So yesterday I joined a running club....

[Katiepops]

Well you’re only supposed to do 2 trial runs with the club before joining, and I’d already done that. Admittedly both of those runs had been in the dark,in the woods, in the rain, so probably no one would recognise me and I could’ve swung a couple of extra trials wearing a long blonde wig or false moustache. In the end I stumped up my £47 for the year and now hope that I’ll use it.

The club seems friendly although there are some very serious athletes (or athletes who take it all very seriously) but they seem to think I’ll be OK in the slow group who I went out with last night. 6 miles, 6 very slow miles up steep slippery hills (I walked but so did others including the leader for safety reasons!) and across what can only be described as a quagmire of mud churned up by horses and forestry commission vehicles. After I’d seen the gloop flow over the top of one guys trail shoe and over his ankles, I negotiated a route between the trees, next to the main path. Too far from home to lose a shoe in the dark! It may have been slow but my legs know about it today!

Much hysterical laughter with grown men jumping in a stream to wash the mud off and screams when a badger (bigger animals than they look on springwatch) ran out in front of us. After a chat in the car park at the end, I’m a little concerned that I may have agreed to do a duathlon in the summer. I’ll get the bike out at the weekend and start training just in case! And it’s only a matter of time before someone else mentions that a half marathon would be a great thing to aim for! It’s certainly more fun running in a group than plodding round the same streets on my own. I can see myself improving already.

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10]

Sounds like a lot of fun! I wish I had something like that where I am (no such luck). Enjoy muckin' through the mud with these guys 😊

[Oldfloss Administrator 60minGraduate]

Sounds like huge fun! Go you.. enjoy! I had an incident with a badger.. one early morning.. don't know which of us was most surprised!!!

[Katiepops Graduate10 in reply to Oldfloss]

It ran across our path. The leader screamed like it was a wolf or maybe even a lion! I thought maybe a deer. Really surprised at the size of it. Maybe the dark was deceptive and it was actually mouse-sized! Seriously filthy when I got home. So was my partner (who has introduced me to these nutters) but that’s why we have washing machines. Rested now, ready for Parkrun in the morning!

[Lavender1962 Graduate10]

It sounds like it won’t be boring by any means! Have fun! Who knows where it will take you. 😊

[Katiepops Graduate10 in reply to Lavender1962]

I did have a fit of the giggles slopping through the mud thinking ‘what is a 56 year old ex-smoker doing trying to run up a hill, in the woods in the dark’ it all suddenly seemed mad, but in a good way! And when I think that this time last year I hadn’t even started c25k!

[SlowLoris]

I joined a club a little while back. It's really nice to have someone leading the way and people to chat to. It was quite a big leap up in mileage for me but I'm comfortable with it now.

[Katiepops Graduate10 in reply to SlowLoris]

Indeed. Some of the ‘slow’ group are the slow but never stop brigade. As in ultra marathoners. They don’t go fast but they go forever! I need a couple of days to recover from the nights fun, but they would’ve been out yesterday as well!

[Deals1 Graduate10]

Well done u!!

Sounds an amusing and tough run!! And great u have joined a club. 👍😊🏃