Club Runs

Hello blog lovers.

Group Zero2Hero

It's Tuesday which means club runs.  I am having my second week of Group Zero2Hero today, with a few more people.  In fact, there were six members to my group today,  plus also joining to assist me was HitchyJo and SingstarJo. It couldn't have worked out more perfect if had I planned it!

The four new members to the group are Michelle (now I did have a nick name for her, but do you think I can remember what it was?) And Michelle is a PWR who has been out of the loop for a while and is now getting back to her running. Also we have two totally new members to Pettswood runners and who are also fairly new to running is Lisa and Michelle,  they came along last week to the group 1 run. They did really well to keep with the main group but they felt that a couple of weeks in Group Zero2Hero would help them to get up to speed.

Also we had Julie who came last week, Tracy who is also a PWR and is getting back to speed, and a completly new person who turned up an hour early for the usual group runs but wanted to come along and that was Nora.  So that meant the leaders had 2 runners each to help lead through a 2 and half mile (ish) route. 

Again, this week,  it is all about the running, just to see where they are all, see how far the can run and at what pace. So no hill training, and no interval running.  Because I want them to get straight into the running, I did a warm up session, to get our muscles loosened up, and our heart rates going.  Also its a good way to look at the style of running they all do, and to offer any advice if needed.  HitchyJo took the faster to group, I took the middle group and SingstarJo brought on the last group.  Setting out of the rec we turned left and then left again, heading towards Pettswood, with those little hills on the way to get our hearts working just a little harder.

The group soon started to split into the three sections, I was so pleased that the two Jo's were with me today.  I couldn't have managed running between each of the runners!   We all settled into a good pace, steady, each pair going at their own pace with the leaders encouraging them all the way.

Our first stop, just to catch our breaths after the hills, was at the memorial hall.  Then it was through the High Street, under the bridge and the back down the road we just ran up!  But at least it is the nicer way of running this road, as the longer hills are the down hills and the shorter ones are the up hills.

We arrived back at the rec all very pleased with what they had done having enjoyed their run today, I know I did!  HitchyJo led them through the warm down to stretch out all those muscles that we had been using so that our muscles don't come scream at us later on!

I am loving this new group,  I love this encouraging runners to get back to running, or encouraging new runners to do their very best, just love it!  Who wouldn't! Fantastic.

Geeky stats for Group Zero

Group 1

Todays run leader is Illustrious Leader.  "Today it's going to be a flat route" she says in her briefing!  Well, unless she has a coach, (one with wheels and engine, not a smile and heartbeat) to take us to the flat lands, then I know there is going to be a hill in this evenings run somewhere.  It's all a matter of degrees or is it percent or steepness?  Anyway, somewhere along the line there will be a hill!  But I was still buzzing from having the enjoyable second session with my group, so I was like "Yeah, bring it on"  Well, I was sweeping so I could take it easy at the back!

The route is one of my favourite routes actually, as I never quite know where I am until we get to a certain road and then I think," oh yes, its this way".  I love those types of routes, as you never know how far you have to go.  Also the hill, which indeed is in this run, is quite a steepish one and it zigs and zags up, but it's not a very long one, thank goodness!  After that it is quite flat, all the way back to the rec.

I was running along with Julia who had been a beginner last year, encouraging her to keep on running,  especially on those hills.  But even I had trouble running up every bit of them!  But those little down hills, well we took advantage of those and just squooshed down them!

Group 1 was quite a large group now, and we had split into 2 distinct groups.  So, on one of the catchup stops we had a 'confession' time, about who could move up to group 2 if we have a move up week.  There were a few tentative hands that went up.  It's always scary moving up to a fast group, as you don't want to be the one that holds everyone back, but actually having a move up week, the leaders of each group will run on the slower side of their predicted pace, for instance group 1 runs at 11:30 to 12:00 min/mil, so if it had been us we would run at 12:00 mi/mi.

And also when there is a few people ready to move up then you can all stick together at the back anyway!  It's a great way to improve your speed. (something I haven't done so far!)

But todays run with my running club buddies was, again, a brilliant run! Love this running stuff! Love these running buddies!

Geeky stats (oh and ignore the last bit of my geeky stats, the route today was 3.55 miles long! I seem to have started my Garmin again while I was in the car!)