New Mature Runners Thread

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  • Evening all,

    Aquarius, I think that the cold temperatures may have something to do with higher heart rates. My average this morning was 152 bpm and I was only running very slowly with Sarah F in the forest. It was 4.6 miles which was far enough in the cold. There was still a lot of squelchy mud to wade thorough, but the grass in the fields was covered with frost, which was pleasant to run on. Ironically, my heart rate does sometimes show higher when running slowly, than when pushing the pace. Perhaps I am more relaxed when running quicker.🤨 I have a Garmin 235 which has an optical heart rate reader in the watch. It is said that the chest strap is more accurate than the optical.

    Molly, my spinning sessions are officially 45 minutes, but I always arrive early to get an extra 15 minutes in. We do a mixture of hills and flat roads with sprints and long efforts, especially hill climbing. A lot of the hill climbing is standing up off the saddles, but I remain seated, as advised by my physio when he first recommended spinning to help my knee to recover from the meniscus tear. I think I get more benefit by remaining seated, as it takes more effort.
    MV70 is the male veteran category for men aged 70 to 74. The MV categories commence at age 40 and climb in 5 year brackets. I believe the Veteran ladies start at 35. The age grading is especially noticeable in the parkruns as timings are calculated as a percentage of the world record for 5k set by a runner the same age. They are known as WAVA's. This could mean that an older runner has an higher WAVA than the first finisher, with a slower time. Oldies like me are still very competitive, as we can achieve age graded prizes in our age categories.  The world records were all set on running tracks, so the odds of anyone getting a 100% WAVA are virtually impossible.

    My reply to WtnMel and my own details were wiped out somehow. I will continue tomorrow, as I've got a lot to do this evening.
  • Evening All,

    Runningfox, I am very much enjoying your blog. Thank you for posting the link.

    Aquarius, How has the heart rate been?

    WtnMel, How was your first run back with the pack?

    HS, Thank you for explaining the competition categories. I think it was the 'V' that really confused me. And, congratulations on your time! That's wonderful :smile:

    Today was a cross training day. I think I am a little biased against cycling, as a form of exercise. I'm having trouble believing that the time on the bike is going to pay off in the same way that running the same amount of time would, no matter how hard I work. But, I made a promise that I would give the cross training approach a chance, so I'm sticking to it. And, my achilles is markedly improved-I'm even going to experiment with a speed workout tomorrow, and see how it feels...
  • Good afternoon everyone,

    Molly I knew you would enjoy RF’s blog. I do too, and if ever I’m feeling a little dispirited it gives me a lift, it’s so inspiring. As regards my HR issues, see below. 

    WtnMel I meant to ask about your next U3A meeting, I thought it must be sometime soon. You certainly get some really interesting topics. please let us know how this one went. Good luck tomorrow with your golf match. A bit of luck Margaret getting a free cup of coffee, particularly as it was your anniversary meal. Hope your club run goes well today, no excuses now you have your new shoes! :) As already mentioned see below re HR. 

    HS I use a chest strap for HR, and I know my HR can be high at the start of a run, then after a few minutes it drops to a more normal level. As part of a health assessment a few years ago I did a session on a bike wired up to an ECG machine, it showed my HR spike up quickly at the outset, but then fell to a normal level soon after. I asked the doctor why that happened, and whether it was something to be concerned about, and he said it was quite normal for some people and nothing to worry about (hopefully he knows what he’s talking about). I agree with you though that the cold weather does seem to give unusually high readings.

