Virtual Vitality 10000 South Branch!

[cheekychipmunks]

I’ve been home all of 20 minutes and couldn’t resist posting about our fabulous morning! Wide awake at 4:10am (5:10 in old money), waited as long as I could to get up, then couldn’t resist and got up for a cuppa and some avocado (because someone had eaten the last banana 😩).

Left at 6am and pointed my car towards Southsea, where it’s been many times before. Met my “old” running buddies Dexy5 , UpTheStanley , Oldgirlruns and Wimborne in the car park, and was delighted to meet linda9389 for the first time. We converse a lot on here and Strava, but it’s not the same as meeting in person. 🥰

I opted to run with Dexy - we’re a similar pace and being with her would guarantee I wouldn’t get lost! It wasn’t a straight out and back thanks to UTS’s careful course planning. 😀

We had all weather except snow! I enjoyed the elements and found the headwind nice and cooling. I also earned a nice haul of Strava bling and a 2nd fastest 10k time - 1:13:53. Cruelly my Garmin didn’t buzz 10k until 0.04k past the “finish line”! 😩

We had the compulsory photo op on the prom, trying to be socially distant, then settled in for a delicious and very welcome breakfast. Yum, we deserved it!

So glad that our matching buddies had fun on their VV10000 Midlands run - TailChaser , Katnap , Sandie1961 , Shake-and-run and Windoze . We were supposed to have run together in one big group, but we all know why that couldn’t happen. 🙁 Also running “with” us was our lone VRB Beachcomber66 oop North! 🏃‍♂️👊

Now I’m looking forward to my bling. 🏅❤️

What a lovely day. 🥰

[AlMorr Half Marathon]

What a lovely photo of all of you CC, all the matching buddies would also have a great run as well.

That was a excellent idea from UTS on planning your 10K course so that you all met at the end for your well deserved breakfast in the same place that you meet after the Saturday morning 5K parkrun, congratulations to all in that photograph 👍 😊 🏃🏾.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks Al, yes he painstakingly planned it and we had detailed instructions to follow! 😀

[AlMorr Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

UTS should apply for the post of organising the next Great South Run.

[AlMorr Half Marathon in reply to AlMorr]

Hi to you all at Portsmouth, just heard the news that there is a lot of drama happening on a large ship about 10 miles out at sea from Portsmouth.

[UpTheStanley Half Marathon in reply to AlMorr]

Yep sounds like the Navy’s been doing its stuff! Regarding your previous post, I think the GSR’s got its act together reasonably well over the last 20 years, but I could probably tweak it a bit 😀

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to UpTheStanley]

I’m sure you could UTS! 🤣

[TailChaser Marathon]

Hey cheeky, looks like you've had a wonderful time there! It was so nice wasn't it? You've just reminded me...must send off for the bling...😍 Congrats on your time too! 👏👏👏

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to TailChaser]

Thanks TC, it was just like the old days, meeting up for PRs wasn’t it, just not so many of us. Those days will return and I can’t wait! 🥰

Yes I was pleased with my time. Yours was amazing! 💥💥💥

[TailChaser Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

It was and they will, and it wasn’t that long ago, we’ve just all been through a lot.

Love races, they bring out the best in our running 💪🏅👏

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to TailChaser]

You’re so right. For me it’s the shallow lure of the bling that does it! 🏅🥰

[TailChaser Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

I know. We’ll need another medal rack when these come through 🤣

[Dexy5 10 Miles]

Isn’t that strange? My Garmin said 3 seconds less and we definitely crossed that finish line together. I have video to prove it. Maybe I did more manoeuvres around dogs and people!

Thanks for your company along the 10k ‘ and for getting up so early to join us.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

Who knows the secrets of the Garmin satellites Dexy! Doesn’t matter, we both ran well. 😀 I was happy with my 2nd fastest 10k.

I had such a great time today! 🥰

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Me too.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

🥰

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

.... and the t-shirt, don't forget the t-shirt!!!

Lovely to meet you and glad you made it home in one piece 😊

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Oooh yes, of course the teeshirt too Linda! We’ll be looking forward to our goodies. 😍 I’ll be needing a more robust bling holder at this rate. Santa time soon! 😅

Looking forward to December now! 👏👏

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to linda9389]

I hope you like the T-shirt Linda, or your sons will be getting another one.

