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WtnMel, I'm glad to hear that Columba is still walking and running, and that you are still in touch with Redhead.
Good that your blood sample giving went without a hitch! I was also a blood donor for many years, and I believe that I have said previously that a nurse once said that "I was a slow bleeder!"
That talk by the U3A Group sounds like it could be very interesting.
Best of luck with the disposal of your treadmill. I think though, that you will end up dismantling it, and taking it to the recycling centre.
Aquarius, I also have problems opening some jars, even though I don't have arthritis. The method I use, is one told to me by an Uncle many years ago. It is to hit the lid with the back of a shoe brush, in an anti clockwise direction. This makes it easier to unscrew them.
Sorry to hear that your new optician is not as competent as the previous one, and I think that you are right to seek another one. I'm lucky with mine, as when the regular optician retired, the replacement was a much younger man, and also a runner. He is also more efficient in my opinion, as the previous one was probably a bit set in his ways.
It is sad that so many posters have left us, with some posting once, and never seen again. I remember the starter of the original thread, JJ I think, who just left one day without any notice. Another sad loss is RuuningFox who was in his eighties and unfortunately died. He had an amazing running background, and I enjoyed reading his very interesting blog.
Sorry to hear about your sore legs, but it does show the necessity for regular stretching. Good luck with Saturdays x country race. Sounds like you will need to wear your trail shoes. Well done for Tuesdays 5k. WAVA's are really important to us veteran runners, and frequently register that age related, we are quicker than our younger runners.
JB, good to hear that your knee is now feeling better, and I hope that it doesn't let you down on Saturday. Very impressive your position in your age and weight categories for rowing.
My previous visit to my optician was 2 years ago, and my next appointment is in a couple of weeks time. The total charge was £322.31, but with discounts was £255.85.
I watched the first 2 minutes of The Apprentice, and then turned over to the BBC News Channel. I used to watch it every year, but the format is repetitious and stale, and it is time that it was binned. The same with I'm a Celebrity.
I ran a solo hilly road 10 miles yesterday on heavy legs, after Wednesdays hill session. It is only a month now, until the Salisbury 10 miles, so I wanted to run whilst not on fresh legs. Probably doesn't make sense, but that's me.
I've had a firm price for a replacement garage window, which I've accepted. Its needed replacement for many years, as the wooden frame had rotted. I did get quotes a few years ago which I declined, as I thought they were much too expensive. The current price is no higher than any of those years ago, so really is very good value.
A rest day from running today, except for walking back from the supermarket with 2 heavy bags of shopping in each hand. I can now officially classify this as cross training, as I saw in RW magazine, it is called the "Farmers Walk," but with weights, not shopping🤣
Aquarius - I don't know what they're checking for with my blood test. Maybe just a 'general' test to look for anything out of the ordinary? I don't suffer from any arthritis or rheumatism symptoms so I'd be surprised if they found anything that hinted at that. It's more likely they'll find higher than normal cholesterol if anything. I don't blame you for giving the 'new' opticians the cold shoulder. We're lucky to have a tried and trusted pair of opticians in the village who do take care with what they recommend and sell you to make sure it's suitable. I also wonder about the people who used to post and why they drifted away. At one point, a thread I used to post on before this one began losing people. I eventually found them on a totally separate thread! They had moved away en masse because they didn't like someone who had joined who seemed more interested in telling everyone about herself without bothering to respond to other people's news. But given they had moved away but didn't bother to tell me where they were going, when I found them I told them what I thought of them and basically told them to go **** themselves. I suspect you're right about the sore legs being due to too much running and not enough stretching. Our last visit to Alnwick was when we were 'oop north' for the NESD and we made a holiday of it and visited the gardens - though I suspect you'll be nowhere near the formal gardens themselves? Well done for coming 11th at the recent GP run.
JB - glad to hear the knee is a lot better. Well done re that position in the world rankings - sshhh about there only being 104 others behind you. I think I'm also out of touch when it comes to what things cost. For instance, the only price I've seen for the running belt for my treadmill was close to £100 (but no mention of the labour cost of fitting it.) I'm not planning to spend that much on something I'm not planning to use which is why I'll be going the Freecycle route. And yes, mine does weigh a ton (not literally of course - but I'd have never got it where it is currently without the wheels to move it with). I just don't 'get' The Apprentice. Watching self-obsessed idiots showing how useless - and then afterwards how vindictive they can be to each other in the boardroom - just doesn't appeal at all.
