My Last Run

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  • Cal it is a series of hill races here in the region that I run in - 10 in all - if you do at least 6 you get an extra finisher goody and invited to a finisher event.
    Good parkrunning (nice first mile!).  Afraid I giggled at the navigational problems.  I have a smartphone with OS maps (or the Swiss equivalent) for navigation these days - have used your method often enough in the past though.   Good mileage over the last couple of days.

    Tennis (yuk! - useless at that) and athletics for me in the summer at school - 800m and long jump and occasional 4x100m relays.   Was in the school team a few times but no particular talent.   Better at XC in the winter.

    Hill race yesterday went very well - I came 3rd in my (small) age group in 01:05:32 for 11k with around 600m of ups and nearly 200m of downs.  Started out fast on the first flat / downhill km and kept going strong throughout.  Pace varied pretty wildly between 7:33 and 13:33 for a mile. My sort of route for a hill race - undulations, some steep climbs but also enough flat and flattish bits for recovery in between.  Decent tracks rather than single trails with rocks and roots.  Very good conditions, dry and mild.  

  • Been a while since I posted, good to see all the great running going on. Unfortunately I took a fall a month or so a go...was just pootling along when all of a sudden I'm slow motioning down onto the ashphalt!. Grazed knees, hands etc, but nasty cut on my hand. Fortunately two very kind ladies took me home in their car. I popped down the road to a running friend of mine who also happens to be a nurse and she took me up to A&E. They bandaged me up, and referred me to East Grinstead Hand Injury dept., the following day.

    I turned up there, and after inspection then was booked in for surgery (local anaesthetic) the following day. Upshot of all that was I had a bruised nerve, no broken bones, but obviously no running for a month.

    Stitches out a couple of weeks ago, little finger is still numb, but I'm running again. Had to miss out on a 10K I had entered due to lack of training.

    Four months prior to this I had also fallen over, though with only a few scrapes, so this repeat experience was VERY annoying. I can only put it down to not lifting my feet enough on slow runs, and catching my toe on the ground (I didnt trip over anything) and I'm now making sure I lift my feet ALL the time. If anyone else can benefit from this, or have had similar experiences/ advice I'd be very keen to know.

    Re Cyclopark: I've done a couple of marathons there....very difficult to find the bloody place.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Ouch Mollie, sounds like a very unfortunate incident. I fell a few weeks ago on my first club run, broken watch but no other lasting damage. I suspect I have the same issue of not lifting my feet enough when running slowly. It's good advice and I'll try to keep it in mind! This fall was the only one, but I have caught my toe a couple of other times. Glad you're back running now, any other races lined up?

    Cal, why do you hate smartphones? Good run at Cyclopark, 25:xx is not to be sniffed at!  I don't worry about places. It all depends on who else has turned up, but 3rd in age is still good going and that's a very pacy first mile. I am sure you'll get a cracking PB when you do focus on a Parkrun. Well done on the Half Cowell Club. That's determination, especially as you use public transport. I'll be checking out the FB group. What's next?

    Seems we have a few 800m school runners here. Despite playing competitive sport 6-7 days as a kid, I considered 800m long distance!! 400m hurdles was the most crushing event I ever competed at. LTT, that was great playing Tennis, did you go to a posh school? We had a spell of squash at school, but apart from natural athleticism (back then), I had zero talent at those kind of games. 

    Hazel, sounds like you really enjoyed the race. I think I only enjoy things like that in retrospect! 11k in 65 mins on that kind of course sounds very impressive to me, must have been some tough competition. 

    A few runs here, a tempo run (as per the 80/20 book name), the main part was 24 mins in HR Zone 3, it felt like hard work. Then Friday was 8x90 second sprints with 2m30secs walk/jog recovery, distances run were very consistent, but that's if you trust the gps. I seem to enjoy these, but I hated that kind of thing when doing athletics training as a teenager. My attention span is a little better these days! Yesterday I went to Harrow Parkrun with my wife who is doing C25K. We were delighted with her 45:45 PB. Not sure if you've done that one Cal, but it's a niceish course with two minor hills. I was running at slow pace and was pleased with 29 mins. Last two weeks I got carried away. It's a friendly parkrun, one of my favourites so far. There was some delicious fruit on skewers after as well.  

