Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Options
New Mature Runners Thread
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
HS, I believe there was something of a folk revival on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 50s and 60s (a bit before my time). Joan Baez had just about the purest voice imaginable and Dylan's Nobel Prize for Literature is a testimony to his genius. Some still have yet to forgive him for 'going electric' perhaps! I loved the singer-songwriters that came along in the late 60s/early 70s - James Taylor, Joni M. (as opposed to Boney M!) and the like. Good run from you in your lovely forest.
Sunday, after watching Lily (now having run the equivalent of a marathon in Junior Parkruns) I went for a 1 hour hilly run. An hour is about my natural limit. However, it was enough to totally wreck me for the rest of the day, so today is a rest day.
I hope you manage to find something that helps you, please let us know how you get on. We all struggle from time to time (some more so than others
HS - I see you got your maintenance man to service your laptop so trust all is now okay. And that you also had to get your car serviced and MOT'd. And then had your roof done - I'm not surprised you're struggling to keep up with everything! I've never come across a wiper motor wearing out either but then these things do happen from time to time. My fitness routine isn't that technical to be honest - I just like having the checklist spreadsheet handy so I don't forget to do some of the exercises. Well done re your recent training (quick 5k; solo 10k; 10ml run with Mon group etc.). I didn't see that programme on Sky Arts - I think the only time I've seen Joan Baez was on the Woodstock film (don't recall ever seeing Julie Felix).
Aquarius - I wasn't surprised to read your GP got cancelled. Sorry to hear you came down with another lurgy courtesy of your granddaughter (or parkrun?). I saw the cross-country coverage and also thought Steve Cram was being a bit daft calling that a 'traditional' cross-country course when there were no obstacles and not a lot of mud. Glad to hear you were able to get out for a run post-cold lurgy and finished it okay with no after-effects. Very strange about your Garmin being iffy when it comes to picking up the satellites. No use to you I know but by contrast, I've sometimes started my Garmin while putting my shoes on in the hall and it's picked the satellites up before I've even stepped outside - sorry!
JB - if it was down to me we'd have a small artificial xmas tree .. but I just do whatever Margaret tells me!
A quiet day today - I'm trying to finish 'ripping' the music into itunes from the last few cd's. Then I'll check my 'missing' spreadsheet to check there aren't any I've missed this time around (there were two boxes of cd's to sort through).
It's book circle tomorrow afternoon when we're discussing "Song Of Songs". I found it banal and tedious and it changed character completely in the 2nd half. I'm quite intrigued to find out why Val (who chose it) considers it her favourite book ever. Perhaps she likes the extremely rude bits in the 2nd half!
I've been out walking a few more times - or should I say, I have done some walk/runs and jogged a bit during my walks. I'm not calling it running as I'm still very slow and I'm taking things very slowly. So I'm walking briskly for two miles to warm up, before breaking into a jog. I've done it four times now and so far so good, my knees aren't complaining. This morning it felt more comfortable jogging than the previous times and I was able to keep going for longer. Given things seem to be looking positive, I'm more inclined now to see about getting that treadmill in my garage fixed.
Welcome to our friendly forum Jim! I can't advise on diet etc. but can advise on leg endurance. I'm 76 and running 5 days a week, averaging 30 miles per week. Long slow distance LSD runs are key for strength and endurance, and hill work which you appear to be doing, to enable you to run strongly up hills in races and hilly terrain. It depends really what your objectives are; if short races like 5k's, then I advise alternating hill reps and interval sessions plus a long slow run. The buddies I train with alternate the hill reps and intervals on Wednesdays and run 5k's most Saturdays. Mondays are longish runs and the other two, easy running. My rest days are Tuesday and Friday's. We tend to race at various distances, but haven't done many due to cancellations for Covid. I hope this will be helpful, but I'm not a Coach, although I have many years of running, racing experience, and have belonged to several clubs over the years. I've been with my current one since 2012.
JB, you are right about Dylan becoming very unpopular when he "went electric!" The first concert they showed with him playing an electric guitar, the crowd booed. I think that from there on his popularity waned. I've got quite a few Janice Joplin, Joni Mitchell and KD Lang CD'S.
Good that Lily is still doing the parkruns, and well done for your 1 hour of hilly roads.
Aquarius, thanks, I'll try not to have such a long absence again. It was only about 6 days, but seemed a lot longer.
