Hunting Gear For Missing Mojo

Hello readers.

Me and Naggy!

I know it's Saturday, or I should say, parkrun day! But I really wasn't feeling 'it' to go and join in every one else this time around.  But I did go out running, hence I am here blogging!  For Christmas presents this year I have been blessed with some very lovely running gear from my lovely husband and my lovely friends!  My prezzies are just literally nagging me to get out there and run!  The Old Boy got me these fantastic earphones that connect to my phone, and.....then nag me, or they will nag me once I have them all set up.  I need to do this VO2Max thing just to see how fit I am!  Well, before I even start the test I know exactly what it's going to say......'how the heck are you still getting out of bed let alone trying to run!'

So no parkrun, and NaggyNeighbour wasn't going to do parkrun today either, so we decided that we would go together....or at least I think Naggy nagged me on Boxing Day that we will be running together today somewhere!  I must admit, I was relieved somewhat, not doing parkrun this morning.  For a start, I got a bit more of a lay in!  I do like my bed!  Also there was less pressure to run 'my best' or 'look as if I am enjoying it'!  You know, I do really love running, but somehow its kind of got buried under all sorts of stuff, food, beer, lazyitus, tv, carnt-be-arsed-itus, you name it and it's all piled on top of Mojo. I need to get rid of all that stuff and look to see if I can get Mojo back for it myself!  As I have said to the beginners in the past, "It's all up to yourselves to actually do the training, do the running, get out there and just do it, all we can do is tell you how, support you and encourage you" Sounds so simple doesn't it.  For some people it is, for others its blimmin hard!  I am in the blimmin hard band!  Just like some people can pick up foreign languages really quickly, or pick up an instrument and just play it, it just comes so easy to them.  For me, its blimmin hard!

So I have all this gear here, new running leggings! Now they are something to behold!  People will notice me in these!  Because of that I better be blimmin running!  I have this buff, it says it all really! I have new shoes, a new running journal with running pen and also I have these fantastic ear things which nag me when no one is around!

So let me tell you about the run.  We turned up at Norman Park and it was fairly empty of runners by the time we got there, no left over parkrunners to be seen.  We parked up the car and I had my ear thingys all ready to test my VO2 shit, see how fit or unfit I really am!  We were planning on 3 laps, well I was planning on 3 Naggy will get in so much more while I  am still out there doing my 3.  What I didn't want to happen was for her to lap me!  She has done that before when I had planned on doing laps around the park!

For some reason I thought this app thing (which I had to download for my new earphones)  would just measure my VO2 as I ran along and then just let me know at some point in the 15 minutes it said it would take what level I am at!  So there I am running, Naggy was just in front of me pulling away with each step and then the thing in my ear starts telling to ran faster, reach my max!  What the.....f...!  This ear piece has only got to be good right?!  I mean it's motivation in an earpiece!  It's all mine as well!  I just continued to listen to the music in my ears, I had turned on my spotify, and just tried to run as best as I could!  The thing is, the last time I had run was the Woo Woo run on the 18th Dec, so 11 days ago.  And there has been a lot of snacking, smoking, eating and drinking going on since then! 

I completed my first lap, feeling slightly smug, because I was thinking I was all that, and then the next lap happened!  I was flagging a bit to say the least, but I tried my best to run as fast as I can the thing in my ear seemed to have stop nagging me to run faster.  By the time I got to the top of the park again, along the short straight the ear things kicked in saying that I had reached my max thingy, or  whatever it was I had to reach. Well that surprised me! Of course I thought that was it then the test completed, so I just ran along as best as I could, trying look like a professional in my running gear!

I completed the second lap not feeling quite so smug as before.  I took a look at my Garmin, I wanted to see how fast I was running.  I was still running pretty fast considering I was knackered.  But there was those walking bits too.  By the time I got to the top of the park, by the play area, I looked behind for Naggy,   I couldn't see her anywhere, she is so going to lap me, I can feel it!  My chest is nearly tearing itself apart!  'Serves my self right!' I thought to myself, nothing good can come from all the bad shit I've been doing that's for sure!  Roll on the New Year! I am deffo not quoting that New year, new me shit, because it will be the same old me come the 1st of January as it was on the 31st December!  But I am hoping to have a new attitude! I just going to have a lot of work to do to get to a new me, sometime next December!   Fingers crossed eh!

The last lap and boy was I looking forward to this finishing, I was feeling tired and my chest was hurting, not surprising really, but only one lap to do!  I pushed as hard as I could, when I got to the top of the park along the short straight the ear things kicked in again saying that the test was over! Flipping eck,  I had forgotten that I was doing that!  Well, actually I thought that once I had reached max then it was all over anyway!  But no, I had to run for 15 minutes after I had reached max!  And then it told me  'Your fitness level is below average!'  Well, that's a surprise.....not!  My fitness level has been dropping for some time to be honest!  But I really want to get back to how I was before!  I need to!  I can't afford to replace my wardrobe!!

Well, I think that just about covers it!  Until next run!

My Buff, by the way!  What you think!? 

Woo Woo Run 2018!

Hello blog readers.

What an evening!  It is not pleasant out there.  If I wasn't leading, if this was not the last club run and if I was doing parkrun on Saturday morning, then I might just have stayed in doors!  Most of my pals were, J.J. Auriol, CarolWithAnE, RefMichael, NaggyNeighbour!  Most of them have or are getting over a cold!  The thought of going out on a chilly wet December Woo Woo run.  I wasn't quite sure if I was going to have anyone joining me in the Woo Woo run this year!  But GetYourLegsTracy came around a picked me up!  Well, I wasn't going to be driving my car this evening.

The now, infamous Woo Woo run takes in as many Christmas lights as possible in a three mile course, and hopefully while we run and looking at the lights we 'Woo Woo' each and every house!  Some of the houses only got a 'Woo' while just a few others got a 'hmm ok?'  Sounds fun, right.  But, in that heady mix of friends, running, woo wooing and pretty lights, throw in a few hip flasks of.....some medicinal warming drinks and you have a great fun night! 

I think the best flavour of drink has to go to K, she brought along a Cherry Bakewell Flavour Vodka!  Interesting I thought!  I had honey flavoured Jack Daniels, and there was some Woods too, a dark rum I believe.  Someone else had some Gin, not sure if that had a flavour, I am not a gin drinker!  But we all did have a share of each others drink!  I even brought along some tiny little shot type plastic glasses just in case others didn't bring along something and wanted to indulge!  We may have to try and make a competition of who has the most interesting flavour drink! Hmm, it's an idea!

Ok, so I am waffling on and not talking about my running!  Well, it really does show that I have not been doing as much running as I should have!  I struggled around this evenings 3.47 miles of running!  Of course it took longer than usual because of the um...festive stops!  But my legs also really didn't want to be out running!  I am not resigned to the fact that come January I am going to have a huge job on my hands getting this fat ass body back to some sort of......shape......not round!

