My Last Run

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  • No, I don't use a smartphone. I'm old fashioned like that.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    I think you can download them straight from a computer.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Cal/Hazelnut,Ive been reading up about the benefits of the longer or shorter taper.I'm inclined to go for the longer one for obvious reasons.Just wondered how long your taper is for a mara.

    Nice run enrvuk,you have to be disciplined doing HR training,staying in  your zone.

    11.8 miles yesterday evening.3.5 miles @HMP and 5.5 miles @ MP,hard run and very warm but I felt good.Next couple of weeks going to do a few more runs @ MP just to build up some confidence.

  • Three weeks, usually, although I tend to do my longest run four weeks out.
  • This week's parkrun adventure saw me take the train down to Sussex for East Grinstead. I do the parkrun challenges (a brower extension for Chrome and Firefox) so I needed an E for my alphabet and an East for my compass challenge, so this one ticked both of those (there are no Es in London - this is the closest). I figured I'd best get it done before winter as this one is legendary for mud. Even though it's currently dry, I was advised I'd be best in trail shoes and I'm glad I wore them as there's a lot of lumpy, wet grass and uneven paths, not to mention a big steep hill you have to go up twice. One of the twistiest courses I've done, too.
    I knew I'd be hard pushed to get under 28 minutes on a course like this so was happy with 27:25, which got me 5th lady. No age group win though - the entire top 5 were over 50, and two of them were VW55s. You had to go as low as 9th place to find a 30-something, and 10th for a 20-something, so it's clear this one is ruled by the vets, at least as far as women are concerned.
    I did enjoy it, though - I love running as fast as I can on a flat tarmac course, but the cross country courses are just plain fun. At least when you're not huffing and puffing up the hills.I definitely exceeded what my watch thinks should be my max HR, but my watch doesn't know squat. :D
  • Good news the first test of your new watch went well Cal. TomTom watches are no longer being made so I should keep my eyes open for alternatives.

    Good running envruk.

    3 week taper for me last mara JD. (12 week P&D up to 55 miles, can elaborate if you don't have that available).  Practicing your MP is a good thing so you can dial into it on race day.

    Those parkrun challenges seem to get you travelling around a bit Cal. Nice! Those older ladies can be fast. I was well beaten on Wednesday by a 60 year old.

    Bit short of 10 miles yesterday at a gentle pace. Legs felt ok but my back hurt quite a lot on the last couple of miles. Will see how it is for tomorrow's hill race. Worse case I will DNS/DNF. Uphill (plenty of that) won't stress it too much but there are also some descents too and the jolting will probably hurt! Rest day and gentle stretching today.

    In addition to Will hope JT is ok. Not seen him around lately either.
  • Awesome running all.

      Literally feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall today.  After that trail half marathon I was well sore everywhere, it definitely knocked me about more than I was used to, but didn't think much of it.

    Trained hard straight after. 6 days out of 9, which was a bad mistake, knee pain got worse and worse.

    Tapered and expected it all to cease like it normally does, and hips ankles and right knee all feel great, but my left knee is in a bad way. Audible grinding and clicking and hurts at the back, sides and outer top.

    Any idea what I've done? I'm getting SO frustrated now.  After 6 months I finally feel I've got my ankles good and strong, now this.  Can I take pain killers and still do The half marathon monday.  Can I go to minor injuries and get it checked?  X rayed maybe. i just don't get it.  Ive got no more weight to lose.

    Read that it can be caused by quad tightness and could be runners knee or god forbid, a torn meniscus.  If I just rest and ice it maybe it will be OK?


    Great running Hazlenut, brilliant race and result.

    Great Parkrun Cal, I'm with you that rolling trail is infinitely better than running along roads, although it's possibly not done me any favours.

    Great running enrvuk and JD, glad the training is going well.


  • Evening all, tucking in to meat balls and wine as I type, so apologies for any typos.

    Really feel for you LTT, the grinding and clicking sounds ominous. I can't offer any advice, sorry to say.

