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Over 60's training (Part 2)
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NZD, I haven't looked at the number of M70-74s in our local parkrun but would guess they are all much the same. It might be interesting to do what you have though and have a look at the stats.
Mick, I remember you mentioning coming across snakes on your river path. On balance I think I'd take my chances with the sun taking into account my phobia!
TS, the stream this year was actually only a couple of feet across. It's the steep banks on both sides that the more young and agile runners jump. A couple of years ago though the stream was thigh deep and everyone got wet, even the ones who would jump it normally. Shame I missed the race that year!
I ran at a reasonable pace for my current fitness level and didn't slow down too much.
5:33, 5:34, 5:41 and 5:41
This morning I did the Gateshead parkrun, the second hilliest local one I'd say. Nothing as steep as Gibside but it does have a significant drag on each of the four laps. A nice run through a Victorian park.
The time was 25:30, average pace 8:15. That put me in the top third and 1st in the age category. Normally it wouldn't, to be fair. The AG was 68% so close to that next step target of 70%. Time for a flatter course next time maybe!
We're going on holiday to New England soon, a part of the US we don't know at all. I'll be taking my running gear and hope to get enough short runs in to at least avoid dropping back again.
TS - did you do parkrun ?
Graham - another good track workout - circa 7:30 pace for your 1200's, if my maths is correct. Nicely done - and a decent parkrun - like me, the 70% AG is, hopefully, not far away.
met a couple of chums on Saturday, and somehow ended up with a 14, to add to the 15.5 from Wed. This put me on 45 for the week -
yesterday I sat around in my gear all day, watching TV sport (recorded EFL football, GNR, cricket), had just decided to have rest day and stick on 45 for the week, but a text message from my running chum stating she'd carded a 50, sent me heading out for a very heavy-legged 6, to trump her total by a mile
6 more this morning
Dave
Definitely not ready for minus anything. Good luck with the Parkrun.
Dave,
Not that you are competitive or anything !!
Graham,
A couple of well dones to you, especially those 1200s.
You would have enjoyed sitting out on my porch last week. There were two garter snakes mating in one of our flower beds.
Back from Toronto. The weather was much more like it and I got a couple of runs in along the lake shore, 6 miles on Saturday and 4 on Sunday.
There are a lot of strong runners in Toronto so it is quite busy on the running trail. It was not good for my ego as I got passed numerous times by young women who seem to past me like I was standing still. Some old geezer tried to pass me but at least I managed to hold him off.
Mick
good going on the track
Sounds like Saltwell park? I remember the hills around there!
Enjoy New England. Just heard from some relatives who live in Greensboro South Carolina and who are coming visiting us later in the month that a huge storm is coming their way and more are forecast - so don't go too far south!
Dave
I like the idea of lounging around in running gear and leaping off the sofa to get one over on your friend - you were just waiting for that text weren't you
Nice to see Cook do so well in his final innings - and well done to the Indian players for their acknowledgement of a fine player's career. Just need Jimmy to put his name into the record book today................
My parkrun attempt - if I do it - will be this Saturday......................
Mick
naw it wasn't -6C it was - 6C (that was a dash!)
Very deflating isn't it? I came across a group of just such young women who were doing sprint intervals on "my" path on Sunday morning - obligatory cropped tops, ponytails and leggings!
Friends in Vancouver say the weather there has been awful - couple of weeks of smog in the distance caused by the forest fires wit the smell of burning wood all around followed by rain so their stay has not been too good weather wise
4.2 miles on Sunday, 3.2 miles yesterday and the hash this evening, which I suspect will be a long one, and then a day in London on Wednesday and away Thursday to exotic St Helens.................. what a life I lead
hope you're all doing something
Dave
TS, yes, Saltwell Park. As you say, quite hilly. At one time there was talk of the hurricane tracking as far north as New England, which before we left home had us feeling a bit wary.
Columbia, nice to hear from you and congratulations on your new grandson.
Mick, snakes mating? That's a big yuk from me.
Dave, good Park run and well done for getting over that 70%
enjoy your trip
had an email from the relatives in G'boro N>C. - lots of rain but not too much wind so far. They are looking forward to coming here next month
Columba
good to see you again - and congratulations on the new arrival
NZD is not NZC - it's a he not a she and is a newish arrival. I wonder who NZA and NZB are
Dave
good mileage for the week and a nice AG parkrun to finish it off - well done on getting above the 70%
well after my "exotic" bit of travelling around I did turn out for the threatened parkrun on Saturday with absolutely no idea of what I could do or a target in mind. Looking at the vast crowd gathered, 452 in all, I resolved to try and not get beaten by the buggy pushers and dog walkers of whom there were an abundance of both!
