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Aquarius, my goodness you are light! I just wondered if it's genetic i.e. were you folks also on the light side? It would by my dads 100th birthday today and it got me thinking. For one thing, I was always destined to be a shorty as he was barely 5'4" and my mum never reached 5 foot (unless she stood on a stool) ; the 4 of us siblings are all vertically challenged. At least marrying into the Amazonian (well. Croydonian, actually) genes of Mrs JB delivered us one son - who is neurotic about his height - of nearly 6', although the other who is never bothered by it is a mere 5'8".
HS, thanks for that explanation and many congrats for the splendid monthly total.
My granddaughter avoided last place in Junior Parkrun today! This is mainly (OK wholly) because there was no JP today. There's an athletics meeting on the track and I might pop along later to see some real athletes in action!
Aquarius, thanks for liking the photo. It was taken at around 5 miles into the run. That was the 5th checkpoint, and there were 14 altogether. There is no way to alter the settings that would effect the data that is produced after each run. The Garmins work from algorithms and appear to be linked to the average heart rate, so if it is low, they class it as recovery.
I have the same problems re reading the data on the Garmin whilst running. I'm thinking about taking a small magnifying glass with me, so that I can read whatever pops up. I also set the Garmin up wearing my glasses before leaving home.
Your training seems to be getting very technical nowadays, so I hope it is producing dividends. There was a man on TV this morning doing yoga stretches and one that impressed me was the hurdlers stretch. I can't reach the outstretched foot, but he reached his easily with his head down on his knees.
Welcome back Damien, good luck with your training which I hope will enable you to run sub 24 minutes for the 5k parkruns. I'm still trying to go sub 26.
JB, my friend Karen's 5 year old daughter did her first junior parkrun yesterday and was 23nd girl and average pace 10.52 min/mile. Her mother is very proud.
I was watching athletics on the red button last night which was from Poland.
Saturday would have been my Dad's 103rd birthday, so I wanted to run a really good 5k thinking of him. I set off much too quickly, and ran out of steam during the final k. My time was a disappointing 27.46, a WAVA of 68.25%
I ran a steady 10k on roads this morning, deliberately not looking at my pace on the Garmin. I was surprised that the average was 10.28 minute miling. I thought it would have slower than that.
I was wondering if someone could tell me the relation between stride rate and speed pls. I just ran 5k and looking at my chart almost from the start to finish I have a pace of 150 per minute but my speed chart shows quite large variation dropping from 10.94km/h at kilometre 2 steadily to 9.50km/h to kilometre 4. I cannot get my head around this for some reason as how can I be having same stride rate but different speed!
HS, coincidence about our dad's birthdays being so close. I'm sure he'd forgive you for your performance. Indeed I think he'd be very proud of you. It just goes to show that even experienced runners can still make the novice error of going off too fast. We've all been there.
Great run by the little 'un. In my experience it's usually the youngsters who go off too fast! Perhaps she has the innate gift of pacing.
I did go to the athletics meet yesterday, but it was so cold and windy that I didn't stay long. Daley Thompson's son was competing in the throwing events. Great also to see so many younger athletes coming through, although the wind was a factor and PBs were rare..
Well I ran two of my slowest ever miles today, The first was 8.45 and the second was 9.50. But there were two mitigating circumstances
1. I was wearing a 20lb weighted vest;
2. in between mile 1 and mile 2 I did the 600 repetitions that comprise my cross-fit event. I managed to whole thing in 64 minutes and I was aiming for 66 (as I'm 66 years old). Really pleased about this - and so should we all be as I'll stop boring you all with it now. I promise.
Just heard that the June 10k I've signed up for and was supposed to be training for has been shifted to October. This actually does me a favour as I don't think I could put in the training to do as well as I'd have liked for early June. So 5k Parkruns are the limit of my current ambitions - but not wearing that bloody vest.
Apologies for not posting for a few days - I'll do my best to catch up (put the non-posting down to golf on Thu, driving to/from Tring on Fri and then wanting a quiet weekend).
