My Last Run

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  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Not very sympathetic, but I almost spat my tea out reading that Will! Good run while laden though.

    When I read your posts Cal I always feel I should turn left from home and head up to Hampstead Heath. It's just so hilly to get there. I might use the catch a bus trick!
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    You totally should! I've done the parkrun there and yes, it is hilly, but it's a lovely place to run and the views are worth it. Plus, the hill training definitely comes in handy.

    Will - good job. My 8 miler today is the furthest I've run since Vienna. Aiming for 10 on Sunday...then it's back to training for Liverpool.
  • Sorry to hear about the health issues alipat.  Take it easy.  Good thing it is post rather than pre mara!

    Well done on rescuing the wren JD.

    Some more nice bird and errr cat testicle spotting Cal.  I wish people would get them castrated though - there are so many unwanted cats around.  One of the first things we did as soon as our adopted stray tom was well enough was to get that dealt with.   Sounds like you are enjoying your running at the moment.

    Nice constant intervals enrvuk.  A bit of walking doesn't matter I would recommend keeping moving.  90 seconds recoveries do seem quite short.  You could try lengthening that and seeing if it helps you to jog the recoveries (v. slowly). 

    Ups to the cars Will.  Glad that at least one of them is fixed.

    Group trot yesterday evening with a couple of rare visitors.  One of whom had a boot full of booze so I am afraid I had to share a (small!) beer post run.  Even though it was actually quite cool and drizzly and therefore not so nice for standing around in sweaty running gear.

    Today in warm and sunny conditions a few warm up miles then some long strides (around 150m).   In between the two whilst having a quick drink (water this time!) I got chatting to a couple on bikes who looked vaguely lost but were in fact out looking for frogs in the various damp bits around.  Conversation went on for some time on diverse amphibians, beavers, bird spotting, running races and nice walks in the area.  By the time I got around to starting my strides I could have done with another warm up.  It was a nice chat though.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Nice consistent intervals envruk,they'll really help you with your 5k.

    Think you'll be ferrying your Mum around, Will,for your penance.Nice run as well.

    Great testicle spotting,Cal!My parents took in a feral tom,first thing they did was get him down the vets and sort him out.

     This weekend will be a good time to open the beers,weather wise,Hazelnut.

    5 miles along the canal yesterday evening.Spotted my first ducklings of the year,first brood was well into double figures.

  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Yeah, pretty sure that cat was feral. I made kissy sounds at him as I tend to at most cats and he ignored me completely.
    Haven't seen any ducklings on Tooting's pond/lake yet but the Egyptian goslings are well grown now - bigger than ducks and fully feathered.
    Nice 6 miles this morning, plus a few strides. T-shirt weather even at 7am.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the tips Hazel and Cal good advice. You seem back in the swing of things Cal.
    JD1, what canal is it you run along? I'm thinking of making my longer run on Sunday down the Regents Canal.
    Hazel, beginning to think of you as a David Bellamy type character!
    Hoping Alipat is okay.

    Today I went out for a 4x800 in 3:50 for each 800m with 200m jogged recovery for each. I used the iSmoothrun app but mistakenly set it up for 3:50 per km pace and was wondering why I was so far behind schedule! It's a brilliant app if you have an Apple Watch. Intervals were 3:57, 3:56, 3:59, 3:56 with a little bit of walking on the third recovery.

    3c is running t-shirt weather for me, so I need to go early not to roast (classic ginger). For once I took in the view on my warm up. It's interesting how from Haverstock Hill everything looks on top of each other, but just round at Primrose Hill the view is so much more expansive. I must lift my head up more!! No real wildlife to speak of, a couple of car doors opened in front of me doesn't quiet count.
  • Thanks for all the warm wishes everyone. Despite feeling awful the past few days, I woke up this morning feeling ok so I jumped out of bed, put on my running kit and hit the roads to seize the opportunity.

