Monday 15 May 2017

Petts Wood Runners Members 10k!

Hello Blog Readers

Today was our clubs members 10k!  And what a day to do it on, glorious sun shine.  Phew what a scorcher!  It didn't start of that way.  When I work up in the morning it looked kind of grey and wet out side!  I just kept thinking "The bacon sarnies are going to be pretty soggy!"  But by the time I got myself together and out of the door it had started to brighten up!  I still brought along my newly purchased PWR hoody though!  Just in case it cooled down after I got back from the 10k!  I also had on my newly purchased PWR top!  I have lost my old one, do you think I can find where I last had it!?  I am quite pleased with this one though, it's longer!  I am hoping that it wont ride up my 'food baby belly' quite as much as the old one used to!

I parked my car just down the road from the entrance to the rec and walked in with Joanne, (my newly added facebook friend) and we were amazed at the hive of activity that enfolded us as we walked over to the pavillion.  There, all flagged out, was the last lap of the 10k, going all the way around the rec.  A red flagged path for us to follow right to the finish funnel all ready to receive us runners. There was a brilliant music desk playing some great tunes and the best bit, the bbq was up and and working, fueling the workers that had been there since 'a ridculous o'clock' this morning.  And keeping warm for when we all return.  The hot water urn was busy boiling water, the cakes were all laid out on other tables and the registration desk was at the far end!  I forgot to take some pictures, I should have taken pictures! It is a such a well organised event, it needed me to take pictures, I'm telling you,  we do know how to have a great time!

So the rec and all its goodies, is the finish line.  It's good to turn up there, even if we have pre registered on line, just so that you can soak up the atmosphere, get a good look at the bacon and cakes, and get into the swing with the music!  Our start line is about a a five minute walk away in Tent Peg Lane.  I remembered to take some pictures of us walking to the start!
Thats me in the corner
The bottom left corner,
just a quick selfie!

Some of our runners as we
were walking





milling around
 We all mingled in the car park ready for the start time.  Now unlike most races we do not have the speedsters all lined up, with raised hands to their eyebals, looking at their wrists ready to start their Garmins. Oh no. The thing about our club is that we have all these differing running speeds!  Some do speed off, getting through a 10k in under 40 minutes, others  (read me) finish a 10k in 1:16 - 1:25, depending on terrain, weather, beer consumed the night before, etc.  But our 10k,  well I know I have completed it in under 1:17 before.  I was fitter, and lighter back then though !

So excuses laid out, (you all did see the excuses up there right!?)  lets talk about the race!  And it is a race, it's a race within our own running groups!  Because when we registered we had to say what group that we normally run in!  Well, group 0 no longer exists anymore as we turned it into group 1, so of course I had to put down my name in that one.  Now,  as you know I lead group 1, so I know we have some fast runners.   Some are coming back from injury, some are from the beginners that we just finished, and some just need a bit more practice to get their pace up and the distance necessary for group 2.  They run in my group because.....well because of those things that i just mentioned!  I knew there was no way I was going to keep up with some of them (if any as there were only two other group 1 runners here!) combine that fact with the fact that that we start off with group 2, well, I felt that  I just wouldn't be able to keep up with them so I just want to get around and look fairly decent at the end of it.

So, this is how we roll in Petts Wood Runners.  We have 11 groups in our club, all running from 12:30+ m/mi to 7:30+ m/mi. I run in group 1, the first group, the slowest group. Group 1 and 2 were the first to start, then 6 minutes later groups 3 and 4, and then 6 minutes later......etc etc!  So by the time group 11 left it was about 26 minutes after we left!  It means that we all kind of finish within just a few minutes of each other, more of less!  That way we can all enjoy the social at the end.  Milling about enjoying those bacon rolls and cakes and tea!

Now I got that out of the way, it really is down to the race now.  So groups 1 and 2 start off, we get the biggest loudest cheer of course, because.....well, I am sure you know why, with all 9 other groups waiting to start we had the biggest crowd.  We waved and ran past our fellow members, so thats all the runners, and all the marshals and photographers, it's a club event!  At the end of Tent peg lane is the first of the marshals, Della and her crew, "Keep going, you're nearly there" yells out Della. Yup, that is exactly what I needed to hear after running all of 15 seconds!  We turned right to run along to Southborough Lane where another lovely PWR marshal and little un was waiting to direct us down towards the Harvester.  It's just as well it's down hill, and I am so glad we are doing this route this way around.  Can you imagine having to run UP Southborough Lane, Twice!