So the best bits of this run.......of course is running with my pals, GetYourLegsUpTracy, Lou, K, Kathy, MichaelL and it was good to run with IllustriousLeader again!  It's been a while!  Plus 2 other ladies whose names I have still yet to remember!  Useless with names! The best bits of this run..... has to be getting out there doing it. It's one in the eye for Running Mojo which is hiding at the moment!   The best bits of this run.........it was fun in spite of the rain that came down!  The best bits of this run......I did it,!  I know....Its the same as the first point!  But yes, I did it, I did it with my pals encouraging me to keep going!  "Just to the corner Old girl" "Come on just a bit further!"  Yup  I did it, with a little help from my friends!

Now I should take all that, remember it, turn it over in my head, cogitate on it, then bring it all together come the New Year!

So, unless I actually do something on Saturday morning at my Spa weekend with my daughter and nieces, then the next time I write anything will be in 2019!  So very happy Christmas readers, and have a happy New Year.  May 2019 bring you all that you hope for, God bless you all!

Here are some photos from our run taken by Lou including the one at the top.  Brilliant pictures!

This is more of less about 3 or 4 minutes
into our run

These lights are brilliant.  I am sure the neighbours
try to outdo each other every year!

Here is all of us, well apart from the one taking the picture!

Is that an Elf running!  Hang on, its me!

Club Run!

Hello blog readers.

The penultimate run before Christmas, my goodness, how quickly Christmas is approaching!  I was leading today, to be honest I really needed to lead, just to get my lazy ever expanding backside out of the door!  I know I am leading next week too, so today is a bonus for me!

My Whatsapp group with all my buddies was going crazy with people saying they are not going due to illness and other stuff happening, so really I was so pleased I was leading!  I had a route planned, not the Woo Woo route, that one is for next week!  This week I was taking them up pass the lovely chandelier, I was hoping they had their lights on! The chandelier looks so lovely when the light is shining through it!

We ran up Birchwood, always a favourite hill!  I really do try to make friends with hills!  One day we will be best buddies! One day!  I had about 9 people in my group, what am I saying, there was 9 of us running today, I always take a count up before we run out and when we get back (just to check I don't lose anyone!) So 9 of us running up the hill, we were a little spread out but we were running up hill.  Once that was done the other couple of hills won't even be noticed!  Can you see that I still try and kid myself! 

Anyway, the people with the lovely chandelier didn't have their light on but they did have some amazing christmas lights outside their house, so we stood for a second or two to admire them.  Then we continued you on the run down, knowing that we have to run back up again!  Oh I can't wait for my running mojo to be back on board, with me entering every blimmin race going!  I will get there though, I just hope it gets there soon!

I asked everyone if they wanted to do a hill rep or two when we turned the corner on to Kevington Road.  I asked rather than said as I wasn't really into myself, but when a couple of them said yes, why not I just had to give it a go.  So we all ran up the short sharp hill to the lamppost and then back down again to the round about and then back up to the lamppost!  Just those two times and then we continued our run.  I was well impressed with my group for doing that, they made me do a hill rep, something I wasn't really going to do!

I kept my group as close together as I could, when I looked at my Garmin to check on the pacing I realised that I hadn't even turned the blimmin thing on!  Oh well!  But the route we did was a usual route, same same, I can find the geeky stats from there and then just use that map to display here.  but that wouldn't be fun would it!  Why not go and check out my blogs and see if you can guess which route I did.!

So about 4 and bit miles......ish.....at around ......00000 minute miling!  But one thing, it really was a very pleasant run indeed.

Secret London 'PWR' Run!

Hello blog readers

I am just a bit late in writing up my report about this fantastic run I did with my running buddies.  It was last Wednesday evening, 5th December,  with a great guide from this.....eh....running tour guides, called, believe it or not Secret London Runs!  I guess if I have put it out here they won't be so secret!  Still, what a great evening it was!

Our social SecretaryJoanne booked these guys months ago.  Joanne and some others from our club had such a great time last year they decided to let the rest of the club know about it!  So much for the secrecy from them too!  Once heard about it I just had to put my name down and so did my best buddies.  There were about 80 PWR's led by four fabulous guides.  Our guide was named Vikki.

We started to make our plans on getting up to London just a few days ago, some of them were travelling from Orpington, a few of us were travelling from Petts Wood. Some were travelling from other train stations and yet more, (which really amused me when I thought about them) were travelling from work.  And why would that amuse me?  Well usually when PWR's do something interesting and fun like this, we like to dress up a bit.  Just a bit, just to stand out in a crowd!  The air waves and internet over Petts Wood were kept busy for a few weeks as Christmas run leggings were on order, fancy dress costumes and tutu's!  Not to mention a huge Santas sack with untold sweeties in there! Oh and Elves, there were elves!

I had to walk from the place where I work in my tutu, well actually I had two tutut's on, just to be different, well actually, it was a petticoat and a tutu, here take a look. 

 Don't I just look as cute as a princess!  I should have worn a Tiara!  A Santas hat had to do though.   And just as well I had it on though as it started raining, it had been raining for most of the day! But I got a new nickname, 'Donna TwoTuTu's'.
 
I was alone as I walked/ran to the station and when I arrived there, earlier than I anticipated, due to the run/walk because of the rain!  So there I was looking like this, very colourful, Santa hat wearing princess! Alone!  By myself! Even "Gorgeous!" I got from one lady as I walked past her on the road didn't help me from feeling very self conscious.  But I had to sit and share the waiting room at the station, me, in my two tutu's and wait!

In the waiting room

I was so pleased when the first of my friends found me as I moved on tothe platform to see if anyone was getting off the train that had just pulled in, instead it was Naggyneighbour , she had just parked her car and had joined me on the platform!  She had her lovely christmassy leggings on and yet she refused one of my tutu's!  Then Wendimoo arrived, and Karen, then everyone else.  TracyGetYourLegsUp, CarolWithAnE, SnapperHannah, Auriol and loads of others!  So many of us!  Everyone had on something very christmassy, well apart from Auriol and Nigel, they only managed to get places at the 11th hour! So no time to things organised!

On the Yule Train

We met up with all the other PWR's at London Bridge, J.J. also met us there.  It was her that had to come from her place of work dressed in her lovely new leggings!  I think she was very pleased to see us all so she didn't quite look out of place,  this is a picture of most of quite a few of us!


Once we had met up with everybody we walked the short way to the Needle, just on the corner of Tooley Street.  We were all given Santa hats, so we all looked the same, sort of, and we also had bells!  It was a jingle bell, Christmas lights run!  Fan-blimmin-tastic!  A couple of pictures here and then we were off for our run. 

This is most of Group 2

It was about 8k in all, through some great London landmarks plus.....plus some fantastic bits of London history thrown in by our guide!  Did you know that the river Thames froze over and then they had like a Christmas market on the river!  Also did you know that had some point, those that were in charge didn't want Christmas at all, and ordered all shop keepers to stay open on Christmas day, not a hint of a Turkey festive meal was to be cooking!  I know, talk about bah humbugs!  Which, incidentally,.......I think, is where Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol. was probably was inspired!