    After a tough week I really needed this morning's run. Although it wasn't easy in the slightest! I went out with the intention to run around my desired half marathon pace. But as I'm currently waiting for new earphones to arrive (my old ones ended up in the washing machine after Manchester 🤦‍♂️) I struggled to pace myself without music and went out too fast. 3 miles in I had to take a quick breather and almost called it quits. The sun certainly didn't help either. But I soldiered on and got it done in the end. Lovely morning for 10km too! 
  • I did a 20 miler 3 weeks ago, since then I have a very sore achilles. No swelling or anything but very painful when walking around or coming down stairs. Have had a couple of runs and it feels fine while I'm running but seems worse after resting for a while, getting up in the morning is the worse. Any suggestions?
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Speaking as an achilles sufferer, this sounds very familiar. Start by doing heel drops on the edge of a step (a negative only calf raise - go up on both feet and lower slowly on one)  and keep up with glute and core strength work.
    My physio says it's OK to run if the achilles eases during the run, but if it stays painful then stay off it for a bit.
    Well done, alipat. It was very warm out there today.

    Did my first parkrun post-Vienna, so wasn't expecting a great deal from myself in terms of speed. I chose Wanstead Flats (my other choices involved trains, and of course, with it being Easter weekend, they're digging up the railways - Wanstead is on the tube which is less hassle than a series of rail replacement buses). It's an off-road course in fields and along dirt paths - very nice, though apparently is all turns to mud in winter. No problem with that today as the ground was bone dry, but rather lumpy and covered in tree roots.
    I pushed as much as I felt able to for the first two miles but then started to tire (a bit of marathon fatigue, a bit of hot weather) so took the last mile slightly easier and came in at 26:08. This is similar to my Wormwood Scrubs run two weeks after Chester so I'm on track, although I felt very tired once I arrived home.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Well done,alipat,hope you're feeling better.

    James,YouTube eccentric heel drops and as Cal says strengthen your calfs and glutes.I always ice my Achilles after a run as well.

    envruk,I run along the Llangollen Canal,which incorporates the Pontcysllte Aqueduct.Good interval session as well.

    Nice parkrun Cal,you're in good shape for your forthcoming races.

    Disregard what I said about changing my training pattern,I smashed my Erddig park run by 23 seconds,came in at 20:47,very happy with that.Chatting to a club mate at the park run and he's representing the country at the Duathlon World Championships in Spain next Saturday,in the M65 - 70 catagory,very inspirational .


    Also spotted my first swallows on Friday evening,love watching them fly.


  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Nice one, JD! Apparently, Wanstead Flats has some skylarks but I was too busy puffing and panting to notice them.
  • Hi James, good tips from Cal and JD, I also have an ongoing achilles niggle which goes away after a couple of miles warmup.  I find it gets aggrevated by running on roads with a bad camber, so try to stick to flat paths when particularly grumbly.  Switching through different shoes also helps me.

    Nice parkrunning Cal and JD, well done on the PB JD - tasty time. Swallows are impressive flyers I often wonder they don't fly into things or each other.

    Enrvuk, had to look up David Bellamy I'm afraid, though the name was familiar.  Hmm I have less beard I hope!

    10 mile race for me today.  Located on the way to the PIL, who we are visiting this weekend.

