My Last Run

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  • Another reasonably early start this morning for 4 recovery.  I had planned a couple of miles more at a faster pace but my legs were feeling the last days a bit so decided an easier outing would be a good idea.  Lovely morning - bright sun but fresher than yesterday.  
  • swittle, there's an arts centre at the top of it, which I guess has a theatre in it.
    Don't envy you the heat, Hazelnut - I think it's staying low to mid-20s here, but today it's going to be very windy. It was already very breezy this morning, though I appreciated it for once as it was quite muggy and the wind kept me cool. Nice wildlife spotting. :)
    GD, good running there. Do you do Bevendean Down parkrun? I reall fancy it, although it's a little tricky to get to from London, at least for a day trip (without a car, that is).

    Had a bit of a fright yesterday - woke up with a very sore right foot which I think is metatarsalgia. Had something like it back in 2011 and it stopped me running for quite a while. Fortunately ice, Theragun and some exercises seemed to have done the trick and it was OK this morning. I think it got angry because of the hill sprints - I was wearing Zoom Flys and the hard carbon plate might have bothered it on the hill. The 2011 bout came after hill sprints too, albeit in different shoes. I have a physio appointment booked for Tuesday - I'm going to keep it anyway as achilles is being snarly and I could do with being loosened up a bit.

    Today I ran 10.5 miles, local routes in case I had to cut the run short...but I didn't need to (the extra half mile was because I was a little far from home when I got to 10).
  • GuarddogGuarddog ✭✭✭
    Think we're due some heavy winds down here over the weekend, swittle. Today has been gusty and tomorrow looks similar. Which is a shame as we're due to do our first 'baseline' virtual 5K. I suspect running on the beach is going to be kinder to you at the moment, but glad you got your 2 miler in.

    Carrots is a temptation, Hazelnut. We had a bacon and egg sarnie in there as a treat just before lockdown started and very nice it was too. Angler had caught a bream as we were talking to him, although quite small and as he was new to fishing he was advised to put it back. Well done on the runs, great time for the 12.5. And hopefully the shoulders aren't suffering too much.

    I have done Bevendean a couple of times, Cal. It's a very small one in terms of numbers, probably about 30. But it is tough with some rather steep hills. The breakfast in the Bevy afterwards is a must, though. Just trying to think of the best route by train and it would be into Brighton and then get a train towards Lewes and get off at Moulsecombe. I'd say it was then a 25-30min walk from there. The Run Director is a member of our club.

    Speed session last night and it was still quite warm when we set out. Met up in Southwick and most in the group were sub 20 min PR runners, so that was going to be a challenge. We did a warm up mile, although their warm up pace was my race pace!  :D . Once on the seafront by Hove Lagoon we proceeded to sprint between lampposts which are approximately 75m apart, firstly 1 and recover 1, then 2 and recover 1 all the way up to 8, then back down again. Fine up to 4, but then started to struggle to maintain pace with most of the others and then had my own private battle with my club 'rival'. Really good session, although the mile back was done at a more sensible pace and we did 5 miles in total. Back home to boiled new potatoes with cold chicken, tomatoes, peppers and peas mixed with mayonnaise and sprinkled with coriander. Good comfort food.
  • The small number is one of the attractive qualities, GD - I've been 2nd lady a couple of times at small events - I'd really like to get a 1st lady one day. Obviously my tourism will have to wait until the corona is under control, however long that takes.
    Nice speed session. You can keep your mayo though. I have a visceral horror of it due to its resemblance to pus.


    I was chatting on messenger to one of my clubmates this week and she offered to see me run and give me some drills and pointers. She's in Battersea so as I wanted to do my weekly club league 5K today I offered to meet her in Battersea Park. I ran down there (three miles - I could tell from these miles I had my fast legs on today) and met up with her. She looked at me running and pointed out a few things, gave me a few drills and then ran the 5K with me, giving me encouragment and form checks along the way. While I'm not quite at my June peak, I managed 24:47 which is very decent and light years ahead of the dismal 27+ time I managed on my own last week.
    She accompanied me part of the way home, too. Really nice of her to take time out to help me, and the sub-25 gives me a lot more confidence for the 10K in three weeks' time.