I agree with you about Cram's comments on the cross country course. I was only saying to my friends during this mornings run that it was more like an easy parkrun course. It looked to be almost flat, with negligible mud. Our forest runs are far more challenging than that excuse for a cross country course. It was almost embarrassing to tell the truth.
Good to hear that you seem to have recovered from your cold, and ran 4 miles. I really can't understand why your Garmin has problems locating the satellites. It seems like it is faulty, as it shouldn't consistently fail.
This morning we ran 7.7 miles in the forest, including some road on the way there and back.
There is an inaugural parkrun starting on Saturday, and we are intending to give it a try. This will be our first parkrun since the start of the Covid pandemic. We did though, do 70 consecutive Saturday 5k's.
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away oh, oh, oh, oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Talking of which HS. where is your new Parkrun? I've done a few on their first day and it's rather nice. There's a new one opening in Portsmouth quite soon, I've heard. I'm intending to try Southampton on Saturday. It's flat and fast and very popular. We tried once before (pre Satnav) and couldn't find it........so ended up doing the one at Eastleigh. I agree with Aqua - your consistency is amazing and any aspiring runner could learn a lot from you.
Mel, I go through phases of listening to music quite a lot and then not bothering. As I type this I'm listening to Ron Sexsmith - not a big name but a hugely underrated artiste. (I recognise the Talking Heads lyrics.) I was out for lunch today with 2 old mates who are musicians. When they get going I feel like a complete barbarian.
Funny you turning to Economics ('the dismal science'!). I taught Econ from 1978, quite badly. I guess as an adult learner the curriculum will focus on applied Economics rather than the obtuse and arcane micro and macro models. I'd be interested to hear how it's going. Good luck with the last golf game of the year. Hope you finish on a high (note, not score!). Maybe 2022 will see you re-emerge as a runner?
No run from me Monday or Tuesday. A long country walk with the mad puppy yesterday, and another longish walk into town today. Hope to be running tomorrow. I'd like to keep up what's been a really good year for me*. Birthday on 27th means I go into 2022 with a more 'forgiving' age grade. (Thanks, Saucony!)
*I want to hang onto my current top spot on an age graded running league I'm in with fellow Brighton supporters. My main rival is less than 0.5% short of my Season's Best and has 2 more opportunities this year to edge past me.
When I got this new laptop, I noticed that Andy hadn't transferred my i tunes. I had the majority of my CD's burned onto it, so thankfully I hadn't donated them to Oxfam. I'm not bothering to reinstate etc as I no longer have an i pod shuffle, and don't run with music any more.
Aquarius, I wear my Garmin Forerunner 645 music all the time, except at night. I very seldom power it off. It picks up a signal as soon as I go out of the door. I had to leave an earlier model outside for a couple of minutes, so that it had connected by the time I went out.
I think the inaugural parkrun will be a bit nearer to home, but not much. I think some of the course is on a cycle track, so doesn't sound too inspiring. Might be a fast one though. It does go over a narrow bridge, which might cause some bunching.
You do have "a lot on your plate!" Sounds very tiring to me.
JB, the new parkrun is in Bartley Park which is in Totton, I believe. I've never run in the Southampton parkrun, but it is a fast course. I'm put off by the very large number of runners, in excess of 1000.
I hope you hold on to the top spot on the age graded league.
Today was 5.12 miles in the forest, which included 6 hill reps. starting each at a steady pace and increasing, and then sprinting about 50 metres on the flat, at the top.
I entered the Salisbury 10 mile road race today, which will be in April. Plenty of time to train for it.
I did my 'interval sandwich' session today: 1k/10 x 250 metres/1k. The idea is that they are all run at pretty much top pace, ideally under 4 minute per km pace. By the time I get to the final 1k, this is a very optimistic hope and is never delivered. But what surprises me is that the first km, when I'm fresh as a daisy and pretty much flat-out, is usually around 4.05. This is just about the same as my first km in a 5k race and this doesn't feel to be too fast in that context. I can only conclude that the adrenaline must be pumping through my system in a race.
In the middle of this session a group of mature women runners rocked up and started warming up. I got some funny looks and at one point, after doing interval number 8, and hunched over trying to get in some oxygen mainly because I cut my 'rest period' to 30 seconds), one of them said 'why don't you try some high knee drills?' I didn't have the energy to vocalise much of a response, but I think she meant well and was the coach of the group.
Anyway, it was good to see runners using the prom.
