Over 60s training.

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Comments

  • Ray - it doesn't sound as though you'll be a regular parkrunner. I'm at the other end of the spectrum in that I've dropped my plans for a February half marathon and have decided to stick with shorter events - maybe to a 10 mile maximum. I simply don't enjoy the grind of training for long events and after all it is meant to be fun. My training partner is now far quicker than me (should be on for a sub 1.35 HM) and if I go with him on longer runs it's a case of either me slowing him down - or him dropping me!

    Pussy - you have the sweet taste of victory which can become addictive! Are you going to stick to one course or will you shop around? Much depends on where you live of course. I'm very lucky in that my favourite course just happens to be my local one (so local that I can jog there and back). Poor Columba has to travel a very long way to do anything in her area and has to make do with 'virtual parkruns' (if I did these I'd be very tempted to give myself a virtual world record time!).

    Pammie - looking forward to hearing your updates.

    Ceal - the damage to my hamstrings was incurred on the Reigate Priory course; I ducked out of the Tilgate one  in a rare outbreak of common-sense! Am not feeling too bad today, thanks.

    Off to see my local non-league football team today in a local derby.

  • good morning and a happy, healthy , if belated, running New Yearimage

    John
    oh that is not the way to start off with an injury!!
    However you do get to wear the Mr Sensible hat for a whileimage
    Hopefully it is only a small tear and recovery will be swift. I believe the current thoughts on such injuries are to try moving as soon as possible with brisk walks as it helps prevent scar build up which is often a bigger cause of problems down the line

    Ray
    good resolution after your 10 miler - I would join you on that one!!
    Not surprised your legs were a bit flat for the Parkrun with that warm up, but you did very well in both outings - good times for both particularly your 10 miler as you were well under 8m/m.

    Pussy
    very good to see you again and to hear of someone else's victory over the voices of medicine - well done!!
    The safest thing one can do right now is to stay sitting in a chair, the most dangerous thing is to continue sitting there!  It just takes a long time plus some setbacks along the way but to set two records at Parkrun in a week is amazingimage.
    Way to go girl................

    Columba
    that circling motion of the leg ""the tightrope walker effect" is precisely what my right leg used to do to avoid load on it.  It can be eliminated with exercise to build the muscles up, as Pussy alluded to, and a very conscious effort to make the legs do what they are supposed to do and not what they want to do!!

    HI Pammie - more strangers emergingimage. Was that a New Year;'s resolution?

    Ceal
    you must be doing the running bits pretty quickly to get the average pace down so far which accounts for the relatively high maxHR - in fact I am surprised that it is not higher!! When I was doing similar splits between walking/running when trying to burn out the old neural memories and covering around 400m in the run bit I was certainly getting much higher HR readings
    Can you post a link to your new device?
    I had read that kefir was very good for reducing flatulence - hence my delicate enquiryimage
     

    I am nearly pain free now - the old neural pathways that sprang back up after the spinal operation have been slowly burned out and it is only relatively mild discomfort from them now which I ignore.
    The achilles has proven to be a bit more problematic and it has gone on for a long time but again it fades once I get warmed up. 
    The only other pain is one of unfitness and carrying an increasingly bulky body on weaker legs!!

    Yesterday dawned through bleary eyes and I hauled my overfed and over alcohol saturated body out into a cold wind with intermittent slashes of sleet, rain and snow.
    However wrapped in my new Helly Hansen merino wool top and Gortex jacket I soon acclimatized and plodded round sedately doing 6 miles in 61 mins with an avHR of 133 and a max of 154 on the usual Hipps Hill which waited for me with its usual malevolent intent

    This morning was bright and frosty with some ice on the paths as I did 5.1 miles in 50 minutes (9:53m/m) with my usual 1 min walk at the start.

    10:35
    9:32
    9:30
    9:25
    11:03

    now if only I could avoid that bl**dy hill on the way back home!!

    However the best stat is the one in the last column of the Garmin analysis -765 calories consumed!!

  • Ray A2Ray A2 ✭✭✭

    John-Hopefully the injury is not to bad,fingers crossed for you.Totally understand your viewpoint on higher mileage, and your right it can be tiresome.

    TS-Just thinking about Helly Hansen makes me feel warm for some reason,really good gear.Kudos on your training,things are looking good.

    No running today,just a walk round a x/c course I am helping to marshal on the 14th of jan.A nice but cold sunny day.

  • cealceal ✭✭✭
    John

    Good to hear that hamstring damage isn't too bad, as TS advises keep moving, not necessarily running, walking etc .



