My Last Run

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  • Hope your race went well, Linton.

    Whew, well that was a morning...I'm absolutely knackered.
    I woke up at 3am and figured I might as well get up seeing as I had to be out at 5:30 - a bit of extra time would mean I could do some foam rolling and stuff. Which I did as my back/side/QL/whatever it is is still giving me some trouble.
    It was dark when I went out - not used to that after months of running in daylight - so I was a bit tentative (read: very slow) for the first couple of miles. Managed to catch my toe on a paving stone at one point, too, and almost stacked it. How I stayed upright I have no idea as I was pitched well forward. I distinctly remember thinking "NO! Not on race day!" :D
    Anyway, it was a bit lighter by the third mile so the rest of the journey was a straightforward, if not terribly exciting run along the good old South Circular.
    Made it to Kew Green by 7am and they had a spare number for me, so that was no trouble.
    The one problem I faced, running there, was that I couldn't eat beforehand. I do my training fasted but I usually like to have a small bowl of oats before a parkrun or race, given that they generally start a lot later than I go out to run. But I always need at least three hours between eating and running if I want to avoid puking in my mouth, so I just had to make do with a couple of gels.
    Race organisation was very good under the circumstances - everything went very smoothly (no massive queues at bag drop or loos) and the staggered start worked well.
    I realised that I wasn't going to be running a PB today - the early start and 8 mile run there were one thing (or two things) but I'm also race rusty. I was slower than I expected to be, though.
    First mile, which passed through some lovely flower gardens, was 8:22 which is too slow if'd been after a PB, but not too bad otherwise. Then next mile was better at 8:13 and I started to feel more hopeful. But then I went back to 8:25 and it went downhill from there... 8:46, 8:31 (rallied slightly) then a pretty slow 9:03. Legs felt tired but I also didn't have the right mindset to push hard - my breathing never got into audible range, although it still felt like hard work.
    Garmin satnav behaved today, thankfully, but the twisty, tree-lined course did cause some inaccuraces so the last bit took three minutes as it made it 6.35.
    Final and official time was 54:16 which is my slowest 10K for a couple of years. I'd opted to wear the Peg Turbos on account of the run there, rather than the 4%, but I don't think Vaporflys would have helped that much.
    I'd already decided that there was no way in hell that I was going to attempt to run home so I braved the tube (which was running by this time).
    Dorney's only three weeks away now so hoping I will be in better shape for that. I'm also wondering if I should do another 5 or 10K before then - any opinions? (I'd normally want to do a half, but that's not an option unfortunately).
  • Well done Cal.  I must say that is an epic bit of running!,  There is few who would get up at 3am to run 8 miles to then do a 10k! Fair play.  I'm glad you had a good day.  I'm not surprised your time suffered a bit after that. Well done.


    My day was pleasant, nice to be in an event again.  I got there in plenty of time due to the proximity to my house.  I even had time for two coffees on arrival!

    There were 8 waves. <40,<45<50<55 etc.  I was in wave 4, so sub 55.

    My plan was my normal 10k plan. 5 minutes per 1km marker, then if possible, kick on at 6km with all I could.

    We were off!, but immediately it became clear that it certainly was going to be really quite hilly, and hot, 22c!  Where I live used to be under the ocean so is pancake flat, hills are not my forte, so this run was going to be relatively hard for me.

    First km was 5.30, and after that it seemed to get even hillier! Managed to inhale, not one, but two, sizeable bugs, ran through a swarm of bees, a huge cloud of ploughing dust and smoke from a farmers fire, but beautiful scenery!

    At km 6km I was well over the desired 30min, but really tried to kick on with all I had!

    Alas the 50min mark passed me by 18 seconds, my first ever 10k over 50min.  Disappointing, but I missed 3 months of running.  The race normally attracts 350 I think, but I was 42 of 185 odd today.

    The recreation ground was gridlocked with people leaving so threw in another 2 gentle miles while the traffic eased, to make 8ish.

    A nice run in good scenery, very slight blisters on the Epic reacts for the first time ever, but I put that down to the hard declines.