    Best of luck for your hill race tomorrow Hazel....hot and hilly...I don't envy you at all.

    Nice East Grinstead run Cal, sounds like you had fun. Not that I know a lot about parkruns, but it must be quite unusual for the entire top 5 to be over 50. A good result for us not-so- youngers.

    Enrvuk, yes blackberries are the new beetroot, didnt you know? :D

    Ventured up onto the south coast cliffs early this morning for a steady 8 miles. Very calm and quiet, just the bunnies and lovely sea views. Great way to start the day.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Sorry to hear about your knee,Linton,after all of your hard work.Your knee doesn't sound good,if it's like this tomorrow I'd be reluctant to race on it,as you don't want to do any serious damage to your knee in the long term.Get it iced and elevated today and see how it is tonight and then make a decision about tomorrow.Get your knee seen to next week as well.

    Hazelnut,good luck with your hill race.

    Great parkrun,Cal,sounds like a tough course.Good day for the vets.

    Mollie,your coastal run sounds idyllic,nice start to your day.

    5 miles recovery run yesterday evening.Spotted two air balloons,I think they were going home after a display over in Oswestry.

  • Linton, you need to get yourself to a decent sports physio. Mine is great for sorting me out - he's also a marathon runner so he understands runners.
    Mollie, that does sound lovely!
    Well done JD. Don't often see balloons.
    A bit of an unscheduled adventure for me this morning! I had 20 miles planned for today and wanted to get out early before it got too warm. Woke up at 3.30am so had to decide whether to a) stay awake or b) go back to sleep and then risk sleeping in until 5.30 which would mean I'd be unlikely to get out before 7. So I went with a).
    Set out at 5.15am and headed straight down to Tooting and Colliers would and hit the Wandle Trail just as it was starting to get light. (This is a path that runs alongside a small river - very pleasant, but I was concerned about light levels here so didn't want to go out too early). As it happened, the sky turned an amazing red at this point and I hit Morden Hall Park at sunrise. It was really stunning - lots of low mist and pink and red.  I told myself, this is why you run, not the medals. (But to be fair, it is also the medals. :D)
    From there I headed along various roads towards Wimbledon Common, including The Downs which is a pretty nasty, steep hill (much bigger and steeper than anything I do on the Brockwell route). The common is on top of a hill, more or less, so if you're coming from my direction, you can't avoid a few climbs.
    I spent a few miles running around the common, which is always pleasant, though I'm never quite sure where I'm going after the first couple of miles as the common is big and has a lot of paths - I just kind of wing it.
    I left the common at around 13 miles figuring that would give me 7 miles to get home (it's about 4.5 - 5 miles using the most direct route) and I could add a little detour to Wimbledon Park, a Capability Brown-designed park that is also pleasant.
    I decided on the spur of the moment to try and find the big hill I ran up during the Wimbledon 5K Dash last year - go up that and then head back down towards the station and then home. But I went very, very wrong. Turned the wrong way coming out of the park and found myself heading towards Putney. I made a few corrections and found myself back at the common, but I was at the far end of the common. I realised at this point that I was going to be doing a bit more than 20 miles.
    From here I ran the most direct route home rather than the more interesting routes I usually choose, and hit 22 miles not too far from home. I decided I would stop here and walk the remaining half mile or so to cool down.
    Interestingly, I felt a lot stronger towards the end. I was running high 10s to start with, and even a couple of 11s going up hills on the common itself (I'm always slower on trail) but I got faster and faster as the run progressed and the last five miles were all 9:40s and 50s. I felt I could easily have run further, but didn't see any benefit in doing so (especially since I have a race on Wednesday).
  • Not good news on your knee LTT.  Sound advice from JD and Cal. A HM is a long way and you don't want to hobble that.

    Jealous of your sea views Mollie, must have been lovely.

    Great 22 miles Cal, you are in good shape for your mara.