HS - as you'll see below, it's proving difficult to pin Margaret down to set up her new Samsung phone. My Vodafone signal is always fine where we are so I think the reception will be a revelation to her having got used to the iffy O2 signal. Re your comments, I think Garmin Connect tries to be too clever for it's own good and I ignore most of its suggestions of how I did. That's impressive mileage for a month!
JB - I think I've been the resident IT guru here for a while .. and my u3a friends in the book group now also have the same idea. Sorry - had to chuckle at Mrs JB chuckling at you 'digging'. I'm no public speaker so when I had a mic shoved in my face once (no camera thank goodness) I was also tongue-tied. I'll just comment that your two 'slow' miles due to mitigating circumstances, are much faster than I have ever managed, even with a following wind!
Aquarius - I did have a slightly sore arm on Fri after my jab but it had gone by the weekend. The Samsung is a vast improvement on the Huawei and the extra speed/storage capacity is very welcome. And some apps now work that didn't on the old phone. Glad to hear you've managed to suss out how to read the information for your Garmin workouts.
I don't think I explained properly but the meet-up on Fri was to inter my Aunt's ashes in the cemetery in Tring where my Uncle Phil's ashes were laid to rest when he died. My Aunt's funeral actually took place last year but due to covid restrictions, only 6 people (immediate family) were able to attend and we had to watch it online. Despite the circumstances, it was nice to be able to get together with the extended family and we had a meal outside and although it was a bit cold, the rain stayed away. So I was able to see my Mum for the first time for over a year along with my sister Julie and her husband, my cousin Hilary and her daughter's and my Mum's brother George and three of his daughters.
I got out for a walk this morning and was pleased to see two sub 16mm miles - the walking technique seems to be improving. I've still not tried a walk/run but Margaret has had a good idea. She has suggested I get my treadmill fixed (it needs a new running belt as you may recall). Then try a walk/run on the treadmill as it has better cushioning. Depending on how that goes, perhaps only run outside on pavements once a week. But if my knee still causes problems on the treadmill and I decide I won't be able to use it, I'll be able to sell it more easily as it's unlikely anyone would want a 'broken' treadmill.
I was (mostly) rubbish at golf on Thu with quite a few bad drives off the tee and fairway shots going astray. On the plus side, my putting wasn't as bad as it had been. Despite all the rubbish holes, I did manage to drive the ball from the tee to within 6 feet of the flag on the 155yd 8th hole and I putted out for a par 3. I was just glad we were only playing 9 holes as Alan beat me by 14 shots. We're playing again on Wed - 18 holes this time - so I hope I'm not as bad as on Thu or it could be a long day!
I think I omitted to mention that as well as the new phone, Margaret treated herself to a new iPad. I thought I would need to be involved in setting that up, but she has managed it herself.
Re the new Samsung phones, I've still not managed to get Margaret to sit down with me and go through the setup. I expect she's worried it will all be 'too technical' and she will get confused with everything. I've finished setting mine up and the only problem I've had was self-inflicted. I imported my contacts from Outlook which I use for my emails. I had a message about 'merging' contacts which turned out to be because they had also been copied across from the old phone (from the phone memory). It took me a day or so to understand that despite the merging, there were still duplicate entries that were linked together but still both being kept. I've managed to delete the unwanted versions now but it was a pain to have to go through and sort out. Good points about the new phone though - it communicates with Garmin Connect without any problem and I can access Strava on it. It also has something called Android Auto built-in which allows you to receive calls hands-free if you are driving and Android Auto also links together with the sat-nav app called Waze that I use as it includes traffic information (our stand-alone sat-nav doesn't do that). Although my car isn't new enough to take advantage of the functions, Android Auto will also communicate with the in-car screens and navigation systems that new cars have these days.
I think a treadmill could well be a sensible choice of rehab for your running - and as you say, it makes sense to mend it anyway for onward selling. (We sold a bike on Sunday to a delightful young mum, and really didn't want her to think she'd been ripped off. So when Mrs JB got a text the next day she was a bit worried that there was something wrong with the bike. However, it was simply the buyer expressing her delight with it.)
