My Last Run

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  • Hi Malteser - nice to see you back.  Good luck on your challenge. 

    Good news on the legs JD.  Nice parkrun time.  Agree with Cal, 10 miles is a good distance.

    Seems your legs recovered fast from the 10k Cal. 

    Group run yesterday evening (6.5 miles) - well there were only two of us out.  Very slow round, my partner was more interested in talking / ranting about various topics and he is not so fit at the moment so we had to go gentle.  Cold and clear evening, any damp bits were turning to ice on the (very) minor roads so some careful shuffling needed anyway.
  • Welcome back Malteser. I did 1940 miles last year so I'm hoping to crack 2000 this time around. And also hoping it doesn't break me. You will find legs feel a bit crap after a period of inactivity but it soon passes. Could you get out for parkrun on Christmas Day? Might help!

    Hazelnut - doesn't hurt to do a slow run once in a while. :)

    I was going to run yesterday (got a Sky engineer coming today) but I felt a bit crap (scratchy throat) so I rested instead and vowed to get up at stupid o'clock to get my MLR in today. Well, mission accomplished - out just after 5 and logged 14 miles. Felt pretty strong for it, too. All miles under 11 so that uber-slow phase seems to have passed, thank god.
  • Uff, that is early. Great dedication Cal. Agree regarding the slow run, running too fast too often is certainly more damaging. Probably guilty of the latter.

    Did compensate a bit this afternoon with an MLR, split into 1st half at the slower end of my long run pace then did the second half at the faster end.  Or slightly faster.  Was out a bit later than originally planned but a misty, pink dusk followed by bright moonlight compensated. Didn't meet a single person, don't know where the local dogwalkers were hiding.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Welcome back Malteser.You'll soon get back into it again,especially when the days start getting lighter.

    Cal,well done in getting up that early and getting that run done.I was still in work thinking about my bed!

    Hazelnut,do you and your partner race each other?Might get a bit competitive if you do!

    Just a couple of runs, 5.1 Monday and 6.15 today,both with Polly,she always does a few 25 metre sprints chasing squirrels and rabbits but never gets near them. 

  • Hilly 6 miles last night and my goodness were my quads crying afterwards (niggling beforehand, hills probably made them worse). Ahh well, the joys of getting back to it after some time out.

    Cal - can't believe you get up that early to go running, you must be mad (read: dedicated)! I'd much rather sleep I think!

    Hazel - I think sometimes a slow run can be beneficial. Hopefully you are not like me who runs at race pace all the time...
  • Malteser - it's not usually that early, although I will go out very early in summer to avoid heat. I'm an early waker anyway (I'm often awake before 5, and it's incredibly rare for me to be tired enough to sleep past 6) but I'll sometimes mess about on my computer until 9 so I can go out when it's light (I know it gets light earlier, but I don't like to run during the rush-hour/school run). I didn't go out until 10am today, although I was awake at 4:30.

    Hazelnut, that sounds rather nice. I am forever having to dodge dogs!

    JD, I don't envy you having to work nights.

    10 miles today with 4 miles LT pace, which was hard. I don't do a lot of LT runs but with a half coming soon, I felt I needed to. Got it done, anyway (despite having to dodge a man walking four large dogs on a narrow pavement!)
  • Cal, I wish I had the time to run like you seem to! I'm up at 6:30am most days, but have to leave the house at 7:30am to get to work for 9am. If I woke up any earlier and went for a run, I'd not have any energy for work - and there are plenty of nice running trainers I'd like to afford...!
  • Do you mean do I race against my OH JD?  If so: he runs a bit but races very rarely - he was just 15 seconds behind me in a 10 miler the last time we both did it - off of very little training for him and lots for me.. Grrrr.. (not competitive at all me..)  I do some of the same races as my running group partner - he is currently quite a bit slower than I am (so no real need for competition there..).  You should be happy Polly doesn't get the squirrels / rabbits - not pretty if she did - I regularly have to deal with mice in assorted states.

    Malteser - nope - running at race pace all the time would kill me for sure, I try to do a range of paces and save the fast ones for speedwork and racing.  You have a long commute by the sounds of it. 

    Well done on the LT run Cal - that is a toughie. 