It's been a good few days now since this run, I am not going to be able to recount all the wonderful stories and information that the wonderful Vikki was telling us, but I will try and remember some of them!  Anyway, if you really want to know more you can always go and book these guys for a secret run for yourselves!  I do remember talking about St Nicholas and how he help some poor chap to get rid of his daughters.....when I say get rid of, I mean in the nicest possible way, St Nick threw some money down the chimney of this poor chap with three daughters he wanted to get married off!  The poor man couldn't afford it, so this lovely bloke called Nick wanted to help, anonymously!

When we got to one of the theatres that we passed we learned of some chap that gave gin and cake to the actors, plus a few more interesting facts about a London Christmas!  All of that while running through the streets of London!  We ran through Southwark, across Southwark bridge, St Pauls Cathedral and down Fleet Street!  That brought back memories for me!  The first time I was in Fleet Street I was signed up to an agency, it was called The Three Tees Agency.  They helped me get my first job as a Telex Operator!  Kids now days wouldn't even know what a telex machine is!  OOO, I sound so old!

Down the Strand we ran, J.J. reminded us of the 10k we all did together back in 2016, I think it was.  That was the last time I did that run anyway.  The others had done it a couple of times after that. Covent Garden was next, we had seen some great lights already, but these were really good, there was also a huge Christmas Tree.  Did you know that the tree in Covent Garden was the biggest potted tree in Europe!  I think I have remembered that particular fact right!

People in London were amused to see us lot.  Oh, I forgot to mention, although there were about 80 of us, we didn't all run together!  There were about 4 groups, of course I was in the slower group.  We still kept bumping into the other groups though!  So as I was saying, the tourists and maybe even the locals were amused to see us and some even want their pictures done with us!  Fame!  We had run to Summerset House, as well!  I had forgotten that bit!  The ice skaters looked lovely!  Some of our PWR's were very creative in getting their pictures taken!  You should take a look at these.  The lights of London as just so beautiful too. Link to more photos.

Carnaby street was brilliant too, they had a theme with their lights, Bohemian Rhapsody!  They have some of the lyrics up in lights!  Of course when we saw them we burst into song! Mind you, we were singing all the way round!  Vikkie had brought along a little speaker and had her Christmas play list coming through it!

Oxford Street was our final destination, with the lights of Bond street and Regents Street to bring a tear to our eyes!  Or it could quite easily have been the gentle rain that had started by then.  The Regents Street lights were inspired the very first set of Christmas lights to go up back in.....well, the very first time lights were used.  And they are called 'The Spirit Of Christmas'.  Oh my goodness, they really are very beautiful!  What is it about Christmas lights that just brings a smile to your face and just takes you right back to when you were a child!?

Spirit Of Christmas

We said goodbye to Vikki here, and us in group 2, there was about 13 of us in our group!  We had plans to meet every one else in a pub near Victoria Station.  Yes, of course it ended in a pub, where else would we end up!  But all of us, all the other running groups would end up in the pub!  Oh here's some of the elves that came along too!

Wow, what a brilliant run it was!  In spite of the rain and the weird looks we all got on the way to meet the rest of the elves on the Yule Jog, we had a brilliant time!

Here's my geeky stats, you can check out if I have my geography in the right order!  I just like to write things down as I remember them, with maybe a quick glance at the map!  I tell you what, as my memory is blimmin useless, why not sign up to a run with SLR, they don't just run through Christmas apparently there is a Gin run and other types of runs!  I may just have to look into doing another with them.  They really are a fab organisation!


photos are from quite a few of running buddies, they not all mine

Club Run

Hello Blog readers.

Second running session in a row! Well, actually it was half a run! But I still went out with my running buddies and had good intentions to do the whole of the run honest! But as things work out I was needed to do just half a run!  It's just as well I went out running yesterday and will be running tomorrow.....and on Thursday too!

So Naggy came to get me at mine, shes literally just over the green so not too far to come, then climbed in her car to go and get GetYourLegsUpTracy.  We were just a couple of minutes later than usual. GetYourLegsUpTracy was waiting outside for us and we drove to the rec.  I knocked on the door for J.J. then we all walked around to the rec.  I do like this bit, it's like we are kids again and we are all knocking for one another to come out and play, just like we used to do as kids. I am so looking forward to tomorrow!  We are all going to be dressed up in Christmassy stuff!  Don't worry, there will be photographic evidence of that run!

Anyway, back today, all four of us walked to the rec from J.J.'s house, they were already into the leaders routes!  We had a couple of new leaders who were doing their Debut leading, one of them, Michelle, I can remember like yesterday, her very first run with Petts Wood Runners!  She and her friend just turned up and ran with Group 1.  It was a particularly hard out and back route that day, all the way down Southborough Lane and back.  I am glad it didn't put her off!  So, the leaders had just given out their routes and we all went to find our leader with their paddles.  I decided to sweep for group 1 this evening, as I am running tomorrow......did I say I ran yesterday too! 

CarolWithAnE was leading group 1 today, and she had a big group, 13 of us!  She was doing one of my favourite routes.  It's one that I use for move up Tuesdays, as it nice and flatish, so we can push ourselves just a little bit extra....if there are no new comers in the group!  But as I have said, I only did about half this route today, two of our runners had pull out, one had fallen over hurt his ankle and the other runner was just wanting to do just a bit less.  I think she would have completed the whole of the run if this other runner hadn't pulled out, you can be surprised at what you can do. I said I would walk with them as they wasn't quite sure of exactly where they were!  Well, it's best to save my legs, I have no idea how fast we will be running tomorrow, I just hope it's not as fast as group 3!  Especially as we have at least 8k to run.....I think!

Well, that about covers my run/walk today, I am still pretty glad I went out, I need to get out!  My Mojo is somewhere out there!  The bit that I did today was brill though,  CarolWithAnE doing a great job of keeping the rabble together!

Geeky stats

....Um...Hello!?

Hello blog readers

I can't believe it's been nearly a week since I've put on lycra! What a lazy mare!  It's true. I ran on the 24th of November, parkrun, but I was just so disappointed with myself, I really wasn't 'feeling it' on the day!  But from that point onwards it seemed my mojo was staying hidden under blankets, duvets and food and drink!  Seriously!  I didn't even go to club run!  I did try getting my fat ass out, even to say that I would sweep for Auriol.  But the promise of heavy rain kept me under my blanket......well actually it was a slanket, and it belonged to Naggyneighbour!  We had tea and chat at her house instead!  But a couple of our whatsapp group gang did go out that day, Auriol of course, she was leading and CarolWithAnE, apparently it stopped raining too!  Oh my goodness they were very smug like afterwards.....and to be honest....they deserved to be. 

Thursday didn't happen, we had a surprise 60th birthday for Tracy instead!  So much worth it though, the look on her face was brilliant!  And then Saturday arrived again, my ass stayed firmly huggled in my bed!  I did not move!  But SnapperHannah went! I can't remember if anyone else went that day!  I wouldn't trust my memory of late, I see people at running that didn't actually go! I know, senior moments happening!!