    First Arsenal home game of the season yesterday and it was long and boozy. I'm delaying my Long Run with Speed play until this evening!
  • Well done Hazelnut - sounds like you paced it well.

    Ouch, Mollie. I had a pretty hard fall in a trail race I did back in June - the embarrassing bit was that I'd been OK on the rough ground, but stacked it on a nice bit of tarmac road. I guess my brain turned off for that bit as I'd been concentrating hard when going over the farm fields and rooty tracks. I have a low, flat stride as well. Crap for speed but very efficient for long distance - the caveat being I do trip on stuff when I'm tired.
    I hope you get your feeling back soon.

    enrvuk - not done Harrow yet. I want to try and get most of the grassy ones done before the mud sets in so I'll probably do that one in the winter. Well done to your wife. I know some of the London Frontrunners were there too - one of them is a Facebook friend and he mentioned the fruit skewers too. They must have been good!
    I did see a lot of Arsenal fans when I was getting the train back from Gravesend.

    18 mile run this morning - my longest so far this schedule.
    Tried out my new hydration vest (because the little bottles on my bottle belt just don't cut it for a 3 hour plus run in summer). Aside from the large squashy bottles feeling like a couple of enormous breast implants bouncing around during the early part of the run, I managed to chafe the hell out of my neck and shoulders. Guess I've found another place I need to smear with Vaseline (that or wear a T-shirt,  but I much prefer to wear a vest in Summer).
    Also managed to prang my funny bone on a wheely bin a mile and a half from home - turned the air blue with that one.
    Aside from that, the run went pretty well.

  • Nice to see you back Mollie. Ouch to the fall. Shame you had to miss the 10k because of it.  Maybe there was a blip in the asphalt.  I have done similar to Cal in the past, covering tricky ground in a race with no issues and then falling over on smooth ground due to a lack of concentration. 

    Enrvuk I went to a bog standard comprehensive in the 80's and had to play tennis in the summer.  Well done to your OH for starting c25k and her parkrun PB. I do my speedwork by GPS also, don't care if it is a bit off distancewise. Have a good long run this evening.

    Lol to the breast implants Cal.  Can you adjust the fit of the vest depending on the load to help avoid the chafing? Also on the move? Great long run.

    10 miles for me yesterday afternoon. Legs were ok post race but I should probably have run a bit slower than I did as I have 3 races in 9 days and should take it easyish in between. Recovery run planned for later - too warm out at the moment.
  • Sad running I certainly didn't plan this weekend.  Had a small trail run Friday night 3.5 miles, lots of Damsons and Sloes in fruit now, and a new 6 mile trail route saturday.  Whilst running on saturday, I saw a search helicopter over the town and thought that was odd.

    On arrival home I heard a lad had fallen into the Stour in Sandwich and been swept away in the brutal current.  It was dark now so I joined the search team and ran/walked the stretches of the river I couldn't and could access, with a powerful  headtorch I have for fishing.  Gave up at 11.  A tragic day for Sandwich.  I guess there's still a chance.

    Didn't feel like a Sunday long run so will do it tomorrow now, knees aren't great at all since that trail half, and 4 runs in 5 days is over what I seem to be capable of currently.

    The Ugali was easy to make Cal!, just maize flour I got from Amazon mixed with boiling water to form a stiff paste.  That's it!  It's OK I guess, just got to wait for those 4:30 mile splits to roll in now.  My local Parkrun is Pegwell bay.  Highly recommended to anybody after a PB it's completely flat and fast.  Nice Parkrun, what did you make of Gravesend? I work there sometimes.  What a place!

    Hefty long run too, that's a looong way. I'm tentatively looking at some marathon training plans now, fairly overwhelming! 

    Brilliant hill race Hazlenut.  I would imagine a hillrace to be super beneficial to training, but bloody hard!  That is huge elevation. Glad it went well, good result.  Nice 10 miler too.  I did my first threshold/ tempo run thursday after a read up.  Just over 8min miles is about right for me I estimate. 


    I'm glad you're back on track Mollie and on the mend.  that sounds a nasty injury. Marshalls have shouted "pick your feet up! " to me at races before, but I think it was encouragement!  Not fallen yet but sure I'll be over at some point.

