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Over 60's training (Part 2)
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I came across a hedgehog on our patio last night - big fella as well
Hope the weather turns out as forecast for you in Toronto and the young 'uns are left trailing
Birch
that sounded like a very hard double session despite the later weather - kids, like dogs, can have boundless energy and then just stop
NZC
wow - that is some mix - not surprised the dog has boundless energy. I came across a Huntaway a couple of months ago when we were running over the fells. The farmer I was talking to had him for about 5 years and said he never got tired when he worked him on the upper fells and then the border collies took over on the lower ground when the sheep were more bunched up.
Very squally this morning and paths strewn with branches and leaves as I did, for me, a respectable 3.15 miles in 29:08 (9:15m/m) . Tried stretching out over the last bit and was rewarded (it is downhill!!) with a sub 7 pace
09:19
08:32
10:10 big hill still creases me up
01:07 (6:48m/m pace)
In my view all other athletes should boycott any event with a domestically tested Russian athlete in it until the decision is reversed.
Much watch out now for sticky stuff on the door handles................
The weather was perfect and the race was a lot of fun with the 5 and 9 year olds competing in their own races.
Unfortunately my youngest daughter could not run as she had managed to injure herself earlier in the week but the two boyfriends ran. Needless to say they both beat me easily.
The course was a challenge.
As you can see the course was very hilly and lots of twists and turns, so tough.
They were over 2000 runners so it was a bit chaotic at the start but the wave start allowed it to quickly settle so not much of an issue.
There were some gravel sections that were hard on the feet but no more than a km.
The animals were a bit of a distraction as suddenly turning a corner and seeing a camel standing by the path can make you stubble over your own feet.
I found the hills really tough but no issues with my knees and I managed to maintain my effort.
As you can see I held my HR very high and in the red zone for over 2k, very pleased with that.
Despite the hills and terrain I also managed to maintain a consistent pace, so again pleased with that.
As you can see my overall time was a bit disappointing but I was pleased with the result and I also placed first in the 70-74 and yes there were other runners.
As you can see my garmin did not think I was moving for the first 12s due to the crowds shuffling over the line.
A great weekend and a good comeback race for me with no issues to complain about.
Mick
NZC - some hound you have there . . . .
TS - I agree with your view re the WADA business ; nicely done with the speedy finish to your run the other day
finished my week yesterday with a 7:30am 6 miler - trails out, road back, where a fox trotted unconcernedly across my path, about 20 metres ahead, and disappeared into someone's garden. 25 miles for the week, which I'll settle for, as my first outing wasn't until Thursday.
Dave
Birch - sounded like a nice run and a fox on the run! We don't have foxes in NZ.
Well I got a little carried away with myself and decided to do a Parkrun on Saturday - the Western Springs one which is very undulating and 3 laps. First lap was fine but then the knee/leg that has been bothering me started to give me a lot of grief. I should have just stopped and walked but I didn't. 29.45 71.32% AG Now that isn't fair is it! I shouldn't get over 70% when I hobbled two laps!
So I'm back to square one - used a stick to walk on Sunday, yesterday was a little better but very restricted. George is rearing to go so in between showers we will go for a short walk.
I feel for your knee problems, I have found that it takes a lot to manage it but it can be done. I seem to spend as much time strengthening things as I do running. I have reached the point where I am running more or less pain free but always feel a bit uncertain when I see a hill up or down.
Dave,
Foxes are very common around here too, they were introduced to entertain the English lords and ladies.
I look better in this pic than I should as I have just come over the top of another hill.
While I was away, this area got hit by three tornadoes. They are very rare occurrences but these did incredible damage, numerous homes completely destroyed. Luckily the only thing happened to us was our pool furniture got dumped in the pool, no trees came down and power was only out for a short while.
Mick
hope you can get your knee sorted, NZC: I am sure Mick is right when he says we need to devote lots of time to strengthening etc. I'm having to do the same with my Achilles.
Yesterday was Dr. Hill's 80th birthday, and I ran in the trail race organised in his honour. Hadn't been very well so just ran around in 25:40 chip time: 342 ran on quite a narrow course. Took me 23 seconds to cross the line!
