My Last Run

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  • 16,2km in 1:36 for me this lunchtime trying out a new route including a place called the Three Hill Wood - I think I only found one of the hills.  There are certainly 3 marked running trails there - 1km, 2km and 5km, the 2 km includes about 15 keep fit exercices - I could integrate those in a run.  I jogged to the start of the loops, around all 3 and back home again.  It could be a good summer route as there is plenty of shade.

    My Tuesday running group is having this evening off to go and have cheese fondue in a local cave.  Should be fun! 
  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Nice time swittle! Didn't beat the infection, I've been completely out since Sunday's run with the worse cold I've had in some time.  Tried a tentatively slow 5 miles this evening, which felt OK. I'm supposed to be doing the Orion 15 XC on Saturday. I think I"ll be OK for that, as I don't intend to race
  • Looks like a nice race Nessie. Isn't it home turf for you?   Good luck! It sounds like a good plan not to overdo it if you are recovering from a bad cold.

    I will race on Saturday too in the Swiss 10km road championships.  Might be having delusions of grandeur there but looking at last year's results I might make it into the first half.  Goal: sub 47 mins. 

    8km in 43:50 today.  I haven't run to a plan this week for the first time in a couple of months and have enjoyed it.   
  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Wow good luck Hazel! Exciting! Yes the Orion 15 is my club's flagship race. Completely bonkers.. :# Did 4 miles a bit pacier today progression run. All OK. Should be on for Saturday..
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    Good luck for the weekend Hazelnut.
    Weather has been lousy last few days. Today sunny but windy so went out for 11miles. Hate the wind. Anyway went into town and lots of police vans buzzing about. Police with stab vests and tazers outside York Minster as well. A response to the attack in London yesterday I guess.
  • Thanks JT.  I don't like the wind either unless its behind me... 

    Good you are feeling better Nessie.  

    If i turn up at the start on the Saturday I will be the only one.  The race is actually on Sunday.  Good thing I looked at the info again when I (finally) signed up yesterday evening.     :p

    Just a quick jog in the local wood this lunchtime.  A massive 3.27 km in a very slow time.  But I was out in the VFFs having neglected those a bit for a couple of weeks and I'm not taking any chances on wrecking my calves at the moment.  I really enjoy those short outings with no distance and pace pressure.  I will start building back up to 5-6km in the VFFs though - bit by bit.

    Rest day tomorrow.
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    edited March 2017
    8miles today in a pacey 56mins. I don't plan quicker runs because the thought of having to run fast is awful. Once I've done my usual trundle through the best part of the first mile the speed has to start by accident. Then I'll eventually commit to that faster pace. The convoluted psychological games we play with ourselves as runners - I'll only do a tempo run so long as I don't start out knowing it's a tempo run. Anyway, the sun is out.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    I echo best wishes for our racers.  JT, no friend of strong wind, I, but hard to avoid on the coast.  And you're right, the sun's been delightful today.  Was observing a canoeing class in Liverpool Marina - really interesting - came back with an unaccustomed pinkness on my face.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Hey guys. Got back from Dubai Wednesday night. Too tired to run Thursday. Tried a tentative 4m plod yesterday but it was awful (hurty, slow, felt like I was running for the first time...). Tried again today with better results. First mile still pretty slow but the rest were around MP (mile 2 slightly slower, mile 3 slightly faster). Beautiful day, too.

    Nessie, are you talking about the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond half? I've run that twice (it was my first half, actually). It's a flat course - not all that scenic until you hit the river, but OK. Mostly pavement with a bit of towpath. I seem to recall it's a gun time race, though, so you might want to check on that.

