CR1: on-the-other-side run 🌗🌓+ stat-curious results + ❤️NHS dog-portrait mosaic

[GailXrunning]

Well, here we are ‘on the other side’. The local vixens kept me awake well into the wee hours - it’s THAT time of year, so it was a slow start at 9.45. 🦊🦊🦊

For my first consolidation run, I’d decided to test-drive Runkeeper to gauge where we were at for future reference, and, to keep things simple, nothing else. No Laura. And.... no smilies!!! Now, I’ve nothing against smilies as such, and use them liberally, but I definitely have a bit of a problem when it comes to smilie scales. Some fellow runners struggle with alarm clocks; my psychological hurdle has been the c25k app smilie scale. Tripped me up every time; it was the focus of multiple mini-crises of confidence and generated an array of superstitious responses (in one not inclined to superstition). So this was a liberation. Wow, did that feel good!

It was an absolutely beautiful morning for running here, with low-raking sunshine, clear blue sky and wonderfully crisp air. Along the park’s shaded side, the light caught the dew to create a series of diamanté lawns, punctuated by reflection pools on the fallen plane leaves, and alternating with the avenue of long shadows from the trees. Heart-jumping dazzling - literally and metaphorically.

I congratulated a magpie on its perfect ground landing with a hop and a skip. On our first circuit, a parakeet made itself known by call alone (the usual screechy squark but followed by a complex chatter that included sounds close to the great tit’s squeaky gate). Try as we might, we couldn’t see it, but on the second turn, in the same tree, it proudly displayed itself, emerald plumage and rose-red beak 🦜. We exchanged smiles and it seemed to be cheering me along.

And so the run continued. When, at the end, I stopped Runkeeper, up popped a smiley scale. 😫

The stats? 🏃‍♀️🏃🏻🏃‍♀️🏃🏻

A 30-minute run was 3.9 km with an average pace of 7.55 mins/km. A further breakdown showed km by km av pace varying 7.55, 7.32, 8.02, 8.10. I did some running on the spot to get the photo in the third quarter, and consciously slowed because I was catching my breath while talking to the magpie. Fastest periods coincide with parakeets, diamanté lawns and more admiring of glistening things as I ran directly into the sun.

🦜💎☀️

📸The photo is of a mosaic, one of a group. They’re all portraits of the dogs who come to the park. 🐾 This one is the newest (2020) and celebrates ❤️NHS. Seems especially fitting to commemorate my first consolidation and to say a big thank you to c25k.

Happy running, everyone! 🏃🏿‍♂️🏃‍♀️🏃🏻🏃🏾‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️

[Imoca]

What a wonderful mosaic.

Sounds like a lovely run, and it's good to know your pace.

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Imoca]

It was really lovely.

My pace is not a patch on yours! Not that that’s the point [she said clambering back to something approaching a more chilled yogic state 🧘‍♂️]

[Imoca in reply to GailXrunning]

I beg to differ lady. You are a lot faster than me. I'm more like a hippotamus pony hybrid monster thing. I hope you don't meet one of them when you're next spotting on the flora and fauna 😳

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Imoca]

🤣 You mean those stats signal I’m moving faster than I realise. Now that would be something.

Btw Love hippo pony hybrid monster things! (Wanna see one!) 🦛🐴💕

[Peter44 Graduate]

Sounds like another good run, i still dont know how you can take so much in, and remember it 🤣 it's all i can do to take a picture, and those times look pretty good to me! 😀

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Peter44]

Thanks, P. I’m always kicking myself about the bits I forget! (Mind you, that spares you from longer posts.) When something really ‘pricks’, as they say, when I spend time really enjoying it, then it sticks. Still, so much quickly slips away. (I bet you can recall tons from Saturday afternoon’s post-run football-fest!)

📸The photo reveals that I was running on the spot (can’t be stopping mid-run!) and perhaps that I’m not keeping my hips well balanced 😂🤣😂⚖️ Or that I’m just a crap photographer. Or an experimental one.

[Peter44 Graduate in reply to GailXrunning]

Blimey, even your replies make me laugh 🤣, need that, just done another 32 mins tonight, hard to get into it, was thinking about incontinence pants, for my mum, at the care home, most of the way round 🤣, slow pace too average pace 8.18/km! 🐌🐌🐌, oh well, another one done anyway!

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Peter44]

Ah, Peter, it’s so sad to watch once bright and active family members decline. I’m glad to have brought a little bit of cheer with my crazy ramblings.

And, as you say, that’s another CR under your belt, and they say we should keep them slow and steady. Rock on 🐌 🐌 🐌!

[Peter44 Graduate in reply to GailXrunning]

Oh, and the football wasnt all that either! 🤣

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Peter44]

Darn! Just when you really need some good footie it’s always guaranteed to be the most boring of games.

[acountrycabbage Graduate]

Congrats on your graduation Gail! 👏🏼🏆

I *love* that wall! 😍🐾😍 Best of luck with your onwards journey.

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to acountrycabbage]

It’s brilliant, isn’t it! One of a group. I’ll plan to snap the others for all the dog lovers. I think only this one celebrates the NHS, presumably connected to the pandemic.

