On why getting up earlier is better...

[Miss_T_Ide]

This morning, after a bad night's sleep (my lower back keeps stiffening up and wakes me up when it gets too uncomfortable), I didn't actually get up until after 7am when my little boy was shouting his head off in his room. Luckily Daddy is home again so he did the clean bottom thing while I went and let the chickens out (poor things) and made myself a cup of tea and got some milk for Ben. I normally set out for my run between about 6:30am and 7:15am (and I consider it late if I don't leave until 7:15!), but this morning it was after 8am.

What can I say? I'm not doing it at that time again. If I don't get up in time to go at my usual time then I'll leave it another hour complete, I think, when all the kiddiwinks are safely in school. Young children are not, it seems, terribly aware of other people outside their own group and there were loads of them walking through the park to the local school. And some on scooters. And some on bicycles. There were also some (grown-up) dog-walkers, but they are much more aware of their surroundings.

Anyway, it was the start of Week 9 and, stiff back or no, I was determined to run. I made sure I started at a marked line on the path (it was the 50m line) and off I went. I managed to dodge most of the children until, with less than 5 mins to go, I encountered a group of children who were walking 4 abreast. The one nearest me was swinging his bag to his side trying to dislodge a branched stick that had become entangled in the string. I moved to the outside of him, but he continued swinging his bag with the result that it went over my right foot and I found that I was taking his bag along for the run. I had to stop (grrr!) to disentangle my foot, but started off again as soon as I was free. When Laura told me I had just 60s to go I upped my pace again. So I did 9 times round the park plus 150m (total 4.2K) in 30 mins. Probably would have been more but for the hiccup.

So I've started week 9. Graduation is in sight. Hope I can keep my running mojo once I've run out of podcasts!

[Caz9 Graduate]

Well done on negotiating the 'obstacles'. I also go out for my run early in the morning - I'm usually out by 6.45am and back around 7.30am in time to shower and take my daughter to the station for her 8.10 train! I used to go out after I'd dropped her at the station, but like you, found too many kids/parents/bicycles in the way. I much prefer the earlier time but it doesn't give me much room to increase my mileage, short of getting up even earlier - which I may have to do, as I'm contemplating entering the B'ham half marathon in October!

Keep going, only 2 more runs until you graduate.

[Oldgirl Graduate]

Wow 9 times around your park you must have been dizzy trying to dodge all those little people by the time you had finished.

Just a point on your painful stiff back though, I had an accident 14 years ago and now have a lower back problem which I have to be careful of. My Pilates teacher gave me a back stretch to do after my runs, if you want to give this a try.

I always do leg stretches but now have added this one to my routine stretch after runs.

Standing upright cross right foot over left placing your feet side by side facing forward, now raise your right arm over your head and lean towards the left and stretch left hand downwards. Don't bounce, just try and deepen the stretch a little further each time, holding for a count of 20-30. You should feel a nice stretch up the righthand side of your upper body and into your back.Come back to an upright position slowly and uncross feet.

Now repeat the stretch by crossing left over right, lift left arm above your head and lean sideways to the right, feeling the stretch on the left side this time. Doing these stretches has helped to losen off my back which often felt tight and would sometimes ache after a long run.

Give this simple exercise a try, I hope it helps a bit. Good luck for the rest of week 9, hope its child free the next time.

[Miss_T_Ide Graduate in reply to Oldgirl]

Thanks. I'll try that stretch. I usually go straight to the stairs to stretch my (super-tight) calves, so I'll add that one for my back.

[Oldgirl Graduate in reply to Miss_T_Ide]

I do my legs and hip stretches then finish with the back ones, hope they help even if its just a little.