    Great to be running again, and a handmade clay medal from a local potters with a winged pig on it! 
  • That's a great run, Linton, particularly with the insect hazards, heat and terrain.
    I'll agree the Epics aren't awesome on downhills - only time I've had blisters off them was when I went for a walk in them and had anklet socks rather than my running socks on, but on a couple of steep downhills on runs I find my toes hit the end of the toe box. A lower drop shoe would probably be better.
    I saw pics of the medal on Facebook from a few people who had run - nice. As I mentioned before, the Kew medals didn't arrive in time so I'll have to wait until it turns up in the post.
  • Well done to both of you!

    Cal, I wouldn't look at the result as a slower 10k but with that long warm up as an MLR with a hard component.  A good thing for mara training.  A hard 10k two weeks out would do no harm but I wouldn't any closer.  Well done for getting to the race at all.   Shame about the medal not yet being available. 

    Great result from you too LTT - without the hills and the heat you would have got that sub 50.  Love the idea of the pigs-do-fly medal.  Good idea to do a cool-down.

    13.8 miles in 1:57 for me yesterday morning.  Humid / dusty again so out in vest and lightweight shorts although it was intially pretty cool in the shade.  Glad I didn't wear warmer as soon as I was running against the sun.  Started off with a steady 10k to the farmyard with the trough where I can grab a drink, then added in some more effort for the rest whilst trying not to overdo things in particular over the undulations. It has been taking me a bit too long to recover from Sunday's medium to long runs in the last few weeks.   Followed it up with an mtb tour with OH, cycling from our current area to where we are probably going to move to soon and around a loop back for another 20 miles with quite a bit of climbing.  Gentle trundle pace though.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Great effort Cal.Just getting up at 3 and then running 8 miles just to make the starting line is a feat in itself.You must have been happy the tubes were running.

    Fantastic racing Linton,after a long lay off you did really well.You would have been well under 50 without those pesky hills.Like your flying pig medal.

    Nice HM Hazelnut,extremely warm over here today.Good luck with your house hunting.

    Went out yesterday morning but soon as I started I knew I couldn't continue,top of my hamstring and glute very tight.Out this morning for an 8 miles walk with Polly,stopping off in town for a coffee,no twinges today.

  • Back form a couple of weeks off and a technology detox, so I'll assume you've all been out running your socks off and will congratulate you all.

    A nice break with some days out, including to Wakehurst Place and Camber Sands. Also some more work in the garden as well as enjoying the delights of eating out a couple of times and indulging in a cream tea. 

    Last week one of the cats was showing great interest around one of my plimsolls in the hallway. On inspection I saw a mouse hunkered down in it, so took it out of the front door and gave it a shake, watching it breathing very heavily before scurrying off. The next morning I went to put on my plimsolls and it didn't feel right. I checked inside and couldn't see anything, so assumed that when the mouse was in there it had rucked up the insole. No matter how much I tried to put it back down it still didn't feel set, so I pulled up the insole to see a set of eyes looking back at me!! Now I'm not sure if this was the same mouse that had been recaptured, if the cat had put two in there or if the little bugger had gone out and found another. Needless to say mouse was rather happy to be shaken free in the garden again.

    Did a few runs over the last 2 weeks, although yesterday was something of a discovery session. My partner is leading a run tomorrow, however I can't do it as I have a meeting. So Sunday saw us running round one of the little islands off Shoreham trying to scope out a potential route. Has to be one of the nicest runs we've done in a while, especially when we got onto the boardwalk running the length of the beach. Nice bounce from the wood and even nicer houses. A simple route found that amounts to a touch over 10k.
  • Sensible to can the run in that case JD.  At least you could get in a nice walk with Polly today.  Looks like we have a new place now - just need to sign the contract now. 

    Was wondering where you had gone to GD.  Glad you had a nice break.  LOL to the mouse-in-the-shoe incidents.  Must remember to check mine before I put them on in future.  Nice you have found a good new route - the boardwalk sounds very practical - beach feeling all around but without the potential hard work on the sand. 

