My Last Run

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  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    16 miles today. Perfect, lovely weather, of the sort that is usually a joy to run in, but today it felt like a real slog. Legs were heavy, back ached and I just wanted to get it over with. I tried to distract myself by enjoying the blossoms and wildlife and so forth. I did spot a little brown speckly bird by the eco pond on Tooting Common (a big, reedy area which used to have water in it but doesn't have much any more). I think it may have been a reed bunting. I think I also spotted a mistle thrush on Wandsworth Common. Looked like a thrush, but big, with lighter brown feathers.
    The Canada geese on Wandsworth Common's pond were making a hell of a racket and when I returned to Tooting Common, the Canadas were honking there, too. Is it mating season for them at the moment?
    The Egyptians were chilling on the side of the big pond at Tooting with their brood - all doing well.
  • The only time available for me today was about 6am. went straight out and took advantage of the calm day with morning sun and managed to hammer out a 20 miler! Furthest ever. I am a seasoned half marathoner with aspirations of doing a marathon maybe in the autumn or next spring. I have been gradually upping the miles on my LSRs but this is my longest yet. Is it wise to 'run the distance' in training before the actual race?
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Welcome, james, and well done. Generally speaking, no - most marathon plans max out at 20 miles and some of the more advanced ones go to 22. Going further than that isn't particularly beneficial, since it requires too much recovery time and that will negatively impact the rest of your training in the following week(s).
  • Good effort this morning Cal and congrats on the 5k PB. Always nice to set a new PB.

    Welcome James. That's a great run considering you have no immediate plans to run a full marathon. Do you often push out long distances like that for fun?

    I went out nice and early today to get my 14 miles done. My legs definitely felt tired for the first few miles and I had to make a pit stop at the McDonalds along my route to pop to the loo (first time I've ever needed to that in training). I also had the return of that pain I was suffering with a few weeks in my left foot which was worrying but thankfully it seemed to ease off after a while. I ended up running the second half quicker and felt strong at the end so that was a nice little confidence booster going into the last 2 weeks. 
  • Cal Jones said:
    Welcome, james, and well done. Generally speaking, no - most marathon plans max out at 20 miles and some of the more advanced ones go to 22. Going further than that isn't particularly beneficial, since it requires too much recovery time and that will negatively impact the rest of your training in the following week(s).
    Thanks - for me its just a head thing knowing youre good for the distance. It helps but as you say it does take it out of you! I was thinking maybe doing this kind of distance on a monthly basis?

    alipat1990 said:
    Good effort this morning Cal and congrats on the 5k PB. Always nice to set a new PB.

    Welcome James. That's a great run considering you have no immediate plans to run a full marathon. Do you often push out long distances like that for fun?


    I quite often do 10 - 12 miles, in fact probably a couple of times a week. I seem to settle into a pace after a couple of miles and just carry on. Once a week I do a higher intensity run between 5 - 10 miles running against a colleague (17 years younger so keeps me on my toes. Now and again I go long and with my bucket list ambition of a marathon (54 years old) I wanted to see how it felt after 20 miles. Now I know! ps I have no idea why its gone to italics.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    james - I'm in the older camp (51 going on 52) and what I will say is you do need to be a little careful in order to avoid overuse injuries (god knows I am riddled with them!) But I definitely like to get a few runs of 20 or more mile in before each marathon. My best result was at Chester in October and I did 1 20 and 3 21s. Going into Vienna, I've done a 20, a 21 and a 22. My body is complaining but I have bags of stamina! As long as you remember to include a cut back week every 3-4 weeks you should be good to go.
    Nice running, alipat. I hope the foot behaves.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Good persistence Hazel, even with my limited experience I can appreciate how good it feels to push through. Great run James, 20 miles must give you confidence that you can run the big one, as long as you don't have too aggressive a goal. Ali good second half, hope the foot is fine.

