Fetch Five - Connecting People

Wed November 1 2006
Listed by fetcheveryone
Entrants (53) Club PB SB Pred Time WAVA
Agent Orange I did this as part of a 10 mile Saturday morning run, so it wasn't too pacy.  On the theme of connecting people, I decided to do the run along the Ridgeway near Wantage - a route that's been connecting people for thousands of years.  I also noticed that I was thinking about different ways of connecting with people.  I was in Morse country, and found my feet pounding out a steady rhythm for anyone in hearing distance, though it must have been mainly dots with not much evidence of a dash. It was a lovely bright crisp autumn morning so I decided to say a cheery hello to everyone I saw, and I was pleased that they both said hello back.  Despite the relative chill, the running warmed me up nicely, to the point where I thought smoke signals from my breathing would be the most effective way of connecting with others.  But by the end, although I'd never learnt semapahore, I could feel myself flagging.  At that point I thought I was right to Unaffiliated 34:37 35:58 41:00 54.00
Andrew Unaffiliated 39:45
Anna Stocks Unaffiliated
Applecross Unaffiliated
Barky First 'official' race in years!  Felt pretty good throught, even if it did include a big hill!!! Hermitage Harriers RC 33:50 45:00 41:43 52.66
BigG I did this as part of a 12 mile traiing run while at Centor Parcs in Sherwood Forest. I was aching from the previous days tennis, squash, mountain biking, swimming and badminton so didn't really fancy my chances of putting down a fast time. I was fairly pleased the result as I struggle to get up to close to my race pace during training. It's a PB for the distance, mainly due to it being the first time I've run 5 miles. North Yorks Moors AC 29:57 32:14 65.36
Buzzards Sis I ran my Fetch Five on Sunday November 19th. I chose a route that took me to Lloyd Park in Croydon, where I ran 3 miles XC then downhill home. It was a perfect Autumnal day with a deep blue sky, bright sunshine and crisp, clear air. The light and shadow in the park made the trees glow in a pinky hue and I thought how wonderful it was to be running so free in the quietness of the park with the hustle and bustle of the city just about visible and audible from the edges of the XC course. 

I usually run alone with my I-pod but ran without it this time so I could think about the theme of Striders of Croydon AC 37:55 51:32 45:00 42:39 56.54
Cavey Handsworth Roadhogs RC 35:18 42:16
Chrisity Look, if you stop during a race you don't get disqualified. I've seen lots of runners having a pause at drinks stations or on hills, so get off my case. Check my log if you don't believe me.The time is correct.
Due to injury  my 5 miles would take 4 runs, and they all had to be on grass. Interesting or what?
Connection is the theme, and i settled on connecting the four main ages of my life - birth, childhood, teens and twentys, married middle age. Great plan i thought, but how to carry it out?

The first run : birth - a bit far to the maternity hospital and  besides running 50 times round the lawn in front would probably see me arrested. A little lateral thinking was required; birth , birth canal, canal.......the weirfields by Beeston Canal. On the bike for the 2 mile journey and then 3 laps around the football pitch by the canal. 
After 15 yards i had to stop for a dog (he won't bite -  no but he might if i kick him in the nuts), then after 100 yards  i leant on a goalpost to  stretch out the achilles. After 5 mins i started to itch, this always happens when i haven't run for a while, and after 10 mins i stopped. STRETCH. Not too bad. 
The weirfields stand some 20 feet above the River Trent, but every time i go there i think about the floods 6 years ago that left a caravan  from 8 miles upstream in the centre of the fields. Fortunately there was no one in it.

Next day, childhood. Easy peasy, off to the park and a run round the swings. I even managed about 100 yards all told on the rubber surface that surrounds the supersafe objects that have replaced my beloved horse, spiders web and cake that somehow didn't kill us all off when we played on them. 6 laps later i had finished.

Teens and twenties, beer and women. I checked the runners world web site but there isn't a 1 mile race with stops for a beer every 200 yards and an intimate warm down at the end. What else did i do? Football, started teaching, lots of hill walking, cricket....no it had to be beer and the ladies. Bingo. 
I cycled down to the Embankment in Nottingham, and started out from the Toll Bridge pub and went the mile and a bit down the river to the Casa. The ladies? Well i passed two public conveniences that bore that name.

