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Let us know how you get on with the kettlebell 🙂
Aquarius, I am so glad that your toothache subsided and you were able to enjoy your Christmas and run a 5K. Yes, the fibrillation/ablation issues are really common. Apparently, they show up a lot in masters endurance athletes. Back in his twenties, my husband was a pro mountain biker and competed in a fair amount of road racing, as well. Now, he and his friends just toodle around together and meet up for cycling trips. A ridiculously large number of them (more than half) are dealing with Afib issues.
As far as my achilles issues go. I knew that the injury was pretty bad before the marathon in October. However, I just really needed to finish the event to put some sort of closure on a very frustrating year of training. So, I ignored the injury as best I could and decided to run/shuffled at a pace that would put me at the back of the pack, which was disheartening. After the race, I was in pretty rough shape. I got the ankle checked out and the official diagnosis was achilles tendinitis with some tearing and associated peroneal tendinitis. I usually just reference the achilles because the peroneal tendonitis just adds confusion. I went to one PT appointment where the 20 something, over muscled, woodhead basically told me that if I insisted on trying to run at my age, especially being female, injuries like mine were bound to happen. There wasn't a second appointment. However, this isn't my first go around with the achilles tendinitis, though the peroneal aspect is new. So, I'm following the basic protocol for recovery that worked before. Happily, the injury is slowly and steadily improving.
Damien, good job on your 7K and your kettleball
Sadly, I haven't run or worked out for the last week. My sinus infection developed into an awe inspiring mess. And, it took most of my resolution to put together a holiday meal. I'm hoping to get out for hike tomorrow, and few miles of running on Sunday, before starting back on my training schedule next week. But, I'll probably redo last week's training, to ease back in after a week off.
My goals for next year are: 1) to be healthy and injury free 2) to run the local half marathon in March, and 3) to run the Maine Marathon on October 4, 2020, and come in under 5 hours. This may sound like a slow pace, but it is a brutal route with 900 feet of climbing in the mid fourteen miles. So, my starting goal is under 5 hours, and I can refine the goal as the year progresses, hopefully, ending up nearer 4.5 hours
Aquarius, thanks. I've run all over the Christmas period, an 8 day streak, and will be doing a parkrun tomorrow. This will take me to 1,700 miles. I'm not setting a target for next year, but just see how it goes.
Glad to hear that your toothache has eased, but will you still see your dentist to ascertain why you had suffered so much pain? As I've said previously, I had no pain whatsoever after my root canal treatment.
Best of luck with your speed work next year, and I think you are right to ditch the 80/20 experiment. It is correct to split the weeks into 80% steady and 20% speed work, but not in my opinion by heart rate readings. I'm finding that my faster runs produce lower heart rate readings on Garmin Connect than slower runs.
Damien, I hope that you will achieve your target of 23 minutes for parkruns next year.
Molly, glad to hear that your injury is "still on the mend!" I'm not surprised that running a marathon with an Achilles injury made matters worse. I didn't race for 2 years after my menisci tears and am still only racing sparingly. I hope your sinus problem soon clears up. I saw a running specialist physio with my knee injury and he encouraged me to get back into running, gradually building up the mileage. He also recommended taking up spinning, which is like continuous single leg squats. I still do the stretches etc that he instructed me to do.
It's always beneficial to go back a week or two on a training programme, rather than trying to make up what you have lost. I never strict rigidly to a training programme, but tailor it to how I am feeling.
I hope that you achieve sub 5 hours for your marathon next year. That's not slow, especially on such a hilly route. How many marathons have you run so far? I've run 14 and hope to do another when I'm 75.
Aquarius again. It's rather worrying this AF business. I've pushed myself hard in training since I started running in my mid thirties. I had an ECG during a routine health check a year or so ago and was told everything was fine. I intend continuing with my running and racing as long as I can, because I'm feeling really fit , and my pace is returning.
Next year I will be concentrating on 10 mile and half marathon multi terrain races, and start getting back into parkruns again.
I always though AF was hereditary. My mother had it and she certainly never did anything energetic! Perhaps she came into your second group ?
