We thought Armistice Day was an appropriate date for our little Southsea bubble to set off on our Poppy Run. UpTheStanley and I had pledged to run 10k and Oldgirlruns was to run 5k in her second virtual run of the year. The venue of choice was the Billy Trail, a disused railway line on nearby Hayling Island. I have great fondness for this area as it is where I ran my long runs on my first journey to 10k 2 years ago.
We were wearing our Poppy Run T-shirts, which looked rather long on me. 😂 I was to set off first with the plan to all meet at the end. It was a dull day with a breeze against us in the first 4.3k to where the station would have been. The track is for walkers, (with or without dogs) cyclists, horses and, of course, runners. I saw them all today, some of them several times as I changed direction at 4.3k, 5k and 5.7k. A young lady ran towards me like a gazelle wearing the same Poppy Shirt, she was doing 13.5 (km or miles?) and we wished each other luck as we passed. I saw a heron sitting in a pond surveying his surroundings. Then 2 horses 🐎 🐎 approached me, so I walked along a narrow path while I was alongside them in case the swoosh of a tornado (not) startled them. Just after 3k I heard UTS approaching and he whizzed by as a UTS does. I saw a squirrel 🐿 collecting acorns and lots of birds had gathered by the waters edge. There were birdwatchers with enormous zoom lenses on their cameras checking them out. There were loads of puddles along the Sandy/stoney or muddy route, but despite wearing trail shoes I still zig zag to avoid running through them. A little toddler was crying because he’d got mud on his trousers so his mum was encouraging him to have a splash in the next puddle to make it worthwhile.
UTS and I met several times as we did the to and fro which ensured we completed the 10k at our usual bench.
A cyclist encouraged me saying “you’ve got the wind behind you now”. It funny how you can always feel the wind against you but it doesn’t seem to be there at all when it’s behind you. All was going well though and my buff was working overtime mopping my sweaty face. I chewed on a pitted date to help keep me going for the last few Kms and then I saw UTS walking towards me and we ran my last 500m in together.
According to Mr Strava I had PBs on both the south and north stretches and my time was 1:15.38. I am very happy with that as I ran it in 1:17 on two previous occasions. We met OGR at the car as we wanted to do the 2 minutes silence together at 11.00. Coincidentally Mr & Mrs @coddfish had decided to run 7k along this trail this morning too, so it was lovely to share this moment with them at a distance.
I am very proud of my poppy bubble and the most important thing of all was that we reminded people that today was a special day, and we have raised the grand sum of £330 for the Royal British Legion.
We presented OGR with her Poppy Medal, which I am sure you will see in another post.
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Dexy5
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Sounds like you all had an interesting time Dexy5 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♂️👍 Hopefully the Royal British Legion will have done well from all the Poppy Runs that are being done🙂🤞 It’s unlikely to make up for the shortfall this year but we’re doing our bit😊
Thanks cheeky. That must have been really moving singing at the concert last year. I have to admit, I shed a tear every year when I watch the festival of remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
Excellent run for you Dexy5, UTS and OGR, a really nice photo of all 3 of you and a big congratulations on raising £330 for The Royal British Legion.
I couldn't run a Poppy Run but as today is the 11th of the 11th I decided to run a 11K which I began just before 11 minutes past 8, during the run I was cheered by a man who shouted at me "you are doing very well" I replied back, thank you, that made my run even more enjoyable. 😊 🏃🏾
Yes , this is one of my favourite places to run Shake-and-run, and it changes with the seasons. It was high tide when we arrived but as the tide ebbed away some wading birds appeared and were searching for food in the shallows . There are 2 warner hotels south of where we ran so it’s quite popular (in normal times)
Great stuff Dexy5 UTS and OGR. A wonderful thing to do. My 14k took place in a horrible wind, so there were very few people around, all well wrapped up, so I stood out a bit in shorts and a couple of tops!! 1:34:35 was a new Pb at this distance. I took an energy drink with me for once; seemed to give me a bit of a boost! No coffee today; there was a bit of a queue and I felt the cold as soon as I stopped running. Good day to run though; well done the Southern Branch.👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you Beachcomber66. Yes I feel the cold very quickly after a long run too, although I suspect it was a bit warmer down here at12c. I was glad to have extra layers and fresh shoes in OGR’s Car boot. We also took a flask of coffee for after the 2 Minutes silence.
Well done on your 14k, you are doing brilliantly since your return from the IC.
Thanks for your kind words, folks. It was a run of three halves for me, 3k going nicely, 3k pretty dire (especially ks 5 & 6), and 4k respectable. Strangely the wind was against me at the start and with me at the end, though you wouldn’t think so from the times. The middle section was not helped by me deciding the midpoint of a 10k run came at 4.5k ...... 🙄
which meant two more u-turns as I tried to correct the error. Anyone would think I was in the cabinet 😀
Anyway the upshot was a 54’17” run, well off my PB but within my acceptability limits. More importantly, Operation Poppy successfully completed 👍 and a good time had by all!
Great report Dexy and congratulations to you, UTS and OGR for what sounds like a really interesting run and a nice sum raised for a very good cause 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks. UTS and I did this 2 years ago so we wore the T-shirts at parkrun last year too. They are cotton so I wear a technical top underneath, but it is like a mini dress on me.
Doing ok thanks Dexy, am picking up my running again, which dropped right off due to our strong, wintry Wellington winds I can handle rain and the cold but not all 3 together! and I ran a Remembrance 5k yesterday. I’ve been doing daily yoga since March which is is fantastic and although I lost that 3kg, it went back on again (jaffa cakes, jelly babies, choc brownies, pinot gris ........ 😂 Summer must arrive soon. 🤞
That’s great news Lexi, and summer days will be with you soon. Well done on your Remembrance Run too.
I’m with you with the up and down weight. But you will soon be back on salads, while I will be heading for winter comfort Food. I’ll just have to keep on running!
Looking forward to salads again, could be very expensive this summer as we have a huge problem here with the border closure overseas pickers are not allowed in to the country this year so produce will be left to rot in the fields. ☹️ Will be $38.99 a kilo courgettes again.
My goodness. Do you have a garden Lexi? My brother in law grows courgettes and they are eating them all summer as well as giving them to all the neighbours.
We have a decent sized garden, but we’re a bit stuck with the dogs and fence off just a small area for veges, as Harry keeps breaking through and plucking the cherry tomatoes😂 He loves his vege. Will definitely expand when they’ve gone. Nothing like home grown.
Just catching up before work today- great picture and I love disused railway tracks - flat, straight and plenty of time to contemplate. Great work for the Poppy Appeal and great times
Well done to you all! So good for many reasons. I am losing the plot Dexy! How many 10ks have you managed since your skiing accident? You super star you! 🌟🏃♀️ I won't be talking to my physio until Nov 23rd, so no running at least until then that will be 4½months since my fall. Oh! ....
Hello over61, this is my 3rd now, the last 2 being virtual runs for cancelled races. I can definitely say I am back to normal fitness. I am not back to speed on 5k yet but that will come with parkrun I am sure. One day.....
4½ Months is a long time for you, but it sounds like you had a very bad injury. I hope your physio gives you the go ahead for a slow return to running as soon as possible. I hope your exercise programme is going well.
I thought that I may have noticed 3 amazing 10ks! Seems a very long way off to me! I am doing all my exercises, but I know my stamina will be down. I am really hoping that I can persuade my husband to start C25k with me. He hates the thought of running. He has breathing trouble but after reading how Irish John has 'cured' his double asthma by running, I shall live in hope that I can somehow encourage my husband to give it a go. What fun that would be! 😊 Happy running to you. 🏃♀️😊
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
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