    I went for a run today but my Garmin played up so I got some very odd readings. At first I was concerned and disappointed to see that almost from the outset my HR shot up to 182 and stayed there for some time. I was really puzzled by this as the route I take along the old railway track although looking flat is actually slightly downhill for my “out” section (and of course slightly uphill when I turn around and come back). So I couldn’t understand why my HR was so high, particularly as I was jogging quite slowly as a warm up to a fartlek session. I checked my pace and was astonished to see it was 25.20 minute miles. Although I was running slowly it certainly wasn’t that slow, in fact I don’t think I could walk that slowly. While I was pondering all this I realised I had passed the bridge that marks the end of the first mile of my run, but when I checked my watch I found it showed just 0.82 miles. I know it was working properly from the outset because I checked the various screens and they were all recording data just seconds after starting to run. I decided to ignore my Garmin and did my first fartlek burst, marking the start and end with the lap button on the watch. I realised shortly afterwards that the watch had stopped recording completely, so I started it again and now my HR was 131 and my pace about 12 minute miles, which made sense for both as I was running slowly at that point, having just finished a fast fartlek effort. I didn’t have any further problems during the remainder of the run, so I don’t know what went wrong at the beginning. It’s cold today (although not quite as cold as a couple of days ago), and extremely windy. The wind was roaring overhead through the trees on my run, and almost knocked me sideways at times at exposed spots. As I type this now leaves and small twigs are blowing along our road. On balance I think I’d rather have the temperature lower and no wind rather than a couple of degrees higher and as windy as it is today. We’ve lived here now for a couple of years, and I knew when I moved here that it got very windy as it is a very hilly area, particularly so where we live, but I’ve never got used to the noise when there are strong winds. 

    We finally got our gas fire inspected on Tuesday, and the result was we needed two larger flues fitting over the existing ones, but apparently we don’t need any extra fireproofing material installing. So at last we can use the fire, thank goodness! 
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Evening all,

    Molly - the run today was lovely. There were 19 of us this morning and everyone was very chatty both during and afterwards (at the pub, for our post-run 2-for-1 hot drinks). I would think any type of cross-training like cycling, would be of benefit as long as you put the required effort in (like HS with his spinning) and it should mean your 'running muscles' get a break from time to time.

    Aquarius - today's U3A meeting about the electromagnetic spectrum was good. Its a self-help group so we don't have any experts - just someone who does a bit of research and passes on what they've found out. They're currently looking for a volunteer for the new year to talk about fuel cells and I'm wondering whether or not to volunteer to look into that subject. Thanks for the good luck wishes re tomorrow's golf. The practise session at the driving range went well - just hope (as ever) I can translate that into a good game tomorrow. I was going to let you know the hrm stats for today's run but the readings were very odd (probably the battery needs replacing). But looking back at some of November's runs, I seem to average around 130bpm and peak at 145bpm. Yay! \o/ to the news you can start using your gas fire again :)

    This morning's run was the first in the new Saucony Guide 13 shoes and (just as I expected, based on previous Saucony Guide shoes I've had) they were supremely comfortable.

    Have attached a photo taken during today's run. That's me 2nd from right (red top) and 'Zippy' (3rd from left, blue top) bought us all a drink as it was her birthday yesterday.



  • hillstriderhillstrider ✭✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Evening all,

    WtnMel, glad you enjoyed the meal, with a free coffee as a bonus.
    Hope you beat Alan tomorrow in your golf match.
    Hope today's club run in your new trainers is uneventful.

    Molly, thanks although that parkrun was slower than the one before. My excuse is the deep mud in the first and last k slowed everyone down.
    Glad to hear that your Achilles appears to be much improved. Hope today's speed work out doesn't aggravate it.
    If I were you I would give the spin bike a few more tries, as it certainly has helped me to maintain fitness whilst I was  unable to run properly. As  mentioned previously, I was spinning twice a week, but now just once. When I first started, the Instructor advised that it could take up to 6 weeks before the benefits began to emerge.  

    Aquarius, sometimes my heart rate is higher at the start of a run and then settles down, but at others it's the reverse. I tend not to take too much notice of the reading now. When I get home, I usually check what my heart rate is, and then check by taking the pulse in my neck and counting to 15 using the seconds on the Garmin, and multiplying by 4. There is usually quite a difference. Very strange the way your Garmin was "misbehaving."
    Your run sounds similar to mine. I did the Dibden Doddle again this morning with about a dozen club mates. It was well below freezing and even the mud had frozen, and the standing water covered with ice. We ran 8.6 miles over a very varied route. The leader know the forest "inside out," and the route is different each time.
    I won't be running tomorrow, as it is my birthday and I've booked a table for an evening meal with my sister and 9 club mates. My sister will be driving, so I can have a beer or two🍻🥘

    Meant to say that I'm glad you eventually got the gas fire problem sorted out!
  • Good Evening Everyone,

    Aquarius, It is good news that your Garmin seems to be misbehaving more than your heart. But, I would still find it frustrating to have my data messed up. Has it been overcast where you are? I have found that on some overcast days I do get strange readings off of my Garmin. Once it even recorded me running a 3 minute mile! I took a screen shot of that reading :wink: Happily it sounds like things sorted themselves out in the end. I do hope that your Garmin continues to fall into line. Congratulations on getting your gas fire up and running. I am a curled up in front of mine as I write this :smile:

    WtnMel, I love the picture! How fun your running group looks. I am so glad the run was a success and that your Saucony shoes worked well. Good luck on your golf game.