Anyway, that explains lack of blogs! No running, no blogging!  But this evening Naggy sent me a text to say that she fancied running, did I want to go? I said "I may"  Just that, nothing else, not a definite yes, or no! The next text from her was "Ok good, I'm already changed see you soon!"  I was still at work!  Sometimes I come home on a non running day, such as Mondays and Wednesdays and there is dinner cooking or I just happened to sit down and then not want to move from my cosy chair!  But today I said "I may." As you can guess, I went!  There was no getting away from it either! 

I got changed straight away and went over to Naggy's house.  "Just a nice easy one then" I said, "Of course, just 3 miles" she replied!  So that was it, we were off,

"Nice and easy, not too fast" I said
"Yes, it's just to get out, that's all" said Naggy
"We got that run to do on Wednesday evening" I reminded her
"I know" she said
"..and we have club run tomorrow" I said, "That will be three days in a row of running!" Could I redeem myself, I wondered.
"Well, it will be four times in a row" Naggy reminded me, "There's track on Thursday!

Oh blimey!  What have I done!  I can't remember the last time I ran four times in a row!  I know it was when my Mojo was well and truly in charge of my running!  Naggy had planned a nice little route around our way, down the path to Turnaround Lamppost and then beyond!  We ran to the A21 and turned right!  Thank goodness, turning left would have been a much long run home!  Running with Naggy was just like the old days.....well, just like it used to be when I was training for the marathon and doing so much more running.  She encouraged all the way round.  She also gave me rules!  No stopping for a mile, then a 30 second rest and then run for a mile, a 30 second rest then all the way home!  I really didn't think I could do it!  But I was determined to try!  There is no try with Naggy, not unless it's spelt 'Tri' She does believe in 'Do it, just do it'.  I ran for the first mile, and so looked forward to my 30 second walk, and then the second mile began.  It seemed that 30 second walk went by in a split second, let alone 30 seconds!

I ran a bit slower on the second mile, I wish I could show you on my geeky stats, but just as I was writing this blog I went to go and upload my run to my Garmin account and my watch is showing no activities shown!  Blimmin gutted!  I know I did it, and I saved it.  But also I remember my watch doing this funny buzzing and I pushed a couple of buttons without really looking at it, and I think I may have deleted all activities from my watch!  It's just as well Naggy has her geeky stats to show off with!  I wanted to see what my splits were with each mile,  oh well!  I think my watch probably needed to be 'cleaned out'  I haven't done it since I've had it! 

But before all of that happened, I noticed that when we got back to Naggys house my watch was saying 2.93 miles, well, you know me, that was never going to be left like that!  I had to make sure it said 3.00 miles!  But of course, that was the last I saw of these geeky stats!  But I must say, I do feel just a tad smug.....no, actually I feel bloody knackered!  Three more runs this week, then maybe a angelic look can be found on my face!  Just like the one at the top of this blog!  You got to love a snapchat filter! 

I picture of geeky stats will appear here tomorrow when I asked Naggy for them!

Track Thursday!

Hello blog readers

I think I deffo need to get my arse into gear, it seems senior moments can happen at anytime!  For instance, my last blog, all about Tuesdays club run, I mentioned that K was running with us and sweeping with GetYourLegsUpTracy! K wasn't there!  This is why I do try to write up my blogs on the day that I do the run.....otherwise anything could be written up!  I am so glad that I had photographs of me doing the London Marathon twice, otherwise I may question myself about that too!

Anyway, it was a struggle to get out there today!  J.J. wasn't going, SnapperHannah wasn't going, and the Old Boy had a delicious smelling beef casserole and dumplings cooking in the oven!  So many things to keep me all nice and cosy indoors.  I text NaggyNeighbour to see if she was really wanting to go only to be told that she had her running gear on and raring to go!  So there you have it!  It was kismit that I had to go and do track.  I know when I have done, when I have done the track, disciplined myself to do as well as I can, listened to all PhysioMikeTheMod has to say, been put through my paces by Jane.......then I will be pleased that I went!

It really does all feel so much better when it's all done, and you can feel very....... what's the word I am looking for.....? Is it pious?  Chatting in our Whatsapp group saying that I had done it always feels very good!  A comment is usually followed by a smug GIF!  But really,  I do need to work harder, my weight keeps creeping up by three pounds and then down by two and back up by three!  I am just pleased that at least I am still running!

We got to the track, it was misty, I mean, you couldn't see the PWR's at the back of the track!  The call of the pub was so very loud in my ear! Enjoy a pint or go running, enjoy a pint or go running!  I chose running!  It was only because I had to pull my run pants up again over my belly!  We were a little bit late, and the faster runners were already on their warm up tempo run and Jane had the slower runners over near the cage thingy doing some drills!  Not our fault, traffic was awful!  Hones!  We joined in with the drills, skipping, side stepping and lunging! It was there that we noticed that it was quite slippy out there!  Icy or maybe just very cold and damp!  But it was deffo slippy!  It was going to be like that out on track!

After our warm up drills and a warm up lap, we were ready to do our session.  For me and the other slower runners it was run for a lap and half, brisk walk to the start then 3 laps, followed by a lap and half....I think that was how it was supposed to be!  Anyway, as I am the slowest runner on the planet, I Jane said I should just do two laps then rest for the 90 and then back to the lap and half!  I got completely confused as to what I was supposed to be doing, and I think I ended up doing two 2 lap reps instead!  I still didn't cover two miles!  I should have pushed out harder!

I am hoping that if I keep on with doing my Thursday night rights, Saturday mornings, which are not back to parkrun, and my Tuesday club run, I should start to lose weight again,.....oh yes, and of course keep a close eye on my eating and drinking!  It's going to be pretty hard this side of Christmas, but I don't want to start thinking I shall begin after Christmas, I might just take 'Carte Blanche' and just go crazy until then!  I could end up even chunkier!

So another track session done!  Although I try to find tons of excuses of not doing it, I really do enjoy it.......when it's all done! One thing that did make me smile was seeing Mr.S back at Track!  Me and Naggy were only talking about him on the way to track today, we said that we were going to be nagging him to come to track after Christmas, get him back to running!  And knock me down with a feather, there he was, with one of his offspring, Jezzarette2.  It seems that she has inherited the 'huge challenge' gene, because she is getting herself fit to climb Kilimanjaro! Hmm.  And there's me still wanting to lose a few pounds and smash my parkrun pb sometime before I meet my maker!

And just so that I did not imagine myself being at the track, I pinched a photo from one of the guys of me doing the cool down stretches!  You can see me there, with the white cap on!

And here is my geeky stats


photo from Marcus

Club Run - That's Better!

Hello blog readers.

Indeed it was better! The weather was simply appalling, it had been raining all day yesterday! Oh, yes, I am writing this a day late! Sorry about that!  Anyway, the weather, it was chilly, wet, windy and oh so dark!  But I still had a better run than I did on Sunday at Brighton!  It's amazing what the right ingredients for a good run can do!