    No foot pain although my achilles was pretty sore on the way back - not entirely surprised given the effort. Hopefully it won't bitch at me too much on tomorrow's long run.
  • Seems the foot was only temporary Cal looking at that 5k. Certainly a great improvement over last week - well done. Nice of your clubmate to do the coaching. Have a good long run tomorrow.

    Hope the 5k went well despite the wind GD. Nice session indeed and a nice post run meal too, though I am also not a huge mayo fan.

    Just short of 7 miles this morning in 58 minutes. Out a bit later than recently as the hot weather is over for now - fortunately. Felt quite sprightly in comparison to yesterday, running faster than planned again but with little perceived effort. Drizzle and a slight breeze were refreshing.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Some decent sessions GD.Sore nipples is one thing I haven't suffered from,they must be teflon coated.I like your food choices as well.Hope you had a decent 5k today.

    Well done on your 5k,Cal,that'll give you confidence.That was really good of your clubmate to help you out and give you some pointers.

    Good mileage and sessions  as usual,Hazelnut.Just a relief that temps have dropped off.

    Just a short 4.47 hilly miles yesterday afternoon.I hit the run hard and kept the pace up,felt good after the run.

    8.6 miles this afternoon,including 7 x 1k off 90 seconds jog recovery,was hoping for 4 m/km but they came in around 4.10,but not a bad session overall.




  • Decent time for the 7, Hazelnut - glad the hot weather has passed.
    Solid runs from you too, JD.

    18 miler today along the Wandle and back. I wasn't sure I'd have much in the legs after the 9 mile 5K sandwich yesterday and 10 miles the day before. Turns out I was right about that. There was nothing in my legs at all. I thought they might perk up after a few miles, but they didn't. Hamstrings were dead. Good job the run was scenic because it would have been a real slog otherwise. Managed to spot five herons, a little egret, possibly a kingfisher (I saw a flash of blue and it was hovering above the river, which is a kingfisher tactic - my eyes aren't good enough to see more detail though) and a huge Maine Coon cat.
    Pretty much every mile felt like the last six miles of a marathon so it'll be good training for that, at least.
    To put the run into context, it was a few minutes slower than the 18 I did last weekend with over 400m of elevation, not to mention my faceplant. I will definitely be resting tomorrow.
  • GuarddogGuarddog ✭✭✭
    As and when we can really start to do PR properly, Cal, give us a shout and we'll see if we can do Bevendean as well. Good series of runs and well done on the 5K time, although I think you're right about needing to rest tomorrow. And thanks for the mayo/pus comparison  :D

    Glad the weather has eased off for you, Hazelnut. Think it definitely helps when you get a cooler period, running in the heat can feel so much harder.

    Nice couple of runs, JD. 4.10 pace is swift. I think the nipples tend to moan when the top I'm wearing gets damp, which is generally through sweat. I'd normally wear a compression top so it's not really an issue then. Schoolboy error on my part.

    Solo 5K yesterday as my partner wasn't feeling too good. It did feel strange as it's the first time I've run on my own for quite a number of weeks.  The velodrome was closed in the morning as a local cycling club was using it, so I decided to go to the marina with a view that the SW wind would help. It did, to a degree, although the swirly conditions meant that you never quite knew when you were suddenly going to be confronted by a wind wall as it bounced off the cliffs. Other concerns were the amount of standing water that was on the promenade and the pebbles thrown over the wall by the high winds of the previous day. Sometimes threading a path through these was quite tricky. Without my partner to give me a pacing target for the first half it did feel rather lonely, however headphones blaring over the wind I tried to keep the pace even. However as I entered the last mile I was almost brought to a juddering halt due to the path being taken up completely, so lost all my rhythm. Having cleared the obstruction, but annoyed with the interruption, I felt the need to put my foot down. My benchmark time has been set at 22:53 (slightly unfair as I've only been under 23 minutes 2 times), but I came in at 22:25, so rather pleased with that/ The tactics talk on Thursday had been for people to post a slow first run so that their benchmark time would go up. If that's the case I may, for once, be near the top of the league.