(PS HS - you are right: apparently Southampton is second only to Bushy Park in terms of numbers.)
Aquarius - always a good idea to RTFM (read the flipping manual). Interesting that the Garmin needs to be sync'd with Garmin Connect regularly to pick up the satellites. As they're in geo-synchronous orbits, I didn't think they would change position? But if that does the trick, who are we to argue. Hopefully it won't give you any problems next time you use it. The book group went well - one lady was absent because she's flown to Tenerife for a month's stay with one of her sons. Val said she liked the book because of the way the nursing the narrator of the book does during the war is described and the way life is portrayed for the family. She also likes the love story aspect of the book - but admitted there's an awful lot of sex. The rest of us said we found the change of 'tone' of the book when the sex starts a bit strange but one lady (Rose) said despite that, she couldn't put it down (the rest of weren't as keen). I did need my xmas cards as some of the others had come with theirs. The dentist trip wasn't that quick as it took 30mins or so to do the filling - but thankfully, it was painless thanks to the injection beforehand. I'm sure you're right about getting the treadmill fixed - and every time I see the exercise bike in the conservatory I tell myself I ought to use that. I have to say - if Garmin were advertising the fact some of their devices (including yours) were having problems locating satellites but still happy to sell them, I'd be writing to complain to see if I could get a replacement or compensation (as in goods have to be of merchantable quality so I'd imaging 'known' faults come under that heading). Good luck with your planned run on Thu and your physio trip .. and yes, I can imagine your granddaughter had to consider very seriously where to hang decorations on the tree having been given such an important task
JB - as mentioned below, the leader of the economics group is trying to pass on his knowledge and getting the group to discuss their ideas (and presumably putting them right!). Today's discussion was about the UK's low productivity compared to other countries and what might be done to improve things. Good luck with your planned run.
HS - as you may recall I've never run with music. I got out of the habit of listening until recently but when I was driving to and from Bristol for work, my ipod classic was often playing music as I drove. We've recently taken to listening to music on the ipod while we eat our dinner - and in deference to Margaret's tastes, I find something classical.
The u3a economics group was much as I expected, given it's quite a 'dry' subject. It takes the form of an intro from the leader (his job was as an economist before retirement) followed by a discussion. I knew most of the people on the zoom call from other groups!
My knees have been grumbling a bit today as I've gone up and down the stairs. I'm ignoring them but it may be a warning sign I'm trying to jog too far too soon - or possibly that my running (jogging) days are over. We'll see ..
I'm currently doing some 'housework' and de-cluttering on my laptop. The external drive has almost filled up so I've been reviewing my backups and as I suspected, there's a certain amount of duplication going on. I've been reviewing exactly what has been backed up and where and am now in the process of streamlining the backups and deleting the unnecessary, duplicate, backup files to free up some space. A bit fiddly to get to grips with - but much needed so that the external drive doesn't fill up completely.
a) your lecturer is pretty hopeless (I'm sure he isn't) and
b) if you arrive late for the session (I'm sure you wouldn't) and
c) if you fall asleep for 90% of the lesson (see above)
then you'd still know more about the subject than the Prime Minister of the UK.
Seriously, hope you enjoy the sessions. The first topic sounds interesting and important.
Watch those knees. Might be worth leaping on that exercise bike?
Managed a 1 hour hilly run today with my younger (and much, much faster theses days) training partner. He's now a sub 18 min 5k competitor so I warned him that this would be a very slow run - and that's by my standards, not his. So this was a run to deliver a couple of (quite) local Xmas cards. An ex-colleague has recently moved to the highest point in our town (AKA nob hill!), so dropping off the card gave me an excuse for a hill run. (OK, yes - and saved a stamp!
The rate of transmission on Omicron makes me wonder if organised running events might be scrapped soon rather than later. How quickly (and for the worse) things can change.
I'll be eagerly awaiting the outcome of the N. Shropshire by-election tonight......
JB - the ex-economist seems able enough .. just not sure about the other 'old farts' in the group (one of whom seems inordinately fond of his own voice and will insist on butting in with his opinion). Don't worry - I'll be taking it easy especially as the knees have been grumbling a bit - I'm resigned to the fact I may not be able to get back to running like I was hoping to, so I'll dial back on the jog sections a bit and see how things go. If not, I'll definitely need to give that exercise bike a go. Well done re today's hilly run and multi-tasking by delivering xmas cards too. I'll also be interested in hearing the result of the by-election tomorrow (I won't be staying up). The best result would be a defeat for the Tories and then they might finally wake up and rid us of the clown in charge. Unfortunately, the replacement might be worse - but hopefully not.
