New Mature Runners Thread

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  • Afternoon all,

    WtnMel, good to see that you are picking up the pace again. 
    Good luck with your golf match against Alan on Friday, you must be feeling more
     confident now.
    Hope you don't get caught up in the Cheltenham Races traffic.

    Aquarius, that 5k sounded rather problematic. The weather, the chest light and then the niggle in the hamstring. If you ran today, I hope the hamstring was ok?
    No need for apologies, for your silver medal, a medal is a medal!
    I'm sorry to hear that you are still having problems with your gas fires. A very unsatisfactory state of affairs.
    I'm interested in the issue with the tickets for the Anniversary Games.

    I had a good spin session on Tuesday, ran 8.6 miles in the forest on Wednesday with Sarah F and 3.1 miles on roads today at tempo pace. This morning was the coldest of the year so far. I'm still running in shorts, but did wear my woolly hat.
  • Afternoon everyone,

    WtnMel I like the sound of that Science and Technology meeting, it’s good to get to events like that and take an interest in things you might not otherwise have thought of pursuing. I had a quick look on the internet for our nearest U3A group, but there wasn’t a lot going on there, so when I have a bit more time I’ll check out some others in the area. Well done for Monday’s 5.4 steady run and your 4.6 yesterday at an improved pace. Despite all your other activities you seem to be making good progress with your running. It’s hard to push for improvement when you don’t have anything to aim for though, so why not enter a race in the spring and work towards that? Hope your Sunday lunch went well. Sending you good golf vibes for tomorrow!

    HS - I used to love country dancing at junior school too. We only seemed to do it in the run up to Christmas for the Christmas party. I think my favourite was the Gay Gordons (hmm, I’m now wondering if that was Scottish dancing?) Strangely enough my toothache seems to have settled down at the moment. On Monday part of my mouth and down one side of my nose felt a bit stiff and numb (a bit like it does when the dentist gives you an injection) I don’t know if that was a good sign or not but I haven’t had toothache since. 
    Congratulations to Alice, I expect it will be some time before she gets back to running (if she can find the time that is). Sorry to hear about your parkrun. I find it is a problem getting in the best position at the start, too far back and you have to weave your way through the back markers, slowing you up, but too far forward and you are nearly knocked over by the speedy youngsters seeking a new pb. I’ve just seen your post today. You really are a glutton for punishment aren’t you - parkrun on Saturday 7.1 miles on Sunday, 8.1 miles on Monday, spin session Tuesday, 8.6 miles yesterday then another 3.1 miles today, that must be about 30 miles for the week. Are you in secret training for the Olympics next year? ;)
    I had a slow 3.8 mile run today with a few hills to test my hamstring, it seems to be ok, a little tight but that could partly be due to the cold and heavy rain during my run. I have a trail 10k on Sunday, it’s a new event and described as “challenging”, so I hope the hamstrings, and all my other muscles, survive the run.
    The ticket issue I mentioned yesterday - I had enrolled for priority booking for the Anniversary Games in London next July (we attend the Diamond League meeting there each year), and I received notification that the priority booking window would open at 10 am on Tuesday, so I duly logged on just before 10 and entered a queue, then when my turn came I quickly chose our tickets for the Saturday and Sunday and put them in my electronic basket, then clicked to proceed to payment. After waiting ages the screen eventually came up with a timed out message and advised refreshing it in a couple of minutes, which I did only to find that my tickets had disappeared and I had to start the whole process again. I managed to get some more tickets, but not in such a good part of the stadium, although at the same price. So I complained to British Athletics, and also to Ticket Factory (the company handling the booking for British Athletics) as a result BA arranged a swap for me for some better tickets, although slightly less good than my original selection, but as I hadn’t really expected anything more than an apology I was happy with that.

  • Just tried to edit my post (but failed) to say I can't believe you are still in shorts HS!
  • hillstriderhillstrider ✭✭✭
    edited November 2019
    Afternoon all,

    Aquarius, Wednesdays run was actually 10.26 miles and not 8.6. I don't know where I got that from. 
    Good to hear that your toothache appears to have cleared up, and that your hamstring seems to be ok. Good luck with your 10k trail race on Sunday.
    That sounds a bit of a nightmare with your priority booking for the Anniversary Games, but thankfully the outcome was fairly satisfactory.