    Hill race went okay, 4th in my age goup (small and no very fast runners this year). 14 and a bit km with more than 1000m ascent in 1:41:34, my second fastest time in four attempts. My back immediately started to complain during a gentle warm up and I was considering a DNS but decided to start off gently and DNF if necessary. Thanks to the conservative start I was able to run/march fairly strongly on the long hilly bits (up to 20%) where my back was okay - no jolting. I was careful down the hill from the highest point of the course and was overtaken by a couple of ladies but not one from my age group fortunately. Nice sit/sprawl on the grass in the sun for a while then cable car and bus down to the valley for the usual post race chat, awards etc.
  • Well done, Hazelnut - I hope your back is OK. I remember doing a half after wrenching my back in yoga. I was in a lot of pain the day before and wasn't sure I could run at all but lots of painkillers and a TENS device and I managed a PB!
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Cracking run Cal.That's dedication getting up at 3:30,or madness! I bet you saw other runners out early as well.

    Fantastic running Hazelnut,another great result.Hope your back is feeling better.

    Out the house by 6 for a 14 miles mountain run.Very misty on the tops visibility down to 50 metres,quite eerie up there,kept thinking about the film American Werewolf in London or Llangollen.So no great views from the tops,disturbed a few grouse from their sleep.Bumped into wildlife photographer setting up for the day.Took me 2:30 hours,legs feeling tired now but a really enjoyable run though.
  • I saw a few when I got to Wimbledon Common - no one before that, though!
    Well done on your run.
    I popped out at 6 myself and did 8 miles. A few cranky spots but legs weren't at all bad despite the long run on Sunday.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    LTT, so sorry to hear about your knee problem. It's the absolutely worst thing for a runner, I've no doubt you are gutted. Sometimes these things clear up quicker than we expect, but I hope you're giving it every chance to heal up. It doesn't seem like it now, but there will be great races in the future.

    Cal, wonderful morning run and just the ticket to avoid this horrible weather. Good effort on your alphabet and compass. I am using the same plug-in, albeit a long way back. How's the watch now?

    Hazel, another super run, both in terms of result and environment. Quite an impressive week all round.

    JD, I hope you remembered to 'stay on the path' during your run. If you've become a werewolf it's a very unfair advantage for future races. Nice 14 miles, another one of the group really putting the miles in.

    Mollie, lovely sounding run for you too, any food stops?

    I volunteered at Canons Park, Parkrun on Saturday, which I think is one of the prettiest I've been to. I did a run back from Jack Straws castle to home, expecting it to be all down hill (it was a recovery run). Of course, I miscalculated badly. No run on Sunday, just went crazy over the cricket.

    Monday night I ventured out at 28c to squeeze in a Tempo run, it was hard to start with, but I got in the groove for the 28 mins at HR zone 3. By the end I was a mess and I've never felt hotter after a run. Much easier this morning at 6:45, for another 7.5k foundation run. I'm considering doing two runs tomorrow to catch up, one of course will be fairly easy. 
  • I'm still getting used to the watch but I'll get there. I rather wish it had fewer bells and whistles - I liked the simplicity of the FR25, just not the reliability.
    I've not done Canons yet - it's the last parkrun I need to do to complete the Pirates challenge (7 Cs and an R) but as it's paved I'll save it for a bit as I need to hit the potentially muddy ones before winter.
    Did a very slow 4 mile recovery run this morning as I'm full of niggles at the moment. I guess I didn't get away with the 22 miler as well as I thought.
  • Nice mountain running JD - shame about the lack of views. 

    Tempo running at 28c sounds a bit of a killer enrvuk.  Be careful with catching up on missed runs - sometimes it is better to just let them go. 

    Hope those niggles ease fast Cal.  The bells and whistles are what put me off of some watches.  I especially hate having to remember combinatins of buttons to work the things.

    Group run yesterday evening - around 9 miles.  Did a couple on my own before meeting up with the others to see how the back was, only slight grumbling so I did the usual hilly loop as well.  I think that the pain was due to a stumble on the last hundred metres of last Wednesday's race - I didn't trip but my legs crumbled a bit and that probably gave a big jolt to my back. Feels okay today.

