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If parkrun existed during the Roman era, some people would be running around parks on a Saturday morning with a red t-shirt with the title of this blog on their back.  However, our numbering system seems to be a bit simpler so a nice 50 will do!

In case you haven't gathered I ran my 50th parkrun this weekend.

If you don't know what parkrun is, in a nutshell it is a FREE timed 5k run run completely by volunteers.  These happen in parks all over the country at 9am every Saturday morning (oh and for some parkruns on Christmas & New Year's Day as well)  The initiative has also taken off in Australia, America, Poland, Scandinavia.  There is even a parkrun at for the squaddies at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan!

You get issued with a bar code and once you complete the run, you get a placing token.  These are then both scanned and by the afternoon you receive an e-mail and/or a text telling you your time and position and the website is updated with the results.

All the info you could want to find, including how to register and obtain you bar code go to the website parkrun.

Now I am far from unique achieving 50 parkruns, there are literally hundreds of people that have done it.  There are also hundreds that are in the 100 club and a select few that have notched up 250 parkruns! For youngsters, the first milestone is 10 runs.

When you reach one of these milestones you are awarded with a technical t-shirt. 

It is very pleasing to have reached the 50 milestone. That means I have run 250k mainly on Saturday mornings, but with a couple of Christmas Days and & New Year's Day thrown in.

I ran my first parkrun at Bromley on 27th August 2011 finishing in 26:03 and I ran my 50th yesterday at Bromley in 22:59.  Although it was only my 41st parkrun at Bromley.  I have also managed to take in local parkruns at Orpington, Herne Hill, Ladywell, Bexley, Crystal Palace & Dulwich and also a couple further afield in Poole & Oxford. My current PB is 21:53.

I have not always run parkrun alone.  My wife Mich has now run 13 parkruns and Max has been pushed around in the running buggy over a dozen times and at half a dozen venues.

As I mentioned at the beginning, parkrun is all down to volunteers, without volunteers parkrun wouldn't exist. I have volunteered four times now. I have been a pacer, a timer, handed out the finishing tokens and scanned the tokens. It is very rewarding to help out, enabling others to run.

It was due to running at Bromley parkrun that I got chatting to some Petts Wood Runners and ultimately joined the club.  Bromley parkrun is also an extremely friendly event with tea coffee, water, cakes and biscuits provided either home baked by the runners or purchased from donations. (To be honest every single parkrun I have been to is friendly)

The last couple of paragraphs may seem that an advert for parkrun and maybe they are, but I have not been asked to do this, and I haven't come across anybody who has a bad word to say about parkrun and I am sure 99.9% of parkrunners would agree that it is a great, fun initiative.

And to top it all, Bromley parkrun is not all about running with social events sometimes organised which usually involved beer and curry (the staple diet of any budding athlete)

So next objective is the C club, well it would be if I was Roman ;-)

Until the next time
TJH

Club Running

It's been a three weeks since I last blogged. I have been a bit busy and just haven't got round to it.  I could type a mammoth blog covering all sorts of topics, but thought I would focus on club running.

For anybody who has read any of my blogs before, you will be fully aware that I am a member of Petts Wood Runners.  I have only been a member for a couple of years, but I can honestly say it has transformed my running.

Prior to training for the 2012 London Marathon, I had never even considered joining a running club.  More content with reading the running magazines or looking for information and advice on the Internet.  Through one of the free running magazines, I discovered Parkrun.  A lot of the regular volunteers at Bromley Parkrun are PWR's and that is how I found out about the club.

So I just want to highlight some of the benefits of being part of a running club. I can obviously only vouch for PWR, but I am pretty sure that all running clubs have the same ethos. 

We meet on a Tuesday night for the regular weekly run.  Numbers can vary from 40 to over 100 people turning up and there are 7 groups catering for all paces.  PWR also run a regular beginners group, where people who are completely new to running embark on an 8 week course culminating in a 5k Parkrun.

We have additional 'track sessions' on a Thursday night, using the Norman's Park Athletics Track going through various drills for different targets eg 5k or maybe 10k.  In addition, now we have the light evenings another Thursday session is run concentrating on a core workout!

On Sunday's we have informal runs especially during the training period for the Spring Marathons.

Add to this that as a club we can turn up en-mass to 10k events & Half Marathons, we also compete in other events such as the Assembly league (a series of 5k races), cross country events, the list goes on.

So as you can see, there is pretty much something for everyone.  Add to this the social side, friendships, sharing advice, comparing war wounds.  If you are a regular runner, I honestly cannot see a downside to not joining a club! 