We went out to Croome Court (NT) and did a 3ml walk around the grounds. Quite quiet - and surprisingly mild considering the time of year. We had a coffee and cheese & onion pasty after our walk and were able to sit outside with our coats off without feeling cold.
Aquarius - I won't be needing any new running shoes just yet. I've bought Saucony for many years so I hope they resolve any issues with them and deliveries are back to normal by the time my current ones wear out. I always used to be able to run faster in races - I used to 'latch on' to someone in front and try to haul myself alongside them then pick my next 'victim' up ahead. Glad to hear your Garmin 'appears' to be resolved. I've not been out doing any fast-walk/jog sessions for a few days. My knees are no worse so I'll try a bit of jogging again when I do go out and will see what happens. It was lovely at Croome Court (NT) yesterday and the cheese & onion pasties were just as hot as before - so we had to bite into them carefully and slowly!
Brilliant result in the N Shropshire by-election - now will the Tory MP's get rid of this clown PM? (you'd hope so as they must be worried now about their own election chances).
No golf today. I cancelled it because I didn't feel 100% when I got up. It just felt like I had a cold coming on. We're going to test ourselves for covid - Margaret went out earlier but they didn't have any and told her to pop back this afternoon by when they should have had a delivery. So she's just headed off again. It's u3a coffee and chat on Mon but I've just told them on the Whatsapp group I won't be going to that either just to be on the safe side.
I've worked out why my external drive was filling up. The 'Pictures' folder on my external drive was 200GB larger than on my laptop. The culprit is the backup software which detects new files and copies them to the external drive - but if I subsequently delete them from the laptop or move them somewhere else, the original files stay on the external drive. Every time I downloaded some GoPro footage (sometimes gigabytes of data), they were being copied to the external drive and there they stayed. At least now I know which folder to concentrate on and delete any duplicate or unwanted files I come across as I'm sure some I've got rid off and others I've removed once I've put together an edited video from the original files.
Margaret told me a couple of days ago she'd ordered a xmas tree. I thought she meant from the local greengrocer. It turns out she ordered a 'mini' xmas tree with roots from Bloom & Wild and it arrived yesterday. It's just over a foot high and comes complete with mini lights and mini decorations. And as it has a root, we'll be able to put it in the garden and use it again next year. Obviously it will eventually become much bigger but as far as I'm concerned, for now this is a much better solution instead of struggling to fit the usual 5-6' tree into the house.
JB, yes, I have reported on the Salisbury 10 mile before and also the Salisbury 54321 and Salisbury Race for Men. I can't remember the name of my nemesis, but would recognise him if he was running. I might have another rival now, as another member of my club will be 75 in January, so joining the 75+ age category. He hasn't entered the Salisbury 10 yet, so I'm hoping he won't.
That sandwich interval session sounds very interesting, and almost impossible, I would think, to do each k at the same pace. I had to laugh at the thought of the mature woman suggesting that you do a high knees drill during a recovery period🤣
Always good to run with a faster runner, as that does help to make you run quicker to keep up with them.
I was also wondering whether races, including parkruns would start to be cancelled again.
WtnMel, yes I do remember you saying that you never ran with music. I did use to find it helpful during long solo runs, but never give it a thought nowadays. I do like to listen to my CD's when driving though.
Good that your visit to the dentist for a filling went ok.
Take care of those knees, they do sound a bit iffy for jogging or running. Perhaps continue walking for a while longer, and see how it goes.
Your decluttering of your laptop, sounds as exciting as my shredding of old documents. I had a session of that yesterday afternoon, and still have loads to do.
Another nice walk for you and Margaret, ending with another coffee and cheese and onion pasty.
Aquarius, I was delighted with the result of the N Shropshire by-election. Dozy Doris's bubble has finally burst!
Neither Sarah has entered the Salisbury 10 mile yet, and so far, only 12 of us from the club have. Entries opened on 15th December, and it is almost full up already.
I'm not sure whether or not to do the parkrun tomorrow, due to the rapid spread of the new virus. It's a bit of the unknown, inaugural runs can have very large numbers, or very few.
Good to hear that the Garmin connection problem seems to have been sorted out. Those 4 hill circuits sound good. They will certainly help your stamina.
