My Last Run

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  • Yeah, my Garmin crapped out on me at Maidenhead. It recorded the race, no problem, but then refused to talk to my PC until I reset it, which meant I lost all the data. Very annoying (because I like to analyse that stuff!)
    Excellent news, Matt - which marathon are you doing? And happy birthday to the wife.
    No running for me - my achilles has been rather angry since I did that 4 miler on Tuesday. On reflection, I probably could have used two days off rather than one post-Richmond. I'll have a run tomorrow and if it isn't too grumpy I'll do parkrun and a longish run on Sunday, but at this stage, I've done my serious training for Chester so it's just a matter of getting to the start in one piece.
  • I followed your lead on a rest, Cal. Don't think I'd gain anything from any miles now before Sunday and Bristol. I had fish 'n' chips instead.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • The perfect balance of proteins, fats and carbs, Will!

    6 miles today, so after two days' rest my legs were nice and bouncy. Achilles had a moan after the 5 mile point, but at least it waited that long (it was sore from the get-go on Tuesday).
  • Thanks Cal, I've signed up to my local race the Portsmouth Coastal on December 23rd but I might see if I can sneak in another one in November. My plan for today was to get a steady 10k in the bag after work but other events conspired against me to rob me of an hour of my afternoon but I still managed to get a four mile trot around the city done just keep the legs ticking over-despite having practically written off any chance of run earlier this afternoon!

    Still just about on target for 100 miles this month which would be a decent accomplishment given the slow start to the month.
  • 4 miles when you're expecting none is a win, Matt.

    Today's adventure took me to Barking parkrun - just under an hour on the tube but a straightforward journey with only one change, which I passed nicely with a book. Barking was attractive because it's a) flat and b) has a small field (110 today) so it's a good choice for going for a fast time. The park is rather nice too, with a long lake, on which I spotted a heron.
    I chatted with a few different people before the start including a fellow in a Sikhs in the City shirt (he spotted my Richmond Runfest shirt and asked if I'd enjoyed it, as he'd been pacing the marathon). I didn't realise at the time, but I'd been chatting to the legendary Harmander Singh!
    As for the run, I gave it a good shot but just missed the sub-25 again, although it was my second fastest parkrun (25:10) and I got 6th lady.
    This is definitely one of the nicest parkruns I've done, with a very well-marked route, a lady calling out times at the mile and half-way point and Quality Street at the finish! I have no doubt I'll be back at some point, but I'm just three different parkruns away from qualifying for the parkrun tourist cow cowl, so new venues await!
  • Sounds like a very nice Parkrun,  Cal. Great time! I'm installed in cousin-in-law's very nice house in Bristol. Looks like we're in for a wet one tomorrow. My right knee (back of) stiffened up yesterday and is a bit painful, so just had a brisk walk to get some voltarol. May strap it up, but hopefully just a bit of stiffness. Now for a nap.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Good luck, Will!
    JT, you ok mate?

  • No parkrun for me today although I did get to see the finish line of the Fareham parkrun when I passed on the train at around 0920! Hopefully I'll be out for a win one tomorrow depending what time I finish work, long run is booked for Thursday!
  • Hope your wife had a good birthday Matt.  Well done on your 20 miler. 

    Good luck for tomorrow Will.

    Nice bit of parkrun tourism Cal.  I've read a few posts by Harmander - he seems a nice and entertaining guy. 

    +1 to thoughts of JT.  I was also wondering how Nessie is - and of course the legendary swittle.

    I've been out for a couple of recovery runs in the meantime (2 x 4 and 1 5 miler).  It is good to have no pressure to train and perform now post marathon.  Will be taking it easy for a few weeks and maybe do a couple of shorter low key local races later in the autumn. 
  • I'm friends with Nessie on Facebook - she's fine - she's just done a cold 2 mile swim in the Serpentine. Brr!
    Enjoy your Autumn. I won't have much time to relax after Chester with Valencia as well...and then it'll be straight to Spring training. (What have I done? :lol: )
  • Hi All! Well, what a difference a week makes. Had a much better night's sleep, a good Pre-race prep and went out to just enjoy the race. I really held back on the first few miles and just found a comfortable pace. Bristol is a great event: live bands all along the course, a very picturesque stretch under the suspension bridge and along the gorge, and super support in the pouring rain. I even managed a few selfies along the way - a new first for me :)

    I kept an even pace and made sure I took on gels and haribos to avoid a repeat of last week's wall-hitting. Plenty of good banter between runners and an ace steel band kept me going. When I hit 10 miles at about 1:30 I thought I may be on for a decent time. I edged up the pace a bit and then started hitting the accelerator from 11 miles in. I managed to pass a lot of runners + the Duracell 2 hour bunny and fairly sprinted home for a long awaited sub-2 and PB of 1:58:20. Well chuffed!

