Excited new runner

Sounds like we both had a disaster on friday Silver   I was so drained and only managed to run about half of the ressy run had to walk the rest  then to top it all and to cut a long story short, my hubby had locked his van keys and my car keys in the van, everything locked in including phones, keys, money, clothes etc  The clubhouse let us use their computer to google who the beakdown cover was with (hubby knew he had key cover) we waited 2 more hours for them only to be told sorry these T5 Transporters are impossible to get into and its cheaper to smash a window at home rather than the vehicle. So, decent fellow windsurfer ferried us about to get to home, smash a window  collect spare van key back to sailing club to get into vehicles.....hey presto we got home at 8ish to clear mess up and board window.

Hence all the excitement I rested Saturday and boy did I need it, and did a short 3.5miles yesterday

Now that was a rough day Boo!  Certainly puts my few nettle stings into perspective!

A similar thing happened to us a couple of months back when I went to work with both sets of house keys while my wife was out.  She couldn’t get back in and ended up getting our 66 year old neighbour to climb in through the en-suite bedroom window and open the door from inside.  Luckily he’s as fit as a fiddle and no harm was done but for a while she was on the verge of smashing a window to get back in.

I gave the running a miss this weekend as I woke up on Sunday with aching legs and a steaming headache (self inflicted so I’m not looking for sympathy!) which didn’t go until 3pm so apart from some much needed gardening and watching a bit of rugby the day was a right-off really.  Fortunately my boys were at a party all pm so I didn’t have the background noise that comes with a 4 and 7 year old running riot.

I’m in two minds as to whether to run today as I’d still like to do the club run tomorrow pm and its v. windy here which isn’t much fun.  Still anxious about tomorrow though as I think I’ll struggle to keep up!

Hope you’re feeling better and recovered after the 3.5m yesterday.

I would have a rest today so you feel ok for tomorrow.  I was also nervous about the running club but think positive and you will be fine, if they are a good club someone will always run with you at your pace.

And be honest with them about your ability etc and if you get to a point  you are struggling just tell them I did, and we slowed down a tad

I am still undecided and maybe going to run with another group on Weds, its a Run England group and I think prob be more suited to my speed, we will see.  Then maybe join original group again Thurs and see how I get on and make a decision if I am going to join up.

Today and tomorrow I am defo resting

Where are you in the Country Silver?  And have you arranged to do any races?

*waves* I am here, honest, & reading regularly, just seem to keep getting disturbed every time I try to reply! I'm popping on the PC tonight so I'll write properly then, had a baaaad run yesterday, boo

oh dear Suzie  sounds like we have all had something over the past few days to really 'P' us off

fill us in later when you get the chance, I will catch up tomorrow

Hello SuzieI thought you had deserted your own thread! Bad runs seem to be a common theme at the moment. I think it's something to do with the change in seasons. It feels really autumnal here and Im losing that urge to get out everyday.

I live near Amersham in Buckinghamshire Boo but I work and do most of my running near to Oxford. My local club is Chiltern Harriers in Chesham which is where I'll be tomorrow evening ( just confirmed it with the club captain so can't go back now!). Where are you in the country and what's the name of that ressy you run round!

No races planned for me. Would love to do the Parkrun in Slough every Sat as the park is great but my 7 year olds football training gets in the way. Is it just me or do the weekends just disappear once your kids reach a certain age (parties,footie,swimming). Assuming you have kids that is! I love my boys to bits and spend a lot of time with them but I'd give anything for a bit of ME time occasionally at the weekend!

Are either of you planning to race soon. I saw the Great South is at the end of the month and thought about going down for the 5k but it's a long way for a half hour run. The 10 miles would be worth the drive but I'm not sure I'm up to it and you need a sponsor and even though it's a good cause I'm not into asking people for money! Is that bad?

No smiley faces on the IPhone so you'll just have to imagine them at the certain points!

Silver - I live near Northampton.  Its Pitsford Resevoir and where Northampton Sailing Club is where I run.  I know Bucks kind of, my Dad use to work in High Wycombe and had a house in Aylesbury.

You should plan some races they really help, especially because you are doing a HM next April.  Its exactly like doing a parkrun and a great atmosphere and not as nerve racking as joining the running club  hehe oh and you always get a medal and a goody bag  

I am very fortunate that I don't have children so I can get out whenever I want, it must be very difficult fitting everything in when you have

I have quite a few races planned before the end of the year, I may even do the Carlton 5 @ Corby this sunday  with some races you can sign up on the day which is good.  Then I have 3 possible 10K's before xmas I will more than likely do.  Not signed up for any yet as waiting to see if I join the club I will be affiliated and pay less  I know with the big races you have to collect sponsor money but the ones I have done you don't.  If the race is organised for a charity then the signing up fee is my contribution, if I collected money of people everytime I did a race everyone would be skint haha and I too am not the sort to ask people for money so your not alone

Hi Boo. I think you are right about the races they will give me a bit more incentive and set some goals. Like the idea of goody bags too.