Your physio sessions appear to be producing results. I hope you locate your medal and voucher the next time you visit on a club night.
I think I have athletes foot, between my little toe and the next one, on my left foot. I got some crème from the chemist on Wednesday, which I have to apply twice a day for 7 days, and if not cleared up, to go back.
I had a haircut yesterday, and got a rapid flow test kit from a different chemist, as my local one was out of stock. That's two successive days that I haven't run, which is unusual. I will run tomorrow, but still unsure whether it will be the parkrun.
First things first .. my covid test was negative. I didn't feel any symptoms and I must have imagined the cold I thought I was getting as I'm feeling fine today. But I figured testing myself was the safest thing to do as I'm seeing both my sons next week and staying over for a couple of nights. I will also test myself again next week once I'm back home in case either of them is carrying the virus but is unaware.
HS - I felt my knees again as I went up and down stairs earlier on. As I mentioned, I'll try a tentative bit of jogging next time I'm out walking and see what happens. Don't remind me of shredding - last time I managed to get to the bottom of it I told myself I wouldn't let it build up again. Guess who's cardboard box the reams of paper come in, is almost full again? I occasionally get athletes foot and it's normally between the little toe and next one just like you. I have my Scholl (spray,powder) and Mycil (cream,powder) in the bathroom cupboard for when I need it and it usually clears up in a few days. Last time I got athletes foot it was because my feet got wet playing golf.
I'll be phoning my older son later to arrange when I'm coming over. With his brother staying for a few days, he may appreciate me going over earlier on Mon to get some extra food in and us going in the car as opposed to him having to walk to the shop like he usually does. My younger son arrives from Leeds on Mon afternoon and my plan is to stay there on Mon & Tue night. We're having a zoom call with my Mum on Tue morning and we'll catch-up on Tue afternoon. On the Wed, my younger son is planning to see one of his old school-friends and I plan to come home on Wed as he's heading back to Leeds on the Thu morning.
Mel, totally agree with your (and Aqua's) reaction to the by-election. I actually punched the air when I heard it. If it had gone the other way, I'd have punched the wall! I'm also a fan of small Xmas trees which can be re-planted. I note your family logistics and hope they are go well. We are spending Xmas day on our own for the first time in years, although we will have my son's dog for company. But this assumes that he and his family can get to Poland - and nothing can be assumed in these troubled times. And they might GET to Poland but will they get back?
HS, never had athlete's foot; it's missing from my list of ailments. It can stay that way too.
Blimey , you are Mr Consistency: hardly ever gone 2 successive days without a run. Are you Ron Hill in disguise? I like your attitude to your potential rival. There are one or 2 guys in my area who, when I see them warming up, cause my heart to sink. Funnily enough my son just beat one of them today, so at least one 'Bateman' has beaten him.
There are some very good runners in your part of the world..........
I was down in Southampton where it has the reputation of being a flatish, fast course with a field of both quality and quantity. (Quite a few of HS's club's members appear to have done it.) Today's winner did it in 15.00 dead! My previous trips over the border to Hants haven't been that successful so I was a bit apprehensive. A big field (565) but not as enormous as I expected. This still meant that even with the wider, smooth paths there was a little bit of congestion and I went off at 4.20 for kms 1&2 which was slower than I'd wanted. A hill also rather surprised me.
A fellow oldish runner shadowed me for a while and then overtook me and this provided the stimulus I needed and (for me) it became a simply head-to-head: I'd come for a 65-69 category win! So the last 3 laps were considerably faster and I finished in 21.03, a couple of seconds in front of my 'rival'. It turned out that he was a 60-64 and won that category.
Thus for me wins in the 60+ and 65+ categories and a WAVA of 80.44%, the 5th best of the day.
Mrs JB was happy with her 35.03 too.
Really pleased with this. (Revenge over the runners of Hampshire? Well some of them.) One more Parkrun of the year and - touch wood - I should be in shape to have a crack at my SB on Xmas day. Nothing like setting yourself up for a failure, eh?
Looking forward to others' race reports.
WtnMel, good news that your covid test proved negative. The latest news is that day before tests will no longer be sufficient, and that they should be on the actual day. That is apparently due to the rapid spread.
A good idea to see how it goes next time you go walking, whether or not to try jogging again.
Shredding is a right nightmare, as it is never ending. The blades have to be cleared after every few sheets, as they quickly become clogged. That's why progress is so slow.
