Sunday 25 February 2018

Swanley Train Run - In The Runderwear!

Hello blog readers.

Today was the day for our second train run of the year, to Swanley and back.  This is a very pretty route even though it's all on tarmac, roads and pavements.  The sun was shining bright this morning but oh my goodness it was freezing outside!  NaggyNeighbour knocked on my door just before the 07:30 that we had agreed on, it was a good job I was ready, I just had to put on my coat.  I had three layers on, complete with my cap and gloves! I wished I had remembered to put my headband thing on that I got for Christmas, to keep my ears warm!  I also was trying out my newest running purchase......my new running pants, underpants that is! I bought them at the Tri Expo, Runderwear, I am always thinking about running comfortably, having a 'hungy bum' is the most uncomfortable thing ever!  Mind you, lately I have found some very comfortable 'high street'  pants that I usually wear when running, but it's nice to have 'made for the job' pants.  And look at this, while I was....well you know how it is when you got a long run planned, nature calls..... this made me chuckle










Naggyneighbour also bought some as well, so we were matching........but only we knew that!  We drove up to the station at St Mary Cray and met up with this lot!


As usual there are two groups, one group getting off at Swanley and one group going further, Wrotham.  There didn't seem to be that many this year, but we were all still keen and eager to get going.....mainly because its blimmin freezing, and it's still only 8:00 am!  As usual I have to get the 'train shot' I am not sure if I managed to get everyone in.















Soon we were at Swanley station and we got off the train.  The faster group set off first leaving just us, here this is us.







We started running and chatting, there were 6 in group 1 Swanley group, and we were chatting and running along.  I think I said to Ruth about why we don't do this run in the summer time. We can still do the very early mornings, but this chill, brrrr!  Maybe it's something I can think about and see if I can get something organised!  I wasn't the only one thinking this either, Carole also thought about it too!

We were running pretty well actually, and we had covered a mile and I hadn't really thought about it!  I was just chatting away.  We had a little walking break, of course we did, we like a catchup, photo opportunity and everything, and then we carried on, I am sure this is where I took this photo, or it could quite easily have been a bit further on!  I should make more of a mental note, or at least log it on my phone after I have taken the photo!

I was looking forward to seeing the Llamas or are they alpacas, they look the same to me, but I still find it totally amazing that we have these animals in fields by the roads, and not locked away in farms where they can't be seen unless you pay of course!  I do like llamas, it reminds me of one of my fav animation films, The Emperors New Grove!  Love that film. You can imagine my disappointment when we got to the top of the steepest hill in this run, where the llamas normally 'hang out' to find them not there!   We did find sheep on the way though, and I took a picture of them, I was more interested in our shadows than the sheep though! Here, look!


We were more or less half way through our run with the lovely down hill to look forward to.  IllustriousLeader was our leader for this run and her daughter has joined us, she says she hasn't running much, not for a couple of years, but my goodness, running must be in her blood because she was way in front, even going up that horrendous hill, she was way in front of us!

I couldn't quite believe how this mornings run was going, I felt totally comfortable with just under a couple of miles left to do, we were back in town again, I felt like I could keep on going, well, mentally I felt like I could keep on going, my legs were a little achy, still I wanted to keep on going!

We were going along the road, just before we went into the park when Ruth reminded of the very last little hill.  I knew it was there, I know it's there, of course it's there, but you seem to just put things like that out of your mind.  Fortunately we also saw a couple of ladies that run with PWR on one of the training runs, we had a little chat with them before we continued our run.  We were nearly done now anyway, just through the park and then across the Nugent shopping Centre, which was still not open, it was still too early for the shops to open, I guess it is a Sunday morning!  And then, well....then it was that cheeky fecker of a hill!  The last one to the steps of the station.  I decided that I was going to run it, all the way, after crossing the main road we started the short run to the turning where the last hill is.  I am so glad that it is hidden!  But as I was running along there my ankle gave way, it felt like I had twisted it, but I hadn't.  I decided to just walk it out, I knew that was absolutely nothing wrong with it, maybe it is still cold, even after the 6 miles we just ran.  But nothing was going to stop me running up the hill.  We turned the corner and there it was, I started running again, all the way.  There is a little reprieve of about 5 metres of flat road and then it continues.  I walked the flat bit!  I wished I hadn't now, but at the time I felt quite proud that I walked the flat bit but ran up the hills, the two last remaining hills!  I took this picture of us all, just by the station, what a great run it was!