    8 yesterday at lunchtime at my general aerobic pace (or a few seconds faster).  Couldn't be arsed to think up an interesting route so I trotted around the same field several times. (bordered by tarmac and hard tracks).  Half the village seemed to have the same idea (dog-walking, nordic walking, airing..).
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Good run Cal,which half are doing?

    Hazelnut,I'm always trying to think of new routes,especially if I'm trying to avoid hils.

    6 miles yesterday evening,dropped my eldest off at athletics,so decided to get a run in myself,it was all urban so it made a change.
  • Hills are good for you JD :)

    Two toughish runs: yesterday, first attempt at some intervals in a couple of months - 5x800 with 2 min recoveries (+WU with ssome strides, and CD). Had forgotten how hard it is to run at faster than 10k pace (just).

    Less than 24 hours later (not ideal), group training with hill running technique and some hill fartleks.  Effort level sensible but following a shopping trip (running stuff mostly) my legs are tired. LSR tomorrow.
  • Good 6 miler JD. As Hazelnut says the hills are good for you. 

    Well done on the two runs Hazelnut. I have to admit I enjoy group training.  There's something about the shared masochism of it.

    Parkrun today in the second of the club's Grand Prix series. Decent time of 23.35, especially as I'm still troubled by a sciatic pain going from my left glute down my leg. And my back stiffened in the last mile. Managed to beat one of the guys who was ahead of me last week,  but then he was stuck in the loo at the start, sprinted the first 250m to make up places and rather shot his bolt. 

    Going to miss tomorrow's LSR with the training group. I hate to do it but I think my back needs a rest. I've probably missed 4 Sunday runs in the last 14 months so I don't think I'll lose fitness. 
  • JD - Farnborough. I'm hoping the trains behave.
    GD, good parkrun, and enjoy your rest. My hamstring's behaving fairly well again after a post-Yorkshire flare-up but I've been doing my exercises.

    Hazelnut, cripes yes, I never seem to manage it in training, but then I do parkrun so that seems to fill that niche quite well.

    Speaking of which, yesterday I did Clair parkrun in Hayward's Heath. A bit further out of town but I chose it as it's a) hard paths all the way and b), actually straightforward to get to (one train change and very close to the station). I've actually arrived home later after some of the London parkruns.
    It's a small park, so it has the most laps I've done aside from Highbury Fields - four and a half. Unlike Highbury, which is on a gentle slope, it is bloody hilly. There were around 250 runners which I figured wasn't bad compared to many of the London runs, but Clair's paths are super narrow so apparently this is a lot for them (they had to ban running with dogs for this reason) and the first lap was pretty congested.
    The RD was really welcoming and came to talk to me as soon as she spotted my cow cowl.
    I did my usual one mile warm-up and realised just how hilly the park was. The main climb is short but damned steep - a bit like the one at Ally Pally - and then there's a more gentle climb before you come down again.
    First lap was pretty slow due to the congestion but it spaced out a bit after that. I actually liked the challenge of the steep hill and passed quite a few people there, but I kept getting passed by the same people on the downhill. It wasn't massively steep but still steep enough that I took it easier than most.
    I was a bit disappointed with my time (28:09) but then when I reviewed it in Garmin Connect, I realised just how hilly it was - Garmin made it 92m of gain which is very close to Mole Valley, the hilliest I've done to date. Thing with Mole Valley is that all the climbing comes in the first two thirds and then it's downhill, and a nice downhill I can speed down, whereas this being laps was just constant. Anyway, a good way to do some hill reps I guess!

    Today I was considering going out with the club for my long run, but I was awake before 5 again and didn't want to wait until 9 to run, so I went out at 6:30 and did 20, making the route up as I went along. At one point I found myself on Northcote Road near Wandsworth Common, where my club does a hill session sometimes (the road sits in a valley of sorts, so the roads either side of it are hills and you can zig-zag up and down them) so I thought, when in Rome, and did a few of my own (because you can never do too many hills, right? Nothing as challenging as Clair but I actually enjoyed it).
    I finished my 20 in just over 3:30 which is par for the course - started slow and finished faster so a big neg split (got to 10 miles in 1:49).
    And that's a 54 mile week done.

  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Two good quality runs Hazelnut,trying to run 10kp in training is always hard.I haven't done an interval session for a while myself,I'll have to force myself to do a session soon.