    Sweaty recovery of a bit more than 3 miles yesterday evening.  I had to deliver a letter to a house close to one of my regular running areas so good combination of errand, jog and cycle there and back.  Humid again - could see the mist starting to rise over the fields and at over 25 degrees still it was tough breathing even at recovery pace.  Surprisingly saw 3 others out running.
  • GD, yikes! I've had my share of problems with mice, but never had one in my shoe. He's lucky you didn't squish him (and lucky you are more merciful than I am).
    That sounds like a super route.

    JD, sorry about your bum. I usually punish mine with a hockey ball - it helps a bit.

    Hazelnut, preemptive congratulations on the new place.

    Bit of a weird run for me today. I decided I didn't fancy going out in the dark so I waited for 9am (if I don't get out at 6, then I wait until 9 otherwise there's too much traffic). I realised it would be very warm, but that was the trade-off. My side/back is still hurting - first few strides were downright painful but then it eased into what felt more like a stitch, as it did on Sunday. I really hope this thing buggers off as, while it isn't stopping me from running, it is making it a lot less comfortable and pleasant.
    The weird thing was I felt really uncoordinated, as though I'd borrowed someone else's legs for a bit. I've had this before and I think it's linked to fatigue as I've not been sleeping very well for the past few nights. It did improve over the course of the run so I was able to inject some faster running into the last mile (three lots longer strides to wake the legs up).
    Achilles is ever present but not too bad, actually. Or maybe the discomfort in my side is distracting me from it.
    Anyway, 6 miles done - I am over 1500 for the year now.
  • Is the heat stopping you sleeping again Cal?  Your side/back sounds painful.  Well done on the mileage for the year so far.

    Normal Tuesday outing yesterday evening (6.x miles in around 1 hour)  Drove this week rather than cycled which was almost a shame as it was a lovely evening but it is now too dark for the return trip through the woods on rough ground and the road alternative a bit dodgy due to blind humps / bends.  I was expecting the first mile of the run to be uncomfortably warm in the sun but that had fortunately already hidden itself behind a hill.  Pretty warm nonetheless and no-one seemed keen on pushing the pace so a slower round this week. 
  • It's not too bad, Hazel...because the preceeding days were cooler and the days are much shorter, it hasn't gone too much over 25 degrees in my flat.
    Probably a good idea not to cycle in the dark. It's a lot darker in the mornings now too - it isn't getting light here until well after 6.


    I woke up early today but really didn't feel like going out in the dark so told myself I could go out at 9, like yesterday - the only thing was that it is very warm here and I needed a double figure run, which is best done with an earlier start. I procrastinated for a while and strongly considered putting it off until tomorrow when it's cooler, but then realised that would mean a) I'd have to do four days in a row and b) I'd have one less day to recover between the MLR and my 10K. So I kicked myself out the door at 9:30 and ran up to Streatham for 10 miles of hills.
    There's a road called Valley Road which has four nasty hills leading off it: Wellfield Walk, a footpath which is nasty, brutish and short (average 10%/max 14.5%); Valleyfield Road which is long and winding (6%/10.6%); Hill Path, the long, twisty footpath I discovered the other week (6%/18% - a real treat, that one) and then Hill House Road which is not too long but has a bend and gets steepish around there (6%/10%).
    I ran them as a circuit - up Wellfield, along the top, down the road next to the common, along Valley Road then up the next one. Once I'd done all four I did it in reverse, starting with Hill House and ending with Wellfield. The idea was that I'd try to do them faster on the second pass, which I managed with Hill House and Hill Path, but then my legs were shot. I was 1 second slower and Valleyfield and then had nothing left on Wellfield. Still, a pretty good session, considering it was very warm by that point and I was pretty thirsty, despite having a hydration drink before I went out. Ran home from there and had an Epsom Salt bath. Don't usually have a bath midweek but I felt I needed it (and my legs needed a shave which is always a lot easier in the bath).

    My QL is still a problem but I did notice it felt better running uphill, for some reason - maybe the deeper breathing helps since it attaches to the ribs. Achilles got a bit cross, though, so I might have to can the hills as I get closer to Dorney.

