Well what an amazing journey we've all had and what an epic finish. The weather was very good to us yesterday and the rain held off for our run. Yesterday was a day of firsts and Personal Bests, after 10 years of having a barcode I actually did a parkrun too. We had a warm welcome from all the volunteers at Rother Valley parkrun and a special mention for our runners.

We had a great support crew of Swallows (Vivienne, Claire, Monica, Ashley) to support myself and Paul, as well as being cheer squad for our runners. I won't name all of the runners because it seems like I've been getting people's names wrong for the last few weeks and you were just too nice to correct me! None of this would be possible without having the commitment shown by all of your turning up each week and sticking with us.

It's been really great to help you build in confidence in your running, you really are all doing so well and I hope you continue running. You are all very welcome to join us for a run and we will keep posting details of where we are running. If you do another parkrun, hopefully we will also see you there. Special thanks to Paul for all of the hard work he has put in over the last 11 weeks.

Congratulations on your achievement!

For our last week at Kiveton Community Woodland, the weather was kind to us. I can't believe we have done week 10 and the next week is the Parkrun! The grand finale. This week we threw the plan out of the window and after a (brief) description of the route from Paul, and an extra check to make sure our deserted duo Alun and Ashley, understood the way, we were raring to go.

Channelling our inner Forrest Gump we hit the road. Not quite Monument Valley but the many roads of Kiveton on a 5km route and it can feel like a very long road ahead. We have all been on a really incredible journey (see how many road related puns you can find) and have challenged ourselves to become more confident at running. It has never been about how fast you go, but often pushing past the mental roadblocks we have when starting out. It's been tough going at times but we stuck together and have kept each other motivated to go that little bit further each week. Running alone can be meditative or provide time to clear your mind but running in a group gives you the motivation to keep going.

Hopefully now you will all have the confidence to turn up at Rother Valley parkrun on 3rd December and do your thing. You've all done so well and this is a great way to finish the course on a high. It's really not a race but an introduction to a running community that will support you in whatever goals you have. You are welcome to join our club runs and I promise we will take it easy and continue building up the distance. The Swallows will be there to run alongside you and you will have support for when you reach the finish line, there may even be more cake! See you on Saturday and don't forget your barcode!

This blogger has been slacking and so we have a two week report instead. Last week, we ran in Kiveton Community Woodland but instead of running round the base like we usually do, we went up! Definitely a shock to the system and a hard hill to get up but we all did it. Week 8 saw us running for 5 minutes (efforts) and 1 minute jog (recovery), everyone powered on and conquered the mountain. Hopefully feeling euphoric with the amazing achievement.

Week 9 and Paul decided to throw caution to the wind and my whistle has been relegated to sitting in my pocket. This week we went outside of the Woodlands and just ran without a time target. We had some adventures into Kiveton and there may have been a few minutes where we thought we might have lost a couple of runners. They weren't lost, they were just checking out another route for next week! All ended on a high and we've all run approximately the same distance on 4.5 to 5k depending how which way you went.

From those of you I've spoken to, it definitely feels like the last two runs have been a defining moment. We often have barriers that we put up, either physical or metaphorical, telling ourselves it's too hard to run or we can't run up hills, all we really need is the confidence to get our trainers on and maybe others to cheer us on. 

Well the rain didn't put off our runners this week, with more turning up than last week. It may have been the sheer thrill of running or possibly the lure of baked goods, who knows?

Either way, no one can doubt the determination of everyone taking part when faced with rain and the smoke from a recent fire blowing in our direction. This week Paul and I were supported by Ashley, Claire, Linda, Richard and Vivienne from the club. It's great to see everyone supporting each other and coming together as a group. This week was 4 mins of running (efforts) and 2 mins of jogging (recovery) and we covered 5km. 

This is much harder than previous weeks, where we walked during the recovery element, but the whole group stuck together and got through another run. Running in the rain takes things to a new level where a runner will often question their sanity, but it's being together and the great feeling you get when you finish that keeps you going. 

Everyone was rewarded for their efforts with a brownie, definitely deserved a treat this week!

Here we are at the halfway point in the training and week 5 of 10. After the rain we've had over the last few days, I wasn't sure if we would need a canoe but the sun came out for our runners and Kiveton Community Woodland is displaying a full spectrum of autumnal colours. We were supported by Paul (AKA the Southern Softie), Ashley, Claire, Richard and Vivienne. Claire led an excellent warm-up, where many of us realised we don't have any coordination or balancing skills.

​After the critique last week, I had a new whistle at the ready and feeling very much like a teacher/referee, although I'm guessing some runners may have had some choice names for me during the run! This week we increased our running, 3 minutes (efforts) and 1 minute walking (recovery). It definitely feels harder each week but our runners gave it their all and we all managed to cover the 5km distance and smile (grimace) at the end. 

Well done to everyone who keeps turning up and keep putting the hard work in, you're all superstars. I have been listening to repeated references to cake week, I might bring some scary treats for our runners next week! 

The nice weather seems to be continuing to turn up on a Saturday, as do our runners. I've missed a week and can really see the huge difference in everyone's progress. This week I was in charge, although needed to be reminded to stay at the back. I've also been told to add a better whistle to my shopping list, but not sure if Paul is secretly missing the power!

This week we had Ashley, Claire, Gill and Vivienne supporting us, hopefully you know who me and Paul are by now but helps that we have 'Coach' written on our hi-vis vests as a reminder.

This week was more difficult and we ran for 2.5 minutes (efforts) and 1 minute walking (recovery). In four short weeks, we have already built up to running 3 miles (5km). This is amazing and everyone should be proud of what you have achieved so far, turning up and putting in the effort each week. 

Well done everyone hopefully we will see you next week for more nice weather and bit of running!

With the start of a new month, the weather has definitely started to turn cooler but that didn't put off our group of hardy runners. The weatherman was kind to us once again and the sun was shining for our second run. 

The good news is that we didn't put people off last week and we had a bigger turn out, with 23 runners raring to go. Some even managed to convince their friends and relatives that getting up early on a Saturday morning to go for a run, is a good idea. We will report next week to see if they are still speaking!

This week was slightly different, instead of running in circles we went along the base of the woodlands, although I think some were genuinely wondering if we were going to make them run up the massive hill (we'll save that treat for another day). Our session this week was a little harder, with 90 seconds of running (efforts) then one minute of walking (recovery). 

Everyone did really well, this was only the second week and people are running 50% more than last week. Expertly led by Paul and supported by Claire, Gill, Lynsey, Stuart and Vivienne. Hopefully we will all get to know more of each other, but it's been great to find out more about you and what's motivating you to run. Looking forward to next week's adventures and don't forget your homework!

Well after sharing our poster far and wide, we were pleasantly surprised with the number of people who turned up for our first week. Over 20 intrepid runners arrived at Kiveton Community Woodlands at 9.00am, on a bright autumnal day, eager to learn the ropes. With a great support crew of Ashley, Claire, Lynsey, Sarah and Vivienne to help. 

Expertly instructed by our coach Paul, we all listened intently through the warm up and then we set off. The training plan started with a repeat of one-minute brisk walk and one-minute run (efforts). Everyone did a sterling effort and completed the 20 minute exercise, with smiles on their faces right to the end. 

It was great to see happy faces at the end. Some of us had a debrief at Resti in Kiveton Park, sampling some of the cakes and to replenish our energy. Well done to everyone who took part on Saturday and see you next week!