    Hope your back improves Guardog,good parkrun a well.

    Cal,that seemed to be a tough parkrun,like you said it's a good way to get the hills in.

    Had good intentions to run a parkrun Saturday but woke up that morning struggling to put my socks on after a tough gym session on Friday,so had a couple more hours of sleep instead. I managed to get out for a gentle 5.2 miles in the afternoon,with my four legged running partner.

    10.2 miles yesterday afternoon,kept the pace to a comfortably hard,with one eye on Rhyl in a few weeks.Thinking of racing it at a touch slower than 10kp and then trying to hang on,a good sensible approach! 


  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    Hope your back has improved in the meantime GD.  One missed long run won't hurt your fitness.  Good parkrun.

    Great long run and mileage Cal.  You are doing well for Tokyo.

    Did my own hillyish run on Sunday - 16.8 miles (or 27k) in just short of 2:30.  My OH came with me for the first couple of miles and then turned back.  The route contained a couple of long rather than steep hills.  My June ultra has a couple of those so it isn't a bad idea to put some in in training.  Pace average was 8:55 / mile so on target.  The ups were a bit slower the downs a bit faster.  Carried a rucksack as I wasn't sure of water supplies on the new route I was trying out. 

    Sounds like a plan for your 10 miler JD.  That gym session must have been tough!
  • Hazelnut, definitely. I always do some hill work even when I have a flat marathon as it keeps the legs strong. Good pace there.
    JD, well done on the 10. Is Rhyll a flat or hilly race?

    Yesterday was a rest/gym day - 15 minutes warm-up on the elliptical and then some back, shoulder, glute and ham stuff.

    Today I ran. I normally leave my MLR to Wednesday or Thursday but it looks like rubbish weather tomorrow so I did it today. Ended up doing 15 miles. Right knee gave me a little warning twinge during the first mile but then shut up. I suspect this is because it didn't like the downhills at Clair parkrun on Saturday - it has protested thusly before.
    Much later into the run my glute/ham got a bit achey, but I'm pretty good at ignoring that as it's grumbled off and on since 2017. I'll give it a good going over with my Theragun later (already had an Epsom salts bath).
    Those things aside it was an uneventful run. As I didn't go out until well after 6, it meant I was hitting the school run later into my run so I had to dodge a lot of kids on their wheeled implements of carnage, as well as dogs, wheely bins (I've lost count of the times I've whanged my funny bone on one of these bastards) and the Christmas trees that have yet to be picked up by the council. I managed not to trip over or bump into anything/one so that's a plus. Also saw a lady walking a corgi puppy, which was as cute as you can imagine.
    Pace was easy throughout - recovery pace initially but moving up to standard easy pace once I could see where I was going. I am definitely looking forward to lighter mornings.
  • Eventful run Cal.  I guess some grumbles and aches just have to be ignored, I think we get to a level of experience where you know which ones can be and which can't - but it does need caution.  If the level of whinging stays constant and doesn't get worse all of a sudden or start up in a new place then it's ok in my books.

    I'm also looking forward to lighter mornings.  Strangely I don't mind running in the dark in the evenings but I won't get up early in the mornings to run because of it.

    I am away at the weekend so in order to get a half way decent length run in this week I also did an MLR yesterday.  Tuesday is normally my group run day so I ran from home to the meeting point, did the run and back home for 12.6 miles.  Having changed the batteries in my headtorch running the rough path through the wood wasn't too bad though I did shuffle cautiously (stones, roots and errant cones).  With all the undulations I clocked up not far from 400m of ascent so it isn't surprising my legs are tired today.  Recovery (flat!) later.
  • Definitely, Hazelnut - if I get a flare up or if something new arises, then I'm straight to the physio. The high hamstring tendinopathy has been with me for years and varies from barely there to pretty grumpy so I just do my exercises and try to stay on top of it.
    I'm feeling tired and run down again so I think I may have overdone it a bit by doing a 15 two days after a 20. Usually if I feel like this and rest, I feel fine the next day, so that's what I'm doing.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Cal / Hazelnut - you're putting me to shame with these long runs!Cal you've done well getting out in this weather,some seriously windy weather.

    Just a paltry 4.75 miles yesterday evening.Wore my new  Saucony Fastwitch,lovely and light but not very comfortable,not sure I'd like to wear them on a HM or further.

