My Last Run

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Comments

  • JT141JT141 ✭✭✭
    Congratulations Linton. As much a feat of will as anything. Hope you're not damaged. Good long miles everybody.
    It is wet. Things are a bit floody. 7.8miles in bit over 59mins. Pretty wheezey to start and had a headache. More or less shook it off. Another trip down unfamiliar streets, but have been scouting google maps so roughly knew where I was going. More pace the last 2 miles as had a quick runner to chase after. I caught him. And I ate him. Well, no. Everyone looked a bit haunted in expectation it was going to mercilessly piss down any minute.
    A terrible thing has happened. I have posted on twitter for the first time. And worse, a reply I tweeted has picked up several retweets and hundreds of likes. It's alarmingly self-engrossing. This isn't going to end well. It's like winning on your first ever bet and then destroying yourself seeking the same win time and again.

  • Wish it was cool and crisp here, Hazlenut - instead it's warm and wet. Sounds like you have your mojo back.
    I have yet to get involved with Twitter, JT...probably best that it stays that way.
    Good luck with Bournemouth, enrvuk.

    8 miles today - found a gap in the rain. A little fatigue in the legs but not bad other than that. Achilles was quiet. I am suspicious.

  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Lovely session Hazel, I also enjoy the non-standard sessions as well. It’s great to change things up. Yes, it’s the half in Bournemouth. 

    JT congrats on the mid-run snack. Definitely better than a gel. Twitter is a time sync I’ve largely managed to avoid! Sounds like you could be hooked. 

    Great consistent mileage Cal and well done on the rain dodge. You’re a model of how to train effectively. 

    Two short taper runs here 5-6.5k, unlike Cal both in the pouring rain, one with a faster finish. I had a sore knee after the first one, not so much after the second. But I am concerned pre-Bournemouth. 
  • No twitter here either - I do have an account but didn't use it.  No FB or Insta or such either - bit old-fashioned maybe.

    Always tempting to chase someone down JT but how frustrating does it get when you get passed yourself?  But at the speeds you do I guess I doesn't happen very often.

    Good timing for your run Cal. 

    Hope the knee niggle is only a taper tantrum enrvuk. 

    Group trot yesterday evening - first time I've had to wear a headtorch this season.  Also the first time we have been rained in in weeks, pretty gusty as well as the rain moved in.  Wasn't cold though.  A guy in the group is working on doing a coaching licence and has offered to set up a Saturday morning group for a mixed activity - coordination, athletics, strengthening exercicies - that sort of thing.  Sounds quite interesting and good of him to make the effort.  We are just a group of people who run together rather than an official club so something along these lines would be a valuable addition. 
  • It was certainly chilly this morning - had to bust out the gloves and long sleeves for the first time since early spring. I was going to do 10 today but decided after 6 miles I really didn't feel like it (nothing wrong with energy levels, just wasn't in the mood) so I did 8 again. With a half this weekend I can afford to cut myself some slack this week. Two minutes slower than yesterday although the effort felt the same. I've realised that going out at 9am (vs 6am, which I did today) results in a faster run, probably because I'm less stiff and have a longer stride.
  • And 6 miles done this morning. Still chilly. Nice sunrise, though.
  • Good to cut down before your half Cal, are you not starting to taper soon anyway? Which half are you doing?

    6 miles recovery yesterday at lunch though due to lack of discipline I ran that a bit fast.  Day off today so I decided to continue with my run the river project. 

    Pretty chilly this morning-needed gloves on the way to the station on my bike and didn't really warm up until I started running as it was quite cold in the train on my one and a half hour journey to the starting point.  Stripped down to T-shirt shorts and armsleeves bundling the rest into my rucksack. I had to retrace my steps after a mile or so as the army were doing some sort of manoeuvre which induced some swearing as I knew I had quite a long way to run. Unwisely ran the next couple of miles a bit fast and paid for that later. 

    Once I got settled in I enjoyed a variety of trails and tracks along a surprisingly quiet stretch of the river. Did roll my left foot quite hard on a wet pebble - more cursing - but no damage done. Up to HM distance was ok, the undulating approx 4.5 miles on top weren't much fun at the end and I wisely decided to take a strain station earlier than the one I had planned otherwise it would have been a 20miler and I'm not ready for that. Train back was late and I was glad of the extra layers I had been carrying. Nice outing though, good to see a different route.
  • Kingston, and yes I'm tapering. I looked at last year's calendar and I didn't run much at all in the four weeks before Chester - I think I was having achilles problems. But I had the best marathon of my life so I think a hard taper suits me.
    Glad you had a good run.

