My Last Run

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  • JD, got to 20 and then every mile I didn't slow down I was thinking I'd really have to have a catastrophe not to do it. I think the last two miles were a little slower but by that point it didn't matter, I could have run 10 minute miles and still done it.
    It still amazes me - I only ran a sub-2 half at the end of 2016, the same year I did my first (slightly disastrous) marathon. Back then I couldn't conceive of doing that twice in succession.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Persistence pays, Cal.  Terrific racing!
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Belated thanks to Linton ^ for comment about sports injuries.  Walking's good but it's not running....
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Brilliant run Cal. A great achievement on the day, but thanks to all the dedicated hard work you've put in over many months. That is a very comfortable sub 4 as well. You're going to need another goal! Look forward to the full report.

    LTT, I played LARP at Uni once, kinda fun, but kinda geeky, even for a geek! Enjoy your break.

    Malteser, I couldn't do LSR either until I used heart rate zones to guide me. This really helped me stay at a slower pace for longer runs. 

    Just a long intervals run for me around Tunbridge Wells, which is surprisingly hilly, but nice to run. Rested yesterday due to being a bit under the weather, but hope to do a 12 mile with some speed bits later.
  • Wow - well done Cal!  Well deserved after all the hard work / mileage you have put in and your consistent running.   Recover well.
    You asked quite a few posts back if I would be tempted by something like UTMB.  I do like my trails and hills but I think that is a bit too big for me (and considering the qualification and I think ballot on top).  

    Welcome to rm2099, MalteseMalteser and FinHill  

    Hope the physio and specialist can get you back to running soon swittle.

    Good news on the extra kilos enrvuk.  Good running from you.
     
    Nice trail running JD.  Good for you to have a new focus post Chester mara.  Must be fun to get out running with the dog.  

    Good to see you LTT, please be gentle with yourself.  Enjoy your holiday!  

    Did some running whilst on holiday though not as much as I wanted to.  OH wanted to do other things and I couldn't always fit in a run and I also had a cold for a few days.  Back home on Saturday and a decent 11 miler yesterday. Now trying to feel enthusiastic about a Sunday's half I signed up for months ago as my autumn A race.  Struggles with training and holidays got in the way a bit so I am not expecting much.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Well that was hard work, definitely not quite right at the mo. My immune system has taken a dive since increasing my running. Nice run, all the same. Went all over Regents Park as the night drew in. Plenty of runners, some football, swan feeders and of course the smell of weed. Strangely the speedy bits (400m - zone 3), seemed easier than the steady bits (1200m - zone 2). Managed 19.5k in a very slow time, but at least I did it. 
  • Thank you for the warm welcome, JD and Hazel!

    Ankle was still playing up a bit this morning, has been the last couple of days. Seems like something to do with my medials and/or my Soleus so decided to take the 4m run on the treadmill a bit easy...or so I thought. First mile was okay and the ankle/calf niggle combination seemed to wear off so I thought I'd go a bit faster. Threw caution to the wind and did 3m in about 28 minutes (so still off PB pace, but that was owing to the slightly slower start) but dug down, pushed hard (I'm really not getting the point of 'easy' runs am I?) and managed to do 4m in 36:03, so that was a new PB for me - happy days.

    enrvuk - 19.5k is nothing to be scoffed at! That's still a long distance to run, regardless of how fast or slow you did it! All practice and training for the next one I guess.

    Cal - great to hear that you managed it in sub-4 hours, that's quite an achievement! Get some well-earned rest for a couple of days and celebrate a little
  • enrvuk - yes I battle with my immune system. Got a bit of a sore throat now, although it hasn't shown any signs of turning into a full-blown cold. I'm going to rest for a few days. I don't want to end up with shingles again.

    Welcome Malteser - careful of those lower legs. I think it's fine to test yourself but don't do all your runs like that! I do most of my runs at an easy pace and practise race pace from time to time, but I'll save my hard efforts for parkrun and races.

    Decided to buy my race photos - after all it was a significant milestone.
  • Great photo Cal! And smiling! Seen a few Clapham chasers shirts at races in kent. Great result!

    Enjoying being in the forest! Managed 3 miles last night and 5.5 today. Running on soft, bouncy leaf mulch and having a hot tub here seems to help. I swear driving lots for work is also messing me up.
    If I'm healing I'll be overjoyed.

