Wk 8 done & dusted no thanks to the Czech Republic or that Julie whom we've all had enough of!!! The end is nigh and time is running out!!!

[psarapsych]

Well.... after all your help and support 8/1 was wonderful. The day I'd planned for 8/2 was in the afternoon after a really mind boggling day lecturing to 42 mobile phones and yes, Delia, iPads too!!! The students were a bonus!!!

Anyway, so boggled was I that I ended up on the wrong train home - basically the conductor told me the next stop was on the Czech Republic border (Breclav) - bang went my early arrival home - the conductor saw my white, drained face and delivered the next blow - "you'll be at Payerbach-Reichenau by 19.30 - it was currently 16.00 - arrrrrggghhh.

I gave in gracefully and drank delicious Czech wine, At Breclav I had to wait for an hour for the train towards home - I had my running gear with me but didn't fancy sitting in the train feeling sweaty and cold. I whiled the time away by finding a fantastic restaurant with the best fries I have ever tasted :-). Anyway I eventually got home (restaurant car on way back also had wonderful food and wine :-)!) and realised I wouldn't be finishing W8 until Sunday - our 17th Anniversary - my Darling Man encouraged me to have my run so we could double celebrate :-).

So.... 8/2 went off without too much problem BUT 8/3 WELL WHAT A WEIRD RUN....

I had decided to experiment with my own music, using my sports tracker plus the timer on my phone. Off I went, practically dancing my way through ABBA's dancing queen, Creedance Clearwater Revival's 'Shake your Money Maker, Dexy's 'Eileen' and so on. I waited and waited and waited for 'Robo-Sport' to give me the time for my 1st km and it still wasn't coming... I was practically flying along to some wonderful music (old but gold!) and eventually: "1 km in 11 minutes" - whaaaa the ?!?!? - "oh well" I thought, I'm obviously enjoying myself too much and not concentrating - "come on...."

I don't know... I felt like I'd gone well - and I really am not too obsessively interested in times BUT for me (without park runs or running clubs) it is good to have some sort of yardstick with which to pat myself on the back.

Without that being tired of Julie song and Laura, something went very wrong. My 2nd and 3rd kms were decent times but what happened during that first km I really do not know - I would have had to have been crawling but I wasn't - grrrrrr!!!!

Soooooooo..... my running cohort - we were all going to finish W8 at the same time and then fly to Graduation together - sorry but I'm lagging behind now.... 9/1 will only happen tomorrow (Tuesday) inshallah and - as I am coming over to the UK and generally away from home for a week or so - who knows when or where I will be for 9/2 and that graduation run.

I WILL BE CARRYING YOU ALL WITH ME TO MAKE SURE I GET OUT THERE AND FINISH SO WE CAN ALL HAVE THAT CELEBRATION TOGETHER.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL YOU W9 STARTERS

[pinkus Graduate]

Hiya Sara....I had a funny start to my Week 9 today....I set off for my first run for the week and I must have pressed the lap button on sportstracker instead of the start button or something...as the voice (robo sport) didnt come on at all with the 1km distance readings so my distance was stuck on 0.09km and average speed was 0.2km/h and I do know that I ran longer and faster than that !!!... . just as well my hubby and I rode our bikes last night and checked how far 5k in distance was so I had a start and finish point which I ended up running to and from so in the end I ran 5k's in 34.17 minutes....the timer was the only thing working....I certainly didnt have my brain switched on this morning, will have to concentrate more on wed my 2nd run for the week. Good luck where ever you are, hope you go really well xxx

[psarapsych Graduate]

Weird Julie... oh, by the way... I actually quite like the English quirkiness of that 'Julie' song - reminds me of some of those 80's songs.

Anyway, WELL DONE - in spite of Robo-sport turning into one of those baddies in 'I Robot' you came through and conquered - don't give him the satisfaction of believing him Julie LOL!!

That's a good idea checking a 5km stretch - I haven't really done that yet and I ought to just so I don't have to use a timer. Being away from home I don't want to really overload the phone's battery with timer, music and robo-sport.

Sooooo..... apart from the lying hound demoralising your pride in your run - how was it - did the extra 3 minutes feel like a 'bridge too far' or was it just that 'only 3 minutes - cool !!' ? 34 minutes Julie - 34 MINUTES - BRILLIANT, EXCELLENT, WOW!!!! Congratulations and a big hug, Sara xox

[Hidden]

Oooh girls you are all sounding such whizzy and growed up runners! I had a rubbish week 8 had to run 5 times to get it done and now dreading my first week 9 tomorrow am. Planning a parkrun for graduation to keep focussed. So easy to get demoralised....