One week on and my final expedition. Ah marriage - peace, serenity, contentment - and then the kids come along. Noise, worry, sleep deprivation and utter joy. Kind of difficult to fit that into a run. In the end i went down to Toton Corner, where i ran around the football pitch that i graced for 15 years as  a Hole-in-the-Wall player, and past the playground to which i used to take the kids.
Four runs in eight days after resting the achilles for eight weeks, and it didn't trouble it too much. Since then two weeks of man flu and worse, with my first run today - in the fetch relay.
Interesting to think that my last 6 runs have all been fetch related; Round Norfolk Relay, Fetch 5 and Fetch Relay. Now there's a connection. 
Beeston AC 28:58 168:00:00 188:10:00 0.22
coral Unaffiliated
Dave_Woodcock Was going to use last weeks 5 miler for this but decided that I will go next Sat [11th] and do it in a race type 'styly' - I might even make my own number - wonder if I'll get number 001???

Damn! Better get my application sent off before it gets full!!!

Half a mile in to this I remembered that this was supposed to be a race so 'turned it on' a bit and eventually did a reasonable time for me.

Amazing what a bit of competition can do!! The start was a bit flat and there weren't many people at the finish but all in all a good race and I would definitely do it again ;-)

Excellent 'free' breakfast at the finish line as well - I must say a big thank you to the woman that helped me eat as well as the two children that gave me a big hug after I had got changed out of my 'smelly running gear'.

An excellent race on a good day!



Unaffiliated 37:16 37:16 40:00 38:29 56.65
Elderberry I'm new to running, and so far too scared to run outside by myself, my man's away, so I have no one to call if I hit a problem, I don't have a garmin or any kind of pedometer , and I can't read my watch when I am running, so off to the relative safety of the gym !  BUT I need to connect with people somehow.

Now, at my gym the staff don't talk to you much, but they leave notices all over the place, mostly telling you what you can't do !  Buggers !  And the big notice says, (in capital letters with red underlines) DURING BUSY TIMES LIMIT YOUR CARDIO SESSION TO 20 MINUTES.

Oh boy, this would have to be a fast 5 miles.  

I missed my usual 9.30am Unaffiliated 48:07 55.30
EvilPixie No idea of time really! 
Went to see some forum friends in Brum. 
The afternoon commenced with the filling of the belly with lush homemade pud as we all recognised the importance of carb loading for long distances. 
The plan was a brisk walk to The Sutton Runner complete with wallets.
el-Bee and v-rap set a stonking pace and we were soon at the glowing shop front (high vis clothing in the window and cars outside with lights on makes for very bright window displays!)
With just 20 mins before the shop closed it was time for some serious speed shopping. 1 Polar shoe pod, 1 pair of sunnies, 1 pair socks, 1 pair shoes and 1 pair of leggings later and we left.
There was a slight distraction of a local pub to delay our journey home which would see the Fetch Five being completed. Again this was purely because we are serious runners and realise that hydration is important! No honest it is!