    TS

    My watch link is https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/p/538374

    As for kefir relieving the wind issues, that is certainly the result wanted! I think that on the way to the result there can be an increase in the wind factor whilst healing takes place in the gut. This is what I have experienced! But I do have several food intolerances which I am trying to clear. It is slowly doing its job.



    Good to hear that your back is much improved, the achilles seem to be such a nuisance to heal. You are certainly putting in the miles again, with a reasonable pace all things considered. But I know that you are far from satisfied with your pace and HR. Gosh to your not at all pleasant weather yesterday, it is lovely here today, cold but light and sunny.



    I don't think my pace is anything to shout about when I run, I think around 9.20 mm.





    I was out again, the trail I run along was like M25, small children wandering along in anything but a straight line, some on bikes also not in straight line, dogs on and off leads, people walking in groups and not getting out of the way at all for anybody but themselves! But the weather certainly bought people outside for fresh air.



    I did my usual time, usual walk run, a bit slower this morning. Just 2.4 miles, av pace 12:26 mm, av HR 112, MHR 132.



    We are off tomorrow to The Palladium to see a very naughty Pantomime of Cinderella , starring, Amanda Holden, Paul O' Grady, Julian Clary (who I love ) and Nigel Havers. Definitely not suitable for children! It is a matinee performance. We are hoping the southern trains will be running, they are not today.



    Did anybody see Raymond Briggs Ethel &a Earnest over Christmas. It was delightful and so very sweet and just a little sad. So beautifully done.
  • Pammie*Pammie* ✭✭✭

    Afternoon

    Ceal no I didn't see it heard about it from others over the internet

    Oooh I can imagine Julian Clary in a not for children pantomime, and Paul o Grady too. Enjoy.

    I expect today they are still on a restricted service or are they on strike.

     

    Torque - hopefully I will try if not daily at least a few times a week

    Did 2 miles run walk again  today was fresh but minimal wind

    Tomorrow I sleep image

  • cealceal ✭✭✭
    Pammie

    A good day to get out in the sunshine wasn't it? Have a good sleep tomorrow!!
  • Pammie*Pammie* ✭✭✭

    Hope so always set alarm for about 5pm but it never works

  • Hello. Some familiar names still posting here.

    I am a great fan of parkrun, but nowhere near achieving the times I did a couple of years back. I've joined a Thursday morning group of runners who run in the forest, and normally does 6 miles or so, then also go out with the Friday group I've run with for years, also off road and about 6 miles. This is not ideal preparation for any fast times at parkrun, but I'll sacrifice that in order to enjoy the beautiful forest 

     

    /members/images/172037/Gallery/mudlark.jpg

     

  • ceal, the garmin vivoactive sounds interesting. I'll bear that in mind for when my old garmin finally gives up the ghost. I have run totally barefoot on beaches, but you do have to be cautious, as the sand is very abrasive, so I would like to try those barefoot shoes.

    I did watch Ethel and Ernest - very poignant.

    John, at least you have a time to improve on at parkrun.

  • cealceal ✭✭✭
    Diana

    I love all your running photos on FB in your beautiful new forest, especially the ones in the last week. Yes, runnng is for enjoyment when one has done with being really competitive. Thanks for the advice about the abrasive sand. Using my barefoot running shoes without socks will to some degree help the soles of my feet get a good coated of hard skin!!! Lovely when one puts tights on, not!!



    John,

    In case Pussy doesn't return, because she lives an extremely busy life with sheep and boats amongst other activities, i will tell you, she lives in Cornwall. All running in Cornwall is hilly., I can't imagine that there are many different park races in that area, but I could be incorrect in that assumption.
  • Ceal - thanks. I've visited Cornwall a few times but never had the pleasure of running there.

    Diana - I note you live (and run) in the very lovely New Forest. I've done the New forest HM a couple of times..........but many years ago. Delightful!

    TS - thanks for the advice. You've had a very productive New Year!

  • ColumbaColumba ✭✭✭

    I hope Pussy does come back, as I want to say Hello again after such a long-time-no-see. And what an encouraging post, - three medical experts telling her she'll never run again, and what does she do? - Run. image

    Hello to Pammie - though we do communicate quite often, via Fetcheveryone.

    And hello again Diana.

    All we want now is for JJ to drop in.

    2.2 miles done early this afternoon, much slower than Ceal. Frosty and sunny; I went out thinking the sun would have thawed the frost, and in places it had but in other places it hadn't so I was a bit cautious.

    I have read a book about parkrun, and apparently it shoudl ALWAYS be written with a lower-case "p", even when it begins a sentence following a full stop.