    Cal- The Rhyl 10 is very flat and fast,all along the coast to Prestatyn and back again.It's part of the north Wales road running  championships,so it'll attract runners who'll want to sub 60.

  • I've avoided the very windy times, JD. I do not like wind at all. Do you think your shoes will get better with time? My first pair of Zoom Flys were awful the first time I ran a half in them but I did a marathon in them by the end of the year.

    11 miles this morning. I was intending to do 10 but there was a really lovely sunrise - lots of pinks and oranges - so I rerouted so I could run towards it for as long as possible. (Needless to say, it wasn't a fast run!)
  • That's some mileage you're putting in Hazelnut. I don't know where you find the time to be able to fit it all in. Along with Cal I'd agree with JD that you're both putting us to shame with the amount you're doing.

    Not surprised you're feeling tired Cal. Might be an idea (as much as I know it goes against the grain) to factor in a rest day just to give things a chance to recover.

    Well done on the 4.75er JD. Hopefully the new runners will break in. Are you new to Saucony or even that particular model? I've been an Asics GT-2000 man for the last 10 years and am very reluctant to change. Although I am being slightly seduced by the Nike Zoom Fly and wondering if it would really make that much of a difference.

    Two runs this week; yesterday with a friend at work at lunchtime for a 30 min easy as I was feeling how my back would cope. No problems during the run and it was a very easy jog, although rather wet as the canal path had plenty of rather large puddles. Gave up trying to run round them and in the end ran through them, so my runners sat under my desk for the rest of the day drying out.

    Another one today, same friend with another colleague and the same route. Slightly drier this time, but runners are still a bit soaked. Slightly quicker today and pleased that both my friends were struggling with the pace. Although it's not a competition. But if it were......

    Gym day tomorrow and I need to ease my back in some way. I'll have to get some decent stretching in as apart from it easing when I run it stiffens up afterwards and I'm definitely feeling my age at the moment. Parkrun on Saturday where I believe I'm due to do some pacing. First time for that.
  • Guarddog - I have two rest days a week and do a cut-back week every few weeks too (next week will be one, since I have a half on the Sunday).
  • Base training and next week starting a proper mara plan means lots of miles for me at the moment.

    The Saucony sound interesting JD, I will need an up to HM shoe soon again. If they are race shoes, they might feel better when you run fast in them. Rhyl 10 sounds good too hopefully not windy on the coast.

    Good you could enjoy the sunrise Cal.

    I work 75% and from home so I probably have more time than some GD, with "life" to deal with I do get tight on time though. Good your back will let you run, but less so if it is otherwise sore.

    5 mile recovery yesterday at sunset again which was nice. Disciplined pacing and legs felt better afterwards than before so must have got it right.

    This afternoon LT intervals: 5k with a few strides, then 2 x 15 mins with 2 mins recovery. Pleased that I covered a bit more than 4 miles on the fast bits. Should be good preparation for starting P&D next week. Away this weekend without running gear, haven't had 3 days off in ages.
  • I should have realised you'd be working to a plan Cal and incorporating rest in that  :) . You're still putting me to shame  ;) .

    Well done on the 5 miler Hazelnut and hopefully the intervals went well. Working 75% and from home sounds good, although do you mind working from home all the time? I do a day a week from home, although I intend to go to two days WFH shortly. I'm having to amend the way I work and so I can't justify the cost of a night spent up in West London. And getting up at 4am for 4 days would kill me.

    No run today, did go to the gym and spent a lot of time stretching. The back is still very stiff. I'm OK once I'm moving, it's just getting moving is an issue. Parkrun pacing has been confirmed for tomorrow, I'm pacing for 28 mins.
  • 28 minutes doesn't sound too arduous, GD.
    Well done on the LT, Hazelnut. Enjoy your days off.
    6 miles recovery for me - legs felt quite tired. Hopefully they'll be much better tomorrow at parkrun.
  • A near disaster today! I travelled up to Gunpowder in Essex (it's a long tube ride, a few stops on the train and then a 2 mile job - a bit of a mission) as I wanted a flattish hard surface one, but when I got to the park, the puddles on the paths were covered in ice. This didn't look promising, and when the RD arrived (I was early), the parkrun got cancelled.
    The next nearest was Roding Valley, another I've not done, though I've been avoiding it as it's very muddy. However, there was no chance of me making anywhere else. I managed to blag a lift with some other parkrunners and we made it to Roding with a minute or two to spare.
    The mud was indeed spectacular, and unfortunately I was in my Zoom Flys, so I just took it easy, walked the worst bits and came in with a new personal worst of 32:29. But, at least it was a parkrun ticked off, rather than no run at all!
  • That does sound a bit of a nightmare Cal. Glad you managed to find another run to do,  even if your runners were at risk from the mud.  How do you find the Zoom Flys? I'm struggling to justify £130 on a pair of runners. 