  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    JT,nice chase down,always a nice feeling.I'm with Hazelnut I keep away from social media,it seems to take over your life.

    Hope your knee is ok and good luck with Bournemouth, enrvuk.

    That's a great run Hazelnut, takes some organizing,how much further do you have to run?

    Good luck with Kingston Cal,hope you have a good one.

    Just a couple of runs for me, a 5.1 miles on Monday and 4 miles yesterday.I think that'll be my lot until Sunday.The start and finish have been moved because the heavy rain has left the racecourse saturated,so it's starting on a nearby road.

    I'm on my third night and I'm feeling good so fingers crossed I'll have a good run,starting to look forward to it now.

  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    With you on running quicker at 9 than 6 Cal. 

    Sounding good JD. Hope the rain leaves you alone for the race. 

    Hazel nice new route. Sounds like you’re really getting your mojo back. 

    Some bad news here. Woke this morning with a sore hip, same leg as the sore knee. Went for my run anyway which wasn’t too bad, shame it was dark as the park in Sth amsterdam seemed nice. It felt fine whilst running. 

    Throughout the day it’s got worse and worse. I’ve realised it’s down to pulling a trolley bag around. It twists my body and I’ve had problems before because of shoulder bags. Etc.

    By the time I got off the plane this evening I could hardly stand. Barring a miracle tomorrow morning I’ll be a DNS. 

     On the plus side I gave a good presentation at a conference. Would swap that to run on Sunday :-(
  • I hope you're OK, enrvuk, that doesn't sound nice at all.

    I felt ropey/run down again yesterday - fortunately it was a rest day and I did nothing more stressful than go to the cinema.
    Bexley parkrun today for my 100th run (and on parkrun's birthday, no less - good timing). Mostly paved course, and mostly flat but had two inclines that seemed innocuous but took a toll on the second lap (2 lap course). Time was slower than I expected. I saw the 25 minute pacer come past and mentally shrugged but when the 26 came past and I couldn't stay with him I realised I was still not 100%. Time was 26:05 which is a bit poor for me (I don't mind doing over 26 on a tough course, but Bexley isn't that...and given I did under 26 at Westmill, I am now concerned about how I'll perform at Kingston tomorrow). Ah well, guess we'll see. Anyway, another parkrun ticked off.
  • Not good with the leg enrvuk.  Any news ?  

    Good luck for Kingston tomorrow Cal - looks a nice course.  Well done on your 100th parkrun - new T-shirt?  

    Good luck JD also!  At least you won't have to start / finish on the soggy racecourse.   I probably have about 150k to go on my river run - I have done bits here and there (some in races) and will try to fill in the gaps in the coming months on the lowland sections.  

    6 mile recovery yesterday afternoon - legs felt pretty wooden but not sore as I set off and soon loosened up.  Given how they felt at the end of my long run on Thursday I was quite surprised how good they felt yesterday.  First outing in a lightweight jacket and long trousers in I don't know how long.  One of the two would have been sufficient really.
  • Yeah I haven't had the shirt claim email yet but I get the black shirt next.
    Encouraging about the legs.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    I’m still in some pain but going to run. It gets better after every sleep and a little worse as the day wears on. Annoyingly I am sure it would be fine in a few days if I rested, but I’m Lintoning Up for this one. There is a big hill just after 8 miles which will be the acid test. Next plan is to get a four wheel suitcase. So pissed off after all the training. 

    Well done Cal, maybe mentally you were holding something back for Sunday. 100 parkruns is no mean feat. Best of luck for the race you will have finished before reading this!

    nice recovery Hazel. It’s going to need to get sub zero before my outfit changes from shorts and T-shirt. I do wear gloves when it’s under 5c. 


  • Don't do yourself a mischief!

    Kingston Half Marathon today, which didn't exactly go smoothly. I had hoped to beat the PB I set in the Spring (1:53:45) but felt a bit under the weather for a few days and had a lacklustre parkrun yesterday, so it was looking a bit sketchy (at least my achilles has been behaving all week).

