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Over 60's training (Part 2)
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I admire your positivity, and hope you enjoy the other pursuits, along with reduced running, for many years.
speaking of positivity, much better outing today - 7 miles inc 5 x 800m with my friend. First session of this type for months, so took very circumspectly (my pal was well ahead on the reps), but felt good to be actually "working", rather than plodding, and best of all, as I type (couple of hours after the session), no hamstring reaction. (Very) cautiously optimistic. My aim is to log a few 40 mile weeks, then reassess, so 33 this week, with the weekend to come. Have a good weekend yourselves !!
Dave
That included a Parkrun. I was very happy with my Cornwall Parkrun - 28.32 AG 74.36%
The rest of the kms were walking, with coffee stops, and food and drink stops, then a barbeque tea. The weather held good though very muggy.
Not sure so many hours on my legs would have been very good for me, will have to wait to see if I get any ill effects from my outing.
My daughter turns 42 on the 19th - I've already told her I'm not doing 42 kms for her!
Happy New Year.
Sorry to hear you have reached that point in your running career. I would like to offer a not so black and white view of where you are at.
I too found myself when I was your age having to accept the fact that I could no longer train as I used to, but it did not mean that I could still not be competitive, even if my times were crashing.
I had to listen to my body much more carefully than I was use to and be a lot more patient.
I was able to race 8 times last year and won or at least placed in my AG, even setting a ParkRun course AG record.
I would like to suggest that you still see your self racing and training hard when your body allows you to. Keep asking a lot of your body but back off if it complains too much but keep thinking of yourself as a competitive runner.
You will soon by in the 70+ AG where the numbers really do start to thin out, where just toeing the start line is a victory.
I xtrain a lot more than I use to and that seems to help when something has gone wrong with my running so your biking will compensate I am sure.
Keep thinking of your running in a positive light with lots of grey rather than black and white and most of all forget past records.
NZC,
Great AG and a 38k !!! Well done.
We are still in the deep freeze here. Today it is -25c with a wind chill of -40c so no walk for the dog and inside for me.
I do seem to be getting some benefit from all the treadmill running, I seem to be getting a bit faster.
Mick
I have had more enjoyment in recent years, doing my coffee walks with my husband and doing crazy off-road events that I haven't trained for with my son, than I got from when I was young and could compete on a good level.
Maybe just a shift in focus is all you need. I am very fortunate that our whole family is involved in this moving forward pursuit, most with very restricted time they can put into training for an event but just loving the thrill of the event itself.
I do get great pleasure however from age-grading - nicely skewered for me as an older woman. Great to be able to get a higher age-grading than a fit young person. I can still only get that over the short distance however.
I'm up to 44 marathon finishes even though I started 51 - 7 of those dnfs were because I was chasing a tough target and smashed myself. I would still like to have the goal of getting 50, but Honolulu was my only one over 5 hrs and I don't really want to be out there that long, but yesterday's long walk showed me I could but my right leg and knee were complaining a bit.
Never say never!
sounds like a good split of 38K - 5k of running and then walking, with coffee stops, and food and drink stops, then a barbeque tea:-)
well done on the AG result at parkrun - very creditable indeed
Never mind your daughter - make sure your hubby doesn't demand a similar outing for his next birthday!!!
Mick
we have had a lot of news here about how the cold spell has hit the USA but very little about Canada - it must be because it's "normal" for you hardy lot!!
Graham
sorry to read of your decision but battling injuries can be depressing- something I know about all too well. Your most recent one sounds very strange and you owe it to medical science, and the rest of the running community, to determine its cause:-)
It does sound like a neurological referral rather than bio-mechanical problem and the lower back is a likely source point.
You will recall I went through a similar bit of heart searching a couple of months ago and it's all about what one perceives that one gets out of running at a level that is achievable.
Having spent over a week without putting one foot in front of another as I battled the bug I viewed going out this morning with some trepidation. At 0645 the sky was brilliantly clear, a half moon sat directly at the end of my drive, illuminating a world of frost and shimmering icy surfaces in a dry air -6C as I set off.
2+ miles later I was back and they were probably the best 2+ miles I have run for years - not for speed or strength - but just for being out there in perfect conditions and enjoying the delight of being able to put one foot in front of another and not worry about times, heart rate, thyroid levels or the host of sundry ailments that have wracked by body.
That will do for now.....................
Mick - your words "most of all forget past records" are so wise, but even now, I'm still guilty of occasionally wishing I was as "quick" as I once was. Much better, as you and NZC say, to set new goals, and age-grading certainly helps with this .
