New Mature Runners Thread

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  • Good morning all,

    Thanks for the reminders about the wings. It's raining now, so hope they don't get weighed down when wet! I'll write a report later, and reply to other posts.
  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    Afternoon everyone,

    Columba: I’ve followed your lead, from my hill reps session this morning I extracted a 5k distance and posted the time on not-a-parkrun. It wasn’t my best parkrun time by any means as the hills slowed me up somewhat, but at 35 mins it’s a start. I was surprised at how competitive I felt after posting it. I suppose that’s the first “race time” I’ve clocked up since lockdown began, and it felt good to record it against my local parkrun event and check out the “opposition”. So far this week no-one else has posted a time, but over the last couple of weeks only two other runners have posted times on our parkrun page, and although their times were almost the same as mine they were both in the 40-44 age group, which made me feel a lot better about my time. I now just have to hope that all the speedy runners don’t start posting times on not-a-parkrun, or I’ll feel deflated again.
    Thanks for the begonias tip, unfortunately we don’t have hanging baskets, but I think we could squeeze some of them into containers where there’s still a little bit of space. Sorry to hear you got soaked on your walk, that’s happened to us a couple of times recently. 

    WtnMel: I’m not much of a Baileys fan either, I did drink it occasionally when I was younger, but these days I find it a bit too rich for me, I prefer wine, or occasionally a nice whisky. I’m still doing crosswords every day, but my Latin course has been put to one side at the moment (in favour of tracing my family tree). I found with the Latin “lessons" that if I left too many days between sessions I forgot what I’d learnt the previous time, and spent quite a bit of time going over the previous stuff leaving me too mentally tired to fully take in the new lesson. Also as the lessons progressed they became longer and more involved, which meant I needed more time to finish them, by which time I think I was past the point of things sinking in. 
    I’m glad you had a productive lesson with Richard, it’s frustrating when the expert can put their finger on what’s going wrong, and once it’s been pointed out it’s so obvious you wonder why you didn’t think of that yourself. I suppose that’s what makes him an expert though. I hope you are able to carry what you’ve learned into your game tomorrow.
    Looking forward to your ‘before’ and “after’ hair cut photos.

    HS: You really are hard core aren’t you -a  6 mile run the day before your 10k? Phew! I hope the wings helped you today (if you needed them) and the weather was good running weather. Looking forward to your ‘race report”. A bit of luck getting a hair appointment  for tomorrow. You and Wtnmel are both going to be as smart as carrots. ;)

    As mentioned above, I did a hill repeat session this morning, six laps of our local park. I left the house a little after 6am and was pleased to find only a handful of dog walkers out and about at that time. While running around the park I noticed a group of people exercising on the grass (circuit training by the looks of it) but it was a well organised session with the PT keeping everyone socially distanced. 

    When I woke this morning I had a stiff neck, which has gradually got worse as the day has gone on. Steve has tried massaging it, and I’ve done some exercises to try to ease it off but nothing’s really helped. If it doesn’t get any better I may have to book an actual physio appointment, as opposed to a telephone consultation. I’ll see if it’s any better tomorrow, and if not I’ll have a chat to the physios and see what they recommend. I’m not sure what I’ve done, perhaps I’ve just been sleeping in an awkward position. The other possibility could be as a result of going over to the coast last night to watch the sailing. It was bitterly cold and very windy, so perhaps the cold has affected my neck, either way I hope it improves soon. I can’t move my head to the left and only slightly to the right, which is quite frustrating as well as painful.

  • Good afternoon everyone,

    Columba, We've had hardly any rain here, this last week. I'm glad to hear that you are doing the not a parkrun's. I've done them every week, and my pace has improved a lot.

    I believe the go ahead to open gyms will be made soon, but not the swimming pools. It will become increasingly more difficult to book spinning sessions, as they will no doubt remove half of the bikes, so that they are spaced out.

    Hope to see you on fetch sometime.

    Aquarius, glad to hear that you are also doing the not a parkrun runs. That's a good time for your first one. The first few that I ran were when we had to run in isolation. It's much better now that we can run with up to 5 others. Makes it more competitive. I've started posting my times on the not a parkrun web.

    I don't know about hard core, more like nut case😲 The wings did come in useful, see my race report below.

    Well done for your hill reps this morning. You will definitely find the benefit.

