Club Class

A slightly early Saturday morning for me, particularly after my late run, and dinner last night. By eight o'clock I was at Javed's house in Odiham saying hello to a few Hart Road Runners club members I've not seen this year, and being happily hounded by happy hounds (either because they appreciate my doggish "eat-play-run-sleep" mentality.... or because I smell of cat).

Andy , Fiona, Huw, Andy, Javed
Maisy, Pippa

Javed's dogs, Maisy and Pippa, put in a fair few miles, and regularly join a run with a familiar group. Maisy's heavier coat and steadier pace means she fares better in cooler weather, whereas the younger Pip isn't averse to clearing the odd gate, or chasing an errant pheasant.

Once everyone arrived, Javed lead us out on a regular route of his. Within minutes from his door you can find yourself in wide open fields, separated by flinty (or often muddy) green lanes and farm tracks, and Javed can string together a route of almost any distance by adding or removing loops from key junctions.
Today we headed west initially, for what became a twelve mile excursion, and took turns to sharing the lead and bringing up the rear, happily chatting between us as we went.

Of the group, three of us are "dark-siders", in that we regularly sign up to ultra-marathons of thirty miles or more, plus an ultra-dabbler, a triathlon-dabbler, and a marathon-dabbler. The dogs favour ultra-duathlon events, in that they'll happily run for several hours at a time, but whenever the see water, they'll be swimming.

At this stage in my Janathon campaign, it's refreshing to be running with a good sized, mixed group. Not only is it great to chat to other runners about their plans for the year, but it's also a good reference for seeing how well (or not) I'm running after twenty two days straight. The body's definitely still feeling as good as it was two and a half weeks ago, which supports my plan to look after my joints from day one; but I'm itching to get a bit of rest & recovery, so I can start using some higher gears again. The bathroom scales suggest a noticeable drop in weight, and a reduced fat percentage since Janathon began, which means I should be well set for some faster long runs throughout spring, and fitting in all my suits for another year.

The run concluded with a social coffee, and runners departed for busy days of taxi-ing kids around and visiting family. Me? I have an appointment with a lazy lunch and a comfy sofa, plus a couple of hours of television I have no intention of staying awake for.....


Summary:
Today: 12.2 miles, 1:55 hrs, 1391 cals
January: 305.3 miles, 44.39 hrs, 41183 cals