    The day didn't start especially well when I got wet walking to Clapham Junction (there were no suitable connecting trains from Balham, which is poorly served early in a Sunday) and then there was a 15 minute delay for the train to Kingston.
    However, the skies cleared once I arrived, and once I'd changed into my Vaporflys and lined up, I felt a bit better.

    Let's just say I did a good job of trying to bugger it up early on. To get a PB I'd have to maintain a pace of around 8:35 min/mile, which is quite testing for me. So like I fool I did the first four miles at 10K pace instead. (I actually hit the 10K point in around the same time as I'd completed the Pride 10K in August, which wasn't a PB but was still my third fastest time over the distance, in very windy conditions. So yes, I was going a bit too bloody fast).

    I managed to settle myself down a bit after that, but after 8 miles it was starting to feel very hard - I couldn't seem to get enough air into the lungs and I was forced to slow even more.
    I got to 10 miles at around 1:26 so I knew the PB was still attainable if I just kept plugging away and logging sub-9 minute miles.

    I started feeling much better two miles from home, but then I started to feel some abdominal discomfort. I knew I didn't need the loo (because I'd, ahem, taken care of that earlier) but it didn't feel good. During the last mile I got a stabbing pain that stopped me in my tracks, but I pulled myself together and continued, even managing to find an almost-sprint when the finish came into view.

    When I looked at my Garmin I saw I had not only achieved a PB, but had gone under 1:53. New PB: 1:52:56!

    Really not a good race from a tactical perspective, but I'm proud of myself for hanging in there when things got tough.

  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Well done Cal, that's a smashing time. We could see it coming with your series of PBs and generally excellent runs. Sounds like your tactics were spot on to me and yes you should be proud. What's your next goal?

    Yesterday was fun, my sister did the 10k, my niece the 1.5k and my nephew surprised himself with a 24:08 5k.  I woke this morning at 5am for a cloying peanut butter and banana sandwich and then slept til 6:50. Met Brother in Law and headed to the venue. After his customary three loo stops, we had a little warm up, saw a couple of unfortunate female runners relying on a bush and headed to the start. I got chatting to a runner who seemed to smell like I do 20 mins after a race. Maybe he slept in his car overnight? Sadly BO Bob (as we called him) picked up an injury after a few miles. At least i didn't have to worry about being in his draft!

    I was hoping to break 2hrs and definitely my 2:06:12 from Lea Valley. Stretch goal was sub 1:59. There was a delay to the start, no idea why, but the pens were nicely spaced out and I didn't have to do too much weaving. As ever when I run, the weather defied the forecasts, it was sunny and warm (for October). I was glad to have my sunglasses.

    I barely had a twinge from my hip, to the point that if I have a problem again, I am just going to run on it. It felt better after than before. I'd say it was odd, but I've had some funny business with my hip.

    It's a well supported race, at least two speakers blaring out Eye of the tiger, plenty of high fives given by me and a few power buttons. Various jelly babies, enough water, one gel stop (I had my own), bells, rattles and generally noise.

    I was surprising myself by running 5:20 ish pace for the first few kms and caught up with my BIL much to his surprise. He is running injured, I wouldn't be near him when he's fully fit. I then slowed a little as I was concerned with blowing up. The course has a couple of there and back sections which I didn't mind too much. The big test is at 8 miles with a naughty hill, I didn't think it was that bad, but I had seen it on youtube from last year, that definitely helped as it is a bit blind. A lot of people walked it. The bonus is that you know it's downhill, then flat after that. I passed my BIL on that bit (he finished 2.5 mins behind me). Then it was down to the promenade, quick high five from Mrs. RV and I was feeling really good at this point. 

    Next bit was the run down to Boscombe Pier. Naturally this was the section I found the hardest after entering it feeling good. You are just near the finish and then run away from it for a there and back. I passed quite a few people who were clearly thinking the same thing. The sand didn't help either. Bob was struggling on to that section as I finished, he seemed to have plenty of space around him.

    The last stretch was hard, and the wind and sand was in your face but you can see the pier which is the start of the end. I got another high five from Mrs. RV as I went on to the pier and had a little extra left so passed a few more people. It's a nice finish with someone reading your name and announcing it to the crowd. I knew I was on for a decent time. Chip time was 1:54:42. Bonus for beating Minnie Mouse and the Rhinoceros. Bloke in a tutu was a step too far.