As for the golf, let's just say that when you are good, you are very very good, but when you are bad................
Today, I went for a run to test the achilles. Well in fact two runs. The first was around the park for about 5 minutes while Mrs JB popped in a nearby shop to get paper. Tick! The 2nd was meant to be 3 miles around another park later in the morning. No tick this time but a slight pulling feeling in the calf. Nothing dramatic but most of us recognise the first signs of a calf strain - so even I was sensible enough to stop at 1.5 miles.
If anyone ever asks me what's the most essential piece of running kit, I'd have to tell them it is a gel ice-pack! And to think I ran for a good 10 years without any injury whatever and completed every run I started.
Rearrange these words into a well known saying: sense born you do not have the with you were!
Hi Shawn, I agree with John that the 3 main factors are stride length, tail and headwind, and terrain.
JB, quite a coincidence indeed, our Dad's birthdays being so close. You're right about even experienced runners going off too fast. I won't make the same mistake next Saturday.
I think the 5 year olds pacing was because her mother had to run with her, and she is a good judge of pace. Next Saturday she is hoping to take her twin brother running too. He is quite competitive, so it will be interesting to see if he finishes ahead of his sister. It's always good to see youngsters running and enjoying themselves.
I've never tried running with a weighted vest, but many years ago when I was with Team Solent, one of the sessions was trying to run wearing a harness, which someone was holding, trying to pull you back. A variation of running pulling a heavy tyre along.
Certainly seems beneficial, the 10 k being moved to October, giving you more time to recover from injury, and get the training in.
Sensible to stop running at the first sign of a calf strain. This happened to me a couple of months ago during a speed session. I stopped straight away, rested for a couple of days and it was ok. The only time I've iced an injury is for my menisci tears in my right knee, back in June 2017. I used a pack of frozen peas.
You do not have the sense you were born with🤣
WtnMel, I do tend to ignore the Garmin comments, and so do most of my running friends. Yesterdays forest run was 15 k and the reading was "unproductive!"
It must have been nice for that family get together, albeit in rather sad circumstances.
Sounds like a good idea, trying out a walk, run on the treadmill.
Good that your putting is improving, and good luck for tomorrows golf match.
I thought that you would like your new Galaxy phone. I bought mine from o2 in Southampton, and they transferred all the data from my Huawei to it.
Today is a rest day, but I have done a few stretches etc.
JB - with there only being twelve of us, it was certainly easier to mingle an catch up with the assorted cousins, uncles etc. I thought Margaret's idea of fixing the treadmill and trying out running on that was an inspired bit of thinking. Re the golf, when I'm bad .. I'm full of 'aw'
HS - it sounds like that twin brother will want to get one over on his sister. It turns out Margaret's number doesn't get ported across to her new phone until next Monday so there's still plenty of time .. hence the lack of urgency I detected
I've been out for a ramble with the Bishops Cleeve u3a group this morning. Despite us all travelling to the start in our own cars (no car-sharing yet) there wasn't much social-distancing going on once we got walking. We've all had our 2nd jabs and I think we all felt safe outside - and the strong winds today meant any virus would have got blown away in double-quick time. My Garmin decided to 'freeze' part way round so I've ended up having to post the walk in two parts on Fetch & Strava. Anyway, it was enjoyable despite the wind and rain .. and the hail while I was changing out of my walking boots!
Mel, applying the above to golf, I know that many golfers develop dodgy backs. You seem OK on this? I'll shut up as I'm becoming the thread's 'O' Level physio!
Off to the the allotment: another opportunity to pull a muscle! (Weather has cheered up a bit at this end.)
WtnMel, I'm sure he will be trying to run quicker than his twin sister.
Good that you enjoyed your ramble, despite the conditions.