My group and group 2 started to pull away from me, virtually straight away.  I was looking at nothing but bums and heels virtually as soon as we left Tent Peg lane!  But the thing about our members 10k is that sooner or later, maybe on the second lap I will be lapped.  I will have people running next to me if only for just a few seconds.  People will recognise my fat ass waddling along the street and I guarantee that they will say something encouraging, not only to me, but to all they pass by!  It's the kind of club that we are!  This staggered start is just so amazing.  I, little old me, will get to run with the big boys and girls in all groups, at some point, on this run!

I passed Chris Summer in his position on the corner of Southborough and Blackbrook lane, and I turned down to run down Blackbrook.  It wasn't until the second lap that I realised that I maybe I should have ran along the out side of the flower bed, an extra 2 feet! But of course, on that first lap I was running by myself, the others had long gone in front of me, the others groups would soon be catching me up!  Probably just down here in Blackbrook.

The next marshals were just at the corner of Blackbrook and Thornet Wood road, Andy and.....blimey I have forgotten her name! I think the marshals should wear name tags too!  They do a wonderful job, not just for pointing the way, or stopping us from going the wrong way, but also for the fantastic support they give!  Big huge cheers from them!  You just can't help but smile, even if you feel like you are dying on your feet!  That cheering coming from the sidelines is infectious and it makes you feel good!

Emma, I think was the next marshal "keep going Old Girl" they call out to me, and so I do!  By now I am being overtaken from the faster groups, which means of course, I am running with them, even just for a few short minutes!  From each group there are loads of them that say "Keep going Old girl" "Well done"  it's amazing.  Into Jubilee Park now and just up ahead there is Cliff with his crabs.....no his carbs!  Sorry I was reading his sign, here look!


Also at this point is our resident photographer and our very own basketball dribbling marathon runner, #Kevtwoballs with his camera.  I think this one was of me going for the jelly babies (Cliffs carbs!)
Look at that determined look
Hope these black jelly babies left


Helena was at the gate of the path that leads back into Tent Peg Lane.  This was also our water stop!  I grabbed a bottle, well, actually I slowed down and gently took one from the welcoming hand of our our water station marshals.  I again walked a bit while I drunk most of the bottled water and then dropped the bottle into the bin just at the gate of the car park.  Then it was back out to Crest View with Della and her crew again yelling encouragement to me, "Just one more time Old Girl"  And so there it was.  I was on the next lap, already some of the groups had passed me by.  It confuses me just how many people should pass me by the time I finish at the rec, I feel it should be everyone! Surely, if 120 people registered to start, with maybe ten of us starting out first, 110 people should be passing me by at some point!  It didn't feel like it, it didn't feel as if all the other members that turned out today, had passed me by, could I really be not the last person to finish!?

I was really struggling by this time, the heat of the morning really started to get to me, I was sweating and almost panting like a pooch, as I was ran along.  Passing each of the marshals, I remember them again cheering enthusiastically,  did I remember to say thank you to them? I don't know!  I know I was supposed to have, I know I certainly should have, but in my befuddled hot sweaty mind, I wasn't sure!  Running along Thornet Wood lane, after what seemed like the 100th person saying "Go on Old Girl, you can do it" (which means that I probably am the last on the course!) a song came into my mind!  It was the most apt song ever and describes our club so well!  Here's the lyrics, I bet you know the tune! This kind of about sums it up in a nut shell, the friendship we have in our club.

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

All those nights when you've got no lights, the check is in the mail.
And your little angel hung the cat up by it's tail.

And your third fiance didn't show!

Sometimes you wanna go..

Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
The troubles are all the same.
You wanna be where everybody knows your name

You roll out of bed, mr. Coffee is dead, the morning's looking bright
And your shrink ran off to Europe, and didn't even write.

And your husband wants to be a girl!

Be glad there's one place in the world

Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came.
You wanna go where people know,
People are all the same.
You wanna go where everybody knows your name.

[Repeat]
Where everybody knows your name.
And they're always glad you came

Ok, so maybe there are not husbands wanting to be wives, not that I know of anyway.  But this club here, we can come along and just run, or we can come along and share our problems and chat, and laugh and cry with each other! I was singing this song in my head and feeling like I was in the best club in the entire world, even though I had ran 'alone' for most of it, I never felt alone. oh I wished I knew everybodys name!  I could call out to them too!  Of course I knew some of them, and I did call out to them.....when I had breath, other times I just called out "Well done!" ! All of these runners today, from group 1 to group 11 encouraged every runner they ran with or passed by!  How blimming cool is that! Just as I was running up towards Emma for the second time, Stephen Pond, of the Great Pond Family of speedsters, came to my side. "Come on Old Girl, you can do this.  I shall run with you"  he said to me.  Now let me explain who Stephen is and why I suddenly thought "What the f.....udging eck"  Stephen is in group 11 he sometimes takes lead of group 11.  You remember I said that we have 11 groups, mine, group 1 being the slowest!  But he said that he would run with me, I was all by myself running and he wanted to keep me company!  Run back in with me!  Stephen can run parkrun in.....what, sub 20, minutes, his son, Matt is pretty darn quick too, he does parkrun in 19 minutes.....while he is taking it easy! Yet here we are, group 1 and group 11 running together! 1 11, running side by side!
This is Stephen and me,
and Cliff with the jelly babies


From that moment Stephen kept me going, when I wanted to stop and walk I kept going for just that little bit longer than I would have if I was by myself, because I was with a group 11 runner!  Getting to the jelly babies was good, but also Kev was there with his camera,  Stephen grabbed my hand and we held them aloft complete with jelly babies as Kev snapped a couple of pictures!  Here, this is us!