    HS, I appreciate your sharing about your spinning experience. It helps to hear that your instructor suggested six weeks to feel the benefits. I'll stick with it until my achilles is fully healed.
    Your Dibden Doddle sounds wonderful. I really wish there was somewhere to run outside where I live. I am hoping that enough snow has melted by this weekend, that there will be room for Nikko and me to get out on the roads.
    I hope you have a truly wonderful birthday! Your dinner sounds like an extremely fun and possibly epic evening. Enjoy!

    Today was my first attempt at a speed workout in quite a while. So, I took it very easy. I only attempted 3 x .25 mile intervals, with a .10 mile recovery in between. And, I kept my pace below my best 5K pace. The first interval was a little scary because I seemed to be running unevenly and veering some on the treadmill. I think that the injured tendon/calf is still a fair amount weaker than my uninjured leg, and the strength difference was causing an uneven gait. However, my running was much smoother by the second interval, and I even picked up the pace some on the third interval. But, I decided not to press my luck, and dropped down to slower pace for a cool down mile. My tendon is a little sore and I'll ice tonight. I don't think I did any damage, and it was heartening to run a little faster, even if it was for a very short time. That being said, I think that I will wait a couple more weeks before I try another interval workout just to be safe.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Evening all,

    HS - for a golf update, see below ;) Well done re the Dibden Doddle. Frozen mud can be nasty stuff if it dries into an uneven surface. Enjoy your birthday meal tonight and how useful to have your sister available to drive you home so you can have some beers!

    Molly - they are a good crowd I run with, especially since Claire our leader (middle of front row) has reminded everyone to loop-back at the re-group points. I've not tried a speed workout for a while - I always find it hard work to recover enough so that I don't slow dramatically before I finish my run. I'm much more of a "start steady, speed up gradually" runner. Hope the icing of your tendon stops it giving you any problems.

    A horrible wet, windy day here. We decided to carry on with the golf but the weather deteriorated as the round went on. I was 'topping' the ball a lot and was 5 shots adrift after 9 holes. I recovered a bit and didn't lose any more shots up to the 14th hole. But Alan faded dramatically over the last four holes and I clawed my way back. We ended with an honourable draw which was a satisfying way to finish our golf for 2019.


  • I did a 7k walk after the run last Sunday and I have done nothing at all this past week.

    Back to the park run today with 15mph winds so it could be a challenge getting below 25mins.

  • I managed 24.28....new PB.
  • Good afternoon

    HS -a belated happy birthday for yesterday, I hope you had a great night out with your sister and club mates. Your Dibden Doddle run on Thursday sounds very cold and hard work, so well done to you all for completing it.
    I think I’ll follow your example regarding checking my heart rate (taking the pulse in my neck for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4) and see what that tells me.

    Damien, excellent result today in windy conditions. Congratulations on another PB!

    Molly - it wasn’t overcast for my run on Thursday but I did run amongst a lot of trees (the route is tree lined on both sides, and in some places it passes through woods). I've noticed before that anything that could block the signal (trees, tall buildings etc) makes my Garmin go a bit haywire, and often it either can’t get the satellites at all, or shows me as running somewhere one side or the other of my actual route. However on Thursday the route it downloaded when I got home did fit my actual route, at least once it had started recording properly. I suppose I’ll just have to keep an eye on it. Now you mention it I remembered that sometimes Garmin shows my fastest pace in a particular mile as being around 3 minute miles. Perhaps we shouldn’t take the data too seriously, and like HS try to run by feel rather than data. 
    What is the weather like where you are? Have you managed to get out with Nikko for a run? I hope your achilles hasn’t given you any problems after your interval session, I think you are very sensible to wait a week or two before trying another one. 