    LTT - everything basically ok?  I assume you didn't run on Monday?
    Will?
  • Hi, no I'm an idiot, and was too sheepish to post.

    Iced my knee over the weekend and bought a knee support.  On the steep declines I tried to shift all of the landing force on my right leg.  Also was incredibly strict with myself to just go 10-11 minute miles and NO more, under any circumstance, like a light gentle training run.

    It was an incredible event, best I've been to.  Stunning scenery, great marshalls, amazing but bloody steep route. Also 30 degrees !!!.  Made it up all hills but walked down a few (for obvious reasons) to confused looks.

    It felt weird crossing the line relatively fresh for the first time ever, knee aside, I reckon I could have knocked a good bit of time off. I finished in 2:20, about mid pack 280ish.  The heat claimed a good few.  Looking at the results a lot of people didnt turn up (480 ran of 600 plus entrants) not surprised, it was  SO HOT. 


    If I've made things worse it's my own stupid fault.  I immediately elevated my legs, ate protien, did stretches and sat in an ice bath.  Not something I ever want to repeat.

    Sore , but would be anyway.  Still clicking and clonking well, no swelling now. I've been clattered at football so many times it could be something from my past, also fell down some stairs once.  Going to do a full 7 days no running and see how I feel. I 'm hoping its just a mix of overtraining and a not-straight patella due to muscle tightness. Totally fixable I hope.  Will go to the doctors too.

    Great running everyone, would type more but must dash (hobble).



  • Enjoyed reading your unscheduled adventure Cal, I was never quite sure what was going to happen! If it'd been me I would probably have called a taxi, IF I had my phone with me of course. Good going on the progression.

    Nice result Hazel, well done. Glad your back held out OK. Have to say I shy away from hilly races. The Beachy Head marathon is local to me but I'm too much of a wimp.

    Four easy miles for me on Monday, three @ 7:39 today. Was toying with the idea of following it with a couple of hill repeats after a cooldown, but my legs prorogued that!
  • Well done Hazelnut!
    Linton, I've run injured before so I'm not going to judge - at least you took it relatively easy (something I can't seem to do in a race or a parkrun!) If you're going to the GP, see if you can get them to refer you to a musculo-skeletal specialist or NHS physio.
    Well done Mollie. I'd do the hill repeats as part of the run rather than after your cool down (I don't often do them really - I just run hilly courses if I feel the need for hills!)

    Speaking of which... Tonight's race was not at all what I'd expected. After the 22 miler on Sunday and the niggles I've been nursing, I wasn't really expecting much at all, especially as Brockwell is quite hilly. When I did the parkrun there I was happy to get just under 26, and figured I'd probably do around 26 this evening (I'd already settled on the 5K, given I had a three mile jog there and home again).

    Did my run there at a very leisurely pace, got my number and spotted another Chaser club vest so I went to talk to him - turns out he's just joined and was there with his sister who is a member of a different club nearer where she lives. We had a little warm-up jog  (not that I needed it, really) then went to the start when we were called. The 5K was starting first since there was a small clockwise loop (that includes probably the steepest path in the entire park, but at least it was only the once) before coming down off the hill and onto the main clockwise loop.