I had plenty to drink, that's tea, coffee and water by the way, and a nice carb based lunch and a nice breakfast in the morning!  Add all that together with a good nights sleep! Well, actually I went to bed quite late, but I had enough 'Z's' that I needed.  So you can see I was quite prepared for club run, not only that but it was the first club night after the beginners graduation.  I had no idea how many would be turning up.  There may have none from the graduates, or they may all have turned up!  So I really had to be there.  NaggyNeighbour came over and we walked to my car where Shalini met us!  Can you believe there are now three PWR's on my road!  Brilliant!

As it happened on Tuesday night, there were not many beginners there!  I expect the weather put them off.  Their first experience of running with PWR in the dark, on the pavements and in the rain was probably not the best thing that could have been happening at 8 o'clock that night!  But we did have a couple of them with us!  So after all the leaders gave out their route we all met up at a designated places and had a count up of how many was in Group 1.  We had 10 runners, that wasn't too bad for a night like we had!  Also there were a couple of new people, who hadn't come through via the beginners group they just found us else where!

I was leading and Tracy was sweeper for me!  Auriol was there too and she kept the middle section going.  I had a plan to do the easier route, not only because I thought we may have had beginners with us but also I just needed the confidence boost too!  So I nice easy run around m go to route!

We did pretty well, we were not too strung out, of course we had to have some catch up points and walking sections.  But I know that next week the faster ones will be going into group 2!  And hopefully by then some more of the beginners will be with us, not put off by inclement weather!  It really wasn't far, the beginners have such spirit!  I feel sure they will be at parkrun on Saturday and then club run on Tuesday!

As for me, I need to work on my running too! Stop slacking(?) and just get on with it, she says sitting in her nice warm house typing up a blog about yesterdays run!  Oh Mojo, where for art thou Mojo!  Thank goodness for PWR I say!

So geeky stats for Tuesdays run.

Brighton 10k 2018

Hello Blog readers

So yesterday I went running in Brighton!  I wasn't the only one from my running club to go running either.  In fact, Petts Wood Runners had the 2nd largest number of members running.  The Vegan runners had the most, but then they are based at Brighton and Hove!  There were 111 PWRs in two coaches that were headed south bound.  It was pretty early when we all met up, seven in the morning outside the Daylight in Petts Wood.  Thankfully GetYourLegsUpTracy and Ade came and picked me up, so I could at least have an extra half hours kip!

Back of the Coach!

Soon all the others began to fill the square, Joanne and Sonia were busy with the 'tick list' making sure that everyone was on the right coach.  I was booked on the party bus, it wasn't leaving Brighton until about 4 in the afternoon, plenty of time for celebrations after the run and fish and chip of course.  I sat up the back of the bus with G.Y.L.U.T. and Ade, RefMichael, CarolWithAnE and SnapperHannah.  All of  were doing the Brighton 10k for the first time, and SnapperHannah was doing her very first 10k!  It was all very exciting!

Me, Orla, Tracy Hannah and Carole
The boys were somewhere!

We got to Brighton just after 8 am.  Time for the loos and then back to the coach to ditch extra layers, or as some did, grab a bin liner to to keep warm at the start line.  Now, when to put in my excuses, well, I think now is a good a time as any!  November is a month with a lot happening in it, mainly my birthday, the PWR Winter party, and this time around, several other things.  My MiddleDaughter wanted to celebrate my birthday with theater tickets and a meal, but as my birthday is around the PWR Party time, she bought tickets for this Saturday gone.  That's right, the day before this run!  My MiddleDaughter knew all about my race the following day so she was very thoughtful and booked a matinee performance of Bat Out Of Hell!  A great show I must say, fantastic singers, and we bumped into one of them out side!

After the show we went for dinner, a nice beefburger with sweet potato fries, and then we moved on, back to the train station.  Yes of course there was a little tipple, at the theatre and the restaurant and then at the train station while we waited for our train!  We very wisely decided to make it a night then and was home by 10 ish!  So getting up at a ridiculous hour in the morning was still possible, (probably not advisable) but there was no way I was eating food at that time in the morning!  I just got dressed, got my stuff together and met GetYourLegsUpTracy out side!

Two excuses there, as you can see.  This time though, I couldn't blame the weather for slowing me down, making it difficult because it was perfect!  There was blue skies all day!  If it wasn't for the temperature you would think that it was a summer day!  There was the wind of course, but no where near as bad as the last time I did this race.

We all made our way down to the start/finish line, some of us were at the faster positions with me and my buddies all at the back.  It was soon time to go, the throng of people started to move forward, the beep, beep, sounds started to get louder as we got nearer to the timing mats.  Beep, Beep, our timing chips were activated as we crossed over.  I couldn't wait to hear the beep again, signalling the finish of the race.  Oh why didn't I just get up a little earlier and grab something to eat, or even a cup of sweet tea, at least that would have been fluids!  I decided not to listen to the negative thoughts that ran through my mind.  This was GYLUTs first time in Brighton, Ade, CarolWithAnE, RefMichael and SnapperHannahs too.  Lets keep it all fun.  I knew I would be running with GYLUT as she runs at group 2 pace, everyone else is running at 3 and above!  They all seemed to created a distance pretty quickly.

Just about half a mile in there is a set of Traffic lights, just for a bit of fun I told Tracy to stop at the red light!  She sort of did, I managed to capture this!  I won't tell you what she said to me though, but moment and blond come to mind!

Stop GYLUT, the lights are red!

After about a mile in the front runners started to come back!  It really don't feel like we have been out for 5 minutes (all though my legs telling me different). Both me and GYLUT kept an eye out for all the PWR's and gave them all a big cheer when we saw them.  We soon passed the place where we shared the same bit of road as the front runners as we ran on along the road, the view of the sea blocked now by the buildings.  I remember this bit, it's not to far till we have to turn around and head back.  I was looking forward to that, we were about 2.5 miles into the run and then the headache really started to kick in.  I should have brought water with me.  I knew there was no water on route, I learnt that from the last time I did this race. I took some pictures of her before she went ahead of me.

I started suffering from about 5k onwards.  I really started to think that maybe I shouldn't had the last couple of beers the night before.  GYLUT started to pull away from me, she hadn't stopped running yet, not even to grab the photos that managed to get of her!  If she was facing me then she was running backwards!  I had already taken a few walking breaks!  I told Tracy to just carry on, don't worry about running with me.  I seriously wasn't feeling good.  So I thought without the pressure of running to keep up with Tracy I could do my own thing and maybe just enjoy the scenery and ambience of the run.

All along the promanade and the streets there were snails, I don't mean little tiny slimey ones, I mean big giant colourful ones.  I decided that I was going to be like a snail, just get this race done, put it down as a great big learning curve, and try do do better next year! Here, these are the snails, adorable things, are they not!

 It was only a bit further on that I noticed what was written on the bottom of the plinth! Here, take a look!  It did make me chuckle.

be more snail!