Turns out I had chosen the 350th run to turn up to!!
Anyway the route is straightforward - 3 rectangular laps plus a bit - half on grass half on tarmac. Only 8m rise and fall on each lap
Shuffled off hemmed in my the crowd which was probably a good thing and cautiously got into my stride dodging aforementioned buggies and dog walkers and those tiring already.
Deliberately did not look at my watch, just ran by feel, and speeded up slightly on the second lap as the field thinned out a bit.
Third lap started to feel it but tried to keep it together and even managed, quite easily, to stave off the impulse to launch one of my showboating sprint finishes mainly because I was knackered
Ended up running 25:53(8:15m/m) for an AG of 69.84% (if only I had launched that sprint finish!!!) and 163 out of 452.
Quite remarkably I was 25th on AG results!
8:21
8:11
8:21
0:59
Looks like the lack of hills suits me............
eased round an easy 3 miles this morning on a breezy but sunny autumn morning
Now what do I tell the doc when I go for my blood test results tomorrow afternoon?
Sounds a pretty decent pr from you, also, Birch.
I have done a couple of comfortable parkruns since last time I posted (I think) with yesterday being around 25:20 without too much effort for around 65% AG, which is ok after a series of injuries and health scares. 200 ish out of 450 ish. However my right calf tightened in the last couple of hundred metres yesterday (and no, I didn't sprint) and has given me grief all day today. Annoying!
Any races/parkruns planned, Mick?
Enjoy the states Graham.
Enjoyed watching the last part of the Berlin marathon...slowest 5k was 14:38!
Columbia, yes as TS pointed out, I am not she. And certainly not able to run an AG of 75+, let alone after a prolonged period of dog-walking as my only prep! Yes, same country, even same city, though at opposite ends of that (S vs N).
Graham, I hope your US sojourn is still going smoothly. I saw a headline saying Florence's leftovers eventually spilt into the north. I take it nothing too dramatic.
I intended doing our local parkrun last Sat but chickened out partly due to insufficient prep, and partly due sore shin muscles when I woke on the Friday morning. Have no idea what the cause was and don't recall having a similar problem in the past. Still very tender though didn't impact much on my run this afternoon. A bit of gaming going on of course. Keen to hold off until I am confident of lowering the time for my last parkrun!
Weekends are a bit of a wash out for me at the moment (helping oldest son with some landscaping) so this afternoon was my first run in four days. Started off OK until I hit a stiff head wind followed by legs turning to lead. About half way around my right knee started to feel sufficiently uncomfortable that I pulled out at 7.5 km rather than continue on to my intended 9. Pace down but consolation was that my 'PL' (Suunto) was up a notch to 50 due to lower HR. The PL figure they calculate does seem to be heavily weighted by HR, which is probably good given the evidence that it is best to do most training in the aerobic range. A bit ironic though. The reduced HR & pace being due to my legs not being up to task but I still get marked up for performance! At least my PL is creeping up still. On past experience I find it is a reasonably good performance indicator overall. Think I will aim for another couple of slower pace runs before facing up to the parkrun on Sat.
WHR = ave
That is a very respectable time for a 70+, that would win most races around here.
Graham,
I hope your visit to my part of the world is going well, a bit too early for the fall colours though.
Alehouse,
"without too much effort" 65% AG, okay I will take that.
The best I have managed this year has been 63% but that was in painfully hot and humid conditions. My next race is this weekend, The Toronto Zoo run. It is 5k but all hills and twists and turns so not expecting much, as long as I can keep in front of my youngest daughter I will be happy. The other daughter who is very pregnant is not running but both boyfriends are. I have no hope of staying with them but of course I will try. My wife is running in the 1k with two little ones and she is hoping to be able to keep up with them.
The competition in the 70-74 AG will be tough but I have a chance.
Columba,
Good to see that you are still getting your knee to cooperate. I had a follow up with the physio after my gait analysis. She re-filmed me on the treadmill and compared it with the last time. My right knee, which was the painful one, was now bending on impact but still requires me to think about it while I run. My left knee where the wear is uneven is still bending out on impact but it has improved.
So I have to stick to the programme and just be patient but I am sure you know what it feels like.
Tomorrow is my birthday, 72 and a happy birthday to TS as he turns 72 around now too.