Best of luck with the rest of the week and thanks for keeping the rest of us inspired and entertained. x

[psarapsych Graduate]

Ohhhhh Lucy, never be demoraliSed.... I'm hoping to start my W9 tomorrow but I've been hijacked by an ex pat party and I'm not sure I'll be able to get up early enough. This is a rate occurrence as I've only come into Vienna for the night but it's midnight and fear i just won't be making it out at 06.00 - not after all that good Austrian wine! So not too growed up, sadly !!! Starting W9 like you tomorrow, hopefully! Good luck, Sara xox

[Hidden in reply to psarapsych]

Hope it went well Sara. Just finished my w9r1 and slayed a few gremlins; being back with Laura helped (moral support and all) and that reggae song had me actually really dancing my way down dark alleys (well I figured a woman of a certain age waving her arms around in a slightly unco ordinated manner might keep any un savories away). That green badge is in sight for us all!

[psarapsych Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Hi Lucy, what a wonderfully abstract and eccentric picture I now have in my head of you LOL :-)!!!

Sadly, it was too late and I wasn't feeling brilliant today BUT all geared up for tomorrow. You've given me something to look forward to now. I will be running with gremlin slaying sword in hand and waiting for my cue to start prancing and mimicking a palm tree in a very strong gale :-)!!!

Gosh, we really are nearly all there - you'd think we'd feel growed up but I'm not sure I do yet - I know... it's the green badge that will do it - yes Poor John, he'll have his work cut out - hee hee :-).

Sleep well Lucy and will let you know how I got on, Sara x

[DeliaItaly Graduate]

Hiya Sara!

I quite like Julie too...the week 9 music is slightly better (I said slightly) with a nice reggae track just before the final sprint. I'm a control freak so I need to stick to what teacher says till the end then it's on to a brilliant play list -- we'll share it somehow --- but till then it's gonna be "you and julie" hugs from wonderfully cheerful and positive Belfast, on to London tomorrow, Delia xox

[psarapsych Graduate in reply to DeliaItaly]

Heeeyyyy D... really pleased Belfast is so positive, that's lovely to hear.

Just been telling Allie (below) that I managed to find a post by CaroleC where she had given a link to the full B210k podcast - fully guided. Soooo... after a few weeks of just digging in and making sure I actually can do this 30 minutes, I'll move onto that.

Starting 9/1 tomorrow - how did your first 30 min run go - do tell. You've probably done two by now???

Enjoy UK and 'see' you soon, Sara xox

[alliec Graduate]

I'm on Week 9 too For my first run of the week after a 7 day holiday (took my running gear but never actually got out) i repeated a wk8 run then off i went.

Well actually it was a nightmare. My iphone had gone flat, my ipod had gone flat and i could find my watch so i had to borrow my husbands ipod. I was merrily running away to the scissor sisters following the route from week 8. Near the end of my route i thought i be nearly there but no 7 minutes left so i plodded on and managed to complete it.

Tonight (wk9 run2) I listened to Laura and after weeks of thinking 'shall i listen to my own music?' I can honestly say i'm glad i didn't.

Julie is quite annoying but better that 'it's so easy now' However i do agree with DeliaItaly the reggae song does spur you on at the end.

1 more podcast left i'm not sure how i'll cope without Laura (and Julie)

[psarapsych Graduate]

Hi Alliec :-)... In spite of all that flatness you got there - Yayyyyy!!! Well done you :-).

Eventually I get to do 9/1 tomorrow and I'll be tuned in to Laura and Julie and looking forward to the reggae.

I agree with you, unlike other more independently minded souls on this community, I do like instruction and am with you and Delia on the missing Laura (okay, and Julie - hee hee) front.

A while back I posted the full podcast that CaroleC put up here a long time back and I just happened to find it - it's Sam (someone) taking you through B210k so if you're interested I can try and re-post it. I'm a bit relieved to find someone to hold my hand again into the vast blue yonder :-).

Good luck for that Grad run and hope everything is now fully charged for an energised burst - go Allie, Sara

[alliec Graduate in reply to psarapsych]

Ah thanks, Done one run since graduating but a stiff back and awful weather have been putting me off.

PS the music on stepping stones isn't too bad (no Julies though)

[alliec Graduate in reply to psarapsych]

Forgot to say that 10K seems a terribly long way but i guess we all thought that about 5K at the beginning.