JB, I imagine that I was lucky in that my parents were both very fit in their younger days. Dad was a very useful footballer, he played for his works team and also in the Army. Mum once came second in a cross country race, winning a glass salad bowl. She was in the ATS and that's how they met. I was a reasonable standard club table tennis player before taking up running in my mid thirties, so I suppose I was quite fit from that. I played for two teams.
I hope you didn't do yourself any damage in the allotment earlier😄
This morning we incorporated 3 x 800 metres with 2 minutes recovery between each, in this mornings session. There is an almost level trail/track in the forest which the club use, and is anticlockwise like a standard track, but is uneven and has lots of roots. It wasn't too bad this morning, but gets very muddy after heavy rain. My Garmin advised that this was "Unproductive."🏃♂️🤬
JB - HS is blessed with a much slimmer build than me which must help with his overall fitness, especially running. I'm sure my being overweight has contributed to my knee problems with more stress being put on the joint. I don't have any problems with my back re golf - I'd imagine any golfers with back problems are probably not doing any stretching and aren't as supple as they should be. I didn't used to be due to my lack of stretching but after the exercise regime from the physio I've been doing regularly, I'm getting there!). Hope you 'paced' yourself at the allotment.
HS - well done re that session you did. I'd give up taking any of that unwanted advice from your Garmin if I were you 🤬
Aquarius - I wasn't aware of when the Diamond League and World Triathlon Series were re-starting so thanks for the heads-up .. I'll keep a beady eye on the Radio Times listings. Sorry to hear you caught a cold lurgy from your grand-daughter - I see it messed up your training schedule and not surprised you felt a bit washed out when you were able to run. It does sound like you should stick to Garmin on your phone in future. I thought I might be changing my car sometime in the next year or so but my 11yr old Fiesta seems to be pootling along fine for now. When the time comes I've promised myself I'll try and get to grips with the various technologies (battery electric, hybrid etc.) so I can make an informed decision of whether to stay with petrol or go electric when it comes to choosing the new car.
I didn't win at golf yesterday but I was playing better than last time. I had a theory of why I was fluffing so many shots the time before (not keeping my arm straight) and I put that to the test at the driving range beforehand, and there was an immediate improvement. I was able to carry that over to the golf and although Alan beat me by 8 shots, I know which aspects of my game to concentrate on and I'm slowly getting there. I've not been back to the local golf club to enquire about joining the senior's section and I've not heard back from them re an electric trolley. I'm having a 1hr playing lesson with Richard (owner & club professional) next week so I'll ask him about them while he's busy helping me 'tweak' my game and explaining what else I'm doing wrong.
Aquarius, no injuries from the allotment. This time. Your Garmin generated training schedule reminds me of HAL, the sinister computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey. You have a kindred spirit here in respect of a total no-no with technology.
Mel, great to hear of an improvement in your golf. It's such a technical game - and you've shown that you are capable of rectifying those technical errors (or one of them!) and even more so with the aid of a coach.
A bit off-topic but we've started watching The Crown. As a life-long republican I've never really been interested in the Royal family. But even I have to admit that they've been at the centre of things in very interesting and turbulent times. Plus it's a very good story, beautifully put-together.
Went to vote this morning. Our local polling station is now our 'local' (pub). And the very same place where I met the 16 year old future Mrs JB in 1972. I should add (in case she reads this) that she always get my vote.
No running, but did a 2k row. I'm rowing 4.30 kms right now - I wish I could run that fast. My theory is that the mechanics of rowing help the achilles.
PS very worried that Bill and Melinda Gates have split up. Who'll get the record collection and who'll get the horrible coasters they got as a wedding present??
Aquarius, I have noticed that I can stretch further than when I first started, and am definitely finding the benefit.
Thanks for the tip off about the World Triathlon Championship. I really do enjoy watching triathlons, the competitors are so fit.
Sorry to hear that your Granddaughter gifted you her cold, which has messed up your training schedule. I have the Garmin app on my phone, and also have Garmin Connect and Garmin Express on my laptop.
I hope your physio appointment went well yesterday, and am interested to know how your test drive went in the afternoon.
