Comrades 2022

MARK A ALDERSON

Lowrez 
the advertised battery life of course will not be at a peak if you have notifications pinging and every few minutes. I have none of those turned on, when I go for a run I want to enjoy the run not have an alert of an email, phone call, WhatsApp, so forth - if you want these notifications on then that can be selected but yes any ping is using battery, same as on any other watch. 

The wheel needs turning slowing to around 270’ not many times. 

No I don’t have the watch ping me every mile, why would I need that on? If running is so sporadic and to feel that the alert of you’ve just done a 8mm and are out of pace means you now have to run the next mile quicker to get back in synch that is no good, I prefer having average pace on the screen then I know where I’m at throughout the activity. 

I’m confused as you say 8 updates in 90 minutes (that’s a lot of updates tbh) 
where your old watch with the Coros with same notifications on and settings then tell me which watch battery drains quicker, 

im only an ambassador and part of Coros running team, I don’t get paid but can only  un advise on what I know or can find out, which c you’d be direct to CEO as he is that approachable. 

I’ve already voiced manual needs to be more detailed

Debra Bourne

lowrez: there's info here that might be useful: https://support.coros.com/hc/en-us/articles/360048165052-How-to-calibrate-the-battery-on-COROS-watches - I did this and it helped. BUT do check how to re-start the watch after turning it off, as they missed that off the instructions!!!

A ping every mile doesn't use much battery, but having it vibrate uses more. See here for more info: https://support.coros.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040243412-How-To-Maximize-COROS-Watch-Battery-Performance

I'm gradually learning how to use mine but I still don't find it intuitive and have to look up how to do stuff all the time - e.g. if you've set up a speed session with intervals, you have to go to training then choose the session, not go to run then choose training session.

In other news, I finally got around to entering the virtual Comrades (21km option). MUST remember to take my Garmin with on the SDW100 as well as the Coros, start it as soon as I notice it's past midnight, then stop it once I realise I've gone more than 13.1 miles further along the SDW.

Slow Duck

I've entered the Comrades 45km option - being much slower than Debra I will have close to 40 miles left on the SDW100 when midnight strikes!

Dubairunner

Signed up for the Abu Dhabi marathon on 26 Nov as my qualifier.

Need to be vaccinated, have a negative PCR test within 48 hours and wear a mask when not running. 

But it’s a return to road racing, going to be some long night runs through the summer to get the miles in.

Hope everyone is doing okay and staying safe...

Debra Bourne

Dubai: great! Really glad you can race again. Good luck with training during the summer.

Here in the UK it's just got a lot warmer suddenly: a week ago I was wearing both arm-warmers and a light jacket during the warm-up for the club speed session. This morning I was wearing a vest top for my recovery run. Bit worried I won't have time to acclimatise before SDW100 on 12-13th. Wondering if I'd better try to spend half an hour in a hot bath after getting back from this evening's speed session, and again later in the week and early next week, to try to hurry the process (no access to a sauna).

Dubairunner

Debra, I’ve read before that it takes 10-14 days to acclimatise. Good luck but with the unpredictable UK weather it could be snowing by then! 

baldstan

Dubairunner, I think Debra and Slow Duck might have welcomed a bit of cooler weather, but forecast is for mid-20s and sunshine on Saturday. Six Minute Mile had a link to this article about acclimatising, which suggests ten sessions is the optimum for adaptation, but I've read elsewhere that about 75% of the benefits can be achieved in 4 - 6 days.

https://www.podiumrunner.com/training/how-to-hijack-your-physiology-to-become-a-smarter-sweater-in-the-heat/?utm_source=Six+Minute+Mile&utm_campaign=db87ab7a6f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_28_03_29_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6e5b2f993e-db87ab7a6f-8110966

I'm sure you both know a lot more about it than I do though. I'm at the QECP aid station so I'll look out for both of you Saturday morning. The good news is that Centurion have changed their Covid protocols to allow volunteers to help fill waterbottles to cut down on queuing so hopefully you can be in and out quickly.

Debra Bourne

baldstan, I look forward to seeing you at QECP. I'm a bit worried about the weather - it's warmed up so suddenly and I know I've not acclimatised yet - went for a run this lunchtime and was definitely feeling the heat and slowing down, as well as drinking more. I'll just have to try to be sensible about pacing, and keep pouring water over my head as if I were at Comrades.

Slow Duck

baldstan - look forward to seeing you at QECP!

I'm a bit worried about the warm weather too but glad it won't be raining and miserable. At least doing a death-march in bright sunshine won't be too unpleasant, I hope...

Debra Bourne

I'm hoping to take inspiration from John Stocker and Matt Blackburn: if they can keep completing 4.166667 miles every hour for 81 and 80 hours respectively, surely I should be able to average the same or higher pace for a mere 24 hours (or hopefully less)...

MARK A ALDERSON

Debra
if you take inspiration from that phenomenal event and new WR and then carry it through for such mileage / distance one day I shall purchase you First class tickets to Durban on your next trip! 😆 
it was fantastic wasn’t it, annoys me how that doesn’t make the news but other running does. 