That's a good idea to have cream/powder in the bathroom, in case athletes foot problems return.
You will definitely need a lot of testing next week by yourself and two sons as they will be staying over. It's looking very much as if there will be a 2 week lock down in the New Year.
I decided against doing the inaugural parkrun, but regret it in one way. There have been lots of posts on Strava with data and pictures, and it seems to have been very successful. Sarah F ran it in a good time, but hasn't done a write up yet. I did a solo road run in 28.05, a WAVA of 68.69%. Not bad, but nearly 2 minutes slower than last week when I ran it with Sarah F and Mike. It is definitely slower running solo than with competition.
It's good to see that Dozy Doris is reeling on the ropes now, and it is just a matter of time before the sucker punch goes in. The sooner the better, as we need a competent Captain at the helm. Or to quote Startrek, "Captain on the bridge!"
JB - I think I'd have been banging my head against the wall if the Tory had got in in N Shropshire thanks to stupid, lifelong-Tory voters .. they seem to have finally woken up and removed their rose-tinted glasses. With me seeing my lads next week and Margaret's family visiting on Thu next week, we'll be spending xmas on our own .. which (whisper) we actually prefer. I see you mentioned your son getting to Poland and then whether he'll get back. Hope his plans do work out okay. Blimey - that parkrun winner was fast wasn't he? Well done for your own exploits and beating that 'rival'.
HS - I did promise myself I would shred as I went along last time I got to the bottom of the pile but needless to say, it didn't happen - ho-hum. I don't actually blame you missing the parkrun, even if you did have second thoughts. I read in the paper that Doris may be left in place .. for now .. but if the local elections in May are a disaster, that's when he'll be liable to be ousted. However, I have my doubts the MP's will be able (or want) to wait that long.
After lying in bed for a bit after the alarm went off, I did drag myself out eventually and did a 3.4ml walk/jog. I walked 1ml, walked/jogged 2mls then walked the rest. There were several other joggers out (all ladies) and for a change there were cheery "good morning's" from all of them, despite it being cold and foggy. It was good to find out that when I was jogging I was keeping up with one lady who had passed me while walking and who is presumably a regular runner. The knees appear to be okay post jog so fingers crossed they stay that way.
As you may recall, I enjoy replying to people on Twitter with high opinions of themselves. Frog-face Farage is an obvious target - I often reply telling him no-one gives a f**k about his opinion and that he has a over-inflated sense of his own self-importance. But there's a woman called Julia Hartley-Brewer who works for Murdoch and tweets an incessant stream of garbage and whinges about everything. She's an anti-lockdown advocate and tweeted a picture of a beach saying "I guess this will have to do" - I replied asking if she's one of these narcissists who can't bear not to be the centre of attention - and told her to try and actually have a holiday and to go back to sunning her tits. Yes - I don't like her at all!
Mel, I've seen that Brewer woman on various TV shows and she's utterly dreadful. Every pore drips with 'entitlement'. I've never taken to the Twittersphere to tell various obnoxious people such as Farage what I think of them; I tend to just sit and fume! I do get a bit wound up by the pro- Conservative tabloids. We get the Daily Mail for our elderly neighbours and give it a quick read. It is full of bile; I can't speak lowly enough of it!
Well done for getting the legs working. Keep it up - and you'll be picking off joggers by the New Year.
The guy who won the Soton parkrun ran the 7th fastest parkrun in the country yesterday! He was, as they say, different class.
Back on planet Old git, I had a miserable 8k today in freezing, dank, foggy conditions. I didn't enjoy a single step!
Well, we've posted/hand delivered all the cards, bought and wrapped all the presents and can now sit back and feel..............bored! Actually I've still not sourced a pressie for Mrs JB, but what can you get the woman who has everything? (Old gag: penicillin.)
PS on Parkrun, my training partner went to Canterbury yesterday hunting for a victory. He did it! Really pleased for him: he's physically transformed himself.
JB - I go on Twitter when I've nothing better to do like when cooking Sun roast .. and I do enjoy taking the p**s out of Messrs Farage, Brewer, Rees-Mogg, Truss, Johnson etc. That bloke was 7th fastest in the country was he? Just as long as he remembers parkrun isn't competitive
My younger son's plans have gone kaput and he won't now be coming down to see us for a few days. He's with his Mum at present and she took him to a family get-together on Sat. One of his cousin's didn't let on until afterwards that she's been in contact with someone who has tested positive for covid - so now the whole family could potentially have caught it. We agreed it's not a good idea for him to come down and see us if there's the possibility he may develop covid himself. I checked and he's not due to be going home until 27th Dec. Just as well I checked as I was getting ready to post his presents to him - now I'll wait and post them after xmas.
