Parties, getting lost and making some New Year goals
The end of the year proved to be a very busy time and here I am playing catch up. There have been lots of wonderful running experiences shared with some great friends.
- Monday night social runners and walkers
- Non-existent Hashing
- Christmas parties
- Pre and post Christmas orienteering
- RBS (Rebecca Bryce Sturgis or my Running Buddy Supreme!)
- Goals for 2015
Monday Night Social Runners and Walkers
It proved very hard to motivate myself to get out after rushing about on Mondays in the lead up to Christmas. I just wanted to stay at home in the warm with my feet up but I also knew that I was not able to get to my other running commitments and I just couldn't waste any opportunities to get out with others.
One of the good things about social running is that you feel much more safe when there are others with you and especially when it is dark or you are running in lonely places. Of course, having a nice chat in the pub afterwards is always something to reward yourself with after a good run. As December drew nearer we were down to two or three runners as everyone had Carol concerts or other Christmassy calls on their time.
Non-existent Hashing
Sadly, I found myself unable to get to any of the December Mersea Island Hash House Harriers meetings on Saturdays.
The MIH3 has been one of the joys of my running life and I am so glad Becci encouraged me to join her running with them. They are organised by the lovely Carolyn and Geoff and my thanks go to them and to all who host and lay out the trails. I am looking forward to exploring new areas and pubs at the 2015 outings.
Christmas Parties
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| Not everyone could carry off this look in such style! |
It has been wonderful to round off the year with some celebrating with running friends. There was a delicious meal of curry with the Monday Night group and another Christmas dinner with The Commando Runners and a really wonderful invitation to join a "work" Christmas dinner by the lovely running and walking nurses. This was at Mimosa restaurant and we were able to listen to fellow runner Robin in his band Loxley's Corner who were playing as we ate.
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| They scrub up pretty well these runners! |
Pre and Post Christmas Orienteering
Becci and I joined the Essex Stragglers for an evening orienteering run in Colchester. We decided to try the shorter route as we hadn't tried this type of event before. We found it to be great fun and managed to find our way without too much trouble. We didn't need our head torches as most of the route was lit by street lights but it was a bit muddy off road. The routes are described rather than having to be worked out by using map references. We had to collect the number on water hydrants and we were trying to do it in as fast a time as we could.
Just after Christmas we went on Jack's Apple Run at Hull Farm, Ardleigh in conjunction with Colchester Harriers Fryers 16th Apple Trail Run which was a narrative led course and we decided to try the 5.5 mile distance. It was a perishingly cold morning but bright with a clear blue sky. All was going well until a very bossy lady told us in no uncertain terms we were not allowed to go the way we were headed and that she thought the land owner put up dangerous electric fences and we should take the route back up to the road and re-join the others further along. Well we tried this and managed to add another mile and a half to our run. Oh well - all was made better by a dish of apple crumble washed down with a delicious apple juice and a welcome cup of tea.
RBS (Rebecca Bryce Sturgis or my Running Buddy Supreme!)
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| Glammed up in our lovely orange party hats! |
We found ourselves the last men standing at a running club set up to take people from non-runners to half marathon running distances. We are both non-quiters by nature and over time we did achieve the goal of running a half marathon and along the way we became good running buddies. We run together and have a lot of fun. We chat, we go slow, we go faster, we work hard, we push ourselves and we are always up for a challenge.
Meeting and running with Becci has been a great privilege as she has lots of qualities I really admire. Becci encourages, not just me but everyone, by working hard at setting up running and socialising opportunities, by introducing us to new running experiences and clubs and races and seeing it all as completely achievable. Quiet and modest she is a model for how to make a difference to your life through sport and fun. Thank you Becci for proving that you can run with someone else and make a success of it and I would encourage everyone who wants to keep up their running to try and find a running buddy.
Goals for 2015
I do like to make goals (rather than resolutions) at the beginning of each year and also each month. So here are mine:
Goals for January:
- MIH3 running - Saturday
- Park running - Saturday
- LWFitness running - Thursday
- Supple Strength - Wednesday
- Spinning - Tuesday
- One/two longer runs
So good luck to all setting themselves some goals in 2015 and happy running.
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