Oh and by the way, runderwear........felt good! Still a bit tight around my chunky legs, but I guess that is something I need to work on rather than trying to expect sports wear people to think about!




Thursday 22 February 2018

Where Is Spring!?

Hello blog readers.

So there I was, texting people early this afternoon, just to shock them into thinking about running tonight at track. Also Texting NaggyNeighbour at 7:30 pm this evening, to find out if she is coming to track with me today. Well guess what, both blew me out.  I seriously nearly had a case of nomatitus, pronounced no-mate-itus!  This is a serious disorder, and it can affect you imediately after calling on friends and or family, to go running with you only to find out that no one wants to go with you!  The disease can render the victim almost unconscious if they make said calls and or text messages from a recliner chair! But I fought back, took the desired medication and action to fight against this awfulness, a sip of water, and change into running gear, and out the door! Blimey, if the nomatitus don't get me the blimmin cold will! Oh my goodness, it's freezing!  I was walking up the path saying to myself "Go back home, go back home now!" I was saying it out loud!  Thankfully I managed to get to my car before that happened. I drove on to the track, with my music, Disturbed, playing very loudly!

There were quite a few people there, the The Pond family, with assistantJuniorCoachPear, assisting PhysioMikeTheMod.  Now I know that I have finally put nomatitus on the back burner as I heard all my mates say "Hi" to me.  And now to try and remember what the session was......how was going to do that I don't know, my brain cells were frozen!  But I knew that PMTM would remind me.  The session was 2 x 1600, followed by 2 x 800 and then I am sure there was something after that. Anyway, for me it was 2 x 1200 then 2 x 800......if I can fit them in the time that we have.  We had our warm up lap, but to be honest I was not warmed up at all!  I just couldn't seem to 'feel it', I tried hard as I could, I didn't stop running.  My legs and ankles we not happy with me!  I got a little twinge in my right ankle, just a little niggle, like I had twisted it, which I knew I hadn't of course, it was just that I was trying too hard, on cold legs, I think.  Of course the coaches, Pear and MikeTheMod were very encouraging, as I ran pass them, I am sure that PMTM even said "4 hours 30" or something like it, to me, I am sure he had miscalculated, there was no way I was running that fast, I was way to cold! Maybe that is wy my legs and ankle were twinging! The time he calls out is the speed that you would cover the marathon at if you kept it going for all 26 miles! 

PMTM then pulled us all out of the warm up laps to get ready for some sprinting warm ups. He had set up 3 lanes with cones, we were to accelerate to the first, hold the speed and then jog back to the beginning, and do it untill PMTM said "Time up", I really struggled with that!  I even missed a couple of sprints so that I could recover!  I can't wait for the spring! I ate the cold!

Then we started our session, I still had cold legs......cold ankles, cold feet, cold body and arms, and my ears, they were so cold!  But then I though about PhysioMikeTheMod and AssistantJuniorCoachPear, standing at the start, cheering and encouraging and praising and correcting and advising and coaching each one!  They must be freezing! So I stopped feeling sorry for myself, and feeling lazy....well as much as I could while I was feeling cold, and really tried to do as much of the session as I could.  As I was running around everyone was saying "Well done Old Girl, keep it up", it really is  just what I need to hear on my track sessions.  Yup, deffo not got nomatitus now!  Love it!

I managed to do two lots of the 1200 one 800 and then one 400!  Not quite the full session, but then that's me all over!  I am not quite the full session, a sandwich short of a picnic as they say!  I must be!  Out in the freezing cold running around the track!  Mind you, maybe I shouldn't say that, not with at least 30 others out here running around a track!

I felt really good afterwards, knackered, but really good.  I then started to think about food! Ah! Now, that is why I was not feeling it, I just remembered what I had for my lunch this afternoon, pie n mash, oh but it was lovely, but probably not the best pre track lunch to have!

So Geeky stats for you, I remembered to do lap thingy too!

Tuesday 20 February 2018

Club Run - Feeling Fine!

Hello blog readers.