We also host an annual 10k which is regularly voted one of the top 10k's in the country and a lot of that is down to the PWR members who give up a considerable amount of time to organise, officiate and marshall the event.

Best of all is having other people (in addition to your family) cheering you on at events, it's amazing how a bit of encouragement can help you squeeze out an extra 2% effort in a finish!

I am just going to highlight a couple of recent events I have been involved as part of PWR.


TRUSTWORTHY
A couple of weeks ago Petts Wood Runners organised a 'Mob Match' against three other clubs; Orpington Road Runners (our local rivals) along with New Eltham Runners & Bexley Runners. I think this is the 3rd Mob Match that I have been involved in and as always the camaraderie between all the runners was superb.  The basis of a mob match if you don't know, is your finishing position determines your points and the club with the least number of points is declared the winner (scoring adjusted according to the club with the least number of runners at the event)

A local Sports Shop, Cook & Matthews who provide PWR with our club kit, had organised for some suppliers to be present, including Mizuno.

Mizuno had about 100 pairs of their shoes in different models and sizes and we were invited to wear a new pair of trainer for the event, if we liked them, we had the opportunity to purchase them at 50% discount, if not, just give them back!  I think that proves just what a trustworthy bunch us runner are.

However, I can trump that.  As it was a pleasant evening, Mich and Max came to watch and 10 mins before the start of the event, a woman approached us and asked if Mich would look after her 5yo boy.  Mich was a bit taken aback and said, "er sorry who are you", she gave her name and then Mich said "are you Petts Wood", the woman replied, "no I am with Bexley".

Mich 'baby sat' whilst this woman ran and Max had a little friend to play with.  But it epitomises the camaraderie of runners.  Although to be honest, not sure if I would approach a complete stranger and ask them to look after Max?

But it was a really good event, with free food, a raffle and the icing on the cake was the clubhouse had T.E.A (Traditional English Ale) from the HogsBack Brewery on handpump.  Like a pig in $hit ;-)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/308579367

Oh, Orpington won the Mob Match.  Booooooo

RELAY
Tonight as I type this, I have just got back from a Relay event hosted by Beckenham Runners.  Again a first for me.  In fact the last time I did a relay was probably 25 years ago at school?  But this isn't a 100 metre relay passing a baton.  This is a 2.6mile relay with teams of 3.  Once again a great event catering for all speeds.  PWR entered 8 teams.  I was running the 2nd leg for my team.  We were playing catch up from the start as when the horn sounded, Chris running the 1st leg was in the bushes having a pee, so ended up doing a 200+ metre sprint to play catch up from the outset!  Must have been the nerves!  I managed to run my leg in 19:25 which is an average 7:25 min/mile, so was quite pleased with that.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/313270617

Haven't yet got the formal results, but another good evening and the majority of the runners stayed to the end to cheer the last couple of people home!

So another event done that I wouldn't have done if I was not part of a running club and a good way of using an event as part of a training plan eg, a threshold run.

Blimey, this was meant to be a short blog based around one topic.

To conclude, if you do not belong to a running club, join one! Even Mich my wife is now a member :-)

Until Next Time
TJH

London Marathon - The other side of the barrier

I am sure it hasn't escaped anybody's attention that there were a few people having a run around London on Sunday, 36k+ to be precise.

I don't want to dwell too much on the tragic circumstances that occurred at Boston.  I was out with a group of people from work on Monday evening celebrating what would have been a 40th birthday of a friend and colleague who passed away suddenly last year.  I then saw the Newsflash.  Thoughts were immediately of a PWR who was running the marathon.  The beauty of technology and social media meant that word quickly spread that he was fine.  My thoughts are with those who have suffered as result of the mindless attack.

I ran Parkrun on Saturday morning in beautiful weather and a 30 second silence as a mark of respect was impeccably observed by the 350+ people there.

In some ways the London Marathon being only 6 days after the Boston was the perfect tonic for Marathon runners and society to unite and show that acts of terrorism cannot and will not break the human spirit!

In the build up to the Marathon, I must admit I have been envious of those who were running, but I have also enjoyed sharing other people's excitement and expectation and it was also nice to help a couple of mates with their training.

Sunday morning, I awoke to another glorious morning and to be honest, it was actually quite nice having a relaxed morning getting ready to go up to London but without the pre-race nerves.