    Today was a rest day. 
    To edit a post after you have saved it, click the post and a cog will appear in the top right hand corner. Click this and it will show "options" Click again and it will allow edits for up to an hour. I've just done this to ascertain that it still works.

  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all,

    Aquarius - shame about your 5K on Tuesday what with the chest light conking out and your hamstring causing some issues. However, congrats on winning your silver medal - and if the other ladies hadn't applied for membership, too bad (perhaps they will now?). Really don't blame you re the rant about the developers. There's a St Georges Day 10K that I've done for the last few years which will be on around 23rd April so I'll probably enter that again. Glad to hear your hamstring was (mostly) okay for your latest run. Bit of a bugger about those ticketing issues - I guess slightly less good tickets for the Anniversary Games is better than none at all. Good luck with Sunday's trail 10K.

    HS - unfortunately, today's pace was a bit slower today (see below). And golf and Cheltenham Races were both cancelled as explained below. Well done re your spinning and recent runs .. you're still in shorts!? (I must be a bit of a wimp). 

    Today's golf was cancelled as the course was closed due to the rain yesterday. Some minor flooding on some roads around here and one good thing was Cheltenham races was cancelled today (but may still take place tomorrow & Sun).

    So with no golf happening, I went for a 4ml run this morning instead. Nothing to write home about (a bit slower today) and I think that's partly down to my glutes having been tight lately (literally a pain in the butt!). So I've been stretching and roller-ing to loosen things up. It wasn't a problem before I changed to my new Brooks shoes so I don't know if that's coincidence and whether a slightly different gait as a result of using the new shoes may have uncovered an underlying problem. Incidentally, I noticed some 'bits' on the side of the new shoes (reflective pieces to make the shoes look 'flashy') are already coming away from the uppers. I've only been wearing them for a month! So will keep an eye on them in case the rest of the manufacturing process wasn't up to scratch and I end up having to take them back to the shop.
  • Evening all,

    I had a message from RW asking me to set a new password. due to a reorganisation of my account. 

    WtnMel, that seems a bit suspicious, your suffering from tight glutes, soon after buying new trainers which are a different model from your usual. It's certainly not right for bits to be coming away from the uppers so soon. It's not as if you are doing an excessively high weekly mileage.

    I updated yesterday to the Windows 10 October Features Update. It only took 30 minutes, with just one restart. Microsoft are only intending to issue one feature update per year, instead of two.

    I ran 8.5 miles on roads with Helen this morning, although the Garmin only registered 7.5 miles, as I stopped it at a road junction and forgot to restart it.
  • Afternoon all,

    Another very cold but bright morning. I ran 8.3 miles at a good pace with Giuliana.
  • Good Afternoon,

    I am a 56 year old woman who lives in the US (New Hampshire). I've been running for about 7 years now. My chief running partner is my dog Nikko. I 'ran'/finished my first marathon last month, and it definitely was not a glowing success. I developed some tendinitis on the outside of my left ankle during the training, which I stubbornly ignored. By the day of the race, I couldn't push off with that foot. However, after months of preparation, I was determined to complete the darn event. For the first 22 miles I managed a painfully slow pace in the back of the pack, which was disheartening, but at least I was moving. At mile 22, the cramping started in the left leg, probably due to my altered biomechanics and not enough fluid. So, I kind of limped and dragged my left leg for 3.75 miles. I managed to pull it together enough to shuffle through the end of the course and over the finish line. I'm determined to do better next year!

    I've spent the last month loosely following a recovery plan and working on the tendinitis, which is much better. In a few weeks, I'll start training for a winter half marathon that is held in my town in March.

    That's pretty much all there is to know about me. I run with my dog (slowly); I am middle aged with a stubbornly spreading waist line; and, I am determined to run a marathon that I can feel good about next October. Oh! In order to save my tendon, I am also going to try to keep my runs to 3 a week and use a bike and weights for cross training instead of running 5-6 days a week.

    I hope you all don't mind my popping in to post about my day to day runs. I would really love a place to post about my training just to keep me accountable, and I find your thread very inspiring.