I've wangled off kid putting to bed duty tonight so I can join the runners. I'm really nervous that it will be another disaster but I'm determined to give it a go. My wife was unusually supportive for once but that's prob just cos she wants a night in watching Spooks! Anyway I bought a flourescent run jacket at lunch to make sure I can be seen on the dark mean streets.

You are so lucky having the freedom that goes with no kids. Font get me wrong I wouldn't change things but I do miss the feeling of doing what you want without feeling guilty all the time.

It's good you have so many races lined up. What sort of things fo you get in those goody bags?

I watch Spooks

Things I have had in goody bags - cereal bars, energy drinks, bananas, energy tablets, sweat band, paper weight, notepad, pens etc etc its quite nice at the end of a race seeing what you get, oh and your medal of course.  At the Cransley Hospice 10K they gave  you a bag then you went  along a line and help yourself to what you want  The paper weight came from there, its really nice actually, one of those 3 dimensional ones with runners in it and road race written on it

You sound just like me regarding your club run tonight, nervous as hell but I also phoned and said i was coming so I couldn't chicken out  you will be fine just like I was, exhausted but fine haha

Nothing wrong with Spooks. I watched the first few series and loved it but the best characters are now gone and the stories seem to be a little bit too similar every week (secret cell, bomb in London, hunky spy has to find it before it blows up etc). I think my wife watches it for the hunky spies by the way!

The goodies sound great. Makes it worth slogging your guts out for an hour don't you think. I'm a bit annoyed that the only race I have entered so far, the Reading HM, cost 33 quid and doesn't appear to have any goodies at the end! Still if I make that distance I'll be treating myself that's for sure.

Now I'm meeting up at 7.30 tonight. I have eaten lightly all day and I'm fully hydrated. I have my luminous jacket so what can go wrong! (add Smiley for this is a joke and secretly Im papping myself!! Not sure how that one would look)

I'll post later with am update.

By the way do you ever get the feeling that we are the only people on this thread! Must be that no one else finds our chat interesting enough to join in! And as for that Suzie! It's just rude to start a thread and disappear like that leaving everyone else to do the hard work! (lots of ! as I have no smileys!)

Thought I'd just post about the club run.

I didn't embarrass myself at all and thoroughly enjoyed the whole hour and half. Probably covered more than 10k in total but with a couple of stops and starts as we moved between different streets. Lots of hills in Chesham which was a challenge but I managed to keep ticking over and didn't need to stop.

There were about 50 people there too so a good turn out of all ages and levels. I finished about middle of the field so I'm quite pleased with myself really.

I will probably join up next week and have already discussed entering a local 10k in early November.

So not the big disaster I thought it might be afterall.

Thanks for your encouragement Boo. I wouldn't have gone through with it without you pushing me along. If we ever enter the same race and get to meet I'll buy you a beer as a thankyou! Or if you are still off the booze you can have my goodie bag instead!

Sorry!! I know, I'm rubbish, I just hate replying on an iPhone, annoying scrolling up and down all the time to read what you have both written. Anyway, I'm on the PC now so here goes (its gonna be a big one!)

Don't know where to start now, haha! Well, last week wasn't great really, sounds like it was bad for us all, strangely. Not sure what it was like further up country but it was windy as hell here last week, properly blowing a gale! Thing is, I didn't find this out til I went for a seafront run on Weds eve. I ran for 8 mins, and gave up (very unlike me!), but it only took me 6m30s to get back, hahaha! My little legs could barely keep up the wind was so strong.

The next night I went out straight from work, did 5.5 miles around town, and in good time too, for me, still windy though.

Then 2 boozy nights ensued (works night out, followed by cousin's 18th), so I knew Sunday eve was going to be a struggle, and boy was it. I was fine til we hit the wind on the seafront, which again, was really strong. I felt like an asthmatic, by throat was burning, I just couldn't catch my breath at all, and how I didn't stop or walk, I'll never know. Well, I know it's coz I was with my friend and she got me through it. We did 8.5 miles (just short of 14k) in 1hr 31m, and I was pretty pleased with that, but I didn't enjoy a single second of the run, which is really unusual for me. I'm not too disheartened though, just gonna chalk it up to being tired & far too over-indulgent!!

I seem to have picked up a slight knee-niggle too, behind the kneecap was hurting whilst running on Sun eve, and has been clicking whilst driving, bending over etc. I'll have to monitor that one this week.

Not going to be running as much this week, Wed & Thur eve as normal, but Sunday I'm off to a charity Zumbathon in London (3000 people!) with my Mum & friends so no long run this week. Next week will consist of one 5 mile run, and that's it, as Sunday is the Great South eeeek! Very excited, very nervous, but I just can't wait to get down there, see what it's all about, feel the atmosphere and get going!!

(too long to submit as one message, LMAO!)

Silver - well done on the 7k last week, bet it felt ace! I know it did for me when I broke the 5k wall I kept hitting, and I've just kept increasing those distances ever since. And a huge well done on tonight's club run!! What a fantastic achievement, I hope you are suitably proud of yourself And I'm exactly the same, totally rubbish at raising money, but I'm lucky in that a friend of mine 'gave' me her Great South place, as she isn't ready for it - no sponsorship reqd as she applied early, phew!