My running is going well and I am slowly getting quicker as my gait improves. The weather is still hot and humid so I am finding it hard to do anything of quality.
Race day is forecasted to be cool so here is hoping.
We have two parkruns in the area now so as soon as this awful weather lifts I will be back at them. I hold the AG course record for one of them but there are two runners within 10s of me so I have to open that up a bit. The other course is new so I have to have a go at that. They opening run is on the 29th so maybe soon.
Mick
For my entertainment I thought I would check the 70-74 AG records for Harrogate Parkrun, big mistake.
Try 19:45 89% AG. He would win overall around here!!!
looks like it was a weekend of parkrun returns - good going by you in another very big field.
It is a lot easier not to push too hard in a parkrun as there are so many just out happily doing the run and not "racing" as Columba said.
Not that I am competitive or anything but I deliberately refrained from wearing a running vest and opted for a tee shirt as the vest would have been a trigger to "race"
Columba
like the idea of a bushy tail!!
One of the many nice things about parkrun is that it engages with so many people who would not normally run. I had a few words with a young girl with obvious Down's Syndrome before the start, she was running with her father, and even at my modest pace I passed them three times and each time gave her an encouraging word. Her face lit up each time as she struggled round but she was obviously enjoying it.
NZD
landscaping = dodgy legs
I think running watches are going the way of all electronic items - because they can pack in additional items they do so but it just makes them more complex to use!
I have been getting to grips with new cookers and microwaves which are all touch screen controls, loads of settings, and a million miles away from the old ones where one merely turned a knob. Progress ain't always beneficial...............
Mick
Happy birthday
'Fraid we are not close in birthdays - I had mine back in back in March - not that I am competitive or anything.
Good news on your improvement in the legs and nice to be able to see the beneficial change in gait.
Good luck for the weekend - lots of family rivalry. just remember to cast everyone's times as AG results to maximise your birthday.
Yes Andy Grant is a very good runner indeed - at one time we were nearly on a par - but he has just kept going - he has been a UK team member at AG races for many, many years. He has a son who is equally as good and is now mopping up his dad's old records in AG and on the roads.
I had to pass on my appointment yesterday - I got caught up in a traffic jam coming back from Manchester - 2.75 hours to cover 58 miles. At least i could cancel and rearrange whilst stuck in traffic.
Graham - 25.30 and 1st M65 - good luck with the 70% AG target.
Alehouse 26.12 1st M60 and 100 parkruns - you don't do things by halves!
Birch 23.35 and 70.46% AG - great running.
NZD - 26.38 - yes you do have some speedy old guys where you live! Good luck if you decide to do Queenstown half - I'm sure you will enjoy it. Yes, I do know what a Clayton's victory is but hey if you are the only on to front accept it gracefully. If they could they would!
Columba - good to see you are managing the knee and being able to do some parkruns and congrats on your 1st grandson - I've got 3 grand daughters. The tail end walkers at my last parkrun wore mermaid tails!
Graham - enjoy Boston but wrong time of the year for Boston marathon!
Torque Steer - 25.53 69.84% - you are a dark horse! Sprint finish - no I've been told it is good to finish with dignity! Yeah right!
Mick - good luck with the Toronto Zoo run - great that it is a family affair!
I just finished the Blackmore Sydney Marathon! Net time 5.30.01
My son had entered and at the last minute asked me to join him in a walk/running the marathon.
My knee is still dodgy and stiff and I haven't been for any treatment yet - just trying to manage it and really doing dog walking during the week and the odd park run or run on the weekend.
They had a cut off of 6 hours and employed it right from the start - we took it easy from the start but by half way we knew we had to get a move on. Don't know how but I managed the second half faster than the first. I never do a marathon like that so it was quite nice to be passing people in the second half because most of the people behind me were getting taken off the course!
Not the easiest way to do a marathon without adequate training but a finish is a finish and I think I've got 46 now - I wonder if I have 4 more!
NZD, the Florence remnants are passing just to the south of us so we haven't had any rain. In fact since leaving Boston the weather's been mostly sunny.
Mick, happy birthday. You're right of course, it is too early for the fall colours, which we knew. Some individual trees have turned but that's it. Still a lovely part of the world.
NZC, well done on the marathon, especially with so little preparation. I'm sure you have four more in you.
A new state today, New Hampshire. A day in the White Mountains tomorrow.