It was just me in the car this evening, Tracy is still recovering from a cold and Karin being laid low with a headache so my music went on! Loud! Very Loud!  I am still well into Disturbed!  Just love this band, my favourite song, the song that introduced me to the band is 'Sound of Silence', epic cover followed by 'Never Wrong' another epic track!  Only to be listened to at full decibels!  It set me up for my run this evening.  I had planned on doing some hills but then I saw Wendimoo had joined us.  I remembered her pain during parkrun on Saturday and decided to do the nice and gentle route.

We were missing some of our regular group 1's, Tracy, Auriol, Kay and Carole! Darn the cold virus, and general life getting to us!  But we still had a fabulous 8 runners in our group, J.J. was sweeping.  I thought I would really try and keep on top of the pacing, keep it at the advertised pace, the running sections that is.  I didn't do too badly, occasionally going way to fast and then running way to slow.  with the stops however we still didn't quite manage to keep the average under 15 m/mi.  I would like to keep our group to at least 14 - 14:30 avg.  Now there's a challenge for me!  Lets see if I can do it!

It was a great run, everyone chatting away, I do love our club run, is more social than anything.  When we want to push ourselves then we can either enter a race, do a parkrun or go and push ourselves on the track!  I must try harder this week to make sure that I don't suddenly come down with sofaritus, commonly known as can't-be-arseditus!  It comes and goes!

But this evenings run I really enjoyed it, the company was great, even the weather wasn't too bad....yes it rained but only when we were less than a mile from the rec.  It wasn't cold, that would have really made the horrible, but just a gentle misting.  The rain may have even helped us to move along just a little bit quicker!

And so, another run done, another evening that I could quite have easily climb under my blanket and vegged in front of the telly, but knowing that I am needed out there, to crack the whip, to inspire to.....well, to just have fun with my friends is what gets me out there on cold, dark, damp evenings!

Here's our geeky stats for tonight's run

Monday 19 February 2018

Running - I have been doing it! Honest

Hello blog readers.
The face of a runner, not a jogger!

As the title suggests, I have been running, just not as much as I usually do due to things happening and......'can't-be-arseditus'.  Quite a serious thing that is, it makes you just want to sit under your blanket and watch t.v.!  I just think to myself thank goodness for my running club, because I do get out then, I am leading, so I need to be there.

The runs that I haven't logged are my Thursday 8th February morning solo run, Solo run for the 15th February and m parkrun, just this Saturday gone!  I know, I have a lot of catching up to do!  There is also quite a few days missing from running, for those of you who may be scrutinising how many days I am writing about!  There's a Tuesday missing and a parkrun missing, and a couple of Thursday evening runs missing! Tut tut!  But that dreadful disease that runners hate just over took me, 'Can't-be-arsedites'!

I need to get back to discipline!  I need to kick myself up the backside again!  Anyway, Thursday 8th, I ran.....and I enjoyed it.  I had to run early because I needed to be elsewhere, and usually our Thursday runs get back just that little bit too late.  I decided that I would do my Thursday solo runs, if I have to do a solo run, at Normans Park.  It's a great little route, I know exactly how far it is, and I can push myself each time, get back, clean up and get to where I need to be! I was just so pleased when I looked at my Garmin after it peeped at the 3 mile and I was so pleased when I saw that it said 36:03 mins!  Ok, so park run we add on that little bit extra, but still, 36:03 for 3 miles, I could live with that!

My next run was Thursday again,  I had missed out on my club run because I was 'captured' at Kings College Hospital waiting for transport home with Kirsty!  Oh my goodness, over 4 hours waiting, after the transport was booked in the morning!  Sheesh!  So, I didn't get to run then, Thursday morning I again needed to be with Kirsty early, so I opted for Normans Park again.  Let me see if I can beat the clock again to the 3 mile mark!  I pushed, I nagged, I tried to be kind (you know, things like it's been a hard week etc) but I wasn't sure I had it in my legs.  Have I lost just a little bit, sitting around, eating, etc.  Well the 'scores on the doors' will tell!  And, tell they did.  The three mile mark and boom! Quicker! only by seconds, but it's quicker! Pleased with that!