    Was hoping for a PB (1:15:11) but it was very warm and windy and not my day for PBing.  One of the published drinks stations had been dropped and the first half was in the sun, often against the wind and I overheated badly and had to put in a couple of short walk breaks. Setting off at 10k pace didn't exactly help (slap!!).  It was a small race and I was rather overexicted at being in the first 10 or so.  The ladies set off 10 mins before the men, and it was a bit demoralizing to be constantly overtaken by fast runners after a few miles however much I tried to ignore them.  Shouldn't complain too much though as I won my age category and was 9th lady (of 87) in 1:16:21. 
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    That's good going for a warm day, Hazelnut. I always struggle with heat (even when it gets into the mid-teens).
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Out relatively early (6am) for 10 miles. Had thought about doing 12 but I made the mistake of eating too many sugar free sweets yesterday and my stomach was churning a bit. To be honest I was also fading slightly and achilles was starting to grumble. I have bounced back pretty well from Vienna so far, but previous marathons have taught me that I can't push too much initially if I want to get to Liverpool in one piece.
    In other news, I completely failed to control myself and bought some Vaporflys. Haven't worn them yet. I held back for ages because I didn't think I was fast enough to benefit from them, but I've talked to a few people who have them (they're much easier to get now so a lot more people seem to have them) and they all say they recover much quicker from races after wearing them, so that sold me.
    I got the red ones and they're very nice. I'll wear them for Liverpool, although I am not expecting a PB there due to it being warm.
  • Early indeed Cal. I thought I was doing well getting out before 8am, but I don't often run before breakfast.  At least one pair of vaporflys whizzed past me yesterday, the orange ones.  Very flashy.  I haven't got my fingers on some yet.  Just to look first.. :)

    Rare pre breakfast recovery, 3 and a bit miles.  Staying in a hotel not far from PIL, but I managed not to get lost.  Very quiet, all dog walkers said good morning.  Cooler today so far.

    Have a nice Easter Sunday!
  • Hi everyone! Just thought I'd check in!

    Firstly massive well done to everyone who ran a marathon, amazing job. I'm glad it went well! It must be an incredible feeling and is inspiring to me.
    I will be doing one next year but it seems overwhelming at the moment!

    I have been running 3 months now and am starting to notice subtle changes. My legs are getting stronger and larger, I've lost a good stone and a half.(although I've cut back massively on drink, my main reason to take up running) and it is taking me longer and longer to run out of breath as my cardio gets better.

    I still struggle with very sore ankles if I run far which is frustrating; my take on this is after many years playing football my body is already fairly suited to shorter distances, but distance running causes me problems.
    It's well documented the average player runs around 7 miles in a 90 minutes game. It's when I start getting over this the pain starts. I guess I will just take it steady and wait for everything to strengthen.

    Run wise, I have got my Pegwell bay Parkrun in down to 21:49 and normally around 4th male 40. I hope to be sub 20 by Christmas but this may be optimistic.

    I did a 48:34 10k at Canterbury a while back, that I was pleased with. There is another 6 or 7 local 10ks coming up. It would be great to get 45min in one of these but again, that may take a little while.

    On Friday I did the Folkstone 10 mile race. An 800 person event from Hythe to folkstone and back along the promenade. It was my first big (ish) event and was a fantastic experience, with great crowd support an awesome marshalls. It is run by folkstone running club. It was my first experience at running in heat due to it being such a hot day and starting at 11. I planned to take it easy as this is the upper level of distance for me. On the way out there would be a brisk easterly headwind. So planned 9.5 min miles on the way out, and 9 min miles on the way back. I finished 302nd with 1:32. Not great but a really enjoyable day and good work towards my 1at half marathon in june. There were some incredible runners there getting sub 1 hour!

    I'm still at the 20 mile per week stage, which seems to be the most I can do at the moment without hobbling permanently, so I'm just going to stay at that until I feel my ankles are getting used to th is new regime.


    Have a great Easter ! And well done all.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Fantastic racing,Hazelnut,very good time and position in testing conditions.

    Cal, bet you're itching to give your Vaporflys a twirl .Let me know what you think of them,please.

    Great running,Linton,you're coming on really well and you seem to be enjoying yourself.

    Up early courtesy of my girls wanting to go on their Easter egg hunt.Once that was out of the way I got myself out for 9 miles,fairly warm for 7 in the morning.
    Got my first scent of wild garlic as well,which I particularly like.
  • thanks for all the comments and advice, have been doing the calf raises on steps and does seem to help. It definitely eases once I'm into a run but I really want it to go away completely. Resting at the moment having not run for a whole week!
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    James,think most runners just live with Achilles problems and just try and keep on top of them,I know I do.