TS – admirable sprint finish , and a pity you were just a gnat’s off the 70% . On the subject of dog walkers, I was just “launching” into my final effort (can’t really call it a sprint) , and my daughter, who had, of course, finished , called out “come on dad – beat the dog) . I reached the line and turned to see a rather large German Shepherd – I may have gone a bit quicker had I realised it was pursuing me !!
alehouse – good disciplined parkrunning – will you be increasing the intensity soon ? (Calf permitting – hope that it’s just a niggle . . . )
NZD – I hope you manage your intended runs this week, and make the parkrun startline
Mick – Happy Birthday for yesterday – hope you had an enjoyable day. Good luck with the Zoo run – looks like an excellent family outing you have planned !
NZC - ditto with the family outing – a splendid effort with your son – and a half hour ahead of the cut-off – you were never in danger
3 days off here - had a low-level bug, but hope to be out later (although currently very windy)
Dave
Re parkruns, have now done 104, and not yet run one hard! Many of them have been pacing others, often being a 25, 27:30 or 30 minute pacer, for example. 15 months ago I actually paced one of the local uni girls to a pb, and I ran around 21:20 for 76% or so WAVA without being flat out. A week later and I was injured! The aim had been to target my club's 5k series and run 20:27, for a WAVA of 80%. Never happened!
Re increasing the intensity, the answer is yes...in at least ten weeks! Need to get some sort of base in first...and be niggle free. Have had 15 months of one thing after another!
And happy birthday, Mick!
there you go again
You must have been doing a lot of dog walking - the poor dog must be shattered.
That was a long way to travel for your marathon - well done on keeping well ahead of the sweeper!
Dave
that sounds like a useful training aid - a German Shepherd dog!! Very fast dogs when they want or need to be - and big teeth...
I deliberately didn't do a sprint finish - if I had I would have got the 70% AG - but as it was I didn't even know what time I needed for it - so it was what it was at the end
Alehouse
the previous parkrun I did was about 3 years ago after my back surgery and just did it to see where I was. Time was around 22;20 as well and I haven't been able to do one again until last Saturday - so beware!!
Graham
Are you driving around USA?
Easy/hard 3 miles this morning in very windy conditions so the easy became hard!!
Torque Steer - he's just a pup so up until now he has done most of his running off lead so we have to go to dog friendly places - he loves swimming too, so a lot of the time out with him is throwing sticks into whatever bit of water there is. And he loves mud so has to be hosed first before going into the shower.
I am lucky if I walk from my house there is a bush track where he can run free before I have to put him back onto the lead to head up to the cafe. I have other routes that I could run if I had the get up and go but it has been such awful weather here and once you are dressed for dog walking - it does get a bit hot if you try to run.
I think it is interesting, that we can all manage a parkrun no matter what we are doing.
TS, entertaining account of your Park run. Your pace was very similar to my last one. We would have a good race! Yes, driving after having picked up a car in Boston. Very easy driving in America for the most part.
The owner of our bed and breakfast asked us to keep the outside door of the house shut as bears have been seen in the area, which is quite urban. I don't remember Mick ever mentioning bears near him but wonder if he ever gets a visit?
similar time - but I can't do hills
Who's been sleeping in my bed
NZC
sorry to hear of your awful weather - we have just had a lovely summer and early autumn but got a bit battered yesterday with the remnants of a weather system. It has save me picking apples off the tree as they were all blown off.
What sort of dog did you get? I hope it's one that can keep up with you when you do run!
Cool early morning but the wind had died down. I ran the hillier course of 4.15 miles in 38:46 (9:20m/m) - the usual big hill slowed me down!
All I can say is wow!
Graham,
It is a lovely area, especially this time of year. We have driven down to Vermont a few times for the fall colours and skiing. The area around here is similar but with more pines and spruce.
Bears are a common sighting, we have even had them in our garden. Lots of recent sightings in the city centre where they usually have to be caught and carted off to the bush. They are usually very shy and not a problem for locals but tourist trying to take selfies are taking a big risk.
A bigger problem are coyotes or wolverines that hunt in packs, nobody lets their cat out at night. During the winter when the deer come close looking for food we often get kills nearby and it is not something you want to see or hear.
TS,
Andy Grant is putting some incredible times, how big is he? I have a theory that the bigger you the shorter your running career is.
We have finally got some cooler weather so my running this week has been so much smoother and quicker. Forecast looks really good still for Saturday.
I checked out the elevation profile, should not have done that., way too many ups and downs. I leave for Toronto tomorrow morning, thanks to all for the best wishes.
Mick