    Molly
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Morning all,

    HS - I don't stretch regularly or do any gym work and my feeling is my tight glutes are because of that. I mentioned about them on our club's FB page and the general feeling was the new shoes have probably uncovered an underlying problem rather than caused it. I've only done 50 miles in these new shoes - in an ideal world, when I go back to the shop I got the Brooks from, they'll agree bits dropping off after a month isn't right and will swap them for a pair of the latest Saucony Guide 13 (latest iteration of the shoe I've been using for the last few years). Well done re your latest couple of runs. I have auto-pause set on my Garmin so I don't have to bother remembering to stop/start it when held up at road junctions. 

    NRP (aka. Molly) - welcome along. There's only a handful of us here on a regular basis but we're a friendly bunch. We used to have another lady posted her who ran and swam with her dogs as well as doing obedience training competitions - but she drifted away some time back. I've never entered a marathon myself but when I've tried a half-marathon a few times, have suffered with cramps and had to hobble over the last few miles. That was about 5 years ago and I haven't attempted anything further than a 10K since then. On a good week I manage 3 runs - I've never tried (or been tempted) to run any more times than that.

    I'm still stretching and roller-ing to trey and loosen up my glutes. I'm about to go out and sweep up some leaves from the drive but will try not to over-do things. Off to a U3A meeting later this afternoon so if I have time, I'll try and get out for a run later on.
  • Evening all,

    Welcome to the forum Molly, we are always looking for new contributors because as WtnMel says, there only a few regulars now. I've run 14 marathons and numerous halves. I had a meniscus tear in my right knee in June 2017, and have only recently begun to get some of my old pace back. I run 5 days a week most weeks and attend spinning classes once a week. My physio who I saw soon after the injury recommended spinning, and I went twice a week until my knee started improving.

    WtnMel, I used to use auto pause on an earlier Garmin, but found it a bit of a bother. I think that Saturday was the first time I had forgotten to turn it back on since I've had the Forerunner 235. I hope you will be able to get another pair of trainers when you return the faulty ones. Thinking about it though, the problem could well be that they are just not suitable for your running style and therefore not faulty.

    Another very cold but sunny morning. I ran 9.1 miles in the forest, the first 6 with Sarah F.
  • Afternoon all

    How nice to see the sun today, although sadly there’s not been much warmth in it, certainly not enough to melt the frost this morning, but still it does tend to lift the spirits after days of rain.

    Welcome NRP sorry to hear about your disappointing marathon experience, but much respect to you for even attempting such a distance. I’ve done half a dozen half marathons but never a full marathon, and these days I tend to stick to 10k. I’m a 65 yr old club runner, but rarely manage to get to my club for training since we moved a couple of years ago, so my running (particularly pace) has suffered as a result. I’ve still kept up my membership though and enter club events when I can. I usually run about 3 times a week but also do strength work and yoga/pilates. 

    HS, thanks for the advice about editing posts. I have managed to do that in the past, but for some reason when I clicked on the little wheel this time it didn’t do anything. I tried a few times then gave up. Well done on your recent runs. I've also had a message from RW about resetting my password, I wonder why they needed to reorganise our accounts?

    WtnMel, I think the advice from your club mates about your glutes sounds about right. I’ve heard of that before, where someone changes to a new make of shoe and subsequently has biomechanics problems. Might be a good idea to see a physio, or better still a podiatrist. The first time I wore my trail shoes a bit of webbing (just decorative) came away. I took them back to the shop and they said they would change them, but I said I just wanted them to be aware of the situation in case the shoe deteriorated any further, if it did then I would accept their offer, but if it didn’t I was happy to keep the shoes. As it happens the shoes were fine and I’m still wearing them for trail and XC three years later. I can understand you wanting to change back to your Saucony ones though if you feel more comfortable in them. 

    Gas fire saga update - the local BBC news led with an item about it on the lunchtime news today! One of the residents on the estate was so fed up he contacted the BBC and they came to his house to do an interview. I wonder if that will get things moving……?