    Anyway, there wasn't a huge amount of people doing the 5K (in the results it 127  with a few DNFs - the 10K was more popular with over 300) so I was near the front even though I wasn't expecting a very good time. I guess I got carried along by the fast people (including the guy in my club, who ended up coming 2nd) and even after puffing up that nasty hill I was gobsmacked to see I did the first mile in 7:48. (To put that into context, I ran the first mile at Cyclopark parkrun in 7:45 which is a mixture of flat and downhill). The next mile had more climb but not as steep and I just tried to keep a steady pace and got it done in 8:09; then the final mile had some up but a lot of down and I did that in 7:59. I wasn't bombing down the hills as I'm still not that confident doing that at 5K pace, but used them as recovery from the ups. I then managed to push on to the finish and came in at under 25. Official time is 24:56 which is my fastest 5K race. While I have done four parkruns a little bit faster, they've all been on flat courses, and obviously not chip-timed, so I'm chuffed to bits. I was 7th lady too, and 1st VW50 (although the latter was out of 6).
    Got my medal and snacks (which I shoved into my hydration vest) and jogged on home. Achilles was a bit sore towards the end of the jog home so I will take a rest tomorrow.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Great 5k race Cal, that's a very decent run and nice to break 25m in an officially timed race. I'm not too surprised as you've looked strong on quite a few of your runs, but weren't going flat out. Imagine that effort/performance on a flat course. Well done on the age category win too. Part of the secret in 5k seems to be going out fairly strong, which you did. BTW, Canons Park has a bit that's off tarmac through some trees, but the majority is on path. Let me know when you're planning to go, I'm sure we'll run the same one at some point.

    Mollie lol, congratulations on your no deal 4 miles. We are alike where hilly races are concerned, but I hear the St. Neots Half I'm signed up for isn't so flat.

    LTT, doesn't sound like you've done too much extra damage and you have a race you'll always remember. Anyway, it's done now :-) I must admit at that temperature i'd have dropped out for sure. Enjoy your week off. Fingers crossed you and your knee will be raring to go after.

    Good to see your back has eased Hazel!

    Couple of runs today to catch up, they were both pretty easy and total distance only 13k. Generally fully agree with you Hazel. This morning was 6x 90 second sprints. Avg. about 350m per sprint. Sprint is a bit generous! Evening was my usual foundation run 6.9k. Feel fine now. Just working out where to fit my Long Run around the North London Derby!
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    enrvuk,that's a tough tempo run in those conditions.Should be getting cooler now.My sprints are very sprint unlike,all goes to pot after 30 metres.

    Glad you were sensible and not pushing the pace Linton.Well done in finishing the race.Racing in those temps is horrible,something you can't really train for.Most runners are guilty of racing when injured or ill,I know I am.

    Hazelnut, I have the P&D 12 week plan,thanks for offering though.

    Well done on your 5k PB Cal.Even more impressive when you're not expecting it and only a few days after your 22 miler.Gives hope to all us vets!

    5 miles recovery yesterday and just over 8 this morning 6 @ MP,legs still sore from Monday so not a bad run though.

  • Hello again all!

    I've been away on holiday and also tried to have a little internet break, so will catch up with you all over the next few posts. I can see you've all been busy doing lots of running. Great stuff!

    I haven't done a huge amount of running of late. Hectic family life and then an ace trip to the Azores has left me rather off-schedule as far as my Marathon plan goes. I managed a couple of Hill efforts while I was away, but also ate a lot of doughnuts and ice-cream, so some extra discipline is required over the coming weeks. The first step of this was a day of clean eating yesterday and then a 5 mile jaunt to get the legs going again. Unsurprisingly perhaps, I felt very fresh and put in a couple of decent miles. I did have to pause the Garmin and have a short break to help a woman who flagged me down after having a funny turn whilst driving. I helped her arrange getting home and then went back on my way. 

    I have Bristol Half in a couple of weeks, scene of my pb last year and I'm also doing a little project with an old friend, running the length of the Norfolk Coastal Path (83 miles) over a course of about 4 longies. Should be fun, although he has a marathon pb of 2:42 so there might be pace issues!

    Happy running all!
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Welcome back Will - you sound refreshed. Nice of you to help that lady (although not like you could refuse!)

    I didn't feel well yesterday. Woke up dizzy in the night and was still a bit dizzy in the morning, so took my rest day seriously and didn't go to yoga or anything, just a couple of walks and a nap in the afternoon. I later found a massive insect bite on my ankle so I reckon that is the cause of my feeling dodgy, rather than the running, which I initially thought. Anyway, I feel a little better today (still not 100%) but got out for 8 miles which I took slowly (11 min/mi pace).
    I am going to go and see my physio about my niggles - best to to get on top of them before they turn into something more serious. I've been running well so don't want to put that in jeopardy.
  • I thought you might do your half LTT.  How is your knee in the meantime?  Well done for getting round with a good mid-pack result in such hot conditions despite the knee issues.  Certainly get it looked at if you haven't done so yet - I would not want to rely on a knee support too long as it can make the muscles lazy.  Depending on the issue getting those nice and strong with some specific exercises would be better.  