HS - I left a comment on Strava for Sally letting her know we also thought what a gentleman you were for walking back with her when she hurt her leg.
The U3A Science & Technology meeting was good - the guy presenting used to do astronomical research for the ESA. Though the subject being dark matter (and touching on dark energy too) the answer to most of the questions afterwards was "We simply don't know at the moment".
I've been for a tentative 'recovery' walk this morning - just 0.75mls to stretch my legs and test out my left foot. Although I'm still not walking very fast and it doesn't feel quite 'normal', I got round okay and so far (fingers crossed) no after-effects.
*I'm currently available, please book through my agent!
HS, that 10 miler sounded tough, However with your experience, I guess you have all the correct prep for your upcoming Salisbury race. Any rivals to look out for?? Good news about the window replacement costs.
Funnily enough I follow a guy on You Tube who does a lot of cross fit type stuff including the 'farmers' walk'. He carries 24kg in each hand - which would be an awful lot of shopping!
Parkrun today: cold and with a bit of a cross wind. Mrs JB did an SB and I shaved 2 seconds off my time last week to get a 20.38 and an all time PB WAVA of 82.79%. I'm not sure if this was despite not training much this week or because of it. Either way, I'm happy to take it! Knee seems OK...........
JB - it is nice to not be hobbling about in pain like I was a week or two ago. I wasn't aware of the disused station at Alnwick that's now a bookshop. Our U3A doesn't get high-calibre speakers every time - it's often just one of the members telling the rest of us what they've found out about something (like me with my "5G" presentation). Having said that, next month it's a talk on intelligence gathering and spying by an ex-employee of GCHQ (which is on the outskirts of Cheltenham). Well done re your PB and Mrs JB's SB at parkrun today. And glad to hear the knee is bahving itself.
I've been for another 'recovery' walk this morning and my left foot felt 'almost normal'. I went a bit further today - still only 1.2mls - but I noticed when I logged it on Fetch and Strava, the pace was a little quicker than yesterday
I jogged up to do a bit of spectating today and cheer my young friend who was competing in a very tough x-country HM. This is a combined HM/full marathon event and as I ran up towards the I went past a stream of a marathon runners who were approaching the 12 mile marker. They all looked very fresh, remarkably so, I thought. I also thought that here were 'real runners' - not a 5k flat track competitor like me. It just made me think (rethink) about whether I might move up to longer distances. My friend looked very good with 2 miles to go in the HM and I think should easily break the 2 hour barrier.
WtnMel, I got a bit peeved when back in the past, one off posters would ask for advice, and after we had spent time and effort to help, they didn't have the decency to even say thanks.
Thanks for your post on Strava to Sally. I see that she replied. It's nice to be appreciated!
Glad that you thought the meeting about dark matter was good.
Good that you have now had 2 recovery walks, and that your pace is getting quicker.
JB, that 10 miler was tough, but I want to get used to running on tired legs. I can't remember the names of any possible rivals, but I will be pleased if I come in the top 5 of the 70+ category.
Another rep from the window company called yesterday to double check the measurements for the replacement garage window. He advised that it would probably be about 4 weeks before they could fit it, as they were very busy after the wind damage to so many properties.
Very well done to you and Mrs JB in Saturdays parkrun. Congratulations for your all time WAVA PB. The club training appears to be showing dividends. Good that your knee seemed to be ok.
Good to see that you might be considering trying longer distances. I still remember all those years ago when you outsprinted me in that 10 miler!
Yesterday was a very good interval session with Sarah F and Mike. It was 3 sets of 4 x 400 metres with 60 second recoveries, and 2 minutes recoveries between sets. The very last 400 metres in the third set was the quickest, and also into the wind. It was 1.56, 7.50 minute miling. I have loaded all our interval sessions onto my Garmin, which takes all the guess work out of it.
Today was a solo, hilly, windy road 10k, and I worked hard on the uphills and downhills.
On your window replacement delay, I suspect that all decent tradesman (and some not so decent ones too!) have got a backlog of work. Goodness knows when our fence will be done - although there's no panic.
Running your quickest set into the wind is very encouraging.