    My 10k trail run on Sunday was quite an experience. It was the first time this particular run has been held so no-one knew what to expect. We had been warned it would be muddy, and my goodness, it was indeed muddy! Also it was more XC than trail, there were some trail sections through woods but mostly it was on waterlogged rough stoney tracks or grass (which looked like grass, but was actually a quagmire that you sank into ankle deep) and there was so many flooded sections that we soon gave up trying to skirt them and instead just ran through. A lot of the time we had to go single file and consequently often had to slow to a walking pace as people ahead of us were slowing up through tackling particularly deep muddy sections. Also, a first for me, I fell around mile 2. I think my right foot landed on a loose rock that skittered away to the side taking my leg with it, so I toppled forwards - in what felt like slow motion - then skidded along on my side. Not at all elegant. I was covered head to toe in mud, even my Garmin was caked in mud. However there was no lasting damage to me or the Garmin fortunately. I have a sore right hand, arm and shoulder today (I’d automatically put my right hand out to cushion my fall) and my knees are bruised, but otherwise I got off quite lightly. On the plus side there were bacon sandwiches at the end, and the rain held off until we were walking bak to the car. On reflection I think I would do that run again, but hopefully under better conditions. 
    I’m taking it easy today as yesterday was quite hectic - trail run in the morning, grandson’s birthday party in the afternoon and a meal out with friends in the evening. I’m just off now to do a bit of yoga before tea. (Then I think a glass of wine is in order :) )
  • Afternoon All,

    Thanks for the welcome :smile:

    WtnMel, I have a very wide foot. On the advice of a friend, I tried a pair of Brooks a couple of years ago. While the box was very comfortable, my heel wasn't well stabilized and the change cause a bunch of issues for me. It took a whole bunch of targeted strengthening exercises and a switch back Nike to resolve the issues. I hope your glute issue resolves quickly.

    HS, It is nice to hear that you cross train with spinning. My husband is a cyclist and has set up a bike on a trainer for me to use on the cross training days. I am hoping that the 3 day running/cross training approach will pay off. I figure that the half marathon that I want to run in March will let me know how the change in training is working out. I am going to miss running more frequently.

    Aquarius, I've never run with a club. I've always found the idea too intimidating. And, I am pretty sure that Nikko, my dog/running partner, would never forgive me if I ditched him for a bunch of humans.

    Today is a rest day. Tomorrow is scheduled to be four miles. Not much, but it will be the longest distance I've run since the marathon debacle. My fingers are crossed that my achilles is ready, and my legs don't still hate me.

    Molly
  • Afternoon all,

    Aquarius, it often helps to expedite matters when they are reported to the press or TV. Hopefully, this will produce positive results.
    Your 10k trail race on Sunday sounded like a real toughie, and just like the real cross country terrain from years ago. Sorry to hear that you had a nasty fall, but thankfully, you weren't badly hurt, just your pride.
    Hope you enjoyed the glass of wine?

    Molly, I'm sure that 3 days running with 1 day cross training will be adequate for a half marathon in March. Do try to ensure that one of them is a long slow distance run though.
    I do belong to a running club, but since my injury, haven't attended any club training sessions. I do, however, run regularly with my club friends, which means that I keep in close touch with events. 
    Hope your 4 mile run today went well, without any niggles to your achilles.

    A tough spinning session this morning which concentrated on hill work.
  • I have got a busy couple of weeks coming up. This Saturday I will be doing the  Fleetwood promenade park run and then the day after I will be doing the Preston best 5k run(I'm hoping to beat 25mins as I got that time the last two years and this year hopefully I can do it). The Following Sunday I will be doing the Fleetwood Rotary 10k run. I just hope there is no wind this time.
  • Good Morning All,

    HS, My training plan is calling for 3 days running (easy, tempo, long) and 3 days of cross training (bike, strengthening). I'm still uneasy that it won't be enough running, but I feel like it is best not to push my ankle/achilles too much and this lets me edge back into training. I haven't done much cross training on a bike before, but I really want to incorporate standing intervals. My husband suggested a 10 minute warm up, followed by 5 x 1 minute intervals standing with a 1 minute easy rest between, and a 10 minute cool down. We'll see how it goes...

    Someday, maybe when I'm a little faster, I'll try running with a club. But, the running clubs around here are intimidating for me. I live very near Boston, and the clubs tend to be focused on qualifying for the Boston Marathon. At this point, that is a goal that is beyond me, and I don't think that I could manage their training runs.

