My Last Run

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  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    It seemed to be about survival at VLM yesterday - great effort, Nessie.  And Hazel, no shame in looking after No. 1.  The quicker you'll be back!

    snewma00, you must be chuffed to bits with your VLM hat trick.  JT, you'd have made money exporting cool & blustery down south yesterday.

    For me, 7-mile darkrun last night and 5.2 miles at 7am today.  Greeted by a Staffie whose black-circled eye reminded me of Bill Sykes's dog in 'Oliver Twist'.
  • Great efforts, Nessie and Snewma. Rather you than me!

    Tough luck, Hazel. Good to see you're straight back on the horse.

    I've been struggling to stick to my training plan. With life being busy I just haven't been able to fit a good, long run in for nearly 3 weeks. Frustrating,  but I'm just having to run when I can and fit a few miles in. After 4 days off, 6.5 miles in under an hour tonight and felt bloody good! Will try to squeeze a 10+ in some time soon.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the kind words MLRers
    Well I had a shocker yesterday.  I set off at target pace, but by the time I got to 8 miles (!!) I felt really dizzy and woozy in the heat, so I knew then that I wouldn't be able to sustain the pace to get my sub 4 target.  Slowed down a little, got quite emotional because there were so many people in trouble.   I've never seen anything like it really, the heat was something else. The news reported I think 23-24 but it was so much hotter on the tarmac, with the bodies and the buildings. I was taking on water pretty much every mile, pouring it on my head and taking sips, but still so hot.
    Around half way both my calves started cramping up and then that continued for the rest of the marathon.  I broke all my own rules. I stopped, often, to try to stretch them out. Had to stop at the St John's Ambulance 3 times to get physio to massage them. They are absolute angels! I was crying in pain.  I walked. Often.  So it was pretty much walk / run / limp for the second half. Thus the massive drop in pace. The wheels well and truly fell off.
    I'm really disappointed. Yesterday's marathon was over half an hour slower than my next slowest time, and in training I was much much quicker, whilst chatting, taking it very easy. My target was 3.59 but I got 4.44.  
    I've trained so hard over 5 months and it's gone well. But on the day I just couldn't handle the heat.
    I'll get over it, it's just a run at the end of the day. But today I feel destroyed and exhausted.
    My only (tiny) consolation is that every other one of my club members finished much slower than expected, and there were some others with worse stories than mine. One really fast guy did his first half in 1.31 and finished after me..
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    I'm usually envious of people who get to run London but yesterday I was very glad I'd done Manchester instead. It looked pretty awful out there and I doubt too many made their targets - I know most people in my club didn't. I think the problem wasn't just that it was hot, but that we'd had a pretty nasty (and long) winter and so no one was prepared for it. You have my admiration for getting through it at all. I know that's little consolation because you've done your training despite having such a stressful time with your mum and everything else, and if anyone deserved to smash it, it's you.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Nessie, of course you're disappointed but, tell me, without flying to another continent, how you might have acclimatised for yesterday's conditions.  Survival & self preservation: what if the weather had been like Boston days before?
    Once the impact of the unseasonal temperature y'day sinks in, you'll realise that you can & will come back stronger and ready to race the time your training warrants.
  • Well done snewma.  You did excellent work to reach your goal time and with good pacing.  Hope you have a good recovery.

    Nessie I can feel your disappointment.  You have done fantastic work to even get round on Sunday despite everything and at the end of the day that is what you will have to take away from that race rather than a new PB.  Please take your time to recover now.  

    I like your run against the cyclist JS - I'm definitely a faster runner than cyclist up hills at least - I grinned like an idiot when overtaking a guy on a mountain bike once - he wasn't amused (it was a gradient of up to 20% at the time - I would have been pushing that mtb!)     

    You must be out quite late now for a darkrun in the evenings swittle.  Nice mileage.  And due to pre-mara nerves I completely forgot to congratulate you on the 18000 milestone.  Impressive numbers and most of it done streaking.  

    That's a good hour mileage Will.  Hope life will leave you in peace a bit so you can squeeze in your long run soon.

    No new MLR for me yet - just dropping in.  Will be out later with my group.
  • Nessie, well done for getting over the finish line. I only know of one runner who got there target time and guess where he did a lot of training last yea?Iraq! So of course he was used to the temperatures.

    The very first half marathon I did was in Nottingham, I think four years ago, I had trained and thought I would be near the 2 hour mark. On the day it was about 22 degrees and there were so many people collapsing. It really spooked me and I had both of my children at the finish line, so I purposely slowed down.

    I forgot to add my Sunday run of four slow miles, I've just done 1 mile slow, followed by 10x 400 metre speed intervals with 60 second recovery between each one... wow that was hard! First 400 metre was 6:49 pace, by the time I got to number 10 it was 7:19 pace. Still happy with that though.
  • snewma00snewma00 ✭✭✭
    Recovery is tough, both ankles are in a very bad way and my thighs mean that my morning commute to the station took 25 mins rather than 7!

    But I'm very proud of mine, and everyone's, performance on Sunday. We did the running community, and London, proud.