Pre race photo below, including a friend from Orkney who just happened to be in the area at the right time to enjoy the race! Ron and I used to be pretty much the same height and weight: he has obviously shrunk and lost weight whilst I have even more obviously taken his share of the latter. Unfortunately weight gain is one of the bi-products of hardly running for 15 months; action needs to be taken!
Great pic also, alehouse. Not too much to be concerned about there on the weight front. But I know only too well about lack of running and weight gain.
TS, your times look pretty good to me, including the 10:10 mile with a big hill climb. And Dave, I continue to be impressed/jealous of the mileage you manage to put in each week. One problem I have is that it is a 10 min drive each way to and from where I do most of my running, which cuts into available running time.
NZC - 71.32% AG on a gammy leg! Think I would need below 25' at age 70, just to reach 70%.
Must be a difference between 'normal' runners and the very top end who set the AG 100% standards. Looking back over M&W70-74 Auckland HM results for the last five years, there were 2 or 3 women in the fastest 10 in four of the 5 years. And the second best time over the 5 years for the 70-74 age group was 1:45:49 set by a woman in 2015 (more than 15 mins clear of the fastest M70-74 that year and 3 mins clear of the second fastest male over the five years). That is out of 30 runners per year in the 70-74 age category. Does not seem to be the large difference between typical M&W70-74 HM runners that the AG percentages suggest.
I did get in my two slower paced runs later last week. R knee was better but still felt uncomfortable so I decided not to do the parkrun on Sat. Two faster, but shorter runs so far this week (shorter due to time limitation). Knee is feeling a lot better but reluctant to push too hard. Would sooner still be running comfortably 10 years from now than pushing to hard to achieve some ego target in the short term!
Pace & WHR = averages
Dist = km
Max climb in each case ~26m, plus a few smaller 'hills'
Mick - splendid pic - both feet airborne always makes a good shot !
alehouse - thanks for posting the pic of the great man - and nice run in his celebration race . .
NZD - seems a good call re your knee, given it felt better when running this week.
Unable to get out Mon/Tue, but managed 10 yesterday and 13.5 this morning. Not ideal, I know, and I'd intended less yesterday, but ran with a friend whom I'd not seen for a while, and today was the planned longer one with my regular buddy - luckily for me she didn't insist on our scheduled 16, as my legs had called time at 13 . . . .
Dave
frantic week of meetings and travel - this is the first time I have sat at my desk this week
Mick
very well done. That was a good performance on a tricky course - I made it about 45 bends before I stopped counting so you will run a lot faster for no more effort on a more benign course!
Pity there hadn't been a few lions around - they may have speeded things up a bit
Great photo as well - all in all a very satisfying day out - for a youngster:-)
Alehouse
that was good to see the photo of Ron Hill and well done on taking part in the commemorative run
Yup to achilles strengthening - been there, built up to 15kg of weight in an old rucksack doing one legged push ups on the stairs
NZC
no it's not fair
Watch out for that knee - it does need sorting
NZD
I think there are more runners who carry on now and of course there is a larger pool of mature runners as well so standards drift up.
Thanks for comment on my run - I am feeling slightly more in control now but it's still hard work - and see below!
Dave
that's one way to get the miles in!
A bit like you I only managed to run on Tuesday evening with the Hash - coincidentally it was from one of my favourite pubs and the 1.5 mile run there and then the 5.5 miles hash just about did me in particularly as the trail encompassed most of the hills I run most days. anyway excellent beer and good food restored me
Managed to get out this morning in glorious autumn sunshine to run 3.15 miles in 28:57 (9:13m/m) - sooooo close to that elusive sub 10 on the hill
09:14
08:39
10:01
01:02
It will be mine.
Docs this afternoon. Bloods came back pretty well. Thyroid right on the correct level at 1.9. Only abnormality was a very low folic acid reading which could explain the lethargy so I have some tablets for that. Usual joke about whether I may be pregnant etc.
He found my AG comparisons for the parkrun useful as it gave a positive indication, taking into account age degregation, of my depressed level of performance.
We'll see how it goes and more tests in a couple of months.
broadly positive then, TS - and a good run to boot ! nice work - and make the hill yield next time
zero yesterday, but 10.5 this morning, inc 5 x 350m "strideouts" along the dam wall (quite windy)
Dave
NZD - I believe the Queenstown half marathon is full now.
