I just can’t believe I’m in w9. How did that happen? The programme is sprinting along.
This was our second rain run, but nothing like the first one (an unexpected deluge in a hurricane). Wearing a water-resistant jacket was probably excessive. M test-drove the peaked cap idea 🧢 and says it helps; I had no cap but had no major visibility issues - so verdict still out in our house on peaked-cap effectivity.
The run itself also shot by. I thought about the softer ground and the huge lakes of leaves. I observed berries on a rowan sapling; a glorious fine-leaved acer; the graffiti and harder urban structures coming into view now the park’s foliage is disappearing; a small flock of starlings chattering in trees and a bunch of crows stalking about on the grass. One of the crows turned out to be a case of misidentification and was in fact a black plastic bag. There were other runners and walkers, a bootcamp in progress, a gathering of dog walkers (or was it dog school?), and the park-keeper clearing the overflowing bin. All noted and considered, but not on the ‘awe-run’ level.
Mostly, M and I just chatted. Not especially mindful; not especially awe-oriented. Just idle chunder. Some of this was about the above. (‘Look at that... What do you they’re up to?’) We established that my warm-up was superior to that of Edinson Cavani (💪), and that Roy Keane would approve. But also that the bar set by EC was rather low. (😤). That M is surprised at how much he enjoys running. (👌) We spent some time estimating what we’d need to do to add 2 mins to the run, completely misunderstanding what each had in mind (think Keystone Cops). A double circuit of the park is just over 28 mins, perfect for w8, so the additional minutes in w9 requires some new bits without propelling ourselves too far from our ideal exit point. Complex maths and spatial skills had to be employed. We talked about the toxic 10 without experiencing it (is there a connection there?) We talked about breathing and how it varied different points. About athletes and oxygen starvation. About beetrooting. M believes he ran faster at the end of the run, and, as I was just behind, that would mean I did too. We’ve no proof, however. (My plan is to check some of these stats on CR1. I’m keeping things simple for the moment. Some say don’t look ahead in the the programme- and sometimes that’s appropriate- but we’re getting giddy as we see graduation in reach. So having set my main purpose for CR1 is pretty cunning, huh? Ha! That’ll show those c25k-app smilies and the gremlins that lurk behind them!) That took us 30 minutes.
Happy running!!! 🏃🏼♀️ 🏃🏿♂️ 🏃🏿
W9R1 and 1st Parkrun
W9R1
W9R1
W9R1 Great Run👍
