Who said a smile makes you look good Tuesday is my Chose Day
Tuesday night is the night I go to club training sessions, I do this for the change in scenery and company as weell as for a different style of training. Another reason I chose the Tuesday night training over the Thursday night training session is because Tuesdays are done on the road rather than the track; which I dont take to well to doing sessions on.
I cycled down to the track using my trusty old mountain stead, the old girl never looked so tierd and dusty in all her 20 somewhat years of ownership; thats because there was some building work going on and the dust and drit got everywhere including all over my Mountain (style) Bike. Giving her a quick dust down I speed off down the road and head towards the club.
Its an uneventful commute with not an idiot, impatient or inconsiderate driver to be seen.
Three, Tue (two), One
Arriving at the club, I chain up my stead and head inside, coach Kenny is doing his circuit/strength pre-training session. Wondering in I see my fellow athletes are moaning in pain and agony from the torture they are enduring. Once complete we all head out doors to learn our fate for this evening. 3 laps of the clubs Christmas Handicap Route - pace...Hard or as Coach Kenny says 'Balls Out people, Balls Out' Although I must admit it wasnt balls out tonight but more butt; as in butt cheeks as one of our groups decided it would be funny, and it was to a point, pull their shorts into a thong and show off their ass cheeks to the world. A sight you wil be glad you have all been spared :) .
Reaching the start point we depostit bottles of water, jumpers and other items that we now decide we dont require, position ourselves on the line and 3.2.1.GO we are off. Down the hill, round the corner, round the corner again and up the same hill just in a different street, breathing gone to pot already and I begin to wonder only 100m in to the session if it will be a run of fun or a bum of a run. By the time I pass the top o the hill and head down the other side I begin to find my feet, breathing begins to settle and I hope I wont over heat as tonight is hot and clammy.
Now the problem with doing lap running is, you know whats coming in each lap and generally its the same old thing over and over again and I felt tonight was just gonna be one of those training nights, I am glad to say that that wasnt the case.
Lap Uno
On the first lap I head down the long straight, noticing that there is a car parked on a drive and partiially; atually completely; bloking the path, already I am already thinking about the best path to take for when I approach the vehicle on the road back to the start. As I approach the car that is blocking the path; as apposed to there being no clear way round it; I see myself running up and hurdling over it, maybe even with a twist or a somersault over the car and continue running, in reality I ran up, jumped...onto the grass and ran round about it, hey no harm in being creative in ones head and besides I wasnt fully warmed up to perform such a monouver I will get it on the next lap. So nothing else interesting occured, until close to the end, the route takes us past a large grass are in the out and back sections of the route, as it was a nice warm night loads of children were out playing in the sun with all manor of toys, I end up playing dodge ball for abit on ma final stretch of the first lap. Nearly standing on the ball I dodge quickly and am luck for my cat like reflexes or I might have shoulder tackled the ground as I rounded the bend.
Lap Tue (two)
Entering into tthe second lap of three I feel slightly tierd, but wonder if its just the heat; after all I am running at a pace that is within my target pace for the marathon and capable of running comfortably. I turn at the boot of the hill and then turn again to climb back up thesame hill one street over. As a reach the top a couple of boys who; and suddenly the theme tune to the 'Fresh Prince of Belair' came to my head, no not when running - just there when typing. Anyway A couple of guys were stiiling there on their BMX bikes, not surre if they were being helpful or wanting to send me on a wild goose chace, but they piped up 'Hey Mister, Mister, they went that wiy' and pointed in some obsure direction, 'Hiay Mister, that wiy'.
I asked then what they were saying and they replied 'thone runners, they went that waiy'
Thanking them for their assistance I shouded an explination of what we were doing and gave them a cheery wave and off I sped. The thing about doing loops apart from the repetative senery is that you begin to cross paths with fellow training peoples and tonight was no different. As i was going out the way i passed the last two heading in the way, this is used to encourage and support our fellow runners and gestures of thumbs up, smiles and the odd grunt of encouragement are passed between us. These do help all be it for only a split second.