    Sorry to hear about your stiff neck. It could well be watching the sailing in the bitterly cold wind. You may have been turning your neck from side to side watching the yachts go by. A bit like at Wimbledon, where they turn their heads watching the rallies. For some reason I always want to spell neck as kneck.😕

    This morning's virtual club 10k challenge went really well. I ran it in the forest in 57.04, an average pace of 9.10 minute miling. The wings really "kicked in" for the last 2.2 miles, and were the fastest.

    I will relax with a beer later, watching "Star Trek the Next Generation"


  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    Well done HS, that’s a great time, do you know what your WAVA was?
    Enjoy your beer tonight, you’ve earned it 🏆🎉😊🍺
  • Aquarius, thanks. My WAVA was 68.2%

    The beer will go down well🍺
  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    Morning everyone 

    Seems it’s my turn to ask where everyone is? 
    HS I imagine you are doing your virtual 5k.
    I hope your speedy 10k a couple of days ago doesn’t adversely affect your time today. Having said that, I expect you took yesterday as a rest day (although doubtless carrying heavy bags of shopping back from the supermarket) and were back to top form again this morning.
    WtnMel I hope nothing is amiss with you and Margaret? Are you still recovering from getting your hair cut?

    No running for me today, my neck is still very stiff, although gradually improving. I spoke to the physio and she gave me some exercises and advice. If there's no big improvement by Monday I will make an appointment for a face to face consultation and treatment. 

  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon everyone,

    Apologies for my absence. No particular reason - just busy with other stuff.

    HS - I think my worst experience was following a tipper lorry once in heavy rain. The lorry was spraying mud everywhere and covering my windscreen - so much so, I ran out of screen-wash and had to pull over and stop and let him get away up the road. Great news that you managed to get a hairdresser appointment - I think with some salons, they're like gold dust at the moment. Ha-ha .. our resident nut-case who runs 6mls the day before a 10k race :) Even so, you managed a great time for the 10k challenge. Hope you enjoyed Star Trek (I think I must have seen all the programmes from the various and all of the films several times over now).

    Columba - I'm sure those tractor drivers enjoy getting in everyone's way .. but as they'll no doubt tell you if you asked, they have to do their work. Sorry to hear you got wet lately when running and walking. I can imagine doing not-a-parkrun by yourself with no 'opposition' will lead to slower times. I saw that swimming pools will be re-opening - I'll have to contact the rest of my swim club committee as we'll need to speak to the leisure centre to see how (hopefully rather than if!!) we can go about re-starting our swim sessions while obeying social distancing guidelines.

    Aquarius - your not-a-parkrun sounds like my club's 5k challenge they held to get members being competitive while running solo. When I have Baileys, it's in very small doses otherwise I find it too rich as well. Unfortunately, Tue's golf lesson didn't improve yesterday's golf - see below. Well done re your hill repeats session. I've seen small groups of well-spaced people doing a class in our local park. Sorry to hear about your stiff neck from Thu - hope it has improved by now.

    One bit of good news to report. I should have been walking the Dales High Way this week. You may remember we had booked it last year, paid a 20% deposit in Oct and when we cancelled in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company refused to refund our deposits and said they could transfer it to a walk later this year but nothing else. Despite refusing to budge on that decision for several months hiding behind their terms and conditions about no-refundable deposits, they've changed their tune in the last few days and are now offering us 75% of our deposit back or a transfer to 2021. I have opted for a refund because I have no intention of walking with them since they behaved like a**eholes ( | ) about the refunds but I'll only cheer when the money actually makes it into my bank account.

    The golf yesterday was a disaster. Despite the lesson on Tue and practise on the driving range on Thu, I was still topping the ball too much and my driving, pitching and putting also went to pieces. If there was a water hazard, a ditch or a bunker, I went in it. It didn't help that Alan played his best ever round at that course (100) and I lost by 28 strokes. Trying to stay positive, maybe trying to put into practise what Richard taught me on Tue will take time to 'bed in' and I'll have to practise more until my golf recovers. 

    On a lighter note - Thursday was the 4th anniversary of the day Margaret and I wandered around Hull naked apart from blue body-paint for the Spencer Tunick photo-shoot. I wore my "Sea Of Hull" t-shirt to celebrate but have resisted changing my avatar to the one of me looking like a smurf. 

    I mentioned having had my haircut on Thu - Ill try and post the before and after photos so you can see the difference ..