    Followed that 5K with the 5K back to the marina. Running back into the wind was tough, but did an easy 1.5 and then spent the next mile or so doing 0.1 mile sprints and then jog recoveries for 0.1 mile. 

    Today partner was feeling better for a gentle 6.5 mile out and back along the Adur. Plenty of people out, lots of cyclists and some quite big running groups as well. It had looked as if the weather was going to clear up, but entering the last mile we felt the spots of rain start to hit our faces, although managed to get back before it started to get heavier.
  • Nice hills and intervalls JD, well done. 90 second recoveries sound tough. I run similar paces (or try to at least) and need more like 2:30 recoveries for 1ks.

    Well done for getting the 18 miler done Cal. Good nature spotting - great way to distract yourself from the tired legs.

    Tape those nips maybe GD? Glad your partner is feeling better in the meantime. That's a good 5k time in not ideal conditions and solo. Good timing on today's run with the rain.

    8.7 mile hill race today with nearly 1000m of climbing, some sections are more than 1:5 climb i.e tough.  Equalled my course PB of 1:40:13  from 5 years ago with no (finished) preceding races and little specific training so happy with that result. Interesting start: masks until crossing the line, small blocks based on time, waves of 5. Much less pressure than the usual mass start where I generally start too fast. First 3 and a bit miles are not too bad, flatish, a bit of climbing, then flat again. Then onto the pass road for more than two miles of hard core ascent, as usual I walked the steepish sections. This section levels off towards the top and is followed by a nice short descent for catching your breath and using other leg muscles. Then on into the next climb - some bits run , some walked with a vicious section through the woods - rocks and roots. Out onto grass for the climb to the high point -shuffle jogging out of principle, then a dash down the other side on uneven grass /tracks before a final short climb to the finish. Pheww! Worked hard all the way round and wasn't passed too often - though mostly by other ladies grrr.   Fun though. Did miss the team chat and the standard sit-down awards ceremony, but at least it was a race and I finished it this time. 
  • That's an excellent 5K time on you rown, GD - I set an unofficial PB in June (for the virtual masters 5Ks) but it's bloody tough without other runners to latch on to. Good run back, too. When I did my 5K yesterday, my clubmate ran part of the way home with me (which included the hill I'd done the hill reps on on Wednesday) and she's a bit faster than me (well, more than a bit) so I ended up running at sub-10 pace, which is what I term "steady" rather than the recovery pace I'd normally do after a fast effort. Probably why my legs are dead today.

    Excellent job, Hazelnut - all the more sweeter after DNFing the last one. I'd be tempted to walk the rooty bits, or at least go very slowly - glad you stayed on your feet this time!
  • The last time I ran was yesterday at Van Cortlandt Park. Running through trees actually felt good.
    Dave Alce
    Marketing Manager
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Hi, Dave.  Trees provide stillness - and rain cover too.  :)

    Cal: I enjoy local history and found this page about the theatre in Clapham Junction:
    https://visitclaphamjunction.com/about/the-junction-history   Friday & Saturday were windy: 40mph W with gusts to 50mph but warm with it.  A generous gesture to do some critique of gait & style.  The mileage you're logging will add to your stamina, tho' the high teen distances can take their toll.

    Cycling & run double bodes well for your tumble recovery, Hazel.  Cooler, damp weather certainly sees me more comfortable when I'm running.  Interesting to read about a very good hill race & result to match.  There are a few - very few - LD events going on in UK: north/south downs way 100-miler; and Hardmoors 100- & 160-milers over the N York Moors.  Small fields and staggered starts.  Busy parkruns and urban 10k races on narrow streets seem a distant prospect atm.

    Guarddog: I'm enjoying your fuelling report - the south had the worst of the wind cmpared to oop north.  When the waves were last over the prom at Crosby, all manner of flotsame & jetsame remained when the tides receded.