Alehouse - great pic - definitely one for the scrapbook!
Torque Steer - I see Joanie Benoit is going to try to break the W60 marathon record at Chicago - now that would be a hard one to get 70% AG against her time!
I went to the physio yesterday and he said it is probably another menicus tear but suggested cycling on a stationery bike for 30 mins a day - he reckoned that might shave off the ragged edges and gave me some exercises to do. No running for 6 weeks and not a lot of walking either. But hey I still had to take the dog for a walk today but took him down to the beach and let him swim.
I would have thought I had worn that hill down a bit the number of times I have run up it
Distance run and strides as well - well done.
NZC
ouch - nasty. I don't like the sound of cycling to "shave the ragged bits off"!! Those ragged bits have to go somewhere and that is probably into the knee joint.
The Joan Benoit thing is just what I was talking about - class runners continuing to run competitively and setting the new standard for AG that everything is measured from
Gebrselassie set world records when over 35 and his half & marathon times continued to be excellent for many years so he became another outlier in AG times. It's getting harder not easier!
Another busy week but I managed a fairly tough 5+ miles with the Hash on Tuesday evening and 4.1 miles this morning in 39:27 on a misty, warm autumn morning but I am off early tomorrow morning so no run then
The low folic acid levels lead to anemia. The red corpuscles in the blood become bigger but a lot less numerous so less oxygen is carried around the body - hence the fatigue. Hopefully it can be reversed but it takes time - which I am running out of!
good outing this morning here - 10 mile warmup, then parkrun with 1st lap (of two) taken at same pace , then worked harder for lap two (25:02 time, fwiw), and a couple to finish to yield 15 for the diary. Quite pleased, not so much with the distance, but for the fact I'd done 13.5 on Thurs aft'n (ran over to the kids' XC training & back) .
Need to decide whether to enter the South Yorks XC League now - starts next weekend. Won the V60 title 3 years ago, but, as detailed here previously, I've fallen away drastically since . . . . and, of course, I'm now at the "wrong" end of the category . . .
that was a long warm up for a parkrun
You must have been clogging it along to get to 25 min if your first alp was run at your usual 9:30ish pace.
Very good back to back long runs as well
Talking about kids x country - my youngest G'daughter (8 Years old) proudly informed me that she had finished fifth in the regional x country on Saturday and has been selected for the N Yorkshire championships. She doesn't do running as such but has a very active life. I will claim some credit for the gene pool continuum
A bit brrr out there this morning and the first signs of a frost on the cars parked outside but lovely for running in bright sunshine as I did 4.15 miles in 38:52 (av pace 9:22m/m)
09:35
08:51
09:11
10:10
01:05
which was okay.
I am not sure how long it takes for the tablets to take effect but given that I have a 2 month supply I guess it's not a quick fix to get the red blood corpuscles back to maximum density. Folic acid is water soluble so it doesn't remain in the system - it gets flushed out daily. I am currently eating lots of additional greens and nuts to help boost levels - just as well it's the sprout season!!!
4 miles also in bright sunshine here - but lesser pace than yours . . .
Dave
......but I hadn't done 15 miles the previous day!
Columba
hi again - nothing to be coy about - 6 to 7 miles is a lot more than I am doing
Did the hedgehog sanctuary feature on the TV a little while ago? I recall seeing a feature on one in Wales but didn't catch where it was
Another wildlife sighting yesterday. I was using my new toy - a Karcher window cleaner and vacuum ( brilliant btw if you have lots of glass to clean as I do) -and through my newly cleaned and sparkling window watched a kestrel hover silhouetted against the late afternoon sun for 2-3 minutes before she dropped into the front garden and came back up with a mouse/vole. First time I have seen one that close to the house, only about 20' from the window I was cleaning internally.
Weather had changed again this morning - mild and sunny. I was feeling a bit knackered after my window cleaning exploits so I did a meandering run through the pinewoods trails which smelt very fragrant after recent rain.
Easy 3 miles done and then I bumped into a former neighbour and we chatted for a while putting the world to rights - I was glad of the break!
It is good to see you haven't given up, I know how difficult running with knee issues can be, well done.
