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My Last Run
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When I did my Crystal Palace run where I was aiming to hit various parks along the route, I pretty much had to study the map and memorise it. If I don't do that, then I often go wrong, but I've always a rough idea of where I am and I can use road signs and sometimes the position of the sun to navigate home again.
Not a fan of downhills myself - I don't envy you that one.
Swittle,that's some miles you've logged.I've only been keeping a diary of my runs over the last couple of years and have always wondered how many miles I've run since I were a teen.I haven't had any confrontations with anyone while running,although a lady had a go at me a few years ago when her dog chased me and apparently it was my fault because I was running.
Nice miles Cal,especially your sub 25 5k.My Achilles have been slightly niggly over the last week,so I've been back to put putting an ice pack back on them after a run.Like the way you use the sun to navigate home!
Good that you're out everyday Hazelnut.Hope your quads are ok,always painful to run on the following day.
Good news that you can run with your club GD,I'm still waiting for any start to club running.
Four runs this week,which included two fairly tough ones.Monday was 9.3 miles at just over HM pace and Friday was 6.2 miles including 5 x 1 miles at 5kp.
Polly has gotten into a silly habit of going to ground whenever she sees a another dog and then she'll catch me up when the dog has passed her,I'm not sure how to break this habit now.
Today's run had two aims: firstly to go to Wimbledon using a different route (I noticed King George's Park (where I ran yesterday and Wednesday) was actually quite close to Wimbledon Park on the map) and secondly, find the elusive Toast Rack on Wimbledon Common. This is a narrow, ascending dirt path with wire fences on either side that runs through the middle of the golf course and is one of the more "delightful" features of the Wimbledon Trail Series (which I did last year). Even though it's not steep, it's quite tough as it's long and on a gravelly surface. Thing is, it's quite hard to find unless you really know where to go.
The first aim was was fine - I ran to Earlsfied but instead of going to King George's Park or the Wandle Trail, I followed the roads I'd identified that would take me to Wimbledon Park. So far so good, except that my plan to cut through Wimbledon Park was scuppered by the fact only the gate I went in was open (it was very early - I went out around 5:20am), so I had to lap the park and then find a way around using the roads. (Fortunately it is a nice park).
From there I ran past the All England Club (sad to think there won't be a tournament in a couple of weeks), up the hill and on to Wimbledon Common, though at a different point from where I normally enter.
The second aim was a lot trickier. I found my way to the Windmill (not hard, most paths seem to lead there) and from there to a lake called the Queensmere (which I intended, but I'd only seen it during the trail series so wasn't sure if I could find it). From there I ran along my usual paths, but in the opposite direction to that which I normally take. There's a stream called Beverley Brook that I had to run alongside for a while, and somewhere along there was the Toast Rack turning. First attempt to find the turn-off was premature so I looped back around (had to jump over a log at one point) and went a bit further down the brook. At that point I really had no idea what I was doing. The path I took looked right at first but then wasn't, and I ended up in a field with several false exits (and some cotton-tailed rabbits) so had to backtrack. Then I saw wire fencing. I ran along it for a short distance and there was a turn off it - it was the Toast Rack! I'd hit it from a different direction than in the race, but I'd found it nonetheless. Mission accomplished. (It was also just as tiring as I remembered).
I felt pretty fatigued on the way back from Wimbledon - kept scuffing my feet and actually told myself off at one point. Achilles wasn't too bad though - actually better than yesterday despite this being a harder and hillier run.16 miles all told - averaged 10:28 pace for this but the Toast Rack mile (which included me blundering around the rabbit field) was a minute slower than that and the miles on the way home were much quicker, despite the fact I was feeling tired.
Nice Epsom Salt bath when I got in. I will definitely need a rest day tomorrow.
Love the descriptions of your runs, Cal. At times the mileage seems secondary to you finding another route or stitching existing ones together.
Back seemed to behave itself, Hazelnut. It felt a bit tender the day after, but it just prompted me to try to keep it moving.
