My Last Run

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  • Will, elegance and poise were notably missing from my given talents and balance is in short supply too.  :)

    Load those carbos for tomorrow - you've prepared well and, hopefully, good weather turns up tomorrow.
  • I did something I wouldn't normally do today, which is parkrun on the eve of a race. Usually I'd volunteer, but it was a Herne Hill Harriers takeover. So, with perfect weather and the fact I'd rested yesterday, I thought, what the hell. Hampton Court isn't a target race so it's not like I could screw myself out of a PB by running today.
    I'd intended to take it easy but ended up chasing the 28 minute pacer and came in at 27:52, my fastest time this year (and 1st in my age cat again).
    Aside from my grumpy hammy, I felt strong, and paced myself well, so I'm happy with it from that perspective. Let's hope I don't have heavy legs tomorrow!

  • Good luck for tomorrow Cal and Will.   Ice cream counts as carbos I think swittle :p

    Nice parkrun Cal. 

    Well done on supporting your sister's first venture out JT. 

    6 miles with strides for me yesterday, was supposed to have been doing those on Thursday but I didn't fancy running in 2-3 inches of slush.  Took a wrong turning though and ended up running half a mile through boggy grass getting soaked feet anyway.  Never mind.

    Probably more of that when I go out in a bit for another 6 miler as it has been raining all day.  Skin is waterproof though.
  • First ever parkrun today after starting running in October. Got nearly 2 stone still to shift so was was always using this as a bit of benchmark.

    What a buzz though. Never run in a big group before but once I got past the first half mile, when I had to slow myself down after setting out too fast, I settled into my pace. 22.44 which is as well I could go for my current fitness.

    Makes me so hungry to do loads more parkruns and bigger events. Onwards and upwards.
  • Welcome, 50000tears - belting time for your 1st parkrun.  :)

    Herne Hill, Cal: I lived in Denmark Hill in the 70s when I was a student.  Loved Brockwell Park.

    Slush: no-one's favourite terrain, Hazel.  

    My 2nd best trail shoes have shed half their sole....and with it, some of mine....  ;)
  • Interesting, swittle - I grew up roughly halfway between Peckham and Camberwell during the 70s and 80s. Did you ever go to the Lambeth County Fair? I went a couple of times as a kid.
    Brockwell Park's where I do a lot of my long runs (I run from Balham then do laps of the park, then run home again). The hills are a good workout!
    5000tears - damn! That's a fast time. If you're 2 stone overweight then imagine how fast you'll be when you lose it.
  • Hello there 50000tears - pretty darned quick parkrun there. Nice one.

    Good luck tomorrow, Cal. Have a lovely run!

    Swittle and Hazel - I seemed to cram pancakes, ice cream, spaghetti bolognese, lentil 'crisps' and some nice sourdough into my carb-load :) hope I can move in the morning! 

    I run, therefore I am.
  • Thanks Swittle and Cal.

    My 2 stone over my “fit” weight puts me currently at 11 1/2 stone. So once I get down to 9 1/2 stone, was there 4 years ago when I was heavily into cycling before getting knocked off by a car put paid to that, I will be an ideal weight for distance running. Also been blessed with a low resting heart rate and I think that helps with endurance too.

    The one thing that holds me back is mostly age related. 47 with the normal aches and pains that come with that age. Just wish I had kept up with the running I briefly did in my early 20s.

    Started running 3 times a week in October but now up to 5-6 times and 30miles a week. So maybe pushing too hard too early. Most of my runs are easy paced though and have 1 very easy week in 4 to recover fully.

    Already thinking about the aim of getting under 20 minutes for the 5k though which I should get once I shift the weight!
  • I think sub-20 is a good target.

    Hampton Court half today. With all the problems I've had, I knew I wasn't in PB shape so I gave myself two goals: sub-4:15 marathon pace (marathon PB is currently 4:29:29) and a negative split.

    I'm happy to say I managed both. I stuck in the 9:30s for the first half (bar a 9:46 second mile due to some congestion) and then 9:20s and quicker in the second half. Last mile was 9:08. Aside from the grumbling hamstring, I felt pretty good. I managed 2:04 dead, which is quite a bit slower than last year, when I was in good shape, but a minute faster than the year before when I was also coming back from injury. So I'm happy with that. the parkrun obviously didn't do me any harm.