WtnMel, I do ignore the advice my Garmin gives me, but can't resist viewing all the stats.
It's good to hear that your golf is improving all the time, and you will become technically competent with the coaching lessons and practice. Alan won't stand a chance against you in the near future, if you keep up the training.
JB, my Dad used to watch me race in the early days, and it was good that he was able to drive me to and from them.
I voted yesterday morning and arrived before 8am. There was no queue, and after sanitising my hands was allowed straight in. I took my "Crackerjack Pencil," to make my x's on the ballot papers. One was for the New Police Commissioner. There was a choice of 4, and I didn't have a clue who any of them were. We had to make a first and second choice.
That's a coincidence that you met your wife to be in the pub where you voted. Should she have been in a pub at 16😀
Well done with the rowing, you must be getting all round fitness. Just get that Achilles sorted out.
I did a 5.45 mile recovery run on roads yesterday, using the navigation screen so I wouldn't know what pace I was doing, except for the occasional alert when I was running outside of the lower or higher zones. I was surprised and pleased to find that my average pace was 10.14 minute miling. It felt quite easy, so my structured training must be paying dividends.
In the afternoon, I drove to the local petrol station to fill up, and before getting out of the car, realised that I had forgotten to take my mask. Thankfully I hadn't started to insert the pump, because I wouldn't have been able to go inside to pay. Feeling foolish, I started up and drove home to get it. When I returned there were no problems, and the chap behind the counter didn't make any comments. When I was inside, a man came in without a mask, and was immediately told to leave. When I returned home, I decided to give the car a check up, as I hadn't driven it for a couple of weeks. I checked the tyre pressures, oil level and topped up the windscreen reservoir. I drew the line at washing it though, saving that for another day.
Today is a rest day, and tomorrow we will be doing our 5k on roads, because torrential rain is forecast, which will make our usual course into a mud fest.
JB - I'm lucky that Richard (the golf professional who owns the local club) is able to break down the technical aspects of golf into simple to understand advice. Like you, I have no interest in the royal family. Or rather, I don't see the need for such an extravagant lifestyle that some of the extended family seem to have. Keep it small and less pomp would be my solution - but keep some pomp and ceremony for attracting tourists. Unlike you, I have even less interest in a made-up version of their doings .. just don't see the attraction myself. I voted by post last week - I was pleased to see the hard-working Lib Dem candidate got in with 54% of the vote and the time-serving, waste of space Conservative candidate only got 39% of the vote. Unfortunately, the Conservatives still hold onto power on the county council. I see you've been rowing rather than running - I've not been out walking or done any exercises for a few days but am planning to go for a walk today - as soon as the rain stops!
HS - unlike you, I ignore the Garmin stats most of the time except how far and how fast. I do hope I can continue improving my golf but as Alan reminds me when I get a par on one hole and then mess up the following one .. "It's a funny old game". Well done re that 'recovery' run (at a pace faster then my tempo pace!
As I mentioned, although I went for a ramble on Tue and played golf on Wed I've not done my exercises or done any brisk walks for a few days. And now it's lunchtime - oh well, maybe after lunch. Although Margaret has realised she needs to look at her new phone and may (or may not?) need help setting it up. So I think a walk today will be new phone/weather dependent and I'll pick my time accordingly.
The other thing on my to-do list is to read the latest book group novel. We have our next meeting on Tue - hopefully, by the time of the Jun meeting, we can meet in real-life at a café or in someone's garden.
JB our posts crossed. Great news that it only cost you £2 to get your bike serviced.
WtnMel, my Garmin advised that todays run was productive, performance condition excellent, and vo2 max up to 47, so I'll accept that😁
I'm sure that you will continue to improve with your golf, as you appear to be dedicated in this respect.
I hope that you did manage an after lunch walk, and also found the time to set up Margaret's phone if she needed your help.
On the subject of book reading, I'm enjoying "Lorna Doone" and am past half way on page 355. Hope Tuesdays zoom meeting goes well, and that Junes meeting can be a face to face.
