QUELLE SURPRISE?: After yesterdays cheeky 3K... - Couch to 5K

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QUELLE SURPRISE?

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate
23 Replies

After yesterdays cheeky 3K, having taken a week out to get over some niggly leg pains, I awoke this morning thinking - "I know I should have a days rest, but...I'm gonna go for a run!"

The weather was dull and grey, certainly not like yesterdays sunny offering but despite that, I strapped on everything I needed to complete my Super Dan costume (God, that sounds sooooo dodgy doesn't it? But you guys know what I mean right?.....Right?!) and headed downstairs to get some fuel. Mrs Dan had bought a new juicer, having destroyed the previous one, so I made a beetroot, apple, carrot and ginger sludgy glass of jollop. Swallowed said concoction (deeelish by the way) and headed oot the door.

Today I was going to do 5K. I felt ready for it and headed off towards the river Thames path. Hardly any people were around and the usual bunch of dudes who stand by the Thames with their fishing rods, were absent today. I must say I wouldn't want to eat the fish out of the Thames at Richmond Lock. Yucksville Arizona! Anyway, enough of my digression - I made a right turn at around the first K and headed up towards the main road. I was feeling pretty good - legs were feeling ok, breathing good and I was going along at a nice regular pace. I kept telling myself "Slow down Dan. Make this energy last the distance, you twonk!" I slowed down but after about 6 seconds I was back to my usual speed. Perhaps we all have our "natural" speed cos I find it hard to go reeeeally slow. Some folks on her have said my "slow" speed is their "fast" speed so I guess we are ALL different.

K2 was fine. K3 took me across the park which last week was like a lake! Completely flooded. But today I could see the path stretching all the way back to the Thames path and this was my destination. I was definitely not aware of being fast, in fact I would say I felt I was "feeling" this run at this point - definitely getting a bit huffy and puffy. Despite this I pressed on and reached the river once again and turned left towards Richmond Bridge. This was K4 people, normally a pretty good one for me cos I was all warmed up and fluid in my movements. Four alarmingly attractive ladies were out on their power walk, all dressed head to toe in lycra and for a split second I hoped they might wolf whistle at me in my clingy running leggings as I ran past them. Damn and blast they didn't!!!! They kept on talking in loud voices and all I heard was - "Oh yah, but you're really good at skiing. We go out on the slopes around 11 and then have a long lunch until 2 and then......" These ladies were VERY Richmond-Upon-Thames ladies (ie. rich as ****!)

I reached Richmond Bridge, having got over the disappointment of the lack of wolf whistling from the rich beeatches and today I decided to RUN up the steps. GOD! OH MY GOD!! IT nearly killed me. What the hell was I thinking? Running up loads of steps? NUTTER DAN!! Once I reached the summit, I spluttered into a run once again and nearly collided with a tall bloke who was also on his morning run. Whooooahh!!! "Sorry!" I wheezed.

Right....the final K. Numeró 5. It was during this final kilometre that I started thinking about my PB for this distance. It was back last July and I clocked a 27'28 which I could not believe cos I haven't got anywhere close to that since. AND I was over a stone heavier back then too. Today I was 16lbs lighter, yet the dream of beating that time is still way off. "Don't think about it Dan" I scolded myself. "Forget PB's. Just run in the great outdoors, breathe the air, keep fit and burn some calories."

God, I do speak some sense to myself sometimes!

I reached my "STOP" mark (a lamppost) and walked briskly home. I sneaked my phone out of my pocket and noticed I'd run 5.6K. I didn't notice the timings cos it doesn't list them until you've pressed STOP on the app. IN the front door and the gorgeous smell of homemade vegetable soup cooking on the stove in the kitchen greeted my nostrils. "I'm baaaack!" I yelled. "How did it go then?" said Mrs Dan. "It was good thanks." I replied as I was looking at my stats. Then suddenly, my jaw dropped.

"Blimey!" I yelped - "What?" said Mrs Dan. I stared at my phone and said "I can't believe this. This must be wrong?" Somehow, I had just run 5K in 26'36, almost a minute faster than last July! One of the K's was in 4'01 for gawds sake?? WTF?!!!

