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Shades Marathon Training
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On complete lockdown here, no work (yay!) so FINALLY getting around to posting. I sort of left it so long that I didn't know how to catch up. I've actually been lurking away though and following all your exploits but have been catching up on my phone in bed just before I go to sleep, and I don't post on my phone.
Anyway, my last race was La Rochelle after which I was struck down with a chest infection for a while. After I recovered from that I managed to keep a decent mileage base up all through the winter months and up until a couple of weeks ago was feeling pretty good about my running. I wanted to enter Paris (Can stay with my daughter there) but it was sold out - and almost entered Barcelona as well but decided financially it wasn't a good idea. The next one I'd lined up was Blaye, I love that race, but at the moment all inscriptions are on hold so that's not looking too promising either.
I went back to Wales for a week to see my parents and had some really fab running. All round Cardiff where my dad lives.. he's down the bay and there's SO much to look at and then back to my home town to stay with mum and some wonderful runs all over the sand dunes and beaches.. plus re visiting all my old haunts with all the memories that they bring! I just didn't notice the miles passing. I think I may have overdone it as I seem to have pulled or strained a muscle in my bum.. is that your glutes? It feels a bit like a sciatic problem but I don't think it's a nerve.. just a very sore point which ends up with a dead leg if I keep running. Last Monday I had to resort to walking the last part of my run as it was just too painful. I've had a week off just to rest it and went out for a trot this morning but it's still there. The most infuriating part is I've now got at least two weeks off work and I can't run! Aaaaaargh!
Speaking of work you may remember the last time I posted *cough* I had just applied for another job. Well I got the job, which I was interested in, but it was some distance away. This coincided with the school cook going off sick again and the maire asking me to replace her as usual. I said that I would defer my new job and help them out for a month but then after I would leave unless they could make me a more interesting offer. Well to my amazement they did! They have given me a permanent civil servant contract (like hens teeth to get one of those) and I am the official school cook!! If the current school cook comes back she will be given other duties to do. This will go down like a lead balloon but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it
There you go, that's my news. Sorry I can't comment on everyone else but I just don't know where to start! One thing that does jump to mind was that Big G, you were considering doing Annecy weren't you? Well I know for obvious reasons it was a good job that you didn't enter but my friend Isabelle did it last year and she said it was deadly boring anyway.
Oh that wasn't a great choice of race then for the club championship.
Mamafox - so good to hear from you again, I've missed you.
Not surprised you ended up with a chest infection as you ran that marathon with o cold.
Congrats on the job, a bit of skilful negotiation I think from you.
What a shame you can't use your lockdown time to run now you've got a sore butt/glutes.
Look up piriformis that's a common running injury, you will need to do some stretches if that's what it is.
So good to have you back.
I'll have a look on Dr Google now. Can't really make up an excuse that I've no time for stretching now can I?!
Just had a committee meeting which I dialled in on, and it worked well. It was me and one other on our laptops, and the rest in a room. Obviously training has been cancelled, as has the Club Champs. Chair did have a great idea that he ran past me before the meeting, and we're going to do a mini-Club Champs in July, August and September where we'll run 6 Trotter-only events on the same 4-mile course, and have the best 3 times/age gradings to count, which I think is a great compromise. Top 10 men and top 10 women for prizes, and free to enter. Obviously this depends on the situation improving with the virus by then. Driver for this is that the Club Champs is a major part of the awards night so Chair wanted something to fill that. He is good - I hadn't even thought of something like that.
Similar to Keith, my mum has called off Mother’s Day, her partner has been ill health for about 6 years now and will be a high risk. Imagine I’ll drop presents off in the morning but she had gone into self isolation. My sister is also heavily pregnant so she’ll stay at home too.
asda was a complete farce today, heard rumours some 24 hours shops are closing and restocking but could just be fake news
Big G - glad the meeting went well and the new format Club Champs sounds like a great idea, will give members something to train for and a bit of healthy competition if we still have no races at that time.
Did they all sit a metre apart in the meeting room?
