My Last Run

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  • As I don't go to running events these days, I like the more long-term diversion of a yearly mileage target.  Best recently was 2200 two years ago.  Interesting to note I wasn't doing half that when I became a keen runner 25 years ago.

    Nessie, how did the overnight forest event go? 

    Impressive form, Pig100 image - and a very sound parkrun time, Cal.  image

  • Nice running Pig and Cal image

    So last night's 10 checkpoint overnight orienteering / running / scrambling through holly thickets event... (Rodings Rally).. It was my third consecutive year of this, probably my all time favourite event, and certainly the most bonkers one I've ever done.    

    Here is the deal: There are 3 options for each of the checkpoints, which you work out at the start by solving cryptic clues. So once you've worked out the clue (e.g. Emilia's famous acting dynasty home= Fox burrows)- you then work out which  of the three OS point is nearest, follow a path or trail until you're vaguely near the tent with the checkpoint, then use compass and pacing to find the checkpoint, which is an unlit one man tent, always hidden away.  This might mean e.g. using the map to work out it's approximately 75 metres 90 degrees... Checkpoints are never on paths or clearings, so here is the part where you have to clamber over fallen trees, through holly thickets, rhodedendron bushes etc... for rather inaccurate pacing, then using torches to spot the tent in the pitch black, whilst also hiding from other teams. There is a 5 or 10 checkpoint version. We've always done the 5, which is approx 6 miles as the crow flies, but in reality allowing for getting lost / searching, maybe about 12-13. This year we thought we'd try 10 , which is 13 miles as the crow flies. Easy huh!!?image

    Storm Angus hit about an hour before our start time, so by 9.44 when we started, it was already chucking down. The first checkpoint was a disaster as we chose the wrong OS point along with most of the other teams, and we were really disorientated by the heavy rain and winds. After an hour and a half of searching, we gave up and moved onto the second.  The rest went well, but one of the 3 women I was with got really cold to the point where we got quite worried about her. We were all chilly and soaked to the bone in spite of our waterproofs, as the rain was torrential. But this was not good. We'd been in the forest in the constant torrential rain for 6 hours and it was 4 am- the cut off is 8 hours- and we realised that a) we may not make the cut off, and b) our friend was really shivery and pretty miserable, so we sadly had to thrown the towel in. 

    I still really loved it and all the magic of the forest at night was there, but it was TOUGH! Today feel happy about the adventure if a little disappointed that we had to give up. And everything aches.... but will definitely be giving it another go next year, and hoping that we don't have a storm to contend with.

  • Sounds interesting, Nessie, though I don't do well with cold at all. I'd end up like your friend.

    7 miles easy today. Went OK.

  • Bad luck on having to give up Nessie but it sounds like it was very tough.  

    Well done on your races Pig and Cal.

    Sunday: 18.5 km in 1:40.  It was a lovely crispy late autumn morning.  Bit of mist in the hollows and a skim of ice on the puddles.   

  • Sounds nice, Hazelnut!

    Grey and blustery out on Tooting Common this morning. Had to run into a headwind a couple of times. Managed 6 miles though.

  • Great running Hazel and Cal

    This morning's 5.30 am speed session was a pyramid of sorts. Just me and one other crazed woman (one of the nutters who I did Saturday's night race with). Since we train in a car park by the town hall, measured by our Garmins, it is very inexact, but we managed to do 200, 400, 600, 1200, 1200, 600, 400, 200. Good session. Foxes stayed away due to the rain

  • That's some dedication, Nessie!

     

  • Did 5 miles easy to start with, then a short break, then one mile hard just to see how fast I could run it (8:32, in the end). Turns out, I routinely run faster miles than that during parkrun. I guess I need other people around me to really put a spurt on!

  • That sounds like a good session Nessie - I was thinking about trying out something similar myself.

    Nice run Cal.

    Yesterday evening: the usual Tuesday evening outing - 10.5km in approx 1 hour (forgot my watch).  Around 3km from the end we were "adopted" by a young Jack Russell terrier.  It ran all the way back to the meeting place with us. It seemed a bit lost and we didn't want to leave it to maybe be run over so we made an emergency lead out of high-viz vests and one of the ladies took it home with her and phoned the police.   It was chipped fortunately and was reunited late in the evening with its owner, a farmer in the next village.   

  • Good work on the dog retrieval, Hazelnut!

  • Do it Hazel! We've come to weirdly look forward to our early morning speed sessions..

    Me- 7 miles with the club tonight, pleasant and chatty

  • 4 miles in the (cold) sunshine today. Went a little faster than I intended. Oh well!

     

  • Well done Cal image

    5 miles run followed by 1 mile swim and a little bike riding to / from the pool thrown in for me image

  • So a deconstructed triathlon for you, Nessie!

    parkun PB for me today - I finally cracked 26 minutes! 25:52 official time. Whoop!

     

  • Well done Cal!

    Nice training Nessie. I don't have access to a track so I would either have to roughly measure out the distance or watch the watch... Doable though.

    Thursday, did a 15 minutes slow, 20 minutes quick and 15 minutes slow session.

    If I haven't caught OH's cold then I will run a local race tomorrow. Not sure whether to do the 4.4km or the 10.5 km. Might be interesting to do the short one and really go for it.

  • Do it hazel! That's what we do- measure a course using our garmins. Highly inaccurate!