As the night draw in we returned to base for recovery soup and chocolate. Our mission was complete. The four of us had walked as a team, completing the distance and connecting with our wallets within the lovely Sutton Runner with whom 2 of the party had already formed a good relationship! FERC, 1485 TRI CLUB 52:09 2:45:00 14.53
frangale Nokia-Connecting People
Well I gave a great big smile and a cheery Hello! to everyone I passed, including the scary looking bunch of teenagers who quite clearly thought I was mad, does that count as connecting people? Beverley AC 45:36 48:00 45:38 54.07
Gasheader Im gonna re-run a 5m race course I ran in June in 36:13. I would hope I can improve on June time , but not convinced as running alone will be oh so different from the adrenaline rush of the race .Also have never run a Fetch Five b4.
Busy day tomorrow 12/11/2006 so will run the race either before or after rememberace day  activities.......
Well it was cold and bright at 07:55 when I reached the start line after a few gentle jogs I started the race at 08:00 the first few yards was obviously devoid of any jostling or cheers of encouragement and then it struck me I was out in front of the field and there was no runner to focus on reeling in and no sound of pattering feet to spur me on from behind.
This was my hardest ever run! - now I have front run I dont think ill ever do that again.  
The feeling when I race is that I concentrate on every step and think can I run faster am going to blow up before the end eyc,etc not today the middle miles seemed to drag with my mind wandering to veiws and sheep flowing over the fields. The turn that is 2 miles from the finsh bring me back to earth with a bump my time is 23:00 mins and all seems lost .
Im back to the task in hand and long downhill straighs have me careering along and much more in my normal race mode , pass the lane I kmow is the half mile marker and time is 32:30 , then disastrous slight incline I had forgotten all about that slows me slightly before my sprint to my car parked at the village hall finish line. My hands slap against the village hall wall then down to stop the watch then down onto haunches in a gasping mess. A lady passes walking a dog and asks if im ok ( the first human I have seen that morning) I Raise a hand and nod still not able to stop gasping. The time is 35:57 this is 17 secs quicker than my June race time 
and a 5mile PB so im happy.
Please consider me for the fetch NOKIA SPORT 5500 Moblle phone prize as Music to run to and messages and calls  to celebrate my PB would have so improved my lonely existance at the point of my excileration.
Swaledale Road Runners 33:41 36:13 36:00 35:57 63.54
Girlie Got to my race starting point- nice straight piece of road along the A15!
Lined up at the front, with the other world-class athletes! ( woman at the traffic lights must have been wondering what was happening!) Off we went, slightly cloudy, drizzly morning.  As I ran, i comtemplated connections and whther I had left the gas on?  still I had also left the shower running, so that would counter-act any problem!
Garmin kept losing the signal, but still i ploughed on.
If we are going to talk connecting to people, I always try to smile at the drivers going past- I don't want to be one of those miserable joggers you see! 
Got to my turnaround point ready to come back for lap 2.