And thank you, cc - I’m so proud and so looking forward to the next steps. Who’d ever have thought id be here? Not even the most optimistic part of me in w1. Just focussing now on a few weeks of CRs before aiming at (or at least towards) the obvious next milestone (5k).

[Bambi2020 Graduate]

Aww , sounds like you had a lovely consolidation run- another good 30minutes. Smilies on the app were never a problem for me- it was the sad crying face every time from me! 😢😁

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Bambi2020]

Haha! By ‘smilies’, I mean all them, in a row... smiling or frowning, ordered from miserable to ecstatic. But, yes, this is clearly one of my idiosyncratic foibles. The smiley scale just provokes a remarkable amount of anxiety in me 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷. And I’ve spent way too much time thinking (and writing) about it, I realise.

I have even caught myself daydreaming scenarios at the funfair aiming at them lined up in the ‘shoot’ tent. Probably best not let Sigmund Freud get to work on that. Thankfully, it’s never happened during a run.

🤣I think I can laugh at this (and myself) now, though. 😅

[Jools2020 Graduate]

Well done for your first consolidation run! I couldn’t deal with the smilies at all - I think there might have been one with a straight line for a smile and I just went for that one. Every time!

It’s good to time yourself so you can see your improvement. Your times are pretty good!

Loved your observations 👍

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Jools2020]

Thanks, Jools2020. Yes, that middling one - that became my default choice, but then that too made me start to worry (‘am I too non-committal’, ‘am I undermine myself before I start’... you get the drift). Cripes, here I go again rumination those darn smiley scales!

I’m aghast (but also secretly thrilled) to hear that these times are ‘pretty good’. That would be the second to last one on the scale, no? (Oops!)😉

[Jools2020 Graduate in reply to GailXrunning]

😂

[LottieMW Ambassador]

Welcome to the other side and well done 👍I don’t think I’ve broken the 8minute barrier yet! 😂

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to LottieMW]

Thank you. 🙏 Still pinching myself. How did that happen? There I was, waving at all the older kids over the wall in the big playground, and then I found myself beamed over. 🤣😉

😂 You know, that point about stats is so reassuring. You take on some significant inclines in you runs, I think? Mine are about 2m max!

Funny too to find myself no longer in stat-ignorant bliss. But I can see that it’s useful to be able to track progress over time.

[LottieMW Ambassador in reply to GailXrunning]

😂 sadly more or less flat since welsh local lockdown ended 😬

[Rennur Graduate]

No Laura!Apparently she is on the stepping stones podcasts which we can use soon.

I will go back to her. I'm too loyal.

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Rennur]

Haha! I definitely still have room in my life for Laura. She’ll be back.

[Buddhagal Graduate]

Good morning GailX...I've been awaiting your run...on the other side😁. And...you've said goodbye to Laura also😭😭I told Peter44 he was scandalous for ditching his loyal companion, the woman who'd been by his side for weeks. Looks like it might be time I let go of her hand, now I'm on the other side...and join the big boys and big girls club. Another beautifully written post... I've been on another majestical run with you. Gosh..I wish I had your amazing recall..Or are you just so chilled when you're running, you're able to capture all those exquisite moments. Whatever it is you're on....I want some 😁😁😂. Crikey what a fantastic pace....you're virtually flying with the magpies and parakeet....that was impressive, well done you👏👏👏👏. Enjoy the rest of your CR's....looking forward to the next installment. 😁😁😁🦌🐢🐌🏃‍♀️🙋

[GailXrunning Graduate in reply to Buddhagal]

Hi there!!🙋🏼

Haha! It didn’t seem too big a step since Laura wasn’t saying much by w9. However, having run without her yesterday, I can say that the few words she does say in w9 are well worth it. Way better than a digital voice barking out stats every 10 mins. (I’d set Runkeeper to do that as part of experiment, but will be more discerning in future.) I do know that I prefer audio timekeeping to clock-watching though; seems easier to ‘let go’.

Recall?😂🤣😂 I have a fading memory in all routine things, like the word for a carrot or key or plate. I just wave my arm in their direction incoherently and mumble half sentences. Sometimes barely that. M gets quite impatient/ amused (depending). I think the difference with the runs is that I’m ‘throwing myself’ towards the things I mention, if that makes sense? It’s the crazy spirit of joy and fun that sticks. Plus there’s more unpressured time for the words to come to mind when writing. 😃😁😊

I’ve no idea what the pace means (yet), but I sense this knowledge is the end of my sweet innocence. 😇🌗👹😂😬

Happy running, Bg! May your CR2 be a brilliant one!🙋🏼🙋🏼🙋🏼🦌🦌🦌

[Buddhagal Graduate in reply to GailXrunning]

NO...I can't do clock watching, that would spoil the run for me. I liked having Laura do all that business for me. I must have a look at Runkeeper..not sure if having stats flying around my head will help🤷🤷🤷?? The stats....well 3.9k seems bloody marvellous to me👍😁...but then so is 30 mins of running. Keep up the autobiography...I love it. Cheers Gail.🦌🐢🐌🏃‍♀️🙋