    I did the Lea Valley half today, my first HM. As always seems to be the case when I do an organised run, it was much hotter than I could have reasonably expected. I went off too fast, but based on my Watch I thought I was on track to break 2h5. Sadly the GPS was out, which meant the race went around 700m further than I expected. Enough to push me outside my goal window.

    My chip time was 2:06:12, which is a frustrating 12 seconds outside my goal. Had I known I think I could have made the goal. Oh well, lesson learned and still feels good to finish my first half, especially after being ill only 5 days ago. Given that I've only been running more seriously for a few months, I'm not too upset.

    Note on LV, it was a nice venue, picturesque, some geese and nice views. Recommended.
  • Great running everyone! It sounds like it was a productive weekend for all.

    On everyone's recommendations, I entered my local Canterbury Riverside 10k, and had a great time! My first event since I started running this year and really enjoyable morning. The route though the Stour Valley is absolutely stunning, and the more people from the running community I meet, the nicer they seem.

    I woke up the an absolutely beautiful morning for running here in Kent; cold with a touch of frost, but zero wind and bright sunshine, and thought it's perfect for going for a decent time. My plan was to set up a 7:30 min mile pace and hold on as long as possible!!

    Unfortunately I coudn't!! , but I averaged 7:50 and ended up with 63rd place and 48:34.

    It was also my first exposure to really sharp, athletics type runners! Young lads leaving me for dust! One managing a 33 min 10k.
    5:30 something minute miles. Inspiring!I

    Time for a couple of days off. I did a measly 20 miles last week and my painful ankles are starting again, so I am going to take it real easy with upping the miles this time, and hopefully get to high mileage weeks without setbacks.

    Have a great week.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Linton, that's a great time. If it's any consolation, you're much quicker than me.
    enrvuk - satnav isn't always to be trusted - it estimates the route you took between each point where it finds you and it doesn't always get that right. It's always smart to leave a little wiggle room. Nonetheless, that's still a good result. In my first year of doing a lot of halves (I did 8 in 2015, although there was one back in 2011 followed by a few years out with a variety of problems)  I went from 2:12:47 to 2:02:32 so keep plugging away. (I will say that's down to "newbie gains" as it's taken me until now to get another 9 minutes off).
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Thanks Cal. Yes, a lesson learned. Every other measured run I've done the gps showed lower than actual distance, so I thought my 90 seconds would be enough buffer. I now realise there is a potentially much bigger variance! Not that I had much in the tank, but 12 seconds is always doable over that distance. There were a few mile markers on the course, but as it was a 10k and HM day, they were a bit confusing.

    I've got another half planned in October. I have no idea how you managed 8, that's extremely impressive as is the improvement! 10 mins in a year is some going and now 20+ mins quicker than your first time. There is hope for me yet, although on my next planned training run I'll have hit the big 5-0! Have a good running week everyone, I'm taking it very easy via Amsterdam and Istanbul before running again next weekend.
  • Cal I'm more or less following P&L rather than P&D at the moment as I'm focusing on distances from 10k to HM.  I think this type of progressive long run with LT miles at the end doesn't feature in P&D (fortunately - they are very tough!).  Well done for getting the 16 miler done, good nature spotting.

    Welcome to James. Cal has already said it all regarding going the full mara distance in training.  It is a big jump from 10-12 miles to 20 - many mara plans increase long runs by around 10 % each run building up over several weeks.     If you could do a one-off 20 miler then well done but if you want to regularly do longer runs I would build them gradually and cut back every few weeks. 

    Hope the left foot issue was very temporary alipat.

    Congratulations on getting your first HM ticked off enrvuk.  You were close to your goal time despite the warmth and your lurgy so a great result, you should be able to do that another day.  I think a former poster on her (Nessie73) runs quite a bit in the Lea Valley.

    Pleased that you tried out the 10k LTT and that is certainly a good result! 

    Hope Will and dad got on well yesterday.