So as I pass the car blocking the path I see it is stil there and I think 'right I will get it this time round on the way back. But before I can negotiate that obsticle I have to first weave my way round a few people who have crossed the road and have now decoded to take up some form of tribal street dance in front of me, nice as it is the pattern of this dance seems to clearly put themselves in the path to which i am running, maybe they think I am dancing as well for every time i take a step to the left or a jump to the right; hey thats what it was they thought I was doing the time warp; anyway they always seemed to be infront of me and in my path. Dancing over I loop round at the bottom and of the lap and begin the long road back. Rounding the bend I approach the car and this is it a hurdle over the car and on my way; reality hits and once again its onto the grass and continue at the same pace. Next lap for sure, afte all its the last lap. Going back up the long straight between the two circles loops of each lap I once again am welcomed by smiles and thinbs up, this time its more than the last time as there are other runners in the group heading back out on their second lap. In the distance i see two runners whom I am not familiar with, wondering if I missed them at the start i dont bother to much. I approach them and they have slowed to a walk, I quickly realise that they are not from our group but to other fitness freak just like us out doing their own thing. I offer up a smile and in return I receive a smile, a smile that changed the world, the mouth opened and there was nothing just a gapping hole of nothing barr a single solitory tooth on its own, not only that as the smile came the face creased up and developed cracks across it, like the opening of the ground as an earthquake moved through it. The complection of the skin went from smooth like silk to broken, crevise filled roughnes like alligator skin; Leather Skin and Toothless Grin filled me full of fear.
Heading into Three
Heading on to finish two I hear voices and the bumping of bumping of cycle tyres/wheels and skate wheels from behind. Not bothering to much I push on; this actually giving me a small incentive to push harder to see if I can finish the lap before I am passed, I finish my second lap and continue down the hill into lap three, the final for me. Down the hill round the corner, along and round the other corner heading up the hill from another street. half ways up I am passed by two boys; the same two boys from lap two; they had seen me at the far end of this circle and chanced me down to try and beat me. At the top of the hill they stopped into their wee spot and asked how many times I had done this already. When i explained that I had done two already and that this was my third, they replied with a 'bloody hell, well done, but we quite', pity really I could have been doing with the use of their bike later on in my lap.
Heading down the road I now pass most of my fellow runners.
I head down the long straight for the final time with nothing to bring to your attention, round the bottom circle and heading back I see a nice sight in front, but the sight is suddenly thrown away as they turn round, smile and give yourself a chance. Coming back up to the car that is blocking the way i decide that i will not hurdle over the car, I am feeling slightly tierd after this session and dont want to hurt myself. I push on past on the grass as i have done the two previous laps and head back up the straight. Down the path and up the hill back to the start or in this case the finish for the final time.
Done and dusted is the session, but I head out for a small cool down lap, this takes me round the top circle only adding about another 0.61 miles to my total.
Tonights session is 4.61 miles and the 0.61 miles cool down gives a total of 5.22 miles.
Weekly total 10.03 and Moggie's Miles total to 40.37 miles
Tuesday night is the night I go to club training sessions, I do this for the change in scenery and company as weell as for a different style of training. Another reason I chose the Tuesday night training over the Thursday night training session is because Tuesdays are done on the road rather than the track; which I dont take to well to doing sessions on.
I cycled down to the track using my trusty old mountain stead, the old girl never looked so tierd and dusty in all her 20 somewhat years of ownership; thats because there was some building work going on and the dust and drit got everywhere including all over my Mountain (style) Bike. Giving her a quick dust down I speed off down the road and head towards the club.
Its an uneventful commute with not an idiot, impatient or inconsiderate driver to be seen.
Three, Tue (two), One
Arriving at the club, I chain up my stead and head inside, coach Kenny is doing his circuit/strength pre-training session. Wondering in I see my fellow athletes are moaning in pain and agony from the torture they are enduring. Once complete we all head out doors to learn our fate for this evening. 3 laps of the clubs Christmas Handicap Route - pace...Hard or as Coach Kenny says 'Balls Out people, Balls Out' Although I must admit it wasnt balls out tonight but more butt; as in butt cheeks as one of our groups decided it would be funny, and it was to a point, pull their shorts into a thong and show off their ass cheeks to the world. A sight you wil be glad you have all been spared :) .
Reaching the start point we depostit bottles of water, jumpers and other items that we now decide we dont require, position ourselves on the line and 3.2.1.GO we are off. Down the hill, round the corner, round the corner again and up the same hill just in a different street, breathing gone to pot already and I begin to wonder only 100m in to the session if it will be a run of fun or a bum of a run. By the time I pass the top o the hill and head down the other side I begin to find my feet, breathing begins to settle and I hope I wont over heat as tonight is hot and clammy.
Now the problem with doing lap running is, you know whats coming in each lap and generally its the same old thing over and over again and I felt tonight was just gonna be one of those training nights, I am glad to say that that wasnt the case.