    Just a quick one, but great running all, have a great week all.
  • Lovely photo Cal - the guys around you don't seem to be enjoying themselves anywhere near as much!  Are those the magic shoes?  I got my sticky fingers on some in a shop before my holiday - 30% reduction but I wasn't really tempted (yet). Can't remember which version exactly though.

    Maybe a cutback week would help you envruk?  Or if you have increased your mileage then less intensity for a couple of weeks?  Almost 20k is a good distance anyway.

    Malteser, I keep wanting eat some!  Could you change your avatar to a stalk of brocoli or something similar?  Well done on your 4 miles. 

    Seems you are enjoying your holiday LTT - can imagine the driving won't help your niggles.  Enjoy the forest.

    Standard group trot yesterday evening at a gentle pace to keep the group more or less together in the dark and sometimes fog.  Our founder came out on his bike as he probably needs a meniscus OP :/
  • Sounds like just the ticket, Linton.
    Thanks, Hazelnut. I make a point of smiling lots during marathons (not just at the photographers) - it works for Kipchoge so it has to be worth a try, right? :D I passed a lot of runners in the later stages who had retreated into the pain cave and I have been there (I was there a lot in Vienna) but I don't want to go back, it's not a good place to be. So I smile at people, high five the kids (the ones in reach, anyway), thank the marshalls and try to encourage the people I pass.
    And yes, those are the Vaporflys. I was worried my feet might get sore towards the end but they were fine, actually. I saw a lot of people in the bright pink or green Next% - not sure if they're worth the extra £30 but that didn't seem to put people off buying them.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Great photo Cal, definitely one worth buying. I share your attitude to the races, I do the high fives even if I may not look like I’m smiling much. I’m more like the bald guy in your shot. 

    LTT good to read you’re enjoying the holiday and feeling better. Mulch has never been so popular. 

    Hazel, thanks for the suggestion. I’m over the worst now so ramping back up again, but I definitely ramped down for the first week. Probably not enough. 

    Managed a 52 mins run with 32 mins of tempo this morning. Still a little bunged up, but I can live with that. Forgot to mention in the previous run I was near deafened by a helicopter taking off from Winfield house, (where Trump stays). No idea who was on board, but I think they use it as a quick route to Stansted or Heathrow. 
  • Hazel - I won't change my picture I'm afraid, I like Maltesers too much but I'm using it as motivation to keep eating healthily (as if looking at it is as good as tasting them...!)

    Cal - Fantastic photo, especially for commemorating that sub-4 effort! Thanks for the tips regarding the lower legs too!

    Tried to take your advice on tonight's treadmill run, Cal. Was going to run 10km at 6:00m/km pace which I thought was my long, slow run pace. Turns out it's actually my tempo pace, so was a bit knackered after 5km (whoops!). Pace slacked after that as I'm not used to running further than 5k, so my tempo pace went between 6:00m/km and 6:40m/km. My patience went out the window as I wanted to do this in under an hour and doing the maths, it wasn't going to happen. So I upped the pace to race pace about 5:42m/km for the last couple of km's and cracked on. Came in at under an hour (just) but gutted that it wasn't an LSR speed nor that I was disciplined or patient enough to not mess around with the speed.

    Ahh well, at least I have some idea about my pace now. Pain in my ankles is less severe, too. Just more around my knees now and slight cramp in my calf but that'll pass. Each day is a learning curve moving towards the RHM now.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Nice long run enrvuk,upping your mileage can put extra strain on your immune system.

    Fantastic photo Cal,you look really comfortable and really enjoying yourself as well.I never want to return to the pain cave again!I was still giving the kids high fives towards the end of the Chester mara but I must have looked a really grumpy bastard.

    Glad you're enjoying your holiday Linton.Driving and sitting down for long periods of time will definitely not help with the hip injury.

    You might surprise yourself Hazelnut,you've  recharged your batteries and you've put the miles in,just go for it,always easier to say!

    You seem to be enjoying your running Malteser but I wouldn't treat every run as as a race and having to beat your PB,just need to vary your runs and pace.

    6.26 miles trail run on Monday,with just over 800ft of climbing.Don't know whether to wear my glasses when trail running as I'm finding it harder to pick out rocks and tree roots,especially going through forests,suppose I'll have to experiment.

    Just over 8 miles today,including 4 x 1 mile repeats @ 10k/p.Very foggy this morning and cold so I wore a long sleeve top but still had my shorts on.