    I'd like to do the Orion 15 - it didn't fall in with my schedule this year though. But it's on my list.
  • Ok I wanted to make a thread for this but can't seem to find a new thread option so I'll post it here.

    i used to be fit ( could run 1.5 miles in 8:45 and manage sub 7 min miles over like 6-8 miles. And recently a best effort 1.5 miles was 10:20 :(

    since then I've gained about 10kg and due to circumnstances I've gotten unfit. I'm wanting to change this and I've alreDy started dieting to drop the excess weight.

    running wise I do some most days with work (armed forces), weather it's running/ swimming/ circuit training 
    and on an evening every other day I do a steady 5 mile run On my own.
    i Live in a flat area so no hill sprints unfortunately.

    what would you guys do or change to help me maximise my training?
  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Cal, yes it's the Ranelagh.. thanks for the heads up about it being gun time. Will have to push my way near the front!
    I did the Orion 15 today, in beautiful sunshine. Hills, hills and more hills. With a liberal amount of mud thrown in.  It was a very hard slog through Epping Forest but with wonderful support and scenery. Loved it! Not sure of my time but it was slow, and besides, the 15 is never about time. Just enjoying the ride. What a difference after last weekend's horrid racing!
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Well done Nessie!
    7 miles today. I was going to try for 10 but decided, once I'd gone through 6, that I was tired enough, thank you. It also didn't help that I tripped on a rock halfway round and almost went down (I'm still not sure how I didn't) so that knocked me out of my rhythm, rather. Still, it was a pleasant enough run - blossoms are still there and I got plenty of smiles from other runners. Spring seems to have put everyone in a good mood.

    m20177 (catchy name!) - best thing is to vary your runs. You can only improve so much by running the same distance. A typical 4 day a week plan features one longer, easy-paced run (usually Saturday or Sunday) where you work on stamina, a recovery run (slow, shortish), one speed session (intervals, fartlek or progression run) and one tempo run. It helps to have a goal race and then find a plan to go with that.
  • <blockquote class="Quote">
    <div class="QuoteAuthor"><a href="/profile/Cal%20Jones">Cal Jones</a> said:</div>
    <div class="QuoteText">Well done Nessie!
    7 miles today. I was going to try for 10 but decided, once I'd gone through 6, that I was tired enough, thank you. It also didn't help that I tripped on a rock halfway round and almost went down (I'm still not sure how I didn't) so that knocked me out of my rhythm, rather. Still, it was a pleasant enough run - blossoms are still there and I got plenty of smiles from other runners. Spring seems to have put everyone in a good mood.

    m20177 (catchy name!) - best thing is to vary your runs. You can only improve so much by running the same distance. A typical 4 day a week plan features one longer, easy-paced run (usually Saturday or Sunday) where you work on stamina, a recovery run (slow, shortish), one speed session (intervals, fartlek or progression run) and one tempo run. It helps to have a goal race and then find a plan to go with that.
    </div>
    </blockquote>
    I suppose the goal race would be 1.5 miler but I prefer to have all round fitness .

    so how about a 4 day plan of this:
    2x 5 mile tempo runs
    1x Fartlek (same 5 mile route maybe with landmark sprints?) or I could do intervals on a track if it's open or intervals on a treadmill? 
    1x long slow run, could do the 5 mile lap twice at a much slower easier pace?
  • I'm also after a running watch. 
    Want one that has: 
    works out distance so like gps
    heart rate
    abd times the workout and maybe offers a minutes per mile split
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    A couple of 'sand castle holes' & rabbit burrows on the beach and trails during my 7.2 mile late show.  Headtorch decided to be shy....which didn't help.... :/
  • Good to see you back Cal from your holidays - were you rollercoastering? 

    Well done on the Orion 15 Nessie! 

    Careful swittle - some new batteries maybe?

    JT - interesting approach to tempo runs   

    m20177 - you don't say how long ago it was you were running sub 7 min miles.  If you are as you say unfit and overweight you will need time to get up to speed.  Trying all out too soon will lead to disappointments and injury.  Cal's suggestion ^ sounds good to me. Keep your goals low initially and build them up over time.  Might be worth looking for a 5km / 10km plan to give you a structure. 
    I use a tomtom runner watch, nothing fancy but that is what I like about it as I don't have the time and especially not the inclination to fuss around with gadgetry.

    swiss 10km road championships for me yesterday in 44:19 in excellent conditions, around 12 degrees, sunny to overcast and a light wind.  Very pleased with that time.  My last official 10km was in 2008: 56:xx.  That course contained a couple of nasty little hills I remember, yesterday's was virtually flat.