Myself Mich and Max met up with a group of PWRs on a train just before 10am. By 10:45 we were situated at our vantage point just past the 12 mile marker.  Walking to our rendezvous point, you could already sense the feel good factor in the air as we witnessed a young lad sitting on a police motorbike having his picture taken with a police hat on and being shown how to turn the flashing lights on by the Police officer.

Our vantage point had everything you could want.  It was in the sunshine, we had a band a few hundred yards away playing good old classics you could sing along to, my favourite (as it is my karaoke song) being Sweet Caroline. There was a pub only 50 metres away (important for our hydration) and we were just past a water stop (important for the runners hydration) which meant we had the bonus of people slowing down slightly to collect water giving us a better chance to see them and start shouting and waving manically.

Our 12 mile spot (note PWR vest on the pole ready to be held aloft)

We were fortunate enough to see the Paralympians run past including Richard Whithead and also got a glimpse of Mo Farah flash past with the leading Elite group.  Flash being the operative word. 

Now excuse me while I digress, but I looked at Mo's stats on the London Marathon website and I saw that he was averaging over 20km/h.  So I am going to conduct a little experiment this week.  After a warm up, I am going to increase the speed on the treadmill to 20km/h and see how long I can maintain it for.  I will update you in my next blog.

Anyway, a couple who we were with (Brian & Susie), we actually knew before we found out that Brian was a PWR.  Brian is not a bad runner (sic) with a sub 3:20 Marathon PB.  Susie actually admitted that as the throngs of runner streamed past that she had never really seen this part of a Marathon as she had normally moved on to try and ensure she could get to the next point to try and see Brian again.  Mich on the other hand was used to seeing this many runners waiting for me to trundle past.

The atmosphere was superb and it was so inspiring to see people all shapes, sizes and ages running past.  We managed to see quite a few PWRs and I also managed to see a couple of people from work and also one of my mates who I had been running with at lunchtimes.  It was quite difficult trying to keep an eye out for people amongst the constantly moving kaleidoscope of colours, spotting them, shouting, screaming & waving and then trying to get a picture, as the picture of my mate Kirbs demonstrates.

Kirbs looking good

 

Max was evidently enjoying himself and liked pointing out all of the weird and wonderful characters. He seemed to particularly like the two Peppa Pigs, the countless Rhinos and the assortment of different Mr Men characters that he saw.  He was very vocal also, even if sometime he was only copying what either myself or Mich was shouting, but by the time he repeated our shout of encouragement, more often than not the person had already ran past.  But I have to award him 10/10 for enthusiasm, despite his timing being about as good as my photography timing ;-)

 

We wanted to wait at the 12 mile mark until one of the PWR Group 1 runners (Donna) had run past and there was an explosion of noise from our group when we saw her.  She was running and she was smiling which was encouraging.  Once Donna had run past, the PWR supporting group split. Myself Mich & Max, along with Brian, Susie and their 2 boys and Jo another PWR made our way over Tower Bridge to find a spot near the 23 mile mark.

 

As we were walking across Tower Bridge a runner came past carrying a surf board, I commented that he was mad and his response was "Never bet when you are drunk"

 

I was surprised to find the 23 mile mark to start with extremely busy, especially compared to 2 years ago.  I think that it was a combination of the nice weather and also a show of solidarity by the British public.

 

It is at this point where you really get to see what the Marathon for what I reckon 90% of runners is all about.  Pain, true grit and determination.  This is not to detract from the effort and no doubt pain that the elite athletes may suffer, but they are conditioned for it.  Max was insistent on trying to get high fives and did get a bit upset that his offered hand was quite often ignored.  How do you explain to a 3 year old that these folk have been on their feet for 4 hours plus, are shattered and either don't have the energy or just completely focused on getting to the end.

 

 

Max hoping for a High Five



I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see everybody I wanted too, but with the number of runners, that was always going to be inevitable.  But I am sure I speak for our little group that we were all delighted to see Donna again and she was still smiling!

Inspirational Donna

Once we had seen Donna again we started to make our way home, by walking back to Tower Bridge. I then saw another side of the Marathon that probably not many people see.  The people that will have an 8hour plus finishing time, the sweep bus with dejected runners sitting onboard who have had to pull out of the race and the army of volunteers clearing up quite literally around those still soldiering on.  It brings a lump to your throat but despite some not necessarily being in great physical shape, you cannot question their stubbornness, desire and will to complete the 26.2 miles. These are the people that probably need the most encouragement yet a vast number of the crowds will have already gone. I think between us as we walked back, we made sure we shouted for and encouraged every single person!

Mich admitted that the atmosphere is intoxicating and it makes her want to run the Marathon, although first on the agenda is a 10k.  26.2 miles might be a couple of years away.

