Running Weekend!

Hello blog lovers.

I have been negligent with my blogging again!  Three runs to add to my total mileage!  I must have run around the world by now, surely!

So the first one is of course what I have been training Tracy up for, Normans Park Parkrun!

I picked up up and we set off under a lovely.....well, white sky!  It wasn't a glorious sunny morning, but it was still mild out and it wasn't raining.  Perfect for running.  

Tracy already had a time to aim for, the training run last Monday gave us an idea of what she could do and more importantly, a goal to aim for and to beat!  We met up with Wendi and with Hilary, both of who stayed with Tracy throughout the run, to encourage her all the way round.  

We picked up our 'taches,.....oh......didn't I say, Saturdays Parkrun was a Movember run, all participants were wearing moustaches, if they hadn't....or couldn't grow their own then one was supplied.  Something I neglected to tell Tracy!  Here, this is us looking rather dashing!

Hilary Wendy, Tracy and me
Can you spot the deliberate mistake!

I wasn't going to encourage, nag,  pull, push or slide Tracy around the course.  It was all going to be her doing, a good learning curve for pace and and pacing!  After the announcements the 'ready, steady, go' was said and we were off .

As usual speedies set off with their PB's quivering in their boots, Tracy set off after them, but not nice and steady like I've told her!  I could of let her just go for it, maybe she won't burn out, maybe she can do it at that speed, maybe it's only me that burns out if I start off too fast! Yeah,  I know that's not the case, so for the very first time ever, I told Tracy to slow down!

We got into our usual pace now, running along with Wendi and Hilary.  Wendi can go faster but she is here to support Tracy, Hilary is also here to support Tracy and also to have a nice easy paced run.  She has been nursing niggling pains, so a nice steady jog is in order.  

This is us just as we were going by the river for the first time, taken from behind just to show that we were not the last ones running!

It's surprising how quickly we got on to that first long straight!  Wendi is keeping Tracy totally focused with her chatting.  She really can chat, our ChattyWendi, helping to keep your mind off hurty bits and pieces and it banishes all thoughts of 'I can't do it' as well. Her chatting also helps take your mind of the speedies who by now are thundering up behind us. And, in the true tradition of parkrun runners, the encouragement from them is most welcoming! 

The first lap done and Tracy is still going strong, in fact I am sure I saw a bit of a smile going on.  The second lap underway and still running.  There is no stopping her now.  When we got back up to the top of the park, the start line, we just thad the last bit to do, the short straight down to the funnel!  Tracy is still smilling, and then ChattyWendi starts singing "Happy, happy, happy"  you know that Pharell song, it can't help but make you smile.  There we all were, singing and throwing shapes as we ran towards to the finish funnel.  

But then it was time to 'kick in, skates on, and go for it' as the last last few yards started getting eaten up. I couldn't keep quiet any more, "Come on Tracy, go for it now girl" I said to her, Wendi and Hilary both saying "Go on Tracy, you can do it" 

With Tracy out in front we kept up the encouragement all the way in.  She did it, she ran her first parkrun.  With Wendi in next, followed by Hilary and then me!  

Tracy    43:39

Wendi   43:40

Hilary   43:41

Me        46:23 !!!  I think there was a slight hiccup with the timing thingy, because I know I didn't take a minute and half to get to the tunnel!!

But my parkrun still goes down as parkrun done, I will soon be up to 50 runs!  Here's the geeky stats for Saturdays parkrun.  I think my next time though I will have to go chasing my elusive PB!

Geeky stats, oh and I forgot to switch off my Garmin!

Santa Dash 2014

It seems way to early to be writing Santa's name let alone doing a 'Santa Dash' but hey ho or should that be 'Ho Ho', I guess you got to fit everything in for the coming month.  I entered us in the Santa dash again, my grandson loves it,  well apart from the fact that he doesn't get a beard in his 'race outfit'  So I let him have mine!  If it's going to be anything like last year then I really don't want that thing on me, I was sweating!

We arrived at the mead in time for the warm ups, there was already a 'grotto' of Santa's (what is the name for a group of Santa's?) All shapes and sizes, some had little elves with them!  This year my grandson was most keen to enjoy the whole of the event, and that includes joining in the warm ups!  He was enthusiastically 'ringing bells' 'ho-ho-ho-ing' and 'hanging up decorations' as we went through the warm up routine.

And then it was time! We lined up, there were 846 Santa's signed up to run and it looked brilliant!  Unfortunately my phone ran out of battery and I only got a couple of pics of the little dude going through his warm ups!

Little dude

So we started our race, first of it's once around the mead and then on through the park before crossing over the road (being protected by the local police stopping the traffic!) and then up, up, up to the high street.  This year the little fella was full of beans!  This year there was no "I want to go home, can we play in the park" form the little dude, but this year I was running it after having a rather good night out celebrating my birthday!  

Once we got to the top of hill and ran into the high street that was the little dudes cue for turning into Mo Farah!  He just flew down to the end!  He saw his mum and that made him run even faster!  All the while with me trying to keep up with him, sweating my socks off in my Santa suit and hat, and feeling rather delicate!

It was a great time though.  It's good to encourage every one to just run for fun! 

Monday Madness

Monday madness indeed!  ChattyWendi couldn't make it this morning, nor could Bims.  So it was just me and Tracy.  So I thought we could do some speed running!  Just to start building up her speed as well as her endurance!  I think that maybe she was looking as if she wanted to go home!

The first lap was all the way round the park, on the tarmac, so that I can get an idea of what to use for targets to run to.  The first lap was done at a nice leisurely pace to make sure we were totally warmed up.  And then the hard work started.  

I let her get her breath for a few seconds and then we started.  Run fast to the first corner, then jog it out to the next point that I chose.  She took off like lightening, showing me that she can actually run fast! But then she began to realise, that is what we will be doing all the way round.  Fast jogging, slow jogging, walking some bits, until we get back to the car.  It was when we got to the top of the park that I could feel the daggers in my back.  I turned to look at Tracy and she had such a determined look on her face as she did her utmost best to get from point to point to point.  

I knew that she would really be so pleased with herself once this session was over, that I didn't give in and say that we should only do half a lap of interval running (as if! I have been taught nagging by Naggy neighbour and Nagging Sister!) We were running down the last straight to the carpark, I chose a target to head for "Fast jogging to that bench" I said and started running faster.  I could see she was doing really well, and also thought she could just add a little bit more distance "Just to the next bench2 I said, "I don't think so!" said Tracy just as we got to the first bench that I said!  I turned around and looked at her and she had stopped!  She was smiling, but she had stopped!  Defiance!  Well, that's gonna cost!

We finished the rest of the interval lap and had a little breather and then we did our third and final lap a nice easy going, wind down lap of the park, but I decided to go around the other direction, just to 'mix it up' a bit, so that she doesn't have any focal points that may be in her mind.  "I just realised" said Tracy as we were running along the long straight! "It goes up hill on the other side"

There, told you it would cost her! It really isn't such an uphill moment, it's hardly noticeable these days, but I also feel a hill training session coming on!  

Geeky stats and I forgot to switch off the Garmin after I came through the tunnel!