I was a bit down this morning so went for a 'punishment run' - 11 times up and down a very steep path. Some positives:
- a nice lady said I was 'amazing'
- the sun came out
- Mrs JB mowed the lawn (nice surprise)
- 'our' hedgehog made his first appearance of the year!
Now off to walk the pup over the Downs, hoping that the sun keeps shining!
It's a local company that will be doing the new window, and they have been trading for many years. In fact the first man that came round, was one of those that fitted the bungalow with double glazed windows and door.
My gardener also does fencing, so he said that on his next visit, probably Wednesday, or the following week, he will take a look. The fencing isn't down, but bowed in the middle. Probably just needs propping up.
Amazing all the positives from your hill reps, you will have to do them more often 😀
Enjoy the walk with the 🐶
See below for the latest update re the foot/ankle ..
JB - a x-country HM sounds like hard work. I struggled to do a road one (Bath HM) and 3 miles in, as the elite runners ran past having already covered the 1st loop and were already at the 9ml point, it made me realise what 'real' runners are capable of. I used to find it amusing that anyone of a similar vintage to me would describe me running very slowly as amazing. Whether they'll find my fast walkiing similarly inspiring remains to be seen ..
HS - because of those 'one-off' posters we've had in the past, I always treat newbies with a bit of caution in case they do the same thing. You deserved your appreciation - you may recall some years ago I hurt my ankle at a club night and as I (very obviously!) limped back to my car, not a single member stopped to check how I was. Unsurprisingly, I left that club not long afterwards. I can imagine the window companies are busy after the recent storms - I was surprised the fence guy we've asked to do the work was able to fit us in this week. Well done re your intervals session and the run with Sarah F.
Not a fence - and I may have already mentioned this? Margaret and I have decided to move our whirligig washing line to the end of the garden where it gets more sun. So I've got to find a suitable base to put the line into and then I'll dig a small(ish) hole and concrete it in place. Then it shouldn't start leaning to one side which the current arrangement (a spike you whack into the ground) has done.
I've been to see my physio Isobel today - I was happy I'm almost back to normal and she was too. She said she doesn't need to see me again unless there's any re-occurrence or relapse. She said to keep up the foot/ankle exercises (I will be), gradually re-introduce the strengthening and stretching exercises I'd been doing (I will) and to build up my walking distance gradually too. And to stick to walking and not be tempted to try running again! As I mentioned, I'll substitute the running with fast walking, the exercise bike or more regular swimming. So - as you can imagine, I'm pleased with how things have gone and the last three weeks of hobbling and hopping around seems like a bad dream now.
I've not been for any further walks for a few days but hopefully will be back at it tomorrow morning. Then in the afternoon, it will be the U3A book group. The lady who is hosting has someone round to chop down an old, diseased apple tree so hopefully they'll have been finished by the time we get there or we'll be having to shout to make ourselves heard!
After spectating at XC do you think you could become a convert to running XC? I bet you’d be hooked if you gave it a go. I imagine your club will be part of a harrier league so when the XC season starts again in the autumn you should sign up and try one of the events. Sorry to hear you were feeling a bit down this morning, I always find that when I feel like that going for a run really helps. That “amazing” comment must have given you a lift, what a nice lady she must have been. Full marks to Mrs JB for that grass mowing session!
WtnMel, I do remember when your club mates ignored you when you hurt your ankle. I also seem to remember that some time later, you saw one of the ladies again running and you ignored her.
The garage window was replaced this morning, and they made a good job of it.
That's a good idea, moving the whirligig washing line to where it will get more of the sunshine.
Good news that you probably won't have to see the physio again, but not so good that you might not run again.
I hope this mornings walk went ok, and that they had finished chopping down the apple tree before the U3A group got started.
Aquarius, I seem to remember JJ leaving the thread to devote more time to his rather splendid garden.
That does sound rather dodgy the way you remove jar lids!
I was never advised that it was necessary to train on heavy legs, but it seemed to be logical.
I'm glad to hear that Saturdays x country went well, and that the sun was shining, even if it was rather chilly. It does sound like a "proper x country course." There has to be mud for it to be authentic.😁
Well done for yesterdays interval session on the tricky surface of the running track.
I've got nothing really to report, except that the new garage window was fitted this morning, as I mentioned above.
