Monday 6 February 2017

Morning Monday!

Hello blog lovers.

We are already almost a quarter of the way through February, that Paddock Wood Half seems to be getting nearer and nearer at a speedier rate than my running!  So another 7 miler today, but I am not doing the A21, stuff that!  I will do it again, just not yet!  I got on to plotaroute last night and....would you guess.....I plotted out  a route, covering 7 miles. It took in Normans Park, Whitehall rec and then up Southborough Lane, all the way up Southborough Lane, and then back home!  It looked a lot more friendly than the A21!

As it happened I didn't have to do the morning school run so I had a great opportunity to get out there early!  I had the text this morning saying that I didn't need to go, while I was still snug in my bed!  Do you know how hard it was getting out of the there? Oh my goodness!  But then I had another text, my daughters littlest boy wasn't feeling too good, he has a bit of a cold!  So as she has to work I may have to get him from nursery if he is feeling too poorly!  That really prompted me out of the door.  I can do this 7 miles then be home if I was needed to help out.

I was out of the door as quick as I could....after I got dressed of course!  I had long run pants on black ones.  I have entered the Up and Running competition again today, the prize is some lovely running pants in snazzy colours! Fingers crossed!  Maybe I shouldn't put a link here really, less people who know, the less people will enter!.....  Anyway, there I was in my long black running pants, my short sleeved VLM finishers tee shirt and my running jacket! I stepped outside and I thought it was rather chilly!  I stepped back in again, maybe a long sleeve shirt is needed.  I looked at the sky, it was clear, I think I had chosen wisely with my attire, the short sleeves stay,  so I just went back out and closed my door!

So my 7 mile run begins!  Down my road and turn right, I am going through my local ark first. It looked really nice actually, the was still a bit of mist on the grass, I should have taken a photo of it!  In fact I will make sure that I take lots of photos from now, just to remind myself with pictures as well as words, about what the day brought for me!  There were a couple of people in the park but most people were heading for the schools with their kids.  I was soon out of the local park and running along to Southborough lane. I know running up there will be easier, mentally that is, because I knew that I shall be turning right instead of left!  The A21 can go and do one!

I really did feel better about my running, it was easier, but I still had the walks!  I tried again, to figure out why I was walking, why I can't just keep on running, is it my breathing, muscles, mind? You know all the usual things, the things I say every time to other runners, as well as to myself!  Do you know what? I just don't know!  I have no idea, id didn't have an answer! And even the talking to didn't help (yes, I give my self a talking to, just like I do with all the beginners, and those that are in group 1, or who I meet at parkruns)  so I just don't know how to push past it!

Normans Park looked really good.  The sun had broken through by the time I got there, my jacket had come off and I was running with it tied around my waist.  It was busy!  Mums with pushchairs and family pet dogs, and loads of other dog walkers too.  Plus one or two more runners!  I looked up at the long straight and I thought "Ok, lets get this done"  I started running along, passing the buggies, and the dogs, so many dogs! But seeing them put a smile on my face, I was smiling as I ran the long straight!  I saw a guy running in the opposite direction, he had a huge smile on his face which made me smile too!  I enjoyed running around the park.  I enjoyed it so much that I decided to change the plan that I had done yesterday evening and go around again.  The plan was to do just one lap (usually I don't like doing laps of Normans park) and then run on to the other park, and make up the seven miles through there, and along Southborough, to Petts Wood and then the little roads back to mine!  It will just mean that I won't have to run all the way to Petts Wood!  I liked that idea, I liked it a lot actually and a smile spread on my face again....briefly......and then I concentrated on looking like a runner again!

I saw the same guy again on the second lap, he was a lot faster than me so I saw him in different parts of the park as we passed each other!  We smiled and encouraged one another to keep going as we passed.  There was also a group that was meeting there in the car park.  I am not sure where they are from, I couldn't see any club colours, but there were a few runners gathering to run together in Hook Farm car park.  I passed them by as I ran towards the entrance to the park, and then changed my mind again, and decided to do another lap!  One more.  One more.  That will make up for three miles, 2 miles already done getting here, more or less, so the next two miles can be done using the rest of my planned route, and no going up blimmin' Southborough Lane!

So I did one more lap, I saw a group of 3 ladies at the Hayes car park end, one of them had the PWR finishers tee shirt on!  That always makes me smile, and feel proud that I am a PWR. I saw the smiley guy again, he must have warmed up because his woolly hat had come off! We waved this time and I said that this is my last lap!  I am sure if I had done one more lap we would have been on 'High Five' the next time we passed!   My final lap done, I could see that the big group of runners starting on their laps of the park, I wouldn't be following them, I was heading out of the park, going to the next one!

When I got to Whitehall rec I tried to figure out how much of the park I would have to run and then get back to mine so that it works out at 7 miles.  Normally I am useless at judging distances, and this time is no different.  I looked around the park, and then at the road where I had just come.  Originally I was going to come back this way, but I think that would make for slightly over 7 miles.  I really needed to be home within the hour and half, just in case I was needed.  I figured that I could do half the park, run out at the top and then find my way home from there!  I am sure there is a route somewhere along there.  There is the Dog Poo ally (a different one from the one in Petts Wood).  But this one is long and secluded.  It's the back of houses on the right and the left, so no cars, it's just for pedestrians.  I am not sure what it's like down there at this time of the day.  So I decided that I wouldn't go that way and opted to go on the roads.  I knew I couldn't get lost, it's not as if I far from home!

I followed the road as it turned left and then came out on to another road, a busy road, a road that I recognised!  "Oh, wow, so that was easy" I thought to myself!  The busy road lead to Southborough road!  So I ran along there, and down Holmcroft.  Going back through the first park!  I was nearly done.  But I was going to my house, I had to run and the pooch from his house!  I wouldn't take him on a 7 mile run!  I am not sure he could have done it!  In fact does anyone know how far you can take an 18 month old Jack Russell puppy dog running?   Maybe he could do it!  But I feel it would have been slower!

My geeky stats for you all, a tiny bit faster than Friday's 7 miler! Well, I don't want to get a PB that I can't possible beat.....not like my parkrun PB, I am still chasing that little gem!!

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