Now all pray to the Monkey Gods

On Tuesday evening this weekI was to be my first go as an official group leader after my recent qualification as a Leader in Running Fitness. As I am getting back to fitness I didn't want to be seen to flake out after a mile so asked to go with Group 2, usually comprising people new to running and making their first step up into a distance past 5km or people returning from injury. This is a nice group to lead as all they need to do is get some confidence that in fact they can do it and to realise speed and distance comes to those who are patient. My brief was to run 4.5 miles at 10:30 - 11:00 min/miles, nothing more, nothing less, so I had planned the route but had no Garmin GPS to use to pace so I chose to blag it and go with the flow!

It was much surprise when I was introduced as " Welcome Jezza on his inaugural run as Group 2 Leader" a large cheer went up and a round of applause rippled through the crowd that I introduced the run, speed and distance. Then the next surprise (and much relief) when a small group of about 12 runners gathered around me with expectant faces.

The run went well with a few stops for all to group together (at their request) and it was interesting that some of them were not sure where they were which is probably a good thing as I had planned a little treat of a local hill I call "Cardiac Hill 2" as it quite steep and has to be taken at the runner's own pace. When I told them what I had planned some of them them looked absolutely miserable so I told them "At your pace I want you to get to the top of the hill, you can run it, walk it or crawl it but I don't want you to stop" and off we plodded ( I was shamefully at the back as my hills are not great at the moment but I am good of the flat) as I reached the top I was met with a sea of smiling faces.

Then it was the last mile or so back to the club house with the pack happily chatting behind me such that with 800 metres to go I set them off on a chase back with "orders" to meet in the car park for a shake and stretch.

In the car park the pack now full of endorphins were set in a circle and I asked them to relax and blow out and stretch to the heavens to see if they could touch the Monkey Gods and then bend down and to all pray to them. There was a ripple of bemused laughter from a few of them as only a few knew about my Monkey Feet and the reference.

A morning marking a course

Like many races a competitor will tun up to the event, collect a number, get dressed in their kit and wait to start the race mostly unaware of the frantic activity that has been going on before the crack of dawn that day.

I turned up at a small village hall in Cuxton, Kent where there were a team of people scurrying around fixing tents, computers being connected and flags being raised. I walked in quietly and got dressed in my kit comprising my dear old Monkey Feet, a pair of Union Flag shorts and a light weight running jacket whilst the weather promised to be dry all day I put a pair of gloves and a Buff into my backpack along with a first aid kit and a litre of water.

The job of a course checker/marker and indeed Sweeper are self efficient as you are working before check points are prepared or, as a sweeper, when they are closing down so it is best to carry your own. So with a pre-run briefing from the Race and Course Directors I stepped on the start line just as the sun rose up in the east, a glorious start of a run over the Downs.

Without a blow by blow account of what happened on the course (not very much by the way) it has certainly taught me a lesson not to:

1. Over estimate my fitness
2. Under estimate the Downs again

Yes it was tough, the hills sharp, the mud gloopy in places and the trail hardened such that my Monkey Feet were not protecting my sole as best they can.

On the more optimistic front I certainly began to realise that I had missed my opportunities to be trotting over the various hills, alone with my thoughts, a map in hand and a beady eye on the horizon.

It is the day after the run now and I have a blackened toe nail (from a trip) and tired legs but I am so very happy that I was able to run 14 miles at my ultra pace with little problems after apart from a pang to get back out there again

Optimistic post

The plan for Wednesday was for me to run a session with a group of runners and had set a nice plan to do parlaufs, fartleks and sprints to build up some power in their runs.

This was turned on its head when, after I had navigated (read as short cut) across the local park with my head torch I reached the arranged meeting point to find that only two people had turned up. Feeling a little disappointed we decided to go for a run being aware that one of the runners was new to the sport so took a gentle pace which I was secretly glad of as I am finding it difficult to drop my speed and so blow myself out quite quickly.

So we ran together for about 5 kilometres and dropped of a runner to their car when the remaining guy Peter, who I have run together quite a few times but you may remember helped mark a course with me in 2014  and so there is a kindred spirit of going "off piste" so we decided to go back the way I came, I with a head torch, he without. So slipping and sliding about in my Monkey Feet we hung to a tree line, ducked over to one side of a clump of bushes and then a new tree line to join the main path and out to the road.

We said our goodbyes leaving him to traipse up the local mountain (read as the steepest hill in the local area) and I to the downhill slope to my house where I jumped into the house feeling a little tired but elated that something good came out of a bad thing.

No track this week as I want to rest up as I am course checking a trail race route on Saturday taking me 21 kilometres which I am very much looking forward to.