    I'll either have a rest day tomorrow or Friday, depending on how I feel - hopefully I'll have recovered from the hills by Saturday.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    Great hill session Cal, seems you have a nice loop figured out there. Anything above 10% gets tough in my experience.  Good idea to get that run done if you have another 10k coming up on Saturday.  Maybe the uphills are easier on the QL as they produce less jolting than on the flat and on downhills.  Hills can however annoy the Achilles so I would be careful for Dorney. 

    9 miles yesterday evening in 1:18, out a bit later than planned as I caught Cal's procrastinitis.  Warm, but not excessively so - or I am getting used to it again.  Kept the pace mostly nice and steady and trotted around the village and local fields, putting the route together as I felt like it. I did put in 5k at a brisker pace towards the end - up an incline taking care not to overdo the effort and then enjoyed rolling back down it again at similar effort but quite a bit faster.  Saw a piece in the news here - it is a regular feature on what happened in sport on that date telling me that Kipchoge broke the world marathon record 2 years ago.  Same day I ran my last marathon (and same place) - seems even longer ago now.  I ran past a loud speaker at around the HM point for me when they announced he had broken it.  Can remember that well.  

    Out again this morning before work (started late) for some speedwork.  Not ideal going out with just a 13 hour gap between runs but I had managed the evening run well so as not to get too tired and it will be at warm at least and certainly windy later - not my favourite conditions for speedwork for sure. 3 miles warm-up with a few drills, 5.1 miles based on 3 x 10 minutes tempo with 3 mins jog recoveries and 1 miles cool-down jog.  I was a bit apprehensive of doing the speed section having failed on two other speed sessions the last two weeks but it went very well with all three reps coming out around target pace at a comfy hard effort.  Ran loops around a field with something green growing in it - not sure what though I did remember to look this time.  More or less perfect conditions, cool and at the time no wind, maybe a bit humid.
  • Great running everyone! 

     That sounds like a good long run Hazlenut, and decent time.  plus good recovery, training run and speed session.  Really putting the miles in.  I do hope a day comes when I can run more than 3 days a week!  That definitely seems my maximum.  

     Fantastic running Cal, and big yearly mileage! hope the niggles clear up.  The darker mornings and evenings are, like you say, becoming more obvious.  Won't be long until my post-work run will be in the dark, hey ho.

    Nice running Guardog, I found a big yellow spider in my shoe in Tunisia that looked really sinister.  We always battle an Autumn mouse ingress.  No signs set, but once they cut the back field, (now cut) they try and get in the kitchen.  Always wanted to do a trip to Shoreham, apparently the sea fishing is very good?

    Rest up JD, hope the injury improves, good discretion on cutting it short.  Our neighbour has just retired and bought a black labrador pup.  She is awesome and they are smitten, but seems to have grown every time I see her.

    Did slightly better in sunday's race than I thought. 42/220.  Sore ankle and knee since, so monday and tuesday off.  Easy 4.5 last night.  Will try and put a decent run in friday and sunday.  Tempted to sign up to a cool virtual half marathon, but maybe that's a bit soon.
  • I'd just take it slowly, Linton - you did well so an easy week will do more good than harm at this point.
    Good intervals, Hazelnut.

    Took a rest yesterday but did some upper body in the gym. Had a go at flat benching. It was an exercise I used to do well at - I had a one rep max of 70kg when I was younger, which was my bodyweight at the time - but I had a lot of shoulder problems from benching all the time. I still don't have full ROM in the left one.
    I got up to 40kg for five reps yesterday - that used to be my warm-up weight. Felt heavy. I guess that's what happens when you don't lift for several years.

    Today was a slow six miler. Perfect conditions but the discomfort made it a lot less enjoyable than it should have been. I think I'm going to have to see my physio. I'm loathe to spend money as I've no income until I get a new tenant (and the flat needs repainting first) but I also have a marathon in two weeks and an ultra in November.
    I don't know if it was a side effect of the QL thing but my stride was super short today - as low as 0.83 metres on a couple of miles. That's not good.
    On the plus side, I saw three puppies during the run - a chunky ball of white fluff with a brown patch (breed uncertain but super cute), a yellow lab (might come in handy if there's a rush on toilet roll again) and a spaniel - springer I think.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Love your mouse in the shoe GD.They made a nest in my wife's car engine a few years ago,they made a right mess.