    Turning the corner at Bucks Palace to see that finishing line will remain as one of the greatest moments of my life. 
  • Good effort, Snewma :)

    I chugged out 6.5 miles again tonight. Same route, but 1 second slower. I blame the flash sod who fairly sprinted past me on my home straight, leaving me to pause, aghast, for a second, in his dust.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • You are right to be proud of that snewma.

    Nice constant running Will. 

    Another tough speedwork session there Andrea. 

    6 miles for me yesterday evening with my group - lovely weather again and a good turnout (9 this week)  We went to the pub post run for general and running chat and got the usual disapproving looks for being the noisiest group there.  Just non-alcoholic beer for me as I was driving. 

    Feel a lot better in the meantime and have just signed up for the first of our regional hill race series on Friday.  The course has been changed a bit due to rockfall so no pressure for PBing - will just go and enjoy it.  3 of us going so it should be a nice little outing.  
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Good to read you're back leading others of like mind, Hazel.  Last week's semi-tropical temperatures have dropped and this morning's 4.1 miler over coastal park & beach at Crosby was just the right side of bracing.   ;)
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Yeah, take it easy, snewma...if stairs are an issue then coming down backwards helps. You did brilliantly in that heat, but it's bound to take it out of you. Don't rush back into training.
    Hazel, glad you are feeling better and it's definitely a good move to get back on the horse.
    I took two days off rather than one after Sunday's 10 - I woke up tired yesterday and felt pretty sore. It was a good move as I had a lovely run today - sunny but so much fresher than Sunday. A shame the marathoners didn't get weather like this. I did 10 miles again, but 4 minutes quicker and my niggles were quieter.
  • Snewma, sounds painful, hope the legs ease up soon.
    Hazel, glad you're feeling better.
    Swittle, envious of costal park & beach views
    Cal- great mileage and I'm glad your niggles behaved!

    I did 30 minutes easy today. I'm following a sub 22 minute 5k training plan.  Tomorrow says a fartlek run and then on Saturday it says 6x 800 metres, but as you know I like my parkrun.

    Should I a) do the 6x 800 metres tomorrow and call the parkrun my fartlek run?  Or b) do the fartlek run and just call my parkrun my speed session instead of the 6x 800 metres? 
  • Can't beat a good fartlek, Andrea.

    I hit the mean streets of Norwich again for some hills (up and down!), with some efforts thrown in. 3.5 miles in 29 mins and a hat-trick streak to boot. Speedy Gonzales didn't fly by me tonight; in fact the streets were empty except for some unlikely lads hanging outside the church. Am feeling in better shape and almost my version of lean.

    Happy running, all :) 
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    4 miles recovery today. Foot was grumpy. Hrmph.
  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the kind words MLRers
    Hazel, sorry you had a DNF but sounds sensible in the circumstances
    Snew- great run mate, you should be very proud
    Andrea- you're running very well after a series of illnesses.  Fingers crossed you keep getting better
    swit- keep going :-)
    Cal, Will, JT, still at it
    I felt destroyed Monday and Tuesday. Really exhausted and my legs were so sore.  I think it was partly down to poor sleep, but also Sunday just took it out of me.  Then Wednesday I woke up feeling OK, just like you would after a 20 mile training run.  Cycled into work (which I usually do, but Monday / Tuesday legs were too knackered). I went out to see the bluebells in Epping Forest in the early evening sun with a few of my fellow VLM runners. We had a lovely plod, around 5 miles I think, and chat about the marathon, and the bluebells were just incredible.  This reminded me what I love about running.
    I'm still really disappointed with myself but I raised over £1000 for my charity, Refuge.  This is more important than having a crap time, I got around and hopefully made a difference

  • Raising that money really is an amazing achievement Nessie x

    Hazel, I'm feeling really good at the moment and enjoying my running.

    So, I decided to do the fartlek run for 40 minutes. I wore a long sleeve as it had been raining on and off, but the sun came out and I was roasting.
  • Well done on the fund raising Nessie and for getting out again already.  Please don't be disappointed with yourself you did well to finish in those conditions.  Give yourself some time to recover - mentally and physically - then have a think what you might have done differently (if there is anything) and tuck those thoughts away for another time but don't dwell on them too much.  Enjoy those bluebells - they sound lovely. 

    Hope that foot is just a minor niggle Cal.

    Probably too late too now Andrea but I would do the speedwork today and the fartlek on Saturday within the parkrun.  