  • Good point regarding smiling during races Cal - I have tried this during training on hard tempo runs and it did seem to help a bit.  Looking left and right in the races and interacting with those around you a bit as well.

    Glad that you are feeling better enrvuk.  Well done on your tempo run.

    Do you also run outside much Maltese?  Maybe less temptation to crank up the speed by pressing the buttons on the mill.   I'm still working on pace discipline for the slower runs - some days I can trundle on a recovery run or an LSR but others I go into let's get this over and done with mode as well.  What isn't so good if you run your slower runs so fast that you are too tired to run those where you are supposed to be running faster. 
    When I hit my paces correctly I try to remember the overall feeling of that pace - breathing, legs, cadence, stride length etc and then replicate that the next time. 

    Nice trail running and intervals JD.  Do you feel fully recovered from Chester in the meantime?  Can you get contacts rather than glasses?  

    HM dress rehearsal yesterday - 8 miles with a decent warm up with 6 x strides then 2 miles at HMP.  More or less hit that (a few seconds too fast).  I'm not sure I can hold that pace over 13 miles but I will give it a go on Sunday.  Most important thing will be not to set off too fast.
  • Quiet at the moment..

    6 recovery yesterday afternoon.  Legs were a bit tired.  Managed to keep the pace down except for one rogue km (mostly downhill).

    Damp and pretty warm here at the moment - funghi is sprouting everywhere.  The local school playing field is covered in ink caps (or similar) in various shades.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Hazelnut,good luck on Sunday,Im sure you'll do ok.Thers's a guy I work with who is doing UTMB next year,doesn't really appeal to me though.

    I'm feeling fine after Chester,have a bit of a sore throat which comes and goes,usually in the evenings.I've cut my running back to 20 - 25 miles p/w but I'm doing about 3 gym classes a week instead.

    8.30 miles trail run yesterday aftertrnoon,with just over 1000 ft climb.I was reading on a fellrunning website about shredding your quads on your descent and they were saying to come down leaning forward and don't put your weight through your heels,so with that in mind I flew down and at the moment my quads are fine,usually they're sore for 2 -3 days after.

  • Hazelnut, it's great you're going for it at the HM - only a couple of weeks ago you were talking about not running. I think you'll do it - it's always easier to run fast in races. I mean, cripes, look at me!
    Speaking of me, I've done absolutely nothing since the marathon. Like JD I've come down with something. It's like a cold, but without the snot - scratchy throat, shivery, generally run-down and sneezy. I know marathons can smash the immune system so I'm just resting. It's frustrating as my legs feel pretty much fine, but on the other hand, having this virus will stop me rushing back into training. I've done that before and ended up aggravating niggles so it's probably a good thing, ultimately.
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Hmm interesting tips JD! I also land on my heels when coming downhill, I shall try your suggestion. 

    Hazel, great to see you in fighting mode before your half. There is a lot of good miles in your legs, so I'm feeling optimistic.

    Malteaser, I really recommend a heart rate monitor on your watch to help with LSR. I really couldn't do them before.

    Get well soon Cal. Who said running was good for us?

    My sniffles have almost gone and I managed a nice mixed tempo run yesterday. Felt good and managed a PR for 400m and came close to my best 1k times. Went to see Gary Numan last night, so had the morning off with tinitus! 

    Have a good weekend all.
  • Hello fellow runners! 

    Back from holiday.  What a lovely place Forest of Dean/Wye Valley is, I didn't set the world alight, but managed  3, 5.5 and 7 milers, so I'm really hoping my hip is healing slowly.

    What a stunning place to run! More woodland trails than you could shake a stick at.  Ran to Symonds Yat (a stunning, high-rock lookout) at dawn, with Fallow deer bouncing off the trail,  awesome.

    Went on a night trek with an ex-military Bear Grylls type, and saw Boar too.

    Fantastic, apart from stabbing myself in the hand preparing a robust sweet potato, and having to get it checked at the local A and E, but all OK!

    Tomorrow is my first "Sunday morning long run" for a month, I can't wait! but am going to be sensible and walk if need be/see how it goes/bail.

    Good PR enrvuk glad the dreaded cold has gone.  I have started taking high strength vit. C and cod liver oil daily. Awful tasting!, will see if I'm more resilient to the office nasties this year.

    Rest up Cal! Hope you feel better, that's a fantastic result you must still be buzzing! What was your first marathon time? I'm tentatively thinking of breaking it down into 2.5 and 3 hour half marathons, so 5:30 aim maybe. A long way off though...