Next one is parkrun, last Saturday.  I went with NaggyNeighbour, I knew there were going to be a few mates not showing up for this parkrun, so I thought I might just try and knock a few seconds off from what I have been doing.  It's a bit harder during parkrun time as there are loads of runners infront.  A lot of weaving, ducking and diving out o the way.  But then as we were walking along I spied Wendimoo!  Whoop whoop, she is back!  It was so good to see her!  Of course I had to run with her.  She has lost her mojo too, it's been a bit of an epidemic!  Carole and Michael were there, and Charley and Debs, and loads of others that run in the faster groups.  It was also a few milestone runs for people, 250, 100, of course that means cake at the end!  Usually the faster runners get there first, I was hoping that maybe one of the milestoners was a slower runner!  I may have a chance of getting a bit of cake!

Me and Wendimoo ran the whole way around chatting, oh how I have missed Wendimoos chattering!  But I was concerned about her pain in her hip.  She wouldn't let off though and kept going.  We chose trees to run to then have a walking break and then get back to the running.  We were doing really well, Wendimoo has missed quite a few parkruns while she has been oop north, mind you I don't blame her, her local parkrun had a couple of cheeky little hills in there!  As we were approaching the last short straight towards the finish funnel I said to her to keep it steady, don't speed up, no sprint finish this time round!  Did she listen to me? Did she 'eckers like! "I having him" she said as she spied a chap in front of her, "I'm passing him" And she did, but she still wasn't satisfied, she still kept on going faster!  I then saw her next race, I knew she was going to take the next runner! And she did!  She don't listen to me, "Take it easy, no need to speed, remember your hip!"  Then she started to pull away from me, I was running faster, she certainly wasn't taking my advice about taking it easy!  So I just had to do it!  I just started to run faster.  Now if you know Wendimoo she has these long legs, she can cover more ground than me with her long stride, I was going ten to the dozen to keep her just behind me!  And I did it!  We both beat the lady that Wendi raced, and I am sure she was trying to sneak in front of us when we were in the funnel "Stay in order that you came in" I heard one of the funnel managers say!

It was a good run, Wendi had run the faster parkrun that she has done in a while, but of course Norman Park is a nice flat route! I have put the parkrun geeky stats up, but if you click back then you will see the other runs. 

Tuesday 6 February 2018

Moving On Up!

Hello blog readers.
This is us, Group 1!

Just before I get chatting about my club run, just a quick gloss over my parkrun on Saturday!  I know, I forgot to blog it!  I had a bit of a head on! Me and the Old Boy went out for a couple of sherberts the night before!  Still, I managed to get up a do a parkrun, I didn't beat my time for this year, but I have a plan now.  When I want to chase a PB then I have a alcohol free Friday!  It's only right!  So geeky stats for my park run.......oh yes, it's on strava,  I also forgot to put my Garmin on, so it was 3.1 mi, pace 11:59 mi, time 38.03 mins.

And now it's club time.  I was leading, and it's also move up week and I am sure you all know what that means? It means that I kind of push my regulars in Group 1, just once a month, to go just a little bit harder on one of our easy routes!   Only a little be bit hard, lets see if we can't beat our own record for this particular route!  I am sure if we try we can!

Tracy and Ade made their own way there and me and Naggy made our way to the rec.  We entered the rec with all the rest of our brilliant members.  My goodness there are just so many of us now!  We are growing and growing each week, I am sure of it!  DiscoRich was the announcer this evening and introduced the leaders, and today, all the leaders seemed to be lined up ready to be introduced!  It made for a much smoother transition from group leader to group leader.  We all gave our routes out and pace and then gathered our members together!

We were last out of the rec, and for the first part of our run I kept it nice and slow, as we warmed up.  It's not good pushing hard with cold muscles, just as we left the rec we took on another runner.  She was just a tad late and she decided that she would run with us, Clare is her name, her usual group is group 7!  I hope we can help her to have a good run this evening! We took it nice and easy up Kingsway, sending the faster runners back down to the back of the pack to keep warm while we waited for the catchup.

To be fair, I thought I was not going to be 'feeling it' tonight, it was just so cold!  I hate being cold!  I was also being rather vain too.  I had my hair done yesterday and I didn't want to scrape my hair up and shove it in a smelly old cap, so I was out running with my hair flowing in the wind and not hat!  I was going to be feeling something, and that was blimmin cold! Still, we are going to be working a little bit harder this evening, in honour of Move Up Week.