  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all

    WtnMel: Good news (well, hopefully) about the refund for your Dales High Way walk. As you say though, you won’t know for sure until the money is in your account. 
    Most of the events I’d entered this year have automatically been carried over until next year, although I think one or two did offer refunds as an alternative. It’s odd having races booked so far ahead, there’s bound to be lots of drop-outs by race day due to issues such as injuries, illness, or event clashes. I see the Telegraph is reporting that the London Marathon may not take place now until October 2021, with a possibility of holding it over two days to accommodate everyone who wants to run. These are strange times indeed.
    Sorry to read about the golf, but some days are like that aren’t they? Nothing specific you can put a finger on, just a day when nothing seems to work. I think you have the right attitude though, you know what you have to do, you’ll just have to hope everything clicks into place next time. 
    Great photos btw, quite a contrast between the before and after shots.

    As the day goes on my neck feels as if it’s gradually getting less stiff, I’ve been gently stretching it and applying a heat pack followed by an ice pack. I hope it improves enough for a run tomorrow, or failing that on Monday.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Back again,

    Aquarius - you may recall there were people from Canada, USA & Australia booked on that DHW walk so the company claiming they could only transfer to later this year was worse than useless to them given the different holidays and problems booking flights. Not so bad for us UK'ers but even so, I don't feel safe enough to be re-booking walking holidays yet, even if I hadn't already decided I won't give them my custom again after the way they dealt with things (the company furloughed their staff so I think they were just trying it on to see what they could get away with). I'm hoping yesterday's golf was just a one-off and not a sign of things to come - dare I say the new normal ;) I know I can play much better so will just keep plugging away at it until things come right again. Alan is busy this coming week so if I have time, I'll probably take myself off and play 9 holes by myself just to see how I get on. Glad to hear your neck is feeling better btw.

    I forgot to add earlier that I felt worn out after yesterday's golf (no hot weather to blame this time and I took my 'Platypus' water pack with me with 2 litres of water so I didn't run out). Anyway, I felt tired last night so didn't set the alarm for 5:30 this morning. When I did wake up around 7:30am I had my breakfast but still felt completely worn out and it's only this afternoon I've felt 'normal'. So all being well, I'll feel more energetic tomorrow morning and will be able to get up and go for a run early on.
  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    WtnMel I’d forgotten about the overseas walkers, so that was pretty shabby of the company saying they could transfer to a walk later this year. They must have known that wasn’t a feasible option for them.

    Good idea to get a bit of golf practice in while Alan is busy.
    I’m sorry to hear you’ve been feeling worn out - but that’s what happens when you get your hair cut (as Samson could have told you)😉 Seriously though I hope you feel full of beans tomorrow morning and are able to get out for a run.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    I set the alarm for 5:30am and when I woke up, was feeling more energised then yesterday. So I've been out for a 4.5ml run this morning and it was very quiet - everyone must have still been in bed asleep 😴😜
  • Good morning all,

    Aquarius, sorry for my AWL absence without leave! My virtual 5k in the forest yesterday went extremely well. Ran it in 26.19, an average pace of 8.29 minute miling,  WAVA 70.8%. This is the fastest this year.

    I did take it easy on Friday, and didn't do my usual walk back from the supermarket with 4 heavy bags. I took the car, as in the afternoon, I needed to drive into the village for my haircut. It was my usual hairdresser, which was good.

    Sorry to hear that your neck is still stiff, and hope that it is feeling better today. Just seen your afternoon post and glad that your neck is starting to feel better. Did you manage to get out for a run today?

    WtnMel, I watch Star Trek the Next Generation every weekday evening at 7pm on the Horror Channel. It's very far fetched, but it's good to relax for an hour with a beer.

    Good to hear that you will be getting a belated rebate, hopefully, for your cancelled walk.

    Sorry to hear that you were off form for your golf, at the same time that Alan was on top form. We all have off days, but practice makes perfect!

    I'm relieved that you haven't posted a photo of you and Margaret walking naked around Hull on here! On the other hand, thanks for the before and after pics of your haircut. It's amazing the difference.

    Glad that you are feeling less tired this morning and were able to go for a very early morning run. Most of my runs are at 8.30am.
  • Wtnml the hair looks good. I got mine cut last week too.
    I have been doing the 3/10k runs weekly and the times have been good by my standards.
    I have noticed that when I run in my hoka clifton 5 that the times are slower and I feel sluggish running in them....time to get rid.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    edited July 2020
    Afternoon all,

    HS - well done re that virtual 5K - great time and WAVA score! I've decided to start recording Star Trek TNG to watch again (can always decide whether to carry on or stop). I've no idea how long it will take for the refund to come through from the walking company but hopefully they won't drag their feet too much. 

