This blogger has been slacking on the posts, and also wasn't here for week 6 which made it a bit harder to write a run report. Week 6 was quite a milestone and a change in the amount of effort. This week we ran 4 minutes (efforts) and 2 minutes of jogging (recovery), this was the first time we ran the 5k with no walking element. There was also a race to the gate, which I heard was really popular.

It's a big increase in the amount of continuous running, but hopefully you are starting to build the stamina to keep going. Week 6 and 7 is showing you how changing pace can give you the rest you need to continue running.

Week 7 I was back in charge of the whistle, we had a smaller group of people because of holidays but was great to see everyone there. This week we increased the running to 5 minutes (efforts) and 2 minutes of jogging (recovery). Although we avoided the race to the gate, this week we did start hill-training, with an attempt to get part way up the mountain.

Well done on getting this far and your commitment. I can't believe we are on week 8 already, who know's what interesting routes we will find this week!

Well this week you get a 2 for 1 bonus, because this blogger has been a bit slack on the updates. The same can't be said to the beginners group, who are doing some serious running.

In week 4 we continued with 2 mins of running (efforts) and 1 min of walking (recovery), but unlike week 3, we didn't stop until we reached 5k. This is an amazing distance to cover after just four weeks of running. 

For week 5, there was an increase of the running element to 3 mins of running (efforts) and 1 min of walking (recovery). It's definitely started to feel a bit harder this week but everyone kept together and motivated each other. This one of the benefits you get from running with a group, it helps to motivate to push a little harder and run a bit further, you are never alone. It's really great to see everyone support each other. 

Hopefully now people can start to see that they can run 5k and maybe you can start thinking about future goals. This might be joining us for a club run, signing up for a race or making parkrun part of your weekly exercise routine. Looking forward to seeing you progress over the next few weeks.

Running can often feel like a never-ending series of steps to climb and many will put themselves off from even trying because it seems really hard to start. Spoiler, it is hard!

So first thing, congratulations for sticking with it and making it to week 3, you've done really well. It is hard but hopefully you are starting to see the difference and the progress you've made, we certainly can! 

This week we ran a combination of 2 mins running (efforts) and 1 min walking (recovery) and repeated 10 times. We also covered an extra 0.25 miles, it might not seem a lot but it is. We did over just 2 miles or maybe a little bit more for those in front.

We were supported by Claire, Ashley, Gill, John, Linda and Andrea. Paul filled in with the coaching until I finally arrived after a nice de-tour. Must check for roadworks this week!

For week 4 we are doing exactly the same again and so no shocks this week, it might even feel a little easier. 

Well the good news was that people turned up this week and so we didn't put you off. We even had a couple of new people join this week. We even stopped running round in circles, exciting times ahead!

There will be times that people can't make it and so we completely understand if you can't come along each week. Hopefully there's time for you to catch-up on what you have missed.

In week 2 we did 90 seconds of running (efforts), followed by 60 seconds of walking (recovery), we repeated this five times. Then we did 60 seconds of running and 60 seconds of walking for five times. This is a gradual increase in the running this week of two and a half minutes. Hopefully you are starting to see an improvement in how much running you can do and can see your progress. We can certainly see the progress and we covered a longer distance of either 1.8 miles or 2.3 miles, depending on who you were following.

We can get a little too focussed on the clock sometimes, worrying about how fast or far we are running. Whilst this can be a good way of developing goals, there will be plenty of time for that. There are many benefits of running as a group, you are meeting new people, learning a new skill and also getting fresh air.

Hopefully we will see you again on Sunday, for week 3 we will be running (efforts) for 2 minutes seconds and walking (recovery) for 60 secs, repeating 10 times.

 SIt's been a while since our last beginners group, but here we are again patiently waiting at the picnic benches at Kiveton Community Woodlands.

The weather was very kind to us on Sunday, sun and slight wind but no rain (which is always a bonus). As we waited to see who would turn up at 9.00am on a Sunday morning, it was a lovely surprise to see some of our runners from our first group last year. There are many reasons why you need to take a break from running or exercise completely but it was an important first step coming back. Congratulations to all of the 12 runners who completed week 1, you did really well and made it look really easy.

In week 1 we did 1 minute efforts (running) followed by 1 minute of walking (recovery) for 20 minutes. It might not have felt that far running round in circles but we covered 1.3km or 0.8 miles, that's nearly a third of the distance we are hoping to build up to.

It was really great to see our new runners chatting and providing support to each other. Over the next few weeks, it will start to feel a little harder as we run and that's when running as a group keeps you going. 

Please do come along to week 2, even if you were unable to attend our first session, there's still time to get started. This week we will be increasing some of the running (efforts) to 1mins 30 secs (x5) with some 1 min running (x5) too and then walking for 1 min (recovery). 

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.