Aquarius, thanks for your faith in me! Today's parkrun was an absolute mud-fest, so i was glad that I had decided to wear my trail shoes. I enjoyed the run, but due to the conditions and the fact that it was my 9th successive day of running, my time wan't quite as fast as hoped for. I will do my 50th in 2 weeks time, as Sarah will be working next Saturday, and we want to run my 50th together. Hope to get our picture taken in a frame, which I will then post on here.🤞
Good to hear that today's parkrun was quicker than the last time, but the older we get,it's next to impossible to to beat our pb's probably set donkeys years ago. Certainly true in my case.
I'm taking a well deserved rest day tomorrow, and then easing back on the mileage until the New Year. I will then, hopefully, start putting in some serious mileage and speed-work.
You are all inspiring me to get well quickly. Great runs everyone!
Aquarius, Sadly, there really isn't anyone to report the woodhead physical therapist to. We live in a small beach town, and the next nearest physical therapy place is a longer drive than I care to make on a regular basis. My professional life is still pretty active and busy, so time can get tight. If the achilles stops improving, I'll try to get a referral for a new physical therapist. However, I do agree with you that it is reassuring to have professional medical input.
Congratulations on your Gibside park run! I'm cheering you on from across the pond for your 9K!
HS, Yay! Excellent job on nailing down those last miles to reach 1700! That was quite a running streak. How is your knee feeling?
The disaster Marathon this past fall was my first marathon. Which is partly why I'm determined to do better next year. All of my long runs and training times had me on track to come in around 4.5 hours or a little less. Sadly, the event didn't turn out as I had hoped. The half marathon is my favorite distance to race, and I have tried to run several a year for a number of years. It's a long enough distance to have a beginning, middle and end to the experience, but short enough that I can easily incorporate the full distance of the race into my weekly training. I usually come in right around 2 hours. Either a few minutes less, or a few minutes more. However, a little over a year ago, I got the crazy idea that I would like to run the Boston marathon around the time I turn 60, which means that I would have to run a qualifying time when I'm 59. I'm 56 now, so I figured on a marathon a year for a couple of years to build up comfort and pace. Sadly, they've just made the qualifying times faster. So, now, for a female 55-59 the time is around 4:05. I honestly don't know if can manage it. It is a challenge. But, I figure I might as well try and then I can go back to concentrating on half marathons.
When do you turn 75? I think running a marathon for your 75th birthday is terrific!
Yes, in retrospect, the unfortunate results of running a marathon with an injured achilles were predictable. I was just too frustrated and too stubborn, at that point, to pay attention to the obvious. I get a little obsessive about completing goals.
I hope that you are enjoying your rest day!
DamienNagle, I hope you enjoy your New Years!
As I was too sick for our Christmas hike, my husband and I drove up to Maine today and had a very nice short hike. The trail system very much made me think of the park runs that I read about here! Once the snow and ice melt, I may try to drive out and run there in the spring. Both my sinuses and achilles felt pretty good after the hike, so I think I may try to start easing back into my mileage tomorrow. My only exciting news (and it's probably only exciting to me ) is that we finally moved my treadmill out of the dank, dark, depressing basement. Yay!! So much more fun to run above ground.
Damien, a good time for your parkrun, too many sprouts perhaps😋 Enjoy the beers, cheers🍻
Molly, thanks, my knee is feeling ok thanks. It's certainly taken a hammering this year, but I haven't done many races, or too much speed work.
The half marathon is a good distance to include in a marathon training schedule. I think a very crude rule of thumb to estimate the marathon time is to double the half marathon plus 10 minutes. My half marathon pb is 1.20, so in theory I could have run a marathon in 2.50. Unfortunately, I didn't run a marathon that year, so I will never know. I will be 75 in December 2020, so have plenty of time to rack up the training miles, staying injury free permitting.
I really do recommend that you try a parkrun, but be warned, they can become addictive! You need to register on the parkrun web and you will get a barcode which you will need to print off and take with you to the run. It can be used in any parkrun, anywhere in the world. You get the run results emailed and messaged to you, which is really good as you can compare your times with previous times. Hope I have sold the idea to you, although I do appreciate that your nearest is a long drive away. New parkruns are starting everywhere, so hopefully one day, one will be started nearer to you.
Good to hear that your sinuses and Achilles are feeling better, so good luck easing back into your mileage. Enjoy the treadmill above ground😅
Today is a rest day for me, and then hopefully back in the forest tomorrow.
HS, Okay I'm in. I've officially registered and have a parkrun barcode. I even ordered a spiffy pink wrist band
I like your race prediction formula for the marathon. It gives me hope! I am looking forward to cheering on your 75th birthday marathon.