    JD1 - well done on a pair of productive outings.

    It's all rather stop-start with my comeback: 30 minutes last night, just on 3 miles, but I struggled along the beach, yet ran easier on the trails back to my start point.  I cooled down unwisely, chatting to a dedicated rescue dog walking woman, as we exhanged stories of getting locked in the local park  :-o  Hammy protested in the night, so it's had a damned stern icing this morning!
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Nice 18 miles on tired legs Cal.Great Kingfisher spot,you never see much detail with them,just a blur.

    Excellent 5k GD,you're well under 23.It's much harder to push yourself solo and takes a lot of concentration.

    Cracking race Hazelnut,it seemed like a really interesting course.Regarding the start that's going to be the way forward.How many raced?

    3 miles is good progress Swittle,just don't over do it.

    10 easy miles yesterday afternoon,legs felt tired from Saturday.There were a bit of argy bargy on the canal,on some points on the canal it goes to a single width,so one of you is supposed to walk on ahead to warn oncoming boats,but that didn't happen,so two boats came nose to nose,plenty of abusive language was exchanged,and I thought canal boating was supposed to be realaxing.

  • Thanks for that, swittle - interesting. I found a really nice post office building in Clapham on one of my walks - you can see it here: http://britishpostofficearchitects.weebly.com/clapham.html

    I also often run past this amazing pumping station on the way back from Streatham - first time I ran past I thought it was a mosque or something. https://www.flickr.com/photos/tetramesh/3678738222

    Glad you're running again but take care of that hammy.

    JD, well done on the 10. A lady in one of my running Facebook groups picked up an injury on a canal path run and was given a lift back on a canal boat. The guy driving (sailing?) it was drinking wine straight out of the bottle and she remarked that he looked a bit drunk and he said he'd been drunk since March. :D

    Rainy recovery run for me - six slow miles (they felt faster but I sat around a lot yesterday so I was probably a bit stiff and stride was short) then a mile with some strides, which felt good.
    Physio visit booked for this afternoon - foot is fine now but I decided not to cancel as achilles is still gnarly and I'll ask my physio about the hand I fell on, which is still sore (I didn't think it was fractured, but now I'm not so sure).

  • Physio didn't think my hand was fractured so that's a relief. Bugger's still sore though.

    Pretty slow run today - gusty winds were a bit unnerving and made me very cautious on the downs (more so after stacking it two weeks on the trot - I really can't afford to do it again as I'm still hurting from the last one). Tried to power up the hills although not sprinting - this was supposed to be a more leisurely affair but I got a couple of Strava segment PBs.
    The best bit was finding a new hill, Hill Path, and it's a real bastard. More like Psycho Path. It's long and windy so just when you think you're near the top, it goes around a bend and there's more. This happens about three times. Steep in the middle, too (up to 15%) I hated it so much the first time I went round and did it again.
    Wasn't going to go onto Streatham Common but spotted a funfair my mate would like, so went to check out which rides were there for him.
    Took a couple of wrong turns, too, but that's part of the fun of exploring the back streets.
    Also made a foray up a little road behind Tooting Common called Steep Hill, purely so I could name the segment "No it's not." (It's really just a slope - 5% max).
    11 miles total.
  • GuarddogGuarddog ✭✭✭
    Well done on equaling your PB and for doing the race, Hazelnut. How was the event organisation? That sounds a really tough run, hopefully the legs have recovered?

    Thanks for the kind words, Cal, and well done on the recovery run. Hopefully your physio went well yesterday and there's no fracture on the hand.

    Welcome Dave. Running through the trees provides a nice touch of shelter and gives you a good connection with your surroundings.

    Good three miler, Swittle. How is the hamstring feeling? It needs a good talking to as well as the icing. Had a rather nice cauliflower, broccoli, pasta and cheese bake on Saturday, which set us up for Sunday to a degree. Although I did have pizza on Friday and Monday as I couldn't be bothered to cook for just myself  :D 
    Last night the post-run meal was a chilli which was eagerly devoured.