Todays 5k was on roads because the forest would have been a mud fest with all the rain. The outward leg was in the teeth of a very strong headwind, but we didn't feel the benefit on the return. My time was 27.32, a WAVA of 68.83%, so happy with that.
Mel, nice result from the LD candidate. See your point about The Crown - although one of the reasons I like it is that it infuriates Royalists!
I've managed a few rides on my bike which rides much easier now and even more importantly has brakes that work. I managed to combine the ride with a 1.5 mile run this morning which was (I'm relieved to report) well under 8 mm pace.
Last night I went to a pub for the first time in goodness knows how long. OK we had to sit outside and it was a bit chilly but I'd forgotten the sheer joy of drinking a pint (or more) of real ale in good company.
This morning I went to the Leisure Centre hoping to see my granddaughter improve on her last place in the Junior Parkrun but no-one was there on the track. When I got home I turned on the TV and saw why: there was live coverage from the Leisure Centre on the count for the council elections, so that took priority. A bit of a shame but fair enough I suppose.
Yesterday Worthing (of all places!) managed to rid itself of 4 or 5 Tory councillors on the county council. Today, there is a great deal of optimism that there will be a repeat performance for the borough elections. This could be a remarkable result in the context of what's been happening elsewhere, which I confess has plunged me into gloom over Friday and Saturday.
As my football team might finally secure it's continued place in the Premier League this afternoon and the political party of my choice might make in-roads into the Conservative majority on the council, I could be a very happy chappy by mid-afternoon. Or not, of course!
Have you got an update on the Achilles for us after your run yesterday? What a shame the junior parkrun had to give way for the election, but there's always next week (and plenty of time for pep talks and practice in the meantime).
I wish this horrible weather would pack it’s bags and clear off.
JB, I'm glad to hear that your bike now has brakes that work! Well done for running at sub 8 minute miling pace. I must have another go soon to try and run a sub 8 minute mile.
On the subject of pubs, we have another challenge on Sunday which is a 25k pub crawl. We have to navigate between pubs, stopping for30 minutes at each. There are 4 pubs, so should be interesting. It's not compulsory to drink alcohol, so soft drinks will be ok, if required.
I'm afraid that Labour took a real hammering in the local elections, and it appears that Sir Keir is trying to shift the blame, despite saying that he would take full responsibility. I think his future as leader of the opposition is rather iffy. His judgement is rather subject.
Aquarius, I hope the test drive next week with another car, proves to be suitable.
That Garmin training does appear to be rather complicated, and its not something that appeals to me. The comments on mine are now realistic, and I'm getting "constructive" and fitness "excellent."
At my petrol station there was a facility to pay at the pumps with our phones. I don't know how that works, but presume it needs an app on the phone.
It is a bit worrying about hugging again. I think the Government should have stipulated that it should only be with close family, and not with every Tom, Dick or Harry!
It's good that your physio is working on your hamstring and giving you more stretches to do.
I hope the service engineer doesn't find any problems with your boiler.
I ran a hilly road 10k yesterday at an average pace of 10.10. This was another run using the navigation screens, so that I didn't know what pace I was doing until I had finished. This morning was a very slow 10k forest run with Sarah H and Jane, average pace 12.10.
JB and Aquarius, I replied to both of your posts yesterday, but doesn't seem to have registered. Perhaps I didn't press "Post Comment," but I'm sure that I did.
Today was a rest day from running, but I spent a couple of pleasant hours with Alice and her young daughter in Exbury Gardens. The highlight was a ride on the steam train.
Aquarius, your physio sounds pretty clued up and I hope the hands do their magic. Good luck with the boiler - at least the weather has got a bit warmer so you might not be needing it as much. I've never known a colder Spring - and that's down here.
Every year we wait for our ancient boiler to pack up, but so far it just keeps soldiering on.
Thanks for the enquiry about my troublesome Achilles. I think it is easing up but I have to be careful not to over-stress it. Cycling and rowing certainly do it no harm - and I managed a Season's Best on the rower today by 0.6 of a second (it has a very precise timer!).
