Tuesday 17 October 2017

Club Run - Enter The Newbies!

Hello blog readers.

This evening was one of those evenings when I just felt like I wanted to sit on my recliner, with my blanket over me watching crap t.v.  But I didn't, thank goodness I am a leader!  If I wasn't then I think I would most certainly have cried off running this evening.   

So to shake out any residual 'I don't want to be here's' my route included Tillingbourne Green!  It's a fabulous hill (did I just really say that.....write that?) It's a hill that when you have completed the little circuit you think to your self, "Yes I did it!"  This evening however was a little different!  When I arrived at the rec, and all the leaders had given out their route, pace and distance I went over to our pole to await all those running in group 1 this evening.  I was amazed to find not 1, not 2 but 4 newbies which included 2 returnees!  Kate, Hannah, Jasmine and Tendi (I think it's spelt like that) as well as our regular lovely ladies, Tracy, Auriol, Selena and Clair, so that's a lovely 9 of us running this evening.

I wasn't detered though, I still want to do the tough little route of Tillingbourne, well, it's only a couple more days before my daughters wedding.  I am trying to balance my weight, I don't want to lose anymore weight at the moment, because I don't want the dress that I bought to hang off me, but then I don't want to put it all back on either!  It's tough this 'maintaining' lark! 

There were quite a few runners this evening spread over all our 12 groups!  Our club gets bigger and bigger every year, we are such a popular club!  Even our own PWR 10k event is normally sold out weeks before the date, it's a 'most do' on runners lists of 10k's.  I wanted to get started pretty quick, so after having a count up, a quick welcome to the new comers (trying desperately to remember who's who) we were off!  Out of the gate, chasing one of the faster groups, I had to call a couple of my group back, just in case the got caught up in the faster group!  We crossed over the road and then group 2 passed us by, they were going to be running up Birchwood too!  Again I had to just gather my group in together, just like a mother hen, so as not to lose anyone!

We ran up Birchwood and then took a little break while we caught our breath and then continued on our way, turning right at the top.  I was hoping that the hills will not frighten off our newcomers, I feel sure that if they do this and look happy about it then they will deffo be back next week.  There really is no escaping hills in Petts Wood, so a baptism of fire will deffo be a good thing!

We crossed over the main road and then headed for Tillingbourne, it's down hill mainly, until we get to the green.  I pointed at the 'little' hill that we had to run up, some of them said "What we running up there?"  I didn't want to say to them that it was the smaller of the hills on the Green!  Why let them worry about it until it was necessary! Not that they would worry anyway!

The run around the green was good, the main body of the group all kept tight together, then I sent up the faster group 1's to run at their own pace.  Some people like to just run as fast as they could up hills, just to get it done, others like to take it nice and easy a steady pace all the way up, which is a very good way to get up hills.  I know some panic and start walking, I know that, because I used to do it myself, in fact I still do when I see a particularly nasty little hill!  The ones in the woods always get me puffing hard and getting me to walk some them!   But this little run around the green, up the longer hill I did it!

We had to run up one more hill to get to Petts Wood Road, and then we could enjoy the down hill all the way to Crossways!  All the ladies thought that was the end of our run, that we would run along to the rec from here.  But of course I do like to make sure that we have done a 3 mile route, and going along Crossways from here would leave us short!  There was only one way to go and that was up the last hill of the run.  I ran at the back with Tracy and I sent the faster runners up at their own pace along with Auriol, she had done a brilliant job of sweeping and now it was time to just let her have a little stretch of the legs and get a bit of speed going!

We ran up to the memorial hall, passing the fish and chip shop which smelled so good! Then we turned right and then right again so that we were running down Kingsway to Crossways!  Now our run was over as we made our way back to the rec to do some cool down stretches!  A fabulous run with some fabulous ladies, all still had a smile on their faces, so I feel sure they will be back next week to continue with their running!

Geeky stats.

No comments:

Post a Comment