    Nice Parkrun enrvuk.  Half of my mates are Spurs, half are Arsenal so always plenty of abuse. Gills fan here, hoping for a good season.  Great interval training, must get doing these.


    Have a good week.









  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Great result,Hazelnut,the course seemed interesting,plenty of flattish bits to keep your pace up.Nice ten miles as well.

    Nice parkrun and 18 miler Cal,is this for Yorkshire marathon ?Always thought those type of vests look uncomfortable and the weight not evenly distributed .

    Sorry to hear about your fall Mollie,falling over is a runners curse.I fell over beginning of May and my little finger is still not right,still slightly numb.Glad you're back out again.

    Nice running envruk,nice to hear your wife has started running.Your team is playing my team,Liverpool next weekend.Haven't been to your new stadium but went to Highbury plenty of times .

    Heard about that poor little boy on the news,Linton,very sad .Your knees must have taken a battering on your trail race,it does take time for your legs to adjust to trail runs though.Well done on your first tempo run as well.

    Just over 8 miles yesterday,on a new route,fairly hilly,pushed the pace were I could .13 miles this morning @ MP,last couple of miles were hard going,legs felt tired after yesterday.Spotted a heron on the edge of the canal and six camels,yes that's right six camels.There was a camel race being held in a field next to the canal,that's a first for Llangollen.


  • JD, yes, Yorkshire. I've never heard of camel racing in the UK - interesting!

    Linton, very sad about the boy but good on you for volunteering. BBC news reckons it's unlikey he'll be found alive now. Awful for the parents.

    I didn't see much of Gravesend aside from the two miles between the station and the Cyclopark. With a name like that it does sound as though it would be an awful town but it seemed normal enough to me. The most interesting thing to me was that the station has a platform 0. I guess they added it after 1 and 2 and then were stuck for what to number it.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    LTT what an awful experience with the young boy. How are you feeling now? I’d imagine it was very disturbing. Made me think of the newly wed police officer, the lives of those left behind ruined in an instant. On a lighter note, I’ve been to the Priestfield a couple of times and Paul Scally opened my exes school. Hope the Gills have started well. 

    Cal, yes we saw the London Frontrunners. The photographer pulled them and a few others out pre-race. Kent has quite a few Gooners. I lived in Kent for a few years and there were always a few of us on the trains. That’s annoying about your hydration vest, hopefully the Vaseline will fix it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you need the T-shirt. Is it very tight when you set off? Nice mileage build up btw. 

    Hazel, with three races in nine days, how do you ensure good recovery? Do you not go full wack? I know if I go full out on a Parkrun it takes it out of me for a day or two. You always seem to have the legs!

    I do like your run reports JD, some times I have to read them twice because I think one of us has been hallucinating. I know we can’t beat a horse, but did you have the edge on the camels?

    I managed to to get out of the door on Sunday after a cinema double bill. It was one of those days where it went from lovely sun to drizzle. At least until I stepped out and almost immediately the heavens opened. I considered a rain check for about 30 seconds but pressed on. As I headed over Primrose Hill to Regents Park it got harder and people were huddling under trees to avoid the deluge. The geese seemed unhappy and I did notice a ‘birdlife of the park’ sign, but didn’t stop to take it in. 

    As it eased I noticed a couple of people taking phone pics of the drenched idiot running in the park. I didn’t see many other runners for an hour or so. 

    I began to find it invigorating and it was one of those runs where it felt very good after 13k. I did my best speed run splits then. I finished in full darkness and the last 5k demonstrated the patchy street lining around the park. Total distance was 20k in a couple of minutes over two hours. Recovery has been good. 

  • enrvuk, your run reminded me of a 16 miler I did around Brockwell Park in January sleet. I wasn't the only runner out there but most of the others looked thoroughly miserable. I started to find the absurdity of it funny and after that I quite enjoyed it.

    Nice weather today, though - very fresh. I did an 8 mile run comprising of 7 at easy/recovery pace and then one mile of strides with recovery jogs in between.
    Re: the vest, I think the issue is that the bottles are heavy (500ml each) when I set down so this pulls the vest down on my shoulders. It may work better with the bladder, so I'll try that this weekend.
  • Well done for volunteering to search for that boy LTT. 