Enjoy and take care over the weekend 

Debra Bourne

Mark AA: I really want to go sub-24, but with the sudden hot weather, who knows. Yes that was an amzing running performance, as was the slew of world and national 100-mile and 24-hour records at Centurion's Track 100 a few weeks ago - which also got zero mainstream news coverage, of course.

baldstan

And so good to see records being broken where the story isn't the shoes!

Fingers crossed that there are a few clouds to give you some shade in the middle of the day. I'll be dot watching once I'm finished at QECP. Then running my Virtual Comrades Half Marathon on Sunday morning with my eldest. We've done more virtual events together than real ones so far.

MARK A ALDERSON

Yes, I saw those Centurion records too. Good friend of mine has just been picked for Team GB for track 24hr. I shall be on the North Downs next couple of days, I love the sun and blue sky but the clouds today are welcome, albeit they have made it more humid, and avoided a better sight of the eclipse!

Peter R

Good luck this weekend Debra and SD; keep hydrated and lots of sun cream!

Debra Bourne

Thanks, Peter. Just finishing preparing everything. We'll drive down early evening, stay in a hotel overnight, aim to be on my way about 5am tomorrow.

Just in case anyone wants to follow progress at all:

Live map: https://live.centurionrunning.com/SDW100-2021/

Leaderboard: https://www.centurionrunning.com/live

My number: 366

Dubairunner

Good luck, am in awe as someone who has never run further than 50k and only did 1.43 miles today, although it was 43 degrees.

1owrez

Good luck Debra and SD 🙂

baldstan

Saw Debra and Slow Duck as they came through QECP this morning and they both looked to be going well, even though it was already pretty warm. Just managed to do some salted roast potatoes the night before to add to the usual vast Centurion spread.

I see Debra has got to Washington, which is over halfway, in under 11 hours, so hoping for her that 24 hours is still on. And Slow Duck is 90 minutes inside the cut off, so he can afford to take it easy and wait for things to cool down.

Southern Snail

Haven't been around much recently as seem to have lost my mojo...but good luck to all of you doing any kind of Comrades virtual runs tomorrow.

And a massive lot of luck for Debra and Slow Duck. Another hot one. I'm going to look you both up now

baldstan

Just about to take a break from dot watching and get some sleep, but it looks like Debra is well up on her goal at the moment, at the three quarter point in under 17 hours. And Slow Duck is well ahead of the cut off and almost two thirds of the way through. Lots of runners have been dropping through the heat of the afternoon, but hopefully conditions are much better tonight.

SS hope you get your mojo back soon. I'm not looking forward to doing my 21.1 kms tomorrow, but hoping Debra and Slow Duck's example will get me out there.

Mc Hilly

Wow, Debra has smashed her 24h target!!
Good Luck to all those doing a Comrades run today 

Southern Snail

Well no mojo back today despite it being "Comrades" today. Will go for a walk instead.

Congratulations to Debra - thats one hell of a run. You deserve that. I take my hat off to you. Seriously well done.

SD is past Alfriston but I don't know how far he has to go. Keep going SD well done.

Southern Snail

Alfriston is apparently 91.6 miles so not far to go SD

Fido2Dogs

Hello all! Sitting here in Abingdon having done the 21km option (in about 3h! Hey it's hot and I needed a pit stop) with McHilly who has very kindly bought me a coffee and is wearing a Comrades mask and t-shirt. 
Now off to dot watch...ooh SD is nearly done!!

baldstan

Fantastic time for Debra, and Slow Duck's finished too, with over half an hour to spare. Looking forward to hearing how their races went. Off out to find some shade to run/walk my 21.1kms.

1owrez

Well done Debra and SD ☺️

Comrades Hope half marathon completed this morning for me.

I lost my mojo for a few months too SS, what got me out of it finally was a realisation I was becoming fat, unhealthy, and at my age risking early death (darn, that's a bit serious) But I also wanted to have that feeling of achievement again crossing finish lines, possibly in a nice new dress 😂 and none of those Avant Garde styles would fit me if I was obese. Hoping you can find your own route to getting your mojo back (it's a damned long haul out of a pit of lethargy, that half marathon I just did, albeit in fancy dress, was short of Comrades qualifying pace).

Debra Bourne

Thanks, everyone. With 40 miles to go, and after some REALLY slow miles uphill in horrible hot weather on the miles before Washington, I didn't think I was going to make sub-24. But I kept going and dug deep. Later paired up with another runner and we pushed each other from there to near the trig point, where he took off and I followed more carefully as I really didn't want to turn an ankle down the gully!

And I remembered to turn the 2nd watch on just after midnight and record the 13.1 miles for virtual Comrades Hope Challenge - only just fitted it in!

1owrez

Super result Debra well done with the tenacity to get that sub 24. Brilliant that you squeezed the Hope Half in too!

1owrez

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