    Just a bike ride for me yesterday - a bit more than 20 local mtb miles at gentle pace with OH.  It was such a nice day we couldn't stay inside.  Back out running later.
  • Hello all! Great to see it so busy one here. 

    Well, it was a lovely day for my Dad's 10K debut yesterday, if a bit on the warm side. The course was looking fantastic. Gorse bushes in full bloom, Skylarks and Chiffchaffs singing all over and at least 5 Brimstone butterflies. We set off at a decent pace, aiming for sub-60 and the first mile, around the lake, was 9:15. Dad started to struggle a bit for the next 2 miles as he got a taste of proper trail running. It was very sandy in places, lots of tree roots and rabbit holes to dodge and full on sun, so it was understandable. He kept on plugging away though and the second half was more comfortable and faster, despite a couple of nasty uphill sections. Luckily I had worn my bottle belt which kept us both hydrated. A real push over the last mile and we crossed the line together in 1:02:58 (also it was a 10.32km course). Mum was a bit worried about Dad as he looked a bit rough, but 2 mins later he was recovered and looking fine again. Good old liquorice allsorts! Disappointed to not go under the hour, I think he did alright (to say the least). 104/186 and first in the 70+ category by 11 minutes! Hope I'm that fit at 74.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Welcome,James,fantastic 20 miler,I'm in the same boat as you,plenty of HM,have my first full marathon in October.

    Nice 14 miles,alipat,always better to run your second half quicker.Hope your foot injury clears up.

    Well done on your first HM,envruk,you'll beat your goal on your next HM.Unlucky that you came down with the lurgy before your race.

    Great 10k race,Linton,fantastic time.Glad you enjoyed the race day experience.Hope your ankle injury clears up.

    Wow,Will,pass on my congratulations to your Dad.Very inspiring,hope I'm still running at that age.You'll have to get some father and son T-shirts for your next race together.My Dad is only a year older and I know what he'd say if I asked him to go running with me!

    Nearly forgot,well done to you,Will.Great photos,looked like a lovely day for a race.

    10 easy miles this afternoon,9 on the canal,1 around town. 


  • Fantastic effort by your dad Will. It was pretty warm in the sun yesterday so that is a fantastic time.

    Unfortunately I woke up this morning to some pretty severe pain down the left side of my foot. As soon as I've been stood on it for more than 30 seconds or so the pain really strengthens. Here's hoping things improve quickly.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Wow, Will, brilliant effort for you and your dad. Can't knock an age group first!

    Rest day today but I did go out for a walk on the common, and witnessed an absolutely spectacular goose fight! I always like to check on the goose family with their goslings, but when I got close to the pond I heard a real commotion. Fearing for the little ones, I rushed over and saw an interloper in a big battle with daddy goose. It was utterly brutal - they were flapping and pecking and trying to hold each other under the water until one drowned. Since they all basically look the same, the only way I could tell which was which was because mum was joining in every so often, but it was clear the interloper was coming out on top and eventually dad escaped to the bank and just about managed to haul himself out.
    I was rather worried for him and the goslings, but then mum took over and the interloper was too exhausted to fend her off so he retreated and ended up sulking on the other side of the pond.
    I went out again around tea time and there was no sign of him, so he probably decided it was too much trouble and buggered off. Mum, dad and babies were chilling by the side of the pond as if nothing had happened.
    P
    roper David Attenborough stuff.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    edited March 2019
    Love the report and pics Will and well done to both of you. 

    :/ alipat.

    Great description of the goose fight Cal.   

    8 miles yesterday with some short hill (ahem molehill) sprints and strides.  Chilly again, I went out of the door in capris and turned back straight away for long tights!  No wildlife spottings to report - just two other runners.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Lovely and sunny but chilly here too - perfect for running. I did 7 miles which comprised of 6 easy and then a mile with some strides in it. Cooled down by petting a nice friendly cat.
    I've reached 500 miles for the year so far!
  • Glad to hear the Egyptians are still doing well, Cal. Highlight of my day bird-wise was a Spoonbill that flew right over my head - great birds.