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

I checked - unisex!!! I ordered small so it won't fit my guys either

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Smart move! 🤣

[Shake-and-run Half Marathon]

Well done to you all down south (and one runner up north). It was fabulous to feel part of a big event even though I was pounding tarmac on my own. Such fun xx

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Shake-and-run]

You too S&R - yes it does feel great to be part of something bigger doesn’t it? Imagine doing the real thing ...... are you going to take part if it goes ahead next year? Lots of us are (or at least hope to) 🤞! 😀

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon]

Love the pic cheeky; I fancy I could hear excited squeals as I ran along! Hopefully I can meet you all before I am past running!!! I think we all did well in the conditions....and anyway, it is all about her apres run!! Lovely post.🙂

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Haha thanks BC! Yes there was lots of excitement to be had! 😅😅

I secretly enjoyed the conditions - I just can’t deal with the heat and today certainly wasn’t too hot.

I really hope we can all meet up together eventually. Now that will be exciting! 👏👏👏

[BaddieThePirate]

Hip hip hooray 👏🏅👍

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to BaddieThePirate]

Thanks Baddie, it was brilliant! 🥰

[Hidden]

👏👏👏👏

Well done you!! Brilliant time and I love how your happiness radiates through the post!

All the weathers greeted you and you came through it with bling galore! Ooooooh, you'll have a terrific evening warm and hopefully with a celebratory drink 🍸 😀

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Thanks GTFC, I’m a happy sort anyway, but running - and meeting ARBs makes me even happier! We had a wonderful day and can’t wait to do it again. 😀

[SmilingTortoise1 Half Marathon]

Well done all 👏👏👏

It sounds like you had a lovely time in spite of this morning's nutty weather. Hope you enjoy your bling and t-shirt when it arrives. That is a fabulous photo 😊

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to SmilingTortoise1]

Thanks ST - I didn’t realise exactly how shocking my hair looked in that photo! 😅 It was mighty windy in parts! 💨💨💨

[Katnap Marathon]

A great time for the conditions cheeky!

🎃🙀 Spooky Katnap 🙀🎃

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Katnap]

Thanks Spooky (I like your thematic name Katnap!) It was brilliant and it sounds like you guys had a hoot too! 🥰🥰

[Katnap Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Wooooooo!!!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Katnap]

Yikes .... 👻 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[Bluebirdrunner]

Love how you guys all get together and run! Congratulations to all of you on that blustery 10k run!🌟👌👏👏🍁xxx

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

The class of 2018 had a special time on the C25k forum, and real friendships have been made.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

Yep, that’s true! 🥰

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Oh yes it’s wonderful BBR. All thanks to these forums - and PR! We loved it. 😀

[Stephen_UK Half Marathon]

Great work, CC. Nice photo too. Sounds like a good day all round.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Stephen_UK]

Thank you Stephen, yep it sure was a good day! Breakfast helped too of course! 😋

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

Lovely group photo Cheeky! Well done to all of you - and especially on your time!👏👏😀🏅

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Thanks so much Sandra! I was very pleased with my time and it helps now that I’ve found the “Finish Time” feature on my Garmin. So much so that I’m sure Dexy5 had quite enough of me calling out our predicted finish time every few minutes on our run! 😅 Sorry Dexy!😅

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to cheekychipmunks]

You’ve now got me wondering whether my 35 can do this. Who knew?

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

Can it Dexy5 ? It’s a game changer as far as I’m concerned (did you guess? 😅)

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to cheekychipmunks]

I don’t think my watch does it cheeky. Is it in run mode settings?

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

Yes Dexy5 . In run mode I go into menu, scroll to training, and then finish time.

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to cheekychipmunks]

No, I can just set a pace and it will beep off I run faster or slower. I might try that to see if I can be more consistent on a short run. Now you know why you went for the better version. Mind you , I’ve got a Stanley who tells me the same as your watch! 🤣🤣

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

I suspect UTS can provide more stats than any Garmin! 🤣

[Cantstopmenow Half Marathon]

Congratulations on a great run. It sounds like you've all had a fabulous time together. It's extra special to be able to meet in these difficult times. Well done everyone 👏👏👏🌟

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Cantstopmenow]

Thanks CSMN, yes, special is the word. We used to meet regularly, but it’s been nearly a year since our last meetup. Way too long. 😩

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

What a gorgeous photo of all you lovely runners 🥰 and how brilliant is it to meet up in real life!

Well done everyone, whoop whoop 🏅🎈🎉👍 And Munks, big congratulations on your time 💪🏃‍♀️🙂 it just shows what avocado can do. But... did you find out who ate the last banana... 🤔 I mean, how could they?