    Beachy Head marathon is a bit of a challenge from what I have read Mollie.

    That is a great 5k result Cal - well done on your official breaking of the 25 min barrier.  Hope the dodgy feeling passes soon and a good idea regarding checking out the niggles as you are in good form and don't want to develop an injury now.

    Agree on the racing ill/injured JD.  I ran Sunday's race on painkillers for my back which is normally a no-no for me.  Somehow I decided it wasn't leg related so I could run on it but I guess I was lucky.

    Nice sprinting enrvuk - hope you can juggle around your schedule.

    Glad to see you back and in good sorts Will.  An internet break can be a good thing.  Interesting project along the coast path.  I hope that you and your mate can sort out your paces so that neither is stressed.  I'm on and off doing a project to run the length of the longest river in Switzerland - around 270k - bits here and bits there (some not too far away) - need to get back to that again when it (finally!) cools down a bit.

    Had a bit of a forum break myself for a couple of days - was a bit down in the dumps and fed up with work and life in general and on top of that had a crap run on Wednesday.  My own fault - I am a bit pressed for time on Wednesday and went out midday in the heat and the sun with the intention of doing some intervals - NOT a good idea.  Ended up breaking off part way the first one and sitting on a bench in the shade on the the verge of a panic attack because I was completely overheating and couldn't breath.  Should know better than to try it.  Legs also hadn't recovered enough from the 3 races in 9 days.

    Yesterday's run was much better - I went out in after 6:30 pm and though it was still very warm I could cope with it better due to the falling temperatures as I went along.  Started off sensibly and put in 5 miles of MP towards the second half of 11 miles.  
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Hazel, sounds like you've had a very tough week mentally as well as physically. After all that exertion, I hope you're feeling on more of an equilibrium. Going through a down phase about work as well here, running is usually a nice escape, but it must be very hard when you can't get that. I hope the non-running issues improve.

    You and Cal have had a cracking week or so of running.

    JD pleased I am not the only one who struggles with the sprinting! Hard to remember I used to run 200m in under 26 seconds. I swear that was a different person. Good miles from you.

    Will, welcome back. Sounds like you've been having a great time. Few go as far as altitude training for their running. You've got a lot of running ahead of you too. What was your Bristol PB?

    Cal, sorry to read about your dizziness, could be a combination of the bite and the rigours of running. Hopefully you're over the worst of it. You've put a lot of effort in recently, but you always bounce back quickly. What Parkrun are you doing tomorrow? Castle Park for me, hoping my 77 year old Dad will be doing his first one. 

    Very slow foundation run (7k) and a recovery run (6k) over the last couple of days. I broke through 200km for the month this week. With only a recovery run I've saved a little bit for the Parkrun. So far I've not run slower at a venue and want to make sure I break the 27:47 from last time. Should be easy enough. Then a recovery run on Sunday and my long run (c.19k) on Monday morning. Allows me to have a couple of beers before football. You can tell I'm a project manager at heart.


  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Welcome back Will,sounds like you've had a lovely holiday,nothing wrong with eating plenty of doughnuts and ice cream on holiday.That's a good deed you did helping the woman get home.Running the Norfolk coastal path sounds great,fantastic way to get your long runs in.

    Hoping you're feeling better Cal.I was bitten on the calf by a horsefly about two months ago,bloody painful for about a week.

    Nice run Hazelnut,glad you're feeling better.I had my totally crap run yesterday,must be catching! That 270km  project is epic,how far have you done? I fancy running Hadrian's Wall one day.

    enrvuk,well done on the 200km for the month.Good luck to your Dad on his maiden parkrun,very impressive indeed.Hope your team does my team a favour,enjoy your beer.