    That's a great hill session Cal,sounded like a tough one.Well done passing 1500 for the year.Hope you get a tenant in soon.

    Nice speed session Hazelnut.Mind boggling that Kipchoge had finished as you were going through HM point.

    That's a good finishing position Linton.I think 3 days a week is fine for you at the moment,don't want to push it too hard too soon.

    Out Wednesday for a gentle 3 miles.Hamstring and glute seemed ok.Just 2.5 miles last night with my eldest daughter and Polly,she beat me in a 60m sprint for the first time.Hopefully get out this evening for a longer run.



  • I'd be a fraud to post atm, as I have *no* last run :(  Hamstring pain easing slowly - useful gym work y'day.  H & C, proprietary medication and miny/tea tree oil massage stuff.

    Wishing you all safe, strong and smiley running!v  :)
  • We always enjoy hearing from you, swittle. It does sound like progress.

    Watch that daughter, JD...now she's tasted blood she'll be dangerous! :D

    Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 10K. Warm, a bit windy but not bad conditions.
    This was a different course to the evening race there I did before lockdown so I wasn't sure what to expect, or even how many laps.
    Organisation was smooth. Fast people with red numbers were set off first, four at a time, then slightly less fast people with blue numbers (which included me) went off next. Folks expecting to run over 55 minutes were set off in a second wave, an hour and a bit after us.
    There were a few of my clubmates there, all with red numbers, so I got lapped by them several times.
    The course started with an out and back that featured a hairpin turn, but it wasn't too bad. We then did a loop that involved crossing a bridge, running along a bit then crossing another bridge back to the path where we started, but then we had to do a sharp turn onto a second, different loop that featured a few gradients before coming back to the starting path again. That was one lap.
    My first mile was fairly quick (8:14 I think) - not PB pace but OK. But as with last week, my pace dropped away immediately. Next mile was 8:36 and it already felt like I was half way. By the time I'd got to the 5K marker and realised it would be four of these winding laps, I started to lose the will to live. I kept chugging away but I was running 8:40s which is not even HM PB pace, and my legs had nothing.
    I finished in 53:13 - average pace 8:39 - so whilst it was better than last week, I didn't have the excuse of an 8 mile run there and I was wearing my 4%. I wasn't expecting a PB but I figured I could do something in the region of 52 so it was disappointing.
    I ran 52.something at the Pride Run last year on a very windy day, an hour and a bit after running a fast parkrun, and I also ran a 52 at the pre-lockdown Olympic Park race when I'd just hurt my back. This doesn't give me a lot of confidence for Dorney, I have to admit.
    I guess it's miles logged, and I got a medal and a flapjack (Runthrough's flapjacks are almost worth the price of admission, they're so good).
    One positive is that my QL wasn't too bad. I am still seeing Toby on Monday - hopefully he can do something to help.
    Anyway, a longish run tomorrow and I can taper.
  • Good placing LTT. Hope the soreness has eased off in the meantime, as Cal and JD say, take it easy.

    Haven't a clue about weights Cal, certainly sounds impressive. Nice puppy spotting. Well done on the 10k, sounds like it wasn't an easy course to run in also mentally with the loops and being lapped. Good news on the QL and have a good long run tomorrow. Hope you get new tenants soon.

    Did the mice chew any wires or pipes in your wife's car JD? Martens do.  Good news on the niggles. Kids can be very fast over short distances.

    Please keep dropping in swittle even if you aren't running.

    Short recovery yesterday morning to collect my moped, legs were tired after the speedwork on Thursday so certainly in no hurry.