    We had a frost here this morning, Hazelnut,  but it was really mild tonight. Climate change worries me.

    Hope your injury heals quickly, alipat. Rest if you need to.

    A shortish installment of my taper tonight. Just 4 easy miles, which I enjoyed and spent most of the run contemplating the big day (Manchester !) Can't wait. Was extra careful crossing roads and going down kerbs tonight, then got home and necked some more vitamin C. No maranoia here!
    I run, therefore I am.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Nice write up of the battle of the common,Cal!

    Sorry to hear about your ankle,alipat.Hope it improves for you quickly.

    No long tights here,Hazelenut,very mild and warm.

    Don't blame you for having a touch of maranoia,Will,you've trained hard for months.

    6.98 yesterday afternoon,1.5 miles @ 10k pace.Swallowed my first fly of the year and one in the eye for a bonus.

  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Will, maranoia afflicts us all! I am scrubbing my hands like Howard Hughes! Currently nursing a huge, revolting stye under my right eye.

    8 miles today with 6 at MP. Went well (actually went a bit too fast...sub-4 pace for three of those 6, whereas I really just want to keep it under 9:30 in Vienna) right until the cool-down mile when my achilles decided it would have a moan. The previous mile was a longish downhill followed by a sharp uphill, so it might have disliked that, or perhaps my mechanics are a lot worse at slower speeds. Maybe both. Anyway, it's done.
  • Awesome run with your Dad Will! That's a great bit of quality time and a bloody good effort.

    Having carp fished for many years I've seen a few of those goose battles Cal.  Like you say, they are brutal!  I love everyone's appreciation of nature on here!  My favourite bird is the reed warbler, due to its Incredible song that is so evocative of summer fishing to me.

    Little to report. Went for my first run since the weekend.  I boiled during the weekend race so am now the owner of some (fairly small) race shorts and a lightweight running vest. Unfortunately on my run I last night it was cold, and I got stuck at a level crossing for ages, freezing and feeling pretty self conscious to all the waiting cars! 

    Going to slowly up the miles with a view to a gentle 10 miler at the weekend.

    Best of luck with everyone's running week, especially those marathon training.

    Pic of weekend because why not? (Me in flouro yellow)<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6027274/uploads/editor/cv/zanpl5fb2foc.jpg" alt="">
  • Linton, I purposely try to plan my routes to avoid as many traffic lights as possible for that very reason. There's nothing worse than losing all momentum. 

    So I went out for the first time since Sunday this evening for a steady 3 miles just to test the dodgy foot out and stretch the legs. Whilst it's definitely not 100%, my foor was reasonably comfortable on the way round. It definitely seems to be heading in the right direction anyway. I'll give it another day of rest tomorrow and then will probably test it out again on Friday. That was actually my shortest run of the year so far so it felt really weird to stop at the end.
  • Flies are defintely a disadvantage of the return of better weather JD. 

    Good you are both being careful Will and Cal. 

    I've found this thread has helped me to look up and about and not just go through the motions of running LTT.  If I'm doing a hard interval or tempo session then I generally concentrate only on what I'm doing but otherwise I keep at least half an eye open for something to report.
    It seems that RW doesn't like you in flouro yellow but we do like pics.  :)   Level crossings are a pain - they close and nothing happens for ages in my experience. 

    Good you could get out alipat, be careful with that foot.

    For me 2 runs to report - my standard Tuesday evening group trot with a couple of solo miles beforehand. We will have full daylight as of next week at last which will be nice.  Yesterday 10 hilly miles, would have preferred a flat route but that would have meant long stretches into a 20-30 mph wind - no thanks.  My ankles were briefly attacked by a small fluffy white missle but a few sharp words and it left me in peace.  Supposed to be doing intervals today but the wind is even stronger so I will swap that with tomorrow's recovery.
  • Glad the fluffy thing didn't cause you any damage Hazelnut and it's nice to hear that the natural world and MLRers are inspiring your runs. Running is a real calming part of my life - part of the reason I took it up - and there is so much you can get out of it on top of PBs (although they're always nice!)

