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New Mature Runners Thread
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Red, I've only just seen your above post, so am belatedly wishing you all the best for your 50 miler today. Its been very hot, so I hope you managed to complete the race ok.
Aquarius, well done for your track session, was it on "a proper track," or a grass track. Our club does a track session once a week during the summer on a grass track at a local school. I haven't attended a club session since my injury last year, bur hope to eventually get back again. Thankfully I have kept in touch with many of my club mates on Strava, Social runs, or meals out etc. The club have a facebook page which I haven't signed up to yet, as I'm rather cautious about the whole facebook setup.
Hope you managed to enter todays 5k trail race.
I ran 10.26 miles in the forest this morning, and found the heat to be strength sapping. I was feeling good at the start, and had intended to try to average 10 minute miling. I pushed myself too hard during the first few miles, and suffered accordingly. The last 3 miles or so were very slow, and I had to dig in to keep going. My average was 10.54 minute miling, so in the circumstances, not too bad.
Welcome back Columba! I must have missed your previous post so apologies for that. Hope your daughter enjoys RTTS, I know lots of people who do it each year and enjoy it. Glad to hear you're running despite your naughty knee xxx
Yesterday was HOT and I cba'd so opted for the 50k option instead (31 miles in old money!), took loads of photos of wild flowers enroute and had a nice catch-up with lots of running chums (hadn't been back there since the 100 miler).
TE, well done on your run. The heat was really powerful yesterday and it affected my asthma as well as my mind so I understand excatly what you mean. Your average pace was good in those conditions.
Aquarius, glad you enjoyed your track session. Tough but fun. Hope you got your entry sorted.
Have a lovely day everyone
Columba, I hope the knee support and velcro are "doing the trick." One of our younger club runners was unable to run for many months, having put his leg into an hole during an off road race and twisting his knee. He eventually started running again with velcro and support, and now appears to be fully recovered. He has also regained much of his pace. Recovery is much quicker, of course, for youngsters.
I seem to remember that Steve Ovett did a lot of hill dunes training, and I think the New Zealander Peter Snell was a great advocate too.
I think your daughter has made the correct decision to run the Race to the Stones in two days. I believe that the overnight camping facilities are first class. If I were ever to do such a race, which I definitely won't, I think that I would be inclined to attempt it "in one go." The reason being that after running 31 miles in one day and then having to repeat the experience the following day, my legs would have stiffened up overnight, making it difficult to get going again.
Red, congratulations for completing 50k yesterday in that heat, your stamina is incredible
I'm having a rest day, and will be watching England win their second match, fingers crossed.
If it’s any consolation I entered a charity 5k trail race yesterday that was a bit of a disaster. It had been advertised as a 24 hr event made up of laps of 5k, entrants could run as many laps as they wanted and could run as individuals or teams. It was in aid of a blood cancer charity, so was a worthy cause and I expected it to be well attended, but the emphasis was on it being a fun event. When I arrived, minutes before the start, I realised there were only a handful of people there, and I was the only runner from a club other than the one that was staging the event. The organiser described the route before we started, but it sounded rather complicated to me so, as I know I have a propensity to get lost, I asked if the route was fully marshalled and was assured it was and that there was also yellow tape along the whole route, apart from a loop with pink tape that we would do at the end of the run. So off we set (all eight of us!) and quickly split into two groups. I kept up with the front runners, who were running at a fairly easy pace to try to keep us all together, and the slower group fell behind a bit. It was a bit of an undulating course, partly on gravel paths but mostly on ankle turning rutted tracks with exposed tree roots. After a mile and a half I eased my pace to get my breath back after an incline and lost sight of the runners in front of me as we went round a couple of bends. This was a bit worrying as there were only three marshals on the whole of the course and the promised yellow tape was hardly in evidence at all, just occasionally tied around a tree trunk. Anyway I kept going and was soon overtaken by a group of three runners, which I imagined were from the slower group behind us. I ran with them for a while until one of them started chatting to me and it soon became evident that they were a group of random runners that had nothing to do with the charity run. I then realised that by running with them I’d strayed off the route, and at this point my Garmin pinged up 3 miles, so I knew I should have been approaching the finish, not out on the course still. I decided to wait for the actual slower runners to catch me up and run back with them, but they never appeared (as I was on the wrong bit of the course as I later found out). Fortunately a couple of dog walkers came along and I asked directions back to the field where the start/finish area was, and eventually made it back (although I never did find the “pink” loop). It was all rather embarrassing as I finished ages after the other runners, and what made it worse was that because my club has some really good runners and we do well in all the events we enter the people at this event assumed I was a top class speedy runner and would romp home first. Although I was a little cross with the lack of marshals at the time, on reflection this was a group of runners staging an event with the best of intentions, around a local route they knew quite well, in an effort to raise money for stem cell research to help one of their club mates who is suffering with leukaemia. It seems a little churlish to complain because it wasn’t a ‘perfect’ event.
