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| I had to get this picture! Look at their shirts! That's what its about! |
A glorious evening for running, and running is what we were going to do. I picked up Shalini and then we drove to pick up Tracy. It seems as if I go around collecting new recruits to PWR! Well, I do like to share the love. At the rec there were already quite a few PWR's all milling around, chatting, laughing, stretching and warming up. Then it was time for the leaders to give out their routes and pace.
I also introduced a 'Leader in training' Joanne, my new FaceBook friend, to help lead group 1 today, while J.J. and Janet sweep. I am hoping that we were going to have enough light so that we can do the whole 3 miles through the woods without having to run any on the roads. Last week we managed to get most of our run done through the woods, with just the last bit running along Birchwood.
So we had a count up, Old Girl style, I just get everyone in a circle and get them to shout out the next number from 1. And that way we all know how many are in our group. Eighteen of us actually, eighteen keen runners, looking forward to doing battle with the midges in the woods. Yes, its that blimmin time! Flippin love midges.....not! Why I have to have such a bad reaction to the little sh......shtinging things I don't know! I must go and buy some jungle formula anti midge biting things to spray all over me.
So my route was to go around the whole of the woods starting on the left side and then coming down on the right. We all ran together from the rec to the woods and then we had a little safety chat. It's about earphones! I spoke to a chap on Sunday about earphones, and he was just a tad 'forthright' when asking his question! But I tried to be as pleasant as possible about the whole earphones thing. As they already had them for this week, then just put in one earphone! Next week however, I will have to be a tad bossy! NO EARPHONES unless it's those bone conductors ones, we are a lovely social running club after all!
We ran and called out ROOTS, LOW BRANCH, as we ran along the left path all the way to the walking bridge. We had a bit of a wait there for our back runners, I tried to get the group interested in doing some easy exercises up the stairs. Just running up the stairs to the first landing and then back again. Well I recieved some very blank looks, so I decided to show them. Cue music, # dun na naaa, da na naaa, da na naa, da na naaa, da na na na na na, na naaaaa" (it's the rocky music, now go back and sing it to that!) I stood up on the landing with my hands held high. Nobody followed me! So I tried to show them one more, it's a harder one, jumping up the steps, in a squat like fashion! Yeah, all I can say is that I tried, nobody tried to emulate that either.......by the way, I only managed three!
By this time the back runners had caught up and we continued to run along by the rail lines and then down the path that leads to the little river......and then up again, to Botany Bay Lane! I have cakes to run off, going for afternoon tea needs to be paid for in blood sweat and tears. When we got to the gate at the top, J.J. told me that I had neglected to collect my glass of champagne when we went for tea!! That's calls for a bigger punishment! I am going to have to try and push my self up Botany Bay Lane to the bridle path! How could I have let that slip my fingers! I guess it was a good thing really, as I was driving, and driving the Old Boys car too!
I had decided that as Joanne is with us, and she is as keen as punch, pulling at the bit, to be a leader, I thought this would be a brilliant way for her to 'learn on the job' so to speak. We ran along the top path to the map at the top of the woods, just at the top of the middle path. J.J. Janet and Auriol all know the way back to Dog Poo ally, straight down, all the way down, straight as a dye, as the saying goes. Joanne felt comfortable, the others all felt comfortable in fact the even took a selfie! Look!
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| The breakaway group! |
I felt totally confidant that I will meet them back at the rec. I was going to take the faster ones for just a little bit extra. we took the other half of the top path and ran along towards the main road, and then followed the path, right, to run down towards the rail lines. We were going at a nice pace, just settling into the zone, and the the burst of pink flowers came in sight. I told the girls about Rhododendron Walk, the only place in the woods where they grow, making this lovely pink floral walkway. Of course the girls wanted to do down there, with the pace we were doing I was pretty sure we would get to Dog Poo before it was too dark.
We didn't bump into the slower group, they were already back at the rec by the time we got there, but they were only on their second stretch. I was glad to see that the group 2 lead Michael, had remembered that we in group 1 have the patio and he was doing his stretches on the grass! Know your place......, of course I am joking.........or am I, I hate blimmin midges!
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