Two runs tonight … helping out at the club’s latest Cosy Sofa to 5k scheme in Cullybackey and then the run home back to Ballymena from the village.
I love the C25K programme. It’s really encouraging to see so many new runners take up the sport, and to see them progress week on week. It’s been a starting point for so, so many runners and I’m keen to help out as much as I can.
Due to circumstances I’ve missed out on most of the last two programmes run by the club, so I was determined to make it tonight, especially with it being week one day one. An impressive 70 or so turned up, alongside another 20 from the club, which was a great turnout.
The opening night is always two minutes running, followed by two minutes walking repeated three times and I really enjoyed it, although at one point I went from tail runner to leading our group for a little bit … talk about pressure!!!
As I said, it was fun. Really relaxed and friendly but, also, a very gentle little warm up for me ahead of my run back home.
My last couple of runs have been dogged by ankle problems so I was really appreciative of the opportunity of being able to use the C25K to test them.
Happily, they felt absolutely fine, so after pointing myself in the right direction – this was only my second ever time in Cullybackey and it would have been a tad embarrassing to get lost! – I set off on the run home, approx 4.5 miles on a largely straight road.
Whilst it may have been straight it did undulate quite a bit, not massively so but enough to provide regular little tests and to break the monotony of there being absolutely no turns in the road.
Getting back into the town, I had the option to either go through the centre or turn right and go up Princes Street the opposite way. I choose the latter because it presented a wee bit of a climb and, well, I can never resist Princes Street!
All told it was enjoyable evening and a pleasant run home, with the added bonus of pain free ankles
HUFF, PUFF AND SHUFFLE 