Hello bloggers.
Ok, I'm thinking that you are thinking "Where have you been?" Or actually you are probably feeling glad of not being 'spammed' by my blogs of late! I have been running, I've not just been sat on my backside, but my blogging has taken a back seat! The reason is because of my short break in Chicago! I didn't have time to write up my blog for last Thursday and for the Thursday before that, I was just a bit tired to even think properly!
Anyway, I am totally over the jet lag thing now and I am totally focused on my running again. I have even entered the Brooks Brighton 10k and mulling over the idea of the Paddock Wood Half! See, focused! More bling to be had!
So I could go all out and describe every run I have done so far.......or maybe not.......if you prefer! But, ok, let me just touch on them, just a short sentence or two, just so that I know how I was feeling on each run. So the first one I missed writing about was on Thursday 22nd September, the day I had to head for Heathrow airport after work. It was the usual Thursday morning run, meeting other PWR's at the rec. Tanya came along with her dog Max and B was there too. I bought along Dexter, my daughters pooch! I like to take him to new places, see if he will continue to run with me, when I take him around Normans he won't do the 3 laps around the park, he gets bored! But he does like to do the parkrun route, just twice around! He was well behaved really! He came back when I called him and didn't get lost at all! Max just runs right next to Tanya all the time! Dexter lovers being the leader! We all had a great run that day, especially Dexter, he found the little stream! Oh just watching him splash in there and then trying to catch the water as it comes up was very amusing! He totally loves the water! The weather was good that day I believer and the woods were dry, which was a bonus, I didn't want the pooch to get his muddy paws over my seats, but then, he had been in the streams!
The next run that I had done was a whole week after! So, I have been to Chicago, eaten loads and huge portions and drank loads, no exercises, feeling totally bloated and sluggish and I didn't take my running gear either! Just setting the scene so you know how I was feeling! You can imagine what I was like! I put a message up the the Thursday morning chat box to see if there would be any group 1 runners to meet up with, and I was just a tad relieved when I found out there wasn't any, as it meant I could just relax a bit more and then go for an even shorter run than I had planned if there were runners to run with! I had the pooch with me again, and as it had been raining it made sense to just run around my local park with him. So thats what we did. And boy did I feel like Mrs Blobby from Blobby town, and I was trying to run after the dog?! But I felt it was a good start! I was still so tired from the jet lag, I was expecting it to be over and done with on the first night but I just couldn't keep my eyes opened! Still, there is always the next day! Less than 3 miles, but still, a run is a run!
The next days outing? Well that is todays! (Friday was spent mostly making sure I was totally over the jet lag!) and it's with the beginners! I was leading and I just hoped that I had my leaders head on correctly, no mistakes this time around, and totally keeping an eye on my Garmin. We are already up to 3 minutes running and 3 minutes walking! I am sure they will all do so well! Naggy Neighbour came with me today to help out with the encouragement! She is training for some crazy run around the Isle of White! Can you imagine anything like it? Well, actually yes, we have some pretty amazing runners in our club who go and do crazy distances in some most exotic places!
There must be about 60 people here as well as our PWR helpers today. The buzz is "I don't think I can do it" "3 minutes? Really!" But I tried to assure them in my own way, "You've been doing 2 minutes already, so you know you can do it, the next minute will be just a tad slower is all" Now I know what I mean in my head, but whether it comes across to the group is another matter! They didn't look too convinced! Best to just get the show on the road!.......er I mean grass!
The usual two laps of the green, (avoiding the big pile of dog doings! Thank you Karin, aka Naggy neighbough, for clearing that up) a nice power walk around the green! Then straight into the drills! Once that was done I blew on my whistle........ok, I didn't have a whistle.......but I do know how to make a very loud whistle noise.......to get them all started for the first run! That first 3 minutes just flew by, well that was the buzz now coming from the group! The second, third and forth rep of the 3 min walk/run seem to fly by. I chatted to some of the group on the fith rep, "How's it all going" I asked "Well, when I first started it seemed like a dream to be able to do 5 k after 8 weeks, but now I am thinking it's a possible" said one of them. "Have we really done 5 runs?" said another and "Wow, I can't believe there is only 20 seconds left of this last run left" said yet another! See, what did I tell you! Just mind over matter, eh Naggy? (it's what she always tells me when I ask her to pace me!) When the 3 mins run was up we just all walked back to the Pavillion to do some stretches.
I can't believe that we have already completed the third week of the beginners course, but there it is! Wow, fantastic going. I am so enjoying doing this! But that wasn't the end of mine and Naggy's running. We had decided that we would run through the woods, after all Naggy is in training! I can't believe that she has never been running through the woods before, but I guess if you don't know your way around it can get a little scary navigating your way through, even with Chocolate, her boxer cross dog!
I must admit, I am enjoying my running again, really loving it! Even that little solo run I did on Thursday, it was less than two miles, but hey, a run is a run. And running through the woods is just so nice. The rain was coming down, or as I say to the beginners, it's free hydration. When we first felt the rain while we were in the car park back at the rec, there was a teaser posed "We could always go for breakfast!" But fortunately neither I or Naggy had any cash on us! The woods it was! Naggy enjoyed the run through the woods, and I tried to point out as many landmarks as possible so that if she felt a little confident then she could run through there again, just her and Chocolate!
The trails don't seem to slow naggy down any, I should add! I was still trailing behind her, trying to catch up to point out said land marks! But it was a good run! I am glad we decided to run and not eat!
So there, all caught up with my blogging! Some feel good runs, that lonley solo run after my holdiays, and the 'doggies run' with Tanya and B. Now, let me go book another race!
Geeky stats for the woods run today. I am sure if you are interested in the other distances you can just click 'back' from the Garmin site.
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