    WtnMel what a lovely photo, everyone looks like they are having a good time. Nice of Zippy to treat you all to drinks for her birthday. Glad you had no issues with your new shoes.
    What exactly do you know about fuel cells, and how much will you need to research? I don’t think I could be brave enough to take that challenge on, but much respect to you if you do. Actually, I think it’s rather nice that it works that way (everyone taking a turn to present a topic) I suppose it puts everyone on the same footing and creates a sort of bond amongst the group. 
    A good outcome as you say for the golf since the weather was so dire. 

    A very disappointing parkrun for me today. It was my slowest ever I think, certainly the slowest for this particular parkrun. I knew as soon as I started to run that I was struggling, I just had no energy and my legs were still heavy and sore from a physio session yesterday. My breathing was heavy and laboured too, probably as I’ve a bit of a cold and the sniffles. Maybe if I’d picked a flatter parkrun I might have managed a bit better, but I still don’t think it would have been very fast due to having no energy. I’ll have to write it off as a bad day at the office, and hope for better next time. I’ve a 5k on Tuesday night at the coast, so I think I’ll take it easy until then and hope my energy levels improve. (One positive though, there’s quite a bit of uphill in this parkrun and I checked my heart rate near the top of one of them. It was 152, I know that’s still quite high but considering it was a hill, plus how I was feeling, I’m fairly happy with that.)
  • Good Evening All,
    WtnMel, Good job on clawing your way back for a happy end to your golf season! Especially in unpleasant weather :smile: It really is nice that you have such a fun group to run with!

    Damien Nagle, Congratulations on your new PB! That's really terrific.

    Aquarius, I'm so sorry about your unpleasant run. I go through patches where I feel like my running ability has suddenly disappeared, and my legs have no idea why I am expecting them to move. Congratulations on your HR reading at the top of the hill. I'm sure that if you rest up and get rid of your sniffles, you will have a really fun 5K.

    Unfortunately, my little foray into speed work may have been a bit premature. My tendon was still sore today. I'm trying not to be frustrated. I ended up switching today's 6 mile run with what was supposed to be tomorrow's crosstraining on the bike. Hopefully, I'll be able to run on it tomorrow. But, it will probably be on the treadmill. We had more snow last night and there is a lot of ice on the roads. Normally, I plan on a few weeks each winter in January and February when I'm stuck running indoors. This is very early this year. I am really hoping that we get some warm weather in the next few weeks and I can back to running outside. I don't mind snow and ice on the shoulder of the road, but there has to be a shoulder to run on so that I and the cars can safely coexist. Right now, the shoulder on the roads is covered with a couple feet of snow and ice. On the other hand, we pulled out our snow shoes and made some fun plans for some diverse cross training for next weekend.

    HS, I hope all is well with you, and you had a good birthday celebration!
  • Aquarius.
    Keep trying as it will pay off!

    I am looking at changing my running style as in my mind I look like a gomper on video whilst running.
    I am 14.5 stone and seeing my self on video it looks like my style is really shit(to me).
    Realistically I want to get a steady 4.20 per km over 5 or 10k but I am going to need help in achieving this.
    Any ideas?



  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all,

    Damien - was going to say hope the winds didn't slow you down too much at parkrun yesterday but then saw you got a new PB!

    Aquarius - as I mostly run around the streets, my Garmin doesn't usually have any issues with picking up the satellite signals. As you know, HS and I use Garmin Connect & Fetcheveryone to record our runs. You said your last run matched the route when you downloaded it - just wondered what you use to record yours? Was wondering about the possibility of connecting with you if its a website I also use (shan't be offended if you'd rather not! Maybe send me a private message with the details if you'd be okay with that rather than broadcast it on here). With such a large group of Thursday runners, there's often a free drink at the end as buying birthday drinks is a 'thing' we do. I have to say, I know nothing at all about fuel cells - I'll do some limited research first before I decide if its a subject I think I could talk about. Yes, the system of everyone (or most?) taking a turn to present on a subject we've all indicated we're interested in (via a tick-list of proposed subjects) means we share the work of researching/presenting. Sorry to hear your parkrun was slow - no doubt due to not feeling 100%

    Molly - sorry to hear your tendon is still a bit sore.