HOT, HOT, HOT! I just don't do well in the heat. Been doing garden stuff all day and now my arthritis is complaining like mad!
Aquarius, what a run ou had on Sunday! Poor you for getting lost but glad you found your way back eventually. Hope your knees recover quickly and you enjoy your sailing holiday. Ullswater is beautiful with lots of nice trail all around. Have fun.
Aquarius, sorry to hear about your escapades at the 5k race, where you got lost, but thankfully, the dog walkers were able to direct you back to the finish area.
I remember now that you said your club had its own track, but were worried about keeping the club going. Have you had any luck in this respect?
Fingers crossed that you haven't injured your right knee, but just the effects of running over hard trails.
Enjoy your sailing holiday in The Lake District.
Red, agree that it really is scorchio
I set off at 8.30 yesterday morning with the two Sarah's and Jane, for a 9.5 mile run in the forest. At about 5 miles, we were about to run through an underpass, only to find our way blocked by a number of cows and calves, that were sheltering from the sun. We were rather apprehensive, as cows can be dangerous, especially when they have their calves with them. We proceeded cautiously, but I manged to tread in a pile of hot, steaming dung
Had a good spin session this morning, which was very intense.
Very hot and sunny again, and another tough spin session.
Off to the village later for a haircut.
Another hot and sunny day.
I ran 8.1 miles in the forest this morning. I inadvertently set off in a pair of trainers that were past their running date
Scorchio again here for the last few days. Ran a cheeky Thursday marathon in Kings Wood yesterday and was very glad of the gentle breeze which helped keep me going. Knocked 12 minutes off my time from 2 years ago, not that I was trying, and I still took loads of photos of plants/butterflies/trees! No more for a couple of weeks so just some maintenance runs to keep ticking over.
TE, sorry you've been talking to yourself for a few days. I really don't know where the time goes as I seem to be spending every waking hour in the garden. Well done on your negative split - I think you're definitely getting back your form. I did chuckle at you standing in the poo though, sorry xxx
Just popped back to let you know my brother was discharged from hospital on Thursday. I had previously arranged to visit him on Thursday so my Mum and I collected him instead and he is now recovering at home. The operation was a success and once he is fully recovered, he'll need a course of radiotherapy - but so far, so good.
Obviously with all the travelling to and fro to visit my brother, everything else has been taking a back seat. I've only been managing to get out for a run about once a week. And my bowls and golf have both more or less ground to a halt. I did manage to play a bowls competition match last week which was a very tight game. After 10 ends it was all square, then it was nip and tuck and all square again after 14 ends. In the 15th and final end I had the last bowl but my opponent had played a 'blinder' and unfortunately my last bowl was around 12" short, handing the game to her - winning/losing the game by 12" summed up what a tight game it had been.
Now my brother is at home I'm hoping 'life' will return to some kind of normality, albeit until the course of radiotherapy starts. The good thing is going to see him won't now entail a four hours driving, just the two! I'm hoping to play golf on Tuesday with my friend Alan - hope we can because he's off to hospital himself for an op on 10th July (and then he'll be out of action for 4-6 weeks).
We're already at 29 degrees so I am playing inside this afternoon. Ran at 5am when it was very pleasant. Just 7 miles to stretch out my leggies.
Columba, please apologise to your brother for my laziness in opting for 50k rather than 50 miles. Sometimes the cba mood just takes hold! Nowt wrong with plodding along, especially as your knee is not fully fit and glad the support is helping.
Right, off to do some crochet in a cool part of the house (if I can find one!). Stay well hydrated everyone xxx
Good to hear from you again, and with good news! Good that your brother has been discharged from hospital, and hopeful that radiotherapy will be successful.
Columba, Good to hear that your knee "is holding up" and you are still able to run, albeit rather slowly. I've been plodding for months, but my pace is slowly improving.
Red, since you advised that I had been talking to myself, I seemed to have disappeared. I have a good excuse though, I drove to my daughter in Aylesbury on Friday, and returned Sunday. The only exercise was dog walking, but not very productive, as she knows all the other dog walkers, and we stopped to talk to them, whilst she fed the dogs, doggie treats. My Friday drive was a nightmare, as the A34 was closed before Oxford, as a lorry had jackknifed, and spilt diesel all over the road. The road had to be resurfaced, and was closed for nearly 24 hours. The diversion was nose to tail for miles on the A40, until I eventually reached the A418 to Aylesbury. The journey took 4 hours, instead of the usual two. Thank goodness for air conditioning, as the temperature reached 30.5 degrees. The return journey was uneventful, except for the warning yellow light indicating low tyre pressure when I was on the M3, and not many miles from home. I had recently checked the tyre pressures and inflated as necessary, so knew it was safe to continue. When I got home, I checked them again, and they had lost a slight pressure, so I corrected them all, and switched on the ignition. It still showed low tyre pressure, so I think there must be a fault in the tyre monitoring system. I will contact the garage where I purchased the car to see if they will have a look at it.