TS also - "being out there in perfect conditions and enjoying the delight of being able to put one foot in front of another and not worry about times etc " - really pleased to hear !
so, lovely bright, beautiful morn here - only minus 3C when I set out (quite warm for Mick, I would say) - 8.5 miles, inc 2 x half mile, 1 x mile, 2 x half mile - all pretty slow, but at least I'm in the foothills of the long climb back to respectability, and best of all, my hamstring seems to be withstanding the increased intensity.
Dave
Glad to hear the hamstring is under control.
Believe it or not it is only -3c here, shorts weather. However when the temperature warms up so quickly it always brings snow and lots of it so forced indoors again.
I like your workout and I cannot wait to get back outside to give my new body a try out.
TS,
I know just how you felt on your run. That is why we do it.
The weather here is usually colder than the northern states by quite a bit. The difference is that we know how to handle it. Our houses are even built differently, people put snow tyres on their cars and the municipalities have the equipment to handle it.
It takes a lot of snow to close things down here and just being cold is no excuse for not doing stuff.
We even take our homeless people indoors so they don't freeze to death.
Another 5k on the treadmill. I felt really good and kept the pace under 9 min miling without redlining or overheating.
Mick
Mick, I'm happy to listen to my body, as you say, and run accordingly but it's the competitive part I'm troubled with. I was really discouraged about how long it took me to get anywhere near previous form after the groin injury last winter and indeed I never quite made it. Now another thing to prevent proper training has cropped up and really made me think about the future. I do feel bad about it as I know you and others have overcome worse but it's a question of motivation when it comes down to it.
I love running and would be mortified if I had to stop completely but I feel I can live with my plan of running for fitness and taking part in parkruns and shorter races. It's not easy to put competitive racing in the past but at the moment it does seem the way to go to carry on enjoying running.
Dave, yes, I've always thought of myself as more than a "fitness" runner and it's going to be a mental adjustment to get to the point where that's enough. To be honest I was heading in that direction anyway and trying not to think too much about previous times or age grading and just enjoying the occasion of a race. I'm very pleased to hear your hamstring is behaving itself.
Christine, a shift in focus is just what I'm trying to achieve. Like you I looked at grading as a target and my aim last year was to get back to the upper 70s. Didn't quite make it though. I'm impressed by your 44 marathon finishes. And well done for finishing the last one. That's a long time to be out running.
TS, that sounded an exhilarating early morning run in bitterly cold conditions. I bet you went back indoors on a real high. There's something about running, and cycling too I think, that you just don't get from walking, enjoyable though that is.
I'v been doing a 1.25 mile run on most days for the last week and can feel a slight improvement in the foot. On Sunday there's a cross-country relay race in Durham, about a couple of miles for each runner. Should be able to manage that. I gave last Saturday's cross-country a miss though as it was expected to be a real mud-bath, which it did turn out to be. Not for me, not when it's on the whole course.
Mick - nice treadmill session - good pace
& thanks - hamstring still seems ok (although stiffened up whilst driving yesterday ) - though guess driving not ideal the same day as a 15.5 mile run . . . which seems plenty far enough at the moment !!
Dave
I can recall having to roll out of my car after a long drive when the hamstring had stiffened up - one does get some strange looks from passers by!!!!
15.5 miles is a very long way - big step up for you, fingers crossed.
Mick
good running on the treadie - the weather has its benefits - but it never feels quite the same as running outdoors does it particularly when one finishes as the environment indoors never gives that same feeling.
Graham
you can still enjoy running and running competitively - its just the standard one has to get used to!!
In my younger days (30+ years ago!!) I was completely unhung up (is that even English???!!!) about times as race preparation was often interrupted by work and family so I would just turn up and runs a fast as I could on the training I had done and as long as I felt I had done justice to my preparation, or lack of it, then I was satisfied with whatever outcome there was.
I think we have become a bit obsessed with times, aided by a standardisation of race distances, that wasn't as apparent years ago - or is that just nostalgia on my part because I ran so much faster then
Anyway 4.7 miles done on Tuesday evening with the Hash and 4.2 miles done this morning in 39:12 (9:30m/m).
I tried to open up a bit but had a coughing fit as I increased my breathing rate so the bug has not completely gone yet.
I usually have the gradient set to 1% but it still doesn't feel as hard as outside for a given pace. One benefit is that you do get to move the legs faster and more consistently so I suspect that must help in someway.
The wind and cold make a huge difference so I don't think a treadmill will ever match running outside.
Despite your bug a good effort from you.