Running through Tent Peg lane again I didn't grab a water this time, I was needing the loo!  Della was still there, and still just as enthusiastic and cheering just as the other two times!  There is one thing that us PWR's can do and that's cheer.  Our marshaling skills always get a mention in the runners world reviews of our 10k!  This time though Della directed us left, we were going to run through the old Newshopper car park and over the 'troll bridge'  "Lets see if we can pass by OITW" said Stephen!  To be honest, I was totally knackered,  the thought of a bacon roll and cakes at the rec was the only thing in my mind!  We met up with Stephens family along the next road, his young daughter became our 'papparatzi' as she ran and snapped loads of pictures of us running the rest of the way to the rec.  We had to do the little loop around Little Thrift, the bit that I usually send the faster runners in group 1, while I stand and wait for the back runners to catch up on a Tuesday night!  But this morning  I had to run around it, the coloured cones on the little round about made me smile, I have no idea why, but they did, probably I was delirious by that point!

Back out from the little cul de sac and we continued our way to the rec.  Stephen never left my side, chatting to me, helping to stop me thinking about what my legs were feeling like!  With our paparazzi following us into the rec and even on the way round the green I started to feel so relieved! "I've nearly finished" I thought. Oh my goodness, the green, the green, what is happening to the green!  You know when you are watching the horror movies when the 'scared out of their life' victim looks down a long corridor of which they have to run to get away from the monster behind,  the corridor grows longer and longer?!    Well that is exactly how that green looked, only it didn't get longer, it got fatter and fatter!  And because we were going around in a clockwise direction, we were actually going up hill (ever so slightly I know) but the hill seemed to swell as well.  The green looked like it was a great bit green ball being blown up, getting fatter and hillier! I am sorry to say that I stopped running just at the top, I apologised to Stephen, and said he could go on, but he stuck by me, "Nope, I shall stay with you, just this last push" he said to me.  We had to run around the grassy bit to the side of the pavilion, something I didn't notice in my haste to finish, I tried to take the short cut! "No short cuts Old Girl" said Stephen
Group 1 and Group 11
First and last!

But then, as I was running along to the finish funnel Stephen said, "Sprint finish?"  I didn't know if he was jocking or if he was trying to get me to do it, "Seriously, does he really think I could sprint finish?"  I didn't even know if I had it in my legs, but with just a few feet left to go I tried it!  I  put a bit of a spurt on and started to run faster, and then just a bit faster still until I sprinted  towards the finish funnel.  I done it, I done it! Slower than I have done before! Not looking very decent but I finished, with Stephen just behind me and he said "Where did that come from?" Well, he said sprint finish, didnt he!

It was blimmin hot! So hot, I made my way over to the water table and handed in my raffle ticket to the registration team (the ticket is our way of timing ourselves.)  I think I was the last one in, or at least, me and Stephen were the last in, we had to wait for the sweepers who were still out on the course.  I took a bottle of water and then I queued up for my bacon sarnie!  Oh my goodness!  It was then that I realised that maybe I should have sat down first, just to recover just a bit, just to catch my breath, because while I was in the queue I suddely felt very faint!  Even bending over, you know like what proper runners do, didn't help!  I had to leave my place in the bacon sarnie queue and look for the nearest bench to crash out on!  Karen abandoned her place in the queue for her veggie sausage roll, and guided me to the bench!  I made it without embarrasing myself, and just sat for a good 10 to 15 minutes to recover.  Stephen came over to me with a much needed bacon sandwich, another bottle of water was thrust into my hands and I felt right as rain afterwoods! There is no medal for our members 10k, well, actually, that's not entirely true!  Some of our PWR's in waiting (the kids of our runners) made a certain number of 'Medals' and gave them out to who ever they wanted.  And look, I got this one!  Just as proud of this as all the other medals I have!



What a club, what a run, what a lovely bacon sarnie!  Here is some more pictures



You need a racing event
Then call P.W.R. 

Look theres, DiscoRich!



plus a video

https://youtu.be/kLR5Ncye26Y

And geeky stats



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