    Damien Nagle, good luck on your races! I hope the wind is at your back this time and you blow through 25 minutes to a new PR.

    Molly
  • Afternoon all,

    Damien, you've certainly got a busy couple of racing weeks. Good luck with both parkruns and the 10k. May the wind be with you lol.

    Molly, it certainly makes sense to ease back gradually into training. I didn't attempt racing for over a year after my injury, and all have been multi terrain. I can't offer any advice on spin bike training, as the Instructor plans the sessions which we follow. It's quite enjoyable as it's all done with appropriate loud music to fit the pace etc. My physio advised me not to stand on the pedals when instructed, as this could put harmful pressure on the knee. I have followed this advice, and still remain seated whilst the other stand. My instructor understands this, as she also runs, and I have sometimes seen her running with her dog in the forest. She always seems to be running in the opposite direction to me.
    My running club has a "Beginners Group" which is free and lasts for 6 weeks, I believe. This is taken by a qualified Coach, and Leaders. The aim is for them to enjoy the training and then join the club. The club has 3 groups, fast, medium and steady, so runners/ joggers of all standards are always welcome.

    I ran 6 miles this morning on roads, battling an icy cold wind. I was really chilled and glad to get home for a hot shower to thaw out.
  • Evening all,

    Ran 9.5 miles in the forest this morning, the Dibden Doddle, with about a dozen club mates. Not quite as cold, and the wind had dropped.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    edited November 2019
    Evening all,

    I forgot to say that last time I logged on, I also had a message telling me I had to update my RW forum password. I actually entered exactly the same password as I had been using before and it accepted it (one less thing to have to think about).

    HS - must admit, I don't find the Garmin auto-pause a bother (I feel it buzz if I'm waiting to cross a road but largely ignore it). Well done re your recent runs.

    Aquarius - good news on the shoe front (see below). My main reason for going back with them was to be sure they were aware the Brooks were coming apart very quickly (in case it was a more general problem). I'd imagine the gas fire situation being featured on the BBC can only help the situation (companies hate bad publicity). That trail (XC!) 10K sounds like it was hard work. Glad to hear you're not seriously hurt after your fall. I fell over in mud while doing the Ridgeway Run a few years ago - no lasting damage for me either and it was raining so heavily during the race, my family didn't believe that I'd been caked in mud earlier as I was soaked through but completely clean :)

    NRP - so its not just me having issues after changing shoes then .. good to hear. I'm continuing to stretch and roller my glutes .. been running today (see below) and they're much less sore than this time last week. We have several runners who run with their dogs at my club's Thu morning session (they and their owners are all well behaved and don't get in the way of the rest of us). Fingers crossed for you that your achilles behaves itself. Shame your running clubs seem a bit intimidating - mine caters for all abilities and the name (Almost Athletes) is a bit of a give-away and hints that you don't have to be 'fast' to be made welcome.

    Damien - good luck with those upcoming races.

    Despite my earlier thoughts on the subject (ie. never again) I decided to go back today and give the Thu club run another go. I went there suitably humble but no-one made any comments about my behaviour last time I was there .. in fact, no-one seemed at all fazed I had returned and wondered where I'd been. And Claire has obviously 'had a word' - she reminded them beforehand about looping-back at the re-group points and I'm happy to say they mostly did.

    This afternoon I went into town and popped back to Up & Running to see what they thought about the flashing on my new Brooks Transcend starting to come away after only 50 miles running. I'm pleased to say they agreed it wasn't right and they have swapped them for some new Saucony Guide 13 shoes, no questions asked :) I wasn't expecting them to replace the shoes - but I'm not complaining. Excellent service from them anyway.

  • Afternoon All,
    HS, Is the Dibden Doddle a specific route in a forest? It must have been quite fun to run in a pack in nicer weather.