  • Mick6Mick6 ✭✭✭

    Happy new year to you all and hello again to some of the older faces that have reappeared but then I guess we are all older faces but I think you know what I mean.
    It is amazing to think that I have been on this thread for 10 years !!!! I have managed to see many of you in person and even run LFOTM a few times with you.
    A few faces to miss and hoping that the new year finds them well whatever they are up to.
    I still have one of aws' paintings hanging in my dining room.

    ceal,
    I am glad to see you are still active and have not lost the joy of being active outside but it does sound like your art has become compelling.
    You asked about my last race. It was a 5k and a large-ish field 500 runners. I was very cautious and nervous about my knee but it held up and was not an issue. However my calf played up for a few weeks afterwards. My time was slow but that was not too surprising, 26:37. 
    I did win my AG 70-75 and feel confident that I can substantially improve on my time.
    There is a website that tracks all of the races in Ontario which is much larger than the whole of the UK but with a fraction of the population.
    It ranks all runners by distance and AG and I was shocked to see that I was ranked 23rd in the province for that time. What ever happened to all the fast runners of 30 years ago.
    Now my objective for the new year is to get into the top ten which will require me to break 25 mins.

    Diana,
    Your picture doesn't look much like the New Forest I remember, have they chopped all the trees down?
    Not too keen on running barefoot on the beach as the odd sharp shell can be very damaging. I managed to cut my feet the last time I tried.

    Pammie,
    Setting the alarm for 5am is bad but 5pm !!! I guess you must be well adapted to shift work by now as you were doing it when I first met you.

    TS,
    I can relate to "bright and frosty" my run was the same this morning, a really wonderful running morning. The temperature was -8c, the air was dry and still, the sky was a bright ice blue and the footing was firm, packed snow and clear road for most of it.

    My run this morning was 8k but my legs were a little tired as I was out on my snow shoes yesterday for the first time this season and it takes a few outings before they adjust. 
    We live close to a golf course and along with a lot of our neighbours use it to walk our dog. She has short legs so we go ahead wearing our snowshoes and she walks along behind. I usually break trail which can be hard work if the snow is fresh.

    2016 saw me do 1418 kms which is way below where I wanted to be. I lost a number of weeks due to calf cramps which I seem to have gotten over and am hoping I can get back to 2000+ kms this year.
    I have a few races lined up for the spring and will work on my base for the next 3 months to prepare me for some speed work.
    My best AG% was only 66.1% so to get back to my usual range of 73-75% My mileage needs to be in the range of 40-50k a week, so we will see.

    Mick

     

  • Mick, I just pipped you, as my converter says I managed 1432km. For several years I managed over 1000 miles (1600+) but not the last two years. I mainly blame foreign travel to hotter climates, where I struggle to do more than a few short runs to keep my legs remembering what they should do!

    I think the New Forest has always been a mix of woodland and open heath. Is this more what you were thinking?

    /members/images/172037/Gallery/misty.jpg

     

  • Mick - great to see that you've bounced back after injury and set-backs and you are setting ambitious goals for 2017! I'm a bit 'down' after damaging my hamstrings on New Year's Day so I found your Ontario site and very good it is too. To cheer myself up I looked at where I'd feature and unless I've got it wrong, I think I'd be 8th for 2016  (60-69) on the basis of my best 5k.

    I'm booking a ticket to Ontario forthwith!

  • cealceal ✭✭✭
    Beautiful sunny COLD frosty day today.



    Mick

    Well done on the stats of your race and placement in area race lists. I am sure that there is more to come if you can stay in one piece! Pity about the calf cramps, both TS and I have suffered from these at various times. I have found that rolling my foot on a tennis ball whilst standing up a couple of times throughout the day does help me not get night calf cramps. Enjoy your snow shoe escapades.



    Diana,

    You live in a very pretty part of the UK.
  • cealceal ✭✭✭
    John

    Good luck with your move! X
  • good morning

    John
    I think I'll join you on the flightimage

    Diana
    good to hear from you again.
    I am down your way (ish) each month outside Southampton and usually combine it with seeing friends and relatives in Newbury, Bramley and Overton over a long weekend - well Thursday to Sunday when I drive. Otherwise its a hop down and back on the plane

    Mick
    you are allowed to be late - New Year came later to you than to us.
    It's just over 10 years since I first joined in on here as well - ye gods, doesn't time fly.
    you will soon be clocking up the air miles!!
    You have some nice targets lined up for the year - fingers crossed for you no injuries!! It's good to have a local "league table" for runners - I guess the parkrun (using Columba's received spelling!) is the closest we get to that although, for those that bother, UK Athletics also has a formal listing of national performances over all distances.
    Yes to base training as well - I am slowly building the aerobic base necessary as well. I find 5 miles is about the minimum distance necessary to start to properly develop the aerobic system and its hard work!!
    Your weather sounded really good - apart from the snow!!

