NBC Run Club – Week 4: Take the Risk... The Weather Can Change! 🏃♂️
It's Monday again, which can only mean one thing... Run Club time! 👟
At around 12:25pm, the weather looked absolutely dreadful. ☔🌧️ Grey skies, rain clouds and the kind of wind that makes you question every life decision you've ever made.
As we rounded up the troops, enthusiasm was... mixed. 😅
We heard:
"I'm tired." 😴
"I can't be bothered." 🙄
And at least one student who deserves credit for their honesty simply said:
"I'm not going out in that weather!" 😂
After the roll call was complete, we had just enough runners for a five-a-side football team. ⚽
So, with our brave squad of five, we headed off to Alexandra Park to take on whatever Mother Nature had planned for us. 🚐💨
The short drive perfectly demonstrated the joys of Oldham weather. One minute the windscreen wipers were working overtime and the next... sunshine! ☔➡️☀️
Honestly, if the weather forecast says one thing in Oldham, it's usually a good idea to prepare for the complete opposite. 🤷♂️
This week, the team tackled the usual route in reverse.
For the first 400 metres, everything felt lovely. Nice and gentle, nice views, feeling confident... almost suspiciously confident. 😊
Then we reached the section that has been our reward for the last few weeks.
The problem?
This week we were going up it instead of down it! 😱⛰️
Let's just say the hill looked a lot bigger from this angle.
At one point, ropes might have come in handy, and a few students probably wouldn't have complained about having a mountain rescue team on standby. 😂
The advice from staff was simple:
👉 Take your time.
👉 Use baby steps.
👉 Keep moving.
Did everyone listen?
Well... let's just say that's still up for debate! 😆
After a tough climb, everyone eventually regrouped at the top. One student was spotted at the finish looking as though they were doing push-ups on the grass.
Concerned staff checked they were okay.
The response?
"I'm just trying to get my breath back!" 🤣🤣
A creative recovery technique if we've ever seen one!
Thankfully, the rest of the route was much kinder, and the long downhill stretch helped everyone recover before heading back to the minibus. 🏃♂️💨
There were smiles all around by the end of the session, proving once again that the hardest runs often end up being the most rewarding. 💪😊
📝 Tip of the Week
Don't trust the weather.
If we'd stayed at college because of the rain, we'd have missed a perfectly good run in the sunshine. 🌦️
Sometimes you've just got to take the risk and see what happens!
A massive well done to our five dedicated runners who battled the elements and conquered the reverse route this week. 👏🏅
Bring on Week 5! 🏃♀️🏃♂️
💭 Quote of the Week
"My warm-up is wondering why I signed up." 😅
Unknown 👟😂