    Today some general aerobic miles followed by 6 x hill "sprints" and 8 x strides. I think, I might have lost count due to a lack of concentration. Total 7.4 miles. Prefer the hilly efforts to the flat ones even though it feels like a lot of effort for not getting far. Whilst jogging back from one of the strides I passed a lady out walking a pug like dog. Poor thing was breathing louder than I was.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Well done on your 10k Cal.Tough course with sharp turns and running laps,but it's given you another race in your legs which will serve you well.I can remember getting lapped in a 10k track race back in '93,very demoralising.

    Good effort on the hill sprints Hazelnut.We didn't know the mice had made a nest until my wife's car brakes totally failed with the girls in the back.Car was towed to a garage,where we found a nest,the mice had chewed through all sorts,it was a right mess.

    5 miles Friday evening.Felt good so straight into a 10k/p for 2.5 miles,then slowed the pace for a mile,then another 0.7 mile at 10k/p.Didn't feel any tightness in my left hammy or glute,thanfully.

  • Well done on the 10k Cal, it still sounds a good day out, regardless of time. If life ever returns to normal I' m going to get the train up to London to do a "big" event. Perhaps you can help me pick one? All events here are 200-700. Might be a while though.  What marathon are you doing?  Hope you find a tenant soon.

    Glad you're back at it JD, nice fast run.

    Glad to see you're slowly on the mend Swittle, sure you'll be back along the beaches soon!

    Nice hill workout Hazlenut, Martens have been introduced to the Forest of Dean where we went on holiday, alas I didn't see one, but I think it was something like 18 introduced in however many 1000 acres. (Just looked, 11000) so odds were against me really!

    A pretty pants week here.  Felt a definite twinge when coming down a decline in that race in my right ankle. I was sore on Wednesday's run. Only a 4.5 miler.  Wanted to do a longish one friday, but cut it to 3 miles, pain down both sides of my shin, ankle and in my heel.

    Just got back from an easy 7 miler, sore shin and ankle, and slightly concerning, numb, pins and needle toes.  Being positive, it's my right ankle, not the one it took 3 months to heal.  Could this be the dreaded shin splints I've heard bandied around so much? I think it will facilitate a running break.

    Will have a few days off and reassess.  Have a nice rest of the weekend.

     

  • I've got a mouse here too - heard him yesterday, and saw him about a week ago. He's not gone for the traps though - maybe I've found the one mouse that doesn't like peanut butter. Typical.

    Linton, I'd be happy to help. I've done a lot of races here, mostly in SW London but occassionally a bit further. I'd definitely recommend Ealing Half - it's a brilliant race (though a bit undulating...still fast though as I've had PBs there) and all the community gets involved.
    Sorry about the ankle. I'd get yourself to a physio if you can.

    Today's run was a real trudge. I opted for a route that started hilly (up to Streatham then on the Dulwich, Hell Hill, then Sydenham and the infamous Canonbie Road, but instead of circling back to Crystal Palace, I crossed over the road to a long thin park I'd not done before, then to my Peckham Rye, where I often went as a kid, along to Goose Green, up Dog Kennel Hill which I used to run up when I was 16 and felt like a mountain, through Dulwich to Brockwell Park and from there to home). I was aiming for 16 miles but only managed 14.
    First mile was in the dark and was painfully slow (11:42) due to a combination of stiffness, fatigue from yesterday and my brain's anti-trip governor kicking in. Although it got a bit lighter over the next mile, it was still very slow, and continued to be slow even on the downhill mile 3. I only got under 11 on mile 4 towards Dulwich, but then on mile 5 I hit Hell Hill and that came in at 12:00! Even though Hell Hill is a beast, there's no excuse for that. I was still well over 11 on the next two and only ran a semi-OK 10:35 through Peckham Rye, mile 8.
    After that I stayed under 11 but I was feeling tired and, despite the perfect weather (cool, sunny, very pleasant) I couldn't get much out of my legs at all.
    I got to mile 14 not too far away from home, thought I might manage one more but after another .2 I just went "nah" and stopped. Walked it in from there. Average pace was 11:02 which is pretty shocking, even for me, and even with some big hills.

