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Red, my long run yesterday, wasn't actually a long run, but 7.5 miles in a very muddy forest, in very cold conditions, over hilly terrain. There were very few opportunities to get up much speed, it was more of a case of getting round. I actually enjoyed it though, as it was challenging, and pace was irrelevant.
Sorry to hear that your pony is poorly, and hope that she feels better after the pain killers and box rest.
Exhausted, hope you soon get over your cold. Walking is probably an ideal way to help fight it, rather than staying indoors suffering.
The HIT spin workouts have certainly been very beneficial to me, enabling me to maintain a healthy cardio vascular level. My endurance from running is also beneficial in the spin, as I can maintain the effort, therefore getting maximum benefit.
I was going to run today, but my legs are feeling the effects of yesterdays forest run, so will have another rest day.
The sun's out, hoorah! It wasn't out when I went for my run though and there was a bitter wind. Never mind, 15 miles in the bank bringing week 1 of 2018 to 66 miles. Next week will be a tad higher but then I get a cut-back week afterwards
Exhausted, poor seals, it's so distressing to see them washed up. Sensible to leave them well alone to recover though. Thanks for the info on Perthes. Looking forward to your comeback.
TE, that was a good session. Esther says thank you and she is more comfortable but I'm not sure just yet if the future is entirely bright for her, poor old darling.
Thought I'd posted yesterday but seemingly not! Did a 4 mile power walk yesterday lunchtime with Mike who is getting much fitter gradually. There are precious few flat bits round where we live and the route chose involved a long drag up a rather challenging hill so I was very pleased that he coped with it OK. Afterwards I did my squats (have I mentioned I'm doing a 30 day squat challenge with some runnign chums on FB), 90 of the little blighters (ouch!) then went out to run the route we walked in reverse which was actually harder than they other way round.
WtnMel, my goodness that was a good crowd! Excellent furniture re-arranging as cross training for you though. However, I must ask you please to desist from whistling when you enter the thread as I'm now singing that blimming theme tune in my head again!
OK, who's entered any races yet and if so when and where are they? I've got a weekend of 2 x short ultras coming up.
WtnMel, I've no idea whether Steradent is still available, and hope I will never have to make use of it. I actually had a dental appointment yesterday, and thankfully, the subject of steradent didn't arise.
You have certainly been very busy over Christmas and the New Year. All that cross training will help to keep your fitness up.
Red, glad to hear that Mike is gradually regaining his fitness.
90 squats a day, you cannot be serious, to quote a very outspoken ex tennis champion. I do squats every day, but nowhere near that many. I also do a variety of other stretches, which were given to me by my physio a couple of months or so ago. I'm amazed that you could walk, let alone run after 90 squats.
I've entered a few races so far, but have quite a few in the pipeline. The first is the Ryde 10 mile which is in the first week of February. I doubt if I will be able to race it, but hopefully will be able to jog round. Next is the Salisbury 10 mile, Oakhaven half marathon, Southampton marathon, Alton 10 mile, and New Forest marathon. As and when I enter more, I will post details on this thread.
I ran a very good pace 6 miles in the forest yesterday at my best pace since my injury 6 months ago. I took 1.05.49, which is an average of 10.47 minute miling. My quickest mile was 10.20, so my speed is gradually returning. This morning was another spin session, followed by a quality gym workout. I "completed 18.1 kilometres" during the spin, and hope to eventually manage 20. The sessions are 45 minutes, including warm up and warm down.
A spin session this morning, followed by a gym workout. I managed 18.3 km during the spin.
Hillstrider. You'll get there in no time. Your competitive instinct and sheer derring-do are unrivalled.
I've been on the road the last few days baby sitting. Sort of squats, I think i.e. crawling around the floor and lifting heavy little bodies. I'll call it cross-training, but I'd be cheating, rather.
A venerable member of our village died on Monday. She was in her late-80's and really fit for her age. She'd had a bit of a chest infection, but it still didn't stop her doing all her usual church duties. Such a shock. She seemed indestructible. She's certainly irreplaceable in our community.
Life is getting in the way of posting atm so apologies for absence!
Exhausted, so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend in the village. It really does have a pround affect on the dynamic when an active member of the community passes away. Our village has many elderly residents and I've been to more funerals since we moved here than I had in my entire life. Baby sitting is definitely cross-training so you get a gold start for that.
TE, please don't go over to the dark side of cycling!