    Out the house by 5.30 this morning,having decided to do a mountain run.
    From my house I joined the Offa Dyke trail (named after Offa,King of Mercia in the 8th century,he built an earthwork that divided his kingdom from Wales and the trail follows it).
    I came off the trail after two miles and went up Ruabon mountain across the top which is all moorland .I then eventually came to a place known as Worlds End,looped round to come home via Eglwysey mountain,I contoured the side of it on a sheep track,I then rejoined Offa's Dyke trail.
    Then I had a mishap 1 mile from home,I tripped over smashed my head against a rock sticking out of ground,managed to get back up and dust myself down,gingerly ran home with blood streaming down my face.
    I was very happy to get home eventually !
    Ran 14.2 miles in about 2 and a half hours.Spotted a fox scrambling up the mountain scree trying to get away from me,a few rabbits,heard a few tawny owls and woodpeckers and I think a red grouse,plus I saw and heard plenty  of skylarks on the moorland,happily chirping away.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Bloody hell, JD! How's your head now?
    I didn't run today. Considered it what with it being a holiday, but body said no. Too many sore bits and I didn't want to risk it at this stage of my recovery. I went for a walk to Streatham Common instead. Lots of litter everywhere, which was awful (even picked some up myself). People are pigs.
    I did see a couple of interesting bird-related thing. One was what looked like a small pigeon by the side of the path. Stock dove, maybe, Will?
    And the other was I heard a weird call - a bit like a rusty hinge but rather sad sounding. Then I saw the bird - looked like a jay but I've never heard a jay make a sound like that. I am a bit short sighted so I could have been mistaken about it being a jay but not sure what else it could be?
  • Well done Linton, you are doing great.  Nice mix of distances you are trying out.  Well done on the weight loss and cutting down the drinking also.

    Ouch JD - hope the head is ok other than the cut.  Wild garlic makes me hungry - its starting to grow here too.

    Grrr regarding the litter Cal (and kudos for doing some cleaning up yourself).  

    Will is quiet - hopefully ok and just busy over the holiday weekend.

    Hope the achilles will let you out again soon James.

    6 miles this evening post return from the PIL.  Still very warm and muggy.  Legs were far too fresh for 2 days post 10 mile race so I definitely didn't run as hard as I could have done in that.  Gave my new finisher T-shirt an outing - a nice bright blue one.  
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Have a deep cut an inch above my right eye,plus two more on the side of my head.Have a nice graze on my jaw,which is also badly swollen and finding it hard to open my mouth,which is a shame as I have the dentist tomorrow afternoon!
    My daughters were hysterical when they saw me,so I had a look in the mirror and it looked quite impressive with all the blood.My silly fault for not lifting my feet higher anyway.

    I'm with you regarding litter,makes my blood boil.My local town survives on tourism but the amount of litter left is shocking.Don't understand people who visit somewhere nice and then leave all their crap.Rant over!


  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Good to hear you’re back Alipat, now it looks like JD1 is trying to steal the sympathy vote in a fairly spectacular way. Hope you’re both okay. I googled your route JD, what a spectacular place to run. Probably less fumes than Central London as well! Cal, we are expecting some impressive times with the flat footwear.

    Hazel, best not to look too much like David Bellamy. I always thought he had wildlife in that beard. Well done on the age category win, especially considering the heat and hydration challenges.

    Two easy runs for me a 12k round the park,I accidentally turned off my gps, which threw me on pacing, but was pleased that I kept it easy. A 30 mins run today with nothing of note. Had a nice walk over the Heath on Saturday with the OH and ended up in a nice pub in Highgate Village. Robert Powell was with two mates, looking much better than he usually does at Easter.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Hazelnut - blue is a nice colour for a shirt (my Olympic Park half shirt is a nice bright blue - wore it this morning). Don't like white shirts - they go grey eventually.
    JD, good luck at the denist. When's your appointment, 2:30?
    enrvuk - I should imagine he's quite elderly now, no?
    Out of interest, is Hampstead your local parkrun?