Getting back to business, I ran 10.1 miles in the forest this morning with Sarah F and Jane. The temperature was what could only be described as scorchio, as by the end of the run, it had reached 28 degrees.
The problem with the warning light showing low tyre pressure has been explained and rectified. I took the car to the dealers where I had purchased the car, and they explained that the hot weather was playing havoc with the low pressure settings. All the was required was a simple reset, by pressing the reset button until it pinged. Easy when you know how, like everything.
Another excellent spin session this morning, which went really well, especially after yesterdays 10 miler in the forest. I'm still not a fan of the backing music that they play, especially "Move Like Jagger."
Tea time here in redheadland thank goodness as it's still blimming hot despite a bit of a breeze. Did my 5 miler at 5am and it was rather warm even then.
TE, glad your tyres were OK and well done on 10 miles in the heat yesterday.
Well done for running so early in the morning.
WtnMel, glad that you missed the diverted traffic from the A34 onto the A40. It really was the pits, nose to tail for mile after mile, in temperature up to 30.5 degrees. I was very glad to have effective air conditioning in the car, and also a bottle of water to keep sipping from. My daughter was very worried that I hadn't arrived when expected, and of course I was unable to use my hand held phone, even when stationary in traffic, as it is an offence. Ironically, I had just arrived and was parking when my phone rang, with my daughter asking where I was. I was happy to say that I had arrived.
I'm afraid that I am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to new technology.
Another good spin session this morning, producing good, honest sweat. I'm looking forward now to tomorrows run.
I spoke too soon about getting the laptop sound sorted. Turns out it's only working for one of the laptops
Today is a much needed rest day. I did a good pace 8 miles in the forest yesterday morning, with a negative split. I had intended running further, but it was so hot, that at 4 miles, I decided to turn back.
Aquarius, I used to do yoga, but haven't for ages. I have been advised that it would help with my knee, but I do enough stretching etc. that I couldn't face any more. A nice easy run the day after your yoga was a good idea. I had to laugh, thinking that if you had walked on the beach in bare feet, you would have had dog dirt wedged between your toes, instead of your trainers
Well done working out on the exercise bike.
Phew it's sooooo hot already and I can't stop dripping after my 5.5 miles of hills. I have a LDWA marathon pencilled in for Sunday but might give it a miss if it stays as hot as this!
TE, a wise decision to turn back. LOL at your comment about dog poo!!!
Aquarius, wow, you have been working hard. I usually do yoga once a week with a small group and 15 minutes of daily streches on my own but I've had to miss a couple of weeks as the arthritis in my hands and wrists is unbearable. i have found that it's gradually beginning to loosen some of my many stiff bits though so it's worth pursuing.
Re handsfree phones in a car, just no! I had one when I was still working and did a lot of motorway driving but i found it was such a distraction that I had it removed and switched off my phone when I was driving. That meant I was concentrating on the road rather than stupid work issues.
I have the same view of people watching their Sat Navs rather than the road and I can give a really good example of how distracting they are: there is a main road through a large local village. At one point there are 2 roads joining either side, each with a T junction clearly marked with white lines with a 30 mph sign several hundred metres before the junction. Every few weeks the junction makes an appearance on the local news because drivers approaching from the side road just follow the line on their Sat Nav (which makes if looks as if the road just continues straight ahead), do not slow down to 30mph (probably don't even notice it!), do not stop at the junction and then ram into the side of some poor unsuspecting driver on the main road.
I make no apology for my rant as I feel the standard of driving is dreadful these days.
Have a lovely weekend everyone
Red, I do agree about hands free in cars, it must be so easy to lose concentration whilst the brain is coping with the conversation and driving at the same time. I always put my phone in the glove compartment, so that it is not a distraction if it rings, or bleeps with messages.
I take your point about satnavs, but do employ it when I'm driving to Aylesbury. I ignore the instructions though, as I go the way that I know. It's a fail safe for when there is a diversion. It was invaluable on Friday, when the A34 was closed all day, just before Oxford. I wouldn't have had a clue which way to go otherwise, as the diversion sign was useless. It just diverted traffic off the A34 towards a large roundabout with 5 exits.
I agree 100% about the standard of driving these days, especially drivers that don't signal, or signal incorrectly. My pet hate is when drivers change lanes to turn right at a roundabout, and don't signal until they are about to go round it. They should signal before changing lanes, so that drivers behind them are aware of their intentions.