Running Clubs

[Debbie]

Can't say I've felt the urge to join a club as yet - I like the freedom running on the days which best suit me gives. I'd feel a bit tied to a timetable if I joined a club, although I do like the thought of the social side of things.

My local club meets at 7 pm, which doesn't really give me much time as I often don't get home until 6:30, which would mean a mad dash to get there on time. However, I do ponder the possibility every so often ...

Have to agree with Parky about running in the dark. My night vision is quite good but last night's run was like an ostacle course! The street lamps were out for a complete section of my usual route (the darkest bit, of course) and with the slippery wet leaves just waiting to bring me down I had to negotiate that part very, very cautiously. The wet leaves also sat in a layer on top of the puddles, disguising their existence like some kind of miltary booby-trap. On several occasions I got a foot full of water. This, coupled with the fact that I had to run in an old sweatshirt as I'd left my lightweight fleece at my mum's, made for a pretty unpleasant 5 miles, all things considered. I left the HR monitor at home as I didn't want to have to be slowed in that weather, and ended up running at just about half-marathon pace, so a good tempo work-out.

However, I felt a certain amount of lower-leg stiffness and discomfort, which leads me to suspect that everyone's right and to build mileage safely I can only really afford to do one faster-paced run per week - or even per fortnight. Pushing too hard is making me tired and achey ... perhaps there is something to be said for this base training lark after all (although I still refuse to have to walk!)