Another treadmill run yesterday after my life drawing session. I seem to have got myself into a local artsy group who meet every Wednesday at a local studio. It is very informal with a very modest dropin fee to cover the cost of the model. Lots to learn from a very experienced group.
Today was xtraining despite the weather being very warm +5c. Tomorrow should be an outside day for me as the roads and paths will all be clear.
As part of my knee rehab I do a lot of work on my legs with a rubber band around my ankles. Side strides, monster walks and squats and I think that that has been the key to running pain free now.
Mick
yes - it's the feeling one gets outside having to overcome, or just enjoy, the conditions that one finds, that makes it so different. probably contributes to the endorphin release as well one gets through running but not, as Graham suggested, through walking.
Continuing with rehab can b ea chore but it does make a huge difference
I hope the studio is well warmed for your model's sake in winter
Went out his morning in dank and foggy conditions and discovered a naggle in my hamstring - I must have brought it on by talking about hamstrings yesterday with Dave!!
So I eased right off and just did a couple of miles to get the blood flowing through the muscle - unusual injury as I have not done any speed work at all for ages and that is when hamstrings come into play. I often curse the muscle mass in my upper leg as it doesn't normally do much in distance running - it's only there for showboating at the end!!
You showboating, I just can't believe that.
The weather here has gone a little crazy as it is +12c with heavy rain and fog. The snow is rapidly disappearing and I can see grass on my front lawn.
All will be back to normal by tomorrow morning as the temperature is expected to drop to -12c tonight with a big dump of snow.
I managed to get out in the rain for a 7.5k that include 3 or 4 pickups through puddles so very wet feet by the end.
Mick
Torque Steer - think we are all one run or walk away from an injury - we just have to keep going - use it or lose it!
Birch - well done on the 15.5 mile run! We think in kms here so not so hard to do 15kms but 15 miles is something else!
Graham - good luck with the xcountry relay. I think it is good to mix things up. Not a problem just going out doing little runs, at least you keep your speed that way.
We went to Cornwall Parkrun again today. We have been spending a lot of time clearing weeds from down the bottom of our section as our fence has almost fallen over and part of it is broken from a big gum tree that went down some time ago. My son has a new puppy so we are trying to make the section safe.
A lot of hard work in very humid conditions. Still not puppy proof but maybe by next week.
So excuses over - I was very tired before this week's Parkrun and had only done one run since last week's parkrun, though of course those 38 kms from last Saturday were still wearing me out.
Did run a little bit faster than last week - 28.14 75.15% so have to been happy with that.
Mick - has the snow arrived? good run in the rain, after your treadmill session the previous day. Did 8K on the treadmill myself yesterday, followed by a light circuit of leg and upper body work on various machines. You're right re the treadmill - once I'd "got going", the feeling of faster cadence, together with the sprung surface, proved quite therapeutic.
NZC - 75% is a splendid AG - I'd like to get back to that area later this year; in the meantime 70% would satisfy me as I continue my "comeback" - a 23:18 or so parkrun would yield this, but I'll wait another 2 or 3 weeks before seeing where I'm at.
in the meantime, 11 this morning (legs feeling the gym work) puts me on 46 for the week, with tomorrow to go.
good luck, Graham . . . .
Dave
I like that AG especially on tired legs maybe that is the trick. I should try and run one with tired legs.
Dave,
Yes the snow is back. A nice fresh dump, -15c with a wind chill of -30c, another treadmill day.
6.5k on the treadmill. I tried my garmin 235 on my right wrist to see if it made a difference in the accuracy. It did, this time it was virtually spot on compared to usually being slightly less.
Maybe I swing my right arm more aggressively. It is hard to tell without changing what I am doing because I am watching it.
Mick
Now in London. Finished two days of meetings here and about to head out to Bermuda tomorrow for three days for further meetings. Then back home for 4 days before second equally brief trip (Singapore & Tokyo).
At least I managed 8 km along the Thames Path this afternoon. More "run, stop, walk, stop, run, stop, .." though as I tried to work out which way I should be heading. Not certain what people did before mobile 'phones' and GPS? Headed down to Katherine Docks from hotel, then east along the north bank. Assured by a colleague it was the best option for running in this area. Either I totally missed the path or it is actually a piecemeal hash of short lengths of winding path and narrow cobblestone footpaths & roads? By some miracle I made it without tripping but was certainly very apprehensive.
Despite 'dawn-dusk' meetings, will hopefully get a couple of good runs in Bermuda (may depend on weather though). Usual route is out to Spanish Point but it can be a bit hair-raising with only narrow road and no footpaths for much of the way. Rail trail is a safer option but a bit inconvenient from downtown Hamilton.