    Keep taking it easy until you're completely happy with your injury, alipat   Good things come to...and all that.

    I used to be a big fisherman, Linton, and also love the song of the Reed Warbler. I always associate it with tench fizzing and carp topping.

    Good prep work for Vienna, Cal. Just think of those sausages and beers you can reward yourself with afterwards :)

    A day off today so I went out for my last decent run before Manchester. I decided to go on the Marriott's Way as it would be a good chance to reflect on the last 19 weeks of hard work. So many of my tough miles have been run on there; at 5am with a headtorch,  battling storm force winds, dodging ice patches and occasionally being caught short and requiring the hedges as cover! Today it was a gorgeous scene. Wild violets, primroses, cowslips, Skylarks   Chiffchaffs, vociferous little Wrens and a beautiful Song Thrush bashing a snail. My target pace for the big day will be around 10:00 mi/mi and so I was happy to finish the 10 miles with a 10:02 average. It turned out to be so reflective that I couldn't really remember the running part of the run. I was kind of on autopilot. I feel pretty much ready now, so just 2 or 3 short runs to keep things moving, some core work and rolling and the countdown to April 7th.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Evening all
    Achilles don't like uphill,Cal,I know mine don't .Are you aiming for another PB in Vienna?

    Glad your foot is slightly better,alipat,just be careful .

    No windy weather here,Hazelnut,lovely spring weather

    Will,I enjoy those runs were you run on autopilot,and then realised you've done five miles,they're usually on my LSR.

    8 miles this afternoon, 7 x 1k efforts,with 2 minute jog recovery between each effort.They all came in between 3:51 and 3:56,so I'm happy with that session.
    Spotted two buzzards.The lambs were really enjoying the warm sunshine,most of them were dozing in the fields.



  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Sounds like a good run, JD.
    Will, it sounds like it's coming together nicely. I spotted a wren the other day, and another mistle thrush (at least I think it was, it was large). The Egyptians appear to have lost a gosling, though - only counted six yesterday. They are just starting to fledge.

    Beautiful morning for a run but I only did 4 miles. I'd have liked to have gone longer but am sticking to my tapering plan. A few niggles but nothing awful.
  • Well done Will. You're almost there now!

    Good stuff JD. There's nothing better than running out in the Spring sunshine.

    Cal, that's probably wise. No point risking it now.

    I went out for 4 early morning miles myself today. Legs and foot felt fine on the way round aside from the usual minor niggles. However, as I was walking into the office this morning I felt a sharp pull/ping in the left side of my foot (the one that's been giving me grief) and now I am carrying some pain again. I'm starting to think I may have to go into complete rest mode now up until race day.
  • Lovely run (and post) yesterday Will and it sounds like you are ready to go. 

    Nice 1k reps JD. 

    Good idea not to overdo the mileage Cal.

    Have you had that foot actually looked at Alipat? 

    Next weekend will be a big one for the current regulars on here.  I'm almost jealous I won't be running myself!  

    3 and a bit miles of recovery running yesterday evening.  It was very windy so I postponed the planned intervals to later today and plodded round a loop in my local wood.  It is too hilly for a real recovery run so I tried to run it by perceived effort rather than pace.  Very peaceful - listened to lots of scurrying in the undergrowth and all sorts of tweets, chirps and warbling.  Also saw the 3 local deer.  Was less impressed by the bagged up dog turds left in the middle of the path.  Easier to spot - true but the bin isn't that far away ffs.
  • Hazel, I had it looked at the first time it went on me. I wasnt really given any definitive answer on what exactly the issue was, other than it was muscular. This feels pretty much identical as last time. Thankfully the pain has eased off quite a bit again but its definitely not right. I see little point in risking it at this stage now so it's time to hunker down and hope that it all comes together on the day. 
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