    I ran earlier (4.35ml). My right knee was 'twingeing' a bit in the first mile .. felt a bit like I couldn't put weight on it properly .. but I kept going and whatever it was that was going on, went away. The run didn't feel anything special but on my return I was delighted to see my avg pace was back down to 10:47mm and apart from the first slower mile which is uphill, I impressed myself with my metronomic 2nd, 3rd & 4th miles (11:23 10:37 10:36 10:37 3:41)  :)

    My heart-rate didn't record properly again - the chest strap definitely needs a new battery! Or I need a new chest strap!! :)

    In other news, my daughter-in-law announced on FB she's just finished the 'Couch To 5K' programme .. she'd only told her husband and her daughters, and only then after five weeks .. and is now planning to do the local parkrun. She is actually built like a runner (tall, slim, athletic-shape) but has previously never expressed any interest in running.

  • Evening all,

    I've a lot of catching up to do. It seems that when I miss a day or two, everyone enters lots of posts.

    Molly, thanks, I had a really nice time at my birthday bash. I got lots of presents including a framed photo of Sarah F and me taken during the recent New Forest Half Marathon. I didn't know it had been taken, but it is very good, better than the official photos which are usually very poor. I might post it on here if anyone is interested.
    I see that you tried some speed work which unfortunately has aggravated your Achilles again. If you ran on the treadmill today, I hope it didn't cause any further problems to your tendon.

    WtnMel, thanks I did enjoy my birthday celebrations and my sister did drive me home!
    I suppose a draw with your friend Alan was a good result at the end of the season.
    I also start a run or race steadily and then speed up. It was the opposite when I was at my best, where I used to start off fast and then try to hang on to it.
    Well done to your daughter in law completing the couch to 5k programme. Hope she does well in her first parkrun.
    Well done for this mornings run. That's very impressive, your miles 2,3,and 4 being so consistent.

    Damien, congratulations on your pb for the parkrun.

    Aquarius, thanks, as I've said above, I had a really nice time at my birthday bash and was really spoilt with lots of presents.
    Sorry to hear that your parkrun was so disappointing for you. We all have days like that though, my parkrun before last being a case in point.  152bpm hr up a hill seems perfect to me. It is bound to increase as more effort is needed for the climb.

    Hope I haven't missed anything out, but there was a lot to digest.

    I ran 5 miles on Saturday and it was so cold that I considered that was far enough. I ran 7.3 miles this morning at tempo pace and felt really strong. It was bright and mild, but very windy. It was hard running into the wind round the Marina. I had to hold on to my cap to stop it blowing away into Southampton Water.

  • Good Evening Everyone,

    Damien Nagle, I wish you the best on increasing your base pace.

    WtnMel, Excellent pace setting on your run! How nice that your pace has improved. It sounds like it will be great fun to have your daughter-in-law joining your park run. I got my daughter-in-law into running, and now she's wanting to run a half marathon. It's really nice to have runners in the family.

    HS, I am so glad that you had a fun birthday bash. I think that posting your birthday gift picture is a wonderful idea! Excellent job on your tempo run. I love days where I feel strong. And, the fact that you felt strong running into the wind is even more impressive.

    I ran 6 slow miles on the treadmill today with the incline set at 1.5%, and I am going to call that my 'long run' for the week (a mile longer than last week). Our temperatures are supposed to warm up over the next couple days. Tomorrow is a rest day, but I have high hopes that enough snow will have melted for me to get back outside for a run on Tuesday.

    My achilles is still not quite right, but it is better. I definitely lost some ground, with my speed work experiment, so I'm afraid that any hard training is still a ways away in the future...Sigh...I do miss actually running :/ But, I'll try not to whine about it, and just be happy that I didn't do more damage.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all,

    HS - well done re your 7.3ml tempo run. Glad to hear your hat didn't blow away!

    Molly - I couldn't have managed even pace over 3 miles like that if I'd been trying to run steadily. My daughter-in-law is in Warwick (hour's drive north) so it's unlikely we'll run parkrun together on a regular basis. My 'long' run is around 5.5mls at the moment ;) Well done for persevering and doing 6mls on your treadmill. Fingers crossed the snow thaws a bit to allow you to run outside.