    I think your comment of a few weeks back regarding a sub 22 min 5K is on my mind now, JD. I need to find that 25 seconds, but then that's only about 8 seconds a mile quicker or even 5 seconds a kilometre in new money, so I'm trying to think positively about it. Well done on the 10 miler. How was the canal jam resolved in the end?

    'Bubble' run last night. Well it was a rather smaller bubble as 3 of the 6 we had in our group dropped out due to the rather adverse conditions. If I'm completely honest if the other person had contacted us to say they weren't going to run we probably wouldn't have bothered. However the 3 of us convened at a very windy car park near the Adur and the suggestion was to potentially curtail the distance. Running over the bridge we had the wind very much at our backs, but then as soon as we turned to run alongside the river we felt the full force of the crosswind coming in from the SW, so strong that at times the gusts would push us over the other side of the path. Knowing that the trees and bushes further along would provide some respite we passed a runner who warned of branches coming down. As it turned out we saw a few twigs, but nothing major, although I did listen to the creaking of the trees with a certain degree of wariness. As it turned out we didn't shorten the run, carrying on to our normal turning point, but having turned round we were then faced with the wind being more in our faces and it was a case of teeth being gritted. There is on this route a kind of GPS blackspot where the pace on the watch goes haywire. It generally lasts about 200m and then sorts itself out, however this time it went on for about a mile. I looked at my watch to be told I was running at 11 min/mile pace, whereas perceived effort meant it felt quicker than that. Situations like that seem to unnerve me as I then feel the need to push harder. However my partner and our other runner confirmed the correct pace. I did decide to push it on as I was keen to get back as quickly as possible and the others followed. It even meant a bit of a sprint finish at the end between my partner and I. At the end we were both glad we'd gone out. As windy as it had been the feeling that we'd gone out when others hadn't had meant we'd achieved something.

    We've also entered the Brighton Half for next year, taking advantage of the early bird offer. Fingers crossed it goes ahead.
  • There's a lot of spots like that where I am, GD - watch thinks I'm going much slower than I am. It's annoying. Well done for pushing yourself in those winds, and good luck for Brighton.
  • Hope the hammie has taken a lesson from the icing swittle. An event organizer here has said in the press a couple of times he doesn't expect a return to standard racing in the foreseeable future.

    Love the idea of the boot stand off on the canal JD.  I assume they can reverse? 416 took part in Sunday's race.

    Also like the idea of hitching a lift on a canal boot Cal.  Useless bit of trivia: a teacher at my comprehensive liked on a narrow boat at Blisworth. Hand could take a bit to recover I guess. Difficult not to use one without immobilizing measures. Well done for doing the hill you hated twice and a good name for not Steep Hill.

    Less fond of the pasta bake and the chilli GD. (don't like broccoli and not keen on hot stuff). Good battling with the wind and hope Brighton will happen.

    Only a short recoveries between 3 and 4 miles in the last three days as I have been doing other things this week due to having a week off. Big (for me) cycle yesterday with more than 50 miles and a nice hike today. 
  • Not keen on chilli either, Hazelnut, but I adore broccoli.

    Took a rest yesterday - didn't feel too enthused about running when I got up so I took that as a sign.
    Today was OK (if rather drizzly). I did 3.5 miles to warm-up then did a 4 mile LT pace run around my favourite road triangle, then another 1.5 miles to cool-down ( had a couple of short breathers between the WU, tempo and CD rather than do it as a continuous run.
    I was fairly happy with the LT - I usually shoot for around 8:30ish but wasn't sure what sort of shape I was in, but I managed 8:35/8:31/8:22/8:18. Felt I could have done another mile too but the balls of my feet were getting battered, which seems to happen more when I'm running faster (I guess I'm more on the balls of my feet at pace). Cadence was a solid 190.
  • That's a great LT run Cal, especially as you could increase your pace over the distance and could have done more. Next time you do one, maybe start out towards the faster end of that range and try to hold it?