Robert - heard on the news this morning that Tesco 24 hours closing at night to restock. I've just run past our 24 hour Tesco at about 6 a.m. and the car park was 75% full and they're all cramming mountains of shopping in their cars. I really don't understand this panic buying mentality, very sad to see.
Just had an email from Sainsbury's saying they're going to have an early hour for elderly (70+) and vulnerable customers and they will also be given priority to online delivery slots, think that's a fantastic response from them.
I'm now dreading my food shop this morning.
6 miles today, lovely and mild, bit windy though. Legs feel a bit tired today, chest strain now down to slightly less than 1/10 so that's good.
Re: your glute, Shades might be right but it could be what I have which is high hamstring tendinopathy. Mine comes and goes. It's literally a pain in the arse. When it flares up it can be quite uncomfortable even to sit, but I can generally get it to behave by doing lots of glute and hammy exercises. Resting doesn't help much - strength work is better. The one thing I've learned not to do is stretch it (much) - when I was doing yoga it aggravated it no end. (However, do stretch your glutes and use a ball for the knots).
Keith, I hope you don't have it mate. Isolate yourself, though. Don't take any chances.
Shades, good your chest is almost better.
Food shopping is now like the Wild West. The one thing I'm worried about is the launderette - I usually get service washes but I'm wondering if those will continue. I don't even have space for a washing machine in my flat so I'll be buggered if the launderette closes completely. I'll have to pop by and ask them.
Rob - I think we're going to end up waiting a bit longer for our next mutual parkrun adventure. I think if they do suspend parkrun, which they surely must, the silver lining will be that it will allow the various courses to recover. A lot of them will be churned up muddy messes at the moment.
Today's offering was 9 miles with miles 5, 6 and 7 at LT pace. While I don't know when my next race is, I want to be prepared for when the embargo ends (I also want to give P&D a proper crack, so getting more used to LT pace would be beneficial as I'm not great at judging it currently!) I felt decent on this run - slightly achey left glute but otherwise fine.
Regarding shopping I did walk into Lidl in the town centre yesterday it wasn't too bad. Some fresh food had ran out, but that's not overly unusual as I went at about 6pm. Not all types of bread were available, and some types of pasta were gone, as was hand wash. But I could get enough food, although not necessarily everything I went in for, but substituted for other things. The vast majority of people visit there by foot as opposed to by car, so maybe that's partly the reason as people can only carry so much. I did buy an extra loaf and also an extra box of cereal than usual, but otherwise it was a normal shop for me. Dad's my main concern, but I called him and he's got enough stuff. His partner's daughter got him some food, which is nice. I'm calling him each day and he seems fine. He did have a fall a few weeks ago in the garage which was concerning as he thought he'd fractured his shoulder, but a couple of weeks ago he got it scanned and it's just ligament damage which will get better with physio which eased his mind. Similar to what I had with my shoulder, but he's on the mend now.
No running here, but not because of self isolation or anything. It's just the toe isn't 100%. Probably another day or two, but I'm no hurry really. I am doing a walk each day but it's not the same.
Obviously Windermere cancelled. We had planned about a week or 10 days around that way, and we can cancel hotels and B&Bs but will wait and see what happens.
My Glasgow AGM has been cancelled, as has a comedy show I was going to on Friday. I wouldn't have gone to either anyway, but they've made the only decision they can do really.
parkrun cancelled until at least end of March, which although they've said is a minimum, it seems a strange date to set. Surprised they didn't just say "until further notice".
Keith - apparently folk have been panic buying the thermometers too so don't bother trying to find one. If you're not sure then you should self isolate for 7 days. Usually when you have a temperature you really know about it, very hot and then very cold often with shivering but sometimes if the heating is on and the weather warms you can wake up warm during the night.
Have you got enough chocolate to see you through 7 days?
Cal - can you not rejig the stuff in your flat to squeeze in a washing machine. I don't know how you manage, I have mountains of washing especially in the winter with running stuff etc. Surely the launderette will just go to self service, they won't want to lose their income and folk have to wash their clothes.
That's a bonus with our races all cancelled that anyone injured can ease back and recover, plus a good chance to do a decent spell of base training for those that want to do that but say they don't have time.