    Great running JD1! That sounds a great run. I do wish there was some "proper" trail running in Kent. I ran down some steep (almost) Welsh hills, a bit scary in the wet and road shoes! Definitely agree with the landing technique though.

    Best of luck for tomorrow Hazlenut! Glad things have improved and you' re out of the doldrums. Decent weather for a fast time tomorrow here! Have a great day.

    You seem to be enjoying your running Malteser, good going!

    400 miles on the Saucony Iso 2's now, do I crack out the new ones tomorrow hmmm.....






  • Morning!

    On my way to my HM in the train, good time for a read / post.

    Good point regarding the downhills JD, should improve my technique. Never have knee issues but the quads after fast downs - arrrgh! Must brake too much.

    Get well soon Cal. Post mara colds seem pretty common.  Gives your legs a chance to recover I suppose.

    Nice run enrvuk.  

    Seems you had a great holiday LTT. Glad the hand is ok.  Enjoy your long run but be gentle.  I dump my shoes at around 1000k, often earlier depending on how old they feel. 400 miles seems a good distance to start mixing in the new ones.  Have you singed up for a mara? Can't remember sorry?

    4 and a bit miles recovery with 4 strides at the end. OH came with me which was nice.  Even more funghi.  

    Plan is to start ahead of the 1:40 pacer and see how it goes.  
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Cracking holiday Linton. Sounds like a very refreshing trip with some never to be forgotten runs. Good luck today. I have three pairs of the same trainers now. Mainly to cycle them in the wet, but the oldest are up to 1000km and only used for the wettest days. I’d recommend you do at least 1 or 2 shorter runs in your new shoes before a long slow run, but that could be old fashioned thinking these days. Good luck with that long run. 

    Good luck Hazel. Going for 1h40 is might impressive. You’ve got the fitness hope you enjoy it no matter the time. 
  • LintonTravelTavernLintonTravelTavern ✭✭✭
    edited October 2019
    Good morning all!

    Just did 8.22 miles at 8.45 pace. Well pleased with that! Sore (achey rather than very painful) and glad to get home, but steadily heading in the right direction now. Must be patient!! That's 23.4 miles this week.  A glimmer of hope for Brett Owler trail half on November 24th..

    Good luck Hazel! 1:40! 7.6ish min miles. Wow, that's my 10k pace!. Have a great race. Where are you based? I'm sure you said but I can' t remember.
    There is the Lydd 20 mile 8th March. (A bespoke marathon training run) I 'm aiming at. Followed by the Kent Spring Marathon on the 5th April. Small, local and nice scenery (stress free in that respect), the trade off being hard and hilly!

    I wore my "old friends" today, but will cycle in their ice-white counterparts very soon enrvuk, with a small run or two.  I ordered some white Kipchoge-esque compression sleeves, but on arrival I think I haven't the ability to pull the look off, so they 're back in th drawer!

    Have a nice day all.

    I can now edit my posts, it's only taken 8 months of posting! Hopefully less typos for you guys to read!
  • Afternoon all! Been a few days but not done much running since my last post.

    JD/Linton - I am really enjoying my running, I'm finding that having a half marathon to try and prepare for is really motivating me to work hard and train hard. I've also found much more enjoyment in running now than before - looking at running gear/tips etc. in my spare time. I have definitely caught the bug. JD, I know I really shouldn't treat every run like a race, I don't know what's got in me that I can't be patient in doing a LSR. Something just clicks where I need to beat all of my previous times...ugh.

    Hazel - When first training for the half I began to run outside. There's not a lot of nice routes where I live, though, as I'm a bit out in the styx, and the roads aren't great either. Plus plenty of hills, too (my local half is known to be a hilly half). May have to get out running again sometime, though, I do agree that when originally running I was only thinking about rough min/km and not everything that a treadmill reading can give you.

    Enrvuk - I've used a heart rate monitor for cycling but never really for running - may have to buy my own and then give it a go!

    So I took some advice from Cal and my OH (who is new to fitness altogether) and took Thursday and Friday as rest days to let my legs recover. I'm on holiday for a few days this week at my OH's, so went to her local gym yesterday to do a 10k (it was sheeting it down with rain). Run went really well, was maintaining a faster pace than usual and I found that I had more energy, which was great. Beat my 5km and 4 mile times, and was pushing on with some slight calf cramp in both legs which I was managing to push through. Went to go and change tracks on my mp3 player around the 8.8km mark when I accidentally hit the 'emergency stop' button on the treadmill! Cue incessant swearing as I try to frantically get my treadmill up and running for the last 1.2km! The emergency stop had caused my legs to cramp more and my knees to feel painful.

