FCCCD Run Group - #RunAndTalk

A WHILE AGO I arranged a #RunAndTalk session in Lewes, Sussex for colleagues in the emergency services.   Over the next week a few people said that either they wanted to run it, but it was on a day/time they were working or they had not run for a very long time.

Being on a day that they were working was easy to resolve, as I could arrange another session on a different day.   Having not run for a very long time required a lot more thought and potentially committment from me.   I had gone this far, so realistically what was stopping me?

I decided to start a #RunAndTalk Learn to Run Group.   Being on the departmental wellbeing committee I used that to advertise feeding into the organisational wellbeing committee.   From that two people came forward who wanted to give it a go.

The first session was an induction with interval training and looking at breathing, run technique to avoid injury and the mechanics of running.   The main take away part was running tall and light.   We discussed what they wanted to get out of the learn to run sessions and it was agreed that the common goal was to be completeing a 5km parkrun.   This then led into a mixture of running and training over the next nine weeks.

As we were training and running in Lewes we began to get noticed by colleagues and that started some more enquiries.   The membership rose and we currently have 12 people with 6 currently active.

On the 17th March 2022 I decided to set a test to see how everybody was doing and how close they are to the 5km.   The session was to complete a 4km run with a warm up and run along the river Ouse that meanders through Lewes.

As the 4km was coming up on my Garmin the group wanted to detour around the park and up Mayhew Road, which they managed with real determination and motivation.   Once back at HQ Garmin was showing 4.63 km.   There was a real appetite to push this to 5km and we took a route around the complex, including the dog field and the FCCCD building.

This brought the run to 5km.   Everybody is now getting their parkrun membership and we will be looking at completing the task very soon.    This is the first group I have taken from zero to hero and feel one proud coach.

Anybody within the organisation interested can see details of the group and training dates/times on the FCCCD Run Group (R.I.O.T) tab at the top.

Photo's feature three of the runners from the FCCCD group who completed the 5km run, great running.

Tilgate Parkrun - Crawley with J&M Runners

Last week was International Women's day and all marshalling duties for Clair Parkrun was taken over by our female athletes, this Saturday is going to be all male allowing all of those volunteers to run, so the plan for Saturday was simple.

Unfortunantly by the time I volunteered all the slots had been taken, which is great because with the volunteers in place it leaves me free to run it, and with a major national event coming up, I need to keep on top of the training.

Then came the news from Marion Hemsworth that J&M Runners were planning to run Tilgate parkrun in the tourist slot.   I have now managed to do a number of parkruns from Haywards Heath, Reigate, Hove and Poole to Wales with Pontyprith, Aberdare and (home of Gavin and Stacey) Barry Island.   But I have not done Tilgate, just down the road?

The closest I have got is with the WSFRL with the Saints and Sinners run around Tilgate Forest and more recently with Crawley Run Crew's "Run Your Heart Out", 8km run around Tilgate Forest and Park.

I managed to blag a lift the J&M Runners from Beechurst in Haywards Heath all the way to Crawley.   It always amazes me how inclusive athletes are and the level of "community" there is in running.   But there we were heading for Crawley on time for the start of parkrun.

This was a really nice, but challenging course, starting off just below the Smith and Western pub you run the big lake, which cuts between the smaller lake.   You then loop back around (with a very nice challenging hill) to the Smith and Western you run it anti clockwise to the rear of the public house and down past the car parks.

 

Very quickly you turn left back into the park and run up the side of the Nature Centre (being the second hill on the course).    Looping back to the start you run one last complete lap of the lake and into the exit tunnel.

Coming into the second loop of the large lake Marion caught me up and we started to cat and mouse each other around the lake and to that elusive exit tunnel.   This isn't the first time we have done this, Hove Promenade was a great example of how we can bounce off each other and increase motivation.  

 

It was great running with J&M today and we managed to finish the run with coffee in the walled garden along with Marion's Jaffa cakes.   Great day and a great run.

Clair parkrun 5th March 2022

SATURDAY 5th MARCH 2022 was my 103rd parkrun at my home course of Clair Park Haywards Heath.   Finished work at midnight and got up early to run as today is the first of three days off.

Today's theme was a celebration of International Women's Day, which is on Tuesday 8th March.   Today was an all female cast of marshalls specially and they did an amazing job of keeping it going and motivating everybody.   Next week it's all male cast.

Today was one of those runs that you know will stay with you for a long time!

Completed lap one  ✅ with someone heavy breathing behind me.   Lap two ✅ and they are still there, so I took a sneaky look back to see who it was.   A runner reasled I had clocked her and shouted, “Don’t worry I’m using you for pacing because you are good”.

Ok now feeling good about myself and thinking, "No pressure here to keep on track!"

Lap three ✅ hit the big hill and start to slow down.   Gabby not so keen on this starts shouting, “You can do it, don’t slow down now!”   My brain shouts at me, “Bloody right I can do this!”   Final lap and every time I slow down on the hill she is right behind me shouting.

We collapsed at the finish line extending our running family.   Great run, great motivation.   Thank you 🙏 Gabriella for making my day.