All in all a fantastic and uplifting day.  My blog probably doesn't do the day justice so if you have never spent the day at the London Marathon, put it on your 'To Do' list, in fact, put it on your 'Must Do' list.  You won't regret it.

Incidentally, Kirbs finished in 4:24 and Donna finished in 7:03.  I just want to say a massive well done to everybody I know who completed the Marathon, apologies that you have not all been mentioned in the blog, but I know that your family and friends will all be very proud.

So 29th April is when the ballot for the 2014 London Marathon opens I believe,  I have a reminder set in my calendar!

Until next time
TJH

P.S.  Donna is a fellow Blogger, and her blog can be found HERE

The Acid Test

This week was for me, a key week that I felt would gauge the chances of me running my planned marathon on the 1st June.

At the beginning of the week I did a couple of circuit training sessions to assist me on working on strengthening my glutes, lots of squats involved. The more I can strengthen my glutes and other leg muscles, the more I can even out the load from my running and ideally reduce the stress on my knee. Well that's the plan anyway!

On Thursday I went for a lunchtime run with a mate of mine (Geoff) who is running the London Marathon. We did just over 5 miles (in SNOW!!) We went at a steady pace of just under 8:50 min/mile.

Lunchtime Run

As we were chatting on our run, we got talking about the weather and he said that despite being fed up with the weather, hoped that come Marathon day the weather was still miserable as that is what he had done all of his training in. I can see his point and I am sure a lot of people will be in the same boat. Having completed all the training in quite frankly miserable weather, it could be a a bit of a shock to the system if it is hot on 21st April. As I will be up in London supporting the many people I know running the London Marathon, I don't mind it being a bit chilly, but I would prefer it not to be raining as I wouldn't want my beer to be diluted!

On Saturday, I once again ran Bromley Parkrun. As part of the Adidas sponsorhip deal (who provide the free technical t-shirts once you have completed either 50, 100 or 250 Parkruns) they were holding a competition for a chance to win a pair of the new 'Boost' running shoes for anybody who managed a Parkrun PB. Nothing like a little incentive :-)

So I decided I would try and beat my PB of 21:53. Alas I could have done with a bit of a boost as I came up short by 9 seconds only managing a 22:02. At least I didn't fall on my face metres from the finish line this time!

Parkrun Stats

Saturday afternoon, I was interested in running of a different kind, the running of the horses that I had backed in the Grand National. Max my 3yo boy picked his first Grand National horse and proudly knew the colours of his selection Ballabriggs (who I had also backed) and it was nice to go round my parents and all watch the race together as it was something I remember doing as a kid. But there was to be no glory for me or Max :-( and he kept asking after the race had finished where Ballabriggs was?

Sunday, I took part in the Paddock Wood Half Marathon. Probably not the most sensible idea going for a 5k PB the day before a half marathon, but I am sure my wife will tell, I am not the most sensible of people.

Sunday like Saturday was a glorious sunny day. Mich, Max & I drove down to Paddock Wood. Mich dropped me near the start and then made her way to a pub near the half way mark where some other friends and family of PWRs were gathering. I met up with a crowd of about a dozen PWRs and for the first 4 miles or so, we all ran together, it was like critical mass as the black and white PWR vests jogged along in unison. We began to spread out as we all had our own pace plans. For a lot, this would be their last longish run before the London Marathon. I ran with with a bloke called Christian (also running the London Marathon), who I had met once before through a mate on a night out and he recognised me as I was the bloke that was escorted out of a bar/club for falling asleep (but that is another story) Anyway Christian is also friends with some of the PWRs - small world.

Me on the left (in case you didn't realise), Christian in the grey.

We ran the first 10 miles together, before he pushed on near the end. I didn't want to push any harder than I was going as I was concerned about my knee. I had some minor aches and twinges in the last couple of miles and I think that a half marathon was probably the limit distance wise at the moment without pushing it too far. I completed the race in 1:44:04 just under an 8 min/mile. (Christian finished in 1:41:46)

Paddock Wood Half Stats

The race was very well organised, lots of friendly marshalls. I particularly liked the touch that at the first sponge station, there was a man in the stocks to encourage you to dispose of your sponge in a confined area. Upon a quick enquiry, he said he had only been hit in the face twice. I very much doubt he would have been there if the weather had not taken the positive upturn otherwise hypothermia would have been a distinct possibility. The course was very flat and was a very pleasant run through the Kent countryside and a very colourful medal to boot.