I still can't quite believe this and think that perhaps the GPS didn't register my progress properly, but I didn't go on any unusual route. I had run this one LOADS of times and Endomondo had never let me down, so maybe it IS real?! So what joy when I looked online at my Endomondo page and saw a list of little GOLD CUPS beside each distance - 1K, 1 mile, 3K and 5K denoting a PB for each one.

Time for a personal conga I think! Yeeeehaaaaaaa!

Tally ho folks!

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danzargo profile image
danzargo
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23 Replies
misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate

Well done Dan the Man! Da da da da da da da doing the conga with ya. Home made soup to celebrate with too. Wooohoo!

Is Yucksville anywhere near Dullsville? LOL

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply tomisswobble

Why, Yucksville is right next door to Dullsville! (speak in deep Southern accent)

Nilzed profile image
Nilzed in reply todanzargo

Southern accents? In Arizona? NO, says the southern girl.

Beek profile image
BeekGraduate

So you had a good run then! ENJOY those feelings for as long as possible! WELL DONE YOU with your new PB! Fantastic! Conga already started! We're all joined in.

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toBeek

Thanks Beek!

Tomas profile image
TomasGraduate

Well done you, and big congratulations!

helcl profile image
helclGraduate

I needed a chuckle this morning so thank you :) you should write a running blog.

And congratulations on all your pb's.

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply tohelcl

That's very kind of you helcl. Appreciate it.

Hules profile image
HulesGraduate

Big congrats! Loving your posts- you are tooooo funny!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toHules

****BLUSHING*****

no-excuse profile image
no-excuseGraduate

Hey that's great, must be all that juicy goodness x

aliboo70 profile image
aliboo70

Another great post, always look for them as they're so funny!!But i should be doing my errands and be out in the sunshine giving my car its pre MOT yearly wash but couldn't resist! Well done Super Dan on all those PBS!! Sounds like a great run! I'm doing my 2nd Parkrun for graduation tomorrow, so far on my new Garmin i'm nearly 2 mins behind my 1st parkrun time, must be everyone jollying me along, will try nor to look at my watch too often to see how i'm doing!!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toaliboo70

How incredibly sweet of you! Thanks. GOOD LUCK tomorrow and make sure you son't look at your garmin so often that you fall ar*se over t*t at the finish line! Hahahahaha!!

Oldgirl profile image
OldgirlGraduate

Crikey Dan you were flying, did you have your cape on, cos if so that's wind assisted and not in the rules!?! :) Very well done, it just goes to show sometimes a period of rest does much more good than plodding on with aches and pains. Sub 26 minutes next? ;)

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toOldgirl

OldGirl STOP IT! Sub 26? My name isn't AFTABS for gawds sake Hahahaha! But seriously, I was agog. Still am. I'm sure being lighter helps though.

Oldgirl profile image
OldgirlGraduate in reply todanzargo

Well just look at Mo, not an ounce of excess on him so it must work :)

ju-ju- profile image
ju-ju-Graduate

The legs are finally submitting...and wow they are going some...it must be the tight pants and socks combo- I must get some!!! That time is incredible, you must be so so pleased...well done Mr Dan!!! And what a fab blog ( Oh to be a lady of Richmond again!!!)

Poppy2010 profile image
Poppy2010Graduate

Juice & soup & lots of pb's ; what an inspiration DZ! Conga away, thoroughly deserved :-)

Rockette profile image
Rockette

Well done dan !

You mention the vegetable soup again - still awaiting recipe please. Glad your run went well. Best wishes.

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply to

How remiss of me. Apologies for that! Vegetable stock, then bung carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onions and celery into a pot. Boil. Then add can of haricot beans or butter beans and once cooled a bit, blend into a soup! Ta daaaaa!!

in reply todanzargo

Many thanks. It's not too unlike the one I already make but I am always on the lookout for new veg soup recipes. It's great on cold days and counts as one of the 'five a day'. Regards.

Tinyrun profile image
TinyrunGraduate

Splendid stuff Dan. Reading your post I imagined The Rocky music playing when you were running up those steps. I'm surprised your legs didn't feel like jelly afterwards. The Richmond sloanes don't know what they are missing.

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