    Weather is turning wet and cooler here now, leaving me only half a good day for outdoorsy things. Decided to do a few more river miles today (trying to run the whole thing over time). One localish section I hadn't done yet is on a dammed up section for power stations (nuclear, currently in shutdown process, and hydro) forming a longish narrow wiggly lake. A bridge and a dam allow for a round trip. Anything other than an easy jog along the bank though, the south side is on trails with tough climbs and ascents. I walked any steps encountered and there were quite a few.  Two thirds of the way along that side I met a path closed sign which caused some cursing but a nice lady said I could get around the collapsed bit across farmland. Fortunately the bull (notices) wasn't around but I kept close to fences for a quick escape in case I had overseen him. The second half was on easier ground but on tired legs so I was pleased that my estimation of the route distance was higher than reality. Better than the other way around. Around 11 miles in more than 2 hours but it doesn't always have to be about time. Some 450m of ascent and descent. Might have another go sometime on fresher legs.  
  • I saw your photos on Strava, Hazelnut - stunning! Lucky the bull was elsewhere.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    JD1, you have summed up my dilemma well: in the search for pre-hammy pace, I've underestimated the drop in aerobic capacity.  Setting off too fast puts unhelpful demands on breathing and this, in turn, spoils, form, run and mood.  Determined to try another way, I set off at around 12 min/mile pace, a rolling route to the beach, flat along the beach, and, by the time I reached the baths, my breathing was regular and easy. 
    Another mile behind the dunes and I turned for the sea, where the sun had carved a blazing orange band in the sky that coalesced into a blood-red curtain brushing the horizon.  Lucky the photographer that I passed!  With such entertainment, fretting about niggles fades away.  4.1 miles, 9:11 min/mile pace,  Iced, warmed and bathed the hammy.  A better plan :-)

    Guarddog: it's hard to be upbeat about races returning, but I think an optimistic approach makes sense.  The wind seems to be caught in the E atm.

    Hazel: hope you feel benefit from your resting week.  TdF has started: didn't think it'd go ahead but....  Quite an adventurous off road expedition!

    Cal: useful LT sesh, if tough on your plates.


  • Poetic as ever, swittle. That sounds like a much more satisfactory run - great job.

    I seem to be in the habit of collecting hills like Pokemon. Today’s objective was Canonbie Road over by Forest Hill which hits 18% in places. Being the sick and twisted individual that I am, I figured I may as well hit Hell Hill again on the way over, which I duly did, and of course there was Wellfield Walk in the second mile which served as a nice aperitif for the bigger hills later on.

    I got to Canonbie by going past Horniman’s Museum (a childhood favourite – it has a bit of everything in there and there's the most amazing clock) I really should pay it another visit) and along Wood Vale then started the ascent. It was pretty tough – quite similar to Fox Hill if you hug the inside bend. What I wasn’t expecting it once you get up the thing, it then drops steeply down again – presumably this was the 18% bit because it was far too steep for me to run down and I ended up walking that bit. Then I did what any self-respecting hill hunter would do which is turn around and run it in reverse (which turned out to be easier, no walking required).

    I ran back up Sydenham Hill and was going to run along to Crystal Palace but then I had the genius idea that if I ran back down Hell Hill, I could then run up Rock Hill (another new one) from the bottom. The top of Hell Hill is steeper than I’m comfortable with so I was a bit gingerish going down there, but once there’s some dirt to run on at the side of the tarmac it gets easier.
    Found Rock Hill easily enough and that one was another sod. Much shorter than Hell Hill, but really steep (another 18, at least in the middle).

    Ran through CP park and then decided to pop into South Norwood Lake park as I’d only visited once before. It really is a nice park. Problem is, my intended exit was padlocked so I had to retrace my steps and go back the way I’d come in.

    After that, I realised I only had enough mileage left to do one of the hills in the vicinity, so I opted for Stambourne Woodland Walk as I have a Strava trophy there and I’m shallow like that. (It’s also a nice little woodland bit – I like woodland bits, which is just as well as I didn't beat my time).