Boo - I watch Spooks too, but only found out last night that this years series had started, doh! And yes Silver, I do love it partly for the hunky spies Oh my, you are going to LOVE running by the sea, for me, it's the ultimate (when the sodding wind eases off, lol!!) and I agree, my kit will be going everywhere with me, including Australia in March - I can't imagine not running for 3 whole weeks! Nodding my head in agreement again at having to wait around til 7pm for club runs, then not getting home til gone half-eight. Most of the evening gone. Wow, what a nightmare you had on Friday, all because of keys being locked in a van, uber annoying I bet. The Run England group sounds great, definitely worth trying out some different clubs and finding one that suits you best. I've even found the groups within clubs can differ greatly.

I am definitely going to need to plan in some more races after the Great South, my enthusiasm and motivation have ramped up SO much since I 'inherited' the Great South entry, I gotta keep that going through the winter months! Ooooh and I didn't know about the goody bags, I feel like I'm 6 again, don't we all love a freebie, haha!

Promise I'll try and reply more often...!

Suzie - great to hear from you at last  its been pretty windy this way aswell, my hubby windsurfs so if every day could be windy he would be very pleased hehe but windy by the sea must be hellish   We have all had a few problems over the last week so here's to the new week of happy stress free running

Silver - I knew everything would turn out good with the running club  *pats on the back* we are both very brave for doing it  and sounds like you got on great.....how many times a week could you run with them?  And thanks for your kind words, I can honestly say that its thanks to people on this forum that have also encouraged me to do and get where I am now   am sure we will get to meet at somepoint and maybe celebrate at the end of a race with a cereal bar haha

Well I rang the chap from the club to say I wouldn't be joining them last night (wanted to stick to having 2 days rest and I do feel better for it) he was quite disappointed and had a hi viz vest ready for me  I had quite a good chat with him to see what he thought about me running with them and it was all positive.  Told him I was giving the Run England group a go tonight to see how that goes and then would join them again Thurs.

So I am going to see how this week goes and then try and decide what I am going to do  

Suzie – you are alive afterall.  Thanks for the update that was a long post and I can understand not wanting to write on the Iphone as its all a bit fiddly and there are no emoticons.

Sounds like you’ve been busy all round lately.  Sorry to hear about the bad run and the aching knees although it sounds like you are still clocking up the miles despite the set-backs.  I bet you are v. excited (and nervous) about The Great South Run.  I’d love to be running that one myself as a) it looks pretty flat? and b) it’s by the sea.  I can’t wait to hear how you do in the race and (more importantly) what you get in your goodie bag at the end.

Boo – I had a look at the Run England web-site myself this morning and there are a few running nights near me.  I never knew about this so thanks for the suggestion.  I know I have only been once but I reckon the club running is the way to go as it seems to be v. sociable and it’s a way to find out about the local races etc.  The Chiltern Harriers only meet on a Tuesday so I’m still going to have to do a few miles on my own during the week unless I can sort out a Run England night.

One thing that did frustrate me about running in a big group was trying to avoid tripping over peoples feet – its not easy to continue at your normal pace with so many people around.  Also we stopped and started a couple of times as we moved between different courses and I could feel my legs tightening up while we stood around discussing he next route.   On the whole though a v. positive experience so I shouldn’t be negative about it.

I had a look at your ressy  run Boo.  Looks great - there seems to be a path all the way round?  Theres no ressy near me but I know they hold regular races round the one near Heathrow (The Queen Mother I think) which are 5k long. 

By the way – I’ll keep you to the cereal bar – Special K with Berries for me.  Thanks.

Yeah the Run England groups are run all over the Country and sometimes run by the local councils like the one I am with later

Its much easier to look on here for your events.  Go to the events tab at the top then all I do is enter within 30 miles from home and it will give you a whole list of races going on for you to have a looksie.  You can enter alot through runnersworld and it shows in the status bar above ^ if you have, like mine shows 1 event entry.  I think it costs a £1 extra but of course you can enter direct with the race organisers aswell.

I noticed there is a Buckingham 10K this Sunday, am torn now between that and the Carlton 5 nr Corby

The ressy run is really lovely and pretty.  Its a trail type path for walkers/runners/cyclists and goes all the way round, just under 7 miles

Chap at work bought fresh cream cakes in today, normally I am the one who never eats anything bad but I though, what the hell I am running tonight haha I feel abit sick now  

Ill look at the Buckingham 10K this pm as I didn't know about it.  Its pretty local and I probably still have time to prepare properly for it. 

I know what you mean about the food. Im normally v. good but after buring a 1000cals last night I bought myself and the guys in the office a sausage and egg mcmuffin on the way in this morning then one returned the favour with a M and S Walnut Whip this lunchtime.

Oh well 1000cals burned and about 600 eaten - still 400 in the negative thats the important thing

Let me know if you think of doing it then I may well be swayed to join you