Hopefully Polly gets over her habit, JD. Perhaps as Cal says the answer is to make sure she meets other dogs when out for a walk.
Having not had the opportunity to get out to run after Tuesday's 'bubble' run we did two runs this weekend. Yesterday we decided on a fartlek session and I had the idea of using the velodrome track at Preston Park. I'd driven past this on a few occasions and had seen people running round and thought it would make an excellent location for doing some speed work. Rather pleased to see a few other runners there with the same idea. We all kept to the grass inside the track, rightly leaving the track itself to the cyclists. The dry weather made the surface nicely responsive, although the odd occasion we did move on to the track to overtake someone we appreciated the immediate 'give back' the track gave us. A 45 min session that I thoroughly enjoyed. Sometimes the monotony of running round in circles is just what's required. We're going to try it again on Thursday evening with a view to offering up as a potential club speed session for others, if it's not too crowded.
Today we did 11k starting at Adur but going down to the seafront and running along to Worthing. I had to be back for a meeting by 11am, so an hour was good. Well it would have been if we'd not missed the turning about a mile from where the car was parked. We ran further looking for a left turn, but having found one we realised it led nowhere and had got us on the wrong side of the river. Eventually got back and I made the meeting in time.
The velodrome experience was useful. It's handy that there are 10m markings on the track and so, as my partner said, it's good to know where you've got to run to.
Well done on the 16.5 miles yesterday and the fact you finished on reasonably fresh legs. Having a rest day here.
Good running there - I certainly didn't feel fresh on my 16 so it's promising your legs felt good.
GD, glad the bubble runs are working out and that your back is feeling better.
Early run for me - lovely out (but rather warm even at 5:30am). Did 6 miles recovery (slow) and a further mile with some strides in it. It felt good to sprint after going to slowly for an hour. Hopefully it'll give my legs a bit of pep for tomorrow.
As it's my birthday, I'm going to have a go at doing my Masters Relays 5K. I would have done the Clapham Common Chase the Sun race (probably the 5K rather than the 10, given I was supposed to run my first ultra on Sunday) so it feels right to have a race on my birthday, even if it's a virtual one with no medal. Might even bust out the 4%s for this (my Alphas arrived yesterday but they are staying in the box until marathons start again).
Rest day followed by recovery day seemed to help me today. If this year had been a normal year, I would have been doing a birthday race (Runthrough Clapham Common Chase the Sun) this evening. But it's not a normal year, so instead I opted to run my leg of the Virtual Masters Relays today instead. Crap night's sleep (it was very warm in my room, and I woke up five or six times) but after a bit of mobility and yoga stuff and a lot of coffee, I strapped on my 4% and was out for 6am.
I always do a couple of miles warm-up, so when the first mile of the warm up went by in 10 minutes (versus 10:40s or even 11, which is more normal) I knew I had a chance of a good 5K time. Threw some strides into the second mile to wake my legs up.
I got to my trusty road triangle (or shark fin) and set off at suicide pace. First mile in 7:40, which is only 20 seconds slower than my 1 mile PB, as it stands. I wasn't going to keep that up but I was happy to do 7:47 for the second mile, then 7:46 for the third before gunning it down the last little bit (all the while breathing so hard I was practically screaming, and frightening some pedestrians I passed).
Garmin said 24:04 but Strava, for once, gave me a 24:03 without lopping off any distance, so I used the Strava time for the race entry (because why wouldn't I?) Previous best was 24:09 at Beckenham parkrun, which I was a bit dubious about as Garmin measured that one short, and second fastest was 24:25 at Southend parkrun, so I'm chuffed with that, even if it's only an unofficial time. Nothing like a birthday PB, eh?
I did another 3 miles to cool down although, as I had my fast shoes on, I couldn't resist going for a segment PB at the end of mile 2.