How wonderful that your knee is feeling good after your 8 day running streak! Testimony to the hard work you put into your injury recovery.
Enjoy your forest run tomorrow.
I was feeling well enough today to start easing back into my training. Though, my head still feels a bit squishy. I only ran a couple of miles on my newly above ground treadmill. However, since it was a short workout, I used it for a pace progression exercise stopping shy of my 5K pace. It felt so good to move, even if it was in place.
Molly, well done getting registered for parkruns and getting your bar code. A fancy wrist band too, very posh.
Good news that you are feeling well enough now to start easing back into your training.
I'm really pleased the way my knee has held up.
I ran 9.3 miles in the very muddy forest this morning with Jane. Actually, there was more walking and wading through the mud than running.
Had a pub lunch with Sarah H.
Still waiting for my Asics Trainers to arrive.
My Asics arrived this afternoon.
I wish you all a very happy and peaceful New Year
Happy New Year!
HS, How wonderful to finish out the year with a solid 10 miles
Ran four miles today. I meant to run five, but still not at full force. My fingers are crossed that I'll be back on track by the end of the week. On the other hand, I think that the combination of the sick break and the treadmill has been good for my achilles. It's been feeling a bit better. Hopefully, that will continue into the new year!
Good evening everyone (and happy New Year!)
Molly, thanks, I've tried the new Asics on, but haven't run in them yet.
Good that the easing back has helped with the recovery of the Achilles. You will go from strength to strength now.
Aquarius, thanks, yes I ran a total mileage of 1,720 and was top of the 1,000 mile leader board.
My new trainers are Asics GT 1000 v7. This is my third pair of that model. The V8 must be out now, hence the selling off of the V7.
Hope your 9k cross country race went to plan.How did you get on?
Damien, well done for your parkrun, that was an excellent time!
WtnMel, that's very impressive, you intending to incorporate running with your epic walking adventure. That will definitely maintain your fitness. The incorporation of tempo and interval work into your running will certainly enhance your pace. It's working for me, because as you say, if you just keep plodding along, you will remain at that pace.
That forest run with Jane definitely wasn't mud free! There was more walking and wading, than running.
Good luck with tomorrows run after 10 days off.
Today was a rest day for me, but I did notice more runners out and about than usual. Probably a new years resolution for some which won't last for more than a few weeks.
Aquarius, How was the 9k? I was sending you good hill climbing thoughts to make for a glamorous photo op. I hope you stayed dry and warm.
When I look at the ParkRun USA map, it seems as though Maryland and Washington may be the states with the highest number of parkruns. Each of those states seem to have a cluster of the runs. And, there is a cluster of parkruns in Ontario, Canada, right across the border. However, for the rest, less than half of the states seem to have markers for the runs. And, most of the states that do show markers for parkruns only show one apiece. It will be interesting to see if they catch on here.
Damien Nagle, Great job on your first run of the New Year!
WtnMel, I am amazed at how many activities you manage to balance. You must be an incredibly organized person. Your walking adventure sounds really interesting. I've never heard of an event of that nature before. How many people participate?
I hope you felt rested and fresh for your run today. Sometimes, time off can help you feel surprisingly strong.
HS, Congratulations on your 1720 miles. That's wonderful
We get New Year's runners, as well. I saw one running along wearing a down coat this morning. They usually disappear by February, and then reappear again in May right before the beaches warm up.
I always love the first run in new running shoes. I hope you enjoy your Asics tomorrow.
Today was a cross training day: 40 min on the bike. I tried to keep the RPM around 80, but I'm in a pretty easy gear. I'm really hoping that I'll be back in stride enough that I can cover 8 miles for my long run this weekend.
Molly, I do hope that parkruns eventually start up in "your neck of the woods." Although not classified as races, most runners run them competitively, even with themselves, trying to better their times each run. I tend to class them as tempo pace training runs.
Thanks for your congratulations for my annual mileage in 2019.
I did run in my new trainers this morning and they were fine. I knew they would be, as they are the third pair of that model.
Well done for your 40 minutes on the bike, and good luck with your 8 mile run at the weekend.
Aquarius, I hope you will be able to do more concentrated training this year, to up your annual mileage.
The 1000 mile leader board is on fetch. The 2020 board is up now, and as I didn't run yesterday, I'm in a lowly 13th position. Yes I did enjoy yesterdays rest day, so felt on good form today.