Sunday afternoon Mich, Max and I had a very nice afternoon catching up with some friends and even had the delight of standing in warm(ish) sunshine eating ice creams! who would have thought it

So, I passed the acid test (just) I am a bit achey and I am still conscious that there is some inherent weakness in my right knee, but I think that is more to do with the legacy of the keyhole surgery I had about 6 years ago and the fact that my right knee will never be 100%. So I will just build my mileage slowly over the coming weeks.

Until the next time
TJH

Back on Track - Almost

although not on the track (not just yet), but on the roads and on the treadmill, also on the gym floor and generally on the floor!  I have continued with some physio over the last couple of weeks and 'touch wood' I seem to be doing well at the moment.  I am now back running.  I have been out with PWR the last couple of Tuesday nights and I have also been doing some speed work on the treadmill at my gym.

Hakuna Tabata

I recently read an article on-line in the Guardian about Tabata Training which I found quite interesting

Guardian Article

So I thought I would give it a go one morning at the gym.  Two things I learnt a) it is bloody hard and b) don't try it on a empty stomach!  The Tabata technique is to run all out for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds rest and repeat 8 times.  After a 10 min warm up, I set the the treadmill at 18kmh which is certainly 'all-out' for me.  I managed 6 repeats before I had to admit defeat, feeling a bit light-headed.  I am blaming the lack of fuel :-)

Stretch, Breathe & Collapse

To supplement my strengthening and stretching exercises that I have been prescribed by my physio I have started doing Yoga (again).  I dabbled with Yoga a bit whilst I was taking part in Project 26.2.  I am not sure how I forgot how difficult it was.  When it comes to flexibility I think an RSJ has more flex than me (By the way in case you are not sure, an RSJ is a re-enforced steel joist). I arrived outside the studio at the gym 5 mins before the session was due to start and there was me and about a dozen women.  I was saved from being the only thorn among the roses, when two other fellas turned up as well.

After 10 minutes I was struggling and had a sweat on and then the instructor announced that was the warm up!  My limit at the moment is the 'downward dog' and even then I can't do that properly and not for long. Some of the positions are nigh on impossible and I spent half the session chuckling to myself as I knew it was quite plainly impossible for me to strike the pose being demonstrated.

In fact, when it comes to me and the instructor has to spend half the session trying to correct my form I think YOGA stands for "You're Obviously Getting Annoyed"  I will persevere though as I really want to do all I can to prevent further injuries.

I don't think anybody saw?

On Saturday, I ran the Bromley Parkrun, which happens to be my first Parkrun for seven weeks. I didn't do too badly and got round in 23:24.

Bromley Parkrun

I was involved in a sprint finish with another chap, the finish is on a slight incline and in a nutshell, I lost my footing and face planted.  Luckily the only damage was a bruised ego and muddy knees and hands.  Oh, and the sub-title is a complete lie, at least 50 people saw me!

I have definitely over indulged on Easter treats this weekend, so need to get back on the straight and narrow as it is now only 9 weeks until my Marathon.

Until next time
TJH

Bumble Bees & Destiny

Running

It has been a couple of weeks since I last blogged and in that time I have only been running twice. 

Two weeks ago I helped out with the Petts Wood Runners Beginners group which after a warm up entailed 3 x 10 minute jogs with 3 minute walking breaks in between.  Add to this a mile or so jog back to my parents and my physio would have probably told me I had overdone it.  But it was all at a nice easy pace.  Although the knee was aching a bit when I got back so I raided my mum’s freezer for a bag of peas (purely precautionary)

Last week I went out with PWR group 3 (a couple of groups below my usual group).  I think we did about 4.5 miles and I don’t know ho long it took because I had forgotten my Garmin, again! This is becoming a bit of a habit.  But it was nice just to run and have a chat.  A couple of twinges, but nothing to worry about.

 

Bumble Bee Theory

During this time I have also had 4 physio sessions and this is where the Bumble Bee comes into play.  It is reported that due to the laws of aerodynamics a Bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, to body size and size of wings etc.

The more I have had physio the more it seems that technically I shouldn’t be able to run?  My biomechanics defy logic!  Tight gastrocnemius, weak soleus.  Glutes that might as well not be there, well my brain has forgot they are there as my quads and hamstrings are doing all the work.  The list goes on.

When I had my MOT as part of Project 26.2 last year, a lot of this was highlighted, but it seems my stretching has only just manage to maintain my level of inflexibility.  So I really have to ramp up my stretching.  Plus the importance of form was highlighted as well.  I was doing what might be considered the right stretches/exercises but doing them poorly meant half the time they weren’t having the desired effect!