As soon as the sweepers had got to us then we started off again.  As I said, we are going to be working hard! We ran to the walking bridge and ran as quiet as mice over it.   I must say, they were all very good with the quiet running!  We continued our run, trying to keep them all together as I encouraged them all to just push that little bit harder, getting the sweepers to push a little bit harder!  We got a pb to get!

By the time we got around Crestview Drive I was really enjoying this run.  The group of ladies were all enjoying it, chatting, walking if the felt the need, and doing loop backs if they had the energy.  I was nicely warmed up, not warm enough to take off a layer, but just happily warm.  I was thinking again what a brilliant club I run with that they could make me a leader!  Because I know, if I didn't have this club then I wouldn't be out here running in the cold.  It's discipline.  I was reminded at my church about what discipline is.  It comes from the word discipleship, meaning learning.  So when we got out and do something, disciplining ourselves, we are actually learning.  Learning what we can do, how much we can actually push ourselves.  Learning that we need to keep on trying, keep on seeing what we can do! Well, that's what I was telling myself as I ran along today.  I need to be more disciplined on my parkruns!  And other things as well!  It's weird what you think about on a run, isn't it.

Anyway, we carried on our run, all the way along Crescent Drive and down and up Shepperton Avenue.  Stopping for catch up's at each crossing of roads.  We ran to the Off license and crossed over, just as another group got there too.  "Why don't Clare run with this group, they could be faster than us" someone said, and then I said "They could also be Orpington Road Runners" because they also run on a Tuesday night!  As it happened they were Orpies, so just as well she didn't join them!

With just the last couple of roads left to do, everyone was running brilliantly.  I felt as if we really did have our own 'move up' week as it felt as if we had run harder than we normally do.  It was a good run, I am sure everyone enjoyed it!  Back to normal pace next week, and maybe even some of the others feel they will be able to move up to group 2!

Here's our geeky stats.

Thursday 1 February 2018

I Didn't Wanna Do It, I Didn't Wanna Do It!

Hello blog readers.

It's double day again today and I managed to get the two runs in. I really was feeling it, but I did it.  Even this evenings run I wasn't feeling it, but I am glad I went out. The first was this mornings run with the group 1er's at 09:30.  The usual 8 runners were there, IllustriousLeader, Tracy, K, PinkLadyJo, Auriol and Paula.  We went somewhere different last week and I decided to go somewhere different today!  I have been meaning to do run around Jubilee park for some time now, but after the railway pulled the bridge down I had to wait for over a year to be able to do this route.  It's the route that we had done when we had a mob match last year, only this time we are starting from the rec, I am hoping that it will be about 5k from the rec, do the loop only once and then back to the rec.  Then come summer time I can take them all this way!

Of course, it was raining, and there for a bit sticky, actually is was a lot blimmin sticky!  It was a slow slog through the mud and in hindsight I should have gone along the road  to Little Thrift and then tuck into the park from there.  I like going over the 3 bridges though and I was looking forward to using the new bridge!  I took the group through Dog Poo Ally and then the left path that runs along side the rail lines.  Oh my goodness, so sticky and muddy!  I was loving it but it's not everybodys cup of tea!  I had my tatty old trainers on, the ones that are ready to be scrapped as soon as I get a new pair of trainers......or do I buy myself some trail shoes as well as some new trainers!  I shall have a serious think about that!

The new bridge looked lovely and sparkly new, I took a picture of us all on there,  well, Kay took this one with me in it,  there was no place to put my phone to grab a self timer picture, blimmin new bridge!  marshaled by our lovely PWR's during the mob match!  IllustriousLeader, I am sure, will be able to remember too, as well as some of the other ladies too, between us we will get around it!
l to r
Carole, Ariol, me Illustrious Leader
Paula, PinkladyJo and Tracy
(K was takaing pic)
But at least now we have our connection back from Little Thrift to Jubilee park! And now comes the tricky bit, I wasn't quite sure of the route, last time I did this route it was