    I opted to return via Waddington Way where I stacked it two weeks ago (my hand still hurts) so I could put that memory to bed. I was keeping a careful eye out for cracks and bumps in the pavement but it’s actually a pretty good surface. I’m not convinced I didn’t trip over my own feet – I’m a bit of an ankle kicker.

    One final ascent up Gibson’s Hill and then I pushed on for home. I was actually surprised at how much I had left in the tank at this point – I was even able to summon a bit of a sprint on the road behind my house. Average pace was 10:47 but the last three miles were 9:50, 9:49 and 9:17.

    Legs don’t feel too bad – right hip got a bit tight towards the end (not painful, just tight) and Achilles was its usual unpleasant self, but I don’t feel like I’ve run a hilly 20 (elevation according to Garmin was 468m). Which is good, eh?

    53 miles for the week and 217 for the month - it feels like it's coming together.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Good run in tough conditions GD.I have a couple of GPS blackspots as well,they don't last too long,so I just ignore my watch.I didn't stop to watch the boaters but I presumed one of them reversed a fair way back.

    Hope you've enjoyed your week off Hazelnut.That's a nice 50 mile ride.Good that the bull wasn't in the field.About 4 years ago one of my dogs disturbed a calf sleeping in long grass,the mother appeared from nowhere and charged at my dog I have never seen her run so fast with her tail between her legs.

    Great 20 miles,with a fantastic 468m elevation, Cal.Fantastic monthly total as well.

    Great pace Swittle,you seem to be getting stronger now.

    I went to my first circuit training session since lockdown Tuesday evening,my god I couldn't move the following morning,I was so sore.I managed to get out Friday afternoon for a hilly 6.81 miles,I stayed on minor country roads as I wearing my new Mizzuno Wave Inspire 15 and didn't want to get them dirty!

    9.3 miles yesterday afternoon,still feeling sore from Tuesday but managed to average 7.30 m/m,as soon as I stopped running my legs were seizing up.

    5.82 trail run along the river but it was far too busy with visitors,so it was very stop start.My hamstrings and glutes are still very tight so I'll be doing a lot stretching this week.

  • Sensible approach swittle.  Nice sunset description.  I'm looking forward to some nice autumn sunrises here (there is an inconvenient hill in the way to look at the set variety).  At the moment the sun is still getting up earlier than I am...

    Lots of hills, a 20 miler and a solid week's and month's mileage Cal.  Does sound good! 

    Mother cows, calves and dogs are a very dangerous combination JD.  Good your dog ran for it.  Ouch to the post circuit training soreness (can imagine after a long break).  Enjoy the new shoes (will have a look at that model - need some new ones as well and generally like Mizunos).  Speedy running despite the soreness. 

    Weekend saw a longish recovery of 10k on Saturday and a good MLR yesterday over the HM distance in 1:49:30  The dip in mileage, pacing according to feel, some other activities and a few days off work pressures did some good for the latter run as I set out strong and kept it going.  Weather has gone cool in the meantime meaning that I could run when I liked rather than being restricted to earlyish running and was even out in capris and an LS top yesterday.  Nice to be able to breath again.  
  • Post work recovery - 5.3 miles in 48:30.  Concentrated on pace discipline which mostly worked. Spots: a pony and trap, diverse storks and largish gulls.  Also a pretty orange and white cat.  
  • Good set of runs from you, JD - hope the DOMS has eased off a bit.
    Storks are one thing I don't see, Hazelnut - I do often see a horse who lives next to the Wandle Trail (in the middle of an industrial estate, although he does have a paddock and stable so he's clearly not a gypsy horse). I reguarly see herons too.

    My Garmin's thrown a wobbly - not sure what happened but somewhere between me going for a walk and doing a home-based workout yesterday, it stopped uploading to my PC. My PC is seeing it as a drive, though, so I'm able to get the files off it manually, it's just more of a faff. Waiting for a reply from tech support. Sigh.