    Going to grab some lunch shortly then some country dancing for me this afternoon (my first attempt with the local U3A group). Should be fun and apparently they do walk through the dances first so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep up with the 'experts' who've been going regularly for a while.
  • Evening all,

    Molly, thanks, I will post that photo later this evening. It's odd isn't it that some days we can run as if we could keep going all day, and others when it is just a short plod.
    Well done for your 6 miles on the treadmill. As I've said before, I've never got on with them, I don't know why. I hope you are able to run outside tomorrow. Definitely take it easy for a while longer and don't try to "hurry" your way back to faster training.

    WtnMel, thanks, it was a close thing at times with the cap.
    Hope the country dancing went well this afternoon. You can count it as cross training.

    It was sunny but windy this morning. I ran an easy pace 5.5 miles in the forest with Sarah H and Jane.
  • Good Evening All,

    WtnMel, How was the country dancing? It sounds like a very fun way to spend an afternoon. Were you able to keep up with the regulars?

    HS, It makes me chuckle a bit to think of the amount of energy I spent over quite a number of years trying to figure out why, on some rare days, I feel like I am flying effortlessly for miles. While, on other days, I feel like I'm not capable of making it around the block. I've tracked my nutrition, my sleep, my stress levels, my water intake and anything else that I could think of. I finally came to the conclusion that it is a mystery that is beyond me. But, it is the memory of those flying runs that keeps slogging along, even when I'm forced to retreat to the treadmill.
    It sounds like you had a pleasant run this morning! We're windy in the mornings over here, as well. I'm looking forward to seeing the photo. How fun!

    Aquarius, How are your sniffles? I hope they didn't blossom into a fully blown cold!

    Today was a rest day, and my achilles is feeling a little better. We've had warmer temperatures and rain for the last 24 hours. Yay! I have high hopes for running outside with Nikko tomorrow. Depending on how the tendon feels tomorrow, I'm planning on easy 4 miles at around my marathon pace.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all,

    HS - well done re yesterday's 5.5ml run with Sarah H & Jane. I wore my Garmin while out country dancing and wasn't at all surprised to see it recorded several thousand steps over the two hour period. It really was good cross-training and I worked up a bit of a sweat, especially when we did the "Gay Gordons".

    Molly - hope that Achilles tendon is continuing to improve. Good to hear you're taking things easy and listening to your body rather than trying to "run through the pain"

    The country dancing yesterday was great fun. Men are in short supply it seems (no surprise there) and there were only six of us alongside the thirty ladies. So I was made to feel very welcome and several came up afterwards to ask if I'd be coming back. I was able to keep up with the regulars and didn't have too much in the way of problems learning and remembering the moves. I wore my dance trainers I used to use for Ceroc 10-15 years ago. Unsurprisingly, the rubberised material in the soles and heels has broken down and deteriorated while they've been siting around gathering dust, so when I was taking them off, the heel part broke away from the uppers as the glue had broken down and I was able to see how bad they actually were. I'm just glad they didn't fall apart while I was dancing! I've had my money's worth out of them so they've gone into the bin and I'll use an old pair of 'normal' trainers in future.

    I've been out for a run this morning and did the same route as on Sunday, but a little slower, probably because of the strong wind and rain. Having put a new battery in my chest-strap I can let you know my hrm peaked at 181 in the first 200 yds, then settled down to an average of 141 and only climbed a bit to 150 as I sped up a bit at the end.

    Hoping to get out again on Thu morning with the club.
  • Here is the photo as promised. 


  • Molly, good news that your Achilles is feeling a bit better and I hope that you were able to get out for a run with Nikko today! 🐶

    WtnMel, I'm glad that you enjoyed the Country Dancing, and amused that you used your garmin to count the number of steps. 2 hours of dancing sounds rather hard core to me, but you are sure to have benefited fitness wise.
    It's good to hear that fitting a new battery into your chest strap has given you a more realistic heart rate reading.  Mine is often higher when I start off and then settles down.
    Hope you manage to get out for a run on Thursday.