    13 miles @ MP is a tough run in training JD - good running!  Like the idea of the camel race.

    Nice run in the rain enrvuk.  3 races in 3 days is a lot.  It is a hill race sandwich with a flat 10k in between.  The hill races don't generally take it out of my legs too much and I feel well recovered from Friday's race to have a good run tomorrow.  Not sure about Sunday's upcoming race after the 10k though.  It is the toughest in the series and it will be warm. Will have to run it by feel.  Definitely no speedwork between these races - just some easy miles to keep things moving.

    As long as I'm not cold I don't mind the rain, in really bad conditions I sometimes get tempted to start a rendition of "I'm singing in the rain" especially when meeting grumpies who are bemused by someone out there running.  Shame you generally need your breath for other things.   

    Bit of a crap run yesterday - wanted to amble around 10 miles but had to can it just short of 7.  Very humid and warm and at slower than recovery pace I was struggling to breathe.  Irritating morning at work and being tired (bloody thunderstorms in the night) didn't really help with my mindset.  One to put behind me.  Out in a bit for some recovery miles with a few strides.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Cracking run enrvuk,nothing wrong with running in the rain,it's very invigorating,especially this time of year.

    Cal,what do you normally use for long runs and marathons regarding your drinks.I'm just hoping my hand held bottle gets me through,been practising enough on my runs to get used to it.

    Hazelnut,good luck with all these races coming up.Like you said just easy miles between races.

    Went to book a place for Wednesdays Cappenhurst 5k,which is somewhere out in Cheshire,but it's all sold out,really gutted,but only myself to blame for leaving it so late.Did 20 miles this morning,first ten miles struggled a bit,had a heavy breakfast and didn't leave enough time for it to digest but the second 10 was much better,can't wait for the taper though.
  • JD - I was using a bottle belt, but the amount of water it holds doesn't cut it in summer for a 3 hour plus run. In marathons, I just drink at the water stations (though if more races start using cups, which I can't get on with, I may have to bring my own).
    Well done on the 20. I don't usually eat before training as I go out early - only before parkruns and races, and then it's purely carbs (oats and honey or syrup with hot water) because my digestion is glacially slow and protein and fats slow it down.
  • 9 miles monday night at 8:45-9 min miles. Weary legs.  That's it for proper runs now until Canterbury Half on Monday.  I find myself really restless taper week, anyone else get that?  Maybe I should go swimming or something.

    Huge run again JD!, are you in marathon training, guessing you must be.  I find it hard knowing what do food wise.  like Cal, I prefer to go early pre-breakfast, but race day it means eating 6:30 to start at 9 or 10.  Camel racing sounds good!  Are they ridden during the race? I went on a Camel trek in Gran Canaria once, it kept trying to bite my leg and it was bloody high up there! Would not repeat.


    Annoying chafing Cal, my bottle belt wrecks my vests, hope you find a solution.  On the trail half marathon most had a hydration vest.  looks much less jiggly than a belt.  I know what you mean about those little cups with an inch of water in them. More please!


    Great run envruk.  I've been caught a few times in torrential rain.  Useful to check if your shoes will rub in rain or during a wet trailrun I reckon also.  

    Awesome running as always Hazlenut, great recovery.   Nice long run too.  You seem to have hills sorted.  Annoying you had a dissappointing run.
    How much do you think  mental fatigue effects performance?  I've pondered this before.


    Have a good day all.
     

  • How tough will that be folks?, for me living and training on a pancake, probably bad, but how bad?  Any thoughts?
  • Well, I would suggest some hill training if you can find a hill. When is it?

    12 miles this morning which felt OK (it did seem to go on forever, although actually it was  2 hours 2 minutes or so) but my fecking watch managed to lose my run. I think I'm going to have to grit my teeth and get that new watch sooner rather than later.
  • Shame you missed out on the 5k JD.  If your mara has bottles then I wouldn't take an own one.  Nice 20 miles - better you enjoyed the second half rather than struggling through it.

