I woke up this morning, having made sure that everything I needed was charged or ready to put on, but after a sleepless night was having second thoughts! Threw on my dressing gown at 5.50 a.m., made tea and took it back back to my room. Sat on the bed to drink it. Well, what’s the harm if you lie down for 10 minutes, said the gremlin. I did. Do you need to go today, said another. You’re meeting your friend later, she likes walking up hills and you’ll get even more tired. Managed to ignore them and put on my running clothes.
I don’t know the area well for running, although I grew up here. I’d had a look at plotaroute.com last night and found a reasonably flat 5K route. I was now having doubts - could I even manage 5K? I decided to do a really slow 5K.
Wearing a long sleeved running top and tights, I stepped out of the front door. Nope, it’s cold. Probably about minus one. Quickly went back for my jacket, neck buff and gloves! Trademark sun visor, of course. Quick look in the mirror and I groan with disgust at my hair! Definitely won’t be gorgeous again until I can get my hair done 😂.
Off I go on my warm up walk, confident now and remembering my route! I realise I haven’t done my warm up exercises and stop walking to do them, they are so important. Exercises done, music started 🎶 and press start on my watch! I’m off. And it’s downhill slightly! I’m enjoying being out in the early morning. I follow my route exactly as I planned it and I’m surprised that there are footpaths here. On both sides! It feels odd, I’m so used to running on the road.
I see about 12 other runners, some of them more than once. I say ‘good morning’ to all of them, and they do all respond, but I notice that none of them greets me first.
There are a few upward slopes and I don’t enjoy them, my split times reflect the slowing down, but I keep going, dropping my cadence to cope. I can’t remember when my legs ever ached on a run! I tell myself that I’ll get used to it and it will be good for my endurance.
A glance at my watch tells me that if I increase pace slightly I might be able to manage a sub 40 minute 5K. I know that the last km is downhill (slightly) so decide to go for it! That will help a lot, I’m getting tired. I run past where I live with half a km to go. Cross the road to take a left turn down a slightly steeper hill. The run is over and I stop the watch. I see with great satisfaction that I did manage to run 5K in under 40 minutes! I don’t even mind walking back up the hill. Home, stretches and coffee!
While making my coffee I realise that I actually feel GREAT! 😊👍
Written by
Jools2020
Graduate10
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Oh yes. They were quite insistent this morning, but I knew I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t run today. I can’t get back to my former fitness by giving in to the gremlins!
Thanks, Ian. I hope you’re right, otherwise my routes around the built up areas will quickly get boring. At some stage I’m going to have to run down into the valley and run back up again!! 🥵
Congratulations on that sub 40 minute 5K Jools, nice to see other runners as well, most are probably listening to music while they run, that is why some ignore you.
Well done on kicking those gremlins into touch. And well done on that 5k. 👍 I know it's not your favorite distance. And not a bad time either considering you had some inclines to deal with 👏👏👏
Well done on beating those gremlins and completing your 5k Jools 👏🏻👏🏻 I always seem to be the first one to greet fellow runners too for some reason. Maybe they’re too busy worrying about their stats 🤷♂️
Ah that’s different. It’s like pressing a switch. I’m a Londoner. True cockney, so I’m told! Born as the Bow bells were chiming midnight. It was a windy night and you could hear them from Paddington.
Those flipping gremlins,i didn’t realise when they slunk off from here they made their way over to your way, what a good run though! A sub 40 min is something to make you grin, glad you felt great after
Yes, they certainly did 🤣. I was pleased with the sub 40 minutes. I want to do a Park Run in June, so although I’m not really fond of the distance, I need to do it more often.
I like 5k but seem to be slowing down week by week, Parkrun would be good and sub 40 awesome, my fastest ever was 40 min 44sec and i can’t get close to that now
I found my 5K improved when I was doing longer runs! Then suddenly, after a 2 week break I went out and felt good - and got a PB. To my amazement, I went out 2 days later and smashed that PB. My best time is 35:41. I usually have a long spell before I feel brave enough to have a go at the PB! I couldn’t do that now - but after a few long runs I’ll have another go 😊
I like the king runs but being very slow they take so long to and Willow likes the shorter runs so we do those together, we have been lazy over winter I do admire your dedication we often think about going for a run then don’t, I always want to run in a day off but sadly a few people have gone sick and i’m filling i.
Thank you, Sola. I’ve skipped a lot of runs in the last few weeks but I’m really trying to get back on track! Sometimes we can’t do anything about other things along the way that stop us running,
Omg how exciting is that!!! Yaay best news ever!! I had three hours of absolute bliss getting mine done today, I literally feel like a new women amazing what a hair cut and colour can do!
Yes, time to update it! I think my Strava pic is a couple of months old. The one on here was taken after I completed the virtual Vitality 10,000 late last year. Pretty current 😊
Hah! You’ll soon be whipping those inclines into shape...just like you saw off those gremlins!
Honestly though, you will get used to them...even my little walk around the houses has a gain of 55m! My flattest Lockdown Run route for 5k had a gain of 39m.
Anyway...well done on a sub 40 minutes 5k...I’m not surprised that you felt good after!
Thank you. I couldn’t help feeling satisfied with the route. I planned it the night before and because I know the area it was easy to run it. I’ll soon settle in here.
Surprisingly hilly! My daughter just bought a place really near you there. I plotted a 5k from hers and it was up or down in every direction! I settled for straight along the main road to West Wycombe; still undulating but nothing too dramatic!!! Well done for slaying all those gremlins 👍👏
I had thought of running along the west Wycombe road. To get back up to Downley, though, it has to be up! Plomer Hill is the Hill of Doom I think. I had trouble walking up there when I was a paper girl !
I only know those streets from taking my three children on driving test routes - the Pastures in particular being very steep with tight turns forever etched in my memory. No one wants to run up a hill like that at the end of their run😱 If you have access to a car, the Rye is nice and green and flat (home to the local park run).
I tend to go to Black Park for parkrun - I live between it and the Rye one, but BP doesn't have steps 😀😀😀 Your hills will be great training for those steps 💪👍
Well done Jools. Have you moved? I live in Devon and there are hills everywhere. I remember asking for advice about them when I did C25K and Ianoda Truffle said 'the hills are your friends' because they build stamina etc. For a long time every time I approached a hill I would repeat 'the hills are your friends... the hills are your friends'. Strangely, it helped! 😊
Nice run Jools. I'm sure you'll feel much more settled once you've sorted out some good running routes.Glad to hear you're getting the urban runners to say good morning. Everyone greets everyone here in rural Norfolk but it was rare when I lived in urban Kent.
Thanks - I’ll soon get them all round to saying good morning to me! It’s funny, there are obviously a lot of runners but it doesn’t seem like it’s a running community. I suppose it’s easier in a small village.
I think people are more reserved in towns and suburbs. I have no idea who these people are - often cyclists, walkers and runners but they almost always offer a greeting. In built up areas they are more usually surprised by a 'good morning' and in cities they are likely to just think I'm weird (which I am, but not because I say hello 😊)
Yes! It was exactly like that where I lived before. But I’ve decided not to change my behaviour. I might be the bright spot in someone’s day! ( in retrospect that’s unlikely 😂).
I wish I could say I was superb at running up hills! 🤣 But I did get some practice last year when you were meant to exercise from home. I don't post that frequently as my runs seem quite ordinary. But maybe I'll see you around...
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