    The weather is dreadful today, heavy rain and very strong winds which are forecast to last all night. I did my spinning class this morning. There were only 7 of us, out of a maximum of 24, all experienced "spinners," so the Instructor really "put us through the mill!" I managed for the very first time to achieve 100 revolutions per minute during the last 60 second sprint. This should certainly help to wake up my fast twitch fibres. My instructor is also a runner and I have seen her running in the forest with her dog several times. 
    The clubs session this evening, which was to have been a tinsel run in the forest with head torches, has been cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. 
     
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    HS - I don't take too much notice of the number of steps the Garmin suggests as I always figure it's probably wildly inaccurate .. but I was just curious with what number it would come up with. I guess I 'forgot' to mention the 'tea' break halfway though the dancing when we were treated to a glass of prosecco and a mince pie. And the real tea break at the end where we polished off the rest of the mince pies and some stollen <innocent face>
    I was glad it was just the battery needed replacing rather than the strap not working. Yes, fingers crossed for Thursday although it looks like it will be another wet and windy run. Well done re the spinning class and for your PB of 100rpm when sprinting at the end.
  • Evening All,

    WtnMel, Congratulations on having what sounds like a very fun time at the dance. I am glad that your shoes held together until the very end!
    I find that I have to replace my chest straps around every year and a half to two years, but I am really negligent about washing them. I am glad that your issues were resolved with changing the battery. Good job on battling the wind and rain.

    HS, First off: What a wonderful picture! Thank you for taking the time to post it. It is always inspiring to see happy runners, and you and your running partner look like you are both on the verge of very big smiles.
    Oh my gosh, at this point, I think 100 revolutions per minute is a far away dream-at least in any sustained fashion. Congratulations!!
    I am sorry that your tinsel run was cancelled. It must be quite a sight to see your group running with the head torches. Does the name 'Tinsel run' signify costumes?

    It's been very rainy here, as well, but the winds aren't too bad. The temperature shot up into the fifties (10-20 degrees celsius), so there was no way that Nikko and I were staying inside this morning. It still wasn't quite safe to run on the main roads, but the side roads were fine and we managed a very pleasant, albeit very wet, four miles. It looks like we're not due for any more significant snow in the near future, so I think that I'll be able to resume running outside. Yay!
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Evening All,

    Molly - I've lost count of how many years I've had my chest strap .. probably at least 10 years. Maybe it doesn't get enough use to wear out! ;) Re HS's cancelled 'tinsel run' .. the weekend before last, as I drove past a local park (Pittville Park) there were a large number of father Christmas's heading to the start of a similar run here .. and quite a few elves too .. but only one xmas tree that I could see. Glad to hear the weather has warmed up and you've been able to get outside to run on the side roads.

    HS - nice photo by the way. As I always say, if we ever got photographed together wearing our club vests, there would be a 'hardley' runner alongside an 'almost' athlete.

    I've been doing some more diy today - putting up a venetian blind in the bedroom I recently re-decorated. I still need to get a new wardrobe ordered (probably after xmas/new year now) and then I can re-arrange everything that is currently squashed into one wardrobe.


  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Despite the horrible conditions (wet & windy) I got out of the door and drove across town to run 5mls with the club this morning. Just a 'hardcore' twelve of us running today - though some of the others joined us for coffee at the pub after the run :)
  • Evening all,

    WtnMel, did you manage to run today. It's lashed down with rain all day here and I didn't run, see below.

    Molly, thanks, I was pleased with the picture and I have it on a shelf. It looks better enlarged and in a nice frame. That spin session really amazed me, as I had only rarely managed 90 rpm, so the 100 came out of the blue. It didn't last more than a few seconds though, but remained over 90 for the remainder of the 60 second effort.
    The tinsel run does involve costumes and in previous years has been run round the streets. One year, we stopped at an old folks home and sang a variety of hymns. We had obtained permission in advance, and we all had song sheets so we knew all the words. I really enjoyed it and it was lovely talking to the residents afterwards. I think that I am probably older than some of them☹
    Good that you were able t run 4 miles outside with Nikko, albeit in the rain.

    WtnMel again, yes, I remember mentioning that a couple of years ago there was an Hardley Runner and Almost an Athlete runner standing behind each other in the queue for the portaloos at the Salisbury 54321 trail races.
    You are obviously very versatile as you seem to be able to turn your hand to anything. I had my blinds put up by the company that I purchased them from.
    Well done running 5 miles in such atrocious conditions.