I always have a connection with our Stirling when running and once again just as I was starting to struggle and wonder why I was the muppet pounding the streets, his song shuffled to the top of my playlist( Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy), which I NEVER walk to, so i picked up the pace again knowing why I run.
Turned into the Ferndale housing est for the last 1/2 mile, nobody about, so I picked up the pace and managed to streak past the worldclass athletes in my mind and finally leave Paula standing as I streaked to the finish line, arms aloft at my great victory.  Alas no world record this time, but maybe for the next Fetch 5?
Now bore all my friends with tales of my great victory and marvellous sprinting! Lonely Goat RC 45:42 50:00 51:06 48.02
Gogeroo RAF AC 40:00 37:34 56.30
Hollywoof! Unaffiliated 42:33 42:33
jeanettekaren The longest run I had ever done preceeding this was 3 miles so I was probably a bit optimistic to attempt 5 miles.  I was petrified of having to crawl the last mile so started off very slowly.  Even at the half way point I was talking which is a good sign because usually I am thinking about stabbing my running partner. (Too tired to mention it out loud but ALWAYS thinking it.)  My mind is willing but the legs leave a lot to be desired.  My physio commented on the lack of muscles throughout my entire body but you don't develop muscles sitting on the coach eating chocolate for 29 years, do you?!!!  Anyway I digress.  With the last mile to go I actually started thinking that I could run 5 miles after all which gave me a bit of a boost.  Upped the pace and actually sprinted (well, for my standard anyway) for the finish.  So in conclusion, I ran 5 miles - I ran for an hour - without feeling like I was going to die - and have my first running blister to prove it.  Now I feel like a proper runner!!!! Running 4 Women Club 1:00:45 39.24
Jock Itch The sun shone shimmering (nice alliteration hey?) on the broken Stella bottles as I lined up for my Fetch 5 on a cold and frosty morning.  Sporting my 'new' Borat green bathing suit with high cut jock strap I was thankful for having a brazillian the previous night with a tube of Veet. Oooh I felt good. So with knee length white running socks and my dayglo green flash  Dunlop's... I was off.  Mile One passes withouth incident and I up the pace. Mile 2 and drama.  Mrs Parminter waves from the bustop FERC 27:11 31:00 30:55 69.57
KatieB There are some people you are just connected to. It doesn't matter to them whether you run/cheerlead/train spot or collect odd socks. The person running has probably connected me to most is me. It's connected me with parts of me I didn't know existed. The bit that's strong enough to run 26.2 miles. The bit that gets me out of the house running instead of staying in bed at 7am on a sunday morning.  The bit of me that gets serious marmite lust. The competitive me. The connection has been slightly disrupted in the last few weeks, but 1 mile into what was going to be a 20 minute plod today, the interference cleared, my internal satelite picked up the signal and I found my running mojo, and I knew it was time to do my Fetch 5. Have never felt so connected. Bedford Harriers AC 37:20 48:07 50.30
Killerkane Added another lap of the village to a run just short of 5 miles making up to 5. Started off in civilisation cheerfully knodding at passers by and people walking about but then out into the lanes on my own. This isn't gonna be much good for for talking about connecting people i thinks but then i realise when i run i like to connect with me and enjoy the singlemindedness and focus rather than thinking about every other thing that i do every day and perhaps thats more important. Green Day - Boulevard of broken dreams comes on the mp3 player and i find myself singing along... Unaffiliated 40:30 40:31 44:20 47.60
Kimberlina I managed to CONNECT myself with the treadmill last night after finally getting over my cold and Mr Kimberlina's work schedule allowing me to get to the gym.  As we all know running on the DREADMILL can be tedious, but as it is dark now Mr Kimberlina will not allow me to run outside in the dark streets of south London so I have now choice but to go to the gym (well at least its warm).  I started with a nice easy jog for 5 minutes, and decided to make things more interesting so done intervals of 2 minutes at 6 mph and 2 minutes at 7 mph,  not the fastest to some but its quite good for me.  Was surprised that having being ill and missing last weeks training that I was going surprisingly well.   After three miles I decided to change my intervals to 1 minute at each speed was going really well until 4.5 miles and got quite tight pains in my chest so had to slow down until I finally reached my 5 miles target.  Was really pleased and chest felt alright when I finished turns out to be indigestion as I burped all the way home in the car, I'm just glad I wasn't burping in the gym!!!! Wimbledon Windmilers 48:50 48:10 50.06
lady_westcliff Horrible day at work, all stressed with a massive headache. Got home late and this was the last thing I wanted to do however... did it anyway. And it was great! Got a time I was pleased with, headache dissapeared and I actually talked to my O.H. rather than taking my bad day out on him. Ok so the talk was of the Unaffiliated 45:02 45:42 52.15
libby I'm not sure if I can call one of my slowest runs over 5 miles a race really. However, I was going to put yesterday's treadmill intervals session down until I remembered the theme is meant to be 'connecting people', and running in the gym always strikes me as just the opposite! I spend most of it trying not to catch other people's eye in the mirrors in case they think I'm watching them, but trying not to watch myself looking horrible and sweaty as well. Running outside at least lets you connect better with the real world (if not quite communing with nature, as I spend quite a lot of my running fighting the worst excesses of nature, living in the West of Scotland as I do), usually lets you connect better with yourself and often brings the wave or a nod from someone you've never met but who is running too. So today it's a big thumbs up for hitting the pavement, and who cares about the time! Unaffiliated 41:00 41:00 48:08 49.62
linsblake Two days before the Brighton 10k a friend betrayed me and  my confidence shattered.  I spend the next 24 hours in tears, not able to eat or sleep.  All I wanted to do was to curl up into a ball and disappear.  I went for a run to see if it would make things better but had to stop after 3 miles after having a panic attack.