(GPS struggling with surrounding multi-storey buildings much of the way)
that's some air miles accruing!!
Sounds like you are following the money.............
I think I would have crossed over onto the South Bank at Tower Bridge and then gone west - it's a lot more pedestrian friendly and traffic free and I have run it many times when staying in London- apart from rubbernecking tourists who keep getting in the way!!
Bermuda sounds rather nice to me at this time of year - i have run on a few beaches there but never on the roads!! Enjoy
Mick
good to hear normal weather service is restored!!
Interesting that your Garmin responds to changes in wrists - you will have to get a mirror rigged so that you can see if your arms do swing differently
NZC
excellent AG and time on "tired" legs - just wait until you are refreshed!!
Dave
Big mileage week well done
I will have to find the voodoo doll you stuck pins in to transfer your hamstring problems to me!!!
Another very easy 3 miles this morning in torrential rain as I eased my hamstring into gentle exertion. It's only a slight stiffness but I have been there before..........................
Christine, very good parkrun from you and congratulations on the 75% AG.
Dave, you're certainly putting in the miles again and it's looking good.
Mick, blimey, you don't know where you are with your weather. Is this variability normal? Don't think I remember you commenting on such extremes in previous winters.
NZD, you're doing a lot of air miles. Running along the river can be great but I know from my own experience when I've run on visits to London that it's not always straightforward.
Well, not sure if I enjoyed the cross-country relays yesterday or not. For a start it was a really cold, grey, breezy day. I ran second leg and did my roughly 3K on flat rough grass at 8:24 pace. It felt quite hard and my toes tightened up after a mile or so but did ease again before the finish.
I had a little wobble back home when the results came out and I saw how much slower I was compared to people I normally match or beat. I soon became more positive but it's one thing to say your racing days are behind you and another to really accept it. It's going to take time to get my head around it but I will. As TS said, you can only do your best on the amount of running you've been able to do and leave it at that.
One really good thing yesterday was to see my friend who was fighting for his life in front of me at the track last summer running his first race since then. He got a lot of support from his many friends.
Mick - could be snow here tomorrow, but I suspect not at the level to cause your good self to raise an eyebrow !
Graham - well done with your XC, and yes, very true re one's feelings being behind peers whom we once were ahead of . . . but of course its also true that this is insignificant when compared to your friend's return to running after his dreadful experience.
TS - similarities here to your run - torrential rain as I set out to the park to meet my friend, and slight hamstring stiffness on the first of my "efforts". Fortunately, this eased, and no reaction since. Completed 8 miles, with 2xhalf, 1xmile, 2xhalf inserted. Couldn't resist 4 easy yesterday which completed a 50 mile week.
Dave
I run along the Thames many times on my business trips to London but never that section. Going west as TS pointed out would have been much better.
Graham,
A few years makes a big difference in your late 60s, how old were these other guys?
This weather is unusual. Long periods of -28c ish is unusual, to swing so far the other way is incredible. It is bad for the roads and the trees but it does keep me supplied with firewood as the trees crack and fall.
You said your run was really cold, was that really cold or just freezing.
Dave,
Well done on the 50 mile week and enjoy your little sprinkle.
Back to the deep freeze here, -19c, so on the treadmill again.
Garmin on right wrist seems to do the trick as this was what the treadmill said. As you can see from my HR, I overheated again and I made a puddle on the treadmill. I think I gross out some of the young women on the adjacent machines.
Mick
well done on the 50 mile week
It did rain a bit yesterday didn't it?! Fortunately the Gortex jacket works well and some new Nike tights I got appear to dry off the rain almost as quickly as it falls with the warmth generated by the legs - even when running as slowly as I was!!!
Mick
is it not time for one of your snowbird holidays??
Good to see you still getting consistent miles in on the treddie
Graham
Good to hear of your friend's recovery and back to racing. That truly is perspective
Re times - it's easy - just don't look at anyone else's results! I never have, I'm only really interested in mine which is the only one I can control.
I recall 8 years years ago now, going back to run the Dewsbury 10K again. The previous year I had run 42:20 and with a few weeks to go was confident of going much faster. Then I caught one of the g'kids new virus strains and it wiped out 3 weeks. I ran 2.5 miles on the Friday just to make sure that my legs could actually turn over and then went to the race on Sunday and ran 48:50 and actually felt better about that result than the preceding year's time. It's all about context.
Snow flurries around this morning but I am saving myself for the Hash run this evening from a CAMRA pub in picturesque Knaresborough - though I will take it very gently particularly on the unforgiving hills and river gorge steps.