    Now to stuff my face :)
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Brilliant, Will - is that your first sub-2? Not easy in the rain but it sounds like you enjoyed it!
  • First sub-2 yep :)  Rain wasn't too bad - refreshing actually and better than heat.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • To get a more detailed idea of what your warm-up might look like for the different race distances (5K, 10K, half-marathon or marathon), check out our blog post on warming up properly.
    naima
  • It's got chilly all of a sudden! Had a long massage yesterday so I chanced a run today. I was hoping for double figures but my hip decided to feel a bit tight a few miles in so I decided not to push things and just did 7 miles. I am rather goal-orientated and like to achieve certain mileages but I needed to remind myself today that my actual goal was the marathon I am running in less than two weeks.
  • Cal - good to hear Nessie is ok - please give her a wave..  Its chilly here now too - sunny but with a nasty strong NE wind.  Might have to think about gloves for running soon!  Is Chester in two weeks already?  I would certainly focus on that and not mileage then.

    Well done on your sub 2 PB Will - nice pic as well.  I like the way you also enjoyed your race.  Good pacing too.   

    Just dropping in as I won't be running until later.  Will be back out with my group again - running in the dark at the end for the first time in months.

    I've surprisingly not been suffering from post-mara blues in the past few days.  Normally I do but having had a great race and reached my sub 3:30 goal I can put it behind me quickly this time.  Mojo is certainly there to run but no pressure to achieve any goals for a while.
  • Yeah, under two weeks now - not this weekend but the next.
    I've never had post-mara blues, mostly because I've always another race to think about.
  • *decloaks* Hi, everyone.  I hope all the great MLR people are in great shape.

    Today was the 1000th day of my Streak.  Ran a warm five miles on Crosby beach - where else?  

    Thanks to Hazel for her post on my blog on fetcheveryone.com
  • Swittle!  Welcome back, good to see you.  Congratulations again on the streak milestone.  Please drop in every now and then and let us know how you are doing.  Fetch has some handy analysis tools so I have been loading my training there for a few months now. 

    Don't know where the last few weeks have gone Cal.  Good luck for the taper.

    6 miles for me yesterday evening with my group.  Haven't been out with them for a while as the type of run we generally do didn't fit in with other training plans or often the heat so plenty of chat as I needed to catch up.  No issues with excess warmth yesterday.  Beautiful evening with the run starting at sunset and finishing more or less in the dark but with a chilly wind - wore a long sleeve top for the first time in months. 
  • Will ClennellWill Clennell ✭✭✭
    edited September 2018
    1000 - bloody Nora! Streaktastic, Swittlem. Very well done and great to see you back here.

    I'm having a few days' rest after my back-to-backs but going to start my 5am rising tomorrow to get me used to the get ups for my forthcoming mara training.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • The moon was still bright in the dark sky as I set off just after 5am. A good little stretch out over 4.5 miles. Form felt good and legs well rested. Right knee a little tender but nothing serious. No birdsong or people.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Thanks for the inspiration Will!  I had woken up feeling tired and unmotivated with regards to the coming day's work. Read your posts with my breakfast and a cup of coffee next to me.  Looked out of the window at the beautiful weather and shoved plate and cup to one side and got changed to go out.  Work could wait!

    Route: walk the first few metres up the steep bank into the woods, then run along tracks and a minor road to the other side and out into the sunshine - good thing as there was a bit of a nip in the air. Down into what is known to some local runners as Death Valley (depending on the sun and the strength of the wind), half filled with thin mist and through the hamlet of Ottiswil past the steaming manure heaps and several cows peering over a fence.  Back up the hill again towards home (what goes down must come up) working according to effort rather than pace.  5 miles in 47:19. 