    Damien - Hoka's have always looked a bit weird to me with their curved soles. I don't have any experience of them but having tried Saucony Guide and found they suit me, won't change to another make/model unless they stop manufacturing them

    I've just spoken to a local company about taking over looking at my boiler cover rather than British Gas. I'll be heading over to my house on Wed so they can survey the current boiler & system and discuss what they advise (but am already thinking it may be time to invest in a new boiler as the current one is so troublesome!).

    Planning to run tomorrow morning - and hoping to fit in some (much needed!) golf practise sometime later this week.

    Edited: I forgot to add, Margaret's son Ed is coming to live with us for two weeks from next Wed. Margaret's ex is flying over from the USA where he lives with his new OH in Texas (he still has a house in the UK where Ed lives). Apparently, he's flying via Florida. So with two covid-19 hotspots involved (Texas & Florida), no surprise that Ed wants to be safe with us until his Dad has self-isolated for 14 days!
  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    edited July 2020
    Good afternoon all,

    Damien: Nice to hear from you again, and good to see that you are still managing to fit in 3 quality 10k runs a week as well as your work commitments. Like WtnMel I know nothing about Hokas, other than they have a rather bulky shape, due to extra cushioning I believe, so cannot comment on them I’m afraid. You say you notice your times are slower in your Hokas, what other shoe makes do you run in? If you are having doubts about the type of shoe you use I always think its best to consult a specialist running shop. We could all give you advice based on our personal preferences or experience, but what works for us won’t necessarily work for you. Best to get some expert advice. Let us know how you get on.
    HS: There’s just no stopping you is there - 26.19 and best time this year! Didn’t anyone tell you that your times are supposed to get slower as you get older, not faster? :p  (I hope you didn’t do a Noah Lyles?) You’ll have to have an easy Friday rest day every week in future if this is the outcome. Just think what your 5k times might have been in previous weeks if you hadn’t been carrying those heavy bags the day before. Or perhaps, unlike WtnMel,  your haircut gave you added strength  ;)
    WtnMel: Did you manage to get out for your planned run today?  I hope you are also able to fit in some golf practice this week if possible. I’m surprised to see that Magaret’s Ex is able to get a flight from the US to the UK. I thought I’d heard flights were currently banned between these countries, but perhaps it was travel in the other direction that it applied to. Frankly I’m getting confused with what does and does not apply where Covid is involved, advice seems to change from day to day. Miss a news bulletin and you run the risk of doing the wrong thing. 

    Still no running for me. Although the stiffness in my neck improved quite a bit in the first couple of days further improvement seems to have stalled, and while I don’t think it’s getting any worse there’s still stiffness there so I’m reluctant to try a run. However I was able to take part in this morning’s Zoom Pilates session which my physio hosts, although I did mention at the start that I would miss out any movements that might affect my neck. I’ve also booked an actual physiotherapy session with her (as opposed to the “virtual” consultations they’ve been doing by telephone), but the earliest I could get was next Thursday so I’m going to have to be patient for a bit longer before trying a run.  :/
  • Good afternoon everyone,

    Damien, well done for keeping up the 3 quality 10k runs per week. I've never worn Hokas, and know nothing about them, so can't comment on longevity etc.

    WtnMel, thanks, I was really pleased with my 5k time, especially as it was only 2 days after the 10k.

    I hope you won't have to wait too long for your refund.

    I bought my boiler from British Gas whilst they had the £500 off the price, and interest free payments. After a few months I decided to pay off the balance, as there was no penalty for doing that. It had a 5 year guarantee. I now have a maintenance contract with Home Serve which has one routine maintenance call out per year, plus unlimited emergency call outs.

    Hope Ed enjoys his stay with you. Does he run or play golf?

    Aquarius, thanks, I think the wings and streamlined haircut helped me to a 2020 PB. Who is Noah Lyles? I presume that I should know of him and what he has done🏃‍♂️

    Sorry to hear that the stiffness in your neck has stopped improving. Hopefully Thursdays physio session will do the trick. In the meantime, the few days rest may be beneficial.