A lovely sunny morning, but with a very strong headwind. Sarah F and I did a very tough session on lumpy grass, into and out of the wind. The headwind slowed our times by nearly 10 secs compared with tailwind efforts. The session comprised 3 sets of 5 x 200 metres with 30 seconds recoveries. 2 minutes recoveries between sets. The fastest effort, tailwind assisted, was 53.4 7.10 minute miling.
Anyway apologies for ignoring you both, glad to hear your foot is almost back to normal now WtnMel, did you go for a walk yesterday? How did your U3A book group go? I hope the work on the diseased apple tree didn't disrupt proceedings.
HS Good to see you managed to get your new garage window fitted, (did you ever get the printer problems sorted out?)
Pilates and strength work yesterday, and a 6 mile run this morning. I'll rest now until Saturday then tackle that woodland parkrun again.
The rowing 'ladder' does actually have specific ages added and careful analysis revealed that the top half of the 'field' (can you row in a field?) was almost entirely populated by under 65s, yet alone creaking 67 year olds.
I certainly can see the attraction of XC, but my club isn't part of the county XC league as we don't host a fixture. But of course one can enter as a UA.
HS, that looks like a very fine training session. On the whole (and call me odd) I quite prefer tailwinds to headwinds. And I reckon I'm not the only one! I love the precision of your recoveries BTW; very disciplined.
A bit of bad news from my end or just frustrating. I was silly yesterday. We went for (by our standards) a long and hilly walk yesterday afternoon and came home pretty drained. I should have ducked out of the club training night but I didn't. I did the warm ups and the drills and felt pretty good and launched into the first of the 800m intervals. But for only the 2nd time in my running career, I felt my hamstrings 'go' after about 10 metres and at least had the sense to stop before it got worse. I think it's a 'level 1 strain' and that a bit of rest and ice should sort it. At least it sounds like a proper athletes' injury!
By a coincidence I've noticed (Strava) that 3 of the county's faster VM65s are on their way back from injury and doubtless will soon be clocking times better than mine..............Curses (though I wish them no harm)!
Sunshine again today. I like few things better than to sit in the garden with a good book and this is the first time I've been able to do it in 2022.
My g'daughter has got Covid. Only 8 of her class (of 25+) were in school yesterday!
The printer is working fine now thanks 😊
Well done for your pilates, strength work and 6 miles run. A good idea to rest now, so that your legs are fresh for Saturday's Woodland parkrun.
JB, I programme our interval sessions into my garmin in advance, which takes the guess work out of distance, timings etc.
Oh dear, very sorry to hear that you have pulled your hamstrings during an 800 metres effort. I hope the ice and rest will do the trick!
Fingers crossed so that when you "come back," you won't have lost too much pace. Be cautious though and don't push it too soon.
Sorry to hear that your granddaughter has Covid, but hopefully she doesn't have any symptoms..
Aquarius - I'm familiar with that way of breaking the seal of a tight jar lid .. and I'm sure when a lid has popped off for Steve it's because you've loosened it for him
HS - the club mates who ignored me was when we lived in Cirencester. The lady I ignored was a so-called friend who had stuck her hand in my face when I attempted to speak to her. I hadn't bothered trying to keep in touch after that and bumped into her a few years later at a race in Cirencester (when I blanked her and bit my tongue .. could have easily let rip). Glad to hear the garage window has been replaced. Well done re that session with Sarah F. Glad to hear the printer is now working (did Andy explain what the problem was?).
JB - sorry to hear about your hamstring and well done for stopping rather than stoically running the through the pain. Sorry to hear your granddaughter has covid .. and only a third of the class in school? - blimey.
I walked 1.75mls yesterday morning (before breakfast!). Boy it was cold - and a strong wind too and the sun directly in my eyes. I was glad to reach the turnaround point when I could finally see properly where I was going.
The tree surgeon was still there when we arrived for our book group but it didn't affect us. Everyone apart from Val loved the book we'd read. It was "The Garden Of Evening Mists" and we all loved the way the ending kept you guessing about what might have happened .. whereas Val said she prefers stories with a 'proper' beginning, middle and end!
I've been back doing my stretching and strengthening exercises this afternoon now I can put my weight on my left foot. But I'll carry on with the new ones as well that I was given while my foot was bad.