On the morning of the race I was still not sure if I would be able to do it but went along anyway - I could always drop out at the last minute or even during the race.  As I jogged around before the start I met a bunch of Fetchies all decked out in the striking yellow and red tops.  Although I had never met these people before I was immediately  able to talk to them - about races, about pb's, the weather, the kit - anything other than the state of my mind.  I decided I could do the race and with a chant of Unaffiliated 40:05 60.90
Lumsdoni Connect with people they said, run five miles they said, well who are they? Well, McGoohan as it turns out and it's best not to cross him, when he says an eye for eye he knows what he's doing!

Seeing as I always run alone I needed help, and as always Fetch was there with the answer, the stalking section - otherwise known as the Member Map. So a few hastily constructed fmails later and there were a small band of local fetchites happily running police background checks on me.

Having left it late in the month, I was pleasantly surprised that 4 of us were prepared to run 5 miles with strangers on a Monday night - so there it was that myself, Schnecke, Heebiejeebie and MRF were gathered outside Hitchin station in an array of fluorescent tops and leggings that had us looking like network rails answer to the Village people.

Schnecke had picked the route so we placed ourselves in her capable hands and set off. When Schnecke asked me about a route, I had suggested something fairly easy with maybe a couple of hills. Those words would haunt me, it wasn't long before we turned down a path through some farmland and the grim darkness of a steep climb in the dark loomed ahead of us.  It could have been the end of a nice run but luckily I had the head torch so fired it up, hung at the back of the pack and acted as team lighthouse for a while. 
 We set off into the unknown well aware that at any moment Schnecke could dive off into the darkness leaving us to the mercy of the locals.  Coming down the other side of the hill we slowed for the lights in front indicated a bike, but it was showing erratic movement and thoughts turned to aliens and spectral beings - even scarier it was a Doberman with a flashing LED collar.  So at least we would know who was mauling us if attacked.

Having worried that she was the slowest of the four it was surprising therefore that Schnecke was leading from the front and pulling us all round in a very respectable, time considering the darkness and changing terrain. With 3 arguing garmins and a sulking stopwatch the mile markers were ever changing but we soon reached the peak of Mount Hitchin, Hertfordshire's little known dormant volcano, where Schnecke, ever the adventurer directed us off the sheer face of the edge, http://www.fetcheveryone.com/submitted_images/1098_2767.jpg where Heebie wonderfully demonstrated the flailing arm technique required to survive and whereas I was felled by the rather less than Everest-like drop of the curb at the bottom. Luckily MRF and Schnecke arrived with the vinegar and brown paper.  

Half a mile to go and it seemed an unspoken challenge was issued as we all suffered from Stotfold Runners 43:44 43:44 47:40 44.22
MacDaz Having had to pull out of 2 of my 3 autumn halfs including my focal race for the season (Gosport 1/2) I was feeling sorry for myself. Injury and work meant I hadn't really run properly for 2 months and more significantly hadn't logged on to fetch for 2 months either. With the frustration and the pain I was falling out of love with running. For old times sake I logged on to Fetch and saw the Fetch 5. As I'm coming back from Injury and haven't managed over 6 miles yet, this seemed like the perfect distance. So I ran it on the day I should have been at Gosport to cheer myself up. I loved it again and managed my quickest pace ever (If my logs are right). 

So I'm reconnected to running, reconnected to Fetch and thanks to the bolt of pain through my knee on the warm down, reconnected to my injury. But I don't care I feel like a runner again! Unaffiliated 40:00 36:12 59.09
Mattw4de Gloucester AAC 31:38 35:18
MB99 Reckon I'm going to PB this and then go and tell someone about it. Unaffiliated 35:09
McGoohan Despite being the Judge in this Fetch Five, I felt I'd better at least do the thing myself. 

But how to do it? 

Well, first off I got my running gear on and walked my son Robert to Reigate Park for football training. I left him with his team (the South Park Spitfires) and set off. I decided that as I wasn't racing it as such, at each mile, I'd pause and look around.

So: 

Mile One: big posh houses, below Reigate Hill. 
Mile Two: Reigate train station. I had to stop anyway, as the Garmin was losing the signal.
Mile Three: I stopped at home and had a chat with my wife.
Mile Four: The Angel traffic lights.
Mile Five: back to the park where training was slowly drawing to a close. 

I collected my son, and an invite for my wife to attend a soccer mums night and walked my boy home. Felt pretty 'connected'. :-D FERC, LDWA 38:45 38:45 43:17 52.36
oldbiddy Running tis on weds 15th November. Measured distance and raring to go. I reckon I'll be on target.

So so pleased with time. Lap of honour. OH was on his bike, I had my Fetch vest on and the weather was lovely.