    I had a rest day on Sunday, which was needed after Saturdays's 5k. On Monday, I ran 7.16 miles in the forest with the two Sarah's and Jane. Today should have been a rest day after the mornings shopping and walking back with just 3 bags, this time. However, I have been adjusting the settings on my Garmin to show the moving distances in k's but monitoring the pace in minute miling, and mile laps. At approximately 1.6k it bleeps the mile. The reason I have done this is because all the running we are doing, during the lack of races seems to be in k's. I, therefore, jogged 5k this morning and it worked fine. It bleeped on each mile and when it bleeped on mile 3, I knew there was only about .1 mile to 5k, so didn't have to keep looking. It registered as 3.1 miles on strava and fetch.
  • I have been wearing Nike zoom elite 9  and they seem more suited than the Hokas.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Evening everyone,

    Aquarius - I'm not sure when I'll get some golf practise in this week .. at present it looks like it may be Friday? Must admit, I wasn't sure what the situation was re flights between here and the US. Margaret's ex is being stupid and selfish (in my opinion!) as his wife has developed covid symptoms and with being slightly asthmatic, little wonder Ed's decided the safest thing is to come and stay with us for two weeks. Ed's WFH at the moment so we're going to set up an office for him in the conservatory and I'm going over there on Tue to help him transport the stuff he needs over here. Sorry to hear your neck is still stiff.

    HS - Margaret had her boiler serviced today and I was telling the guy about the problems I've been having. When I told him mine was a Glow-worm Flexicom he pulled a face and said they don't recommend them - he referred to them as "cheap - what we call a landlord's boiler". Ed doesn't run or play golf and as mentioned above, he's WFH so he'll be beavering away during the day. Knowing him, he will be watching Netflix in the evenings so it shouldn't disrupt our viewing too much. I had to look up Noah Lyles - he 'broke' Usain Bolt's 200m world record at the recent Inspiration Games - then they discovered he'd only run 185 metres as he'd started in the wrong lane and been positioned on the wrong start line. That was clever to set your Garmin up to show distance in K's but bleep in miles. 

    Damien - glad to hear you are getting on better with the Nike Zoom Elite.

    I saw on FB this morning that Tring Running Club have finally decided they can't safely hold the Ridgeway Run this October so have decided to cancel it - not at all surprised.

    I ran early this morning. I did a 4.5ml loop around Bishops Cleeve and on Strava later, noticed some clubmates had set out for a run just as I finished. They referred to themselves as the "7am club" so I expect they thought they were running early ;)

    As I mentioned, I'm going to my house in Wootton Bassett tomorrow to see the local gas company and talk about my boiler - will be the first time I've seen my son since March!
  • Good afternoon everyone,

    Damien, I haven't worn Nike trainers for many years. I think I stopped buying them because they were more expensive than other brands.

    WtnMel, thanks for the heads up re Noah Lyles. I did see the video of his race, and Steve Cram saying "That can't be right, that can't be right!" Fancy Aquarius saying that she hoped I hadn't cut the run short🤣

    I wasn't as clever as I thought, as I ran 5 miles on roads this morning with Sarah H, and the Garmin was "all over the place!" In the top window , when I had run 1.6 k's it alerted and showed the 1 mile time, which was identical to Sarah's who hadn't adjusted hers. Ok so far but then it started again as a new lap until 1.6 k again and bleeped for mile 2. The middle window is a lap timer, and not a continuous timer, so it doesn't show how long I had been running. The third window is lap pace which was in k's so I was able to see how fast we were running. Not as easy as minute miling though. I think somehow I have changed the windows, because previously, they weren't prefaced with "Lap." I'm thinking of doing a reset, or seek advice from one of our "club wizards."😒 The only saving grace was that it recorded on Garmin Connect, Strava and fetch in the usual format.
  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    Good afternoon all,

    WtnMel: I have to agree that it is a very selfish action of M’s ex to board a plane when he has been in close contact with someone with Covid symptoms, let alone go to visit his son who is asthmatic. Good idea for Ed to keep clear until his father is out of quarantine. I can’t understand the attitude many Americans have towards this virus, it certainly is the “Wild West” over there these days, just hope Molly and her husband are okay.
    Well done on getting out early for a run yesterday morning. I hope you get your boiler sorted out today, and have a good catch up with your son. 

    HS: that was just a joke about Noah Lyles btw, I wasn’t trying to suggest that you cheated by running a shorter distance. I know you are scrupulously honest in your running and your good times are solely down to talent and hard work. 
    I saw the Inspiration Games on the BBC on Saturday and was amazed (as was Steve Cram who was commentating) at the time Lyles clocked up. Cram kept saying “that cannot be right, that’s not right” then it was discovered later on that Lyles had only run 185 metres because he started in the wrong place on the track. As he’s an experienced runner with more than a passing acquaintance with 200m races I cannot see how he didn’t know where the correct start line was for the 200m event. If you didn’t read about the Inspiration Games the idea was that a number of events were arranged to take place simultaneously at different locations (for social distancing reasons) and in the case of the 200m three athletes took part at three different locations, so although you saw all three on the (split) screen at the same time you didn’t see them side by side on a track, therefore it wasn’t obvious that Lyle had started in the wrong place. I don’t know if he cheated or not, but it’s very hard to find a credible alternative explanation. 