    Restlessness during the taper is normal LTT.  Gentle exercise is good I would say.  Do you swim regularly? If not I wouldn't do it now as you might get tired from the unaccostomed movements. 

    Mental fatigue certainly does affect performance for me - I need a good dose of race adrenaline or an interesting session to distract me if that hits.

    I assume that is your race profile for Monday?  Very tasty!  Make a mental note of where those climbs are for the race.  Don't set off too fast on the first mile or you will likely blow up on the first hill.  Take the first downhill as an opportunity to recover a bit as you have a second climb straight after it.  I would run the downhill as of mile 6 hard and worry about the final hill when I met it, once you have that - blast it with all you can to the finish down that hill.  If you need to walk - do so.  I run hilly races by effort rather than pace - I regularly ask myself if I think I can keep up my current effort based on the distance left (and if I have an idea of it)  the amount of time it will likely take and if no I back off a bit.

    Annoying re. the watch Cal. 

    6 recovery miles yesterday - mostly run on a an approx 1k loop adding in one stride per loop.  Felt quite a bit better though still a bit breathy.  Picked a good time to go out - drizzle but as I got home the heavens opened properly and it poured for hours. Race this evening - likely to be windy - oh well - for everyone else there as well.
  • It's Monday.

    I'm screwed. :disappointed:

    I use Asics Runkeeper Cal.  Occasionally it malfunctions, agreed it's damn annoying. Nice run though!
  • Thanks Hazlenut, will take that on board, not sure there'll be much blasting though!  I was fine until I ran into the seasoned marathon guy at work, who works in a different department.  He said it was the hardest half he's done by some way and he's done a lot!  Thanks.
  • Well, Linton, I guess you  just need to take it easy and enjoy it rather than race it. Consider it practise.
    Just ordered a Forerunner 45. I've been putting off going to the dentist on the basis that I don't have the money, yet the money is magically there when I need a new running watch. Funny, that.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Hazel, amazed that hill runs don't take it out of your legs. Singing in the rain is my wife and Mum's fave movie, so I won't butcher that myself. Although I did propose with a re-write of one of the songs from the movie. Looks like the weather gods were kinder to you yesterday. I'm struggling with the weekend prediction and my run/drinking/cooking/eating planning!

    JD, I use a belt that can hold a bottle, it works very well for me. On longer runs I put the tablets in as well. The problem with a handheld bottle over a longer run, it does tend to get quite warm. A belt avoids that. Longest I've run is about 2h10m.

    LTT, good luck with your run. I am no major hill runner, but Hazel's advice sounds great. With your taper you should have plenty in the legs and have a mn

    Cal, what a bummer about the watch. That's particularly annoying to lose such a long run!! Glad you got your priorities right, if it's not recorded a run didn't happen.

     I am considering getting a Garmin for one particular app, it's called Race Screen (https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/6a30651b-ca67-41a5-96dc-60634983fc93). If you're in a race you hit lap when you pass a mile/km marker, it then recalculates your pace on the 'official distance'. Handy for not getting to 13.1k on your watch and then seeing the 13k marker 200m up the road!! 

    Anyone heard from Will? He's either lost in Snowdonia or overwhelmed by the amount of running we are all doing.

    Thanks all on the run encouragement, last nights cruise intervals, basically 4x5m in HR Zone 3 was a bit tougher, but I enjoy the mixed up runs. Currently trying to plan my LSRs around a busy social life.
  • Agree with Hazel JD, 13 miles @ MP is a tough run. Very well done on the 20 miles yesterday.

    Hazel, I know what mean about crap runs, there's so many variables that influence how we perform, and only a very few that we can control, to some extent. State of mind certainly adds/detracts.

    LTT, very sorry to hear about your experience, very distressing all round.

    5 miles for me today, 1 mile warm up/2@7.30/2 cool down, interspersed with stops to eat blackberries!
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Linton,your HM looks great!Nice downhill after mile 6,just let the brakes off.Like Hazelnut said run the hills by effort.Get yourself out for some gentle runs that'll help with restlessness.I always find it hard sleeping the night before a race,it just plays on my mind.

    I presume the camels were ridden.I heard the beer tent was drunk dry by the young farmers, so a good time by all.

    enrvuk,you need to plan your busy social life around your LSR! Nice interval session as well.