I started running in November 2005,(Not this 5 miles!!!! )inspired by one of my Parkinson's patients. I chose today to race because he is back in hospital today and will want to know how I'm doing!!!!!
I have met so many kind and helpful people since I started running but in my opinion the most important person is the new improved me. I am far less stressed than I was a year ago and I think (and OH says )I'm kinder and more thoughtful.
Each day I'm grateful that I can run;that I'm healthy and physically  able to do something that gives me so much fun. 
 If I didn't run I wouldn't have met the Fetchies on the Round Norfolk Relay and then joined the website and met more fab Fetchies. What a load of absolutely lovely loonies.
Thanks to my patient Richard who gave me the impetus to do this. Long live running.
Longdale Striders 37:24 49:52 43:45 62.90
Pinchi Connecting or should it be disconnecting:
DISCONNECTED with
1. Wife (1st instance) for setting alarm at 5.45 and then snoozing it for 10 mins before getting up
2. Wife (2nd instance) tried to get dressed in the dark, ended up dropping stuff and falling over
3. Kids..woke them up as well
4. Bloke at No7...he nearly backed into me, not expecting anyone to be running down the road at 6.15
5.Someones house on the corner...footprints in the lawn, using the principle that it's OK to cut corners in the dark
6. Paper boy...for scaring the cr*p out of him as I ran up the drive just as he was putting the paper in the letterbox.
7. Mr Quaker Oats..for not feeling like any breakfast after running early thus reducing his sales and profits for the week.
8. Wife (3rd instance)...leaving a pair of stinking trainers in the kitchen because I was in a rush to get out
but........
CONNECTED
The couple also out running at 6.30 when we exchanged cheery hellos and the knowing runners nod, all three of us thinking, Wolverhampton & Bilston AC, Midland Masters A C 29:16 32:37 36:17 60.54
Princess Purple Bubbles Ok so I am kind of using my Leeds Abbey race-afterall I did cover 5miles completing it! My time is roughly 70mins for the distance but that isn't the point but most importantly I wasn't the only Fetchie involved!

Thanks to my running I have found a huge host of fab friends who are all special in their own right. I have a fantastic virtual coach who is responsible for my huge improvement in my 10km time-I mean taking 7mins off my time from August is great. On Sunday I was well at the back of the field but I felt a very special member of a lovely team. Plodding along out to the Abbey as those far quicker than myself were heading to the finish I got huge shouts of encouragement, from Unaffiliated 56:08 1:10:00 34.05
Puffing Bertie Run round Egham and Staines with the club........felt fantastic all the way.......what more can i say :-) Unaffiliated 42:36 59:00 46:00 54.33
Ramfan I used to run in my early twenties and loved it, but as with most things in life, getting married and starting a family, kinda put my running on hold.
As the boys got older I started doing fun runs with them but I got a really bad tear in my calf and every time I started running it seemed to come back. Again my runs were put on hold, but 2 summers ago we were on holiday in Cornwall staying in a cliff house and me and my  youngest son, then 15, began running along the cliff path.
My leg seemed fine and when we got home we continued our runs together at the weekend while Andrew would do a 3 miler two to three times during the week.
We did our first race this february and we have now done five races together and our Sunday runs are the highlight of my week.
Running has really connected us. Unaffiliated 38:29 41:48 41:34 55.84
RFJ Connecting people, well sure managed that tonight in this slightly unusual run, I sure could have used that lovely new gadget of a phone from Nokia tonight to measure the output.... So what happened, the 5 miles was to be split into two seperate runs, a 2.5m warm up in 21:00 to find my people, who were waiting at the local leisure centre in Andover, on arrival, (there were only 7 of us instead of 12) donned our bibs for a taxing match of 5-a-side (well 3 against 4) as I was the runner, guess waht team I was on, yes the 3. But after 40 mins of hard graft its was us in the red and with a sweet victory...... so having connected with 6 of the finest from the local comunity it was back to the road to complete the 5m with the second 2.5m completed in an uphill most the way 21:04.

Now nicely knackered and in need of having my brain dis - connected.