Anyway, I know I won't be fast compared to most vets (even women in my category) but hell, I'll take it. My highest WAVA to date, too (71.02 using the Fetch calculator, which is a little bit harsher than the one parkrun uses).
I'll be relaxing for the rest of the day and eating cake (cake is a rare treat for me as I have gluten issues, but my friend sent me a gluten free red velvet cake).
Oh and I'm through 1000 miles for the year. Not having marathons to taper for and recover from has definitely helped with that.
Thanks for the comments re my mileage landmark. Fetch has a 'league' - I'm top 100 but obviously, the longer one's been logging, the more miles will appear.
Happy Birthday, Cal, and good listening - interesting approach to route finding.
ION, two black swans have joined the 40 or so white versions on the smaller lake. Their bright pink bills are a joy!
Populations known at R. Thames, Marlow; Dawlish, R. Itchen, Hants; R. Tees nr Stockton.
Your session ticks plenty of boxes :-)
Hopefully the hilly group session wasn't too onerous, Hazelnut.
Glad the change in weather made for better conditions for you, swittle. And well done on the mileage and time. And the swan spotting.
Second club 'bubble' run on Tuesday. We had offered them a choice of routes, alongside the Adur or the coast route to Worthing. The Adur route was the preference and we managed to keep a good easy conversational pace going.
Yesterday I looked at my calendar and figured I had an hour free before 9am, so a rather hurried hill repeat session outside the house to enable me to get back and shower before the first meeting of the day. Annoyingly a cancellation at 11 meant my day opened up with a lovely large free period until 2pm, but of course I'd already showered by then.
Today we're planning on going back to the velodrome, if the weather permits.
Well done on your hills and speed, Hazelnut - I actually don't do much speedwork myself, just the weekly 5K and sometimes a tempo or similar. Doing the hard 5K each week has been good for discipline, though.
Not sure it's been good for my body as it was exceedingly grumpy today. Had 10 miles in mind but woke up to heavy rain and my body wasn't feeling great so compromised with a 6 mile recovery run (still raining but not heavy by that point, so I didn't mind it). Achilles and groin were both grumbling and then my left shin had a bit of a twinge during the last mile (et tu, Brute?) It's like I was in a completely different body to yesterday.
I did enjoy seeing the geese (Canadian and Egyptian) hanging out with their cygnets and a heron. The Egyptian goslings are fully fledged and getting quite bit now, but the Canadians are still a bit fuzzy.
I still have another virtual race to do this week (Ranelagh Harriers Virtual Baker Cup - 3 miles with hills, which'll mean Streatham Common) so I'm hoping I'll feel better by then. If not I will have to sit that one out, but I'd like to give it a try.
Happy birthday Cal,hope you enjoyed your day.That's a fantastic pb,sub 24 definitely doable.
Great speedwork Hazelnut.I might have to try that one myself,I've always done it by distance.Getting psyched up for it is always half the battle especially if you're doing it by yourself.
Good black swan spotting Swittle.I can personally vouch about labs being very greedy,food is the most important thing to them.
Out with Polly Monday evening,just over 5 miles.We got caught in an extremely heavy downpour,mixed with thunder and lightning.The rain was so heavy it was difficult to open your eyes fully.
6 miles Tuesday at an easy pace.Came across a guy snorkelling in the canal which is a first.I had good intentions to get out Wednesday but the rain was bouncing down all afternoon,so it was an easy decision not to get out.
Going to re-plot last night's run - faster than I thought. Post-all day rain, trails were fresh and green, sand on prom and beach firm, and 20 or so channels where the downpour had made its way to the sea.
Without my gigs, I'm a runner waiting for an accident. Steady rain is easier to deal with than condensation inside lenses. Something about lemon juice on glasses making a difference.
Ready to dial it back a tad, Hazel?
Of all the time I ran beside a Canal. JD, I never saw anyone snorkeling. I did see a zombie, but no one snorkeling.
Good tip on the glasses, swittle. I may have to start wearing mine soon when out running. I mistook a set of steps for a swan the other week!!