I mentioned Liz Truss and I chuckled when I saw she's been given responsibility for Brexit negotiations (you know .. the Brexit that's already been done if you believe Doris). I saw Truss's tweet proudly announcing her being given that job and she was looking forward to dealing with the problems surrounding the NI Protocol and I said .. "Cue the Mission Impossible music - good luck dealing with that impossible problem Liz". There were lots of other's taking the rise out of her, mentioning she was a Remainer until she realise there were career opportunities by pretending to back Leave. Some also posted clips of her interviews with Eddie Mair and Andrew Neil where she looks like a startled rabbit caught in headlights when she couldn't answer their fairly simple and reasonable questions.
I imagine both you and your son are closely monitoring the situation regarding any change in Covid restrictions which could impact on his trip to Poland. Life is very complicated these days isn’t it, I wonder if we’ll ever get back to some form of normality. Well done to your son for beating that speedy runner (was it at parkrun?) and likewise well done to you for such a marvellous result in your parkrun. The icing on the cake no doubt was winning your battle with your (younger) rival, plus an amazing WAVA. A good time for Mrs JB too, so all in all a successful outing for the Bateman clan. Sorry to hear today’s run wasn’t as enjoyable, but at least you got out and did it. Fingers crossed for you achieving a season’s best on Christmas Day!
JB, I've never had athletes foot before, and don't want to get it again!
The Southampton parkrun is very popular with our club runners, but I have never done it. You were lucky that there were only 565 runners, as pre covid it was always in excess of 1000. Well done for being first in the 60+ and 65+ categories, and another 80+WAVA. Good luck for your Christmas Day attempt on a SB.
I agree with your comments on the Daily Wail! Dreadful paper! Do you have the name of the runner that finished first in the Southampton parkrun?
Well done to your training partner on his first place in the Canterbury parkrun.
WtnMel, the paperwork needing shredding is endless. I've got so many folders with "useful" documents that might be needed some time. I think we all know the scenario, as soon as we get rid of something, it's only a mater of time before we regret it!
I think Doris is on his last legs now. If he authorises a lock down before Christmas, the demands for him to stand down will begin flooding in.
Good that your knees are holding out now. Let's hope that the good progress continues.
I've never been on twitter, but I remember you saying how often you tweeted Donald Grump.
Covid is spoiling everyone's Christmas plans. As it happens, I wasn't going to my daughter's, as she is working all day Christmas and Boxing Day, but in January, when she has some time off. Looks like that is going to be a non starter now too, as a lock down is almost certain in January, if not before.
I remember Truss being an ardent "remainder," until it suited her political ambitions to change tack. I also believe that deep at heart, Doris was/is secretly a "remainder!"
Tory's never answer questions, probably because they don't know the answers. Doris at PM's Question Time is a prime example. He is the master of waffle, huffing and puffing. He compares himself to Churchill, big joke, he's a midget in comparison.
Yesterday was a solo 7.77 miles in the forest, and today was the Monday Runners Group run, and we ran 8 miles. It is Jane's birthday tomorrow, so we made it a pre birthday run, with Prosecco, home made cheese straws and mince pies afterwards. I'll try to post a photo on another post.
HS, packing in some good runs and a bottle of fizz. Great combo! The superstar at Soton was William Boutwood. Looking at his Power of Ten link it seems he doesn't race much - but when he does, he's pretty rapid! There were quite of a lot runners from the Lordshill club and Southampton AC. I daresay that these are two clubs that you've competed against rather a lot over the years. (I remember when the latter was called Team Solent and ha some superstars.)
Re Xmas, I note the logistical challenges of others, especially when there's Covid in or around the family. It's just a case of living with the motto of preparing for the unexpected these days, isn't it? We went over for our 'Xmas day' with my son and family before they fly out to Poland on Wednesday. They are checking various websites by the hour in case regulations change at either end. We pick up their little dog tomorrow - I'm quite excited. We've got the other grandchildren today who seem even more excited: they are still at the believing in Father Christmas stage (a bit worrying as one is 19 and the other 23).