    How nice for you to have been able to run with the two Sarahs and Jane on Monday. I suppose it helps you all with pacing, not to mention the opportunity for a bit of a chat (pace permitting) to make the miles go quickly. How clever of you to make that adjustment to your Garmin, I think I'll try to do the same as I've often thought I should have my distance recorded in Kilometres, but as I wanted the laps to be mile laps, and also minute miling pace I hadn't bothered. I didn't realise you could combine both.  

    Steve cut my hair today, I asked him to trim about an inch off. Obviously we all have different ideas of what an inch looks like. It was nearer to three inches, but it will grow back, and at least it’s a lot tidier now.

    I’ve had to order a new vacuum cleaner today because my trusty 6 year old cordless Dyson has almost given up the ghost. I normally get all the house vacuumed on one charge of the battery, but that became two charges a couple of weeks ago and today I’ve charged it three times and still have three bedrooms to vacuum. It should be charged up again by now so I'll try to get a bit more vacuuming done before the third charge runs out. I’ll be glad when my new one arrives. 

    Incidentally - if you are interested in knowing - still no sign of the replacement hair clipper. Time for another email I think.
  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    HS: Our posts crossed yet again.

    I think I'd better wait until you have ironed out the problems with your Garmin before attempting to alter mine :)
  • I ran in them dreadful trainers again today for the last time and it was like running on the sponges that people wash cars with.
    No running till Saturday as me and the wife and my youngest Travis(9) are going to Wales for a couple of days.
  • Aquarius, I knew that you were joking, but couldn't put the name to the occasion at the time. It's unbelievable that nobody, especially himself, realised that he was in the wrong lane and wrong start line. I'm quite sure though that he didn't deliberately cheat, as he was probably more surprised than anyone at his time.

    Monday running is a sort of  social run, at a good pace, but more of an LSD run than concentrating on the pace.

    You were brave allowing Steve to cut your hair.

    On the subject of vacuum cleaners, I'm still using a very ancient upright Hoover, which is heavy to push around, but the suction is still very powerful.

    I see the saga of the hair clippers continues😄

    The problem with my Garmin has been sorted now, but not by me. The problem was that somehow my Garmin's "fields" had changed from Distance, Timer and Pace, to Lap Distance, Lap Timer and lap Pace. 

    An 8.19 mile run in the forest with Sarah F and Mike this morning, which included timed pyramids comprising 3,4,5,6,5,4,3 minute efforts with half the times as recoveries. My best pace was 7.39 minute miling in the last 3 minute effort. When the run is synced with Garmin Connect, it converts all the data to minute miling etc and to strava and fetcheveryone. The best of both worlds.

    There was a power cut this morning, as essential network repairs were being undertaken in a nearby street. We had been given 2 days notice, so I filled a thermos with boiling water before going out for my run. I had sandwiches at lunchtime and had just finished when the power came back on again. I've now got to start cooking my lunch at teatime😋

    Damien, you will be glad to see the back of those old trainers.

    I hope you and your wife and Travis enjoy your couple of days in Wales.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Will pop back to do a 'proper' update later - but from listening to ISIHAC on Radio 4, I'm confident if HS were Scottish, having his 'tea' in the evening instead of lunch at teatime would actually be the norm .. 
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon everyone,

    Sometimes, I hate computers ..

    HS - I knew Aquarius's comment re Noah Lyles was tongue-in-cheek ;) I 'might' see if I can change my Garmin to show miles/kms but being 'old school' I always think in miles anyway so maybe not such a good idea. I saw the later update re your Garmin - at present I have several screens that display info and the auto-lap function set on for each mile. My screens show (1) distance, time, avg pace (2) lap distance, lap time, last lap time (3) heart rate. Well done re your forest run with Sarah F and Mike.

    Aquarius - yes, Margaret's ex is being selfish .. nothing new there apparently and he always used to do what he wanted and sod everyone else. I was surprised Noah Lyles didn't know where he should be starting on the track - it's his job isn't it? I was obviously hoping we might see some photos of your newly-shorn hair! (hint, hint). Boo to having to buy a new vacuum cleaner - I'm on the verge of deciding whether to buy a new lawnmower as repairing the current one would cost almost as much.