    I walked to the polling station this morning to cast my vote and then on to the supermarket and back home. I was absolutely soaked, despite wearing an anorak and cap. I should have turned my garmin on to record the walk, as it must have been about 2.5 miles. I was so wet when I arrived home, that I just couldn't face drying off and then setting off for a run.
    I had just arrived home when there was a knock on the door. It was the postman, and he had a parcel for me from my daughter for my birthday. She had enclosed a black t shirt with the Beatles "Sgt.Peppers Lonely Heart Clubs Band" on the front, a pair of "Yellow Submarine" socks and a wind proof running top. I took a selfie of me wearing the t shirt, and messaged it to her.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon All,

    HS - re being versatile with diy, things get attempted if I've done them before or think I'm capable. But I'm not very quick (just as well I'm retired!) and have my limitations. To put things into context, the bedroom venetian blind I put up took me four hours all told .. its the measuring-up I take my time with (measure-up numerous times .. drill once!). We ordered new blinds for the bathroom and en-suite and someone from the shop came yesterday to fit them .. and he was done inside the hour. And to illustrate my limitations .. Margaret asked if he could change the way the blind rolled-up (clockwise vs. anti-clockwise). He said he'd set it up the way blinds are usually done but was quite happy to change it and did that in a couple of minutes. Margaret has since decided he was probably right about the way he'd done it. But when I tried to switch it back earlier this morning I couldn't even work out which way to 'jiggle' the blind to remove it from the supports. Ho hum ..

    Reading about your Sgt Pepper t-shirt I couldn't help thinking .. would some young 'uns wonder who Sgt Pepper is or was? ;)

    Apart from failing to switch the new roller-blind back to where it was, I've not done a lot today apart from put together the grand-daughters xmas present (a portable ballet barre for them to exercise with) to make sure it is okay before wrapping it up. And I've been wading through the xmas & new year double-issue of Radio Times. It must be my age but I found despite pages and pages of programmes, films etc. there was very little took my fancy and which I'll be recording for us to watch.
  • Good Afternoon All,

    WtnMel, Good job on getting out for your group run despite the wet and windy conditions.
    I find that installing blinds is really difficult. I've tried it several times and I always make a mess of it, and my husband has to fix it. I suspect that he considered hiding the drill after one of my attempts. It sounds like you are making quite a bit of progress on your house. I hope you enjoy having it spiffed up for the holidays.

    Hillstrider, It will be interesting to see if you start reaching 100 rpm more frequently over time. I would assume that the faster turnover rate will contribute to a faster running pace. Or, at least that's my hope, with the cycling. At this point, I seem to be maintaining around 70 rpm, but that is in a really easy gear.
    Did the tinsel run get rescheduled? It does sound like quite a lot of fun.
    I think that your 2.5 mile walk in the rain should definitely count as your run. After all, you were carrying the weight of soggy clothes!

    We've dropped back into cold temperatures. Yesterday had a wind chill of 13 F ( or -10.5 c), but the wind wasn't too strong. I went out for a short 3 mile run at my half marathon pace. My tendon is getting better again, but I noticed that it was weak when I tried to sprint across a street. However, as I won't be doing any speed work for a while, I'm trying not to worry about that. Today is a rest day. Tomorrow, I am going to head out for an easy 7 mile run at marathon pace. It's forecast to be pouring rain, but at least it's not supposed to be sleeting.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Sod's law. It was sunshine while I was sat indoors eating my breakfast-time porridge. By the time I'd finished and got ready to run, the skies were darkening. Halfway through my 4.5ml run, the heavens opened and I was glad I'd decided to wear my waterproof. By the time I got back home, the rain had stopped. It was quite windy too .. so pace-wise, nothing to write home about.
  • Afternoon all,
    Just dropping in briefly to say sorry for not posting for a while, it’s been pretty hectic here the last few days. Steve finally got his appointment for cardiac ablation but we were only given about a week’s notice so we had to get Christmas shopping etc finished before his op on Thursday. Fortunately all went well, but he has to take it easy for a while so I seem to be rushed off my feet at the moment.  I haven’t read back on anyone’s posts yet, but hope to do so over the next few days. Hope everyone is well and enjoying some good running.
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