One week, three runs, woodpeckers, sunrises and mahonias 😊🦌🏃🏼‍♀️

[GailXrunning]

Woodpeckers (lesser spotted) accompanied this week’s runs. As did the semi-naked man. M reckons he’s emulating David Cannadine, and that there’s more involved than a gym in the making of those pecs. Spotted him first on Sunday doing his moves, bare-chested, in the middle of the park. On Tuesday, he was running the circuit, bare-chested and bare-footed. Today, the same, but with what look like Pilates socks (‘twas a bit chillier, I guess). A novelty, but it’s really the woodpeckers that impress me. On Tuesday, the drumming rattled along the embankment. Today, the sound reverberated loudly around the school’s hard surfaces. And then there’s been the mahonias and the emergence of the micro-daffodils. Have continued throwing in some free-style off-track jaunts across the grass just for the fun of it, and while it’s possible to do so without wellies.

R1: 8.24km, 65:07 mins - posted on Sunday because I was so excited about my first 8km.😁

Decided to echo the distances from middle of JJMP for my other runs: a 4k and a 5k. Seemed a good idea and a way to gauge things.

R2: 4.14km, 32:55 - 7.30am; local park; feels-like 3 degrees. Another glorious cloudscape. Despite overnight rain, nice firm tracks. I started too fast and had to reel in. Two short walk intervals included. Nice run.

R3: 5.29km, 40:06 - 7.00am, local park; light frost, clear sky, tracks a bit softer but still firm. Too early or too cool for the mahonias to be releasing their scent, sadly. Three short walk intervals included, as felt right and to deal with hanky. Really nice run. Loved running through the gentle crunches of frosty grass and the long shadows in golden light. All splits were around 7:30 mins/km, which is a noticeable jump in pace. As I had to cross back to the gate, at the end, I added a few more minutes of faster running (not included in the stats, so no idea how fast). Solo.

Solo, because I wanted to get out earlier to catch the sunrise, which M isn’t inclined to do. I’m minded to continue this pursuit, and have even looked up and entered into my diary for the next few weeks all the sun-up times. I’ve absolutely loved seeing sunrises through the wintertime. We’ll see how this pans out. Rising super-early is associated in my mind with work, commuting and not-so-good sleep (knowing I’m getting up early is the problem). But I am naturally a fairly early bird, and I’m wanting to enjoy the atmospheric dramas... I just have to be a tad earlier than my body-clock.😬

Best wishes for your runs, whether real or vicarious! And special wishes for speedy recovery for VRBs on the IC.

[Peter44 Graduate10]

Sounds another good selection of runs Gail, so your an early bird then, it's strange, as i'm usualy up at 4.30 am for work, but in all this time of work, i've never done an early morning run, infact since starting c25k, only ever done evening runs, or late morning sat/sun, maybe i should try an early morning. 🤔

[GailXrunning in reply to Peter44]

Would be really interesting to see how you respond - to the change and the associations. I started c25k running at c.9am or 12. Then became earlier, in large part to avoid the crowds. Looking at my photos, lots of skies are featuring. The early rises would e fine were it not for the trend to contribute to less sleep- because I sleep less deeply and wake up more often if I know I’m getting up. 🤷🏼‍♀️🙄

[Peter44 Graduate10 in reply to GailXrunning]

Going for a short run today with my daughter, but she's still asleep! 🤷‍♂️

[GailXrunning in reply to Peter44]

Haha! Sounds like M.

[Hidden]

Love this GailX, you’ve reminded me how brilliant it is to be among the first to greet a new day, when the Summer heat arrives it really is the best time to run but why wait and waste all those glorious sunrises, ...you’ve given me a welcome nudge to schedule those sunrises in, and sometimes the sunsets too which is also a glorious time to run. 😎🤗

[GailXrunning in reply to Hidden]

Glad to be a nudge to some joyful early mornings! 🌅

[Littleoyellow Graduate10]

It sounds like you've had a really good running week Gail and I enjoyed reading about your early runs 😁 I'm a night owl myself and my sleep habits are dreadful... good luck with the early rising

[GailXrunning in reply to Littleoyellow]

Thank you, 🦉It’ll be interesting to see how I fare.

[Jools2020 Graduate10]

Great report of your runs! I’m a natural early bird and through the summer I was out of the door at about 5. It was glorious to be out that early. Now, I am missing the sunrise but I’m working towards getting out there early enough to see it!

[GailXrunning in reply to Jools2020]

Sound fantastic. We’ll see if my ambition lasts into summertime, and I’ll have to judge the safety of my routes. When the weather is good (and sometimes even when it isn’t), the light is so beautiful, and the difference between the start and end of the run fascinating to observe (and perfect for experiencing some awe!)

[Bambi2020 Graduate10]

They sound like the perfect runs to me- 4-5K , nice and early, hardly anyone around, just you and your thoughts and taking in the views. Been out this morning 8.30 to the park- plenty of runners but was starting to get busy with walkers and pram pushers as I was leaving - need to be half an hour earlier next week I think to avoid the crowd. Have a good weekend x

[GailXrunning in reply to Bambi2020]

Thanks. I’m not on my own by any stretch. That would be nice in one sense, but that there are others around means the runs feel perfectly safe. I’ll be interested to see how things look as the days extend and as vaccines roll out. And, yes, I’d say that by 8.30 we’re also hitting the busy period. Even 8.00 (I guess everyone has a similar plan)!

[RunaroundSue Graduate10]

we heard a woodpecker as we walked home from our (not)parkrun this morning

[GailXrunning in reply to RunaroundSue]

Lovely. Amazing sound, isn’t it?

[nowster Graduate10]

I was up about 7am this morning. Saw the frost on the roofs on the houses around. Decided that a lunchtime run was for me today, and went back to bed. Going out now that it's 10°C...

[GailXrunning in reply to nowster]

😂Hope it’s a good one!

[LottieMW Ambassador]

Brilliant runs! No way am I an early bird...but when I started C25k in the summer, I would go either early (ish) morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds and heat.

I have now found that I prefer morning runs...🤷🏻‍♀️

[GailXrunning in reply to LottieMW]

Ah... we all continue to find out new things and preferences. Keeps us feeling young(er)! 😉

[LottieMW Ambassador in reply to GailXrunning]

👍☺️

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

That’s a lovely round up and to see the sun rise and hear the woodpecker must be perfection Sound like you are speeding up too that’s great 😃

[GailXrunning in reply to SueAppleRun]

And without trying to increase pace (apart from those couple of minutes). Spring(time) in the step, maybe?

[Indielass00]

Like that you have planned it out in your diary GailXrunning Also catching the sunrise is a good incentive to get out of bed. I was up at 5:30am in today and I just missed out on it on my extremely short run. But was still nice to be up and about when others are still in bed. Plus got some pretty pics.

That photo of yours put a smile on my face, that wonderful yellow glow peeking through the trees.

Congrats again on your 8K 🥳

[GailXrunning in reply to Indielass00]

Thanks again! It is an incentive... although I started to balk at some of the times in my diary (remembering that I have to build in additional time for warmups).😂 I liked the clocks jumping forward, which will give me a bit longer with the more accessible early hours.