    6 miles at 6 this morning - hoping for a sunrise but got cloud. However, it was warm enough for me to get my legs out (well, my knees - the gap between the bottom of my shorts and the top of my calf sleeves isn't very big). Went OK - only minor niggling today. Saw a heron in flight.
  • Will ClennellWill Clennell ✭✭✭
    edited April 2019
    Hello again everyone! I was working all bank holiday weekend and fairly frazzled by the sun so continued my mara recovery. Great running by everyone, so I'll just say well done to all and hope all the sore bits and head gashes get better soon.

    I really fancied getting back to Business today so strapped on the camelbak and tried to cover some trails and a few bumps. I went out across the Marsh, which had completely dried up and only had a couple of feral ponies on. Some Sedge Warblers were very vocal and it was nice to run along the river and be off-load. I then looped up the hill to the Colney Parkrun course and covered some of that, including two efforts up the infamous 'dog-shit' hill. Pleasantly free of faecal matter today. Then it was down to the UEA lake for a couple of laps. Cetti's Warblers and Blackcaps all over the place here + pairs of Great Crested Grebes and Common Terns on the water. Lots of Nightingales and Cuckoos have been reported  and I listened hard but to no avail. Back through the woods and along the river, then up the big park hill and home to make about 10 miles - a proper run. Loved it and feel fully ready for action again now. Wore my Manchester finisher's T with pride :) Happy running all!
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Will, I thought I heard a cuckoo the other day, but told myself that can't have been the case. But you never know I guess!
  • It is still early traditionally but we had 3 on the reserve from Sunday, so they are here! Lots of Nightingales being reported too so ears open :)
    I run, therefore I am.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    I'm very envious of your finishers T Will (and your ornithological knowledge, more Bill Oddie than David Bellamy). I'd have liked one for my half. Less envious of dog shit hill. Sounds like your recovery is done!

    Cal, Yes, my local Parkrun is Hampstead. I've only run it twice and volunteered once though. It's about 10 mins from me. Mr. Bellamy is definitely quite senior now! I envy your morningness. Today is my jealousy post.

    I ran 10x400m this morning with 60 seconds standing recovery. Goal was 1:54 and they ranged from 1:55-1:48, with most around the 1:50 mark. Quite consistent if nothing else. No wildlife, but I had a weird episode. I ran past a guy in a Range Rover using a ticket machine, kept going and turned a corner. There was the same guy at a ticket machine. For a minute I thought I was hallucinating, but I can only assume the first machine didn't work and he drove past me without me noticing.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Love my finisher T-shirts,Hazelnut,more so than the medals.

    envruk,nice intervals and celeb spotting.Have to admit I did stop a couple times yesterday to take in the views.

    Great running and bird spotting,Will.Dog shit hill sounds ominous,glad you survived it! Keep wearing your Manchester t shirt with pride.

    Herons look so big and cumbersome when it flight,Cal,but great watching them hunt for fish.Need a crown as well won't be cheap!

    No running today.Had a good nights sleep,feel OK otherwise.Try and make club intervals tomorrow.





  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    JD, my dental mishap in November set me back nearly a grand! (Broke one took and fractured another on a popcorn kernal). A filling and a full gold crown. (It's worth paying the extra for gold - they last a lot longer and the dentist doesn't need to remove as much of the tooth as they would for a porcelain).

    Of course I don't have this year's Manchester T - got the last three though. I have a bright yellow Vienna T instead. It's very undestated - Adidas with a small Vienna logo. Which is nice, but looks a lot like the Sweatshop club shirts.
    Will, there's a bridge in Blackpool my friend has christened dog shit bridge. It's a small footbridge over the railway behind the Pleasure Beach. And yes, it usually has a few poos on it.

    Nice intervals, enrvuk.
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