Great fun had though. Swindon Striders 29:31 33:38 42:04 51.45
Runner Martin Doing the Wolverton 5 at Willen Lake!! not the greatest connection, this is the 42nd time the race has been held - it started in 1965, so lots of people will connect with this event Redway Runners 34:55 37:29 37:39 62.16
santababy i decided to make my run to work this morning my fetch 5 connecting people race, why? well because it marks a momentus milestone in my journey so far, 1 mile into my run and i made it over 1000miles for the year, never in a million years did i think i'd ever run a 1000miles in space of a year, and hey, there's still 6 weks to go! ;o)
so, my run..alarm goes off at 5.20am, straight into bathroom to get into my running gear, quick wash, brush teeeth and i'm ready to roll, after quick peek outside decide on a hat as it's raining pretty heavy, not great conditions for a race, cold, wet, windy and dark but i like to be different ,so off i went, legs felt really tired so i knew it was never going to break on PB's buy hey, i dont care, i'm going to enjoy every step, got to my mile marker and had wee smile to myself and gave myself an imaginary pat on the back, before i know it i'm at work and turning off my stopwatch, 50.44, fine, wasnt going for gold just wanted to get here and get onto fetch and log it, which brings me to the connecting poeple connection, how has running connected me? i run with my (nokia) phone, which doubles up as a radio and a stopwatch,and clearly if i need it to actually use the phone!
 no garmins etc for me, it's all ive needed and does the job i need , i run to work most mornings which connects me to work, which is quite apt as it was thru my work that i started running in the 1st place, albeit reluctantly, so glad i did, i cant belive it was only 18 short months ago, it's also connected me more to my husband who was worried about me drinking too much hence my health, i lost both my parents quite young to cancer, the difference its made to me is immense, i'm also more connected to my son, not easy, he is a teenager after all, he has come out for a few runs with me, even got my best freind to enter s couple of 5k's, she hasnt quite got the bug yet but i'll get there.. last but not least is the connection i made to fetch, logging my runs on here is a huge motivational tool and the forums are just the icning on the cake, i've *virtually* met so many lovely people and and i've really met some too ;o) cant wait to meet many many more of you. 
oh, i'll also be getting connected with my doctor as there was bloody pouring down my leg when i finshed this, a dodgy mole i have on my leg is looky errm dodgy... Harmeny AC 38:16 50:00 50:44 47.90
Schnecke Did this a bit quicker than I would have done on my own - thanks to Lums, MRF and Heebie.  I even (mostly) enjoyed the hills this time. North Herts Road Runners 37:49 47:40 55.22
Siamese Pete Run as part of a route from Westminster, round Battersea Park, and back.
It's the very first time I've run with anyone else (apart from in a race) and I wasn't looking forward to it - I'm a bit of a plodder and the thought of running with a couple of guys who have more speed and more stamina than me was not encouraging. Being made to look more of a prat than normal did not rate high on my list of things to do on a Friday lunchtime.
The other two guys stuck to a pace which was just about comfortable for me, but too much for me to converse in anything other than a grunt.
As we ran past Tate Britain on our way back to Lambeth Bridge, the other two sprinted off and I upped the ante as much as I could (not very much) and finished the whole run in a time of 47:00.
Now considering my best 10k time is a smidge under 60 mins, this represents quite a step up in pace. 
The only reason for this is that I had a couple of selfless work colleagues, with whom I'm more than keen to go running again........and apparently they haven't been put off running with me either!!
Unaffiliated 42:30 52.09
Sidman Ran on 29th with Mark Bastin. Started okay but slowed on canal as we hit the wind. Unaffiliated 39:00 40:38 54.90
Silvershadow Woke up this morning with butterflies Fetch 5 will be my longest run ever. Nearly fell over backwards when number 2 son offered to come with me to act as pacemaker and motivator. I’ve found that teenage conversation is usually limited to grunts. Lined up with N2S by the stone circle, the Garmin, purloined for the occasion, picked up a satellite straight away. (Those ancients obviously knew a thing or two about communication). Off we went; N2S calling from several meters in front “Keep up Mum!”  Sunbeams glanced off the lake to blind me and a ‘gentle breeze’ was attempting to blow me back to the start. Lots of other runners out so it was difficult to sneak in any walking especially when N2S would shout for all to hear “Don’t stop, you’re supposed to running!” First lap went surprisingly well. I actually found it was more painful to stop and walk than to keep going and managed to overtake several dog walkers and a couple of mobility scooters. To keep my mind occupied N2S confided several stories about school and girlfriends. After the first lap, N2S, fed up of running alongside me and maybe having second thoughts about telling me how easy it is to get out of history homework, sprinted off leaving me to run the second lap alone. I was now in unknown territory as I had never run that far before. Stopping to have a quick walk behind some trees, “Run Mum!”  nearly made me  jump out of my skin and into the lake! Instead of going back to the car N2S had run round and snuck up behind me. There was no stopping me now and I was even encouraged to try a sprint finish!  Wow! I’ve done it!! I have run 5 miles and, as an additional benefit, have had the longest conversation with my son for ages! I don’t think I’ll drop a line to the history teacher, it might spoil it? Bedford Harriers AC 50:45 1:04:13 1:05:08 38.95
Slow Going I ran my fetch 5 alone in the crowd of people running the Wolverton 5... Does racing connect us? Today I lined up at the start line with friends I only see at races, we've been connected by Fetch Everyone. We ran together then celebrated and post-mortemised online.