    My husband and I have driven to a rural area in Vermont for a long weekend, and I tried a 3 mile run in the woods this morning. The temperature isn't too cold and there are only a couple inches of crunchy snow on the ground. so it was very pleasant. But, it is very hilly here and I am definitely not up to 9.5 miles right now. I both admire and envy your morning run. Slowly does it for me at the moment. We are supposed to run a 5k a week from today on Thanksgiving morning. I suspect that I am not going to want to know my time. On the good side, I think that I my tendon is almost back to normal. I have some pain first thing in the morning, but it is lasting for a shorter time, and I don't have any pain while I'm running. But, then again, I haven't tried to sprint with it...

    Your running club sounds much more organized than our local club. It would be nice to have a choice of different pace groups to make the run comfortable. Our club is run out of a running shoe store. As far as I know, the difference between the groups is determined by the length of the run, not the pace.

    I had both dogs with me in the woods this morning. One is still under a year, so I don't usually run with her. And, she's not the most athletic dog so she probably won't enjoy running distance with me when she is old enough. However, both dogs thoroughly enjoyed our short run this morning. It really is hard to beat the pure joy that dogs share when then are running in the woods smile:
    Molly
  • I have done nothing since Saturday when I did a 10k. Tonight I did a 7k with ease.Now time for a few beers seeing as I'm off work tomorrow to relax before the weekend.
  • AquariusAquarius ✭✭✭
    edited November 2019
    Good evening everyone 

    I’m just popping in briefly to say hi. We have friends visiting until next Tuesday, and we’ve been busy taking them for meals, sightseeing, shopping etc all week so haven’t had much time for posting on here. 
    Molly, glad to hear your tendon seems to be improving. I hope you have a lovely weekend in Vermont, that sounded like a nice run this morning.
    Damien, let us know how your 5ks and 10k go, good luck.
    WtnMel Great outcome re your Sauconys, and good that you’ve been able to rejoin your Thursday club run.
    HS Well done for braving the weather yesterday and sticking it out for 6 miles. The weather is certainly wintery at the moment, we often wake to a frost now. My knees are still bruised and a bit sore from my fall on Sunday so I trotted out for a short run (4.5miles) today to test them out as I have a XC on Saturday. Fortunately, once warmed up, they didn’t bother me at all. Fingers crossed I manage to keep upright for the whole of the XC on Saturday!😁
  • Morning all,

    WtnMel, good to hear that your return to your club was uneventful. Hopefully you will now attend club sessions regularly again. Also good that Up and Running changed your trainers without question.

    Molly, the Dibden Doddle is a social run for our club members and is a different route each week in the New Forest. 
    Good to hear that your tendon is making good progress. It's definitely very wise not to run too quickly on it until it is fully recovered.
    Our running club welcomes runners of all abilities. We don't have any really fast runners over the shorter distances, but seem to be more of an endurance club these days. I suppose being a 5 minute jog from the Leisure Centre where we meet on club nights to the New Forest has something to do with it. In the summer months, club sessions are in the forest, but in the darker evenings on roads.
    We have a lot of dog walkers in the forest, but unfortunately, some of them don't seem to have any control over them. The forest has lots of ponies, cattle and donkeys which can be worried by dogs off their leads. Our local parkrun does allow runners with dogs, as long as they are controlled on leads.

    Damien, good luck with your races and please let us know how you got on.

    Aquarius, good to hear that your knee seems to be ok now and that you were able to run 4.5 miles without any problems. Good luck with your cross country on Saturday and hope you don't have another painful fall. Please let us know how you got on.

    Today is a rest day, so will be able to catch up with routine housework, paperwork etc.
  • Good Afternoon,

    WTN, I'm so glad that you managed to get your old shoes back and that your glutes are doing better. Injuries are frustrating! I love the name 'Almost Athletes'! I might even show up for a run with club of that name. It had never occurred to me that a club would allow Nikko to run with me. I don't think any of the clubs around here would allow it. While Nikko is extremely well trained and stays right at whichever side I indicate, I see a lot of people being run by their dogs, or even, run away with by their dogs. So, I can understand the No Dogs rule at the local club.

    Damian, it sounds like you should be in good shape for your runs this weekend. Enjoy!

    Aquarius, Are your friends running the XC with you this weekend? That sounds like it could be fun. I hope your knee is completely healed by then!