It was the annual Hash dinner on Saturday and it went off very well indeed. Amongst the (un)usual awards I presented was a memorial one for a recently deceased member - always an emotional thing to do particularly with his wife and family there. But she loved that I had found a way to do it in a humorous way as he had been a larger than life character in life. Still at 54 it was no age........................
Mick, I've got quite a few runners of various ages and genders who I know are (or used to be!) around my pace and whose results I tended to look for. As for the weather on the day of the race, it was about 3 degrees but with the wind it felt colder. Also it was grey and even a bit of winter sun somehow makes the cold feel a bit more bearable. Of course, mild by your standards. I'm still getting over your description of your recent local parkrun at -26 degrees I seem to remember.
TS, my real aim is not only not to look at others' times but not even my own! I hope to do some more parkruns before too long and plan to run without a watch. Of course, you then get a parkrun email to tell you what your time etc was and I'd have to delete that without looking. Knareborough is indeed picturesque, one of my favourite places.
naw - you'll always peek at your own time
Well Knaresborough was "interesting" last night. It snowed on the way there, then the skies cleared and it was a crystal clear night sky with spectacular star clarity.
However that also presaged a rapid drop in temperature and wet paths were turned into literal skating rinks - on one steep downhill section below the castle I literally could not stop as there was no traction on the path and had to jump onto the grass in order to gain some purchase before I disappeared over the railings into the river gorge a long way below. Fortunately I was able to shout a warning to those behind.
Thereafter we stuck to grass and mud on our way back to the pub for Hobgoblin Blond and excellent sandwiches so it wasn't a bad might overall.
Pavements were even worse this morning so I didn't venture out.............. and tomorrow I have to go over the Pennines!!!
It sounds like you are getting my weather.
Yes we are off to Barbados but not until next month and then in april we are off to Crete.
Graham,
Are any of the pacey guys older than you?
Yesterday was 8.25k on the treadmill at a gentle pace and today was 5k a little quicker. Quick enough for the garmin to get left behind and come up a bit short.
Mick
I hope the Pennine trip has gone/is going safely . . .
great run this morn - the snow meant a blank yesterday , and had to avoid the slush higher up today, so a run into the Lower Don Valley and the associated industry here - my friend was doing 20, so I joined her with intention of 15, but I got the logistics of our meeting point a bit askew, so I ended up with 17.5 - we did a tour of the area I grew up in, then past old steelworks etc, even a stretch along here
(that's the M1on the upper level , and a lot more cars and trucks than in the pic whizzing by on our lower level) -
but needs must . . . . . & great to enjoy the camaraderie & shared effort with a good friend.
Really pleased to bag the 17.5 as well . . . early days yet, but maybe there's a bit of life in the VoGit yet . . . .
I'll follow Mick's example tomorrow with a recovery on the therapeutic, sprung surface of the treaddie !!
Dave
Barbados and Crete sound very good indeed. I love Crete and have been there many times - we may even be there in April as well depending on how various things pan out. It would be a strange place to meet up!!! It has to be said there are a lot of big hills in Crete but I used to love my early morning runs there - all the locals would nod and greet as they went about business - and then back to the hotel for a swim before breakfast
Dave
I forgot to mention the chunky chips with the skins on
It was pretty hairy but nothing compared with yesterday morning trying to get out of Harrogate after 2-3" of snow (don't laugh Mick) were duped just before the early traffic. It took me 4 hours to do 40 miles and after 10 miles there was no snow!!
Great run yesterday - 17.5 miles is serious mileage. What sort of pace are your running them at? The views though were perhaps not the best
As Garmin Connect remorselessly reminds me each time I log on - it's now 4 years since I ran that sort of distance!!
The pavements were still white this morning with a hard icy crust that cracked like small arms fire with each stride - quite satisfying really - and a lot safer than the cleared areas where black ice lurked.
I did 5.2 miles in 51:20 just taking it easy and making sure I stayed upright!!
The brilliant early morning sun has now turned to snow, sleet and rain................
guess what just appeared
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2018/jan/19/running-away-crete-winding-paths-greek
there is a link to trails to run at the bottom of the page!!
I have never been to Crete before. Those trails look tough, but thanks for the link. I am really looking forward to my early morning run in the warm sun wearing shorts.
Take care with running on the ice. The biggest issue I have found is not the sudden slip but the continuous back slip. Even a hardly noticeable amount can result in stiff calves and hamstrings.
Yesterday was a xtraining day on the weights. Today I got outside as it was only -3c. The pavement was covered in slush so it was slippery but at least I was outside for an easy 5k.
Mick