    Final thought was that the training paid off, when until today I had no real idea if it had. It's a bit of a leap of faith to be honest. Of course it was cooler than many of my training runs, which helps. Hats off to the 80/20 programme. Next race is St Neots Half in about six weeks. 
  • I've had the misfortune of being downwind of a smelly runner - there was one guy I ran behind in two races last year. I think it's down to stinky kit.
    Excellent running, though, and you smashed your target so well done! Races where you go near or past the finish are always mentally tough - I've done a few. It's worse when you see all the fast peeps standing around with their medals and you still have a mile or two to go.
    I'd work on the hip mobility and glutes between now and your next race - plenty of time to get ready for that.
    Next race for me is Yorkshire Marathon in two weeks. As for halves, I'm not sure. I normally do one or two in February but as Tokyo Marathon is 1st March, that's going to be tricky. Not many suitable races in January.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Good day to all you 'My Last Runners'.  Just popping in to say I'm still hors de combat with a gammy knee.  Arthritis, over use [How very dare they?] and an old rugby injury seem to be top of the physio's list.  I've a special assessment in Dec. re imaging.  Walking 30 miles a week, and on a 150+ day Streak [old habits etc. ....]  Back in the gym 5 times a week.  I've not written off a return to running yet but the advancing years are not my friend.

    Wishing you all safety, strength and success!  :-)
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Well done Cal,fantastic running.Reading your post I didn't think you were going to do it but you stuck at it and you managed to do it.Really pleased for you.

    Wow enrvuk,what a great PB,like you said you put great faith in your 80/20 training and it paid off big time.Well done.

    My race didn't go as planned to say the least.I had planned and trained for a sub 3.30 but in the end I was just glad to finish.

    I had a really good sleep Saturday night,up at 04.45 for a good breakfast of poridge and bagels and then back to bed for an hour.I was in Chester for 7.45,chatting to other runners and feeling very relaxed.

    I placed myself between the 3.15 and 3.30 pacers.Straight from the first mile I was on target pace,I made sure I didn't go racing off too fast.I felt really good and straight into a nice running rhythm.Going out of the city centre we were supported by fantastic crowds,with their bells and whistles.

    Once out the city we were on country roads,approaching 9 miles and I noticed I was slowing down just a tiny bit but nothing to worry about.I went through half way in 1.43,so far so good.

    Things took a nosedive after mile 15,I started to slow down drastically and I knew I wouldn't be going sub 3.30,by mile 18 the wheels had well and truly come off,I just couldn't run.I was just shuffling along,runner after runner was just passing me by and I couldn't do anything about it.I was down to 13/14 mm,which is a brisk walking pace.It seemed like an age just to pass a mile marker and to be honest I didn't think I was going to be able to finish.

    Managed to get to the outskirts of the city centre and I just had to hang in there,the crowds picked again which was great,they could see I was in shit state and they gave me great support.

    Because the racecourse had been flooded the finish was down by the city walls along the River Dee,we came into the centre, then a lap around the park,before dropping down besides the river.Running towards the finish the crowds were fantastic,giving all of the runners fantastic support

    Finished with a time of 4.20,which by that time I was just happy to get over the the line.It took me over 2.5 hours to finish the second part of the race.

    Extremely disappointed in my race and I'm not even sure what I did wrong.I trained well and prepared myself for it.Going to take a week off from running and give myself a break,think this race will take a while to get out of my system.



  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    I've just been brave enough to look at my 10k splits,10k - 47:47, 20k - 49:12,30k - 59:27,40k - 1:24.That last one is a whopper! I came in at 4 hours for 40k, so it took me 21 minutes for the final 2k.That's some shuffling!
  • Well done Cal on another PB. Good you managed to calm the pace a bit after your fast start and then push through to the end.

    That is a huge chunk off your PB enrvuk!

    Hi swittle, nice to see you drop in, hope you will be back to running soon.

    Oh no JD, sorry to hear that your mara went so wrong.  From everything I read your trained well and it doesn't seem that you overdid the first half.  Well done for finishing, really can't have been fun to struggle from mile 18. 

    I'm on holiday since yesterday, one run beforehand on Saturday, 8 and a bit miles with 2 sets of 5 x strides. Another this morning 5 miles around a local lake (Davos).  Pretty cold and needed long tights.  Had to wait a bit for Lina the cow to finally cross the path and follow her mates to the pasture. Probably won't run too many miles in the next two weeks but hopefully quite a bit of cross-training to compensate.
  • Oh JD, sorry you had a bad race. Do you think you might be coming down with something? I can't think of another reason you'd deteriorate quite so much. I've had bad races but they've put me 4 or 5 minutes outside my given time, rather than an hour. If you can take any positives from it, it's that you toughed it out and finished. Great mental strength.
    You're right to take some time off to reflect. I am sure you will bounce back.