Finally a mildly amusing story. A few months ago I applied for a little job - and then promptly forgot about it. I was pleasantly surprised when I got confirmation through yesterday that I'd got it. This was in a very small FE college. I don't want to be rude, but we are not speaking Harvard here.
After being messed about with confusing emails flying all over the place I was reconsidering. Then I got a message from 'Lesley in Quality' asking me for more narrative justification about my experience. My experience stretches back to before Lesley in Quality was probably born and I politely withdrew my interest. There's a moral here somewhere but I can't quite discern it. Something about old dogs and new tricks perhaps?
So, I went into the garden and emptied the compost bin.
Apologies I've not been able to get along here for a few days - busy tomorrow and Thu so thought I'd better post while I was online or otherwise it would probably be Friday before you heard from me!
HS - I see you'll listen to the Garmin then if it gives you good feedback 🤣😁 Your 'pub crawl' run sounds a bit different from the pub to pub run I used to do on Thu's where coffee was all that was consumed. I do remember a race being advertised somewhere where you HAD to have beer at each pub on the route. And there's a marathon in France that involves visiting vineyards and sampling the produce. Re your question about paying at the pump - I thought you had to slot your debit card in. But these days, you may be able to pay with your phone by linking it to your credit/debit card and it would use something called NFC (near field communication) which all new smartphones have built in. I see people who pay for their coffees etc. with their phones but I don't see the point if my wallet is handy.
JB - good to hear you've been able to get out on your bike now it's been mended. Even better to hear you were able to have a pint at the pub, albeit wrapped up warm outside. Shame about the wasted journey to the leisure centre because of the election. That IS surprising news about somewhere like Worthing getting rid of Tory councillors instead of voting them in. Had a chuckle about 'Lesley in Quality' asking you to justify your experience which you did - by withdrawing your interest.
Aquarius - hope the different model you're planning to test drive is more to your liking. I see you've had to swap your training sessions around again because they clashed with your covid jab. Looking forward to my golf lesson with Richard on Thu. I'll be able to report back to him how my recent golf has been going (including tomorrow's game with Alan) as he asked me to keep track and let him know next time I see him. I hope he has time for me to ask him about (a) joining the senior's section (b) an electric golf trolley. I've started getting out for regular walks again the last few days - but it's over a week since I did any of those stretching/strengthening exercises. Hope the boiler service went off without any problems.
The u3a 'coffee & chat' group I joined met (gasp!) outside at a new café on Mon morning. It was so nice to be able to chat to friends face to face - even the heavy rain showers didn't put us off.
We've managed to get Margaret's new phone set up. I was having problems using the Samsung Smart Switch software to copy her contacts across and if I'd had any hair I'd have been tearing it out. I eventually realised I could export the contacts to a file and send them to the new phone using blue-tooth - wish I'd thought of doing that sooner. There may be some teething problems or tweaks needed but it's basically up and running.
I had my book group meeting today. We discussed "Salt To The Sea" which everyone enjoyed reading, even though the subject matter was rather serious (refugees fleeing approaching troops). We hope that might be the last discussion we have to have on zoom. If the weather is okay next month - and everyone is feeling safe - we're hoping to have a get-together in our back garden. I promised it will be warm and Margaret will serve cool lemonade halfway through
I managed to get out for a 3ml walk this evening - it was a case of now or never - and I was lucky it stayed dry as just as I got back indoors, the heavens opened!
Labour did have a hammering at the local elections, but these things have a habit of balancing out over time. I expect when the Tories fail to make good on their promises the electorate will realise they can’t be trusted and return to Labour at the next general election. It’s easy to talk the talk Boris...
Aquarius. hope your track is still intact. Even the words 'hill repeats' give me a little surge of pain. Well, I'm on the naughty step as I couldn't resist a 5k time trail today. I managed 23.36 (71.41% WAVA) which was pleasing after over a month without a proper run.
I see that the PM has announced a full enquiry on the handling of the COVID crisis. Let's hope that the eventual report doesn't get lost down the back of Sir Humphrey's filing cabinet!