Well I survived the food shop, stayed calm but it was truly awful. Massive queue of folk waiting at opening time and most of the shelves empty. They are limiting customers to no more than 4 of any one item which is a good strategy but the customers think it doesn't apply to them, guy in front of me took a box of soya milk but the manager soon sorted him out. A few unimportant items I couldn't get so only spent £10, I can manage on what is in my freezer except they didn't have any milk and I get through a lot of milk. I managed to get my cottage cheese and my quark, they were fully stocked for those
I didn't buy extra of anything today, I'm going to stick to my non-panic buying.
Well yesterday was not exactly how I thought the rest of my racing year would go.. frustration has set in and I'm not sure how things are going to proceed in the near future.. as it stands ask my races till the end of April have been cancelled or postponed till later in the year and if things carry on in the way they have then May's events are under threat too. I know there is nothing anyone can do but it is what it is.. training remains the same and just have to do longer runs at the weekend rather than race.. hope you all stay well and stay ahead of this and hopefully things get back to normal soon..
Well no surprise your AGM is cancelled, and the comedy show too. Shame about Windermere, that means the 10 in 10 will be cancelled/postponed too and that is a big contribution to their charity income. Are they hoping to hold Windermere marathon later in the year?
Glad your Dad is OK, shoulders must be a thing in your family.
That does seem odd about parkrun, would have thought they would have at least fallen into line with EA and made it the end of April. I see parkrun have been criticised for their recent statements with a load of arrogant waffling and also for not making a swifter decision.
Has your Ironman been cancelled?
MF - Good to see you back.
5 miles and kettlebells this morning. 5 miles for later.
Big G - the Windermere route in the autumn would be stunning.
Steve - yes, good plan. Plus when you step it up again you should have much better weather for training.
Right just going to post the marathon list, I think the last one for a long time
Shades - I hope this isn't that piriformis thing, that looks pretty serious! I was sort of hoping I'd done something normal and pulled a muscle or something. I'll try googling strength exercises as you suggest Cal. As a week's rest hasn't made much difference maybe it's that. So frustrating. On a positive note Rob, no, the PF hasn't come back.. I think about it every morning when I get up and put my foot on the floor! That injection was truly magical.
It looks like panic shopping is setting in over with you too. I hadn't done anything other than normal shopping up until Monday when we heard that the country was likely to go into quarantine for everyone so I thought I'd better go out and get a couple of things in advance and it was absolute chaos. People just grabbing everything. Thankfully OH could call in at a supermarket just on the final curfew at 12pm yesterday so we're fine for the week now. In any case there's no danger of anyone running out of food.. we just need to be limited in a weekly visit to a supermarket that's all.
Regarding schooling, that hasn't really been a problem.. the three older children have groups set up and do everything on line and the smallest has an on line study programme with his school too. OH cannot work from home (He is a mechanic) so he is at home on full pay and getting on with repairing our own vehicules.. including the BMW Shades!
Anyway, on a running note will try a short run later to see if I can manage that and I may get out on the bike too. Absolutely beautiful day here
The bread crisis is the main talking point over here. They LOVE their bread and the country is in a state of shock as to how to cope without daily visits to the bakery!
mamafox - piriformis isn't that serious, some people just run through it, but it can be a swine to get rid of. Look up 'donkey kicks' good easy glute exercise. I hope you can get out and run while you have this enforced time at home.
Sounds like you've got everything organised for your quarantine, is OH not allowed to go to work then?
And are your bakeries shut?
I had an update on my Windows this week and now I can't paste the marathon list in the normal way, so frustrating, I've been faffing around, anyway think I may have cracked it...…..
Dont kow how as the shelves are empty, warehouse/suppliers have restricted the amount we can order,so fresh is ok in morning then we get the grocery delivery about lunch time and then that gets hammered as customers know to come in for that in the afternoon.
Milk suppliers have stopped supplying 1pt cartons and all skimmed milk options.
Cal - 20kg of oats should last you a while
I think all the TV and social media coverage of panic buying has only fuelled the madness.
I take it you're feeling better today.