    Ceal
    I hope you enjoyed your naughty panto - "he's behind you" could take on a whole new meaning in that !!!

    An easy 3 miles this morning in just under 30 mins as I run tonight as well. Nothing remarkable, other than no really big hills, and splits were

    9:58.1
    9:58.7
    9:59.1
    so that should fulfill aerobic base conditioning even running!!

  • ....I see I am back in synch with Ceal on xposting. That didn't take very long to re-establishimage

  • Mick6Mick6 ✭✭✭

    John,
    I am sorry to hear about your injury but at our age is is hard to handle the intensity of regular races and you pushed hard during the Christmas period. I seemed to be ok with just running but as soon as I start introducing races and more intense workouts things start to fall off. It is a very delicate balancing act.
    Here is the url I use for the Ontario Rankings.

    http://www.roadracerankings.com/road-race-canadian-ontario-marathon-5k-rankings.php

    Your ranking of 8th with a 20:24 is out of over 1200 runners in the 60-69 AG which is very impressive. The population of Ontario is around 14M so something more than a local ranking.

    Diana,
    Yes that is more like it. If I had known that you were that close I would have found the effort for another 20k.

    ceal,
    Yes I need to do more rolling of the bottom of my feet as they do tend to stiffen up. I only do it once a week at present so I will add it to my daily. I don't suffer from night cramps, mine happen during the day often on the run. Once it cramps I have to back off from running for a week otherwise it just does it again.
    I haven't had it for three months so I am hoping it has passed.
    I did check with my GP and she did a full blood workup which all came back normal so not sure what causes it.

    TS,
    I agree on the 5 mile runs, it does seem to be the distant where things start to improve. I need the 30 miles or close a week as well.
    To match John's 8th placing in the 60-69 you will have to run 23:52 in the 70+ AG in the Ontario rankings, that would be a good target for you.
    Just to make it more interesting you could have a go at the 10k 8th placing of 49:47. That was set by Ed Whitlock so you would be with some classy company.

    It is raining hard and around here that is not good as it freezes as soon as it touches the ground so it looks like a treadmill day for me, AGAIN.

    MIck

     

  • PussyPussy ✭✭✭

    Ceal

    So pleased you are still running. Nowadays I quite like a walk/run - no pressure! Envy your RHR. Back in the summer mine was 15-20 bpm above my normal. Scarey. But a few weeks of running has improved it.

    Pammie

    Great to get news of you. Keep running.

    John

    I am with you on the `'grind of training for long events''.The good thing about my break from running is that it has also broken the treadmill of incessant long distance training. I really don't have the appetite or stamina any more! And, equally importantly, I don't care that I don't want to do it! Maybe none of us has anything to prove anymore.

    Not sure if I will become a parkrun tourist. We have three parkruns in Cornwall but my nearest one is my favourite and I don't have far to travel - about six miles, so within cycling distance.

    TS

    Sorry about your medical problems but your brisk 5 milers should sort you out! You were born to run.

    Columba

    Hello!

    It was your struggle with a knee problem that prompted me to write. I was intending to email you personally, but decided it might be fun to get back on the thread.

    A pity that you have to make do with a virtual parkrun. Any chance of them setting one up near you?

    The tight rope effect - that was precisely my downfall after a big toe operation. But you seem to be doing well.

    Wot? No JJ?

     

  • ColumbaColumba ✭✭✭

    No, JJ seems to have dropped out of this thread, and the Mature Runners' thread, though Redhead (on "Mature Runners") is I think in touch with him.

    Nowhere suitable for a parkrun in my own home town. There was once a 5k run on a Saturday morning in the Royal Welsh Showground (just 7 miles to the south of where I am), - the venue would be wonderful, but it never happened again and thinking it over I doubt if the people in charge of the showground would allow it. Do you sometimes volunteer at yours?

    I'm touched that it was my knee problem that inspired you to rejoin us! - And also very glad, since it was such an encouraging post.

    Diana, my first sight of the New Forest (as a child) disappointed me, as such a lot of it didn't seem at all like my idea of forest.

    Three and a half miles with the running club tonight. Or, three and a half miles mostly without them, since I took a short cut early on, in the expectation that the rest of the "slow group" would soon catch up with me, but they didn't: - not until the turnaround point, and after that they made a detour which I didn't know they were going to, so that was the last I saw of them until we all got back at the end.