So, who was I to argue with that statement! More snail like I became! I started to think about who else was in front of me, well that would be everyone of course!  I knew I was the last PWR, just like most of the races that I have done!  But I then I remembered the duck!  The duck was in front of me. The duck had overtaken me and Tracy somewhere before we did the turn around corner.  I hated being beaten by big costume runners.  But this particular costume was one of those that blow up, so would that make it a lightweight costume?  You can see the duck on the photo of the red light stop, just up above!  As you can see, it's not heavy, it's lightweight! But still cumbersome, and they did have to look through the mesh window in the front of the costume as they ran. That thought made me more cranky with myself.  Why oh why did I have to have that last pint last night?!  No will power.  Also, I should have done more training.  I started to feel the aches and pains in my quads, my hips my stomach, my pounding head! I looked towards the end, I could see the pier in the distance.  The pier where I will be having my fish and chips, a celebratory pint, maybe even a pudding!......No, not a pudding, just fish and chips, the celebratory fish and chips!  That's what I was looking forward to.

Nearer and nearer the pier got, I could see Maderia Drive, with all the spectators just milling about.  I wonder how long they will stay.  Is it like the London Marathon, will they be staying right to the last person comes in  Have all the faster PWR's gone for fish and chips already?  I felt glad that I told my little group of running buddies not to wait for me at the finish line, they would be getting cold. I knew I wasn't the last person but I can't be far in front of the last person.  I seemed to have been out for ages.  My stomach was cramping up, is that lack of water? I don't know, I should have brought water.  I really wasn't feeling good.  For goodness sake don't puke Old girl, not now!  I saw the cameras pointing at me, "Ok, now you need to smile, look like you're having fun, after all, isn't that why you run Old girl!" Negative thoughts started to come in my mind now.  The finish line was just up ahead, only, I still had to run pass that, I still had over a mile before I can get to the finish mats and hear the beep when I cross it.  Will there still be any spectators left?

I looked over to the finish line, I could hear the tannoy calling out the names, telling them that is all done for them.  Why do I feel so bloody tired.  My legs were hurting, my head was hurting, my stomach was hurting.  I decided to run beside the all those on the return leg.  Let me see if I can see any PWR's that will be finishing.  That will keep me motivated, I will be able to finish then.  I saw quite a few of my running buddies as they ran towards the finish, with me running in the opposite direction. But then the marshal ushered me to run behind him, further left away from the runners finishing, I guess so that I don't bump into any of the other runners by mistake.  I felt out on my own, I could see the duck!  The duck was ahead of me, could I get the duck?  I didn't feel like I could, I was really feeling spent, nothing left!

Just then a runner  grabbed my arm just as I could see our coaches further along the road!  "Come on just keep on going, you can do this"  I looked up and it was a PWR!  He had finished his race, the red bag in his hand suggested that!  I started to run again, everything aching now, really feeling very sorry for myself, and very annoyed at myself for not training properly!  "Don't worry, I will run with you the rest of the way" he said.  We still had about a mile to go!  Well, that was it, if he was willing to run that extra mile with me who was I to give up now.  I have never given up on a race before! Well, actually, tell a lie......only the day before, on parkrun day, it was the Beginners Graduation day.  I had to go and run it with them, didn't I?  It's only 5k, besides the last time I ran was on Tuesday.....oh actually it was on Thursday, at track! Pushed maybe a little bit hard that dad too! But parkrun,  I only did around half a lap!  I decided to pull out, save my legs for the race and go take pictures instead. Sensible! It was the only time I was sensible!

All the time this PWR, Cliff his name is, Cliff ran with me, he was telling me not to stop, just slow the pace down, one foot in front of the other.  I must have looked like I was really struggling!  But Cliff stayed with me.  If I walked he counted to twenty and got me going again, occasionally with a hand in my back to gently encourage me to start running. Just up ahead I could see that blimmin duck! Dare I even think about getting passed the duck.  With my running buddy next to me, talking to me the whole way I was thinking maybe it was possible.  I started flagging again and Cliff handed me a gel thing.  I took it and ripped open the packet and took some of the gel.  It felt gooey I couldn't quite get what flavour it was, I was thinking it was like a chocolate flavour.  Chocolate flavour goo!  I took another bit of it, hoping that I wouldn't think about the sensation of the gel as I tried to drink it.  Nope, it wasn't working.  I didn't like it, I was hoping that I had taken enough though, just to get me through to the finish.  Just a little boost of energy.  I burped and the flavour came back to me, I really thought I was going to throw up then!  I should remember, I don't do gels!

The duck was just in front of me, I could see it.  I really can over take the duck if I keep on running.  The duck was slowing down! I can take the duck!  I can take the duck! Boom! Did it!  The duck was done to a crisp, crispy duck!  I felt pleased with myself!  The turn around was not far now, Cliff point out some lady in blue! It looked as if she had just turned around and was doing the last leg, "We are going to have her" he said confidently "You are going to run pass her"  I looked over at the other side, I really didn't think that was possible. No way!  She was too far in front of me!  I didn't even think about trying to catch her up, all I thought about was finishing.  It wasn't going to be a pretty finish.

Cliff stayed with me all the way back down as we turned around for the U turn.  He was still insisting that we could 'take' Blue Girl, "I promise you, we will" he said.  I noticed then that she was doing a lot more walking that I was, she didn't have a Cliff in her ear, running next to her!  I wonder if I could get there.  With each passing minute I was getting closer to Blue girl.  I was thinking maybe he was right!  But I also knew that I was right, it wasn't going to be a pretty end!  We passed her with still quite a fair way to get to the finish.  Would I be able to keep the lead!  I ran and walked some, with Cliff counting the seconds, I looked over my shoulder and I could see that Blue Girl was getting close and would over take me if we had reached the 20 second rule so I started to run again before he finished.  It looked such a short distance now to cover, but if felt so hard.

The crowds were still there cheering, the PWR's were still there, getting ready to go for lunch and celebrations, I am going to finish, there is no doubt about that!  I struggled on through and I heard KevTwoBalls our resident super snapper, he managed to get this photo of me!

Even managed a thumbs up!
(photo from Kev)

No flying feet but at least not puking!!

I finished the face, I had to just stand for a few minutes, not moving, head almost between my knees!  All I could think about was "Thank f..k for that, I finished!"  Not my finest hour, I am sure I felt tons better after finishing the London Marathon in 2013 and 2015, and both times I was on my feet for run walking for 7 hours!  But I finished, everyone says I should be happy.....yet?  But I finished it!

Geeky stats.

Photos from Hannah and Kev Howarth and me!

Shall I, Shan't I? - Get Your Ass Out There!

Hello blog readers.

You know sometimes, when, one by one of your mates, can't make a date, or meeting, or in my case a run, then your own resolve starts resolving!  It kind of leaves your Psyche quicker than I can neck a pint at a Hash House race!  I was finding all sorts of reasons and excuses not to go! When I put my last message into the whatsapp group seconds later, and I mean seconds later, Naggy was on the phone!  None of this pandering with text messaging malarkey, "Get your arse ready, meet you at 7:40" phone down, done!  What was I to do!  There was only one thing I could do, straight back into Whatsapp and told Auriol that she had better get herself ready too!  If I was going then she was too!