    Just over 8 miles yesterday afternoon.Didn't feel like running,feeling tired as I'm half way through six nights but forced myself out.Usually things get better when running but I just couldn't be bothered,very lethargic and laboured,I just wanted to get home.And to cap it off I have a slight calf strain,I think I've done it from some over zealous stretching from Tuesday's post run.No run today,calf is strapped up and I'll see how it is tomorrow.

  • Will ClennellWill Clennell ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Hope the bite situation has improved, Cal. Amongst all the great insects I've seen at work this year have been a lot of nasty horse-flies, more than usual. They can give you horrible bites and people react differently. 

    That river project sounds lovely, Hazelnut, and also nice and flat for your neck of the woods. Glad your last run was better and hope it cools down for you. I really appreciated the coolness of this morning's run.

    Good, consistent running, envruk, and I hope your Parkrun went well. I did 1:58 in last year's Bristol Half. I don't think I'll beat that in my current form, but under 2 hours would be nice. I've done 2:00 and 2:02 before so fingers crossed.

    Good stuff getting through 8 miles when you weren't feeling it, JD1. Hope a rest sorts the calf out. Yes, really looking forward to starting the coastal path project. It's got some stunning stretches.

    As for me, 4 steady miles last night, without incident and then I was out by 6am this morning due to Titsy, our cat waking me up to scrounge food before the sun had even thought about rising. I headed off down the Marriott's Way track for a 15 miler. The legs were struggling a bit from the off though and it turned out to be a very slow run, even by my own LSR standards. I needed to pop in some 2 min walk breaks at 5, 10 and 12 miles, which helped, but I'm trying not to get into the habit of relying on them. There was a real autumnal feel to it today. Crows, cawing, stubble in the fields and the leaves just starting to turn. Quite a few runners out as I got into double figures, all of whom said hello. I've discovered that Aldi jelly beans are far superior to the claggy Morrison's version, which was perhaps the biggest positive I took from the run. Still, 15 miles banked and good to know that I have plenty of work to do to get back to top form.
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Glad you managed to climb out of your funk, Hazelnut. You've been running well but progress is never going to be linear. It was a good idea to stop the intervals when you did.

    JD, hope the calf is OK. I find my niggles feel a lot worse when I'm resting - everything tightens up. I try to go for a walk on my rest days just to keep loose, but I do spend far too long in front of the PC.

    I haven't done Castle Park, enrvuk - hope you and your dad enjoyed it. You'll have to let us know what it was like.

    Will, not sure what bit me - we don't tend to get horseflies in London so I think it was probably a mozzy. I had a bit there two years ago and had to go on antibiotics. It made me feel quite ill (ill enough that I DNS'd a race).
    I'll have to look into ALDI jelly beans. I like the sugar free sweets that they do but they're dangerously moreish (dangerous because too many means risking a shart!)

    Anyway, today's parkrun was Beckenham Place, one of the SE London ones that is fiddly to get to (the last time I was there was a school biology field trip in the 80s!). Figured I'd do this one as a) it's mostly grass and I want to tick off the potentially muddy ones before winter and b) fairly flat, which I wanted after hilly East Grinstead last week, and Brockwell Park on Wednesday.
    I am generally not that fast on grass - I got a low 25 at Hanwell and a fairly low 25 at Bromley, so I thought I'd be in that ballpark although with my niggles and bug bite, I'd have been happy with anything under 26, really.
    Well, that didn't happen. I don't know where it came from, but I now have a new parkrun PB by 30 seconds! I got an official time of 24:09. What is going on with me? My body is like a bag of broken spanners but I it keeps turning it out.
    I didn't achieve a particularly high placing and was third in my age cat, but I don't much care. Oh and I got a WAVA of 71% - first time over 70. Blimey!
  • Boom! Amazing stuff, Cal. Well done. 
    I run, therefore I am.
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