    Nice to see you, swittle - sorry you're having a rough time with injuries.

    Glad you're enjoying your time off, Hazelnut.

    No running today but my new massage gun came in the post and I had a play around with it. Left calf is very tight!
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Kind words, Hazel & Cal - often better than pills & physio!
  • 6 miles early this morning. Legs felt fine initially but some niggles started to creep in towards the end. Probably should have done 5 miles but I've not run less than 6 (aside from parkruns) in so long that it didn't occur to me.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    JD, sorry to read about your frustrating run. It sounds super annoying after the effort you put in. What was your fuelling strategy for the run? What was your previous PB? The half you run was pretty impressive. 

    Hazel, nice running and so kind of you to wait for Lina the Cow, we don't have such problems in NW London.

    Cal, pushing as ever! I'm sure it will pay off in Yorkshire. Is that a hilly one? Oh and what is a massage gun?!

    Swittle, very sad to hear your story. That must be a massive frustration for you. Fingers crossed you do get to come back and run some more.

    No runs for me, resting till at least tomorrow.
  • enrvuk - it's basically a power tool that you use to self-massage. The one I have a Theragun (cheapest model they do, but still not cheap...however, since my masseur charges £80 a pop, it'll save me money in the long run).
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Cal,I haven't come down with anything and I feel fine to be honest,so I'm left feeling puzzled why I had a shocker on Sunday.The only thing that felt different was I felt much more thirsty than usual,so I was taking water on much earlier than when I was training.You didn't buy your massage gun off Del Boy Trotter down the market did you!The joys of Netflix.

    I was using sis gels,enrvuk,had my first one on the hour and then another one every 45/50minutes.That is my mara PB,so plenty of room for improvement!

    Hope you can get back to running in the near future,Swittle.
  • Was that your first mara then, JD? Because that would explain a lot. I had a horrible time in my first one - got slower and slower and then the shooting pains started and I ended up walking loads. I was really disappointed with myself, but I do think the first mara is a real shock to the system.

    I decided not to run today. Didn't want to get out of bed this morning, which is unusual for me, and I feel tired and a bit run-down. For once I'm going to listen to my body. The training is done so there's not much to be gained at this point, but there are plenty of ways I can bugger it up.
  • Hi guys! Just thought I'd check in and say hi!

    Amazing running all, some brilliant results.  I'm on day 10 of no running ( I promised myself 2 weeks, minimum).  The feeling I've been drop kicked under the right arse cheek has gone.  I'm hoping my hip has healed through a long rest but I wont know until I run 3 or so miles.


    Sorry you were disappointed with your run JD I think that's a fantastic achievement still! I've seen on here your impressive training, so wonder why you ran out of steam a bit? Still very well done. 

    Fantastic half marathons enrvuk and Cal! Both brilliant times!  I hope one day I can go sub 2hours but with a pb of 2:14, work to do.  Both well done. Still unsure why race predictors estimate me so much faster from my 5 and 10k times, I clearly need more stamina!


    Have a great holiday Hazlenut, glad you are getting some running in.  I'm off to Wales soon on an adventure holiday, was hoping to do some running there, time will tell.

    Sounds like you're on the bench with me Swittle! I have one old football injury that manifests itself too (left knee) Hope you get back to full strength.


    I've just got to be patient now, how traumatic and painful that last half was is fresh in my mind! That said, I am looking forward to starting again, and hoping it will all be in the past.  I wanted to do 5 half marathons in my first year of running and have managed 4, so to get 1 more before the year's out would be great.

    Have a great week, hope to be back to contributing again soonish, hopefully!



  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Cal,yes that was my first mara,it won't be my last though!Although I won't be doing London next year as I've just received an email from them saying  I didn't get in.Seems like my first mara experience went the same way as yours,maybe I was being overly optimistic targeting sub 3:30 and should've went for sub 4.Still feeling very tired from Sunday but not sleeping well because my performance is playing on my mind and why it went belly up.

    Enjoy your holidays Hazelnut.

    Nice to hear from you Linton,hope you can get out running soon.

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