    10 miles for me over an early lunchbreak.  Had an uplanned walk along a stretch of verge due to roadworks on a very minor road - didn't fancy trying to run on very hot fresh tarmac and also took a wrong turning in the wood due to daydreaming - oops.  Tried to keep the pace down as I have a hill race tomorrow.  Fruit trees, gardens and oilseed rape in full bloom.  A hare bounded out of the wood towards me only turning off about 5 metres in front.  Two herons in the brook and an interesting sign warning about potential path collapses due to a beaver dam.  Will have to tread carefully there.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    I think it's peroneal tendonitis, Hazelnut. (I say tendonitis...let's just say the tendons are grouchy). It's weird because my legs are the opposite of each other. Right leg has a niggly groin and a grumpy posterior tib. Left leg has a niggly hamstring and peroneal tendons.  should be taken out back and shot. I think I need some sort of adjustment, but I'm skint at the moment. :(

    Glad to hear you're recovering, Ness. I understand the disappointment as I felt that way after my first Manchester, but you had much tougher conditions to deal with, and raising that money is a big achievement in itself. Have you thought about what's next?
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2018
    Ness, £1000 of help and you came in a few minutes under the average finish time. Not so shabby. Still, the clog of bodies on that cramped tarmac hotplate looked bloody miserable. People pay for that? I will never race.
    Good running everyone. Fartleks... snigger.
    Cold out. First time in a long time of Kate Bush reps. 7.3miles of 10x hill sprints to the Holgate windmill (an actual refurbished windmill in the suburbs with sails and everything) then 6x shorter hill sprints to the Severus water tower. York isn't hilly but these little high spots are steep. Wind blowing right into me for the sprints. Felt it in my lungs and my calves.
  • 4 miles of relaxing chugging for me tonight. Have now built a 4 day streak.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    *nods head approvingly at Will's nascent streak*.   Googled Holgate windmill: "York's last surviving windmill and the oldest 5-sailed windmill in the country is now fully restored and producing traditional stone-ground flour."

    Cal - sorry to read of divers aches & pains - here's to quick recovery.  Hazel - you've picked up well after the Mara.  Pleasant nature report too.

    Bluebell therapy - it should be more widely known.  Top fundraising, Hazel.  You'll soon be mended. 
    :) 

    Hearing about feeling great in training is quite uplifting, Andrea.

    My Last Run: 0630 today.  Breeze trying to fight like the wind.  Westerly, so I tacked down the beach after seeing the early morning fitness types @ Crosby Leisure Centre.


  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    After a rest day yesterday I hit the new Clapham Common parkrun (when I say new, it's in its sixth week). It's almost all on dirt path/grass which made it quite tough as it chucked it down earlier this morning and there were quite a few big puddles to avoid, in addition to numerous tree roots (which I am very careful about as they have been my undoing in a couple of races there). I guess I'm not quite fully recovered from Manchester yet as it felt pretty tough but I managed 26:50 and an age group first, so that was nice. It's good to have another local parkrun (it's a mile or so jog there) and I will have another go when the ground is drier.
  • Nice age group first place Cal.  

    Keep on streaking will.. :)

    Just also looked up the windmill JT and swittle.  That looks nice.

    First hill race of the season for me yesterday evening - 5.6 miles with around 1650 feet of climbing.  Very civilized underfoot conditions - mostly tarmac and well maintained field and forest tracks.  But also a couple of miles through the Devil's Gorge on a rocky footpath requiring concentration - not only for the feet but also for the head (rocky outcrops threatening anyone taller than about 5'6).

    Following Sunday's marathon debacle the only goals I had were to get round and in particular to enjoy it.  I achieved both with a time of 57:17 and had a great time.  With all the flat tarmac pounding of marathon training I had forgotten how tough a hill race can be - the steep mile from 3-4 reduced me to a slow shuffle but I only had a couple of minutes of marching up the rocky steps in the gorge and on a particulary steep bit of track.  A good turnout of running acquaintances with lots of talk pre and post race definitely made it a worthwhile outing.  Just what I needed to regain the mojo.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    That's good to hear, Hazelnut. Enjoyment is why we do this, after all - something we often lose sight of.
  • Andrea Dawson 2Andrea Dawson 2 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2018
    Great running Cal & Hazelnut!

    Well parkrun was back to its usual bog his morning thanks to two days of constant rain. Silly old me thought I had started my garmin but I hadn't. When I finished I had a time of 23:18 with a distance of 3:03. I had calculated in my head that the distance I missed was a max of 25 seconds going by usual starting pace, which would've equalled my fastest since December. However they put 42 secs on. I was a bit annoyed as last week I did 23:40 and this week my pace was 3 seconds a mile quicker?

    I know #firstworldproblems and all that, but I felt really strong and I could just tell I was quicker. Also my last .03 of a mile was recorded at 5:55 pace.
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    Fine racing Cal and Hazel. Needed to get some miles in for the week so ended up as 20+miles in 2hrs35. Went alright. Passed a horse.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    That's annoying, Andrea. Having done most of the parkrun jobs including Timekeeper, it's not infallible. Regardless, good time in those conditions.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Well, I should have been posting about my long run today (as today is halfway between my two marathons) but instead I had to go to an NHS walk-in centre as what I thought was an insect bite on my, ahem, posterior, turned out to be shingles. I've had it before, but that was when I was 28, many years ago, so a bit surprised it's turned up now. I'm on the anti-virals so I hope I can get right before Liverpool. :(
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    Good parkrun Andrea. It's a frustration not to have a clear record of the time, but it doesn't change the actuality of a strong fast run. Hope your bum improves Cal.
    Bloody cold out and bitter wind blowing. 8.1miles in just over an hour. Had a week of stumbling blocks and irritation so am forcing myself to run to keep on the right side of a nihilistic sweary stress meltdown.
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