    HS, Thank you for explaining the Dibden Doddle. Your running club sounds very fun. Even though I run with a dog, I can fully sympathize with the problems of untrained, off leash dogs. Where I live, there is a real problem with dogs darting very aggressively off of their properties when people pass by. Nikko and I have been charged and followed by dogs many times. 3 years ago we were attacked by a dog that came charging out at us. It was an encounter that didn't end well for me (stitches), or the other dog (stitches from Nikko defending me). Nikko came out fairly unscathed. At least once, during each summer, I start considering whether or not to carry pepper spray. Not for humans, Nikko is good enough protection on that front, but for aggressive dogs.

    Today was supposed to be a cross training day, so my husband and I got creative and toodled around the adjacent snow covered field on our bikes. There was only around 1-2 inches of snow, but boy is it hard to ride a bike in. I mainly went back and forth over a dip in the field, while my husband rode in large circles with the dogs following him. I am pretty sure that we resembled large, strangely aged, children.

    We head back to New Hampshire on Sunday, where it is warmer and without snow. This has been a much needed break, but it will be really nice to get back to my normal running/training routine.

    Molly
  • Damien NagleDamien Nagle ✭✭✭
    edited November 2019
    The park run was a very windy return which was horrid. I did that in 25.31 not too bad considering the conditions.
  • Good afternoon every one, 

    Molly, sorry to hear that you were once attacked by a dog and had to have stitches because if your injuries, must have been horrific. Luckily you had Nikko to defend you, otherwise it could have been much worse.
    We haven't had any snow here yet in the South of England and today has been slightly warmer.
    It's always beneficial to take a break from running to allow the body to recover.

    Damien, well done for your 25.31 minutes parkrun. I'm hoping to get down to that sort of time in the near future. I've only done two parkruns since my injury in June 2017, and am just 3 short of 50 runs and getting my t shirt.

    I ran 6.1 miles on roads this morning with Helen at a steady pace. We finished with an approximately 100 metre sprint.
  • Hillstrider that is an impressive number of park runs that you have done...I'm only on number 17. You will get to 50 in time I'm sure!
  • Good Afternoon,

    Damien, congratulations on your run time :D Especially with the wind on the return. That's really great!

    HS, Nice job on the sprint at the end of your run. That must have felt very satisfying. Are the park runs races? What is the significance of getting to 50 of them? T-shirts are always cool!

    Well, we're back home on the New Hampshire seacoast-a day early. As I was suiting up to go for my run this morning, my husband checked the weather forecast to find that a pretty strong winter storm was being predicted for our area of Vermont, starting early tomorrow morning. As a result, we decided to drive back to New Hampshire after our planned day trip. Which meant that instead of going for my run, I spent the time packing the car and cleaning up the farmhouse we had rented. However, we had a nice day trip and a safe ride home. As a bonus, tomorrow's run will be in somewhat warmer air on snowless streets. Yay!

    I'm supposed to run a 5K on Thursday morning and I feel completely out of shape, vacation pudgy, and untrained. On the other hand, I may actually be able to push off with my left foot, so that's a plus. I keep telling myself that the 5K is just a training run, and not to take it too seriously....

    Molly
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Morning all,

    NRP - I've run in snow a handful of times .. it often turns to slush quickly here. For a visit to Norway (Northern Lights) we bought some shoe grippers .. I wore them on my running shoes and felt quite safe. I do have a treadmill in my garage which doesn't get much use, but when its icy it means I can still run safely. There's a lot to be said for discovering your inner child and doing 'daft' things most people the same age wouldn't. Sounds like despite the lovely snowy holiday conditions, you're glad to be back home.

    Damien - glad to hear you managed your 7k without problems after your 10k. Hope you enjoyed your beers. BTW, I'd be happy with that sort of parkrun time, even in ideal conditions (I've only ever done two).

    Aquarius - I expect you'll be looking forward to having a rest when the friends you are entertaining have gone home. Glad to hear you are recovering okay from your fall.

    HS - the man who took the full force of my rant wasn't there this Thu .. will be interesting to see how he reacts when he sees me back again. 

    Played golf with Alan on Friday. Far from ideal conditions (windy, raining, muddy) and after a bad start I was leading for most of the round. But I was getting tired towards the end, made a couple of silly mistakes and he beat me by two strokes. Which is an improvement as he often beats me by 5-10 strokes. 