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

Thanks IP, I’m just sooooo relieved further restrictions didn’t prevent today from happening (now keeping things crossed for December ..... 🤞🤞)

I know right, the sheer audacity of it. Nobody has fessed up about the banana. Probably the same person who took the last of the milk ..... 🙄🙄🙄

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to cheekychipmunks]

That’s what happens when the kids move back home!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

Yep. And funny how they “forget” to replenish supplies! 🙄

[SueAppleRun 10 Miles]

Perfect, our weather was wild this morning and i thought of you all running

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to SueAppleRun]

Yes it was perfect W&S, thanks! It could have been a lot worse. We we’re having breakfast and a mahoosive squall came through rattling the roof - now that would have been interesting to run in! 😳💨💨 💦 💦 😳

[Sandie1961 Half Marathon]

Isn’t it amazing just how ridiculously excited we all were about meeting up (or maybe not 😜) I am so glad we were still able to get together in gangs of 6 even if it wasn’t quite what we wanted. I feel doubly thrilled that I was able to join the Southsea crew a couple of weeks ago for a (not) parkrun when Mr S and I were down on the south coast 😊😊

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Sandie1961]

Oh gosh yes Sandie1961 , it was like Christmas Eve for me yesterday! I’m just so relieved no further restrictions came into place before we could all do it. Imagine the mass disappointment .... 😩😩

[Sandie1961 Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

I know. It would have been unbearable!

[JonathanP 10 Miles]

Lovely to see you back in Southsea again Cheeky - even if I couldn't be there in person!👍

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to JonathanP]

Aww thanks Jonathan! Next time there’s a meet-up afoot it would be lovely to see you again too! 😄

[Buddy34 Half Marathon]

Great running cheekychipmunks. Your day went so well. Well done👏👏

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Buddy34]

Thanks Buddy, yes it was fantastic and we all had a wonderful time! 😄😄

[Fabulous450]

You all look amazing!! Well done Cheeky & The VRB’s!! 🤩🤩🤩❤️

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Fabulous450]

Thanks Fab, it was so much fun! 🎉🎉🎉

[Fabulous450 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Fun!!....🤩🤩🤩...Music to my ears!! Well done Cheeky!! 🤗❤️

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Fabulous450]

Yes it was so wonderful being back with VRBs again Fab. Socially distanced of course. 🥰

[Tillybeach]

Well done for your acheivements. 👏👏👏👏👏 Thank you for you uplifting post. Positivity and fun, just what we all need xx. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🤣🤣

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Tillybeach]

Aww thanks TB, and you’re very welcome - but I find it easy being upbeat and uplifting when it comes to running, especially on a day such as yesterday! 🥰

[Raspberrypink Half Marathon]

Well done on what looks and sounds like a great run and on your time . Win all round. With breakfast after too. So nice to here friends to run with 😊

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Raspberrypink]

Ahh thank you RP! I’ve missed running with them all. I run by myself every time except races and our VRB meet-ups, so it was long overdue and so much fun. 👏😀

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon]

Now that sounded like a lot of fun and a great day! 😀 Well done all on managing a group run of any sport at the moment. I’m slightly jealous tbh, Hopefully PR will be back before too long and we can all run with others again like before,

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

It was a ton of fun Brian, and we’re just thankful we were able to make it happen. Our original plan of all staying in London for the real thing in May was scuppered, then our plan B of one large group, so 2 groups it had to be, South and Midlands. I agree, PR can’t come back quickly enough! 🤞🤞

[grumpyoldgirl]

Brilliant post cheeky, I've come straight from reading Dexy's, I'm so chuffed for you all.

I think you deserve an extra medal for having to eat avocado at silly o'clock 🌌🌛🥑 😬🏅

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

Aww thanks GOG! We really did have a blast. 🥰

And yes, lucky I don’t eat much before runs as a rule because there was nothing! 🤣

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to cheekychipmunks]

😱😂

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

The joys of all my grown up kids being back at home! 🤣

[Over62 Half Marathon]

What a great time for you all, fabulous photo too! Enjoy the bling👍👏🏅

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Over62]

Thanks Over62! I can’t wait for the bling to arrive - it was the thought of that which spurred me over the line! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏅

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon]

Great work Southsea posse!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Blackberrypie]

Thanks BBP, it was awesome and we all had a hoot! 😀🥰

[roseabi Ultramarathon]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😍😍😍

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to roseabi]

Thanks so much roseabi! It’s such a wonderful group of people and we were so relieved we could make it happen yesterday. ❤️

[skysue16 Half Marathon]

How wonderful to be able to meet up with other folk 😀 Maybe I will be able to join you sometime.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to skysue16]

Oh yes SS, that would be fantastic! 🥰 It felt almost like the old days being able to meet the others, even if we were socially distant. ❤️