Lap Uno
On the first lap I head down the long straight, noticing that there is a car parked on a drive and partiially; atually completely; bloking the path, already I am already thinking about the best path to take for when I approach the vehicle on the road back to the start. As I approach the car that is blocking the path; as apposed to there being no clear way round it; I see myself running up and hurdling over it, maybe even with a twist or a somersault over the car and continue running, in reality I ran up, jumped...onto the grass and ran round about it, hey no harm in being creative in ones head and besides I wasnt fully warmed up to perform such a monouver I will get it on the next lap. So nothing else interesting occured, until close to the end, the route takes us past a large grass are in the out and back sections of the route, as it was a nice warm night loads of children were out playing in the sun with all manor of toys, I end up playing dodge ball for abit on ma final stretch of the first lap. Nearly standing on the ball I dodge quickly and am luck for my cat like reflexes or I might have shoulder tackled the ground as I rounded the bend.
Lap Tue (two)
Entering into tthe second lap of three I feel slightly tierd, but wonder if its just the heat; after all I am running at a pace that is within my target pace for the marathon and capable of running comfortably. I turn at the boot of the hill and then turn again to climb back up thesame hill one street over. As a reach the top a couple of boys who; and suddenly the theme tune to the 'Fresh Prince of Belair' came to my head, no not when running - just there when typing. Anyway A couple of guys were stiiling there on their BMX bikes, not surre if they were being helpful or wanting to send me on a wild goose chace, but they piped up 'Hey Mister, Mister, they went that wiy' and pointed in some obsure direction, 'Hiay Mister, that wiy'.
I asked then what they were saying and they replied 'thone runners, they went that waiy'
Thanking them for their assistance I shouded an explination of what we were doing and gave them a cheery wave and off I sped. The thing about doing loops apart from the repetative senery is that you begin to cross paths with fellow training peoples and tonight was no different. As i was going out the way i passed the last two heading in the way, this is used to encourage and support our fellow runners and gestures of thumbs up, smiles and the odd grunt of encouragement are passed between us. These do help all be it for only a split second.
So as I pass the car blocking the path I see it is stil there and I think 'right I will get it this time round on the way back. But before I can negotiate that obsticle I have to first weave my way round a few people who have crossed the road and have now decoded to take up some form of tribal street dance in front of me, nice as it is the pattern of this dance seems to clearly put themselves in the path to which i am running, maybe they think I am dancing as well for every time i take a step to the left or a jump to the right; hey thats what it was they thought I was doing the time warp; anyway they always seemed to be infront of me and in my path. Dancing over I loop round at the bottom and of the lap and begin the long road back. Rounding the bend I approach the car and this is it a hurdle over the car and on my way; reality hits and once again its onto the grass and continue at the same pace. Next lap for sure, afte all its the last lap. Going back up the long straight between the two circles loops of each lap I once again am welcomed by smiles and thinbs up, this time its more than the last time as there are other runners in the group heading back out on their second lap. In the distance i see two runners whom I am not familiar with, wondering if I missed them at the start i dont bother to much. I approach them and they have slowed to a walk, I quickly realise that they are not from our group but to other fitness freak just like us out doing their own thing. I offer up a smile and in return I receive a smile, a smile that changed the world, the mouth opened and there was nothing just a gapping hole of nothing barr a single solitory tooth on its own, not only that as the smile came the face creased up and developed cracks across it, like the opening of the ground as an earthquake moved through it. The complection of the skin went from smooth like silk to broken, crevise filled roughnes like alligator skin; Leather Skin and Toothless Grin filled me full of fear.
Heading into Three
Heading on to finish two I hear voices and the bumping of bumping of cycle tyres/wheels and skate wheels from behind. Not bothering to much I push on; this actually giving me a small incentive to push harder to see if I can finish the lap before I am passed, I finish my second lap and continue down the hill into lap three, the final for me. Down the hill round the corner, along and round the other corner heading up the hill from another street. half ways up I am passed by two boys; the same two boys from lap two; they had seen me at the far end of this circle and chanced me down to try and beat me. At the top of the hill they stopped into their wee spot and asked how many times I had done this already. When i explained that I had done two already and that this was my third, they replied with a 'bloody hell, well done, but we quite', pity really I could have been doing with the use of their bike later on in my lap.
Heading down the road I now pass most of my fellow runners.
I head down the long straight for the final time with nothing to bring to your attention, round the bottom circle and heading back I see a nice sight in front, but the sight is suddenly thrown away as they turn round, smile and give yourself a chance. Coming back up to the car that is blocking the way i decide that i will not hurdle over the car, I am feeling slightly tierd after this session and dont want to hurt myself. I push on past on the grass as i have done the two previous laps and head back up the straight. Down the path and up the hill back to the start or in this case the finish for the final time.
Done and dusted is the session, but I head out for a small cool down lap, this takes me round the top circle only adding about another 0.61 miles to my total.
Tonights session is 4.61 miles and the 0.61 miles cool down gives a total of 5.22 miles.
Weekly total 10.03 and Moggie's Miles total to 40.37 miles
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