    Damien - sorry to hear your trainers seem dreadful. Don't know what your local running shop is like - mine has a treadmill in the shop so you can try them out beforehand and I think they even do some form of 14-day money-back guarantee if they don't suit (they must have a very good relationship with their suppliers!). Enjoy your short break in Wales.

    On Wed, saw the guy from the local boiler company. He confirmed what we already knew - the make/model I have has been very susceptible to faults over the years. He suggested (as expected) they wouldn't want to take on support of it and will give me some quotes for various replacement models (not the same make!). 

    I managed to run yesterday - did 4.5mls at an avg pace of 10.30mm. Later on I cut the lawns and I also charged the battery in Margaret's car (has been getting low due to not being used).

    I've managed to book Alan and I a tee-time at my local 'pay and play' golf course where I have my lessons - will be nice for both of us to play somewhere different. Hoping to get down to the course for some practise on the driving range later today ..

    Oh yes, why do I hate computers? Because on Wed my Outlook software stopped working - no particular reason or anything I could put my finger on - it just wouldn't stay open and kept automatically closing. The online advice was to run some diagnostics but nothing helped so I ended up doing the equivalent of switching it off and on by re-installing the software. The only good thing was it started off from where it was so I didn't lose any emails, contact info etc.

    And in case I confused anyone, especially HS! On ISIHAC (I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue), Graham Garden & Barry Cryer would often play Scottish gentlemen from Edinburgh who being careful with money, would not intend giving the other a free meal when they called round later in the day and would always start by checking "You'll have had your tea?" :)

  • Good afternoon everyone,

    WtnMel, my boiler is a Worcester Greenstar. Well done for your run. You are maintaining a consistently good standard.

    Are you going to buy a "sit on" lawn mower🤣

    Hope you took plenty of liquid with you for your golf practice this afternoon, as the sun is very hot. I did an hours gardening after I got back from the supermarket this morning, and had to come in, as it was too hot to work. I'm hoping it will be cooler tomorrow as we are doing the virtual 5k challenge in the forest again. This will be my first 5k with the garmin registering in k's. I will have to calculate what minute miling is in minute k's. I reckon if can maintain a steady 5.25 minute k's will be ok. 

    It was lucky that you didn't lose any data after your software had stopped working. I might attempt downloading the May feature update on Sunday, as I have paused it for 2 weeks, and hopefully any bugs will have been ironed out.

    Thanks for the explanation of the tea and lunch etc. I hadn't seen the connection.
  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    Morning all

    WtnMel: Our current boiler is a Worcester, and the one we had at the coast was a Vaillant. The Worcester was already installed when we bought the house so I don’t know how expensive it would have been, but when we bought the Vaillant we were advised it was the “Rolls Royce” of boilers, and it certainly proved very reliable. The first time we had it serviced we were told we may as well leave it for another couple of years before getting the next service done as it was still in factory condition. When I googled boilers a few years ago the consensus was that both Vaillant and Worcester boilers were leading the field. They might be a bit pricey, but worth it in the long run. 
    The battery on our Discovery needs charging up but we’re due to go out later today so hopefully a long drive might be sufficient to replace the charge. When it gets this low it won’t open the boot, which is a nuisance. We’ve also noticed that the rear parking camera has fogged up, it looks like moisture has got inside the lens. I’ll have to google it to see if this is a common problem and if it can be repaired. I imagine replacing the camera will be an expensive job, particularly if Land Rover have to do it.
    Did you mange to get some golf practice in yesterday? Well done for your run the previous day. I used to listen to ISIHAC quite a lot, it always gave you a good laugh. Steve was fortunate enough to be given a ticket to see the show some years ago when it was being recorded somewhere local (Newcastle, I think). I was very jealous. 
    How frustrating for your software to stop working like that. Computers are wonderful things when they are working properly, but a real pain in the neck when they develop problems. Fortunately I find my MacBook is pretty reliable although it is running a bit more slowly than it used to. Steve likes to stick with his Windows PC as he doesn’t want the bother of changing to the mac operating system, but he does have issues with Windows from time to time and as neither of us is particularly IT literate we have to rely on one of our sons to come over and sort it out. We’ve all tried to persuade him to ditch Windows and get a Mac, but he won’t consider it, which is odd considering he has an iPhone and an iPad and is quite happy with them.
    HS: I was surprised to read you had to come in out of the garden because it was too hot. We’ve had grey skies and intermittent rain for the last few days here. As I type this the rain has just stopped but the sky is still overcast, would you like to send me some of your excess sunshine please? Having said that it has been very close at times, particularly at night. We went for a walk yesterday (just under 6 miles) and because of the grey skies took our waterproof jackets with us but we soon took them off and tied them around our waists as it was so humid. I hope it isn’t too hot today for your virtual 5k challenge in the forest.
    Yesterday we took the BMW in for a service, what a rip off these things are - a few new filters and a top up of the air con all for £600+ I told them that was far too much but they insisted it was the going price, but they did eventually knock off 10%. It really does make me angry because you have no say in where you can take it for a service because BMW (and no doubt other manufacturers) use a code for accessing the car’s computer which means you can’t take it to another garage to get the service done for a more reasonable price. One of my sons has told me of a local garage who can get into the computer system, but I’m a bit reluctant to use them in case it’s a bit “iffy”. 
    I finally got out for a run this morning, it was a fairly slow 5 miles but as I haven’t run for nine days it was just nice to be running. My neck felt ok, but my legs were tired from yesterday’s walk. I’ve started doing my circuits and yoga again, but keeping a close eye on my neck (so to speak) to make sure it doesn’t get worse. I’ve a physio appointment on Thursday so hopefully that should sort out the remaining stiffness. I’ve also got an opticians appointment. I was surprised to get a text telling me my eye examination was due and to call them for an appointment. When I rang they explained they were only booking in people who felt their eyes had changed since their last examination, and as mine have they gave me an appointment. I’m pleased about that because I have been struggling with my glasses for a while. 
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon everyone,