Moks, I know a few people who've done the Barry track event but I had it in my mind that it was a 24 hour event (must be confuzzled). Love the sound of your French marathon as I much prefer trail to road.
Don't worry folks, I'm not doing that many squats each day, they vary and we get rest days (thank goodness!). I think my cross-traiing must be doing some good though as I did one of my usual 5.5 mile hilly routes 7 minutes faster than usual yesterday and that was with a couple of walk breaks up the really steep bits so I was very pleased. I suspect my 2 ultras at the weekend will be slow as they are on muddy/flinty tracks which will be slippery after all the rain in the last few days.
Exhausted - I feel for you as regards babysitting, I don't know how it rates as regards effective cross training but it certainly is tiring! Hope your cold is improving.
WtnMel - cooking for 20 adults and 2 toddlers? Surely a typo
Exhausted, when my two were small, I used to lift them above my head. A friend called me a cheap skate, using my kids as weights
Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend in the village.
Red, I'm not likely to go over to the dark side, as I don't own a bike these days as I'm too nervous to cycle on the roads.
Well done for your 7 minute improvement on a hilly route. I'm sure that the cross training has helped, and it is certainly helping me to maintain my fitness, whilst recovering from injury. Best of luck with your two ultras this weekend, I'm sure that you will do well.
Aquarius, sorry to hear about your sore knees, but pleased that they seem "to have thawed out!" Hope they will be ok for your relay race on Sunday.
I don't find "gym rat" at all offensive, so don't worry. Core strength is important as we age, and hopefully when I am fully recovered, will help me to get back to the level where I was before. Did you see the 76 year old man on the News, weight lifting and doing the splits? A real inspiration, although I don't suppose that he is also a runner!
I did a 5 mile run on roads yesterday, the first for months as I have been running off road. I found it very difficult, and was very slow. I've got to do both road and off road now, otherwise I won't be able to run on road at all. I know several runners that are unable to road run, as they have only trained off road.
I'm having a rest day today, and off to the library shortly.
Having a well-earned rest after a 5mile run (2.5 each way) there and back to Bootcamp, which was brutal today! A few minutes of gentle running up and down a short incline then Circuits of 1 minute of things on different mats - plie squats with a weight, sit-ups, press-ups, kettle ball held above your head whilst walking, skipping, plank, bicep curls, walking squats, knee-ups (don't know what their correct title is!), a strange sit-up/twist sort of thing done lying on your back (I'm sure I've forgotten something) oh yes, a bridge thing then a 2 minute break and repeat the whole process. Then the others did burpees, which I can't do 'cos of the arthritis in my wrists, whilst I did 2 x sets of ordinary squats followed by some nice stretches to finish. I've got 145 squats to do today so the 80 I did earlier have made a nice dent in my goal :-D
TE, all your gym work (I'm glad Aquarius didn't call you a Gym Bunny!) is really helping keep your fitness levels up. I can imagine it was a shock to the system to run on tarmac again. Gently does it as we don't want you on the injury bench again xxx
Aquarius, hope your sore knees are feeling a bit better. Sorry to hear about your sore hands - my arthritis is getting worse and worse and the cold is a real killer so I use double gloves too. Hope your race goes well. Apart from the build-up to my big event in March I have very little booked after that (just a marathon in April and Beachy Head in October) as I want to focus on shorter distances and/or different sorts of events I haven't run before/LDWA events.
Have a lovely weekend everyone.
Red you are just marvellous and well done to everyone else who had runs on New Years Day, what a shame the weather was so inclement.
Hope you are all doing ok regarding injuries and they are slowly getting better. i have signed for the Coventry Half in March so i feel very motivated still and my feet seem to have recovered thank goodness, i have removed the sorbethane which gives my feet more room to breath and now wearing thinner socks, so far so good, however i am still using stick on ball of feet pads for my long runs. i managed 16 miles last Saturday so i was pretty chuffed only walked about 100 metres just to fuel up.
You may remember that i passed my interview with NHS in March last year to work on ambulance, well i was supposed to be trying from January, this has now been postponed for another date due to a review of services etc etc, so i am still patiently (pardon the pun) waiting to hear when the new date will be set for, cannot believe how long this whole process has taken me so far! The upside of course is that have plenty of time to run in-between revising, which i am trying to do at least an hour or two a day.