    Anyway, decent run today. Definitely nippy this morning - got the long tights out again. Felt like I could have done with a long sleeved top, too, for the first few miles, but I was OK after that.
    Did a new route today, or at least part of it. I found a footpath that lead from Tooting to Collier's Wood on the map so I went down there before running through Wandle Park, down the Wandle to Earlsfield and then back home via Wandsworth Common. As I didn't set out until just after 6 and ran 9 miles, traffic was pretty heavy on the main roads and I had to pause/stop a couple of times. It was easier when I could go out at 5 but it's dark now and I try to avoid running in the dark unless I have to (not worried about muggers or anything, just tripping over because I can't see so well).
    Legs felt surprisingly good (grumbling achilles aside) after the 20 on Sunday. I actually felt like I could go all day when I got to 7 miles but by 8 I was starting to feel a bit of fatigue so decided not to press on for double figures.
    I will aim to get a longer run in tomorrow before I head to Cambridgeshire for my godmother's funeral (she died last week).
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    Cal: your hill slaying exploits put me to shame!  W Yorkshire offered me a wealth of hills in my earlier running days, and I'd mark off a few to do as tests of relative fitness.   I agree that the nights are starting to draw in, and my headtorch needs dusting off.   Good effort on your new route.  Hope all goes as you'd wish at the funeral.  :(

    Thanks, JD1.  The exercise bike is in the same studio as the Boxercise: I'm worn out just watching - and how most of the participants look after an hour is enough to justify my non-attendance.  ;)

    Hazel: rest tops up the tanks like nothing else.  The hard part is deciding to take it!  Enjoyed your report on fauna!

    Too warm for me to sally forth in the afternoon, so it was 8 last night before I slowly set off to the leisure centre and onwards up the trails.  Even a few degrees higher, and fatigue creeps in: I don't actually need to stop but 10 seconds to clean my glasses and squeegee up the worst of the sweat isn't going to harm.  Turning by Burbo Bank, the 5mph S wind was welcome, although the tide had almost lost the will to turn over the waves.  No-one was in a hurry, not even the dogs, and my pace reflected the mood of the slowly fading light.  As I eased off & stretched, a young couple smiled and asked how far I'd run.  On my reply of over 4 miles, the lad smiled and said it was more than he could do!  A few people have engaged me in conversation after recent runs - I'm not sure if they feel sorry for me...but I think they're genuine enough.  Most Liverpool folk speak honestly and love to chat with strangers.  :)


  • I think a lot of people are starved of human interaction thanks to this pandemic, swittle so I'm not surprised they will talk to you. I talk to random strangers sometimes, usually to admire their dogs.

    Wanted to get an MP run done today so settled on Battersea Park as the best option as it is wide and flat, and the local road triangle I often use for tempos is getting a bit busier (there are no roads to cross but it's an industrial bit with vans and lorries sometimes coming out of drives, and one side has a school which will probably be open today).
    I did have to stop three times for traffic on the way there (I set out at 5:50 so was in the park before 6:30), but somehow got lucky on the home run even though it was later and busier.
    Once I'd got to the park (3 miles away) I started on my MP tempo. I was thinking about either doing two lots of a three miles with a recovery mile in between, or try for six straight through. As it was, I was in a pretty good rhythm after three MP miles so I stuck with it, and ended up doing 7 MP miles before heading back home.
    MP splits were 9:07 (a little slow but still sub-4 pace)/8:55/8:51/8:50/8:58/8:54/8:49. Not sure I can do that for 26 miles but I'm pretty happy with that nonetheless.
    The full run was a 2:07 half marathon which is faster than any of the HMs I ran in the first half of 2015 - amazing how we progress.
  • That's probably the case about spontaneous interactions - I keep meeting folk I saw last summer when I was restricted to walking.

    Early starts have evaded me for a few years now: now retired, I don't have the spur of 'getting the run done' before work - and the Streak is a fading memory!

    Your MP session reads well and it's a real lift to top a time from one's younger years.  :-)  Some debate on Fetcheveryone about GFA & qualifying times being run 'virtually' for the next VLM, whenever that may be.

    No run to report yet: the rain clouds are marshalling in the west and the wind's southerly at 15mph, so I'll go while it's cooler.
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