This morning I went out after breakfast to move some of the spare paving slabs and wheelbarrow etc. in readiness for the fencing guy tomorrow. Except, he turned up today while I was doing that (he hadn't replied to Margaret's message asking him to confirm whether it was Wed or Thu he was planning to do the work). It wasn't a problem as we were both around anyway. And we now have six concrete spurs in the ground to hold the fence posts upright that had started moving with the wind. Hopefully, they'll do the trick and stop the fence getting any worse. And we can always have more spurs fitted if any more posts start moving.
I was going to post a photo to show you one of the fence spurs but Margaret has just called out dinner is ready so I'll post it later/tomorrow ..
U3A social cards this afternoon so after lunch, I'd better have a quick refresher of the rules of Newmarket. I'm 'lead' on one of the tables and am supposed to know what I'm doing (Rose who runs the cards group thinks I'm an expert!
WtnMel, I don't think that Andy really knew what the printer problem was, but he just tapped away on the laptop keys, and eventually got it working. I discovered that he printed from "Office," whereas I usually print from emails. Those are about the only things that I do print off.
Well done, out walking in the cold before breakfast. I hate it when the sun is low in the sky and dazzles me. This often happens soon after the start of our run outs to our forest runs, where we have to run up a steep road hill, and have difficulty seeing where we are going.
Good that the tree surgeon didn't affect the book reading.
Sounds like the left foot is improving.
It looks like the fencer has done a good job with the concrete posts.
This morning was a solo hilly road 10k on very heavy legs from yesterdays interval session.
Mel, lovely photo. I reckon those spurs should do the trick. We've got a couple on one of our fences and that fence has stood while others have fallen.
Can't claim to match your efforts in the garden but today MrsJB and I emptied the compost bin.
Well the hamstring is worse and therefore I am a right misery guts. I will turn up at Saturday's parkrun - but as a volunteer. (I owe them lots!)
A rest day from running today, but did the usual "farmers walk" with 4 bags of heavy shopping.
HS - I guess as long as the printer is now working, it doesn't matter too much that Andy couldn't track down the cause - unless it happens again! I guess once the clocks change at the end of this month, it will be darker again in the mornings won't it (always seem to struggle to get my head around it!). I was watching the fence in the wind this morning and it was hardly wavering at all
JB - as mentioned to HS, the new concrete spurs are proving their worth. Not gardening as such. But this morning, before the rain arrived, I re-fitted a board at the end of the border and a slab that had both had to be removed to make room for one of the spurs. And I was very lucky that I had a 'spare' slab that I'd kept in case it 'came in handy' that was smaller and just the right size to fit the gap in the path (the spur takes up some room so a smaller slab was just what I needed). Sorry to hear the hamstring is worse.
For just about the first time in my life I'm trying to do sit ups. Mrs JB and I had a competition yesterday and (as our friends across the pound would say) 'she kicked my ass'. But, hey, she can't do a press up, so I have some - but not many - bragging rights.
Moving slabs and carrying shopping are probably harder!
JB - wind and rain and you didn't cycle? Tsk tsk. One of my daily(ish) exercises is sit-ups .. supposedly the "Men's Health" correct way to do a sit-up. More of a 'crunch' I'd guess as it's a slow gradual bend from a lying position targeting the abs with arms crossed across the chest and lifting the shoulders off the floor rather than the "hands behind the head, swiftly up and down" ones I used to do.
Aquarius - sorry to hear about your email problems. I don't get notifications from RW - just try and remember to pop on here every few days. Part of the 'fun' of the book club is the discussion afterwards to find out why people did/didn't like a book. And more often than not, the subject matter provokes a discussion (this time it was about whether or not we like tattoos - mostly not as it turned out). I didn't win at Newmarket - but I was one of the last two when we played "Chase The Ace". But my 8 of clubs got beaten by the queen of hearts in the final show-down. Glad to hear Steve's fitness levels are returning and he joined you at parkrun. Good luck with your house viewing (sounds like you may need it).
Not done a lot today .. some IT cleaning-up this morning then coffee and a crossword. This afternoon I've done my daily exercises and then have pottered in the garden .. cleaning up after the fence man and then moving the bags of leaves from the autumn to behind the shed to rot down over the next 12 months for using as a mulch next year. The leaves from the year before which were there have rotted down nicely so I've put them out ready to be scattered around the borders. I thought about cutting the lawns - but we decided to leave it until next week as it's supposed to be fair and dry most days.