My Hubby bought me a nice Proviz jacket for xmas so now i can be seen from a great distance, very useful as i do go out quite early in the dark, i like it but the downside is it does seem to retain moisture even though the underarms are breathable. i have also had to have my Fitbit watch replaced due to the charging unit disappearing into the watch, although i have to say fitbit has good after sales support. So tomorrow morning onwards and upwards, alarm set for ridiculous hour and i am so looking forward to lighter mornings.
have a good weekend everyone and have good runs.
Red, your boot camp sounds like the circuit training that I did when I was with Team Solent. Brutal sums it up, but it does produce results. The knees up are, I think, what we call high knees. I managed a 3.15 front plank this morning, along with other stretches etc. but I can't do any of the jumping exercises, until my knees are 100%. I'm not sure that doing 145 squats is beneficial for ultra running, and sounds rather punishing to the knees. Have you taken medical/physio advice about this challenge? Have you considered doing the Salisbury 54321? This is the event where I have met your Scottish friend with the black dog who I think was called Bonnie.
Glo2, good to hear that you have a half marathon to motivate you, and well done for your 16 mile run.
It must be very frustrating the length of time it is taking before you can begin your ambulance training. The NHS is desperately short of staff in all disciplines, so it is unbelievable if this is common across the board.
Aquarius, I hope your knees didn't let you down during your relay race today. It's certainly very important to continue with all the stretching etc exercises, dynamic before training and static afterwards.
Hope Steve is ok now, and that your fitness tests show that you are both 100%.
The thought of being a pipe and slippers man fills me with horror.
I ran 6 miles yesterday morning in the forest at a steady pace, and am having a rest day today.
Bit of a surprise to be informed by strava that I'd run my fastest 10k to date during the 12.5km. Go figure.
What grotty weather we've got today with horizontal rain being blown in! Thank goodness it was nice at the weekend and was fine both days and even the wettest bits of trail were OK on Sunday. I was very proud of my legs as I managed 50k (31.1 miles) both days and was only about 10 mintes slower on Sunday. Forgot to stop my watch both days as I was too busy eating cake but I think day 1 was 6:18 & day 2 around 6:28. I sprinted the last mile on day 2 as a pesky Yank (the amazing Nick who's setting world records each week!) was trying to overtake me
Glo2, well done on your 16 miles and glad to hera your feet are improving. Shame about your ambulance training and hope you get the go ahead soon.
mrcharly, those are very long hours and I'm not surprised you're finding it hard to fit in any running.
TE, it was Carolyn and Bonnie the dog you met on the 54321. Our paths don't cross much atm as we're so far apart and I'd love to do that marathon one day. The squats seem to giving more power to my legs but I'm not doing the full amounts suggested beyond 145 and will just do my own thing as too many would be far too punishing. I remembered the other thing from Bootcamp and it was walking lunges which really hurt the next day!
Aquarius, hope your relay race went well. I too am guilty of not stretching enough which is why I'm doing yoga on a regular basis. I also do stretches when I'm running for a long time 'cos my wrists and hands hurt if I hold them in the same position for too long. I also do shoulder shrugs and gentle neck stretches to release any tension.
Miserable outside today so i did my run inside on the treadmill which I don't really enjoy. My run on Saturday was not so good this week 14.5 and I just felt too tired to go to 16, I had done hills Friday morning and I think it just took it out of my legs, first time I have done hill training in a few months so I did feel it. It is all set to get colder once again, which will not be too bad if the wind eases i suppose.
Aquarius - Hope your fitness assessment goes well, I am sure you will put any others there to shame.
HS - Good going on the plank i can only do 1.15 although i really should try and build it up as i do lack core strength, trouble is whenever i try to do core exercises i end up with back pain, so i am probably doing them incorrectly and so it is easier not to do them, however i know this is not the way forward.
Sadly the time from interview to training is across the board some people wait around 18 months, which does seem incredible really, the thing is it will come really hard to suddenly do a 12hour day once training is completed, i will need all of my resolve to keep going, but with only myself and hubby at home it doesn't really matter if some things slide, so long as i still get my running in. I will be 63 in the summer so they need to hurry now though, as they are only going to get a few years out of me.
mrcharly- that is indeed a very long week plus the commute, you can only do what you can do at the end of the day.
Redhead - my goodness how do you do it, your heart rate must be around 45 with everything you do, how marvellous, you are an inspiration.
Have a good day everyone and take care.
Depressing.
Well done Red. Amazing effort. What do you think about as you go round? The mental must be as tough as the physical.
Glo2. Commiserations on feeling tired. Don't push it when you feel that way.