  • Pussy - the 12 mile return cycle ride (I bet there's hills) sounds harder than the parkrun! I'm so lucky in that I've got about 10 within 20 miles. 

    No running for me today as I'm nursing my injury............got the foam roller out. Might go on (yawn) the exercise bike.

    Columba: I wondered about JJ too; he is the Founding Father after all.

  • Ray A2Ray A2 ✭✭✭

    Morning All,

    Last nights track was 3 sets of 5x300 with 100 recoveries between reps and 400 recovery between sets.Seemed a not to hard session on paper,but was totally shattered at the finish.

    reps were 1:14--1:11--1:15--1:11--1:14--1:16--1:14--1:12--1:13--1:14--1:11--1:12--1:11--1:11-1:11

     

     

     

     

  • good morning

    Ray
    not surprised you were knackered - they equate to

  • lost post!! I used the "less than" symbol and it just won't allow any more typing after it (it's the one normally above the comma key so you can avoid using it!)

    good morning

    Ray
    not surprised you were knackered - they equate to 1:35-1:40 for 400m so you were clocking it!!  That 100m saving doesn't help get rid of the lactate build up - or the shortness of breath!!

    Pussy
    just wait - you will start to raise your eyes to the distant hills an think -"I used to run those not too long ago. I wonder...............". Then you are lost image!!

    I don't know about "borne to run" - borne stupid or stubborn may be more apt!!
    However, despite the pain, both bodily and transitionally, as I slowly regain some fitness there is always some enjoyment in simply by getting outside and moving along.Considering 6 months ago I was contemplating not running again this is all a bonus.

    Columba
    sounded a very distinctly lonley run!!

    Mick
    Thanks for the targetsimage. They appear hopelessly ambitious at this stage particularly as my local 10K involves 2 repeats of Hipps Hill, which sounds very daunting just now!!

    I wish I had taken a short cut last night but stuck it out until the end doing 5.46 miles on tired legs. Fortunately it was on the mainly flat side of town which was some assistance.
    Got the shocking news that one of my running friends had been diagnosed with a brain tumour between Xmas and New Year and is now awaiting clinical assessment. He had seemed fine last week but his wife noticed some behavioural changes in him and insisted he went to the doctors who was very alert to the symptoms and insisted upon scans at short order

    So when I woke this morning tired legs seemed a pretty small complaint and I went and ran 5.15 miles in 50 mins in lovely early sun and clear frosty skies-  because I could

  • Ray - I got tired just looking at that training!

    TS - so sorry to hear about your friend. One of my best pals died in his early 50s from similar. He was the most naturally fit guy I've ever known which somehow made it even sadder. Hope your friend gets early and successful treatment.

  • Ray A2Ray A2 ✭✭✭

    TS-Hope your friend comes through what is a scary process.Good mileage again and as you say a nice bright day,i just done a gym session which was good.

    John-How is your injury progressing?hope its easing.

  • cealceal ✭✭✭
    TS

    Keep positive thoughts about your friend. Remember Pauline from this thread had a brain tumour and the appropriate surgery and treatment and she is just fine now. Hers was noticed by friends rather than her being aware of her behaviour. We didn't cross post today. I got up very late this morning, post 8.30 and haven't yet caught up with myself. Lots of miles so far this week from you.



    Columba

    I have emailed JJ to see how he is. A lonely club run by you last evening.



    Mick

    I think that calf cramp can be caused by the aging process of our lower spine!



    Ray

    Filppin Nora, I am not surprised you were knackered, how are you today! That was not a lot of recovery at all. Well done.



    John

    How was the painful roller experience? Not pleasant!



    Somehow or other I messed up my distance this morning and doing the usual walk with short runs, I was out for 32.59 mins, 2.79 miles, av pace 11.48mm, av HR 126, MHR 150! A dreary day.



    Panto was excellent, very polished and spectacular. I bought some new Nike frees for everyday year, I thought grey would look better in the winter than the blue ones I have been wearing! We seemed to cover 4 miles walking around London in the area of Regent Street.



    Tomorrow, we are going to the shard, both for the day view and for evening one too. Also visiting The Tower of London. So quite a full day!
  • cealceal ✭✭✭
    Pussy,

    I forgot you, sorry. Getting fit again seems to happen faily quickly because of the miles you have in the bank. Especially for you because of all your marathon training. I don't have those miles in my savings account, I seem to use the currant account these days!!!!
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