    No running for me this weekend. Did some x-training yesterday moving furniture out of the back bedroom ready to decorate it this coming week. No running today as we're off to Warwick shortly for tea & cake (our grand-daughter's 11th birthday).

  • Afternoon all, 

    Damien, I did my first parkrun in 2013, so 47 not really that impressive. If it hadn't been for my injury in June 2017, it would probably have been over 100 by now.

    Molly, parkruns technically are not classified as races, hence the lower case. They are 5k in distance and mainly off road on grass and paths. They are held in most countries, but I know Spain doesn't have any. They are open to runners and walkers who must register to partake and are allocated a bar code. This is scanned at the end of the run to give a time and finish position. Once registered you can partake in any parkrun wherever they are held. Some participants are known as "Tourist parkrunners, as they try to do a different one each week. They are all free of charge to enter, which is probably why they are so popular. T shirts are awarded after completion of 50 ,100 etc parkruns, and are free except for postage and packing. There are "no winners," as they are not races, but do attract many club runners which can make it competitive "at the sharp end."
    Hope you had a good run today, snow free!
    Good luck with your 5k on Thursday, the same distance as a park run.

    WtnMel, sorry to hear that your were beaten at golf by Alan, but not by as many strokes as usual.
    Hope you have a nice time at your grand-daughters 11th birthday party.

    A bit warmer day and rain free. Just a 6.1 mile road run this morning, but at a good pace.
    There was a classic car exhibition at Hythe Marina this morning, and I wish I had taken my phone with me to take some photos. I got a "stiff neck" running looking to my left at all the cars. A wonder that I didn't trip over, not looking where I was going.
  • Good afternoon all,

    Molly so sorry to hear about your dog attack three years ago, it must have been a very frightening and painful experience. I often have a moan on this forum about the badly behaved dogs I encounter on runs (whether training runs or races) but although I’ve been attacked a couple of times I’ve never needed stitches I’m glad to say. My usual route is along an old disused railway line which stretches for miles from my house in both directions, and along the way links up with a country park. It’s a very pleasant route that winds through fields and woodland and is popular with runners and cyclists, but mainly dog walkers. As it’s a fairly narrow path everyone has to be prepared to give way to other users from time to time, but when dogs are running off the leash, and haven’t been trained to obey their owners’ commands, it’s hard to predict what they are going to do. Some are happy to ignore you, while others come straight for you. I accept it’s a shared use path, and it’s my choice to use it, or not, when I know that dog walkers will also be using it, so I can’t really complain, however I do get annoyed with those runners who run with their dogs at park runs (even though it is allowed) and races when the dogs are on a long lead and push their way through the pack of runners, pulling their owner along in their wake. I’ve seen people being tripped up or knocked off balance when this happens. I bet you are glad to be back home now, having escaped the bad weather that was forecast for Vermont. You’ll soon be back in your usual routine before you know it. I hope your 5k goes well on Thursday, I think you are right to think of it as a training run and just see how it goes. You never know, you might just surprise yourself…… :)

    HS What a shame you didn’t have your camera with you today for that classic car exhibition. They were lucky to have it on a day when it wasn’t raining. I didn’t realise you were so close to reaching 50 park runs, I hope you get there soon.

    WtnMel pity about getting beat by Alan on Friday, but as you say you were leading for most of the time so that’s a positive, and after all he only beat you by two strokes. All in all I’d be pretty happy with that if it was me. Hope your granddaughter’s birthday party went well (and you didn’t eat all the cake :D )

    Damien great parkrun time despite the weather. 

    I didn’t do the XC yesterday as I slept really badly the night before and felt wrecked when I got up on Saturday. I was really disappointed as I’d been looking forward to it, but I put my sensible hat on in the circumstances. I knew I would really struggle if I attempted it as I had no energy and I also knew it would be a very tiring course as we’ve had non-stop rain for ages so the ground would be very muddy and flooded in places. As it happens, when I saw the photos some club members posted later on I was right - talk about covered in mud….. :# So today I went for a 6.5 mile run to make up for it, but quite slowly as I’m still trying to stick to the 80/20 system.
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