Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
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
I've got to walk into the village to post a 'large letter' (I don't have the necessary stamps handy). I shall pop into the local shoe shop to see if they have any innersoles for sale to fit my boots. That would be preferable to having to swap with the ones in the old running shoes. The alternative of course would be to simply wear my walking boots every time while gardening and discard the old running shoes!
The film was rubbish - they had sanitised the storyline and removed the racist references, 'white-washed' the characters .. the main black character in the book is a white actress in the film, and made the marshland far too photogenic. And to top it all, the 'big reveal' at the end of the book was glossed over and not explained at all. In short, total garbage.
It was a bad evening all round - I totally lost my rag with Ann from my book group who we gave a lift to. Having parked, she said not wishing to be a back-seat driver, but there was another car park closer to the theatre. I said there wasn't but she wasn't having it. So Margaret told me do as she asked. I followed Ann's directions turning right out of the car park then right at a junction until we came to the junction where the theatre is. At which point she clammed up. I shouted to her which way and she said nothing. I shouted again and cars were queueing up behind by this time. So I revved hard, drove round the corner to the left and braked sharply to pull in. I shouted again where the hell am I supposed to be going? She got me to do a u-turn, turn right, then left and left again, back into the car park we'd just f*****g come out of! Stupid bloody woman!! Needless to say, Margaret was telling me to calm down throughout all this nonsense. Ann tried to apologise when we walked to the theatre but I was still seething and flinched when she put her hand on my shoulder while saying sorry.
If Ann leaves the book group as a result of my outburst I wouldn't be surprised. But I always get the impression she finds us inferior and far less highbrow than her. To make matters worse, Margaret is friends with her so I'm getting the mostly silent treatment from Margaret today and she's gone into town on the bus despite me offering her a lift.
Pity about the film, but I find that directors often change the original storyline to something they think has more box office appeal. It’s the same with TV adaptations which is why I rarely watch them, it just spoils the book for me.
It is SO dry round here but some buggers are defying the hosepipe ban. We now stand in the washing up bowl while having a shower and recycle this and all our water from the washing up.
Might manage the ultimate sweat-fest later: intervals on the rower. AAAHH!
JB, well done for this mornings hill session.
WtnMel, I don't blame you for losing your rag with Ann. There is nothing worse than "a back seat driver!" I've had similar experiences with one of our Club Coaches. On more than one occasion on the way to races, she has insisted that I'm going the wrong way, or taking a turning that is wrong. She has had to apologise each time, but I can't be angry with her, as she is "a rock" of the club, and we would miss her if she left. The biggest humiliation was when approaching a particularly steep hill, she said "You will have to change down the gears to get up it!" I felt like saying that I didn't know that I had to do that.
Aquarius, it has been quite a stressful time re the replacement boiler, and this morning I received a text advising that a service for my boiler was due, and to arrange a date. Unbelievable! I ran the company to explain that I had ordered a new boiler, and therefore a service for the old one was inappropriate. The lady on the other end of the phone said to ignore it, as it was a routine reminder, and the existing maintenance contract would be amended to cater for the new one.
Sarah H went for her spot massage with the sports physio yesterday, but he didn't turn up. She went for another bike ride with a friend.
I note that your calves are still tight and the physio advised you to use a tennis ball on them to ease them. I gave Sarah similar advice, but said to use a hard golf ball, rather than a tennis ball. Well done for that parkrun WAVA, very respectable! An excellent interval session this morning with just a dog for company.
WtnMel again, I like the old lady excuse. It can be beneficial at times, getting on a bit, as I think others do sometimes make allowances. 🤣
No running today, but did the usual Tuesday Farmers Walk.
I had an alert yesterday from "New Forest Live" advising that there was a forest fire on Sunday evening which the police believe was started deliberately. We ran through the Inclosure yesterday where the fire had been, but didn't see any evidence. I had run a solo 8 miles in the area where I think the fire may have been Sunday morning. An idiot had parked a van blocking the entrance to the Inclosure, inhibiting the fire engines. They sounded their air horns which made the driver return to his van to move it. These selfish, lazy drivers really annoy me, as during every forest run we see cars, vans etc blocking the gates. Thankfully, no one was injured by the fire, and the fire brigade must have been very quickly, on the spot. There were several fire engines called out and they managed to prevent the fire from spreading to far. Apparently, it was starting to spread underground, so the firemen/women must have been very efficient.
I've managed to programme my parkrun barcode onto my Garmin watch, which will mean that I won't have to carry the barcode card for scanning. I will though, take my card too for the first time in case it doesn't work.