    Did the first km a bit quick at 4:18, after that km splits varied from 4:22 to 4:33.  Couldn't find much left in the tank for the final km (4:16, this time the lungs could have done more but not the legs).  I ran primarily by effort and not by the watch - only glanced at it a couple of times to look at my current pace. 

    I was 9th out of 16 in my category and 100th woman of 167.  Not bad considering the first 50 women all ran under 40 minutes.  The leading lady won in 34:07 but the favorite pulled out at 1.5km - I saw her returning in a bit a of a state.

    I was unusually nervous prior to the start, I have run enough races in the past few years that I shouldn't be, maybe the thought of a high-quality field was a bit daunting. I was a bit concerned about the route as it contained an initial 800 loop with tight corners and several other 90 degree corners but there was no barging.

    My mental strategy of concentrating on a goal time (sub 47mins) which I knew I would almost certainly manage rather than a possible sub 45 minutes paid off again.  I notice here that many people do it the other way around with their A and B goals.  I prefer the delight of doing better than the time I focussed on.

    Race goody:  a sports towel (got quite a collection of those now..)

    OH did excellent fan club service - it is always nice to see a familiar face in the crowd. He was rewarded with a (gentle!) 2 hour hill walk post race with an ice cream stop.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Hazelnut - yeah. It's interesting in Dubai. Due to the summer heat, most of the parks are indoors, although a few have rides that venture outside. On two of the rollercoasters that did, we were given protective eyewear. Turns out that's pretty much a necessity unless you want your eyeballs sandblasted. One of these was the world's fastest (149mph) so I've now done the tallest, the fastest and the fastest accelerating coasters on the planet.
    Excellent result in the 10K!

    m - I use a Garmin Forerunner 25 and I like it a lot. It's fairly basic and easy to use but I'm not really bothered about doing fancy stuff like setting up intervals. Mine is the basic version but there's also a version with the HR monitor.
    I have a TomTom as well but I couldn't get on with it - too fiddly. Then again, some people like their TomToms - I just found it too different from the Forerunner 10 I had before.

    After three rather crappy post-holiday runs, I had a very nice run today. Beautiful weather. First mile slow to warm-up and then two at MP and one to cool-down which turned out to be at the slower end of MP as well. I'm much happier about Sunday now.


  • Nice holidays Cal.  I haven't been on a rollercoaster for years.  Probably the last time was on one representing the olympic rings at the annual beer festival in Munich (beer afterwards, not before!). 
    Are you going out again before Sunday?  Was thinking of any last minute wisdom for Sunday - on my experience of one flat marathon.   Hmm.. If anything don't think about that 20 mile mark where you struggled last time.  I tried (quite successfully) not to think oh <insert favourite bad word> I've only done xx km (miles if you like) there are still xx to go but rather great, I've already done xx.  That worked well for me but I didn't have a real crisis luckily.  I also actively looked for distractions - high fiving the kids, occassional chats with those running around me, enjoying the bands, thanking for spectator support that sort of stuff. 

    Great spring weather here too - out in T-shirt and shorts on my standard Tuesday evening outing for the first time in months.  Also cycled to the meeting point and back now the evenings are lighter and there is no risk of me riding into a tree through the woods on my mtb (only has lights for being seen rather than seeing much myself).  Legs were a bit tired from Sunday's efforts still but kept up with the others well.   10.6km in 58 mins. 
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Been to the seaside, tho' not on holiday!  Tried a sand hills route and back home on the beach but was yapped at severely by an ill-tempered dog in a muzzle.  Cue exchange of words with owner when she suggested I should walk, not run!
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Hazelnut - Olympia Looping is an amazing coaster! You are blessed! Aside from summering at Prater Park last year, it has never left Germany, but they decided to bring it to Winter Wonderland in November which was like a dream come true for us coaster geeks. I'm not sure how they got it here - it uses something like 62 lorries to move it.
    Funnily enough, Switzerland doesn't have much in the way of amusement parks (Conny Land is the only one that springs to mind, where there's a rather nasty rough Russian coaster) but it is home to two of the world's most successful coaster companies, B&M and Intamin. I guess the Swiss get their adrenaline fix from skiing rather than rides.

