I ran out of day to write up my blog for yesterday, (Friday). And really I should have done it, it was all about my 7 miler! Todays run was the usual parkrun.
Anyway, so here it is, Friday, 3rd February 2017. I had to get out and run in the morning. A nagging voice in my head said that I needed to go, especially as I didn't go to track Thursday evening! It's like a penance! This half marathon isn't going to run itself, I need to put some miles down! Going out for burritos on Thursday evenings is not going to cut it! So, nagging voice won, and I was out of the door to do the same route that I did last Sunday. I felt good.....well I felt good about getting out on what normally is a day I don't do any exercise! I was feeling a little smug really! I had decided not to beat myself up too much about walk/run method. Or even how many times I walk! I just want to get around this route and come out smiling at the other end, with more running than walking! Preferably quicker than I did last Sunday too!
I had my iPod with me, I thought at least I could listen to some great tunes, to help just get me along, maybe to help set a pace, run to the beat, style of running. I know there is some great running tunes that are perfect for my pace too! I shall have to learn how to get them all in a file and put on my iPod, so I can just click on Running Tunes. I think there is a way. Getting to the top of Southborough Lane, near the Toby Carvery was fairly ok. I felt good, but then I looked up at that A21! A big intake of breath and then I started up it! I felt it was taunting me, laughing at me! I remembered from when I was doing marathon training, running up there, it was tough then! You would have thought by now with all the traffic going along it, it would get flatter! If only things were that easy! I had a couple of tunes that were good, they took me out of the 'shit, I'm on the A21 again' zone. I got passed all the short cuts that could have taken me home. This time they didn't just slip by unnoticed, I saw them, I looked down them longingly! I didn't pass by them with out them pulling on my shoe laces, tempting me to go down them!
Once I passed McD's then I knew, at least I was 'safe' from going the short way home! Safe!? What am I thinking about? This is how the dreaded A21 gets me, dreading it. But it's a blimmin challenge, one I know I will beat one day! And one that I will smile at as I am running up it! But not Friday, nope! I got me again. I struggled again, I felt every single step of it hard! The snot factory was in overtime as tried my hardest to get up there! Where does it all come from, really! As if I hadn't had enough to think about, using my energy and legs to get to the top! I also had to deal with trying to breath through gunk! I blew up again! I used the traffic islands as markers, run to it, then walk a bit, run to the next one. Or the bus stops, or sign posts, or don't stop running until I get pass the women with the buggy or the runner coming in the other direction! It all helped to get me to the top, Locks Bottom, it wasn't pretty, but I did it. I think it was here that Kev 'Two Balls' saw me, I think he said that I didn't look as if I was enjoying it! Well, I guess that was a slight understatement.
At least I had done it though, I had finished with the A21.....for that day at least.......and now each step is taking me homeward bound! I found that I was doing some good running along here, I even enjoyed it too! So much so that I was singing along to the tunes in my ears, and I do believe, doing some 'air guitar' too! So yeah, I do still love running......it's just hills that I hate! I will have to work on that too.....as well as all the other stuff I need to work on......like pacing, my form, running continually, getting faster, going further! I was running along Crofton road and I saw Michael Maxted as well! If I noticed him then I must have been in a good place, I wasn't feeling sorry for myself!
I finished my run on a high, I knew I had to just run pass my house to make it 7 miles exact, and I felt good! My geeky stats shows that I did this quicker than I did on Sunday! So I am very pleased with that! I may have had more walking bits, but it seemed to have worked!
My geeky stats.
Saturday parkrun
I woke up this morning feeling tired. It was grey and overcast. I really wasn't feeling it! But I got ready and I went out of the door! Not only was it grey and overcast, it was raining! I went back inside my house to get a wet weather jacket! Ok, lets do this! I drove to Tracy to pick her up, she wasn't feeling it today either! This could be a good run or it could be a slow run!
At the carpark I could see the other girls at the other end of the car park. Tracy and I just sat for just a little while longer and then we followed after them! J.J., LittleJ and K were by the pavilion by the time we got to them. We all walked over to the the start together where we met up with PinkLadyJo and Carole and Michael. Pei also joined us, she has been running with group 1 for a couple of weeks.
I still wasn't feeling, and Tracy still wasn't feeling the love. Well as soon as we get going I think I may just find the love on route! I ran with J.J. and Janet and Pei, Tracy, K and PinkLadyJo were behind us. for the first mile I kept pace with the girls, but then I just started to feel tired. I slowed down a bit and the others carried on. Then Pei had stopped running ahead of me and I caught up with her. J.J. and LittleJ I think were on a mission! They were doing really well! Maybe they are chasing their PB's or maybe they just want to get finished and dry!
For the other two miles those two stayed well in front of us! But Pei kept me going, and I kept her going! We ran together for the rest of the run. It still wasn't easy, I think I am just a little tired, what with doing eleven activities in 10 days! Maybe tomorrow I will have a rest day....and then do it all again!
Pei and I finished our park run more or less together, I had a little bit of sprint left in my legs, just to finish in my usual style!
My geeky stats
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