HS - Ann was okay at book group yesterday. She didn't mention it so I presume it's 'water under the bridge' now and I'll ignore her 'help' in future. Will quickly mention we had our boiler serviced yesterday and have asked for an estimate for a 'powerflush' of the system and fitting one of those gadgets to catch 'gunk' that could get into radiators or the boiler. My physio said to use a tennis ball on my feet as she thought a golf ball might be a bit much .. but I guess if you're a hardcore ball roller ..
Off to get my hair cut later this morning. After lunch I'm meeting up with someone at Pittville Park - he was asking on Freecycle if anyone had any golf equipment and I've offered him my old golf clubs, bag and trolley which I no longer need. I still need to try and Freecycle the broken treadmill but as I've mentioned before, am tempted to just disassemble it and take it to the recycling centre.
Mel, glad that the issue has blown over. Our central heating system was much more efficient once the gunk was flushed out. Well done for the recycling of the golf stuff.
Well I did have a go on the rower and changed my intervals from 8x250m to 4x500m. Same pace, but my goodness so much harder!
This morning put in another 30 minutes at the cemetery, literally the graveyard shift. Hard, mainly because of the heat. Not much else going on here, the heat makes it easier to do very little!
WtnMel, good to hear that Ann was ok at the book group.
Hopefully a powerflush and a "gunk catcher" won't be too costly.
Well done for introducing Columba into the world of Farmers Walking.
Hope this mornings haircut went well? I'm having mine cut on Friday.
Well done for your recycling efforts.
JB, It definitely is worrying, the outbreak of forest fires round the country. I'm hoping the New Forest Half Marathon on 11th September won't have to be cancelled if there is a fire.
Well done for your rowing and 30 minutes at the cemetery.
A good interval session on the grass this morning with Sarah F and Mike. It comprised 6 x 400 metres with 60 seconds recoveries. The 6th rep was the quickest 1.53, average pace 7.35 minutes miling.
Hs How annoying that the sports physio didn't turn up for Sarah's appointment, has she been able to reschedule it? It must have been worrying to hear about the forest fire, I hope the promised rain comes soon and there are no further incidents in the meantime.
How on earth did you put your barcode on your Garmin? I didn't know it was even possible to do that. I'm very impressed. Well done for your interval session this morning, it's getting too hot to run here (for me at least, I'm quite pathetic in the heat).
JB Well done for your graveyard shift and your valiant work on the rower. I imagine indoor training must be even more tiring than outdoor work when it's as hot as this. At least outdoors you have the possibility of a slight cooling breeze.
WtnMel Glad to hear that Ann seems to be moving on from the parking issue. Nice that someone can benefit from your old set of golf clubs. Next time you are posting on that other forum can you say Hi to Columba from me please?
No running for me today, just resting now until my trail 10k on Saturday. I really hope the weather is a bit cooler then.
JB - I'm not surprised having to keep going for 500m on the rower was harder than the 250m version.
HS - I suspect the powerflush, which necessitates a complete drain-down of the system, will be more expensive than we think. Columba was agog when I said you sometimes carry four bags of shopping as she only had one (on her back) when she did her farmers walk. My haircut was certainly quick (as there's not much there to begin with!). Well done re the interval session.
Aquarius - I'm also intrigued about a barcode on a Garmin. I know my model isn't that sophisticated so they've obviously moved on since I last looked at the functionality. I'll try and remember to say hi to Columba for you next time I'm on Fetch. Good luck for Saturday's trail 10k - unfortunately, I think it will still be hot
Just back from a combined car trip/walk.
I'm £20 better off as the guy who wanted the golf trolley insisted on giving me something for it, despite me saying it hadn't been used for years and was surplus stuff. He also took the golf bag & clubs I was getting rid of as he has a teenage relative who is just getting into golf and has outgrown his 'junior' golf clubs from when he was younger.
The walk afterwards was from Pittville Park, where I handed over the golf equipment, into Cheltenham to collect the painted pottery the grand-daughters made on Friday - we'll hand that over on Sunday when we see them in Leamington Spa where they are taking part in a dance display as part of 'Art In The Park'.
Then once back at the car I drove to Tewkesbury Leisure Centre. As we're in Leamington I may not make it back in time to attend the swim on Sunday evening. So I dropped off the paperwork the people doing the door will need. One less thing to have to think about and it means they won't be left in the lurch if I get delayed on the way back.