To be hones, I am bloody glad I went!  I don't think a runner has ever said "I wish I hadn't done that" Not one!  The session looked ok, well easy to figure out, nothing complicated, easy to do with my Garmin.  Run for 5 times for 4 minutes with 90 secs rest!  Simple.  Not only that, even if I had missed the ever so iddybiddy sound that comes from my watch, and the ever so gentle almost feather like feel vibration on my watch, Mike was on the whistle.  There was no way I was going to be running more that 4 minutes at a time!  But it also meant that I won't be taking more 90 seconds of rest each time!

It was a tough one, but then it is all about getting myself fitter, quicker(?) and it is an extra run for during the week!  It's what I need that's for sure.  I need to get rid of this 'food baby' the extra pounds that have made themselves at home on my hips......legs, belly, arms. face!  For 5 times we all run as best we could around the track, listen out for Mikes whistle.  And to keep us all finishing at the same place each time, we ran one way for 2 minutes, then a U turn for the next 2 minutes!  It works perfectly!  I struggled with the penultimate one, rep 4.  I slowed down to a walking pace, muttering away to myself, just before we got to the finish.  Then PWR showed it's colours again, "Come on Old Girl, nearly done"  "Go on Old Girl, just a few more steps" "Come on Mooshie"  Of course there is no walking back to the start with that sort of encouragement coming at ya, I started running again!

We finished with session with some much needed stretching!  A fantastic session!  loved it!

Here's my geeky stats, Auriols hubby, Nigel, worked it out our lap times were for the first two, 11:19 m/mi slowed to 11:36 and the the last was 11:55.  I am going to have to try and make it work the other way around! 

Last Beginners Autumn 2018

Hello blog lovers.

As promised here is the other blog I missed for Saturday.  It's all about our beginners!  Last Saturday was the last Saturday for this year that we all meet up in the rec.  The next time, which is on Saturday we will be meeting at Norman Park for the 5k parkrun they have all been training for! And hopefully after that to be a part of PWR!

We were heading out on to the street again, as we did the week before, it was just as well because the rain was relentless on Friday, the grass would have been soaking wet!  Which did mean, of course, that our warm up walk and drills had to be done on the roads as well!  Can you imagine the scene.  35+ people walking briskly out of the back gate of the rec, half way down Towncourt Crescent we break into some gentle skipping followed by some gentle jogging.  I didn't stop there, I got them doing some side jumping and then butt kicks!  All along the streets of Petts Wood.  It's ok, you don't look like a complete fruit loop when there are 35+ people all doing the same thing, honest! 

We made a loop all the way around to the front gate of the rec and went inside.  RefMichael took the beginners to the paved area, or the patio as we call it, and I kept all the wonderful volunteers from PWR that came to help,  on the car park.  That is where they slotted themselves into the throng of beginners as they run out of the rec to do the loop with the slight incline, or, as I have heard today an upward flat section, or which it think is going to be my new term for those dreaded hills,  a false flat!  It kind of rolls off the tongue.   So there we were, crossing over the road and heading for the 'false flat' of Wood Rise.  Everyone seemed happy and chatty.  There was also a lot of "I didn't think I would ever be doing this" as they ran along!  It seemed a long time from the 1st week until now, but there they were, running up the hills like the athletes.

I stayed behind the last runner, sweeping, I had MichaelL and another faster runner (her name has left my head!) leading the way around our lovely training route, all the other PWR's starting mingling with the others as they found their pace.  There were so many PWR's to support and encourage our beginners on their last session.  Some of them ran the loop three times, the slower ones ran the loop twice.  That's not bad for people who have never ran before!  We are pretty amazed by our group, and so proud of everyone!  I wish I could name them all, but you know how I am with names!

We finished our run in the rec and did stretches to finish.  It was all very quiet while we were stretching, I think everybody was thinking about just how much they have achieved!  It really is an achievement, to finish a course, a running course is amazing.  Now all they have left to do is to bring that all together next Saturday for the parkrun at Normans Park!  I am totally really excited about it! 

I had a couple of really lovely emails from the them which brought a huge smile to my face. I do this just because I love to give back to Petts Wood Runners what they have given me!  Encouragement, support, friendship, achievement after achievement!  I just love to help others to achieve their goals.  It really is most rewarding!  Bring on spring beginners!

Look out for next Saturdays blog. It probably won't be written until Monday, I have a busy weekend, but it will have some photos, that I am sure of!

Club Run - Leading!

Hello blog readers.

I know I still owe you all a blog for Saturday!  I will get to that, honest! But while this is still fresh in my mind I can put it down here. 

I ran in group 1 today, because I was leading!  It's weird, I was all set to run in group 2 until J.J. said to me "Who is leading group 2"  When I checked I noticed that I was down to lead group 1!.  Just as well I checked it out!  I think that is going to happen a lot now that I am only leading 1 in 4 weeks! 
I must admit, I still love it!  I still love leading!  Today of course, I didn't really have a route in mind! So I thought I would do one of our Christmas runs, it's going to be a woowoo run!  Just wait till Christmas to find out what that is all about! 

I picked up GetYourLegsUpTracy, on the way to the rec.  NaggyNeighbour was off gallivanting somewhere, some excuse about a birthday meal or something!  On a club night!  Can you believe it!?  I parked out side J.J.s and we all walked to the rec from there.  It looked like quite a lot of people this evening!  Maybe it's because it's a particularly mild evening!  This weather is barmy! Most people just had one layer on I think, I did, and I was pretty warm!

My route took us along to Petts Wood road and we had to run up!  I know, I know!  Anywhere you go around here there are hills! But this is just a small hill, well, a small gradient, it goes on for a bit!  But after this there was no other hills! Not to my knowledge anyway, no, not one, not one worth mentioning anyway!  And that's how I am going to look at inclines!  Once the biggest incline is done then the rest are just nothing!........Or was there really no other hill! Hmm.

My group 1's were all keeping together pretty well, not strung out at all!  I kept the pace a little slower than advertised pace to see how the newcomers coped.  One of the said that she hadn't really done any running much, just a 0-5k phone app thing with her sister!  So I didn't want to frighten anyone off!  I was pretty glad really, I don't want to push myself to hard, I have a 10k coming up this Sunday, I don't want to over exert myself! 

We ran around the streets of Petts Wood, up and over the rail way lines and then back down Tudor Way!  The whole run was just a really pleasant run!  I really enjoyed it, I hope all the others did as well!  I had a couple of the group 2's in with me as well, Ruth and Auriol, they are just starting their return to running.  I am so glad they drop down a group, it's so much nicer knowing that you can just join a group and run with them knowing you are not going to drag behind!

So, geeky stats, 3 miles bang on!  I couldn't have planned it better even if I did plan it!  (which I must have done at some point because I remember doing this route!)

Tricky Track!

Hello blog readers.