Is the Nokia banana resistant? I killed my phone with fruit mush today. UKnetrunner 33:32 35:30 35:18 60.32
southdownswolf Unaffiliated 32:06 32:06
Steady Edina The Prestwich Plodders 47:26
Stuart L Rubbish time!!
The only thing I connected with was the car that hit me!! No Serious damage though.
Should have looked where I was running!! Doh! Unaffiliated 44:04 47.81
Torbay Ran this race on 29 November. Only started running on the 2 Nov. As I am new to this I don't know if this is good or not. Torbay Athletic Club and Torbay Tri Club 40:30 53:26 46.77
trazza To measure the 5 mile route I had to go to magic.gov - no super garmin (although may be one on its way at xmas). As I left the house wasn't sure whether I was going to do the fetch 5 or some hw - in the end I think of kinda combined the two - as the 5 miles I picked most was uphill! (I should have found a loop that way for every up there is a down).
As for connecting people - I took up running in desperate need of some 'me time' - at the time I thought the idea was almost disconnecting from others - from my kids, OH, work, colleagues, the world! However, I'm wrong. I love the me time it gives me - but I also love the people I have met and chatted to through running - here on the fetch site and at the running club - sometimes the random people you pass and the 2 liners that are exchanged can really lift spirits! Today my run gave me time to think about how to connect better with my daughter who is a little muddled and not her usual happy self at the moment. If nothing else it has lifted me and I know I will be a happier person when I see her tonight, then when she left this morning. I love running!!! Unaffiliated 36:00 36:00 40:00 42:00 57.09
Vicki: Graceless Whippet Well, I finally did it and completed the 5 miles with my training buddy Helen on the 27th.  We spend most of our Monday runs nattering about this and that, life stuff, the news, food (actually lots about food) and how things have changed drastically since we were kids.  Like how parents (of the horrors we see out on our teatime training sessions) don't seem to teach their children manners anymore, how they don't give up their seats for old people, swear at you in the street and throw stuff - usually sweets or stones, or a plastic bottle one time, and how folks with dogs dont have any consideration for runners at all.  

It's getting pretty dark out there for our teatime runs now, we're decked out in flourescent kit which would be visible from the moon, and there's guys riding bikes on the pavement with no lights, dressed all in black, like some pedalling ninja clan, expecting us lady runners to get out of their way.  Running is supposed to be a de-stressor, and I suppose it is - after three or four miles of bitching about the state of things you start to feel better.  

Then, just when you think you've put the world to rights, a guy with two dogs makes them sit by a wall as we run past.  Maybe its a one off, but our faith in humanity is restored when a woman with a ten year old calls him to one side and lets us pass on the pavement.  Three more cars wait for us to cross various roads, and the last two miles of our run is spent discussing how manners aren't dead, and the great British public may be salvagable.

I love my Monday runs, five miles of great conversation, and burning a few calories at the same time. Jarrow & Hebburn AC 36:02 44:15 54.33
vix84 just done this, maybe couldve gone quicker but didnt want to push too hard at the start. felt quite comfortable really :-) Unaffiliated 49:00 48.64
XB Going on 07 November. The plan is to warm up for 2km; Race for 8km then cool down for 2km. I will try to race non-stop at 5:30mins/km exactly.
How did I do?
2km warm up, 8km raced (actually 8.045km cos it just had to be 5 miles EXACTLY) and 4km warm down.
Felt real good. Concentrated on the Chi Running focusses and managed to keep lower legs loose and relaxed.
I'm not going to win the phone but who cares cos I've found that I can run effortlessly without pain. Ribble Valley Runners 54:11 44:00 41:22 54.78
Yatesy Unaffiliated 36:20 36:20 41:34 51.74

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