Where do I go from here?

[Yorkshire Plodder]

Well, I seem to have come to a major point in my running life! Last night on the Club run I was invited to join the faster group on their long run on Saturday morning. Basically on a Tuesday everyone runs together - well with some of us trailing a little behind! The other days it is split into two groups, basically the 'slow' group and the 'fast' group. I (obviously) run with the slow group, sometimes even struggling to keep up with some of them. It is mostly made up of women who like to run along discussing things like hair appointments and flower arranging type things - not really my scene. Admittedly I do occasionally throw some flowers into a vase and also occasionally head down to the hairdressers, but I don't want to spend my time talking about it. The other group is made up of serious runners and those who one day would like to be (and those who don't want to discuss hair and flower arranging!).
I've now got to make a big decision - should I just stick with what I know and plod round a flat 6 mile route on Saturday or should I head out and attempt to do a hilly 15 miles. What I don't quite understand is why they need to go and start the run elsewhere to specifically include hills when it would be obvious to me that you do your best to avoid them as much as possible!
Anyway, its not raining (for a change) so think I'll head out and do a few miles and consider my future!! I'll let you know what I do after the weekend.

[stillwaddler]

try running with the hilly serious lot - provided they don't leave you behind (maybe a breadcrumb trail a la Babes in the Wood???) and if it doesn't work out you could re-join the 6mile Ladies Who Lunch next weekend?

I have never got around to joining a club although there are plenty close by, running is still something I like to do alone - except for races of course - gives me a bit of time for my mind to go free-range, I even admit to feeling a bit narked sometimes if my husband decides to join me ;-)

Let us know what you decide and how you get on, I've just returned from a lunchtime 4 miler from work, weather is just a bit fresher today, very welcome, didn't feel I needed to get straight back in the shower the moment I climbed out unlike the last few days!

[El Gordo]

Seems quite a drastic choice, YP. 6 miles easy v 15 miles hard.

I suppose the boring answer is that it depends what you want to get out of running. If you're trying to improve, and you're competitive, then I'd have to say go with the faster group. Do you have to commit to one or the other? Why not alternate them, so you have a hard run every couple of weeks, or perhaps every 3 weeks? Then your relatively easy run could be a recovery weekend. Do that for a month or two and see how you feel.

[Yorkshire Plodder]

Thanks Andy - my mind's made up by your first comment - 6 miles easy v 15 miles hard. It's definitely got to be the 6 miles at the moment (who knows one day I might make the 15), but since when has even 6 miles been EASY!?

SW - I was really dubious about joining a club but really enjoy it now. I must admit it's a lot easier than running with my husband. He seems to have a major problem with his watch - keeps gazing at it and tutting and commenting on "how slow that mile was", must remember never to let him get near my Forerunner - that could be a real disaster!

[Yorkshire Plodder]

Well the weekend didn't turn out as expected (do they ever?). Yesterday was big decision day - well I decided to do neither run and dusted off my bike and went for a 30 mile bike ride - it was brilliant, it's far easier than running, I might retire from running and take up cycling instead!!
Today, as the sun was shining again, we decided to head off for the coast and go for a run there. After yesterday's cycling the old legs were a bit achy so it was a very steady run but must admit I enjoyed it, I suppose it's just the change of scenery and sea air!
Anyway, might make the decision who to run with next weekend!!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

You realise of course, that far more cyclists are run over and killed each year than runners?

This isn't because motorists think more highly of runners, it's just that we can run toward the oncoming traffic and therefore leap out of the way of the marauding motorist murderers when they swerve in our direction; plus we can see the evil glint in their eyes before they bear down on us. Gives us a fighting chance at least.

At least that's my theory. Andy's the expert on violent crime - what do you think Mr.L?

[El Gordo]

I think that my enthusiam for violent crime doesn't really affect YP's interest in cycling.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I will admit that cycling downhill is huge fun - much more so than running downhill, which is just tough on the quads and knees. I used to be a mad cyclist myself (with mad being perhaps the operative word), and used to cycle everywhere, but eventually fighting the traffic gave me the heebs, and using bikeways was a pain because they were full of dogs and those pesky joggers who blocked the path and wouldn't get out of my way.

I know now of course that runners have God on their side.

Oops, now I've gone and mentioned religion. Better get back to beer.

Or maybe not.

*sigh*

[Yorkshire Plodder]

The joys of cycling are beginning to wane already, and not just because of MLCM's comments! After being out on a ride in the pouring rain I've come to realise that running is definitely better for me. Actually being out in the rain can, quite oddly, be pleasant when running, yet when cycling it certainly isn't. There's also the fact that arriving home soaking wet after running is as simple as jumping in a hot bath and stuffing your trainers with newspaper to dry them, whereas (apparently, according to my husband!) after getting wet cycling you need to clean your bike down and re-oil it (still not exactly sure where the oil goes!!) - running is certainly sounding like the better option at the moment.

Anyway, Andy, what is this fascination of yours with violent crime?

[El Gordo]

Originally posted by Yorkshire Plodder
Anyway, Andy, what is this fascination of yours with violent crime?

If MLCM sticks around much longer, you may see it at first hand...

Not really.

I suppose it was a reference to me mentioning the Yorkshire Ripper a couple of times. We're all interested in violent crime, aren't we? As long as it happens on the other side of the glass.

Agree totally about running and rain. My main regret about being lazy and demotivated at the moment is that I've missed all that rain to run in. I don't understand the rainist tendency among runners. Being against it suggests to me a fundamental confusion between running and real life.

In real life, you wear clothes and it's not very nice when these get wet. Sometimes it spoils them, but most of the time it just makes you uncomfortable until you can dry or change them. And your hair gets wet. Uugh.

In Plodderama, you don't wear clothes. Not many, anyhow. You wear skimpy bits of cloth designed not to absorb water. You can splosh through puddles like a naughty child, and it doesn't matter. You can run, grinning, past bus-stopfuls of miserable, shrunken people whining about the rain. You can feel the water streaming down your face and down your back and it makes you giggle like a kiddie.

Best of all, you get home, and the very first thing you ALWAYS do when you return from a run is to take off your clothes, so it doesn't matter if they are wet.

The second thing you ALWAYS do when you return from a run is to have a shower or a bath, so it doesn't matter if you and your hair are already wet.

But as for cleaning down and re-oiling a bike... sheesh, what a nightmare that sounds. Gimme running anytime.

I do have a bike, mind you. It lives in a garage 220 miles from my home. It's safe there.

Andy

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Originally posted by andy
We're all interested in violent crime, aren't we?

Not me, sorry. I could never understand why there are books, magazines and TV programmes dedicated to the subject. I'd much rather watch a nice doco on church architecture than be assaulted by mindless violence, be it real or fictional.

Guess I'm more your "Magic Roundabout" kind of guy.

I've got a very nice DVD about Steve Prefontaine though. That's got some violence in it.

Yours soothingly,

The New Meeker, Milder, Gentler MLC Man.