Your 9k cross country race sounded quite a toughie and therefore challenging. Sorry that it was slower than on previous occasions, but positive with the 200 metres sprint finish. I always attempt to finish races at a good pace. I also find that my heart rate is higher for the first mile or so of training runs and races, but then usually drops to a competitively lower rate. A shame about the stitch, but good that you knew how to deal with it. Well done also for remembering to stretch when you got home. It's really important to do static stretches after a run or race, and dynamic stretches before.
Good luck with your 12k trail run on Sunday. A couple of rest days before it, should ensure that you are able to give it your best shot.
I did a steady pace 7 miles on roads this morning in my new Asics.
Aquarius, Great job on the 9k! I hate it when I have a run derailed by things like stitches. However, you kept going, worked it out, and still sprinted the end. You da bomb! (as the kids used to say)
Sadly, I suspect that I will end up doing the 8 miles on the treadmill. The temperature here is around -1.11 c, which is pretty warm for this time of year. And, there isn't much snow on the ground. Normally, I would be outside, but I still have some congestion, and I'm worried that the cold air will make my sinus situation worse again. Running year round, where I live, generally means that part of the year is going to be on the treadmill. As a result, we get good at treadmill strategies. My favorite strategy is bouncy music and a progression plan where either the incline/decline or the pace changes every half mile or so. This approach also helps keep some treadmill induced joint/muscle problems from occurring. My longest distance on the treadmill to date is fourteen miles. Sometimes, it's just a matter of gritting my teeth and pounding out the miles, knowing that it will pay off in the warmer weather.
HS, I like your approach of running the parkruns as tempo runs. One of the reasons that I've avoided the local running clubs is that a number of the members approach every group run as a competitive race. And, their approach to competition is along the lines of do or die, take no prisoners. It doesn't make for a warm and fuzzy, or even friendly, experience. I'm pretty sure that that would exhaust me, and probably derail my training for other events.
My husband and I were talking about the parkruns, and we realized that we were having a little trouble picturing the terrain. In my mind, I had been equating the parkruns to trail running, which is fairly popular in the states. However, my husband pointed out that the trails tend to be narrow and a bit dicey at points, with loose rocks. As we thought about it, neither of us could imagine a large pack of runners navigating the trail running areas that we know of. Even the trail races tend to have the runners pretty spread out and, generally, single file, or, at the most, two abreast for large sections. Also, in the New England area the trails often wind around, through, and up mountains. Are the park runs on dirt roads or wide flat paths that pass through recreational type parks? If so, I can think of a couple places near me where a parkrun might work.
I pounded out 3 miles this morning with a pace progression run. I even dipped a toe into the high end of the 8 minute range. I am clearly out of shape, but this time around my left foot was working and my stride stayed even. I backed off pretty fast and so far my achilles feels okay, a little stiff, but ok. Tomorrow is a rest day, and, then, we'll see how the 8 mile run works out.
Molly, the running club that I belong to is the absolute opposite to the types you describe. I think I might have said previously that we have 3 groups, fast, medium and steady, each led out to the training session and back by a qualified leader. Each group does the same session, but less repetitions, and at the appropriate pace. We also have a programme for absolute beginners which I believe lasts for 6 weeks. They are then given the option to join the club if they think it is for them. It is run on the basis of "coach potato to 5k."
Parkruns in the UK do of course vary from to run, but very few are as severe as you are thinking. For example, the run that our club supports is the Brockenhurst parkrun, which in the summer is simply 4 laps of the playing fields of the college, on grass. In the winter months, it moves to Wilverley Inclosure, which is all on gravel trails and has 3 hills, 2 of which are quite steep. You could google various parkruns to get descriptions of their routes etc. They all follow the same format so it is quite easy to compare. Some are super fast routes, whilst others are more technical.
Well done for your progressive 3 miler yesterday. It doesn't sound as if you have lost too much pace, and good that your Achilles seemed ok. Hope your 8 miler goes well tomorrow.
I ran a very challenging 10 miles this morning in the forest. The wind was strong and biting, and the mud trying to relieve me of my trail shoes which were tightly laced. I was wearing my cap to start with, but ended up carrying it as the wind would have blown it away. My head was freezing, as I don't have much hair.😣
The way back was with the wind behind which helped.