Track day Thursday!  Even though it had been a miserable, wet day I still needed to go to track.  It is so easy to say "Nah, not today!"  Me and my running buddies all belong to a Whatsapp group, we chat about our run and we organise our running.  Today it seemed that I kind of volunteered Naggy into running track today, hmmm I don't recall that but it was all just perfect anyway,  Naggy and me arranged to pick up SnapperHannah on the way, it seems she loving track as well!  I think maybe loving could be a bit strong.....unless of course it's loving it once it's all done!

Actually I  love it, in a peculiar way.  I love trying to push myself just a little bit harder.  PhysioMiketheMod's session sound terrible hard on paper......I mean on the computer screen, 12 x 300m with a 100m walk recovery.  Of course the faster lot had the even harder session, 12 x 400 with a jog recovery.  We had our warm up drills with Jane first off though, you can't go out and do a session like that with cold limbs! Oh no, no, that would never do!  So while the faster runners were doing an 8 minute tempo run (I think that's what it's called, but basically it's a warm up jog) we were having fun doing our drills!  We do have a fun time, honest!  Jane kept an eye on us all, she's pretty good and spotting if we are not quite putting in the effort or if we are not quite doing it right! 

But then it was time to do the even harder work, 12 lots of 300m running!  And it is running, not jogging, not plodding out.  It's faster than parkrun, this is what is going to make me faster! As long as I stay focused and work hard!  I am hoping I will get faster but I am also hoping I will get lighter!  I am still struggling with the weight thing!  Comfort eating? Pig eating? Can't be arsed eating?  I have no idea what it is, but I just love eating.  I must really try and find time for more running or cycling!  Mind you, it's getting blimmin cold and dark now, that's not going to help me get back on my bike!

Me and the rest of Jane's group started the session a hundred meters away from the faster runners.  We were to run faster than our parkrun pace to the start line and then walk a hundred meters to where we started.  We had to do that 12 times!  No stopping, nor resting, the walk to the first hundred meters was our recovery!  Everybody on track today was totally focused.  Just running as best as we could.  Me and Auriol were running together, SnapperHannah was running by herself and Naggy was running with Janine.  The faster runners caught us up pretty quickly and then lapped us a good few times.  Even SnapperHannah lapped us as well, she is doing so well.  From doing our spring beginners course to now running at the track!  Just amazing!

I ran after Auriol, she was always just a tad in front of me, I tried to get just a ahead of her on the last 100 straight.  We were pretty much running at the same place.  I nagged myself in my head to to give up and go slower but to stay with Auriol.  A couple of times Auriol stopped running just before we got to the end of the 100, I really had to nag myself to keep going to the end!  It wasn't until after the session, in the whatsapp group that Auriol said she was trying to keep up with me!  Just shows us really, what we can do!

It had all finished, me and Auriol were not going to make our 12 reps, we just done as much as we could in the time.  But I was pretty impressed with what I managed. Nine laps with the last lap being a cool down lap.  I was surprised that I was still running at around 11:30 for my cool down lap, but when I got to the finish line and noticed that I actually only ran for 2.18 miles I was slightly disappointed in myself!  I mentioned it to PaulK, do you know what? He said "It don't matter, because you still ran further and faster than those on the couch"  TimHeadBand said more or less the same thing to me!  These guys are the faster guys!  These guys encourage and help me all the time!  That's the PWR way!  Of course my running usual running buddies help as well. 

It was a pretty tough session but I am so blimmin glad I did it!  More nagging please Hannah, make sure that I get there.......and volunteer NaggyNeighbour too!

Geeky stats, just check out those running bits!  Pretty impressive right!?

Club Run - Last Minute Leading!

Hello blog readers.

This evening it was club run.  I volunteered at the last minute to lead group 1.  I was quite pleased actually, I wasn't really feeling it, so a nice gentle run is just want I need. Sometimes even if you don't feel like running, getting out could be just what you need.  I should listen to myself sometimes when there is time for a solo run, or even if Naggy neighbour calls!  Naggy asked me on Sunday to go for a run, I really wasn't feeling it, (party the night before) plus I had a huge amount of housework too!  I'm telling you, my mojo is nowhere to be seen on 'non running' days.  If it wasn't for my club I could quite easily just get fat and unfit again.  Leading group 1 always gives me a huge boost.  Especially when we have new-comers in the club.

As I didn't really have time to think about a route this evening I went for my 'go to route' when it's a move-up week.  It's a nice flat route with just a couple of inclines.  The first one is at the beginning of the route when everyone has tons of energy.  It's the short little hill up Kingsway to Towncourt Crescent.  I am not sure about everyone else, but. and keep this to yourselves of course, I hate hills!  I try and tell the beginners that hills are our friends, hills test us, hills helps us, hills train us! Yeah, some of them can bring me to tears!  Goss hill is one of them!  Right, in 2019 I am going to run up Goss hill without stopping!  That's my goal, no pb's, no getting the London marathon place, (I failed in that anyway)  Just getting up that blimmin hill!  That's my goal.

Oh, yes, anyway, back to the run.  I set off with 11 other runners, so a dozen of us in group 1 this evening.  We had a new comer and a couple of the ladies brought their daughters along too!  We were the last group to leave the park but.......the youngster took off in front of me!  Well, I soon reigned them in.  I shall give the plenty of opportunities to run ahead!  And then maybe next week if they feel like it they could do group 2!  So the first hill,  Kingsway, it's just a little one and I like to get up it as quick as I can.  As I am leading I had to keep an eye on the pace, so a nice steady one to get up, no stopping, trying to chat to Chris as he ran beside me!  I managed it, and kept in front as the leader should! 

I felt quite good after running just that little hill.  I was hoping that feeling will stay with me for the whole run.  After all, the rest of it is now mainly all flat, just that little upward bit on Shepperton road. It was all really pleasant from running pass the One Inn the Wood where Joanne and Stephen were heading to celebrate their Dublin marathon, to running nice and quietly over the 'troll' bridge and then letting the faster runners have Crest View to pick up a bit of speed.  It really was!  I mean, if Carlsburg done routes this is deffo one of them, well mind you Carlsburg would actually end the route in a pub!

We ran along Crescent Drive until we got to Shepperton, utilising crossings as a catch-up and a breather.  Shepperton was another road that I could send the faster runners along to let off some speedy sections and run a their pace.  We were half way through our route,  we turned right to go along towards the bridge over the rail lines.  Everyone was running really well, we did have the faster runners up front, but I just sent them off to the end of the road at their pace. 

It was a good run, I really enjoyed it.  Chris enjoyed it, he said that he wasn't really 'feeling' it today either, but it was much better than sitting at home wishing that you had gone running.  "I really hated that run!" said no runner ever!  And it's true.  You may have run slow, or you may have run way to fast and made your self puke! (nearly done that a couple of times too!)  Seriously, all runs baring maybe having a nasty fall, really do pick you up!  Now all I need to do is to remember that when I find that I have plenty of time to go for a 3 miler solo run! Or with Naggy!

Here's our geeky stats

<iframe src='https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/embed/3127519394' title='Club Run (leading)' width='465' height='500' frameborder='0'></iframe>