    I am hoping to go quicker at The Big Half in two weeks - number turned up yesterday. Now I'm going to relax for the rest of the day! 
  • PompeyMattPompeyMatt ✭✭✭
    edited February 2018
    Well my annual late winter injury has struck again and Thursday's ten miler ended up with me trying three times to run comfortably but I failed to manage more than a few hundred yards so I had to abandon it and go home. I can't be precise as to what the issue is but if I was a betting man I'd say that the hernia repair I had last summer has been compromised somehow. I can still run, but I've opted to decide my own fate rather than continue and end up being ordered by a doctor to stop. I'm confident it's not a running injury as such but almost certainly the result of making a gentle return to strength work at the gym despite waiting eight months since the surgery and having completed two marathons in that time. At best I'll be back in 2-3 weeks, at worst it'll require surgery.

    It's frustrating, but I can't say I'm not used to it-I've been an injury magnet for a couple of years now but one day the curse might be lifted!
  • Sorry to hear that, Matt. As an injury-prone runner myself, I really sympathise. One the plus side, I've found it's easier to get back to running when the injury has not been caused by running itself. When I had my groin strain (which I got in the gym doing a squat-type exercise) I couldn't even cross my legs let alone run, but a month later and a lot of yoga I was back running again. I guess with running injuries then if you do the activity that caused them, the chances of them coming back are high, whereas when it's something else, you don't need to worry so much.
  • That's a great time for your Half, Cal. Nice running :)

    Sorry about your injury, Matt. Wishing you a swift recovery.

    A beautiful day in West Norfolk for my trail Half. 9C, lovely sunshine and a gentle breeze. The trail was a bit muddy in places,  but generally fine.
    My plan was to set off sharpish, at 9:00 min/mi to get the lungs and legs going, then ease down to my 9:30 target pace. I felt good from the off and, despite worrying I might run out of steam, I managed to keep the pace up, mostly around 9:05/10. I kept fuelling regularly and the camelbak proved invaluable. Mile 8 was the tough spot, but I got some 2nd wind by mile 10. The trail really was a joy to run, with fields, copices and plenty of livestock to make it interesting. New growth poking through everywhere, birds starting to sing and flirt and real warmth in the sunshine. Best spots were Goldcrest, Goldfinch and a couple of hovering Kestrels. Best tunes came from several vocal Song Thrushes.
    I felt strong for the last couple of miles and upped the speed and even overtook a few runners. The finish was inside the Town Hall at Aylsham, a fine little market town, and I managed not fall up or down the steps, where Mrs Will and my two nippers were cheering me home. 2:00:51 - a new Percy Best by 12 minutes. Very chuffed...indeed :)
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Fantastic, Will - sub-2 next time eh? Funny that mile 8 always seems the tough one. I had that today too - felt tired during that mile but then rallied. Nice spots on the birds too.
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    edited February 2018
    18.1miles today mainly offroad and mainly through thick clay mud. Despite trail shoes feet went everywhere. Swearing took place. A big stick managed to glue itself to my shoe, beating me across the opposite leg with each stride. Exhilarating. Pace fluctuated but wasn't bad (2hrs17). The mud tired out my legs toward the end though. There was half a mile of queued cars on a normally barren road - gas main under the road getting an emergency repair i think. Saw a river cruiser boat were someone had extended out the cabin by adding a wooden garden shed.

    Sorry to hear about the recurrent injury issues Matt. I hope this one proves short lived. Many congratulations on the HM Cal and the continuing progress. Very fine parkrun debut Tears. Competitive running clearly suits you. Not sure I'd fancy trying to drop 2 stone. Probably kill me.

    Last week I injured a tendon on the inside of my elbow. Well, twisted an existing strain. Gym injury. Weights work out for a while. My tendons/ligaments don't heal quickly. They are rubbish.
  • That's likely golfer's elbow, JT. I've strained that one doing pull-ups (well, assisted pull-ups as I can't haul my fat arse up to the bar without a bit of help). I sympathise though - my constant injuries are why I ended up ditching the heavy weights work and doing yoga (although I've hurt myself at least twice doing yoga and you know how many running injuries I have. The structural integrity of my body is just not great, evidently).
  • Well done on the pb half time Will! 

    Sorry to all those nursing injuries.

    Well after my lurgy which took me out of action for ten days. Then my nine year old went down with scarlet fever. I got back in to it and took it slow the first week but felt back to normal last week. I did parkrun on Saturday and then yesterday 10 miles in 1hr 27. I felt great and the last mile was the quickest. 

    Last night I started feeling sneezy and I've woken up stuffed full of cold! Honestly I'm so fed up now.
  • Welcome to 50000tears - that is no shabby time for a parkrun.  Sub 20 sounds like a good goal for you with your weight loss plans.

    Enjoy shopping for some new trail shoes swittle.

    Great HM Cal.  Good to have goals you can achieve rather than wishful thinking and being disappointed.   

    Sorry to hear about your latest injury woes Matt.  