    Nice run,Cal.Always exciting getting new running kit,better than the dentist!

    Speedy run Mollie.My dogs help themselves to the blackberries this time of year as well.

    Just a 5 miles recovery run yesterday afternoon,nice and easy.

  • LTT: do the best you can on the day and don't let the course get you down too much beforehand.  I find hills can actually provide a welcome break to the sometimes monotony of turn on the engine and left foot, right foot, keep up the pace of flat races.    

    Cal: enjoy the new watch when it arrives.  I hope it is more reliable than the old one.

    Enjoy your busy social life enrvuk.  GPS and km/mile markers can be off quite a bit.  Sometimes its the markers sometimes the GPS.

    Good point regarding Will - give us a wave if you are around?  Hope everything is ok.

    Nice couple of swift miles mollie.  Like the cool down nutrition.  The blackberries aren't too great here this year yet.  Small and not very ripe.  I test every now and then.

    Agree JD - sleeping well before a race can be hard.

    10.5k race for me yesterday evening.  Great result as I managed another podium in my age group - 3rd / 46 and 10th lady out of 140.  45:19 chip time.  Was around 13 seconds off of my 10k PB it seems for the fastest 10k I did within the 10.5, without the congestion on the first k I might have got closer to it.  Won a box of fruit and a voucher for a local restaurant.  Also my first ever "trophy" a round pebble from the river next to which the race is run with the year and has my rank and year on a badge glued to it.   Nice to have a small momento when the other prizes have been eaten (OH always appreciates the edible rare prizes and finisher goodies).
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Fantastic result Hazelnut,well done.Was it a trail race?You'll definitely break your 10k PB soon.
  • Fantastic, Hazelnut, well done!
    New watch has arrived. I was tempted to go out and test it but this is a rest day and my groin's a bit niggly so decided to err on the side of caution.
  • Thanks JD and Cal.

    Good restraint to stick to your rest day and not be tempted to go out with the new watch Cal.  Hope the groin is feeling better for it.

    4 mile recovery yesterday evening - legs tired as was to be expected but not painful as such.  Should have done a short cool down jog post race on Wednesday - that can really help.  My lower back did hurt but eased during running.  Might have strained that last week preventing my moped falling over, seems to be improving though.
  • It felt better after a nap yesterday! That groin has always been a bit niggly (it was the one I injured pretty badly a few years ago) but why it has decided to act up all of a sudden I'm not sure. I suspect it was a fair increase in mileage last week plus the mad Saturday with the parkrun and 10K.
    It was OK on the run today although it did niggle once I stopped. I think I'm due for a massage although I will have to wait a week or so as my masseur is normally there on Mondays and it's a bank hol.
    Anyway, got to test the Forerunner 45. It works well although it will take a bit of getting used to as there's a lot more to it than the 25 and the data fields are a little different. But it recorded my run no problem. Did 9 miles which were enjoyable, though I can feel that it is starting to warm up again (Sunday will be a hot one!)
    The 45 also records heart rate and while I know wrist monitors are not as accurate as chest, it gives me something else to obsess over. :D

  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Mollie, are the blackberries an official part of your refuelling strategy?

    JD on the run before social Mrs. RV might not agree with you :-) I do curb my drinking around my LSR though.

    Hazel, agree on the markers v GPS, but because we never run the perfect line in races your GPS will rightly say you're closer to running the race distance than you actually are. The app allows you to correct for that, subject as you say, to the accuracy of the markers of course.

    Great race by the way, that's a real achievement. The hard work is paying off.

    Cal, congrats on your new toy. Interested to hear you get on with it over time. As you know I am a big advocate of HR Zone based running. It's been a game changer for my training. Will you be trying any of the Connect IQ apps?

    7k Foundation run on Wednesday and I felt quite leggy, although the times weren't too bad. I decided to rest yesterday. Today was a 16.2k long slow run with a fast finish. Still a little leggy to start with, but managed to up the pace for the finish (1.6k at Heart Zone 3). It was getting warmer by the end, but the Park was looking beautiful all the way round, I had no set path to follow. The resulting map on Strava looks like a walk of a drunk who has lost his keys!


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