    Welcome back, swittle! At least the dog was muzzled.

    4 miles easy today. Rather warm out - considering just wearing my vest on Sunday rather than vest plus sleeves like last year. Manchester is cooler than London but it still looks to be getting warmish towards the end of the race.
    Good advice, too. I enjoyed all the waving and high fiving in the earlier parts of the race last year but once I'd entered the pain zone, I found it hard to interact with the crowd at all. This year should be different. I don't doubt that it'll hurt, but not as badly as last year.
  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Hello MLRers! I've not been on here since the Orion 15 adventure last Saturday, so catching up..

    Hazel- what a fantastic result for your 10k! I am massively impressed and a great race report
    Cal- nearly there now! I'm so excited for you. Will you use a pacer? I found that helped last year at Manchester.  Looks like ideal conditions for you. Can we track you if you give us your race number?
    swittle- I would have had some choice words for that dog owner!  :# and some nice beach running
    M20177- I use the Garmin Forerunner 910XT as I swim too / dabble ever so slightly with triathlon. It's a multi sport watch and particularly useful for open water swimming if you're into that. Before that I had a standard Garmin running watch - can't remember the model 

    Me- I had "marathon legs" after Saturday! Hilarious stumbling up and down stairs on Mother's Day and Monday. I had a gentle swim on Monday and planned to do my usual speed session at 6 am on Tuesday morning but it was only me and one other woman, and we changed that to an easy 5km as my legs were still knackered.  Yesterday was another easy 4 miles and I think I shall try a bit of speedy stuff today with a progression run 4-5 miles, as they feel pretty much back to normal.

  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Nessie - thanks. My number is 2502.
    I'll be "enjoying" marathon legs next week. :p
  • Don't know how much I will be on here the next couple of days as I'm going to the in-laws for the weekend. 

    Cal: I wish you all the best for Manchester!  I will try to have a look how you get on. 

    Swittle: good thing the dog was muzzled. 

    Nessie: thanks - the hard work I've put in has paid off.  Good restraint on the training whilst recovering from your 15 miler.    

    18km for me yesterday in 1:39:39.  Need to slow down the long(ish) runs as I felt tired at the end of that although my pace did at least stay pretty constant.  Very warm und sunny - must remember to wear lightweight shorts next time.  Had to wait at the level crossing for a couple of minutes (paused the watch for that) with a nice chat to a cyclist and some stretches.  It is tempting to run across as you can see quite a long way in both directions but I never do (bad example to the children living in the house a few metres away).  I plotted a route taking in diverse sources of water but for longer runs I will take the rucksack with me in future.  
  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Cal, I will be trying to track you, if they have a tracker on their website. Last year I think it didn't work very well? 
    Me- ten miles down the canal with a friend at a chatty easy pace. Quite humid out but not as sunny as yesterday
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    I did a mile jog around the block this morning to remind my legs what they need to do tomorrow. :) Off shortly to get my train!

  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Wohoo! Have a fabulous run Cal! Will be rooting for you!

    Me- it was around 7 -8 miles in beautiful Epping Forest this morning with a friend, putting the world to rights
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    ye, all the best, Cal.  You've worked hard for this one.  :)  Something quite special about tow paths, Nessie. 

    Half an hour for me at 8pm to the country park and lakes.  A water pipe has collapsed and the middle trail no longer appeals!
  • Nessie73Nessie73 ✭✭✭
    Looks like Cal's finished in 4.29! Surely a PB and certainly a time to be proud of. Well done! 
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    4:29:29 - a PB of 15 minutes! I just squeaked under my goal time. It was a bit touch and go for a while - I sub-10'd the first half but then ran out of gas and got progressively slower (there was even an 11:08 at mile 23) but I was absolutely determined not to walk and that saved me. Once I stopped, at the end of the race, my legs just wouldn't work any more so I don't think I'd have been able to get running again if I'd stopped during the race.
    It'll be several days before I can come down stairs forwards...
  • :):):) fantastic Cal! I had a peek to see how you got on as well. 
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