    Definitely worth going out - awake and ready for the day now.
  • swittle, you're alive! I was worried about you! Congratulations on the 1000! So has everyone decamped to Fetch now?
    Steaming manure, Hazelnut...lovely. :D
    Being in London, it's now getting light as rushhour starts, and after my last dawn run where I was hampered by traffic, I decided to wait until after 9 today. I was rewarded with lovely sunshine and even got to wear shorts again (I was in tights, long sleeves and gloves on Tuesday!)
    I did 7 miles, with 4 at MP, but my achilles is in an angry phase right now (it wasn't bad initially, but it got steadily angrier over the course of the run) so I'm going to try and see my physio again before Chester. My number arrived yesterday, incidentally...so I would rather not have to pull out.
  • Welcome back Swittle, great to see you here again, and hello to everyone else! I see the attraction of the early mornings and it's something I've done once or twice over the summer this year but it gets ridiculously hard when you can be starting work at 3am! I'm more likely to get out after late shifts around 10-11pm than in the early morning.

    Today was a pretty memorable one, my longest training run since November 2015 and an inevitable extension to last week which was half of the Meon Valley Trail before turning back on myself back to Fareham for a total of twenty miles. Today's plan was the full length of the trail then some road running to get me to Petersfield and a train home. Twenty two miles in total in a leisurely 4h09m. It was uphill most of the way and when I came off the trail I found myself in unexpectedly warm sunshine with not much water left and no shops nearby so the last few miles were pretty tough. I feel back to the kind of fitness level I wanted following injury troubles earlier this year and now I can head into a fortnights holiday knowing that my miles in the bank will see me through until my next long run in a month!
  • That's great news, Matt - enjoy your holiday!
    Rest yesterday, parkrun today. Today's adventure was Mile End (my 18th different parkrun - just two more to qualify for the Facebook tourist group!). Lovely, bright sunny day, but not too warm. I'd been stressing about my achilles for the past day but it didn't bother me during the parkrun (it seems fine with shorter distances), although with Mile End being a surprisingly undulating course, I didn't manage a great time (26:08). The downhills were more problematic than the uphills. They weren't even that steep but my brain just goes into some kind of panic and I have to jog down them for fear of falling over. I have no idea what that's about but it's annoying. I can handle downhills during my normal runs, but not at speed, apparently.
  • Cheers Cal, I missed Parkrun today as I fancied a bit of a lie in, I'm no parkrun tourist as all of mine have been at Southsea but I'm hoping to change that while on holiday next week!

    I did get out this morning however, a one mile steady plod to the gym and then a 5k from the gym back to home in around twenty six minutes, legs still a bit heavy after Thursday's extra long run so a short one was just what I needed today.
  • I'm lucky in that I have a lot of parkruns within an hour of me. It's only because my local's got so crowded (annoyingly so) that I've started venturing out, and now I treat it as a little adventure and a chance to experience a new bit of London (or enjoy some nostalgia, as was the case with some of the parks I visisted during my childhood).
    9.4 miles today - should have been 10 but had tummy trouble. :( On the plus side, achilles wasn't as bad today.
  • Good long miles, Matt and glad the achilles isn't playing up too much Cal.
    I ran with my Dad at Colney Parkrun yesterday - my favourite local one as it's part of the county cross country course, which is my sort of thing. A 2.5 mile jog there and then paced my Dad to another PB of 28:53. His wava score is much higher than I ever get! Then it was up early (with next door's baby) for 9 miles this morning, starting out at a chilly 5.15am. Robins, Wrens and Blackbirds were waking up at the same time as my legs. Today I was trying for consistent LSR pace and so was chuffed that I was on 10:00 min/mi overall - my exact target. In preparation for my marathon training I'm trying to work on getting my pace where I want it and also the very early starts as that's when I'm going to be able to fit in the extra miles and keep La famille happy too! Back home for a shower, a munch and then to Junior Parkrun for a 2km warm down. I've got a sore right knee cap, which is strange. It's bruised, as if I really bashed it on something (I didn't) and a bit painful. Ice is relieving it, but not sure what has caused it? Maybe just my double header Halfs.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • I have been through tights to lightweight shorts last week too Cal.  Weather is all over the place.  Wrap yourself up in cotton wool for Chester please. 

    The Meon Valley trail looks like a nice route Matt, just looked it up.  Great work on your long run.  Hope you are enjoying your holiday in the meantime.

    Nice family parkrunning Will.  Getting your paces spot on in training is a good thing.  I am crap at it.  I hope that is just a minor niggle in you knee.

    I am still ticking off some easier paced though sometimes hilly runs post mara and will continue to do so this week at least.  Saying that my recovery(ish) paced 7 miler yesterday evening saw a considerably faster second half as a thunderstorm started to head my way.  Timed it perfectly - got in the door and it started raining 20 seconds later.
  • I just saw my physio, Hazelnut - he definitely helped me last time it got very sore so hopefully his magic elbow will do the trick again.
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