    That is a fantastic PB improvement Will.  And you even had time and the energy to look around and enjoy it all :)

    Nice swift long run JT.  

    Bad luck on the cold on top of the other lurgies Andrea.

    Tough 16 miles for me yesterday, was supposed to be doing 12 at marathon race pace but I only managed just over 8.5.    

    Excuses?  It was just above freezing with a horrible brisk easterly wind turning my quads into concrete in minutes.  I took the first few brisk miles too fast including trying to keep up the pace against the wind.  I waited too long to run after breakfast and got hungry again part way through.  I had a mental blackout on the first session of this type several weeks ago and missed the second due to the calf niggle etc. etc. 

    I can't do much about the weather but I can work on the other points. I find the long runs with marathon pace miles included very hard work on my own.  I've got a couple of chances to practice yet though.
  • During my customary Darkrun last night, I caught sight of a faint light near one of the Iron Men.  Approaching with caution, it turned out to be a young man in a long, dark coat standing stock still and gazing out to sea.  No. 101?  :o  
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    Long dark coat, standing on a beach staring at the sea. Cure fan.
    Forgot to congratulate Will on the trail HM last time out. Wish I had your knowledge of the natural environment around me.
    About 8.7miles tonight in under 1hr7. Mist and fine drizzle creating a fret in the air diffusing all the light.
  • Thanks JT. Maybe long coat had been in love at some point towards the end of last week and was reminiscing. Sounds like a nice drizzly run. 

    Felt quite tender and with several sore toes I trotted around the cemetery for a few slow miles, yesterday. Certainly knew I'd been pushing hard. A huge display of snowdrops was the highlight. That and the long, hot soak afterwards. A few days' rest now as the next Half is only 11 days away. Will have a trot on Thursday .
    I run, therefore I am.
  • JT, you're likely right about that!

    Having retired the shoes I ran Hampton Court in (over 700 miles on them, so it was time) I got another, identical pair out of the cupboard for my run today. Not sure if it was the fresh shoes but my legs felt unexpectedly fresh and bouncy, despite the half on Sunday, and in spite of the weather, which was grey and drizzly and no in the least bit inviting. I ended up running further and faster than I'd intended: 10 miles at an average of 10:18 (slightly slower than last year's MP).
    I've been spotting croci and snowdrops too, so I shan't be long before daffodils and blossom. And of course, when those show up, it's marathon time for many of us.
  • Lovely day but just a very slow 4 mile recovery run. That's what I'd planned (due to the half on Sunday and 10 miles yesterday) but I'd also been kept awake by a mouse. (The full version of this mouse story is on the Shades thread in the training section, if anyone is interested. It's quite the tale).
  • ;)  to IronMan No.101.  He might need to take off that long coat though if he really wants to join the gang.

    Nice boost from your new shoes Cal.  You seem to be recovering well from your HM.  Croci is a nice word..  Some of those and some snowdrops here too but if I was them I would disappear back underground with the current cold.

    Standard outing yesterday evening with my group (4 of us - not bad) but with about a mile and a half beforehand to check the legs and enjoy a bit on the flat.  Cold and windy but I was well dressed for it.  Got a useful bit of information from the other lady out - there is a local track which I can use for free - will probably try it out tomorrow for my intervals.  It will be very windy here the next couple fo days and I'm hoping that the track will help as I don't have to run longer distances against the wind.  Hardly ever used one though so I will have to ease into it. 

    Hope Nessie is otherwise okay and just ridiculously busy.   Haven't seen her on here for a bit again. 
  • Hello MLRers
    Sorry I've been AWOL again.  Partly due to nice reasons- I went away for two nights last week with the old man for our anniversary- which was lovely.
    But also I am just super busy with mum and stepdad, kids, work and life. Mum's not been so great and her care needs seem to escalate every 3-4 weeks or so.. Am ashamed to say I'm at work now, which is quiet, and doing this, instead of what I should be doing. Don't tell ;-)

    Sounds like some great running going on. JT still racking up the miles just because he can. Excellent marathon training from Cal and Hazel. Tasty HM times from Cal (I saw it on FB as you know) and Will, who is also quite the ornithologist. Andrea on the sick bench again. How frustrating!  Great Robert Smith / Iron man spots from swittle.. and a few newbies to catch up on.

    My running's been OK. I'm up to 17 miles on my long runs, which I've done twice. The first one was excellent, I felt really strong. The second I did last week on Valentines evening, in the most vile of weather conditions, driving rain and wind, and freezing. It was a horrid run but I'm stubborn, so I finished it.  Since that horrid 17 miler I've not been running so great, and I guess I'm in that period of marathon training where I'm racking up the miles and feeling it.  So this week is an easier week. I did my usual 6 am intervals, then I had a sports massage yesterday, which wasn't quite so excruciating as last time.  I've got a few shorter runs planned, then Sunday I'm doing Roding Valley Half Marathon to see where I'm at with my training. I'm really hoping for a PB or at least close to, to give me confidence for London. It's a local, nice race but it is not at all flat, so I know this is ambitious.