Boris is good at making popular announcements, it’s the seeing them through that he struggles with.
JB, that was interesting re your forgotten application for a job. I think it is just as well that you decided to change your mind, as the company doesn't seem to know whether it's coming all going, especially "Lesley in Quality."
The PM has kicked the enquiry into the abysmal handling of the Covid crisis into the long grass, until the Spring next year. What's the betting he will find excuses to delay it even further.
I've just noticed that you did a 5k time trial. That was an excellent time, especially as you hadn't done one for a while.
WtnMel, my Garmin gave me "a peaking" training status after this mornings hill session, advising that I am in ideal race condition. I'll accept that, it makes a change from "unconstructive!"
I agree that it is better to pay with a tap and go card, rather than using a phone. The Tesco petrol station has a tap and go card facility at the pumps, but I seldom go there for my petrol, as it is always busy.
Glad to hear that you have got Margaret's new phone set up.
Good news that yesterdays book club meeting was probably the last one to be held on Zoom. The next one in your back garden with cool lemonade will be much better!
Glad you got home from your walk before the rain.
Aquarius, I'd rather do the run without any stops, as I always find it hard to get going again after a lengthy stop. It's going to be a very long day. Mondays run was so much slower as it was just a social run really with lots of chatting, putting the world to rights.
I really enjoyed yesterdays visit to Exbury Gardens, meeting up with Alice and her daughter. That was my first day out, actually joining the outside world, except for running with my friends, and going shopping twice a week. I was a bit apprehensive, but everything went really well. Even the car enjoyed it, as it was the longest drive for months.
I believe that Tony Blair might be considering a comeback. I'm afraid that Kier is going to be up against it, unless he pulls his socks up.
That sounds a right mess with Virgin Money. I hope you are able to close the account without any more hassle.
Well done for the hill reps. we did a session this morning. I hope that they don't dig up the running track, that would be a real pity.
This morning was a forest hill reps session with the Sarah's and Mike. We ran continuously for 5 minutes up and down 3 hills, with 2 minute recoveries between each hill. The hills all radiate down from the top of a trail. The view across the forest from the top is amazing.
Aquarius - I don't think I'm that busy tbh .. but it is nice to be doing things again. It's getting used to new phones etc. that puts Margaret off changing so I have to gently lead her by the hand. Sorry to hear about your problems with Virgin Money .. but it does sound like the sort of thing I would enjoy complaining about and winding them up. I obviously don't know what sort of account it is but if it was possible, I'd probably transfer all the money out apart from 1p so that they had to maintain the account for no good reason. Sounds like you are still having a running battle at juggling your training sessions so well done for managing to keep on top of them.
HS - although I've never been on it, we do have a local 'heritage' line that goes through the village where I live and steam trains chug along it twice a week. Reading about you preferring a run without stops and having problems getting going again - I can't help but mention how 'creaky Alan and I are when we finish our tea after playing golf and then struggle to get going again when we stand up. Well done re the forest hill reps session.
JB - I think given the way the book group operates, where various members can suggest books, it's likely I'll end up reading something I wouldn't have chosen and wondering why. I try to keep an eye on suggestions from book programmes on tv and on the radio where books get a wider seal of approval. I see you managed a 5k time trial in a very good time - well done. Just hope your achilles doesn't complain!
Golf didn't go as planned yesterday. We played a local 9 hole course and the first-time round, my driving off the tee was rubbish (I messed up 5 of the first 6 holes) so no surprise that Alan beat me by 14 strokes. I played better the second time round including a par 4 on the 256yd 8th hole. I was supposed to be having a playing lesson today but the golf course phoned me earlier to cancel the lesson due to the rain, so we've re-arranged it for Mon 24th.
My son texted me to say the birthday card I sent him still hasn't arrived - it sounds like it must have got lost in the post. I'd enclosed a cheque for his birthday rather than the 'usual' Amazon voucher so I'll do a bank transfer to him later.