I am now stretching and performing strengthening exercises daily.  Yoga, Pilates and sports massage is all back on the cards as well.  I need to do everything I can to try and keep this Bumble Bee flying!

Incidentally, the wife also has to have a couple of weeks off running as well.  She too is seeing a physio and it transpires that she if hyper-mobile, the complete other end of the spectrum to my mahogany sideboard flexibility.  So we are both at home taking turns to do our respective stretches.

I thought running was meant to be good for you……?

 

Destiny

So now onto the destiny part.  Based on my initial consultation with my physio, I had decided to defer my entry for the Brighton Marathon.  It now seems that destiny was playing a part in this decision and scenario.

Part 1.  I mentioned in my last blog that I had entered the Kent Road Runner Marathon.  Well, lo and behold I won a competition via the Southern Running Guide which gives me entry into said marathon, 2 nights accommodation in the local Hilton Hotel and a polo shirt to boot.

 

 

 

 

Part 2.  Some of you may know that I am Millwall fan.  Millwall have managed to make it to the FA Cup semi-final which happens to be on 13^th April (the day before the Brighton Marathon)  Having a few beers at Wembley whilst cheering on your team the day before a marathon is not something I have ever come across in any training plan.

 

 

 

So it seems I was destined to run the Kent Road Runner Marathon this year and the Brighton Marathon next year.  Well that’s my take on it anyway!

So this week it is time to get gradually ease myself back into my training, as I have a Marathon to train for.

Until next time
TJH

Some bugs are contagious!

To start a brief update on my injury.

Having seen a physio on Tuesday it has been confirmed that I have IT Band syndrome.  This is a result of muscle imbalance.  Calves too tight, glutes too weak, text book problems (which is what I had read about last week).  Despite me thinking that a stretch quite a bit I am probably guilty along with the majority of runners of not stretching enough.  I suppose it is a bit like when I played football as a kid.  All you want to do is actually play, rather than train and do drills.  The same with running, I just like to run.  Well a valuable lesson learnt and fortunately not too much damage done.

The consequence is that I will be deferring my run this year in the Brighton Marathon.  If I was running for charity, I would still be taking part.  But fortunately I do not have that responsibility, so I can be a bit more cautious.  However, I have registered for the Kent Road Runner Marathon on 1st June.

So onto my main topic of this blog, Mich, my wife! also known as 'The Mrs', 'Er Indoors', 'The Trouble & Strife' these are obviously generic terms and not names that I would use personally, I know Mich reads these blogs ;-)

It was only last Autumn, that I managed to persuade Mich to join the Petts Wood Runners beginners group and from being a complete non runner, within 8 weeks she completed her first Parkrun.

Fast forward 6 months and now, I often miss the Tuesday night PWR run, so she can run, I am babysitting Max, although I believe when it is your own child, it is called 'parenting'  Last week Mich achieved a Parkrun PB. This week we were talking and I suggested that she started incorporating some interval elements.  So on Thursday, Mich ran for 30 minutes, with a 15 second threshold pace element every 5 minutes.

Saturday was when I had final confirmation that Mich has truly caught the running bug.  Early morning Mich was up and was eating a banana along with a glass of beetroot juice.  Then I came out of the bathroom to find her doing dynamic stretching!  Mich then asked my advice on a plan for incorporating some threshold elements in her Parkrun.  We agreed on a strategy of an increase in pace for 20 seconds at each mile with a faster finish.

The result was another PB of 32:38, knocking another 1m 19secs of the previous weeks PB.

The stats that I should have uploaded earlier

But to be honest, none of that was the proof that Mich has the running bug.  My evidence is as follows:

Mich will tell you, I am a bit untidy and she will also tell you it is a close run thing, who makes more mess, me or Max.
Upon returning from Parkrun, I happened to be tidying up a bit in the bedroom, picking up my clothes etc and Mich came out of the shower and said
"What are you doing?"
(Most blokes will know, when your wife asks you this you have to think about your answer very carefully)
"Er tidying up" I replied cautiously.
"Oh, well I thought you would be uploading the Garmin stats to see how I did"

So there you have it, Mich would rather me upload her run stats than tidy up! :-) She has officially caught the running bug!

Mich focussing on the finish, with Max encouraging!

A 10k run in May is next on her agenda, I have pencilled her in for the Barca Half in 2015 ;-) (I want to get my hat-trick in 2014)

Until next time
TJH (proud Hubby)