So I've been winging it since I graduated, have decided my ultimate goal is to move up to 10k (have managed 8k so far) but not pushing that at the moment, preferring to get comfortable at 5k and messing with it a little. Seeing what kind of 'sprint' finish I have (and being quite impressed at what I could do in the last half kilometre) albeit from a modest pace to begin with. Anyway I'm now focussing on my local Parkrun as while I've no problem with the distance, I've held back until now because I've only ever ran on the flat and the local course has a long and torturous incline.
With that in mind I went out this morning and did 4k of my usual route along the seafront before turning up and heading towards home, a long and similar gradient to the one I'll face on Saturday. One kilometre later and that's my 5k for the morning done, the last of which was all uphill and now I feel quite confident about entering the Parkrun this weekend.
I'm even feeling quite good about not finishing last as despite the hill, the splits from 3-4k and 4-5k showed I ran uphill as quickly uphill as I'd ran flat and I can't help thinking that sprint I'd added the other day should see me safely overtaking at least one or two in the last knockings, well that's if the incline doesn't take it out of me too much. Despite this, I've come to terms with the idea that I might finish last and am more nervous about running with others, let alone the 400 others who take part!
So you could say I'm confidently nervous about the idea....
(And of course, I've arranged for a sniper to take out the person in front of me should I be in last place coming to the end).
I had hoped to get my C25k t-shirt in time for it but see from Greeners they seem to take an age to arrive and I've left it too late anyway.
And so to yoga...
It was..........interesting.
For three hours from 2-5 on Saturday afternoon, there I was with nine women and one bloke, by coincidence, another paddy. I should have realised what I was in for when the teacher told me on the 'phone when I arranged the booking that she thought I was "very brave". That wasn't the last time I heard those words as I think the entire class, all experieneced yoga types, thought I must be mad. However they imparted that impression in a typically hippified, lovely people, kind of way.
Lucy (chief hippy) started with a chat about her philosophy and style of yoga. She had a very sweet manner and managed to project a sense of integrity and devotion to her practice without being in any way po-faced about it, in fact she was positively amusing at times and far from precious about the whole thing.
We then began some of the poses and movements, trying them individually and then stringing four to six of them together in one movement, all coordinated with our breathing.
Well, ten of 'us' were, the other was 'mastering' one movement whilst the others were three in front, the Lone Ranger also developing some impressive poses of his own, in between remembering to breathe at all, let alone when he was supposed to. Even the single movements and positions I found I'd be so intent on getting all my bits in the correct place and pointing in the right direction that I'd invariably forget to breathe at all.
I was able to make some kind of fist of most of it, there being probably three positions I just couldn't manage, the shoulder stand being one of them. An incredibly impressive sight that was, ten people ramrod straight, supported on the elbows and shoulders reaching for the sky with their toes.
Oh and yours truly doing similar but on my back and with my legs up against a wall....
About two hours of similar shenanigans later we broke for tea and nibbles, although this being yoga it wasn't proper tea and it wasn't proper nibbles. I got chatting with Liam from Waterford as the tea was prepared, about why he likes the town, what he loves about yoga, how he had to stop running due to injury etc.
Oh yes and about how brave he thought I was. I said to him he was the second person to tell me that and were I to have had the cop on to have realised I might not have walked in the door.
The tea break was more a kind of ceremony, all part of the 'mindfulness' aspect of her teaching. After which my favourite part, the laying down and dozing off bit. Sorry, I mean the meditation, with the room darkened while she spoke to us in a wonderfully relaxing tone about what we'd felt during the workshop, what we'd achieved in altering our state of mind and what we wanted from it going forward. There may have been more but as I said, it was VERY relaxing....
And I think I got away with the one snore, at least I think it was one but it may just have been the one which woke me. I kid you not.
All in all, while I don't think it's for me, I was genuinely glad I took the workshop as it was quite an interesting experience. Perhaps I'd have been better served attending a solely beginners class but the people were lovely and it was ever so nice of Charlotte, as we left together and crossed the street, to tell me just how brave she thought I was.
And so, my first Parkrun this Saturday.....
(I think I'd have sneaked off before the end under those circumstances - well done for seeing it through to the snoring!) 
) rather than trying to squeeze another run in before Saturday, maybe do a walk or bike ride tomorrow, but only a gentle one. 
) 
Super tough Parkrun - and a new running project
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First time hill runs over Christmas 