We're 'out out' for lunch later. Checking out somewhere as a possible place to take Margaret's sister and BIL (plus his brother and wife) when they visit at the end of the month. They're on a steam train trip to Worcester - but as they've been there, they decided to hop off the train in Cheltenham and meet up with us for a meal - then hop back on the train as it comes back through Cheltenham on the way home. We're mulling over driving into Cheltenham and parking up which will mean a half mile walk to the restaurant. The alternative is the bus - but as it doesn't go any closer to where we're heading I'd rather travel in an air-conditioned car than a possibly hot, stuffy bus which although free, won't be as convenient.
My left calf and achilles is unexpectedly sore today, I just pottered about the house yesterday, no running not even any yoga, so I don't know what has set it off. I'll do some stretching, rolling and icing later. It's bad timing for the trail race on Saturday. I can sort of understand the calf being sore, considering the problems I've had with that recently, but the achilles is more concerning.
I've been to Leamington Spa just the once but I must say I was impressed as it was very stylish (and presumably expensive to live in).
Enjoy your meal and the company.
HS can see why you are anxious about the NFHM. Surely we'll get some rain before then.
Good session by you: good to finish with your fastest rep.
Aqua, I'm interested in your comment about resting before your 10k. What do you think is the optimum? I'm sure a rest makes sense physically and even psychologically. Having done my 4 most recent Sunday races on the back of a fast 5ks on a Saturday, I guess I am at one end of the spectrum!
In run today. Just too hot. Mrs B took me to the allotment 'to water'. But then spotted a big pile of manure and had me barrowing it to our patch. Cross training I suppose!
JB I don’t stick to any hard and fast rules regarding resting before a race. It depends on how I’m feeling, how hard I’m expecting that particular race to be and whether I’ve any niggles. Sometimes a day is enough, for this one though I thought it would be sensible to allow 2 or 3 days, mainly to rest my calves and hamstrings. Also I haven’t done a lot of long runs since recovering from Covid so I’m expecting I’ll find Saturday’s race hard work.
The main thing I’m worried about though (and this has nothing to do with resting) is the heat. I’m really not good in hot weather, it gives me a headache and makes me feel sIck. The race organisers have already warned us to carry extra water in addition to what they supply at 5k, and to forget about PBs. If I feel it’s excessively hot on Saturday I’ll give the race a miss, otherwise I’ll just take it slowly. Hopefully for my next 10k (in about 3 weeks time and held in the evening) the conditions will be much better.
Aquarius, Sara H, has seen the physio now, and her calf is feeling much better.
I've offered to show how to imput parkrun barcodes into Garmins, see above.
Good luck for Saturday's 10k trail run.
Sorry to hear that your left calf and Achilles are sore again. I hope the icing, stretching and rolling do the trick so that you can still do Saturdays race.
WtnMel, I hope that Columba will now be a regular Farmer Walker🤣
I'm having a haircut tomorrow 👴
I've offered to post instructions for how to input parkrun barcode into Garmin watches ⌚️
I hope today's lunch went well.
JB, hopefully we will have rain soon, which will reduce the possibility of more forest fires.
I usually take 2 rest days before a race these days, whereas in my quicker days, I used to rest on Fridays, jog on Saturdays and then race on Sundays.
Enjoy cross training with the manure 😀
Another very hot morning and I ran a solo 10k in the forest. On the way back, I bumped into the "Dibden Doddlers!" I was tempted to join them, but being more sensible in my old age, reluctantly declined, as I was only about a mile from home. I'm looking forward to trying out the barcode on my watch after Saturdays Bartley Park parkrun.
Aquarius - if we get too hot we'll make it a flying visit to Leamington Spa and just stay long enough to watch the girls dance and have a chat before heading home. Sorry to hear your calf and achilles are playing up. I would give that race a miss if the heat affects you - no point endangering yourself and over-heating. Or as you say, just forget about striving for a fast time and just enjoy the race instead.
JB - perhaps I should spend that unexpected £20 on something golf related? I used to use races as an excuse to 'carbo-load' the night before .. it was to a large extent, total nonsense of course because I hadn't been following a high-protein diet for the two weeks before. It was just an excuse to have some pasta
HS - I'll consider Columba a 'proper' farmers walker like yourself when she carries more shopping than just the one bag
We had a nice meal while we were 'out out'. The area of Cheltenham where we were (Montpellier) is a nice area where there is a wide choice of eating places so we 'did the rounds' after the meal checking menus and will email some suggestions to Margaret's sister. We did drive into town by the way - I managed to find my way to the nearest car park without any problems once I'd refreshed my memory of the road to use.
