I’m very late with these posts although I have been reading and commenting on everyone else’s.
So... here goes! Sorry long post and possibly very boring 😆
C6 last Sunday, second run with hubbie 🏃♀️🏃 the clocks had gone back here so we were awake very early. The forecast was for rain all day from 8am 💦 so I leapt out of bed and said ‘come on we’re going now’ 😮 never thought I’d get that keen 😂 We went on a slightly different route but incorporating some of my run from last week. I couldn’t decide what to listen to and in a rush to get out the door, selected the first thing that popped up which was the BBC Sounds 33 minute Lockdown podcast...I thought I was a bit sad choosing that (always had music 🎶 before) but was keen to know how it was going to affect our boys and family at home. Hubbie lead the way and I told him to stretch out ahead if he wanted and I followed at my own pace and was fine until about 10 mins in when we came out onto a main road and quite a steep stretch of hill. I was ok whilst going up it, slow and steady 🐢 but when it levelled out it took me until 25 mins to fully recover 😖 However, we headed back into the park and at 30 mins I was very conscious of the time. The podcast finished and we were on a slight downhill bit so I shouted to my husband ‘see you at the bottom, I’ll meet you by the seat’. When we stopped he told me me we’d run 4.85 km and said ‘ if you’d just run to that tree 🌳’ pointing further along the path ‘you’d have done 5k’ 🤷♀️ oh well, at least I know I should be able to do it when I want to 🤞 We did get slightly wet walking home but I discovered that I didn’t actually mind a bit of cool drizzle 🌧 It did then pour for the rest of the day and then we had our first snow that night ❄️
C7 on Wednesday and on my own again 🏃♀️ The weather had gone from one extreme to the other 🌞 and forecast to reach 20 degrees so I was keen to get out early again. I had planned on listening to the Bruce and Dermot interview but when I tried to start it, it said ‘Not Available Outside the UK’ 🤬 So I thought I’d give NRC another go and selected a Headspace 30 minute one which I really enjoyed. I decided on another route that for the first time would take me back to the park via the creek. I’ve never run on anything other than pavements or tarmac before. I started well but it was warm and humid again so not my favourite conditions 🥵 I found myself having to run down a few steps (very carefully) to get to the path and then along through the woods by the creek on a (dry) muddy path. It made a pleasant change but I nearly tripped over a tree stump 😬 and had to be super careful on some very narrow bits. Although it was a pleasant change I was very happy to stop at 30 minutes feeling tired and hot and walked the rest of the way home.
C8 was Friday and still warm but not humid. Hubbie was working from home and looked most miffed when I said I was off out as he couldn’t come too 😕 I’d been listening to the Zoe Ball breakfast show so just decided to keep listening to that. I decided to re run Wednesdays route but cut down to the creek earlier. I was about 20 minutes in and picking my way (carefully I thought) through the leaves 🍁 🍃 and just as I was reminding myself to be careful of the tree stump I’d nearly fallen over on Wednesday, I promptly tripped over some raised roots and ended up on the floor 🙈 I immediately thought of Tinytears60 and quickly picked myself up brushed myself down and thought ‘I must keep going’ so thankfully with only a muddy left knee and sore palms and with no more than 30 seconds gone and only injured pride, I carried on feeling thankful that I didn’t think any dog walkers had spotted me 🤞Having already been delayed I thought I might as well take a photo, a first for me whilst out running, so whilst jogging on spot 👌 I managed to do so without falling over again. I even ran a couple of minutes extra at the end to ensure I’d done my 30 minutes.
I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve learnt this week and the value of consolidating. I’m still going out 3 times a week and it is definitely part of my routine now. My expectation is that I will run for 30 minutes because I know I can, even if it’s hard. I enjoy trying new routes and different terrain (albeit very limited here) and will be more adventurous from now on. I even don’t mind a bit of cooling drizzle! I’ve found I don’t have to listen to my playlists and that a podcast or Radio programme is a good alternative.
And most importantly, for my self preservation, when running through the woods I need to pick my feet up higher than I do on the pavements 😂
So onwards to another week. We’re lucky enough to be having a week away but will be thinking of all you fellow runners and hoping you’re getting through another difficult time 😟
Keep safe and keep running 🏃♀️🏃
Week 8 done and dusted
Going out with a bang! W9R3: my first 5k! 🎉 
Sunday roast, and a run 
First 5K in the bag!
