Today was all about something new.
For the first time ever, I was part of a running relay. I have doen some walking ones in the past but never running. Builth and District Running Club organised a 15 hour relay, for teams to complete in isolation - send in your times via Strava or similar. I am part of an online group, South Wales Running community and they organised 2 teams, split into half hour sessions. Complete a minimum of 30 minutes more if you want. The sessions were allocated and I was on for 9.30 as part of Team B. I had a trial run on Friday to make sure I could time my run, and also so i could test I culd run for 30 minutes.... This morning I made my way to my chosen start point, I needed to be somewhere flat, as most of my routes start down hill, which wouldn't be fair for my time. I gave myself enough time to arrive, do my selfies and also a Facebook Live. There were loads of people out for their own runs, but I stood out in my Team B bib. A few asked what I was doing, so it was nice to tell them about South Wales Running Community and the #BaDRelay15. At 9.30 off I went, it was busy but I managed to avoid people and was soon into my stride. My playlist was keeping me on my 88 BPM time, so I wouldn't over do it. For the first time since June last year, I completed a lap of Roath Park and very soon after my 30 minutes were up. 4.32K a whole extra 0.12K longer than my practice run. Baton was then virtually handed over and I headed back home. Great fun and even in these times when we acn't be with people it felt like I was part of an event. (before, after and time)
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This Sunday I will be part of Team B for South Wales Running Community taking part in Builth and District RC 15 Hour Relay - I'm only doing 30 minutes....lets not get too carried away.
This morning, following my instructions I decided to test my Tech, to see how to record the time etc on Sunday. I set a timer on my watch - 30 minutes - so that when it went off I knew I would be near the end of my allotted time and ready to stop my Apple Workout )I have this linked to Strava to keep it simple) I had no idea how far I could go in 30 minutes, so set off on my plod around the area, heading to the flattest areas as there was rules about running down hill. As I plodded along I realised I would get much further than I thought, in fact over 4K, which surprised me. I managed to stop my Workout at 30:03 (although Strava says 29:54) I'll make sure I go a bit over for Sunday. Realising I was still a little way from home I reset my watch and completed another 1K so I would have a 5K time for today - 36:11 - which I know had a very short rest whilst I stopped and started my watch but it is still 2 minutes faster than my previous PB.....yeah Now, if I can just do that again on Sunday there will be some genuine Green Shoots of recovery. Today is Global Running Day so today I pledged to run 1 Mile for someone who inspires me.
There wasn't a huge box to type in all the people who inspire me, but at least I have my blog. People who make a positive difference for others Whether it is part of a big campaign, a charity, a movement, or just individuals who do something to help others. In my life there have been certain points where people have made a difference in my life. The teachers who encouraged me to organise mass participation events, my employers who supported me through community engagement opportunities, which eventually meant a change of career. Meeting inspiring individuals, who run charities, who have set up events, some of these events have remained small, other have become huge national events, but all have helped to make a difference. People only ever do what they know, if we know more we can do more. My own 1Small-Step was born out of watching so many individuals completing their own challenges. The back of the pack runners who plod their way around the course, they are out there running much longer than those who come in first. I thought if they can do these amazing things then so can I. I have written before about how I struggled in 2018, and how my wife managed to stop me from falling - 'I've got you' - simple words but they mean I am still here to ramble on in my blog. To share those words and my story with fellow runners at events like MoRunning, and then have strangers just come up and thank me was humbling. I hope that I can in my way just help to make a difference to someone. So to everyone who has been part of my life journey, we may not have met personally, sometimes I was just the bloke on the finish line with the microphone, thank you. Thank you for whatever you have done to make a difference. So we start another month - welcome to June.
Managed to finish May with a further 5k so that was 37 miles completed in May, and we have already done 3 for June. Was up and out fairly early as it looks like another warm day, altered the starting part of my route slightly, in an attempt to make it as flat as possible. At 2k of plodding along I was feeling fine so decided to alter the middle part and see if I could keep plodding. Normal route starts to go up hill at around 2.5k, I knew it would extend my total distance but figured if I can keep plodding along when its flat, rather than Walk/Run/Walk it would be better for me. 3k still feeling good and also at 4k, so just kept running (at my plodding pace). My watch told me I had completed 5k but as I was still a little way from home I let the timer keep going and in total I did 6k. Had fun then working out what my 5k time was (39:36) - 48:05 for 6K but there was some walking at the start and end. What is more my head was clearly in the place it needed to be - if it wasn't for the hills I probably could have carried on, my average was 8.00/km. The mental part of running is as important as the physical, just the same as it is with your health. I am continuing with my Movember's Miles for Mates, to be ho nest I have no idea when it finishes, so I'll just keep updating my time as it improves. I have also entered the World day of Running Challenge (27 June) and next Sunday I hope to be part of a virtual Relay. More on both of these later in the week. |
AuthorAfter 24 years of helping others to achieve their running goals - it is now my time. Archives
February 2022
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