I'm not sure I'll get in a run today as my inner wimp tends to take over as the temperature drops. (TBH he's never far from the surface regardless of the temperature.)
Bottle of mulled wine on standby tonight to get us into the Xmas spirit..............
I thought that I was going crazy. I remembered the spammers post and Aquarius's post crossing with mine, but when I logged in they seemed to have vanished, and I was replying to earlier posts that I had already replied to. I checked my mobile and the "missing posts" were there. After a bit of head scratching, I realised that the laptop had logged me onto the previous page! What a waste of time. I'll try and pick up the threads now.
Aquarius, Christmas arrangements are getting really complicated now, with our populist PM, dithering, unable to make any decisions. He will wait until it is too late, the same as all his other decisions. I wasn't going to my daughter's for Christmas, as she will be working all day, Christmas and Boxing Day. I was, therefore, going to see her in January. That will now be unlikely, as Doris, far too late, will probably introduce a lockdown after Christmas.
Sarah F went by herself to the Bartley Park Inaugural parkrun, and said she enjoyed it, as there were only 171runners. She is doing it again on Christmas Day, but I'm undecided. I'm really concerned at the rapid spread of the new virus, at at 76 years of age, am very vulnerable.
I'm a bit worried about my athletes foot, if that's what it is. The pharmacist who dispensed the cream said to come back if it hadn't cleared up in 7 days. It's much better, but not completely. I think the chemist has a room where they can do inspections, so I might go tomorrow, to see what they say.
Good that Steve managed the parkrun, without a short walk break. Good luck with the Boxing Day race. I hope the conditions are favourable.
JB, I've never heard of the Southampton "super star" I imagine that he is a youngish runner. I've run against both of the clubs you mentioned, and have probably said sometime, that I was once a Team Solent Runner, and at the same time as Chris Akabussi and Roger Black.
I had to laugh at your grandchildren at the age of 19 and 23, still believing in Father Christmas.😀🎅
Today is a rest day, and tomorrow will be speed work.
So you were one of the Team Solent stars! Seriously it must be inspirational running alongside (or even changing alongside!) world class athletes.
I did get out and did a kind of fartlek/hill repeats/intervals session. I was in the cemetery (not the one near Aqua's possible new house) and I kept having to relocate so as not to annoy 'pukka' visitors. Managed 5k in all which is just about my optimum for this sort of session.
Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case may be, I never ran on the track at the same time as the elites.
Must be tricky , trying not to annoy genuine visitors to the cemetery. By sheer coincidence, I've just received a text from my sister advising that she had just visited our parents grave, and done some tidying up.
Did you have fun with your grandchildren yesterday? If they are anything like ours they will be a tad excitable at the moment. I hope when you swap their company for your son's dog things will be a bit more peaceful - I take it the Poland trip is still on for today?
I think mulled wine is a Marmite thing, in that you either love it or hate it. I'm still gamely trying to love it (or even like it) but the ones I've tried so far just make me think "there's another good bottle of wine spoiled". I hope you enjoyed yours however.
HS: It will be a great shame if you can't get to your daughter's in the New Year. It seems that all the people who obey the rules and make sacrifices are the ones who miss out the most, while others do whatever they want without a thought to the wider society and the consequences of their actions. You are wise to be cautious about taking part in organised events at the moment, it's much better to be safe than sorry. I'm not a risk taker myself, and it's taken us some time to get back to parkrun, but even now we have we're still not completely comfortable about mixing with so many other people, even though it is outdoors. How is your foot? Did you see the pharmacist about it? I hope you had better weather for your speed work today than we've got. It's frosty, misty and cold here.
Belated birthday greetings to Jane, I love the way you and your friends celebrate birthdays with fizz and nibbles.
Another 5 mile run for me this morning, I definitely wasn't in the mood due to the weather, but I meandered around until I'd done the distance. I didn't do the same route at Monday's 5 miler as I know from experience it can be a bit tricky when it's frosty. I forgot to mention that on Monday I took a couple of detours to explore some tracks leading off the main Derwent Walk route. They were both downhill and very muddy so I ended up walking, but after a few yards of skidding and slipping I decided it would be better to try again when things had dried up a bit.
The house viewing was a disappointment, another case of a house that needed stripping back to the bricks, rewiring, replastering, floors levelled up, new central heating and boiler, new bathroom, new kitchen, etc etc...