    Pacing done today at Hove Park.  A group of us took up the mantle (well poles with the target times on it) in honour of our friend's 250th PR. 28 mins wasn't too bad in light of my back being very stiff and I was pleased to finish in 27:50, especially as Hove Park is a bit undulating which makes even paced running tricky. Disappointed not to have a large group following me around,  hanging on my running wisdom (or sniggering at me struggling to keep my running leggings up as I tried to avoid a wardrobe malfunction). However rather nice to be thanked afterwards by someone who said I'd helped them get a PB.

    It's a 2hr LSR tomorrow morning with 3 x 12 race pace intervals on the inward half. Hopefully my back is up to it. 
  • I have the flyknit ones - bought my current pair just over a year ago, but I have a back-up pair I bought at Black Friday prices. The newer ones are apparently heavier, which is not what I want. Anyway, I do like them, although I like my 4% better! I save them for important races, though.
    I managed to clean them up so they'll live to fight another day.
    Good job on the pacing, and good luck with that tomorrow.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    Went out at 5:30 (well, 5:33 if we're splitting hairs) and stuck to well-lit main roads until it started getting lighter (which happened around 10 miles). There were a lot of slippery spots - standard pavement slabs were fine, brick was fine, some tarmac was OK and some was very slippery, and then there were the metal drain covers and patches of frosty leaf mulch to avoid. My intention had been to do 18 with some at MP, but I ended up going very slowly indeed. To make up for that I threw in a mile's worth of hill sprints between 14 and 15, which was the only part of the run I enjoyed.
  • But have you noticed any discernible performance improvement  with them Cal? I'm just wondering if changing brand is the way to go after so long and if I'm likely to see any my times suddenly drop. Good effort on the run yesterday, especially with the slippery conditions. And well done on the hill sprints, that is some going after 14 miles.

    13.7 miles yesterday in the 2 hr LSR. Gorgeous morning, wonderfully crisp and once you were in the sun it wasn't too bad. Likewise conditions were a bit icy, so much so that the original run route was changed due to it being considered too dodgy. We ended up running alongside the Adur, which I always like. There was one rather tricky part where the sun hadn't managed to reach the road and so it was quite slippery and a few people were skidding a bit. As this was just before the turnaround it was decided to only do 2 intervals at race pace. All in all a good workout, despite colliding with a dog near the end. I think the dog was more shocked than I was as we skidded together. Back held up quite well until the last two miles when I started to feel it twinge, but it was fine after that and this morning it felt the easier than it has done for a couple of weeks. That was until I emptied the dishwasher and it has now stiffened up again considerably. I may need to see someone.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Guarddog,well done on your pacing for the parkrun,volunteering makes our sport possible.I always wear Sacouny but I've never had this model before,hopefully I'll get used to them.I've only worn them twice as the mud is pretty bad by me and don't want to get them too dirty.Hope your back gets better soon .

    Unlucky with the Gunpowder parkrun, Cal, at least you managed to get to another one instead.Well done with the hill sprints after 14 miles,that's good going.

    8 miles Friday with Polly,came across 30 odd sheep on the canal,luckily Polly 's recall was impeccable .Was going to do Henley Wood parkrun but what was going to be just a few drinks with friends on Friday evening turned out to be a heavy session and Saturday was totally ruined.
    11.68 miles yesterday,first 6 at HMP,and then about MP for the rest of the run but around 8 miles my hams and glutes really tightened up,so I really had to slow down.
    Just over 5 slow miles today,hams and glutes still very tight,to be honest I've slackened off with the stretching over the last few days so need to get back with it.


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