    HS - yes, my running has been going well lately .. just proves the benefit of getting out for regular training. No, my garden isn't large enough for a 'sit-on' mower and mowing the lawns gives me some much-needed extra exercise :) I was only at the driving range for an hour and under cover so no problems with any hot sun beating down on me. I checked and 10 minute per mile is 6.21 min per km. Strava has a useful pace calculator - https://www.strava.com/running-pace-calculator - hope that helps. I think my Outlook software must have been a 'glitch' so fingers crossed it doesn't happen again - at least I take regular backups so worst case scenario, I'd have been able to recover okay.

    Aquarius - apparently my 'dodgy' boiler was made by the same company (Vaillant) but it was that particular model that was the rubbish one - Vaillant have a good name other than that. Your drive out ought to be enough to recharge your battery. I'd imagine you ought to be able to get inside the camera to de-mist it but who knows - hairdryer on the glass maybe?? Yes, I did some golf practise (see below). I've never been tempted by Apple computers - the equivalent Windows ones always seemed cheaper so that's what I've always gone with. I always suspected you were paying for the 'name' with an Apple. Similarly I've never been tempted (or had the money in the past!) to even consider buying (and servicing!) a BMW so have stuck to Ford's and Vauxhall's over the years. Gad to hear you got out for a run. And glad to hear you can get an optician's appointment if you've been struggling with your glasses for while. I use some old ones and it makes my eyes water as I'm obviously straining them - I really ought to get the 'spare' frames fitted with the correct prescription.

    I spoke to a local lawnmower repair company. They were quite open about being happy to replace the part I'd identified but said by the time I'd bought it and paid them to strip down the lawnmower and replace the part, I'd be better off spending my money on a new lawnmower as the total costs would be very similar. So as the current on works (albeit a bit noisily) we'll carry on with it until it eventually breaks down completely and then we'll get a new one instead.

    I've had a letter from the local gas company. They gave me some quotes for an Ideal boiler (turns out that's what we have here) and Worcester Bosch and the difference is +£200 for the Worcester.

    Margaret's son Ed came over earlier. He's going to sleep in the spare room so between us, we cleared some stuff from the room back into the loft, moved a large table down into the conservatory ready for his computers and a smaller table into the spare room for his tv. I'm heading over to his dad's house next Thu to help him move his stuff over here.

    The golf practise was promising. I'd noticed how straight the professionals keep their arms on the backswing and downswing - I concentrated on doing that and ended up hitting the ball better so have probably without realising it, not been doing that.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Postscript to yesterday - having said the running was going well, I went out this morning and for a change, felt lethargic. I only did 4.5mls but found it hard work. I wasn't exactly 'slow' - just didn't feel my usual self. Off for some reviving porridge now courtesy of Margaret (my little treat on a Sunday morning).
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