeks now. I tried very hard to concentrate on the running rather than the cold air filling my lungs, wanting to freeze them into frozen mucus ice poles! Ewwww, that's disgusting! I was glad of the rest stops today. I tried very hard to keep up with the lead pack, and I managed it for about a third of the way. But my chest was getting tight, coughing and running just dont mix, but I kind of suppressed the urge to cough and kept on running. Mind you when I stopped I made up for it, I should have had a hazard sign around my neck, 'bio waste, keep clear!'

So from the previous paragraph you can guess that I was at the back of the class, as usual......But not totally the last one! I was quite pleased that I was still well enough to stay a couple of steps clear of three others! I even had a tiny bit left to put in a tiny bit of sprint to the end,.....and then cough up those lung ice poles I was talking about earlier!

Still, its all good for you! Jogging, running, cycling, swimming, getting the heart rate above the normal resting state for 30 minutes a day, its all good for you! That is in no doubt! Here is to a whole new year of getting fitter, lighter and healthier, for all of us!

Oh yes, this is day 1 of tee-total month!

Geeky stats.