    I am obviously very fatigued but what concerns me now is how short my stride has got since June - I've lost 5-10cm off it (depending on pace) which is not good at all. No idea why - I was in great form in May and June when there were no races, but now there are races I feel like garbage. I really hope the taper will help - I only have two weeks until Dorney. I suspect a sub-4 may not happen.

  • Seems you are in need of the taper now Cal.  A long run after a 10k race will always be tough especially with the hills. 

    Not good news from you LTT, maybe you had laced your shoe too tight regarding the numb toes?  Certainly rest a bit until the niggles feel better.  Have you changed your shoes?

    12.x miles yesterday afternoon.  I waited until fairly late to go out as it was warmer and sunnier than forecasted.  Humidity was bad again, felt like breathing in soup.  Pretty quiet out for a Sunday afternoon - hardly met anybody.  GPS went a bit bonkers on the first couple of miles, had me running places I didn't go to at impressive speeds (yes a 58 seconds 400m would be nice but a bit beyond my capabilities..) so I initially had to do the splits mentally to keep an eye on pacing.  Set off steady for the first 5 miles approx, then upped the pace over the next mile or so, a few at MP (slightly downhill) then back down the effort scale for the last couple of miles (undulations).  Did have a couple of short breaks for watering, coughing up a fly (yuk!) and a brief stitch I couldn't get rid of without standing stretched up with hands over head.  Pleased to complete a week of running as I had planned it out.
  • Short recovery yesterday evening - bit more than 3 miles.  Legs weren't sore in anyway but the right one wasn't particularly motivated and dragged a bit.  The off-road sections were a bit softer than in recent weeks thanks to a thunderstorm on Sunday evening and the air quality much better at last.  
  • Well done Hazel...that 12 miler sounded tough and rather unpleasant in places so good job persevering.

    Rest day and physio yesterday and a 4 mile recovery run today. I rarely run as little as 4 miles but I feel like I need a hard taper. Toby said he thought my QL issue was down to fatigue. It's still there this morning but it's not as unbearable as it has been so hopefully it will continue to ease.

    Anyway, found out Manchester 2021 is now moved to October, so once again clashes with Chicago. :angry:

    But that now leaves me with the dilemma of what to do with myself in the meantime. Do I a) concentrate on shorter stuff in an attempt to build some speed so I can grab those GFAs when marathons begin again (and being 53 now, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep getting faster), or b) go the other way and start doing ultras? (I know I'm already doing an ultra, but I'm talking about Spring and Summer next year). I'm quite tempted to put myself in for NDW50 but I think I need to do this 50K first to see how my body copes with it.
    There may, of course, be smaller marathons to do in the meantime...just not sure I want to be doing a lot of lapped events.
  • Woke up at 3.30am today and couldn't go back to sleep. In summer I'd just have some coffee and go out at 5 (I always need 90 minutes for coffee, bathroom and warm-up stuff) but of course it's bloody dark now, and I wanted to do some faster stuff today so I ended up gaming for several hours before dragging myself out a just after 9am for a 7 mile fartlek. Notched up a few segment PBs and enjoyed the faster bits, although achilles was a tad grumpy.
    Hopefully that'll help my stride open up a bit.
  • Similar situation here Cal, though I am a few years younger. With a mara and then an ultra coming up I would tend towards getting those done, recovering and base training till the end of the year and then working on speed for shorter distances. Nice fartleking, must have been hard to get out once you postponed your early run.

    Nice group run yesterday evening, again in good conditions. Really must take some sort of hi-viz next week. Compensated with a bright pink T-shirt though, a mate running sometimes 50m behind was wearing a similar one and was pretty visible.  Road tested a pair of new shoes (Mizuno Rider TT).  I've had this model before, just a size smaller. Nice to have some bounce back but my quads were not amused by the hills of the second half and the afore mentioned pink male T-shirt cruised past.