    Anyway, ran the final 1.2km and managed to knock 2 minutes off my PB time (after putting the times before/after the stop together) so really happy with that, though feel guilty because it wasn't an LSR. Legs were in a lot of pain in getting back to the OH's so put on some ibuprofen gel over my knees and calves which worked a treat! Only minor niggling pain this morning which should be alright for a run tomorrow! Need to get myself some of this miracle gel!
  • Almost ashamed to report back a 1:34:32.. A 2:xx PB. Too much worrying about training not going so well but if I had tried to finish the full plan I was on I would likely have burned out altogether runningwise or ended up injured. Wobbled at 18k with nausea and dizziness but pushed through to the finish ok.  Pleased obviously!
  • enrvukenrvuk ✭✭✭
    Fantastic running Hazel, that is amazingly quick. You earned it with some great training. Very pleased for you. Listening to your body during the programme made a lot of sense. Well done.

    Linton, good to see you back and in pretty much full flow. Nice running. Dumb question here, but what are the compression sleeves for? Hazel is in Switzerland btw. Be careful and listen to your body at the sign of injury.

    Malteaser, your runs sound like mine from January to early March! Probably quicker than mine though. Well done on the PR, we've all been there with the emergency stop!

    Today's run was 22k mainy in heart rate zone 2 but with the last 2.3k in heart rate zone 3 for a faster finish. Total pace was 6:03/km, which I was happy with. St. Neots half is in 4 weeks. I'd be delighted with 20 mins behind Hazel.
  • Wow Hazelnut...so glad for you! You didn't have the easiest prep so I'm glad it all came together on the day. Fantastic time.
    Welcome back Linton.
    I am still off with the cold...haven't been able to speak for two days. I don't feel dreadful but I don't feel all that great either. Going stir crazy, though. I am doing parkrun on Saturday so need to get a run or two in before that...maybe tomorrow.

    Linton, I got some of the arm sleeves, although mine are cheapy ones from Decathlon. They do the job, though. Previously I was wearing a fluro yellow long sleeved top under my club vest which was not a great look, so these are a bit better and kept my arms warm in Yorkshire. Easy to roll down if you get too hot, too. If they make me look like a running wanker, I don't care. I am a running wanker. :D


  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Blimey Hazelnut,that's a fantastic PB,with the miles in the tank and the rest over the last couple of weeks,it's really paid off,well done.

    Nice run Malteser,I avoid the treadmill at all costs!

    Good to see you're feeling better Linton and enjoyed your runs on holiday.

    Great run envruk,expecting you to PB as well!

    Looking the part Cal.

    No running for me,just can't be bothered running after work,circuits tonight,back out running tomorrow.

  • JamesBJamesB ✭✭✭
    Worksop half

    Picked up running after a looooooong absence last August (I'd got FAT :!)

    Been running lots of 10kish runs or so, ~120 km a month I guess for the last few months.

    Anyway entered Worksop (My local) half

    First 10k which I got through in 56 mins felt great (Was targeting 2 hrs which was my previous HM time when I was running 7 years back, 31 then; 38 now).

    10-15k was so so(1:26:49)

    Last 6k started to feel like death, probably dehydrated, hungry (Struggled to eat on the run, normally can eat everything but heart working at threshold didn't fancy the fuel) and truth be told lacking the long run conditioning for a HM.

    Anyway got back in 2:09:35 so not great but not a complete disaster. Seeing a (somewhat dehydrated) sub 100kg on the scales for the first time in ages when I got home too was good too.

    Onward and upward !
  • Welcome, James - getting out there after a long break is half the battle. You'll get under 2 hours again before too long, I'm sure.
    I don't take on anything other than water during a half - I just have a small carb breakfast three hours earlier and that does me. No need for sweets or gels unless you go much beyond two hours.

    I finally ran out of patience so I've been for a run. It was so lovely out. Despite having no voice to speak of I actually didn't feel bad. A lot of tight, grumpy bits due to sitting on my arse for a week but that's to be expected (achilles was fine, though - it seems I might have turned a corner with that one...hopefully).
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