Margaret and I have just been checking our plans for our 'grand tour' next month and have made some adjustments to where we'll stay. Just about to go onto the Premier Inn website to see if I can book rooms at the new places we've decided to stay on the way to Northumberland (and then once that's done, I can cancel the previous bookings).
Mel, Mrs JB loves her allotment whereas I am cheap, unskilled and sometimes reluctant labour. Good to see you are planning your trip to the north east. Pack an overcoat (or two!).
Aquarius, thanks for the explanation of your mini taper. It looks to be admirably pragmatic. That 10k sounds tough in this weather esp if you are not keen on the heat. I'm a wimp about most things but the hot weather doesn't bother me.
Having said that I had a very funny turn this afternoon following a hard 15 minute session on the rower. I became a bit confused; I think it's called a dissociative state. It's happened to me before and it is very unpleasant.
Perhaps I should respect the heat a bit more!
Bartley parkrun has been accurately measured, but with all the twists, turns and u turns, it's not easy to keep to the best line. A bit like the London Marathon where only keeping to the blue line gives the exact distance. Sarah F in the London Marathon ran nearly a mile more by not sticking to the line.
Don't overdo the rowing sessions.
Our good friends rwspamkiller1 & rwspamkiller2 stopped by just now to give adiland the kick up the bum it needs to be persuaded to go away ..
HS - I sometimes find with apps on my phone or websites I've looked at on it, I am sometimes left logged in even when I think I've logged out.
JB - if we had an allotment I would be the hired labour. With the best will in the world I don't keep up with the gardening so Margaret has hired a young lady called Emma to get it back under control. The coffee & chat ladies have a man they refer to as Bob the Builder (I doubt that's his real name) who one of them discovered and who does odd jobs for them all. I told them I'm glad I'm not that good at diy otherwise I doubt I'd ever be at home with all the things they need doing. I think you're right about the heat affecting you after your rower session.
Have been indoors most of the day keeping cool. We were in our (ahem) 'orchard' at the end of the garden first thing picking the plums and blackberries that were ready. Margaret will no doubt make jam/pies/crumbles with them but I did my bit earlier by de-stoning the plums for her. They are all in the freezer now awaiting her ministrations.
The other reason I had to go outside was the small tv in the conservatory. I switched it on to watch the news and couldn't work out why it seemed to switch itself off again. I was still scratching my head puzzling over it when I noticed the smoke rising through the air vents from inside! Luckily we have another small spare tv that was on the wall in the garage by the treadmill. That has now been brought inside to replace the buggered one.
I'll try and catch up when I'm back on line. I'm doing the Bartley parkrun again tomorrow and looking forward to see if the barcode on my watch registers. Just hope it won't be cancelled because of the temperature.
I'll biff the spammer now. It takes 5, but I'm sure it used to be only 4.
Mel, thanks for zapping. The plums on our allotment are just ripening. Last year the early ones had been got at by a bug.Blackberries not quite so good this year, needing some rain to plump them up. Raspberries a disaster! Ours anyway.
Grandchildren today. How do they keep operating at 100% in this heat?
No run for 2 days, kind of experimenting to see if this energises me for parkrun tomorrow.
The problem with a PB one week is that it raises expectations for the next!
It will be very warm but perhaps a sea breeze will make it bearable. We live in hope!
Just watched 'our lass' win the triathlon at the European Champs. I've got a friend who lives in Munich and who will be there, having also been at the Commonwealth games last week. Lucky devil.
HS - I see the spammer has now gone .. thanks for helping 'biff' him off. I see your internet isn't working on your laptop - hope that get's sorted over the weekend.
JB - given the hot dry weather, I'm frankly amazed how plump and juicy our blackberries are! I have to say, having not been particularly interested in the Commonwealth Games, I find I'm even less enthused with these European Championships.
I finally got round to ordering some things from Amazon I've been meaning to for a week or two. We've discovered that Margaret can see her phone display when it's in 'portrait' mode - I usually have mine in 'landscape' mode when we're driving anywhere and she says she can't see the display. It's something to do with polarization of the light. We've discovered the display/spoken instructions from Google Maps are far superior to the sat-nav she uses. So I've ordered her a phone holder/usb cable and car adapter so she can use the phone as a sat-nav instead. I've also ordered a new remote for the tv for £9.91 (the local shop wanted £40+ for the 'official' one - this is a look-alike that according to the reviews, does the job perfectly adequately). And some new exercise bands (the old ones look ready to break at any time). Aquarius gave me a link to a resistance band with built-in loops which needless to say I've filed away somewhere safe and now cannot find - doh!