It was a great run, I was really enjoying it, even all that mud, I ran when I could and when it was just to slippy then I walked!......Blimey, I sound like Forrest Gump!  "When I was hungry, I ate, when I was tired I slept, and when I had to.....you know... I went!"  And that was our run this morning!  It was only that first bit, in Petts Wood that was the most stickiest, some parts in Jubilee park was very wet and muddy too, but at least there was a way around these bits!  I really enjoyed my run through the park, so did IllustriousLeader and the rest of the girls!  I can't wait to do this in the summer with group 1, I am sure they are going to enjoy it to.  I decided that we would not run back over the the bridge though and continue along Tent Pet Lane and the then go through the car park over the bridge!  It turned out to be a perfect 3.21 miles!  I just hope I will be able to remember it for the summer months,  I may have to do this route a couple more times on a Thursday morning!

Here's our geeky stats.



And now to our track session.  PhysioMikeTheMod wasn't there today, but he had trained up a fantastic coach for us from last week, ActingHeadCoachPear!  I wonder if she will be as tough as PMTM!  We did our usual warm up 10 mins running, and then the session started.  For the faster runners they had to run around, well loads more than me, I had to do 2x1200, 2x800 and then 2x400 with the rest in between or 90 seconds.  Already in my head I was thinking to myself, "Well I did go out running this morning" meaning "I may not do as well as I should do" I wonder if that is what Naggyneighbour was talking with the whole chocolate biscuit's thing?  Getting to track this evening was a blimmin mission.  I was all set, raring to go, I told the Old Boy that I was going out, he told me that it's cold and wet out!  But I was still determined to go.  I text Naggy to see if she was going "It's pouring down" she said.  I hadn't actually seen it out side, "So, you're not made of sugar" I said back to her.  Well, that's all that it took "Ok, yes we are going running" she sent back to me.  It was only then that I had noticed just how hard it was raining outside! "Oh darn it!" I thought, it's really pouring outside!  But I had made Naggy agree so I had to go through with it.

I got ready for a wet run, so did Naggy.  By the time we were ready to go it had stopped raining!  No time to dress differently now, I just had to go with what I had on.  We drove to Normans Park track and paid our £4.20 to use the track.  We walked up to the top of the track to be met by our club.  It' was then that we found out that PMTM wasn't there today, but JuniouCoachPear and me 'put in charge' of encouragement and motivation, she was ActingHeadCoachPear today!  She did such a great job last week I am sure she will rise to the very important role with total ease!

I started my Garmin up for the 10 min warm up lap, I am recording as muc as I can today.  I had a feeling I want to record every inch I take!  We were soon ready to start,  Naggy and Michele said that they would run with me on the warm up lap, but they were always just a little a head of me, I was working hard to keep up with them, but not so hard that I would have been to knackered to enjoy doing the session.  The ten minutes tempo run done and now for the session.

It was tough going, I completed the first two 1200's.  I had a stitch on that last lap and I was really trying to push hard on myself.  I was even telling myself to move, "Come on, come on, keep going" .  With every passing of CoachPear I got a great encouraging "Go Old Girl, you doing good"  I think she was even doing some cheer leading moves as she did a handstand to go with it!  I was just so pleased that the two long laps had done,  the rest of the group were already on their 4x800's that's what they had to do, they were so going to be finished before me, even with me doing less laps than them.  That's when Naggy said maybe only do one 800 and then do the two 400.  Yep, I think that would work, so that's what I did.

I was knackered.  I really wanted to slow down, at one point on that last lap I could feel my calf getting tired, I could feel it just starting to cramp up.  I wasn't going to like that, no way!  I just slowed down a bit while it subsided.  I was pretty sure that I sorted it before it got worse.  I picked up the speed again and just kept going.  I had remembered to do that whole lap thing on my Garmin, there is a bit (lap 2) where I got a bit confused and I had forgotten to turn it on again on one of the laps, but I only missed out about 100 meters.  But if you look at them splits, it's not so bad.  Each 1200 was more or less the same, (I was quicker on the second) I only done 1 800 and then those last two 400's were more or less the same too!  Yup, I am pleased with, I am not sure if that is good or not, keeping the same pace, but I felt pleased.!

Here's the geeky  stats for this session!  Oh and by the way, me and CoachPear, well we did the cool down stretches at the end!