    This evening intervals: 14 mins, 12 mins, 9 mins off 4 min jog recoveries. Don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to do the first rep at around 10k PB pace. Actually quite enjoyed it but the other two reps suffered a bit with pace dropping. Good hard workout, tired but not exhausted at the end so must have got it right. Pretty busy with cars and dog walkers on the loop, both mostly well behaved. 
  • Another 9 miles yesterday evening in 1:14.  Legs tired on setting out and I wasn't sure if I could pickup the pace over the last 3 as I had planned.  By keeping effort / pace down initially everything soon loosened up though.  Took me a while to get out of the door as it was raining pre-run for the first time in weeks.  Not overly cold though.  Plenty of mud splatters by the time I got home. 
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Good interval session Hazelnut,sounds like a tough one.I find that my new Mizuno's irritates my right achilles slightly,but apart from that they're good to run in.

    Don't blame you for not wanting to run in the dark for your faster sessions Cal but that it is an early time to wake up,makes it a long day for you.Ultras don't float my boat and I know my days of PB's are behind me but I still have hopes of subbing 90 in a HM again.Just heard on the news parkruns are on hold again unfortunately.

    Tough run Tuesday.Just over 8 miles,first 4 miles at 10kp,then 2 miles at MP and then another 1 mile at 10kp.I could really feel it in my legs but I felt good.

    Wednesday was a 5.85 mile trail run along the river,legs were suffering on the hills so I kept the pace slow.

    5.3 miles yesterday evening.I were out all day,mostly driving so it was good to get out for a run.Legs felt fresh so the pace was between 10kp and HM  for 3.5 miles.Polly joined me as she hadn't been out all day,so she was happy to get out.Noticble change in the temp as well,time to dig out my longer sleeve tops.


  • Good work, Hazelnut and JD. Yes, the weather's definitely turned.


    Almost didn't run again today. I woke up early again and was determined to get out by six (if I'm not out within two hours of waking, I find it increasingly hard to motivate myself...the problem becomes that if I leave it too long, I then get hungry, and if I eat, I then have to wait a minimum of another three hours due to my glacially slow digestion). But then I heard heavy rain so I resigned myself to going out later.
    Although I had to deal with my willpower, it did work out better that way as it was quite sunny when I did go, although there was a chilly wind so I was glad I'd decided on leggings and arm sleeves. I ran 8 miles averaging 10:30ish pace (or what I like to term "standard easy pace" as opposed to the slower pace I tend to do if it's very early and I'm stiff or if it's dark). The second to last mile was a bit slower but it was uphill and I think I was starting to tire a bit.
    There's still some sluggishness in the legs despite doing absolutely nothing yesterday, and QL and achilles are still niggling away. Hopefully another week of tapering will rejuvenate me a bit.
  • Good running all! Just a quick one.

    Right ankle sore all week so took 5 days off. Did 8.4 miles in 1:12 last night in the middle of a huge wind storm, dodging fallen branches. legs felt fresh so had to reign it in a bit. First time of the year in long sleeves since summer.

    Sore ankle today, peroneal s and heel, no numbness though, hope it calms down and isn't long term.

    Sure your taper with give you a lift Cal, are you doing virtual VLM? You are an early riser for sure, if you ever tire of running you'd be a good fisherperson!

    Good running JD,  I know what you mean about  the weather. I ran in that 50 mph northerly and barely got particularly warm.

    Good training Hazlenut, was hoping to be able to get some hard interval training done this autumn, but I continue to be infuriatingly flimsy!

    The ancient toll bridge out of Sandwich I cross for all my runs has been removed by crane for a 3 month(!!!) renovation, causing traffic chaos. I have created 2 different runs, 7 mile and 8.4 mile, one to the sea and one to a neighbouring village.  Neither are great as I really am constantly running on cobbles/eneven pavement/on and off the road.  Its going to be a difficult winter running until the bridge is open.

    There are local 10 mile events in october, december, and january. Going to give these a go if possible. I've only done one 10 miler, 4 months after starting running.


  • Linton, no...I don't really see the point. If I'm going to flog myself around 26.2 miles then it's going to be in an actual race with an official time.
    Bad news about the bridge but I guess it gives you the chance to explore a bit. And go for it - 10 miles is a great distance.

    Still feeling a bit sluggish. I was going to do a hard 5K today as I usually do parkrun a week before a marathon, but it was cold and windy and I decided I'd rather have a rest instead. :D
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