Sounds like a drop down in activity is the idea, Hazelnut. Or, as you say, doing something else. Hope it's not a lurgy.
Two runs over the weekend. The club have an age graded PR comp going at the moment so I suggested we did that on Saturday and so we went to the velodrome. After a lap warm-up made the classic mistake of starting off too quickly and thinking "this is sustainable". It wasn't. And whilst I love the monotony of running continuous circuits not quite knowing where the finish would be (I was trying not to look at my watch) played on my mind. In the end the pace dropped off for the last mile and my hope of going sub 23 had become a 24:01. Even that was annoying as I didn't run through to the 'line', jogging the last 20m or so. We did go for a nice walk around Slindon, which is just outside Arundel, in the afternoon, making the most of the sunny day.
Sunday we decided to do an easy 10K along the seafront from Saltdean. However on discovering that the wind seemed to be coming from the west, and so in our faces on the out lap, I thought I might try what I'd thought of a couple of weeks ago and try and push for a quick 5K. It wasn't as strong as it was before, but I thought a following wind might help. This time I thought I'd be a bit more sensible and so ran within myself for the first mile and then start to pick up the pace for each subsequent mile. However I think my legs were still feeling the affects of the day before and I couldn't maintain it, in the end dropping right off and abandoning the attempt and just jogging in the last km.
Decided that we'd visit a garden centre on the way back and get some plants to pot up. Trying to make the garden look a bit more presentable now that the jungle is being tamed. So spent post lunch doing that and I now have a somewhat red head.
Unlucky with injury Cal,hope you can sort it out soon.
I really should wear my glasses on trails Swittle,I'm forever tripping over tree roots or rocks.
That long run really sounded tough Hazelnut,especially when far from home.It's supposed to be getting really hot over here again,so I won't be looking forward to my evening runs.
8.7 hilly miles on Friday.The hills weren't the biggest but just constant,I could really feel it in my legs over last couple of miles.
6.7 miles along the river Saturday evening.Plenty of people were still having a swim in the river.
JD, I am slightly short sighted and it's much, much worse in low light conditions which is why I'm so much slower in winter when it's dark. I shelled out for laser eye surgery in 2005 and had perfect vision for a few years but then it regressed. It's still a lot better than it was before the surgery, but I guess I will need glasses again at some point (I definitely would if I had to drive, but I haven't had a car since the early 90s).
It's going to be in the 30s this week - I am not looking forward to that at all. Bye bye sleep.
I'm told by a volunteer at Martin Mere, Burscough, W Lancashire that there are black swans established there - it's about 20 miles from Crosby.
'Hay devil' is new to me, Hazel - origin of crop circles?
Guarddog: pace judgement is so important, yet elusive at times. Pushing it on is rarely wasted.
A couple of worthwhile outings, JD1. Open water swimming seems to be growing amongst some Fetchies.
Cal: perfect opportunity for you to store up the benefits of 'active resting'.
9 last night, 50:22 for 5.1 miles. Slower but better judged with regard to easier breathing. Warm, cloudy, but saved by a light southerly breeze. Towards end, I chatted with a walking 'regular' whose Labradoodle demonstrated his full range of tricks and poses!
Good couple of runs, JD, and interesting to see people in the river swimming. Plenty of people in the sea yesterday as I drove along the coast.
Generally I'm rather conservative with pace, swittle. I do tend to start slowly and then build in to the run. Always a learning curve.
I do enjoy running along by the coast, Hazelnut, there is something calming about it. Except when it's blowing a gale. The waves were coming over the sea wall on Sunday and I did get caught once.
11K last night as a 'bubble' run with the club. Running time was just over an hour. Total time was closer to 90 mins as we regrouped a couple of times on the out lap and then on the in lap and we had a couple of slower runners who I think struggled with the heat and the pollen.
Just an easy 30 min recovery run today between meetings. Far too hot to think about doing anything else, temperature hit 28C when I was out.