    Way to go Cal whoop!

    Me- busy as f*** as usual and was in charge of the 2nd hand toy stall at the Brownies Xmas bazaar this morning, dashed the youngest off to ballet and had 50 mins while I waited for her so I did a surprisingly effective fartlek session.
  • Well run, Cal!  Those *slower* training miles had a good impact. image

    Great terrier wrangling, Hazel!

    Nessie, I thought I ran early.... image   1404 miles so far this year, and I'm over 40 up on my 1500 annual target.  Hidden ice on minor roads led me to favour the grass, prom and beach the past few days.

  • Postponed yesterday's long run (broken sleep left me feeling meh and the grey skies weren't inspiring me to get out there) but had a nice burst of energy under today's sunshine and clocked 11 miles in 1:49:17. Mostly marathon pace, but I threw in a HMP mile at mile 10 for the hell of it. image

  • Sunday:  4.4 km race in 19:13.  Haven't done such a short fast race in I don't know how long - if ever.

    It was a small local race but with some good club runners. Saw a few familiar faces from various races this year.  There was a good cake buffet afterwards.image

    It was a grey murky sort of day until 5 minutes before the start when the sun came out. The course was quite narrow and twisting - I went slap into the tail end of the nordic walkers on their first lap a few hundred metres before the end of my race which cost me a few seconds as I had to dodge round them.  I wasn't about to win any prizes anyway so it doesn't matter.

    6th of 38 in my age group and 11th woman of 72 altogether.  Apart from one woman all of those who finished in front of me are about half my age so I'm pretty pleased. 

    Legs were fine though a bit sore today, lungs were at their limits. 

  • Excellent running hazel!

    Cal- which marathon is next?

    Me- yesterday was a lovely long run of 9 miles
  • Well done, Hazelnut. That's a strange distance, but hey, a weird distance is a guaranteed PB, eh? image

    Well done on the 9, Nessie.

    Next marathon is Brighton, but I'm considering Liverpool in May as well.

  • Cal, maybe I should have added 1.5 rounds of the track where the race finished to get my 5k PB as I don't have an official one at the moment.  That might have confused a few people though. 

    You talking of marathons is making my fingers itch to sign up for one... My big one for next year (Swiss Alpine) isn't open for registration yet though and I haven't decided on an autumn one.  I have been inundated with e-mails and post in the last few days for my standard round of Spring races so I can keep myself content with those for now.

    Nice long run Nessie.

    6km recovery jog yesterday evening in 36:58.  2 degrees and a stiff NE wind - felt pretty cold but the sun was out to compensate.  Had tired legs from the race on Sunday, but the gentle pace loosened them up nicely.  I set out to do 5km but I enjoyed it so much I added on an extra one.

     

     

  • 4 miles today. Should have been easy but it was only 1 degree so after a slow first mile I got progressively quicker. Last two miles were just over 10 minute mile pace. My right knee was a bit grouchy and complained all the way through yoga afterwards. I'm not worried as it gets like this sometimes - the meniscus is fine, but the muscles around it get tight and pull on it. I'll have to do some foam rolling I think.

  • Where's everyone gone?

    6.3 miles in zero degrees today. Wore a big hoodie. Saw some other runners in shorts. Thought, idiots. image

  • Cal, I've not done much running this week as the norovirus has arrived in our house. Not affected me (yetimage) but have been nursing the husband and youngest...

    I managed to slip out for an hour last night in the icy darkness, did around 6 miles easy as I was / am shattered from no sleep / going to work etc.... the pavements were treachorously icy but I love the stillness of this time of year at night, and the cold, once I've warmed up image

  • Still getting out thereimage 

    I was thinking too its quite quiet on here at the moment. 

    Swittle are you okay? 

    Nessie - I hope you don't get the bug. 

    Tuesday:  usual round with the group - 10.4 km in around an hour.  Cold crispy evening with lots of stars to look at.

    Yesterday: gentle 8km in 49 minutes

    Today - run / walk with the VFFs in the freezing fog - the sun kept poking through the murk and the frosted cobwebs were nice...

    Shorts?  I had the woolly hat on today...

     

  • Yep, good, thanks, Hazel.  Does seem quiet on the thread tho'.  Stay well, Nessie.  Thermometers risen the past 3 days, so I can risk the roads to the coastal park & beach.

    Always in shorts here! image  And yesterday was no. 338 of Streak Mk 3.

  • Hello all, bug seems to have gone and I'm still well. Yesterday was 9 miles slow and this morning was a 40 minute fartlek.
  • Good thing the bug missed you Nessie.

    And nice streaking swittle.  How are the Iron Men these days - are they still in place even? I sometimes speed read through the earlier pages of this thread and like your tales of what they were wearing. 

    5km yesterday in 31:06. It was a beautiful clear afternoon and although chilly I added another 2km walk to enjoy the sunshine.

    Having a recovery week this week so no speed work will be back to that soon for training for a 15km in March (goal: sub 1:10).

    Have a good weekend !

     

  • Thanks, Hazel.  Yes, although I've never actually counted all one hundred!  First red Santa suit noted last week - one year, at least half of them were similarly kitted out: quite a sight!

    Thankfully, after various forms of intervention several years ago  - possibly A. Gormley himself - 'Another Place' is now permanently installed on Crosby & Waterloo beaches.   image

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