Hello blog lovers,
Well, yes, what more can I say! A weekend away with the old boy means I had to do some hard work working off all those extra calories. I have had 3 courses for at least three evenings running and a huge Sunday roast! Plus off course the extra drinking of the local ales! Yesterday evening I could only manage a bowl of cereal for my tea. If I do the crime (eating!) then I need to do the time (hills). Of course that means everybody has to come with me to do the hills, as I was leading. Poor Charley is still out of action, and Joanne is still a leader in waiting, which leaves just me of course! I could have pleaded for our Michael to lead group 1 today, but then I don't know if he is ruthless enough yet, to take them up Goss hill, which is the hill, which is the hill that I needed to do! I needed a steep little bleeder of a hill to work off these rolls of 'fluffyness' (as Tracy called it!) around my middle! I have a long road ahead of me, it's going to get brutal!
So, I am sure I do not need to lay out any excuses as to why I was running a little slower or sluggish today, if I do, please note that I had a sh.....shed load of food over the last four days, and no running involved! I drove to Tracy's house and then drove to Willet Rec. J.J. and Janet ran 10k on Monday, so they really were not feeling the love of doing another 5k this evening, especially as they both are still recovering from illness. K wasn't here today or Carole. Carole had done the 10k yesterday too, even after her surgery just a couple of weeks ago! I tell you, once this running bug takes hold of you, you really don't want to stop! You will always keep coming back!
The woods was our destination, and it always makes everyone happy, from the faster runners in our group to the slowest runners. Everyone just loves the freshness of the woods, the smells and the feeling of well being that you get when you just immerse yourself in His glorious creation! The greens of the leaves, the flowers, the singing birds and the scampering squirrels.....and other creatures! Even the the fine threads of the spiders web didn't freak me out, mind you if I had seen the spiders or if they had landed in my face it could quite easily have been a different story! Ewww!
After our count up of the runners in group 1, there were 20 of us by the way, a nice round number, perfect, we set off for the woods. We went in through Dog Poo ally, I waited just at the 4 ways point for the others to catch up, it's just inside the woods, after coming through the ally. There are four paths leading in different directions, left path, middle path, diagonal path and the right path. This evening I took them on the left path. It's one of my favourite ways actually, I don't know why, it's just a tad more interesting. Different surfaces to run on, it's not just mud and roots, we have a wooden pathway to run along, but it's also different elevations! Ups and downs, you know how I love a hill (not), but I know that hills do us good! And besides, running hills in the woods is so much nicer........unless it's Goss Hill.......which is the one we were going to do!
So there we were, running down to the bridge of the river, and then we took a little stopping break for our catch up. I said to them all as I point up the hill, "You will be pleased that I am not taking you all the way up this hill". It was the one that leads Tong Farm. I tell you, they were really quite pleased, especially when I said that we were going to be running along the river and it's flat! Of course I did tell them that we would have to go up Goss Hill! I'm sure I told them, yes, yes I did mention it, quietly!
The run along the river is really the 'calm before the storm' so to speak. The hill is a challenge, I have only ever managed to do this hill in one go once before, a couple of years ago, with the Old Boy literally pushing me! So it is my nemesis! The other hills in the woods I can do, well apart from the middle path! The middle path always gets be puffing out my arse too! So this summer I am going to try and get both of these hills under my belt! There, I've laid it out on the line, in print, for all to read......um, by the way, are there any group 1 runners reading this? I maybe able to get away with not doing it, if there are none! I didn't even think of this until just now as I am writing my blog, but yes, I think I need a summer challenge to do with my running club, and so this is it! I am sure there could be a couple of other group 1's that fancy challenging themselves to this too. But there were were, facing 'the wall' that is Goss hill, at least if feels like a wall when I'm running it! I send up the runners that were with me, at their own pace, while I held back for the others. Then sent them up, and then ran up it myself. I didn't manage to run it one go, but then, it wasn't on my mind to, I was in 'leader' mind, encouraging Tracy to keep on going. I think I used that as an excuse because Joanne was with her too! There were a few of them that ran up it in one attempt, a couple more did it in two attempts, a couple walked up, and some walked/jogged up! It is a tough little challenge for a social Tuesday run!
We ran along the back of Coopers school just as another group was running along here, I think it was group 6, I am sure some one will tell me which one. We got out on the other side of the skinny path, with its barbed wire fence on one side and greenery on the other side. I don't like this little path at all, I have nightmares about this path! I just hate it that there is barbed wire running along the top of the fence, I feel it's unnecessary on this path! Anyway, we all made it, safely, to Botany Bay Lane only to (almost) run into Karen's group! Petts Wood Runners are really living up to the name! We then ran along the top of the woods, with that one last small hill to do. This one I can do, and I challenged all the runners that were with me to get to the top, just the flat bit, in one go. Its no where near as steep as Goss, or as long, but after running this far you still need to dig deep. I did, and all those that were with did too. We took a breather, no one was talking, we stood, panting, breathing hard looking blimmin pleased with ourselves. We stood there for a few minutes waiting for the back runners to join us.
There was just one more ever so slight up hill that brought us to the top of the middle path. Here I divided the group again, faster runners to go with Joanne while Michael took up the middle I ran behind sweeping, keeping Tracy Kathy and Selina going.! We were virtually at bottom of the woods, when we saw Kate coming running up towards us, then Michael! Joanne had stopped on the path by the national trust memorial, with another path that went diagonally left and one path that beared right, which is the one that we were taking. Joanne wasn't quite sure, and so she stopped and waited for me, and then sent anyone running up towards us if they wanted to keep on running. The woods do look different in the different seasons even the differing light, but I am glad that Joanne waited for me rather than going on her way. We all continued together to Dog Poo ally and then ran back to the rec at our own pace.
A brilliant run, I loved it and so did everyone else. Yes it was tough, and yes we even had a complete newbie with us, but she enjoyed it too. So, geeky stats for your perusal!
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