    Hope to be back on here again soon. Run strong all :-)
  • Good luck with the half, Nessie. You deserve a good result after all the crap you've been through.
    Good you've got a track to train on, Hazel - not so good about the wind. Apparently we will have another cold snap, which I'm really not looking forward to. It's been almost spring-like recently.
  • Best of luck Nessie! What I really enjoy about running is the quiet time and space it gives you. Much needed in today's world. Think of the couple of hours of your Half as a treat :)
     Well, my first proper outing since my Half was a real toughie. I took to the cemetery and had planned 4 progressive miles. The snowdrops were rampant and the croci are poking through in violets and mauves too. I, however, struggled from the off. Mile 1 felt like Mile 10, my breathing was laboured, my posture was rubbish and it felt much harder than the actual race on Sunday. Mile 2 was a bit better but by 3 I was knackered again and had a sore upper left foot, stiff back and probably looked a bit like Les Dawson after a rough night. I didn't do the 4th mile, but instead headed for a Dr Salts bath and time to reflect on what I should do between now and my next Half on March 4th.

    I had planned to do Parkrun on Saturday to keep a bit of speedwork going, then a 10 mile LSR on Sunday/ Monday. My last run would be 4-5 miles easy midweek. Too much? Advice appreciated.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • I'm  running Warwick half on March 4th. I'm completely sidelined at the moment due to a sinus infection. I started antibiotics today so I'm hoping they kick in.

    I did 10 miles on Sunday. My plan next week is to do 7 miles on Sunday (5@ easy pace and two fast) then 3 miles slow on Tuesday &Thursday with some speedwork on the end. I will then do parkrun on the Saturday before the race because I'm stubborn and I love parkrun :-)
  • thanks as ever for kind words MLRers
    Will, just listen to your body and let it lead you... any difference you make between now and March 4th will be incremental. Have the plan in your mind, but be ready to change it and have a swim / walk / cycle instead.
    Andrea, you've really been through the mill. Well done for running through it and take care.
    I did 7 miles today at a little quicker than target MP.  Still feeling a bit sluggish so I'll do a leg stretcher easy few miles and swim tomorrow, then hope for the best on Sunday's HM.
  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    edited February 2018
    Hello Ness. Andrea, stop being ill.
    A quicker 11miles in 1hr19, last couple down to 7m/m. Had some lighter, springier shoes on rather than usual winter wet weather numbers. Been thinking I hadn't run at a sharper pace for a bit, so nice when some pace turns up.
    Everything was going by so quickly I didn't notice much... However, there was a man in colourful tights and a car ran the red light at a pelican crossing.
  • Nice to see you Nessie. Pleased to hear that your marathon training is going on despite everything and well done on getting that long run done in crap conditions.  Have a good Half at the weekend.   A PB might be tough as well due to racing a half out of marathon training if you are feeling the mileage but if you do a mini-taper you never know.

    The 10 miler sounds ok to me Will if it is gentle, I would go by feel if you do the parkrun this weekend.  If you still feel tired then back off on the pace - don't push yourself too hard.  If you have tried them in the past maybe a few strides at the end of your easy run midweek.  I like them to give the legs and lungs a brief workout but they don't leave me tired like a tempo run or intervalls would.

    Hope that sinus infection improves fast Andrea.

    Hope that wasn't you who nearly got flattened at the pelican crossing JT.

    For me a 5 miler at recovery pace on Wednesday well wrapped up due to -2 and wind.

    Yesterday - intervalls for the first time .  I didn't go to the track as planned as the location looked quite exposed to the wind and having browsed around on the internet I wasn't so sure about the free access.  I didn't want to drive there and have nowhere decent to run.  I will check it out though.  Instead I jogged over to a local wood with three marked running routes including one of 1.2km.  Perfect for 800 reps with 400 recoveries.  I had forgotten that the loop is not exactly flat so it was pretty hard work and I couldn't keep a constant pace due to the ups and downs but went by the huff-puff scale.  Got all 5 reps done with only one poorer effort on nr. 3.  Pleased with that.  Managed to get a bit lost on the way back - woods and orientation are not my strongest skill.  :o.   Had to laugh looking at the GPS track just now - I don't know where I thought I was going but it certainly wasn't the right direction!  Got it sorted though as it was getting dark fortunately and it was only about 2 miles more than I had planned.
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