TS,
Not put off by a little bit of frost eh, we'll just have to send you some Canadian winter via the jet stream. No frosts here yet and tomorrow is forecast to be 26c and that is plus not minus.
Dave,
10 mile warmup, I thought I was doing well with a couple of k.
NZC,
Being into knee exercises, what did your physio suggest?
Running is going well still, no issues in the way. I have a numbness on the bottom of my toes still but no pain. Two docs have said I have very healthy feet, good circulation, no problem with the joints so just keep on doing the exercises. I am up for new shoes so I will probably look for more forefoot cushioning to see if that helps.
I did a parkrun last Saturday, very slow but managed to shave off over a minute from previous time and set a new AG course record so I cannot complain too much.
I could not get comfortable, my legs felt stiff and I could not get in the groove. I did a weight workout the day before and spent the afternoon changing door latches and hinges in the house so body wasn't in the greatest of condition. My wife has decided that every hinge, latch, deadbolt etc in the house needs to be aged bronze.
Another wild life story to compete with TS.
We get a lot of animals around our property which is not a problem until they decide that they want to come inside. We have a range of squirrels, grey, black, red, flying etc. I have live traps that usual work and over the years I think I have managed to block all the ways in.
A few days ago we were awaken by something rummaging about in the attic, not the patter of tiny feet I normally associate with squirrels. So in the morning I got out the step ladder and torch and investigated.
A very large raccoon had set up house in a far corner.
If you are not familiar with them, they are very smart, very strong and super aggressive, you do not mess with them unless you know what you are doing. Once they decide to move in, you need professional help to keep them out. The pros are arriving on Thursday to raccoon proof my house. I guess it could have been worse it could have been skunks.
I became a step grandfather over the weekend, we have 5 children between us and this is the third grandchild. We are becoming a sizable clan and still growing.
Mick
I have found, like you, that domestic chores get in the way of running - there is only one solution!
How the hell did a raccoon get into the attic? It must have needed a big hole to get through? A skunk doesn't bear thinking about!
There was a raccoon that became famous over the summer for scaling a tower block in the USA so I guess a house isn't too much of a problem to one
Congratulations on the family extension
My SinL was stung by a wasp in our garden on Sunday morning, just below his eye. I gave him a couple of antihistamine tablets but by evening the whole side of his face had swollen up and his throat was constricting.
He had to go into hospital yesterday for an intravenous drip to try and reduce the reaction and they have kept him in overnight. So it's not just the big beasts that are dangerous !!
you didn't say what your time was? I like to keep track on what you youngsters are doing
Columba
interesting that your son grew out of the reaction - I think my SinL is a bit old to hope for improvement that way!
It's the weight bearing in running that does it - particularly when its my weight.............
Has last evening - lovely night, clear skies and a slight chill in the air particularly when running over the large grass areas at times. 5+ mile again and I did some decent pace at times particularly when we came across a local running club doing intervals. I passed an old running friend who looking around said "bl**dy H*ll - I thought you were dead!!" he did laugh between the gasps.
I actually felt better than I have for many months when running - even the modest hills didn't quite finish me off.
TS - more good hashing from you, and excellent news that you felt so good !
first run of the week today - beautiful sun, and warming up quickly after the 9am start.
9 miles bagged with my friend, with 4 x 800m "efforts" - as Columba says -got the heart pumping !
Dave
well done on getting the heart pumping
The feeling on Tuesday evening was transient.............
Away all day Wednesday and Thursday and just managed to scrape in 3.1 miles in 30 mins this morning in very warm, blustery conditions before the heavens opened.
Hard work .... I reckon the better feel on Tuesday was just a nasty reminder of how it used to be and now isn't or will be !
Just a quick look in to say my move went okay but we are still in disarray somewhat.We received some bad news from Australia that my son has Hodgkin Lymphoma stage two.He had a operation to take a small growth away last week which went well.He has to have 6months of Chemotherapy starting next week.We will be going to Australia about the 14th of November and stay their for the whole treatment time.Well not sure when I will post again but will certainly keep in touch.
Feel like I am gradually getting back running and managing the niggles. Building up slowly and have hit the dizzy heights of 20k a week. parkrun yesterday run sensibly in just under 26 minutes. As much gym work as I can fit in for single leg press holds for the Achilles and lots of Pilates for everything else.