MrCharly. I've done some stupid hours and commutes in my time. I know the mindset. You sort of get into robotic mode where you don't allow yourself to think how exhausting it is i.e. "I'll just get to tonight....to the weekend.... etc."
Cold and wet here. Running stuff laid out for tomorrow. Watch this space!
I've been out and done 4.4mls this morning. I managed to start off more steadily over the first couple of miles and as a result, felt a bit stronger over the second half. Strava tells me I'm trending faster on today's route but I can see two years ago I was managing to run it at 10:20mm pace rather than today's 10:57mm so there's still plenty of room for improvement.
Having slept on it I've decided I'm definitely not going to run the Bourton 10K. A note on the 'Race Nation' website (who handled the race entries) states transfers are not allowed but then says to contact the event organisers about transfers! So I've emailed someone at Bourton Roadrunners to find out whether or not it is a possibility.
Just back from a lovely session with Mary Massage Lady. She is the best and works wonders on my old biddy body
WtnMel, wise to cancel BourtonOTW (I love that place). Steady is the best way forward.
Exhausted, hope you've been out for a run! I think about anything and everything and have some of my best ideas when in that wonderful meditative state you can get with distance running. Sometimes I try to recall favourite poems (I love poetry) or do maths but mostly I look at what's around me especially if I'm in beautiful landscape. If I'm having a bad patch I count my footfall from 1-100 then start again which is great to help get my focus back back on track.
DBIW, you'll be great, as always.
Glo2, that's one heck of a long wait for your training. Well done you for considering such an important role.
Mrcharley, those are very long working hours, so not surprised that you get tired, and have little time for training.
Red, very well done for your back to back ultras, and without the wings! I think JP, who seems to have deserted us, and the over 60's thread, still has them. Our club includes walking lunges in the pre session drills.
glo2, well done for the 14.5 mile run. I can't get on with tread mills, not even for a few minutes when trying out new trainers.
DBIW, good luck to you and John with the Thames Marathon Swim.
WtnMel, I think it is very sensible of you not to run in the 10k if you are not up to it, especially if you are hoping to transfer your entry to another club runner.
I ran 10 miles in the forest yesterday morning with Sarah and Jane, in the most foul weather imaginable. The rain was torrential, and the wind very strong and cold. I've never known the forest to be so waterlogged, in the 30 years or so that I have been running there. We had to do a lot of walking and wading through deep mud. At about 5 miles we came to what can only be described as a sea of mud. It was about mid calf deep, and it took a lot of effort to raise each leg out of the mud, for the next step. It was especially difficult for me, as my legs are not back to full strength yet. That was the longest run I have done for 6 months, so I was pleased to achieve it, especially in such difficult conditions.
I had a good spin session this morning, followed by a gym work out. I managed to increase the distance "travelled" on the stationary bike to 18.6k. Unfortunately, one of the ladies who was new to spinning was taken ill, and had to be helped out of the studio by a first aider. It's a great shame, as she was obviously wanting to keep fit and lose weight, and will probably be put off from returning. There are no beginners spin classes now, which means that newcomers are thrown in at the deep end.
Aquarius, glad you arrived home safely before the snow. Good to hear that yours and Steve's health assessment went well. Well done to you and your relay team coming third in the W55 age category, despite all being over 60.
That 10 mile forest run was indeed brutal, and I was relieved to complete it in one piece.
Another spin session this morning, followed by a gym work out.
I'll be heading off to tomorrow's club run in the morning - it looks like the worst of the weather will have gone through by the time we start (9:30am) but I'm relieved the weather we're getting is nowhere near as bad as further north.
And being a bit of a nutter, I've just signed up to do this year's North East Skinny Dip at Druridge Bay in September. Regulars on here will know it's an annual event my partner and I take part in to raise money for the charity MIND. Based on previous year's dips it should probably be called the North Easy Skinny (Nippy) Dip
WtnMel, you've been very industrious spending your pre-loaded Mastercard.
Best of luck with your NE Skinny Dip in September.
The weather here is bright and sunny, and we seem to have avoided the worst of it.
I'm going for a forest run in a short while, and hoping that there won't be any fallen trees. I'm definitely not running through that deep mud again, and will try to find an easier route.
Sorry not feeling chatty atm as had to have my last remaining horsey, Esther, put to sleep yesterday. So that's the remaining 2 of them gone within the last 4 months. Kizzy was 38 and Esther 30 and Kiz had been with me for over 1/2 my life :-(